1'Ki.i.iMiN \ky observations 



absolute headof the Mississippi,) Itasca Lake. The furs and skins 

 collected, are exchanged for go tdswith traders, who visit them an- 

 nually in the full, and remain during the winter. These goods are 

 brought in canoes from Michilimackinac, an estimated distance, as 

 travelled, of 1126 miles. Of this distance there are only 

 railjs land carriage, separated into live portages, at distant points. 

 We may observe in this singular facility of internal water 

 communication, one of the primary reasons of the heads of the 

 M Missippi, being supplied with Indian poods at first from Mon- 

 il, and afterwards from New- York. Not only were these fa- 

 cilities early found to exist, but it was the track of interior dis- 

 covery, while the Mississippi itself opposed an obstacle to the 

 trade, by its difficult navigation, and the unhealthinessof the cli- 

 mate of its lower lattitudes. Political considerations, also, en- 

 tered into the earlier arrangements. Indeed, whoever is curious 

 to examine into this matter, will find the history of the fur trade 

 10 north-western America, to be intimately blended with the 

 civil history of the country, for about two hundred and fifty 

 n after its discovery. Dating this discovery from the 

 arrival of jEaqties Carder in the gulf of St. Lawrence, 

 in 1534. (the first well settled era.) the traffic then commenced 

 with the natives, and, soon assuming an engrossing character,may 

 be traced through various modifications, up to the surrender of the 

 lake posts to the American government in 179G. This momen- 

 tous interval of two hundred and sixty-two years, is fraught 

 with incidents of a deeply interesting character, which it will 

 -ullicient here, to allude to. Through every change of things 

 the fur trade continued to be, not only cherished, but formed 

 one of the cardinal interests in the policy of the government 

 which France and Great Britain successively exercised over 

 this portion of North America. Under the French government 

 the system was intimately connected with military and with 

 forts, in a manner which was peculiar to that gov- 

 ernment. Licences to trade were granted by the governor 

 icral to superannuated officers, and other servants of the 



