18 



A General History of the Fur Trade. 



twine j common hardware ; cutlery and ironmongery of se- 

 veral descriptions ; kettles of brass and copper, and sheet-* 

 iron ; silk and cotton handkerchiefs ; hats, shoes and hose ; 

 calicoes and printed cottons, &c. he. he. Spirituous liquors 

 and provisions are purchased in Canada. These, and the 

 expense of transport to and from the Indian country, in- 

 cluding wages to clerks, interpreters, guides, and canoe- 

 men, with the expense of making up the goods for the 

 market, form about half the annual amount against the ad- 

 venture. 



This expenditure in Canada ultimately tends to the en- 

 couragement of British manufactory, for those who are em- 

 ployed in the different branches of this business, are enabled 

 by their gains to purchase such British articles as they must 

 otherwise forego. 



The produce of the year of which I am now speaking, 

 consisted of the following furs and peltries : 

 106,000 Beaver skins, 6000 Lynx skins, 



2100 Bear skins, 600 Wolverine skins, 



1500 Fox skins, 1650 Fisher skins, 



4000 Kitt Fox skins, 100 Rackoon skins, 



4600 Otter skins, 3800 Wolf skins, 



17,000 Musquash skins, 700 Elk skins, 



32,000 Marten skins, 750 Deer skins, 



1800 Mink skins, 1200 Deer skins, dressed, 



500 Buffalo robes, and a quantity of castorum. 

 Of these were diverted from the British market, being 

 sent through the United States to China, 13,364 skins, fine 

 beaver, weighing 19,283 pounds ; 1250 fine otters, and 1 724 

 kitt foxes. They would have found their way to the China 

 market at any rate, but this deviation from the British 

 channels arose from the following circumstance: 



An adventure of this kind was undertaken by a respect- 

 able house in London, half concerned with the North* Went 

 Company, in the year 1792. The furs were of the best kind, 

 and suitable to the market ; and the adventurers continued 

 this connection for five successive years, to the annual amount 

 of forty thousand pounds. At the winding up of the con- 

 cern of 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, in the year 1797, (the ad- 

 venture of 1T96 not being included, as the furs were not 

 sent to China, but disposed of in London) the North West 

 Company experienced a loss of upwards of ,£40,000 (theij? 

 half) which was principally owing to the difficulty of get- 

 ting' ho me the produce procured in return for the furs from 



