San Andreas independent., 1858-07-03
From the San Francisco Times]
The Hudson Bay Company.

pdHy, DIS IcucWcu III 1000, lOl Iuc pCIlUu
of twenty-one years, affords very limi-
ted knowledge of the rights, powers, and
franchises of that corporation These
can only be understood fully, from an ex-
animation of all the antecedent conces-
slons of the Home Government, and a
full understanding of its relations there
with from its first incorporation in 1869.
A select committee of the House of
Commons, to inquire into the constitution
of the Hudson Bay Company, sat, and
heard evidence during the session of
1857. The report from this body, which
comprised Mr.. Labouchiere, the Colonial
Minister, Lord John Russell, Mr.. Glad
stone and other eminent members, re-
commended the complete and unqualified
abrogation of the rights exercised by the
Company during the preceding nine years
over Vancouver Island; and the contin-
uance, subject to incidental notifications
of the exclusive rights of trade held by
the Company in other territories.
The Company is acknowledged to ex-
ercise two distinct classes of rights-the
exclusive right of commerce and the ex-
elusive right of government-and holds
authority over Rupert Land, the Indian
Territory and Vancouver Island each by
distinct tenure, arising at a distinct pc
riod, and determinable on distinct princi-
Piles. Their most recent possession, Van
couver Island, is held under an order of
Council of 1S49, whereby Lord, Grey,
then Minister for the Colonies, made over
to them the chief rights of government
in that colony, upon certain conditions,
which it is declared, have never been full
filled. They also acquired at the same
period, district on the shore of the west
ern main land. This is supposed to en-
brace the Frazer river country.
In 1921 the capital stock of the Hud-
son Bay and Northwest Companies, then
amalgamated, was jointly 9400, 900, and
the total capital, in all sources, was esti-
mated by the committee at 81 ,265, 600
Their trade was chiefly derived from the
| furs of the animals which form the food
of the Indians. Mr.. McCulloch, in
1887, estimated the number of quills
sent to England by the Company at L.
100000 The objection to free and COM
petitive traffic was solely based upon the
consequence of wild animals becoming
extinct, and the loss of the fur trade
The committee, it may be observed, make
no qualification in their reference to the
exclusive rights of trade possessed by the
company If these rights were confined
to trade with the Indians they did not
conceive that there could be any other
traffic, and made no allusion thereto
The committee condemned the policy
of vesting the government and proprie-
tary rights of Vancouver Island in the
Company, and state two modes in which
the island may be reclaimed, in virtue of
the terms of the charter The first of
these stipulations provides that on the
cessation, in 1859, of the license of ex-
elusive trade, it shall be competent to the
Crown to re-purchase the island, by in
Identifying the company for all their ex-
penses in colonization, and their other es-
tablishments The second means of re-
sumption by the Crown is gained from a
provision that unless the company should
at the expiration of five years from the
date of the charter, have freely disposed
of land at reasonable rate, and founded
establishments for colonization and COM
merce, designed by it, the Crown should
have the right to re-enter and take pos
session of the island as though its powers
had never been delegated to the company.
Any litigation arising from the forfeiture
of the tenure would be decided by the
Judicial Committee Of the Privy Council,
with the utmost promptitude.
The Colonial Minister did not seek to
terminate the connection with the Com
pany on the expiration of the five years,
in 1854, although it was well established
by the evidence, that the Company had
signally failed to fulfil the conditions OF
their tenure of Vancouver Island, one OF
which was to sell land at certain prices to
all settlers, purchasers being under an
obligation to bring five laborers for every
hundred acres sold to them One OF the
principal witnesses testified that it was
among the first acts of the Company to
purchase for Men,sel0es ten square miles
Of the best land in the island. (This is
the land upon which Victoria and Esqui-
malt harbor are located) They thus in
cluded themselves within the ordinary
category of purchasers, but complied with
none Of the acquisitions as to settling en-
igrants upon the land. 1t appeared from
the evidence that they did not place a
single individual upon the land, or pay
farthing for it. 1t is also maintained
that the terms of the charter did not
contemplate that the Company should
hold land as purchasers, but should mere
ly be dispensers of land at certain prices
to veritable colonists, thus defeating the
very objects of the charter, by holding
the soil which colonists would have cho-
sen. Recent events in Victoria, and the
rush of emigration to that point, may be
deemed to have healed these palpable de-
fects in the titles the Company has con-
veyed to the land which they held by
purchase.
The review Of the report of the Select
Committee, from which these interesting