A JOURNEY TO THE 
Company from this increafe, the poor Northerm 
Indians reap innumerable benefits from a fine and 
plentiful country, with the produce of which 
they annually load themfelves for trade, with-- 
out giving the leaft offence to the proper inha- 
bitants. 
Several attempts have been made to induce the _ 
Copper and Dog-ribbed Indians to vifit the Com- 
pany’s Fort at Churchill River, and for that pur- 
pofe many prefents have been fent, but they 
never were attended with any fuccefs. And 
| though - 
fmall-pox, which has carried off nine-tenths of thern, and particularly 
thofe people who compofed the trade at Churchill Fattory. The few 
furvivors follow the example of their Southern neighbours, and all trade 
with the Canadians, who are fettled in the heart of the Athapufcow — 
country : fo that a very few years has proved my fhort-fightednefs, and 
that it would have been much more to the advantage of the Company, as 
well as have prevented the depopulation of the Northern Indian country, | 
if they had {till remained at war with the Southern tribes, and never at- 
tempted to better their fituation. At the fame time, it is impoffible to 
fay what increafe of trade might not, in time, have arifen from a conftant 
and regular traffic with the different tribes of Copper and Dog-ribbed In- 
dians, But having been totally negleéted for feveral years, they have now 
funk into their original barbarifm and extreme indigence; and a war has 
enfued between the two tribes, for the fake of a few remnants of irons 
work which was left among them; and the Dog-ribbed Indians were fo: 
numerous, and fo fuccefsful, as to deftroy almoft the whole race of the Cop- 
per Indians. 
While I was writing this Note, J was informed by fome Northern Indi 
ans, that the few which remain of the Copper tribe have found their way 
to one of the Canadian houfes in the Athapufcow Indians country, where ‘ 
they get fupplied with every thing at lefs, or about half the price they were 
formerly obliged to give; fo that the few farviving Northern Indians, as | 
well as the Hudion’s Bay Company, have now loft every fhadow of any fu- 
ture trade from that quarter, unlefs the Company will eftablifha as 
ment with the Athapufcow country, and underfell the Canadians. 
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