CASTOROLOGIA. IO3 



Throne — the discovery of the North West passage — as the fate of 

 Sir John Franklin will ever attest ; and in addition reaped hand- 

 some rewards, from the rich traffic in peltries. 



To gather some idea of the universal importance of the beaver in 

 those days, the condition of aifairs can be easily reviewed by refer- 

 ence to some of the early documents, from which we find that not 

 only was all merchandise valued in beaver skins, but that all other 

 skins obtained in the country which were offered in barter, were also 

 reduced to the value of beaver skins, so that beavers were the only 

 medium of exchange. In 1774, Arthur Dobbs published " An Ac- 

 count of the Countries Adjoining to Hudson's Bay, in the North- 

 West Part of America," the principal object of which was to sug- 

 gest certain measures for a better control of the trade, " whereby the 

 French will be deprived in a great measure of their Traffick in Furs, 

 and the communication between Canada and the Mississippi be cut 

 off." The following notes are from this valuable source : 



' ' Beaver being the chief Commodit)^ received in Trade, in these 

 Parts, it is made the Standard to rate all the Furs and other Goods 

 by. 



3 Martin Skins as i Beaver 



2 Otters " I or perhaps 2 



I Queequeehatch " i/4 



I Fox " I unless ext. then 2 



I Cat "2 



1 Moose "2 



2 Dear Skins " i 



I Wolf "I 



I Pound Castoruni " i 



10 Pound Feathers ■' i 



8 Pair Moose Hoofs ■' i 



4 Fathom Netting " I 



I Black Bear "2 



I Cub -^ I 



I Weejack ••' i 



