The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-09-01
acknowledgement.
MACKINAc.

Emr COmDuny.-The Company
MD Rocks SO Samples Of OIu
Tilue OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Features Of the COnIpnnys OAt
buildings --- The Weather anu
The Whisky.
.larr,pondencr Of The lnIcligrncthl
FoRr MAcKESAc, MIcH.
August %, 1875. J
rf.cold and disagreeable out Of doors
w. have fires in the hotel, and | have
b,sn sitting by the stove inhaliHg the
pVe" ,ahIc oior of wood fire and divid-
~ ~, ,;mc between Richardson's "Field,
i n',s s api Escape" and the old books
y f,hs American Fur Company, which lie
W Wv ,ahIr in one Of the paFlOrs. This
, y" in which write the "JOhn Jacob
' ,,or iIorI y was once the property and
b.oJauarlcrs Of the American Fur Com
n nsnr With which Mr.. Astor's name is
pa"s siv identified. There were then three
',y,I buildings, which by modern con-
,Y.pp,inn, have been united in one, They
'",,n mil more than half century ago
"t' how much more does not appear
rI "' Indians in all their aboriginal
, Win swarmed in these islands and
, %r% The books referred to comprise
,ossr,i large account books and two
,eI,sr,sin Volumes Of more than 800
Mrs, each, containing letters written by
i H. company's agents. The dates OF these
s "o lang about lSl7 to 1919. Tho bulk
~ ,hr.r letter, are written by one Ram
say Cracks. who seems to have been q
. a Of general manager for the company.
= TDcy are addressed to subordinate agents,
IN tIader. to whom the company had fur
ui.hed outfits Of goods lor traffic with the
Indians, to merchants Of whom the COM
pany bought supplies, but most frequent;
Nv to John Jacob Aston, OF New lOrK, or
IN ,Joha .Jarob AstOr " SON, Just what
ga, Mr. Astors relation to the company
does not appear, but he seems to have
been il responsible head. ,,
4 little examination OF these old tones
shows that the application oil brains to
commercial pursuits Is not recent In
yention, and that business correspondence
n,rd to be carried on upon an elevated
planc, with formal pOlitcness and state
lines, of dicIion not uniting cores
wndence on affairs Of State, The nc.
counts have been kept with much neat
ness and tho letters, so far rs | have
looked over thcmare remarkable for their
ability and literary polish, This Is es-
peciaily characteristic Of those written
br Mr.. Crooks. 1t Ia doubtful Ii there are
aay business firms in the country now,
whose current correspondence will ave-
rage 80 high. ThOold.time cercmonlons
p1litcncss has gone out Of fashion in
writing as well IN in manners Perhaps
u,ls il to be regretted; and perhaps we
will yet The old fashions back again some
time. These are Centennial days, and
fashions in costume ArC swinging around
the circle Of hundred years ago. Why
should not the old school Of manners
come in again with the dress OF that pc
Rod? And ii cid fashions in manners,
why not in correspondence lnsield oil
subscribing, in meaningless way, Yours
truly" why not say, as these stately OLD
cocks did Of yOrc, 81 am sir, with senti-
ments Of the highest esteem, your ob'dt
sCrv't," or "IcIieye me, my dear sir, |
am yours to command"
Tradition here, coming down from
those who knew Mr.. Crooks in the flesh,
confirms the impression one gets Of his
quality from reading his letters. lie was
evidently a muu Of very great ability, and
indeed he had need to be, to manage such
large and complicated affairs as those Of
the fur company which undertook to
cover by iIs operations, At u time when
every kind Of commercial transaction was
attended with infinitely more difficulty
and risk than now, tho whole Iur.bearlng
region Of North America. It had to en-.
plOy n very numerous army Of traders
who could be entrusted with outfits Of
goods for traffic with the Indians. These
were sent into all parts Of the region,
then literallya bowling wilderness, reach
ing from the mouth Of the II. Lawrence
to Puget Sound, and from British Ameri-
ca to the Ohio. Mr.. Crooks writes some
times from points along the 81. Lawrence,
sometimes from different places along the
lakes where lie CHANGED to be In making
biz rounds, but most OF these letters are
dated from "Michillinacinnc." Some
went to st. Louis, some to Pittsburgh,
some to Louisville and some to Chicago,
then mere trading post. A great many
are addressed to parties at"Anco Qnlwin.
an," which is now aud then referred 10 as
"l'hc Ancc,' as Sault Ste. Marie Ia now
sometimes spoken Of "a "The Sault." In
my limited reading about the early times
Of this region, do not remember ever to
have seen this name, and do not find any
person who knows where the place iS.
There are things in these old letters
that would make readable excerptSif one
had time aud patience to Gull. | cannot
undertake such a task "a that would be;
but have been 80 much struck by one
letter, reproving an unworthy subordin.
ate, that, purely on account Of It's literary
merit, | copy Il in full, hoping you may
dcem II readable enough to be worth It's
'VV'' !" 'V"' VOii.ii'a
"ST. MARYs FALLS,
"3rd August, 1910. I
alt. Goodrich Warner, lance oui,vinan.
asir az, /, Win NJ o,diro.v .nrn.;.o
and min T iSo % b "C V vor~ ou npor I
v"a pp""io, 'e"' ,., ~" ,'e! iPtVpesy
i,om WSninSo y ' NJ n T." ' "ed ,E;
hero ihsJ %orSJ ,o, va, i,n,,J ,on " ,.o,IJ
b.So al an "Po" yo"n sO'u Sv,'H itS To",u