ABOUT INDIANS. 55 



white man has wilfully made him otherwise than 

 what he was, but as a fact he is. It has been a 

 transformation in which the Indian has fallen 

 to most of the white man's vices and adopted 

 very few of his virtues. My experience has been 

 over considerable of the country and amongst 

 several tribes and my observation has told me 

 that about the Mission centers (be the denomi- 

 nation what it may) is to be found the greatest 

 debauchery and rascality in the Indian and that 

 right at their very gates. 



Prior to 1821 both the Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany and that of the Northwest gave liquor to 

 the Indians, but after the coalition of the two 

 companies a wise policy was inaugurated and 

 liquor was stopped thruout the vast country. 

 The Company's people saw that liquor to the 

 Indian was laying the seeds of illness and death 

 and impoverishing his family, but the Company 

 did not take away the grog (which had been 

 given in most cases as a bonus on their hunt) 

 without giving an equivalent in value and the 

 cash value of liquor to each hunter entitled to 

 any was given in the shape of any goods he chose 

 from the trade shop. Even the servants who 

 had heretofore received a Saturday night al- 

 lowance of spirits, received in lieu thereof two 

 pounds sterling per annum added to their 

 wages. 



