FORTS ON HUDSON BAY LEFT BEHIND.
Andrew Graham's "Memo."--Prince of Wales Fort--The
garrison--Trade--York Factory--Furs--Albany--Subordinate
forts--Moose--Moses Norton--Cumberland House--Upper
Assiniboine--Rainy Lake--Brandon House--Red River--Conflict of the
Companies.
The new policy of the Company that for a hundred years had carried on
its operations in Hudson Bay was now to be adopted. As soon as the plan
could be developed, a long line of posts in the interior would serve
to carry on the chief trade, and the forts and factories on Hudson Bay
would become depôts for storage and ports of departure for the Old World.
It is interesting at this point to have a view of the last days of
the old system which had grown up during the operations of a century.
We are fortunate in having an account of these forts in 1771 given by
Andrew Graham, for many years a factor of the Hudson's Bay Company. This
document is to be found in the Hudson's Bay Company house in London,
and has been hitherto unpublished. The simplicity of description and
curtness of detail gives the account its chief charm.
PRINCE OF WALES FORT.--On a peninsula at the entrance of the Churchill
River. Most northern settlement of the Company. A stone fort, mounting
forty-two cannon, from six to twenty-four pounders. Opposite, on the
south side of the river, Cape Merry Battery, mounting six twenty-four
pounders with lodge-house and powder magazine. The river 1,006 yards
wide. A ship can anchor six miles above the fort. Tides carry salt
water twelve miles up the river. No springs near; drink snow water nine
months of the year. In summer keep three draught horses to haul water
and draw stones to finish building of forts.
Staff:--A chief factor and officers, with sixty servants and tradesmen.
The council, with discretionary power, consists of chief factor, second
factor, surgeon, sloop and brig masters, and captain of Company's ship
when in port. These answer and sign the general letter, sent yearly
to directors. The others are accountant, trader, steward, armourer,
ship-wright, carpenter, cooper, blacksmith, mason, tailor, and
labourers. These must not trade with natives, under penalties for so
doing. Council mess together, also servants. Called by bell to duty,
work from six to six in summer; eight to four in winter. Two watch
in winter, three in summer. In emergencies, tradesmen must work at
anything. Killing of partridges the most pleasant duty.
Company signs contract with servants for three or five years, with the
remarkable clause: "Company may recall them home at any time without
satisfaction for the remaining time. Contract may be renewed, if
servants or labourers wish, at expiry of term. Salary advanced forty
shillings, if men have behaved well in first term. The land and sea
officers' and tradesmen's salaries do not vary, but seamen's are raised
in time of war."
A ship of 200 tons burden, bearing provisions, arrives yearly in August
or early September. Sails again in ten days, wind permitting, with cargo
and those returning. Sailors alone get pay when at home.
The annual trade sent home from this fort is from ten to four thousand
made beaver, in furs, felts, castorum, goose feathers, and quills, and
a small quantity of train oil and whalebone, part of which they receive
from the Eskimos, and the rest from the white whale fishery. A black
whale fishery is in hand, but it shows no progress.
YORK FACTORY.--On the north bank of Hayes River, three miles from the
entrance. Famous River Nelson, three miles north, makes the land between
an island. Well-built fort of wood, log on log. Four bastions with
sheds between, and a breastwork with twelve small carriage guns. Good
class of quarters, with double row of strong palisades. On the bank's
edge, before the fort, is a half-moon battery, of turf and earth, with
fifteen cannon, nine-pounders. Two miles below the fort, same side, is
a battery of ten twelve-pounders, with lodge-house and powder magazine.
These two batteries command the river, but the shoals and sand-banks
across the mouth defend us more. No ship comes higher than five miles
below the fort.
Governed like Prince of Wales Fort. Complement of men: forty-two. The
natives come down Nelson River to trade. If weather calm, they paddle
round the point. If not, they carry their furs across. This fort sends
home from 7,000 to 33,000 made beaver in furs, &c., and a small quantity
of white whale oil.
SEVERN FORT.--On the north bank of Severn River. Well-built square
house, with four bastions. Men: eighteen. Commanded by a factor and
sloop master. Eight small cannon and other warlike stores. Sloop carries
furs in the fall to York Factory and delivers them to the ship, with
the books and papers, receiving supply of trading goods, provisions,
and stores. Severn full of shoals and sand banks. Sloop has difficulty
in getting in and out. Has to wait spring tides inside the point. Trade
sent home, 5,000 to 6,600 made beaver in furs, &c.
ALBANY FORT.--On south bank of Albany River, four miles from the
entrance. Large well-built wood fort. Four bastions with shed between.
Cannon and warlike stores. Men: thirty; factor and officers. River
difficult. Ship rides five leagues out and is loaded and unloaded by
large sloop. Trade, including two sub-houses of East Main and Henley,
from 10,000 to 12,000 made beaver, &c. (This fort was the first
Europeans had in Hudson Bay, and is where Hudson traded with natives.)
HENLEY HOUSE.--One hundred miles up the river from Albany. Eleven men,
governed by master. First founded to prevent encroachments of the
French, when masters of Canada, and present to check the English.
EAST MAIN HOUSE.--Entrance of Slude River. Small square house. Sloop
master and eleven men. Trade: 1000 to 2000 made beaver in furs, &c.
Depth of water just admits sloop.
MOOSE FACTORY.--South bank of Moose River, near entrance. Well-built
wood fort--cannon and warlike stores. Twenty-five men. Factor and
officers. River admits ship to good harbour, below fort. Trade, 3,000 to
4,000 made beavers in furs, &c. One ship supplies this fort, along with
Albany and sub-forts.
These are the present Hudson's Bay Company's settlements in the Bay.
"All under one discipline, and excepting the sub-houses, each factor
receives a commission to act for benefit of Company, without being
answerable to any person or persons in the Bay, more than to consult for
good of Company in emergencies and to supply one another with trading
goods, &c., if capable, the receiver giving credit for the same."
The movement to the interior was begun from the Prince of Wales Fort
up the Churchill River. Next year, after his return from the discovery
of the Coppermine, Samuel Hearne undertook the aggressive work of
going to meet the Indians, now threatened from the Saskatchewan by the
seductive influences of the Messrs. Frobisher, of the Montreal fur
traders. The Governor at Prince of Wales Fort, for a good many years,
had been Moses Norton. He was really an Indian born at the fort, who
had received some education during a nine years' residence in England.
Of uncultivated manners, and leading far from a pure life, he was yet
a man of considerable force, with a power to command and the ability
to ingratiate himself with the Indians. He was possessed of undoubted
energy, and no doubt to his advice is very much due the movement to
leave the forts in the Bay and penetrate to the interior of the country.
In December of the very year (1773) in which Hearne went on his trading
expedition inland, Norton died.
In the following year, as we have seen, Hearne erected Cumberland House,
only five hundred yards from Frobisher's new post on Sturgeon Lake. It
was the intention of the Hudson's Bay Company also to make an effort
to control the trade to the south of Lake Winnipeg. Hastily called
away after building Cumberland House, Hearne was compelled to leave
a colleague, Mr. Cockings, in charge of the newly-erected fort, and
returned to the bay to take charge of Prince of Wales Fort, the post
left vacant by the death of Governor Norton.
The Hudson's Bay Company, now regularly embarked in the inland trade,
undertook to push their posts to different parts of the country,
especially to the portion of the fur country in the direction from which
the Montreal traders approached it. The English traders, as we learn
from Umfreville, who was certainly not prejudiced in their favour,
had the advantage of a higher reputation in character and trade among
the Indians than had their Canadian opponents. From their greater
nearness to northern waters, the old Company could reach a point in the
Saskatchewan with their goods nearly a month earlier in the spring than
their Montreal rivals were able to do. We find that in 1790 the Hudson's
Bay Company crossed south from the northern waters and erected a trading
post at the mouth of the Swan River, near Lake Winnipegoosis. This they
soon deserted and built a fort on the upper waters of the Assiniboine
River, a few miles above the present Hudson's Bay Company post of Fort
Pelly.
A period of surprising energy was now seen in the English Company's
affairs. "Carrying the war into Africa," they in the same year met their
antagonists in the heart of their own territory, by building a trading
post on Rainy Lake and another in the neighbouring Red Lake district,
now included in North-Eastern Minnesota. Having seized the chief
points southward, the aroused Company, in the next year (1791), pushed
north-westward from Cumberland House and built an establishment at Ile à
la Crosse, well up toward Lake Athabasca.
Crossing from Lake Winnipeg in early spring to the head waters of the
Assiniboine River, the spring brigade of the Hudson's Bay Company quite
outdid their rivals, and in 1794 built the historic Brandon House, at a
very important point on the Assiniboine River. This post was for upwards
of twenty years a chief Hudson's Bay Company centre until it was burnt.
On the grassy bank of the Assiniboine, the writer some years ago found
the remains of the old fort, and from the well-preserved character of
the sod, was able to make out the line of the palisades, the exact size
of all the buildings, and thus to obtain the ground plan.
Brandon House was on the south side of the Assiniboine, about seventeen
miles below the present city of Brandon. Its remains are situated on
the homestead of Mr. George Mair, a Canadian settler from Beauharnois,
Quebec, who settled here on July 20th, 1879. The site was well chosen at
a bend of the river, having the Assiniboine in front of it on the east
and partially so also on the north. The front of the palisade faced to
the east, and midway in the wall was a gate ten feet wide, with inside
of it a look-out tower (guérite) seven feet square. On the south side
was the long store-house. In the centre had stood a building said by
some to have been the blacksmith's shop. Along the north wall were the
buildings for residences and other purposes. The remains of other forts,
belonging to rival companies, are not far away, but of these we shall
speak again.
The same activity continued to exist in the following year, for in
points so far apart as the Upper Saskatchewan and Lake Winnipeg new
forts were built. The former of these was Edmonton House, built on the
north branch of the Saskatchewan. The fort erected on Lake Winnipeg
was probably that at the mouth of the Winnipeg River, near where Fort
Alexander now stands.
In 1796, another post was begun on the Assiniboine River, not unlikely
near the old site of Fort de la Reine, while in the following year, as
a half-way house to Edmonton on the Saskatchewan, Carlton House was
erected. The Red River proper was taken possession of by the Company in
1799. Alexander Henry, junr., tells us that very near the boundary line
(49 degrees N.) on the east side of the Red River, there were in 1800
the remains of a fort.
Such was the condition of things, so far as the Hudson's Bay Company was
concerned, at the end of the century.
In twenty-five years they had extended their trade from Edmonton House,
near the Rockies, as far as Rainy Lake; they had made Cumberland House
the centre of their operations in the interior, and had taken a strong
hold of the fertile region on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, of which
to-day the city of Winnipeg is the centre.
Undoubtedly the severe competition between the Montreal merchants
and the Hudson's Bay Company greatly diminished the profits of both.
According to Umfreville, the Hudson's Bay Company business was conducted
much more economically than that of the merchants of Montreal. The
Company upon the Bay chiefly employed men obtained in the Orkney
Islands, who were a steady, plodding, and reliable class. The employés
of the Montreal merchants were a wild, free, reckless people, much
addicted to drink, and consequently less to be depended upon.
The same writer states that the competition between the two rival
bodies of traders resulted badly for the Indians. He says: "So that the
Canadians from Canada and the Europeans from Hudson Bay met together,
not at all to the ulterior advantage of the natives, who by this
means became degenerated and debauched, through the excessive use of
spirituous liquors imported by these rivals in commerce."
One thing at any rate had been clearly demonstrated, that the inglorious
sleeping by the side of the Bay, charged by Dobbs and others against
the old Company, had been overcome, and that the first quarter of the
second century of the history of the Hudson's Bay Company showed that
the Company's motto, "Pro Pelle Cutem," "Skin for Skin," had not been
inappropriately chosen.