The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-13
HE MADE VICTORIA.
Earliest Pioneer Who Survives
Visiting Here.
CAME TO THE SOUND IN 1899.
"Reminiscences Of the Founding of Post
on Vancouver Island by Hudson
Bay Company.

came to the Northwest before any man now
living, il at the Rainier hotel with his two
daughters. They are making pleasure trip to
the various places on the Sound, aud Will be In
Seattle for several days. Mr.. Finiayson was
born in Scotland seventy -four years ago, and his
hair is now perfectly white, as well as the beard
which surrounds the lower part OF his face.
The Scotch accent is still strong on his tongue.
but that only serves to make more interesting
bis stories of the early days here.
lie said yesterday: at was in 1887, when
was very young man, that / landed in New
York, and then went up into Eastern Canada in
he service of the Hudson Bay Company / was
here two years, and then the company leased
from the Russian government for trading pur-
poses the strip of Alaska from where Mount
St Elias is to ffty-four iorty'-the present lower
boundary. Alaska then extended East to the
Mckenzie rlver.
~ was one of the party that came West to es-
tsblish posts in that new territory of the COM
pany. On horseback and in canoes we crossed
the plains and the rivers until in 1889 we
reached the company's trading post on the
Columbia at Vancouver. There was another
station at Nesqualiy--not far from Steilacoom-
one on the Fraser river, that is, Fort Langley,
and Fort Simpson at the Alaska boundary.
1--WE came from Vancouver to Nesqually, and
then took the Beaver-the first steamship on the
Pacific coast--for Sitka was the secretary of
the Hudson Bay Companys agent, Sir James
Douglas, and our errand at Sitka was to perfect
the arrangements for the lease of the territory.
sitka was then lively town with q garrison of
500 men In command OF a governor who was q
Russian admiral.
"when our business was done they turned the
territory over into our hands, together with
what Is now Fort WrangeL We built another
fort, $50 miles to the north, at Taku bay. was
sent with party of eighteen to construct that
fort, and remained there for some time.
49,
hard to maintain aud defend forts that could
no, easily be reached by ships, and so the garri-
son at Taku was withdrawn. i was placed at
the head of that body of men and with another
garrison, making fifty all told, / came to the
southern end of Vancouver island. and on the
FIRST OF June, IS4S started to build the fort at
Vancouver. We constructed Ii as strongly as
possible with bastions at the corners, aud heavy
walls At first the natives gave Us a good deal
OF trouble, and the treatment OF them a
problem OF some difficulty. We brought from
Nequally some cattle which were very useful
IN hauling logs, and such work: but the Indian q
killed them. / demonstrated, and the Indians
replied: This is our land: can kill cattle, or
anything else we find on it,
81 told them that we did not come TO take the
land, but to trade with them peeceably. 1t was
the custom among the King George men to
make an Indian or other man who had killed
cattle pay for the loss
"The natives withdrew in rage, and the next
day found that about 5000 of them had come
down around the fort The country was then
full of Indians, and to raise such band that
was not at all hard. They fired voliey of bull
let's at our fort, but hurt no one. l could have
opened on them with our cannon and killed a
lot of them. but that would only lave resulted
In war and bitterness on both sides which
might not have been allayed for generation.
SO res0rted to stratagem- told one OF my in
terpreters TO run away from the fort, pretending
that he had deserted me. He must say to the
Indians that If they wanted to save their lives
they must hurry out OF certain lot of lodges
that were near, for was going to fire on them.
The Indians were frightened and ran back.
Then, when they were all out of the way, my in
terpreter gave a signal. for which was waiting,
from the block house. At that ordered my
men to fro with grape on the lodges, and the re-
suit was that the tents were torn all to pieces.
"The natives were alarmed and set up a terri
bic bowling, so that feared / had killed some
OF them but the interpreter came back saying
savsges approached me with overtures of peace.
] Explained our desire to trade without blood
shed, but declared that IL they damaged
our property or killed my men, should have to
fire at them as had at the lodges. Then / de-
manded reparation for my cattle, and they
brought the amount desired in the currency OF
that time-bear and other skins
AT another time later we had a flock of
sheep, and the shepherd-poor fellowi-was
killed by the natives. Immediately sent out q
posse of ten men to hunt for the murderers.
Meanwhile, / stopped the trading and shut
down all traffic with the Indians until the man
should he found. When he was captured told
the Indians what the law was, and had the
murderer hanged in front of the fort before all
the Tube for example.
ain 1914 the first English man ot-war came to
Victoria. She had on board 500 men-sailors
and marues-and had them parade and per-
form their evolutions on the esplansde in front
OF the fort. The blue jackets of the sailors and
the red and white uniforms of the soldiers, to-
gether with the show of arms greatly increased
tue respect in which We were held by the ma
tives.
"Then in 1916 the cry sFifty-four, forty or
fight was taken up in the United States, and it
looked for a while as ii there might be fight to
fx the boundary at that parallel. Then num-
Der OF war vessels appeared on our part of the
coast, but the matter was compromised by
fixing the boundary at the forty-nInth parallel,
aud leaving all of the islands of Vancouver TO
Canada.
"The need of some other government than
that of the Hudson Bay Company soon
became apparent, for if the company's
officers arrested man there was no
court nearer than Montreal at which TO try
him. so Vancouver was made into a colony
and governor appointed with authority TO hold
court Then II was that land was first taken
and title secured. Yet there were few settlers
besides the officers aud employees OF the com
pany. For while Sir james Douglas was gov
ernor and agent for the company into the bar
gain, but il was found that conflicting interests
made il impossible TO combine both Offices.
when first came TO Puget sound the only
settlement was at Nesqually. and have been up
and down by canoe when there were no villages
except those OF the Indians between Nesquslly
and Victoria. / remember once that i'll the early
DAYS we were going from what is now Alki point
To the shore here where Seattle now stands, and
sswe crossed the bay We encountered a heavy
storm, which nearly swamped our canoe. But
we finally landed safely down here on the edge
OF the bay.'
Al one time Mr.. Finlsyson was In the legis-
ia'iVe council of Vancouver, but twenty years
ago ne retired from the service of the Hudson
bay Company. At present he is the Victoria
agent Oh the Lloyds and of the San Francisco
board OF marine underwriters His name APP
pears IN banoroits history of the Coast.
GRAY's HARBoR GRIEVANCES.