330 NISQUALLY AND COLUMBIA RIVER. 



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 consequence 

 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 I am satisfied that 

 as far as the morals of the settlers and servants are concerned, it is. 

 used for good purposes. For instance, the use of spirits is almost 

 entirely done away with. Dr. M'Laughlin has acted in a highly praise- 

 worthy manner in this particular. Large quantities of spirituous 

 liquors are now stored in the magazines at Vancouver, which the Com- 

 pany have refused to make an article of trade, and none is now used 

 by them in the territory for that purpose. They have found this rule 

 highly beneficial to their business in several respects : more furs are 

 taken, in consequence of those who are engaged having fewer induce- 

 ments to err; the Indians are found to be less quarrelsome, and pursue 

 the chase more constantly ; and the settlers, as far as I could hear, have 

 been uniformly prosperous. 



In order to show the course of the Company upon this subject, I 

 will mention one circumstance. The brig Thomas H. Perkins arrived 

 here with a large quantity of rum on board, with other goods. Dr. 

 M'Laughlin, on hearing of this, made overtures immediately for the 

 purchase of the whole cargo, in order to get possession of the whiskey 

 or rum, and succeeded. The Doctor mentioned to me that the liquor 

 was now in store, and would not be sold in the country, and added, 

 that the only object he had in buying the cargo was to prevent the use 

 of the rum, and to sustain the temperance cause. 



The settlers are also deterred from crimes, as the Company have the 

 power of sending them to Canada for trial, which is done with little 

 cost, by means of the annual expresses which carry their accounts and 

 books. 



