apa . Discoveries SETtLEMENts Book I 
“By thefe Settlements, and thofe adjoining to Hud- 
fin's Bay^ and by opening the Trade to the Bay, many 
thoufands more would be employed in Trade, and a 
much greater Vent would be opened to our Manufac- 
“ turp : Whereas, all the Trade we have at prefent, 
whilft it is thus confined to the Company, is the 
Employment of one hundred and twenty Men in ail 
their Fa6lories ; and two or three Ships in that Trade, 
“ manned perhaps with one hundred and twenty Men in 
“ time of War, to enrich nine or ten Merchants at their 
Country’s Expence, at the fame Time betraying the 
Nation, by allowing the French to encroach upon us 
“ at the bottom of the Bay, having given up by that 
“ Means the greatefl; Part of their Trade there to the 
French. It is therefore humbly fubmitted to the Go- 
‘‘ vernment, whether it is not jufl, as well as prudent, 
‘‘ to open the Trade to all the Britijh Merchants, and 
u fame Time, the Charter, fo far as to 
take from them all the Lands they have not reclaim- 
‘‘ ed or occupied, after feventy Years PofTeffion, leaving 
“ them only their Fadlories, and fuch Lands as they 
have reclaimed, adjoining to them ; and to give 
Grants, as ufual, in other Colonies, to all who fhall 
go over to trade, and make Settlements in the Coun- 
“ try j for no Grant was ever intended to be ma'de to 
them, to enable them to prevent other Subjefts of 
Britain from planting thofe Colonies, which they them- 
felves would not plant or occupy j for fuch a Power, 
inftead of being beneficial, would be the greatefl Pre- 
“ judice to Britain. It is therefore become a general 
Law in all the Colonies, that thofe who take Grants of 
“ Land, and don’t plant them in a reafonable limited 
Time, forfeit their Right to thofe Lands, and a new 
“ Grant is made out to fuch others 'as fhall plant and 
“ improve them •, and if this Grant be not immediately 
refumed fo far, and the Trade laid open, and fome 
“ Force be not fent to fecure our Southern Plantations 
“ in the Bay by the Government, in cafe there fhould 
be a French War, we fhall fee the French immediately 
difpolTefs the Company of all their Faftories but 
“ Churchill^ and all thefe Countries, and that Trade, will 
be in PofTeffion of the French. 
“ To the making fuch Settlements fome Objedlions 
have been made by the Friends of the Company, as 
the great Difficulty of getting People to go to fettle 
and plant in fo cold a Country, and the Difficulty and 
Danger attending the making Settlements higher up 
upon the Rivers, and navigating them, as they are fo 
full of Falls and Rapids, that can only be navigated 
by the Natives in fmall Canoes, made of Birch Bark, 
which can’t contain above two Men with any Cargo ; 
and in thefe they are often overfet, and are in fuch Danger 
of being drowned, and of fpoiling their Goods, that 
they are often obliged to carry their Canoes and Cargo 
from Place to Place, which obflruds greatly and de- 
lays the Navigation ; and that fcarce five Men out of 
one hundred and twenty, which the Company now 
have in the Bay, will venture themfelves in, or can 
condu6t fuch Canoes, without imminent Danger of be- 
ing drowned, and confequently thefe Ilardffiips and 
Difficulties will counter-balance the Profit to be made 
“ of fettling higher up in the Country, upon the Rivers, 
in pleafanter and warmer Climates. 
To this I anfwer. That by the Accounts already gi- 
ven here of thefe Climates and Countries, by impartial 
Perfons, who don’t want to difguife the Truth, it ap- 
pears that the Cold is tolerable, even at thefe difad- 
vantageous Settlements at prefent in the Bay ; and that 
upon paffing only five or fix Leagues up the Rivers 
into the Country, the Climate is fo altered, as to be 
equal to thofe of the fame Latitudes in Europe. And 
that thefe prodigious Accounts of the Effedts of Cold, 
are calculated only to ferve the Company, in order to 
** prevent People from going there to fettle, and encroach 
upon the Company’s Monopoly of Trade. And to the 
Difficulty they make about navigating thefe Rivers in 
thofe fmall Canoes, and the fmall Number employed 
by the Company, who will venture in them, or can 
condudf them, I anfwer, That their Servants being at 
“ prefent no Gainers by Trade, won’t endeavour to learn 
“ to navigate thefe Canoes, where there is any Rifque, 
“ and Care neccflary to prevent the Danger. Befides, the 
“ Company allows them no Time to learn, by confin- 
ing them to their Fadlories, whilft the Indian Trade 
“ continues, and the Navigation is open: And at other 
Times keeps them employed in cutting Wood for 
“ firings bringing it home, fhooting, fifhing, and dig- 
their Gardens, to fupply themfelves with 
“ Provifions, to leflen the Company’s Expence, fo that 
they are allowed no Time to learn to navigate thefe 
“ Boats, or to go up the Rivers to obferve tlie Soil and 
“ Climate, or what Improvements might be made in 
“ the Country. But if they were Mafters of their own 
** Time, and could advance their Wealth by Trade, and 
‘‘ found a confiderable Profit to arife to them by their 
“ Dexterity in managing thefe Canoes, and the great 
“ Pleafure and Satisfadlion they would have by living in 
“ a fine Climate among thefe Lakes and Rivers ; they 
“ would be as enterprizing and dextrous as the Cu- 
“ reur de Bois^ and be as able to navigate among thefe 
“ Water-falls, as the French. Neither is it impradlica- 
“ ble to prevent even thofe Canoes from overfetting, by 
“ Outlagers or blown Bladders fixed to their Sides, or 
“ other kind of Boats may be ufed, fuch as are made at 
‘‘ Torneo in Sweden, upon the Rivers, falling into the 
“ Bothnic Gulph, and Laplanders might be prevailed 
“ upon to go there to teach them how to make and ma- 
“ nage thefe Boats, and train up Rein-Deer to draw in 
“ Sledges in Winter, and alfo to ufe Lapland Shoes, 
“ which are better than thofe ufed in America. 
“ If the Trade was once made free, the Profit made 
“ upon it would induce many to go and fettle upon thofe 
“ Rivers, when not only Horfes and other Convenien- 
“ cies would be had near the Water-falls, to affift the 
“ Land Carriage in Summer, but alfo Horfes and Rein- 
“ Deer to draw their Sledges in Winter, as in Rujfia, 
“ which is almoft as cheap a Carriage as by Water, 
“ when the proper Roads are made through the Woods, 
“ fo that Objeftioh muft be of no Force to prevent our 
“ opening the Trade, and fettling thefe Countries. But 
“ fuppofing the worft, that we could not manage thefe 
“ Canoes, that could not prevent our fettling to Advan- 
“ tage upon thefe Rivers and Lakes above the Falls, for 
“ the Natives might ftill be our Carriers, in navigating 
“ thofe dangerous Places, and taking our Goods from 
“ one Settlement to another, whilft we ffiould be em- 
“ ployed in Navigation and Trade among the Lakes and 
“ Rivers where there are no Falls, in larger VelTels, 
“ and pufli our Commerce Southward into better Cli- 
‘ ‘ mates and richer Soils, and put the Natives upon Im- 
“ provements in Trade, by civilizing and inftrudling 
“ them in building convenient Houfes, and aflbeiating 
“ in Towns, making Gardens, and tilling their Lands ; 
“ providing them with Horfes and tame Cattle, and 
“ Fowl, for their Ufe, and proper Tools which our 
“ Trade would furniffi them with. 
“ Another Objedion is, that ft is a difficult and dan- 
“ gerous Navigation into the Bay, and the Trade is not 
“ worth the Rifque. To this I anfwer. That theNavF, 
“ gation is not fo dangerous as it is apprehended to be, 
“ but appears to be more fo by the Infinuations and Re- 
“ port of the Company and their Friends, who gave it 
“ out in order to deter others from venturing and inter- 
“ fering in their Trade, and for that Reafon they ob- 
“ lige their Captains, under a Penalty, not to publiffi 
“ any Charts of the Bay and Streight. Captain Middle- 
“ ton, who was in their Service, made above twenty 
“ Voyages to different Parts of the Bay, and never loft a 
“ Ship, nor had any Accident in thefe Voyages; nor 
“ have I heard that the Company, in about twenty three 
“ Years, have loft any Ships in that Trade, but two, 
“ and the Men and Cargo were faved by Captain Mid- 
“ diet on. Where Captains are careful in the Ice, there 
“ is not much Danger ; it is of great Advantage to 
“ them that there is no Night at that Seafon they enter 
“ the Bay, where the Quantity of Ice is greateft ; and 
“ when they return in September, or even in Olloher, all 
the Ice 1? in a Manner difiolved or paffed out of the 
Streight 
