On the Fur Trade, and Fur-hearing Animals. 323 



while the property belonged to Mr. Astor. The captain and officers 

 of the sloop of war were sadly disappointed, at hearing that all the 

 furs, &LC. had two months previously, become the effects of loyal 

 Englishmen. They had fed their fancies with hopes of large prize 

 money j and when their investigations left not a loop to hang a doubt 

 on, that their hopes were futile and baseless, their lengthened and 

 rueful visages showed the extent of their disappointment. All that 

 was left for the representative of his Britannic Majesty to do, was to 

 take possession of the country in his royal master's name, which was 

 accomplished with the usual ceremonies, and ci-devant Astoria re- 

 ceived the royal appellative of Fort George.* 



One circumstance occurred on the arrival of this ship, which puts 

 beyond question, the ability to have held the fort and possession of 

 Mr. Astor in the country for him, provided his agents had been so 

 minded. Old Comcomoly was well aware of the distinction between 

 Americans and Englishmen. Their trading ships had visited his 

 country before a settlement had been thought of. He knew of the 

 war, from his almost daily intercourse with the fort. When the big 

 war canoe of the English arrived, he offered his entire band to ex- 

 terminate the enemy who had come to make the Americans slaves. 

 He showed this to be a feasible undertaking, for the ship could not 

 approach within six miles of the fort ; and the nature of the country, 

 woods to the water's edge, would have concealed them completely 

 from an attacking foe, and permitted them in perfect security to them- 

 selves, to have destroyed every individual that would land with hos- 

 tile intent. The proposition, of course, was not accepted by Mr. 

 McDougall, for reasons which have been made apparent. 



The Raccoon left the river in the beginning of the year 1814 ; 

 and on the last day of February, of the same year, Mr. Hunt return- 

 ed to the river, with supplies, &c. for our relief, in the brig Pedler, 

 which vessel he had bought at the Sandwich Islands for this purpose. 

 His arrival was too late ; the property no longer belonged to Mr. As- 

 tor ; his old associate, Mr. McDougall, was a partner of the North 

 West Company, and all that Mr. Hunt had to do, was to get the bills 

 for the paltry sum this property had been sold for, and remit the 

 same by some of the partners going across the country to Mr. Astor, 

 in New York. This accomplished, he with two or three of the 

 American clerks, embarked on board the Pedler on Saturday after- 



* Restored to the United States by the Treaty of Ghent. 



