Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-21

bearing a cargo of furs of a value
of 100000.
All New France rang with the fame
of this exploit. But the governor,
keen for loot, threw them into prison
and confiscated the larger part of their
furs, holding that they were without
rights because they had no license to
trade. They invoked the law. but the
judges were creatures of the governor
and they lost. When released they
went to Boston. There Radisson met
a British commissioner, to whom he
told his tale. The commissioner in
duced Radisson and Grosseillers to ac-
company him to England, with the idea
of interesting the king.
In London Radisson met Prince Ru-
pert of Bohemia. a cousing of King
Charles of England. Rupert was a
dashing figure of a man, who filled the
public eye of his time. AS a naval
commander he had fought against
Cromwell. When Cromwell won, Ru-
pert led those ships of the navy which
remained loyal to the Stuarts to the
Spanish Main. There Rupert hoisted
the black flag of piracy, taking toll of
all ships except the French. because
of the refuge the French king had
given Charles of England. Rupert.
after accommodating a fortune, went 10
France. He found his royal cousin
almost penniless and became his bank
er. 1t was Rupert's cash that helped
Charles win back the throne of Eng
land.
Interest Prince Rupert
Radlsson experienced no difficulty in
interesting Rupert, the adventurer.
who took the explorer to court and
presented him to the king. Charles
loaned two ships to Radisson. Rupert
and his friends financing the venture.
These ships sailed for Hudson's Bay
on June 3. 1868. Radisson on the Eag-
let and Grossiellers on the Nonsuch.
Storms drove the ships apart and all
but wrecked the Eaglet. which a few
months later limped back into the
Thames. The Nonsuch weathered the
storm. sailed on into the Hudson's Bay.
going to the south shore. where was !
found "the old house bat |
tered with bullets" as described by
Radisson. In due time the Nonsuch !
returned to England with a cargo of
fine furs.
Radisson was in high favor. Every
representation he had made to his
English hackers was more than sub
stantiated. The voyage had given the
English a claim on the country visited.
Prince Rupert was enthusiastic. He
resolved to go into the fur trading
business on a scale in keeping with
his rank, and proceeded to organize a
company. Radisson assisting him. The
king. who was to be a stOckholder.
granted a charter to the Gentlemen
Adventures of England. Trading Into
the Hudson's Bay" Thus came into
being the great Hudson's Bay company,
the creation, to a very large extent,
of Radisson. a penniless adventurer of
the New World.
This charter was a most compre-
hensive document. BY it King
Charles gave his kinsman and asso-
two-thirds of North America
the greatest gift that ever passed from
the hand of n nan since the world
began. 1t gave to Rupert and his as
sociates the land outright. all the furs
In the forests. all the fish in the waters.
the right to make war. coin money. and
justice. high and low. The
head of the Adventures was prac-
tically viceroy of half the New World.
In consideration of this gift Charles
to have annually two elk and two
black beaver, a tribute which King
Of England receives to this
day. How king and prince must have
when they quaffed their beak-
ars over this annual tribute. Charles
had paid his debt to his cousin and a
loot had bought two-thirds
II a continent.
The charter continued in full force
FOR three centuries, certain rights as
In government and title tn large areas