32 TRANSACTIONS. 1906-7. 



forms a part of the Dominion of Canada, and yet, except along 

 certain traveled routes we to-day know very little of the country. 



Any description of that vast region would be incomplete and 

 almost impossible without frequent reference to the trading 

 companies that have operated there for many years. 



The first and oldest of these is the Hudson's Bay Co., which 

 received a Royal Charter from Charles II in 1670. This company 

 obtained great privileges over the country surrounding Hudson's 

 Bay and the streams flowing into it. 



In 1785 a great rival corporation was formed, viz.. The North 

 West Company. They had their headquarters at Montreal and 

 were exceedingly enterprising. They not only established posts 

 at various points on the great lakes of the St. Lawrence basin, but 

 extended them into what the Hudson's Bay Co. regarded as 

 territory belonging exclusively to them on the Red River and the 

 Saskatchewan; and even went into regions far beyond where the 

 older company had ever penetrated; even to the Pacific Sea on 

 the one hand and the Arctic on the other. Sir Alexander Macken- 

 zie was an officer of the North West Company. The presence of 

 this new company hi the waters tributary to Hudson's Bay soon 

 resulted in conflicts between the employees of the two corporations, 

 and this state of affairs continued till they were amalgamated in 

 the year 1821. 



.The Hudson's Bay Co. brought their supphes from London to 

 posts on the Hudson's Bay, from which points they were distri- 

 buted, while the North West Co. brought theirs also from London 

 but to Montreal, and from there every season transports in bark 

 canoes were sent out with goods, which found their way, in some 

 cases, even across the Rocky Mountains to the shores of the Pacific, 

 and in others beyond the Arctic Circle to the north. 



The area drained by the Mackenzie River is of vast extent 

 covering as near as can be ascertained at present a territory of 

 451,400 square miles. Its principal tributaries flow from the west; 

 they consist of the Athabaska, the Peace and the Liard, with 

 many others of smaller size. The area of the St. Lawrence basin 

 above Montreal, including of course all of our great lakes and the 

 country tributary thereto, is only about 309,500 square miles, 

 while that of the Saskatchewan and its two branches is only 159,- 

 000 square miles; so that the Mackenzie basin exceeds that of the 

 St. Lawrence above the city of Montreal by over 140,000 square 

 miles and is nearly three times as great in extent as the basin of 

 the Saskatchewan and both of its great branches. 



