78 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL' V. 



may discover from the north side of Lake Superior to the River 

 Ouinipique, and also of the trade to the North-west either by that 

 passage or by the present communication by the Grand Portage for ten 

 years," urging in support of their petition that they were the only per- 

 sons that had any " interest or connection in that country." 



They took advantage of this opportunity to describe the extent of 

 their trade and the manner in which it was conducted. 



" The inland navigation by which the North-west business is carried 

 on is perhaps the most extensive of any in the known world, but is only 

 practicable for canoes on account of the great number of carrying places. 

 To give your Excellency some idea of which, there are upwards of 

 ninety from Montreal to Lake du Bois only, and many of them very 

 long ones. 



" Two sets of men are employed in this business, making upwards of 

 500, one half of which are occupied in the transport of goods from 

 Montreal to the Grand Portage in canoes of about four tons burthen, 

 navigated by eight to ten men, and the other half are employed to take 

 such goods forward to every post in the interior country to the extent of 

 1,000 to 2,000 miles and upwards, from Lake Superior, in canoes of 

 about one and a half tons burthen, made expressly for the inland service^ 

 and navigated by four or five men only, according to the places of their 

 destination. 



" The large canoes from Montreal always set off early in May, and as 

 the provisions they take with them are consumed by the time they reach 

 Michilimackinac, they are necessitated to call there merely to take in an 

 additional supply, not only for tliemselves but also for the use of the 

 canoes intended for the interior country and the consumption of their 

 servants at the Grand Portage, but as these canoes are not capable of 

 carrying the whole of such provisions it thence becomes necessary to 

 have a vessel or boats upon Lake Superior for that transport only, and 

 the utmost despatch is required that everything may be ready in point 

 of time to send off their supplies for the interior country, for which pur- 

 pose the goods, provisions, and everything else required for the outfits of 

 this year must be at the Grand Portage early in July, for the carrying 

 place being at least ten miles in length, fifteen days are commonly spent 

 in this service, which is performed by the canoe-men, who usually leave 

 the west end from the 15th July to the 1st August, according to the 

 distance of the places they are intended for. 



" Their general loading is two-thirds goods and one-third provisions, 

 which not being sufficient for their subsistence until they reach winter 



