HUD 



337 



HUE 



Wsaa's trade ; so that the natives often pay at the rate of one- 

 thin), or even one half, more than the preceding rates. 



"* Y " ' In consequence or this griping traffic, and the alleged 

 supineness of the company, the trade has been gradual- 

 ly decreasing, though the articles procured have been 

 bringing a higher price at home. This is partly ascri- 

 bed to the competition of the Canadian traders since 

 , who penetrate into the interior, and establish 

 trading ports nearer the abodes of the native*, who oft- 

 en collect more skins than they are able to convey to 

 the settlements on the coast, and are glad also to find 

 a market without needing to seek it through a long 

 anil laborious journey. By the?e enterprising compe- 

 titors under NIr Joseph Frobisher, the company's trade 

 suffered so severely, that, in 1775, it fell short nearly 

 one half of what it had been in 1774. They immediate- 

 ly commenced pursuit of the retreating trade, by erect- 

 ing trading bouses in the interior. In 1775, they form- 

 ed* settlement at Sturgeon Lake, in north latitude 

 53*56', and west longitude 103 15'; in 1793, their 

 traders repaired to the south-east of Portage de Traite 

 among the Knisteneaux, whom they term their home 

 guards ; and, about the beginning of the present cen- 

 tury, to Athabasca river, in north latitude 56 42', 

 amongtbeChepewyans. Since the establishment of these 

 trading houses, which are maintained at a great ex- 

 pence, the Indians have in a great measure ceased to 

 the factories on the coast of Hudson's Bay, which 

 hare thus become little better than storehouses for the 

 articles of the tirade. Still, however, in spite of these 

 endeavours to secure the traffic of the natives, they 

 have found the adventurers from Canada in every re- 

 spect an overmatch for their people in the business ; a 

 circumstance for which it is difficult to account, when 

 it is considered how much nearer to the Indian hun- 

 ters is the residence of the Hudson's Bay traders ; and 

 in how much shorter a time they can procure a return 

 upon their goods. The directors of the Company ap- 

 pear to have readily authorised their agents to pursue 

 the inland trade since the encroachments of the Ca- 

 nadian*, of which a proof may be adduced from the fol- 

 lowing vanuscript notes in a copy of Mackenzie's Voya- 

 ges, bv one of their factors at that period. " When 

 chief factor at York Fort, I sent inland several young 

 men with the Indians to observe the movements of the 

 Canadian adventurers. 



never would venture, making as excuse, that they Hurt. 

 would be in want of food." The company, however, "*" ""Y" 1 

 have been loudly and publicly charged with making 

 only the most languid exertions, with failing from an 

 ill-judged parsimony to animate their servants by ade- 

 quate salaries, and with injudiciously employing in the 

 carrying part of the inland trade the native Indians, 

 who are so much less active than the Canadian ser- 

 vants, and who are thus withdrawn from their more 

 profitable service as hunters. It has been affirmed, in 

 short, that were they to prosecute the trade with spirit, 

 the Canadian associations would be obliged to relin- 

 quish it entirely ; and it has been consequently urged, 

 that so inefficient a monopoly should be thrown open 

 to the exertions of the public. These charges, how- 

 ever, are made chiefly, and rather inconsistently, by 

 the rival fur-traders from Canada, who have certainly 

 been the greatest gainers, by the remissness of those 

 from Hudson's Bay ; and who must be convinced, that, 

 if the trade were thrown open, it would naturally be 

 prosecuted rather through the more favourable stations 

 on Hudson's Bay, than through the circuitous rout of 

 the St Lawrence. See Foster's History nf f'oyage* and 

 Discoveries in the North ; Hearne's Travels to llirSorth- 

 em Ocean ; Mackenzie's t'uyage* through the (. 'ontinrnt 

 of ffortk America ; Umfreville's Stale if Hudson t 

 Bay ; and Long's Travel* in Canada, (q) 



111 F.T, I'LiBfi DANICL, Bishop of Avranches in 

 France, an eminent scholar, was born of a good family 

 at Caen in Normandy, on the 8th of February, 1630. 

 His parents died while he was but an infant, and left 

 him to the care of guardians, who neglected him ; but 

 In'i natural abilities and innate love of learning over- 

 came all disadvantages, and before he was thirteen 

 years of age he had finished his studies in the brlles 

 Ifttm. Having entered into the study of philosophy, 

 he found an excellent guide in father 'Maimhrun, a Je- 

 suit, who directed him to begin by learning a little 

 geometry. Hurt, however, went farther than his tutor 

 desired, and contracted such a rcluh for the mathema- 

 tics as had almost induced him to abandon his other 

 studies. 



Having finished his elementary studies, it was his 

 object to apply himself to the law, and to take his de- 

 grees in that faculty ; but from this pursuit he was di- 



Tt - They found bands of them with verted by two books which werr th npubli.thed These 

 servants and coureurs des bots pursuing the fur trade were, The Principle* of Descartes," and Bochart's 

 lan their predecessors the French. Sarrl Cnvmnhv " T ih. ,.kii.^r. n k.. 



From th.it 



predecessors the French. 

 , | yearly sent inland, and 



, 



repeatedly informed the directors of what was going for- 

 ward. rnpany's trade at York Fort increased for 



two or three years after the conquest of Canada ; but de- 

 creased after Findlay, Currie. &c. penetrated to Satkat- 

 chiwine river. Anno i~i, I .ulvised the directors to es- 

 h settlements inland, with which they readily coro- 

 1 : and have continued to do so at an enormous ex- 

 pence. I do affirm the Company spare no cost to pro- 

 mote trade in every brar , I M y from my own 



experience, having been 6 years in their service, great 

 er part of that time governor and chief factor ; and 

 since I left the employment, have been highly honour- 

 ed with their esteem, and application for advice on the 

 But our countrymen from Canada are bold 

 adventurers, and far superior to the Company's ser- 

 Yam : the former work for their own benefit, while the 

 latter do not." I repeatedly advised the Directors 

 to prosecute the trade to Athabasca ; but the servants 



Sacred Geography.'* To the philosophy of Descartes, 

 of which he was a great admirer, be adhered for many 

 years ; but afterwards abandoned it, when he disco- 

 vered the fallacy of its principles. The immense eru- 

 dition displayed in Bocnait's work made a great im- 

 prmiun on him, and inspired him with a strong desire 

 to become conversant with Greek and Hebrew learn- 

 ing. To assist his progress in these studies, he con- 

 tracted a friendship with Bochart, who was minister of 

 the Protestant church at Caen. 



At the age of twenty, he was emancipated, by the 

 custom of Normandy, from the tuition of his guardians ; 

 and soon after made a journey to Paris, with the view 

 of purchasing books, and becoming acquainted with 

 the learned men of the times. About two years after- 

 wards, he accompanied Bochart to the court ot Chru- 

 Una, queen of Sweden ; and had thus an opjxjrtunity 

 of introducing himself to the learned in other parts of 

 Europe. The queen, it is said, wished to have enga- 

 ged him in her service ; but owing to the jealousy and 



VOL. u. FAIT I. 



Th Utt Aadnv Graham, Eta, 



t V 



