Tiic Home of the Wolvcrcjic and Beaver. 33 



provided for and stimulated to perform their duty 

 with zeal and alacrity, for their own interests were 

 identical with those of their employers. 



In the year 1788 the total amount of the Com- 

 pany's capital was only forty thousand pounds, but 

 by the exertion, enterprise, and industry of the 

 proprietors, it more than tripled itself in eleven 

 years, and as an investment surpassed anything 

 known in America. Washington Irving says, 

 " Sometimes one or two partners, recently from the 

 interior posts, would make their appearance in 

 New York, in the course of a tour of pleasure and 

 curiosity. On these occasions there was always a 

 degree of magnificence of the purse about them, and 

 a peculiar propensity to expenditure at the gold- 

 smiths and jewellers, for rings, chains, brooches, 

 necklaces, jewelled watches, and other rich trinkets, 

 partly for their own wear, partly for presents to 

 their female acquaintances ; a gorgeous prodigalit}', 

 such as was often to be noticed in former times in 

 southern planters and West Indian Creoles, when 

 flush with the profits of their plantations." 



And now having briefly sketched the constitution 

 of the North-West Company I pass on to the 

 manner in which it was worked. 



The agents had to exercise great forethought in 

 ordering goods from England, for the communica- 



C 



