A General History of the Far Trade. l£ 



Company. Their duty was to import the necessary goods 

 from England, store them at their own expense at Montreal, 

 get them made up into the articles suited to the trade, pack 

 and forward them, and supply the cash that might be want- 

 ing for the outfits ; for which they received, independent of 

 the profit on their shares, a commission on the amount of 

 the accounts, which they were obliged to make out annu- 

 ally, and keep the adventure of each year distinct; Two 

 of them went annually to the Grande Portage, to manage 

 and transact the business there, and on the communication 

 at Detroit, Michilimakinac, St. Mary's, and at Montreal, 

 where they received stores, packed up, and shipped the 

 company's furs for England, on which they had also a small 

 commission. The remaining shares were held by the pro- 

 prietors, who were obliged to winter and manage the busi- 

 ness of the concern with the Indians, and their respective 

 clerks, &c. They were not supposed to be under any obli- 

 gation to furnish capital, or even credit* If they obtained 

 any capital by the trade, it was to remain in the hands of the 

 agents ; for which they were allowed interest* Some of 

 them, from their long services and influence, held double 

 shares, and were allowed to retire from the business at any 

 period of the existing concern, with one of those shares, 

 naming any young man in the company's service to succeed 

 him in the other. Seniority and merit were, however, 

 considered as affording a claim to the succession, which, 

 nevertheless, could not be disposed of without the concur- 

 rence of the majority of the concern ; who, at the same 

 time, relieved the seceding person from any responsibility 

 respecting the share that he transferred, and accounted for 

 it according to the annual value or rate of the property ; so 

 that the seller could have no advantage but that of getting 

 the share of stock which he retained realised, and receiving 

 for the transferred share what was fairly determined to be the 

 worth of it» The former was also discharged from all duty, 

 and became a dormant partner. Thus, all the young men 

 who were not provided for at the beginning of the contract, 

 succeeded in succession to the character and advantages of 

 partners. They entered into the Company's service for five 

 or seven years, under such expectations, and their reasona* 

 ble prospects were seldom disappointed: there were, indeed, 

 instances when they succeeded to shares, before their ap- 

 prenticeship was expired, and it frequently happened that 

 they were provided for while they were in a state of articled 



