HUDSON BAY. 
325 
ditions is the substance., to the best of my re¬ 
collection, of what I heard from his partners. 
Many other individuals belonging' to the 
North West Company, before Mr. M'Kenzie 
set out, penetrated far into the country in dif¬ 
ferent directions, and much beyond what any 
person had done before them, in order to 
establish posts. In some of these excursions 
they fell in with the agents of the Hudson's 
Bay Company who were also extending their 
posts from another quarter: this unexpected 
meeting between the two companies, at one 
time gave rise to some very unpleasant alter¬ 
cations, and the Hudson's Bay Company threat¬ 
ened the other with an immediate prosecution 
for an infringement of its charter. 
By its charter, it seems, the Hudson's Bay 
Company was allowed the exclusive privilege 
of trading to the Bay, and along all the rivers 
and waters connected with it. This charter, 
however, was granted at a time when the north- 
ern parts of the continent were much less 
known thali they are now, for to have the ex¬ 
clusive trade along all the waters connected 
with Hudson's Bay was, literally speaking, to 
have the exclusive trade of the greater part of 
the continent of North America, Hudson's Bay 
by a variety of rivers and lakes, is closely con¬ 
nected with Lake Superior, and from that 
chain of lakes, of which Lake Superior is one 
