The Nevada Democrat., 1858-08-11
The Hudson Bay Company.

A recent English paper thus describes this
huge monopoly.
A line drawn across the map of North Amer
lea, about the 49th degree of latitude, separates
the British possessions from those of the United
States as far as the head of Lake Superior.
Then comes an irregular crust or strip of land,
which forms the colony of Canada. All the
vast territory to the north of Canada and the
frontier line, is claimed by the right of "usage''
for very curious company of fur traders, We
say curious, because unlike other joint stock
companies, il has never made a call; its profits
on the el0,500 originally embarked have been
80 enormous, that its capital has been doubled
and trebled, aud doubled and trebled again, out
of their profits, and now is said TO amount to
100000, paying fabulous per centsge. No
one can tell who are the managers who is its
broker, or where is its transfer Office No one
has ever seen its shares in the market, or
can name the price of its rsmunerative stock.
1t has ever opposed colonization, yet demands
EST, 900 compensation for its outlay in coloniz-
ing Vancouvers Island. 1t was granted char
ter on condition of undertaking expeditions to
discover northwest passage. Yet in 200 years
1t sent out but four expeditions of discovery.
two of which were organized when it was anX-
ions to renew its exclusive charter. 1t profess
es to keep away all settlers from its domain,
lest the Indians should be corrupted by ardent
spirits, yet all the "fire water" imported is i'm
ported solely by itself 1t is a trading compa-
ny, but of q very medieval character for even
now, in this age of commercial enterprise, it fits
out four ships yearly, two to Hudsons Bay.
and two to the shore line Of the Pacific to sup
ply wares &c The inhabitants of four millions of
square miles; precisely one chip of 400 tons 10
u million of miles Yet this wonderfully euer-
getic company claims absolute sovereignty
over n region larger than Europe and as extern
sive as the great Australian continent What
do they DO with it?
1t is refreshing absolutely, in the wreck of
monopoles, to find one or two grand old mo-
Ropoles still remaining with all their selfish
attributes intact The Hudson Bay Company
are traders-traders in furs, and the enormous
region is sentenced to unvarying desolation,
that it may form one vast preserve for the fox.
the sable, the marten, the beaver, and the
moose-deer. These wild creatures retreat as
the clearings advance; they are scared by the
sound of the woodman's axe among the giant
woods. They fly far from human habitatons.
Where man builds his shanty and sows the little
patch of virgin earth, there springs up the
homestead, and by and bye the village, with
its schools and churches, mills and forges, its
bleating hocks and lowing kline. The fur
bearing animals are banished, and the compa-
ny's dividends diminished This would be
frightful violation Of all right by usage" and
so this considerate company forbid the emigrant
to settle in that noble country. 1t must be
consigned to uncndng silence and desoation.
No eye must wander over its CLASSY slope, save
that of the wild savage, looking round the
prairie for the animals, whose skin will pur-
chase the "ire-water" aud ammunition from
his masters, the company Of Hudson Bay.