332 NISQUALLY AND COLUMBIA RIVER. 



begged Dr. M'Laughlin to send him back to Vancouver. William 

 Bruce was accordingly taken again into employ, and sent, back in the 

 next ship. In the mean time, however, he was sent to Chiswick, the 

 seat of the Duke of Devonshire, to get a little more knowledge of 

 his duties, and remained till the vessel sailed ; but no place was like 

 Vancouver to him, and all his success here continues to be compared 

 with Chiswick, which he endeavours to surpass: this is alike creditable 

 to both. 



Besides the storehouses there is also a granary, which is a frame 

 building of two stories, and the only one, the rest being built of logs. 



In addition to these, there are extensive kitchens and apartments 

 for the half-breed and Indian children that the Company have taken 

 to bring up and educate. Of these there are now twenty-three boys 

 and fifteen girls, who claim the particular attention of Dr. M'Laughlin 

 and Mrs. Douglass. A teacher is employed for the boys, who super- 

 intends them not only in school, but in the field and garden. During 

 my stay an examination took place, and although the pupils did not 

 prove very expert at their reading and writing, yet we had sufficient 

 evidence that they had made some improvement, and were in a fair 

 way to acquire the rudiments. Some allowance was to be made for 

 the boys, who had been constantly in the field under their teacher for 

 a few r months past. Dr. M'Laughlin estimated the labour of four of 

 these small boys as equal to that of a man. It. was an interesting sight 

 to see these poor little cast-away fellows, of all shades of colour, from 

 the pure Indian to that of the white, thus snatched away from the 

 vices and idleness of the savage. They all speak both English and 

 French ; they are also instructed in religious exercises, in which I 

 thought they appeared more proficient than in their other studies. 

 These they are instructed in on Sunday, on which day they attend divine 

 worship twice. They were a ruddy set of boys, and when at work 

 had a busy appearance : they had planted and raised six hundred 

 bushels of potatoes; and from what Dr. M'Laughlin said to me, fully 

 maintain themselves. The girls are equally well cared for, and are 

 taught by a female, with whom they live and work. 



An opinion has gone abroad, I do not know how, that at this post 

 there is a total disregard of morality and religion, and that vice pre- 

 dominates. As far as my observations went, I feel myself obliged to 

 state, that every thing seems to prove the contrary, and to bear testi- 

 mony that the officers of the Company are exerting themselves to 

 check vice, and encourage morality and religion, in a very marked 

 manner; and that I saw no instance in which vice was tolerated in 

 any degree. I have, indeed, reason to believe, from the discipline and 



