Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-11-06
uudson,s Bay Connpany,

A hundred and forty years ago, or more, Charles
II. chartered the "lludsons Bay Company and gave
exclusive privileges of establishing trading facto-
ries on HddsOns Bay aud its tributary rivers Ii took
possession of the territory, and enjoyed Its trade,
without opposition, till 1871, when rival company,
the "NOrth American Fur Company of Canada"
sPrang up This latter composed entirely of Ca
nadans and noted for its energy and enterprise
The jeaouSleS naturally arising between rivals led
to the most barbarous battles, and the sacking and
burning of each others posts. In 1871, Parliament
nterered and consolidated them into one under the
title of the "HudSons Bay Company They occupy
vast country, and their operations are those of
vast monopoly. All the British possessions north of
the CanOdas to the Arctic Ocean, their hunting
and trapping grounds. They have leased for twenty
years from 1870, all of Russian America, except the
post Of Sitka. Thus this powerful company control
more than one ninth of the soil of the globe. Its
capitalists are in England, and its board of managers
transact their business the s.Hndsans BAY House"
in London This board buy all the goods, and ship
them to the territory, sell the urs and transact all
the affairs of the Company, except the actual bust
ness OF collecting furs IN their territory The annu-
al value of their peltries IS about million of dollars
The net profit of the fur trade is immense. The
shares of the Companys stock, which originally cost
one hundred pounds, at hundred per cent.
premium and the dividends range from ten per cent
upwards, and this, too, while they are creating i'm
mense fund, to be expended in keeping other persons
out of the trade
/ In 1911, the American Pacific Fur Company, of
whom John Jacob Asor was the prime mover built
Fort Astoria, the mouth of the Columbia. In
1913, during the last war, this American Company
sold all its establishment in Oregon to the British
Company-now the Hudson's Bay Company. In the
year, British sloop Of war entered the Column
bia, and formally took possession Of Fort Astoria
and changed its name to Fort George. In 1918, by
the treaty Of Client, England surrendered this Fort
to our government. Then 1t was by the same treaty
that British subjects granted the same rights of
trade and settlement in Oregon belonged to the cit
liens of this Republic, for years. In 1927 this
stipulation indefinitely extended and cannot cease
to be in force till after twelve months notice.
This is the manner in which the Hudson's Bay
Company came into Oregon The value of furs which
annually collected in Oregon by this Company is
about $4,000 in the London market. Parliament
extended the jurisdiction of the Canadian courts ever
the country occupied by these fur traders whether il
were owned or claimed by Great Britain" Under
this act, certain gentlemen of the Fur Company were
appointed Justices, and empowered TO entertain pros
ecutons for minor ofencesarrest and send to Cana
da criminals Of higher OrdeF-and try, TO render
judgment, and grant execution IN civil suits, and TO
imprison debtors in their forts and iails.
So is that the trade, and tine civil and criminal
jurisdiction in Oregon held by British subjects
that American citizens deprived by a monopoly of
their commercial rightS-that they liable to be
arrested on their territory by Officers of British
Courts, tried in the American domain by British
judges, imprisoned hung, for done within the
jurisdiction Of our own Republic.