72 SCARCITY OF LABOURERS. 



afforded a piace for divine worship before this 

 period. He is now resident with the Indian 

 boys, at the Post which formerly belonged to 

 the North West Company : but being so far 

 distant from the body of the Protestant settlers 

 his number of scholars is not so large as it was.,, 

 nor have we so many on the Sabbath, for 

 divine worship as formerly. The difficulties 

 which we have hitherto met with in obtaining 

 provisions, and the mode of procuring them, 

 have formed the character of the Colonists 

 principally into that of hunters and fishermen ; 

 so that labourers are not obtained but at a high 

 remunerating price, or at a dollar a day each* 

 A circulating medium would no doubt reduce 

 the price of labour. It has frequently been 

 requested by the settlers, and would relieve 

 them from many unpleasant circumstances 

 arising from barter and payment by bills. 



I found the Scriptures at some of the Com- 

 pany's Posts I visited, most of the copies of 

 which had been sent into the country, together 

 with the Book of Common Prayer, by one of 

 the Directors, who ever expressed to me a 

 lively interest for its moral improvement : and 

 the liberal supply which I had received from 

 the British and Foreign Bible Society, in 

 several different languages, enabled me to cir- 



