The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-10-15

NEEAu BAY. Oct, Sth. 1879.

| ooiis iseur VI Lbc ~, iei1tAsc ~ ASiA
mnnicatioa from one W q G l., ci
Skeena river, c. who, as you state,
demurs at my remarks about the Met
l.ka,lah Mission and Rev Mr. Duncan.
which are contained in 9 letter from me
TO Major Wa. Governor Icrri'. which
forms q portion os the report q that
gentlemsnto the Treasury Department
at Washington on Alaskan affairs. and
was published by the last Congress in
December. 1873. By order of the SEN
ate.
Ny object a. thai time, was not to
praise Mr. Duncan especially, bat to
present my views upon the system
adopted in British Columbia regarding
the MANAGEMENT OF Indians; and | cited
the cases Of the Episcopal Mission 81
Me.lakasiah, y &, under Re- Mr. Dun
can. snd the Methodist Mission at Fort
Simpson, Il G, under care OF Rev Mr.
Crosby. to illustrate aud sustain my
argument. Both these Missions. though
Of different denominations, arc among
one tribe Of Indians. the Tsimsean.
1t was during the summer Of 1915
that. as Special Commissioner Of the
| Government, under direction ofthe De
| partmcnt Of the interior. visited Alas
ka, in the United States Revenue
Steamer Oliver Wolcott, to procure ar
ticles Of Indian manufacture for the
National Museum. 10 DO exhibited at
the Centennial celebration at Phiiadel-
phi., and WAS instructed to report, on
my return. such matters of interest in
connection with tho Indian Service a.
might fall under my observation. In
order to carry out my instructions aud
make my purchases as complete as pos
siblc, deemed it advisable to call at
every Indian village and trading post,
in British Columbia that we would pass
on our cruise to Alaska. and in psrtic-
ular was DESTROYS Of visiting Metlakat-
lab and Fort Simpson.
learned III Victoria, previous to my
starting on tho voyage. that the Rev
Mr. Duncan had gone to Ottawa, conse
quently we did not stop at Metlakat-
lab. but ran in near enough to see all
the buildings. of which l made men,
ton, and proceeded to Fort Simpson,
some twenty miles north, where the
Rev Mr. Crosby. together with Mr. Nor
rison, chief trader of the Hudson Bay
Company, at that post, treated ME most
courteously and gave me much infor-
nation of the early history Of both
Missions. My other information WAS
derived from the reports of the Church
Missionary Society of London, contain
ing extracts from reports Of the Bishop
Of British Columbia. Capt Provost, Il
N. of II NJ Ship Satellite, Capt Pike.
K n. of II M Ship Devastation, Dean
(now Bishop Cridge of Victoria, and
| from personal interviews with Lieut.
Col Powell, Indian Commissioner for
British Columbia, and from converse
tions with parties in Victoria who are
well informed about the two Missions
| never have seen Mr. Duncan, and l
never have held any correspondence
with him. consequently the emark that
Mr. Swan has boon badly stated by
Mr. Duncan" fails il is force.
1t may not be generally understood
that Mr. Duncan Is one Of the maSis-
trates Of British Columbis "a we'll AS q
missionary. and that it has been one Of
his great aims to keep away illicit
trades from his mission. His interests
and their Interests are antsgonistic. and
there has been constant war between
them; and in some of these encounter.
the traders have retired with results
| quite 70 their dissatisfaction.
| Some II these Indian ira Tors are
god business men have known
SEVERAL Of them reasonably, one in par
| ticnlar, u friend Of mine VIII, Tad u
trading post at or near Skeena mouth.
| near whore your correspondent writes
from, who hated Mr. Duncan a. cordial.
ly - your correspondent does. and who
|
Mr. Duncan in colors las black a. the
devil" But this gentleman had the
manliness. as he said, Ito give the devil
bis due" for he remarked. "there is no
denying the fact that Mr. Duncan hos
done great deal OF good for the In.
dams if he has injured the traders"
1t is not my province nor my inten-
ton to stand forth as the champion cf
Mr. Duncan in his Co:.hicts with the
traders. know nothing Of their at
fairs. What l stated to Msj Morris
was simply 10 show that those two mis-
sions bave been productive Of much
good to the Tsimseau Indians. and tina,
the system adopted at those mission,
aud throughout, British Columbia
could be emulate} with profit by our
Government in lis management of the
Indians of Alaska As regards your
correspondent, l will venture the re-
mark. that man does not act discreet.
ly who viii! rush into print with dc
annexation or defa,natory articles. un.
less he is sustained by . weight OF ev
idenco which would warrant his ceming
before court Of justice with his com,
plants. II is right to presume tha,
your correspondent has such violence
! but l respectfully submit whether il
were not more decorous aud manly &c
lay his complaint before the author
titles Of British Columbia, So that Nj
Duncan could have chance to b
heard in his own defense. rather thar
attempt TO defame him, and throw dis
creii, on my statements by eudesvor'