The morning call., 1892-02-14
HUNTERS AND TRADERS.
The Hudson Bay COMPANY and Its Business In
British America.

not the nrst hunters and tur-tradeTS In Brit
ish America, ancient as was their founda-
tion. The French. from the Canadas, pre-
coded them no one knows how many years,
though it is said that it was as early as 1927
that Louis XIII chartered a company of the
same sort and for the same aims as the
English company. What ever came of that
corporation l do not know, but By the time
the EngItshmen established themselves on
Hudson Bay individual Frenehmen and
half-breeds had penetrated the country
still farther west. They were of hardy,
adventurous stock, and they loved the
free, rowing life of the trapper and hunter.
Fitted out by the merchants of Canada
they would pursue the waterways which
there cut Up the wilderness in every direc-
ton, their canoes laden with goods to
tempt the sRyages, Ond their guns or traps
forming part OF their burden They would
be gone the greater part of year, and al
ways returned with store of furs to be
converted into money, which was in turn
dissipated in the cities with deVil-may-ears
jollity. These were the courriers du bois,
and theirs was the stock from which came
the v0yageurs of the next era, and the half
breeds who joined the service Of the rival
fur companies, and who. by the way, red
deDed the history Of the Northwest Terri
tories with the little bloodshed that mars il.
Charles III Of England was made to believe
that wonders IN the way OF discovery and
trade would result from grant of the Bud
son Bay territory to certain friends and pc
titiOners. An experimental voyage was made
with good results IN 1868, and in 1872 the
King granted the charter in what he styled
'the Governor and Company of Adventures
of England trading into Hudson's Bay, one
body corporate and politique, In deed and
in name, really and fully forever, for Us,
Our heirs and Successors" 1t was indeed
a royal and wholesale charter, for the
King declared, eve have given, granted
and confirmed unto said Governor and Com
pany sole trade and commerce of those
Seas, Streights. Bays, Rivers, Lakes, Creeks
and Sounds, in whatsoever latitude they
shall be, that lie within the Strengths COM
monty called HudsOn's, together with all
the lands, countries and territories upon
the coasts and confines of the seas, ETC., not
already actually possessed by or granted to
any OF our subjects or possessed by the sub
jeCts OF any other Christian Prince or State
with the fishing of all sorts of fish, whales.
surgeons and all other royal fishes together
with the royalty of the sea upon the coasts
within the limits aforesaid, and all mines
royal, as well discovered as not discovered
OF gold, silver, gems and precious stones
and that the said lands be heneefOrth reck-
oned and Teputed as one of our plantations
or colonies in America called RupeTfg
Land" For this gilt of an empire the cor
pOTatlon was TO pay yearly to the King his
heirs and successors. two elks and two black
heirs or his successors shall happen to en-
ter into the said countries" The company
was empowered to man ships OF war.
to create an armed force for security and
defense, to make peace or war with any
people that were not Christians, and to seiZs
any British or other subject who traded in
their territory. The King named his cousin,
Prince Rupert, Duke of Cumberland, to be
first governor, and it was in his honor, that
the new territory got its name of Rupert's
Land.
In the company were the Duke of Abe
marie, Earl Craven, Lords Arlington and
Ashley and several knights and barone.s,
Sir Phillip Carteret among them. There
were also FIVE esquires, or gentlemen. aud
John PoTtman "citiZen and goldsmith"
They adopted the witty sentence, PRO pells
cutem "a skin for skim, as their motto,
and established as their coat of arms fox
sejant as the crest and a shield showing
four beavers in the quarters, and the cross
of St George, the whole upheld by TWO
stays.
The "adventurers" quickly established
forts on the shores of Hudson Bay and be-
gan trading with the Indians. with such
success that 1t was ruHOred they made
from twenty-five to fifty per cent profit
every year But they exhibited all of that
thnidlly which capital Is ever said to pos
sess. They were nothing like as enterpTis-
ing as the French e0uTrleTS du bOis. In a
hundred years they were no deeper in the
country than at first, excepting As they ex-
tended their little system Of forts or
factories" up and down and on either side
of Hudson and James bays. In view of
their profits perhaps this lack of enterprise
Is not to be wondered at. Gu the other
hand their charter was given as a reward
Tor the efforts they had made. and were
to make, TO ind THE northwest passage to
the southern seas" and in this quest they
made less OF trial than in the getting of
furs-how much less we shall see. But the
company had no lack of brave and hardy
followers At first the officers and men at
the factories were nearly all from the Ork-
neY Islands, and those islands remained
until recent times the recruiting source for
this service. This was because the Orkney
men were Injured to a rigorous climate and
20 diet LARGELY composed Of fish. They
we're subject to less of a change in the com
panys service than must nave been en-
dured by men from almost any part of Eng
land.
The attitude of the company toward dis
eovery suggests D0gbeTry at its head, bid
ding his servants TO comprehend" the
northwest passage, but should they fail to
thank God they were rid of O villain. In
truth, they were traders pure and simple,
and were making great profits with little
trouble and expense.
They brought from England about $1,000
worth OF powder, shot, guns, fire. steeis,
hints, gun-woTms, pOwdeT-h0ras, pistols,
hatehets, sword-bladeS, awl-blades ice
chisels, files, kettles, fsh-hoOks, net lines,
barning-glasSes. looking glasses, tobacco,
brandy, goggles, gloves, hats, lace. needles.
thread, thimbles, breecheS. VermiliOn,
worsted Sashes, blankets, fannels, req
feathers. buttons, beads, and shirts shoes,
and StOckeBs." They spent in keeping UP
their posts and ships. ABOUT $4,000, and in
return they brought to England castOrum,
whale fms, whale oil, deer horns. goose
quilts, bed feathers and skinS-in all of a
value of about SIC, 600 per annum. l have
taken the average for several years in that
period Of tile eomDany'S history, and il is in
our money as if they spent $4,000 and got
back S130, 600, and this is their own show
ing under sueh circumstances as to make it
the course of wisdom not to boast of their
profits. They had three times trebled their
stock and otherwise increased it. so that
having been 1880 shares at the outset, it
was now los. $50 shareS.-FTOm "a Skin for
4 Skin," by Julian Ralph, in Harper's
Magazine for February.