Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-04-23
VOL. 3. NO. 26.
The Hudson bay Company.

The Hudson Bay Company.
We fnd in the National IaseUigene~ The
following account Of this remarkable comps
ny:
"Iu the year 1870 Charles II granted by
royal charter to Prince Rupert and a numbee
of noblemen tract of wilderness which COM
pretended nearly one-half Of the North Amer.
| lean Continent. and by the grantees was orga-
| mixed the Hudson's Bay Company, receiving
! its name from the inland sea in the north.
discovered by Hudson. By the charter the
grant was called 81 Rupert's Land" and wa
bounded on the west by the Pacific ocean and
the Russian possessions, on the north by the
Arctic sea. on the east by the Atlantic, aud
on the south by an immaginary line running
up the ST. Lawrence and through the Gress
Lakes towards the setting sun. The objects
contemplated by the charter were to discover
passage to the South sea and to obtain furs.
minerals, and other commodities; and SO
strongly was it worded that it gave to the CON-
pany this territorial manor in perpetuity and
an exclusive right Of trade forever.
Stupendous as was the gift of the Crown "
England comprehending over three millions
of square miles, its lawfulness has never leon
questioned. but it had been recognized by va
rious official documents and acts Of Parlia-
ment. In 1S47 the capital stock of the cor
poration was G400. .000 and the number Of
proprietors 239. It's affairs are managed by
q Governor, Deputy Governor, and a commit
tee of seven, and subject to their direction
are variety of subordinate officers, such as
chief factors, chief traders, and others with
judicial powers. The fur and peltry traffic Of
the company is regulated by what is called
deed-poll, and the expenses Of the establish
ment are all paid out of the trade. The com-
pany have not, as some suppose, . mo-
nopoly Of the importation of furs and peltries
in England, and sales are made by public auc-
tion several times each year at the company's
premises in London. In 1912 the company
had 136 establishments, besides hunting ex-
petitions and shipping. affordiny employ
ment to 25 chief factors, 81 chief traders.
1872 clerks, and about 1900 regular servants.
besides the occasional labor in boating and
other services of great number of natives.
From the earliest times the profits of the COM
pany have varied with tho caprices of fashion.
some years yielding fifty per C at, and now
and then nothing at all but the average prof.
its for the last few years have amounted only
to about six per cent.
According to the testimony of many trav-
elers the authority which the company exer-
cises over the Indian tribes has been very ad-
vantageous to them. In 184S the number Of
church missionary stations was six, and OF
schools there were seventeen, while the sale Of
Intoxicating liquor is strictly prohibited thro'-
out all its borders. Wherever the operations
of the company extend, its servants have
opened the way to future emigration, and tbs
traveller, whether upon business or in pursui,
of adventure or sport, is ever treated by them
with kindness and attention.
In regard to the territories of the company
a friend, who has visited with rod and gun
the Lower ST. Lawrence and the Saguenay.
speaks in glowing terms of the attractions Of
these immense regions. He says that on the
shores of lake Superior, as well as in the
gorge of the Saguenay, we have lodged in the
rude cabins of the British Indian traders, and
our recollections of those wild regions are
cherished with peculiar pleasure and many
time, in fancy, have we voyaged to the shores
of Hudson's Bay and the Arctic Sea. To the
lover of grand scenery both of the earth and
Of the heavens, or the lover of camp life and
adventure, to the hunter who would pursue
the moose, the bear and the buffalo, or to the
angler who glories in capturing the peerless
salmon, no quarter of the globe can offer such
the territories of the Hudsous
Bay Company"