352 COLUMBIA RIVER. 



the year. At early dawn the bell is rung for the working parties, 

 who soon after go to work : the sound of the hammers, click of the 

 anvils, the rumbling of the carts, with tinkling of bells, render it 

 difficult to sleep after this hour. The bell rings again at eight, for 

 breakfast ; at nine they resume their work, which continues till one ; 

 then an hour is allowed for dinner, after which they work till six, 

 when the labours of the day close. At five o'clock on Saturday 

 afternoon the work is stopped, when the servants receive their weekly 

 rations. 



Vancouver is a large manufacturing, agricultural, and commercial 

 depot, and there are few if any idlers, except the sick. Everybody 

 seems to be in a hurry, whilst there appears to be no obvious reason 

 for it. 



Without making any inquiries, I heard frequent complaints made of 

 both the quantity and quality of the food issued by the Company to 

 its servants. I could not avoid perceiving that these complaints were 

 well founded, if this allowance were compared with what we deem a 

 sufficient ration in the United States for a labouring man. Many of 

 the servants complained that they had to spend a great part of the 

 money they receive to buy food : this is £17 per annum, out of 

 which they have to furnish themselves with clothes. They are 

 engaged for five years, and after their time has expired the Com- 

 pany are obliged to send them back to England or Canada, if they 

 desire it. Generally, however, when their time expires they find 

 themselves in debt, and are obliged to serve an extra time to pay it ; 

 and not unfrequently, at the expiration of their engagement, they 

 have become attached, or married, to some Indian woman or half- 

 breed, and have children, on which account they find themselves 

 unable to leave, and continue attached to the Company's service, and 

 in all respects under the same engagement as before. If they desire 

 to remain and cultivate land, they are assigned a certain portion, but 

 are still dependent on the Company for many of the necessaries of life, 

 clothing, &c. This causes them to become a sort of vassal, and com- 

 pels them to execute the will of the Company. In this way, however, 

 order and decorum are preserved, together with steady habits, for few 

 can in any way long withstand this silent influence. The conse- 

 quence is, that few communities are to be found more well-behaved 

 and orderly than that which is formed of the persons who have 

 retired from the Company's service. That this power, exercised by 

 the officers of the Company, is much complained of, I am aware, but 



