The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-18
THE GREAT LAND-L0CKED SEA
The Strange Resisn of Northera Canada
Where Primitive Customs still Prevail
The Mosr Productive Fur Territory In
the Wsrid-soHle OF ihe Animals that IT,
habit it-Te Tap the Coal Fields Of the
raskatchewan Valley Volume OF Trade.

region vastly productive in furs, and VIII
exploit the coal fields of the valley of the
Saskatchewan, through which runs a
river navigable by steamers. affording ey-
cry facility for transportation. These
coal fields are believed to be among the
greatest in the world. As for Hudson 5
Bay itself, on the shores OF which the
road will have terminus, that immense
sheet OF water-an almost land-lOcked
sea, with 5000 miles of observation-disclosures
in whales and fishes commercially val
liable.
A glance at a map will show that Hud-
sons Fay is the southernmost of a great
system of sounds which runs I'D into the
Arctic. Its only outlet is through straits,
which. being in 60 degrees north latitude.
are entirely blocked by ice except for two
months in the year: and even during those
two months they are so obstructed that
the passage Is difficult and dangerous
Two hundred and ninety years ago Hen
drick Hudson, the famous navigator, had
wintered in the bay, after making a
fourth attempt TO find the much-desires
northwest passage TO the Pacific. and be-
ing out OF provisions, was about to return
| nome when his crew mutinied The mutt
neers set him adrift in an open boat with
his son and seven others--never TO be
heard of again, though doubtless they
perished of cold and hunger-and coolly
navigated the ship back to England
Though they confessed what they had
done' they were never punished.
Immense Grant fer Furs.
Even after this catastrophe il was still
| supposed that the straits which Hudson
had discovered opened pathway to the
| racine, and pending further explorations
Prince Rupert formed the notion that a
lucrative trade in furs might be carried
on with the natives. So he organized A
joint stock association and in 1870 King
| Charles / granted to him and seventeen
other nObemen and gentlemen a charter
| Incorporating them as the Company of
| Adventurers of England Trading Into
| Hudson's Bay" To this company he gave
lordship over all the country watered by
rivers flowing into the bay. with sole
| right of trading, and the privilege of
| building warships and establishing forts.
| In return for this enormous grant the
association was TO pay to the sovereign
| the skins of two elks and two black beav-
| ers annually.
Now, the company was very successful
| from the start, and from that day to this
| II has made a great deal of money. Its
among these are the pelts of the beaver
and the marten. The character of the
fuT-prOducing fauna of the region and its
| wealth in animals valuable for their skins
will be best shown by quoting figures for
the year 1890 (the latest readily obtaina-
ble) which state the output for that
twelvemonth at 64.246 beaver 64,6S9 marten,
$3.50, otter. ,445 lynx. 22047 fox 1888 VOL
VERNE, 1852 bear, 4.237 welf 1853 mink
54745 muskrat. 1926 rabbit 5,65S fisher
q 445 badger 12,5S3 skunk, and 2.195 hair
sealskins. The fisher is a big gray-headed
marten and the foxes are some of them
jet black. some silver, some red. some
white. and some blue.
Since 1873 the output OF the Hudson Bay
Company has fallen off considerably. The
greatest number of beaver skins taken
was in 1871, when IA, 4e1 were sent 10 mar
ket, and in 1868 the number of marten
pelts rose to 1e3OS3. More than 1,O00OOO
muskrat skins were shipped out of the
territory in each of the three years 1881,
1882 and 1883. EiderdoWn and gOOse-quills
are by-products of the company, and an
other in castOrum, which is a substance
contained in certain glands in the body of
the beaver In conclusion, il may be men,
toned that the polar bear is found up in
the northern part of Hudson's Bay, and
elk and the species of reindeer known as
the woodland caribou are numerous on
the west side of that body of water.
Greater than W hole of Europe.
The story of Hudson's Bay and the re-
giOn surrounding il is the story Of the
Hudson's Bay Company, which, under its
original charter, was practically sover-
eign over i,5OO,O00 square miIes-a territory
one-third greater iii area than the whole
OF Europe. 1t is net easy to realize the
immensity of the country geographically. |
though notion of 1t is conveyed by the
statement that from Pembina, on the Red |
River, 10 Fort Anderson, on the Macken- |
zle, is as far as from London 10 Mecca |
and from Kings Posts to the PeIly Banks
Is further than from Paris TO Sarmaeand |
All OF this vast region is still under the |
lnhuenee OF the company. and covered |
by It's operations, though nowadays il car
rles on It's business only as a private con-
Germ.
The climate of the Hudson's Bay re- |
glon' as might be supposed. is exceed |
lhgiy severe. From October to April the /
thermometer rises as high as freezing |
point, ana In winter ii goes down 10 GO |
odd below zero sometimes In summer
there are innumera5le mosquitoes. whica
are great pest and there is a Iuyllriant |
snb-arctic vegetation which develops with
great rapidity in order 10 take advar-
tage of the short season Of warmth The
principal depot Of the company on the
shores Of Hudson's Bay is York Factory. |
which has been described as
"a monstrous blot
On q sWampy spot
Within sight Of the frozen sea
The company carries On its commerce /
from London through the straits II bas
posts scattered al wide intervals through
out the almost uninhsbitatIe country. and
10 these places the Indians bring tbines
for sale. The system adopted is one OF
barter, the unit of value being a beaver
skin. Twenty Huskrats are equal tc one
marten; two martens equal one beaver
and four beavers equal one silver fox.
The copper-colored native. Cree or Black
loot, receives a stick for every beaver
skins worth that he brings. and WITH ia
sticks thus obtained he purchases from
the company blankets guns. hatehets
gunpowder. or what not The tradiry
stores at the posts ara filed with the
greatest imaginable variety OF merchan-
disc. including traps, tWine, knives. glass
beads. fish hooks. yermilion for painting
canoes and faces, and copper kettles from
a pint TO a gallon in size In some To-
calities they are defended by stout and
lofty stockades. and every precaution Is
taken against surprise. guns, being al
ways kept handy in case of a rush. The
Indians are ready enough. If opportup-
.ty serves. 20 take possession of a store
and help themselves.
Immense Animal -uIes
In April the e0mpany's agents begin to
pack The furs and put them up in bales OF
~ 10 Too pounds. IN this shape the mer-
chandise is forwarded In canoes 10 the