﻿ALLEN.] 
  PRODUCTS 
  OF 
  THE 
  BUFFALO. 
  571 
  

  

  of 
  very 
  great 
  economic 
  value. 
  M. 
  de 
  la 
  Galissonniere, 
  in 
  a 
  "Memoir 
  on 
  

   the 
  French 
  Colonies 
  in 
  ]!!Torth 
  America," 
  written 
  in 
  1750, 
  speaks 
  especi- 
  

   ally 
  of 
  the 
  prospective 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  to 
  the 
  French 
  settlers 
  of 
  the 
  

   Illinois 
  country. 
  After 
  describing 
  the 
  vast 
  prairies 
  " 
  waiting 
  only 
  for 
  

   the 
  plough," 
  he 
  refers 
  to 
  their 
  being 
  "covered 
  with 
  an 
  innumerable 
  mul- 
  

   titude 
  of 
  buffaloes, 
  — 
  a 
  species," 
  he 
  says, 
  " 
  which 
  will 
  probably 
  not 
  run 
  

   out 
  for 
  many 
  centuries 
  hence, 
  both 
  because 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  

   peopled 
  to 
  make 
  their 
  consumption 
  perceptible, 
  and 
  because, 
  the 
  hides 
  

   not 
  being 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  uses 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  race, 
  it 
  

   will 
  never 
  happen 
  that 
  the 
  animals 
  will 
  be 
  killed 
  solely 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  

   their 
  skins, 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  practice 
  among 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  of 
  the 
  Eiver 
  de 
  la 
  

   Plata. 
  

  

  "If 
  the 
  Illinois 
  buffaloes 
  do 
  not 
  supply 
  the 
  tanneries 
  with 
  much," 
  M. 
  

   Galissonniere 
  continues, 
  "eventually, 
  advantages 
  at 
  least 
  equivalent 
  

   may 
  reasonably 
  be 
  expected, 
  on 
  which 
  we 
  cannot 
  prevent 
  ourselves 
  

   dwelling 
  for 
  a 
  moment. 
  

  

  u 
  -[St. 
  These 
  animals 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  wool, 
  sufficiently 
  fine 
  

   to 
  be 
  employed 
  in 
  various 
  manufactures, 
  as 
  experience 
  has 
  demonstrated. 
  

  

  u2iid- 
  It 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  doubted 
  that, 
  by 
  catching 
  them 
  young 
  and 
  

   gelding 
  them, 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  adapted 
  to 
  ploughing 
  ; 
  perhaps, 
  even, 
  they 
  

   would 
  possess 
  the 
  same 
  advantage 
  that 
  horses 
  have 
  over 
  domestic 
  oxen, 
  

   that 
  is, 
  superior 
  swiftness 
  ; 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  strong, 
  but 
  perhaps 
  are 
  

   indebted 
  for 
  this 
  to 
  wild 
  breeding; 
  in 
  other 
  respects, 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  tame 
  ; 
  a 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  year 
  old 
  Bull 
  and 
  Cow 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  that 
  

   were 
  extremely 
  gentle. 
  

  

  "3d. 
  Were 
  the 
  Illinois 
  country 
  sufficiently 
  well 
  settled 
  to 
  admit 
  of 
  

   the 
  people 
  inclosing 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  in 
  j^arks, 
  some 
  of 
  

   them 
  might 
  be 
  salted, 
  a 
  business 
  susceptible 
  of 
  being 
  extended 
  very 
  con- 
  

   siderably, 
  without 
  Illinois 
  possessing 
  a 
  large 
  population 
  for 
  that 
  pur- 
  

   pose. 
  This 
  trade 
  would 
  perhaps 
  enable 
  us 
  to 
  dispense 
  with 
  Irish 
  beef 
  

   for 
  Martinico, 
  and 
  even 
  to 
  compete 
  with 
  the 
  English, 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  lower 
  

   rate, 
  for 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Colonies." 
  * 
  

  

  It 
  appears 
  that 
  in 
  1821 
  a 
  joint-stock 
  company 
  was 
  formed 
  in 
  the 
  Brit- 
  

   ish 
  Ked 
  Eiver 
  Colony, 
  under 
  the 
  high-sounding 
  title 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Buffalo 
  

   Wool 
  Company," 
  whose 
  express 
  objects 
  were 
  " 
  to 
  provide 
  a 
  substitute 
  

   for 
  wool, 
  which 
  substitute 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  wool 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  buffalo, 
  which 
  

   was 
  to 
  be 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  Plains, 
  and 
  manufactured 
  both 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   the 
  colonists 
  and 
  for 
  export, 
  and 
  to 
  establish 
  a 
  tannery 
  for 
  manufactur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  buffalo-hides 
  for 
  domestic 
  purposes." 
  A 
  capital 
  of 
  two 
  thou- 
  

   sand 
  pounds 
  sterling 
  was 
  raised, 
  and 
  orders 
  sent 
  to 
  England 
  for 
  ma- 
  

   chinery, 
  implements, 
  dyes, 
  and 
  skilled 
  workmen. 
  Two 
  immigrations 
  of 
  

   operatives 
  arrived, 
  including 
  " 
  curriers, 
  skinners, 
  sorters, 
  wool-dressers, 
  

   teasers, 
  and 
  bark 
  manufacturers, 
  of 
  all 
  grades, 
  ages, 
  and 
  sexes." 
  For 
  a 
  

   time 
  money 
  was 
  i)lenty, 
  wages 
  high, 
  and 
  the 
  prospects 
  golden. 
  But 
  

   events 
  proved 
  the 
  scheme 
  to 
  be 
  grounded 
  on 
  miscalculation, 
  which, 
  with 
  

   the 
  extravagant 
  expenditure 
  indulged 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  company, 
  soon 
  brought 
  

   grief, 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  participants, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  measure 
  affected 
  the 
  for- 
  

   tunes 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  colony. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  wool 
  and 
  the 
  hides 
  

   were 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  got, 
  as 
  stated, 
  for 
  the 
  picking 
  up 
  ; 
  the 
  hides 
  soon 
  costing 
  

   the 
  company 
  6s. 
  each, 
  and 
  the 
  wool 
  Is. 
  6d. 
  per 
  pound." 
  But, 
  according 
  

   to 
  Eoss 
  (from 
  whom 
  these 
  statements 
  are 
  compiled), 
  " 
  the 
  bottle 
  and 
  the 
  

   glass" 
  were 
  too 
  freely 
  circulated; 
  spirits 
  were 
  imported 
  by 
  the 
  hogs- 
  

   head, 
  and 
  scenes 
  of 
  disorder 
  and 
  intemperance 
  followed 
  ; 
  both 
  officials 
  

  

  * 
  Documents 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  Colouial 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  ; 
  procured 
  

   iu 
  Holland, 
  England, 
  and 
  France, 
  by 
  John 
  liomeTn 
  Brodhead, 
  Esq., 
  etc., 
  Vol. 
  X, 
  pp. 
  

   230, 
  231. 
  

  

  