The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-06-14
PeltrK Currency.

until Missouri became a State and the
town an incorporated city Other things
were taken in exchange and barter
beeswax, whisky, potash, maple sugar.
salt, wood, feathers, bears oil, venison,
fish, lead-but fur was the currency and
the standard of value, the representa-
tive of and equivalent to the Rtres tour
7aois of hard metal. The only small coin
consisted of Mexican dollars, cut with a
chisef into four or five pieces-ssbits.' =
A Apound of shaved deerskin of good
quality represented about twice the val
ue of the livre, and a pound Of beaver,
otter and ernainen represented so many
pounds of deerskin. A pack of skins
had definite weight, and thus trade
and computation were both easy. Checks
and notes were drawn against them,
deposits were madeiof furs and packs,
and on the whole they constituted a
much better and more uniform currency
than the staple tobacco which was at
one time the only circulating medium
in Virginia and Maryland F." Bons''
We're species of order or note for
goods, redeemable in peltries, which,
when signed with the name of any re-
sponsible merchant or trader had fun
currency in local and general trade
Practically, they were certificates of
deposit, but convertible or exchange
able into any other equivalents in the
course of trade and barter Next to
the peltry, which had a regular cur
rency- and pretty near a uniform value
from Mackinaw, Detroit and Prairie du
Chien among the French settlements all
the way to New Orleans and the Belize,
the best medium of certain value, but
only of limited circulation, was the
''carot" of tobacco. This article is still
prepared in Louisiana by the planta-
ton manufacturers of tobacco. and
''carots' = of ''Perique'' may still be seen
In all the tobacconist's shops-a solid
roll. of the shape and appearance of a
bologna sausage. These rolls were
called carrots" from their resem-
blanee to the root of that name, and
they were in common use and demand
in the early days of upper and lover
Louisiana from. their ieopvenienceA All
the grown population, male andfemale,.
took snuff; each carried his or her
snutf3box habituaHy and each prepared
his snuff and filled his box in the morn
ing. The snuff was not ground as now
but rasped or grated from the end of
one of these rolls, and hence their form
and solidity was "A deSideratum. The
carrots had a definite weight, like the
packs of furs and their usual value
was about two livres They were some
times prepared by boringa half-inch OF
inch hole in log of tough wood; the
tobacco, damp and. cured, was wedged
into this hole tightly with mallet and
peg, and when the plug was as. tight
and hard as desired the log was split
and the tobacco. taken out. ga. .-a-..
The following copy of a st. Louis bill
Of lading in 1909 win illustrate how
completely the people. We're saturated
with the conception of peltry cur
rency. sfShiplied' by Peter Provenchere,
Of the tOWnIpf, st. Louis, merchant. on
board the boat l. Madison, whereof
Charles Quirey is master, now living at
the landing before the. town. of ST.
Louis, and ready Immediately to depart
for Louisville, KY, six packs 9fideer-
skin, marked and numbered as per
margin '(F. T., SO, SO, '109, III, f12,
113); and a barrel bears oilgcdntain-
ing about thirty-two gallons, all in good
order and wen conditioned. which ]
promise to deliver in i like good order
and condition unavoidable accidents
excepteD unto Mr.. Francis Tarascon,
merchants Louisville, on to his assigns.
And, moreover, l acknowledge to have
Of the said Peter Provenchere note Of
Peter Menard on Louis LoriinieEi In
habitant of Cape Girardean, for one
thousand pounds of acceptable deer
skins, the said note transferred to my
order, and l bind and engage myself to
ask of the said Louis Lofin1ief the paw
nent of the said note, and if reclaim il.
TO deliver to the said Francis Tarascon,.
or assigns, the one thousand pounds of
deefskins, together with the said six
packs and the barrel now received, and
in case Of no payment, to return the
note to Mr.. Tarasconshc or they paying
freight. In witness whereof / have set
my hand to these bills of lading, all Of
the same tenor and date, one being ac-
complished, the. others null and void. -
The pack of deerskins was thus about
one hundred pounds in weight-44in this
case the average was within fraction
of 107 pounds and notes were given,
not for the value Of so many deerskids,
but, made payable in receptacle skins
themselves, just as warehouse bill to-
day is payable in so many bales of cot
ton or hogsheads Of tobacco, or an ele-.
vator receipts is ''bonn for SO many
bushels of wheat or corn. The fixed
price was forty cents per pound for
finest deerskins, thirty cents for medi-
um, and twenty cents for inferior, and
all contracts, unless there was an ex-
press stipulation to the contrary were
made in this medium. Spanish coin.
never affected the fur currency. The
Spanish Government paid off its officers
and troops in hard dollars, but this was
mere drop in the bucket--less. than
$4,000 a yearfor st. Louis. Even after
the transfer to the United States peltry
continued the controlling currency for
q number of years. Judge =. B. O.
Lucas made his first purchase of ahouse
for his residence in st. Louis in this
currency. buying of Pierre Dtichou-
quette and wife their domieile for the
price of $500 in peltries. This was
December II. 1S07.-Sk T01ffs Gtyobe-