The Home of the Wolverene a>ui Beaver. 217 



and return to the thread of my story and Paul 

 Gresham, whom I feel guilty of cruelly neglecting. 

 All the parties above described fulfilled their various 

 missions, Mr. Stuart's expedition reaching St. Louis 

 after a most painful journey, which occupied ten 

 months. But war had broken out between Great 

 Britain and the United States, and at any time 

 one of the British cruisers might cross the bar of 

 the Columbia River and commit Astoria to the 

 flames. The captain of the Beaver also, either 

 through ill-judgment or timidity, misconstrued his 

 orders, and a third ship sent forth by the indefatig- 

 able Mr. Astor was lost. In the face of so many 

 discouraging circumstances the further prosecution 

 of his gigantic scheme was abandoned by the great 

 American, and on the i6th of October, 1813, an 

 agreement was signed and executed, by which 

 all the peltry and merchandise of every kind 

 passed into the hands of the North-West Com- 

 pany, who made an uncommonly good bargain, 

 obtaining twenty thousand pounds' worth of furs 

 for about eight thousand pounds. Beaver was 

 valued at eight shillings per skin, though really 

 worth twenty; land otter at two shilling.s, though 

 worth fiifteen ; sea otter at three pounds, when 

 its proper price should have been from eight tc 

 twelve. 



