the manners and euftoms' oF favage life, than’ foV favagfes to rife into ’
a fiate o f civilisation. - Such the event viitlf thofe who thus "&ccom-
panied the'natives oh their hunting and trading excurfions; for they
became fo attached to the Indian mode of life, that they {bit all relifh
for their former habits and native homes. Heh'fee they derived the title
of Coureurs des Bois, became a kind" o# pedlafs, and wB© extremely
ufeful to the merchants engaged^ in the- fu r trade] who^gave them
the necefiary credit to proceed on their commercial ’undertakings..
Three or four of thefe people would join their flfo'ck,- put their property
intov a "bitch-bark ' Canoe, which they' wWkea themfelves,' and
either Ifcchmpanied the natives-ih their eXctrrfions; or wen# at 'bnce’ta
the country • where they kneyfihey wem to nunt. At length, thefe
voyages extended to twelve or fifteen months, when they returned with.1
rich, cargoes of furs, and followed jby great numbers^c>f the maji\|es.
During J jlff fbort time .requiffte to fettle their-accounts with thaf-mp^-
chants^. and procure frelh, credit,--they, generally contrived! to;|q0,ande-r
away all their gains, when they returned to renew their favourite rmoqle
of life: their views being anfwefed, and their labour .1lcwiar<ic4 »
by indulging themfelyes in extrayagahee and diffipation durmgrthef{host
fpaceof one- month in twelve or fifteen.
This indifference about amafling. property, and the ple&fure of liyittg
free from all reftraint, foon brought on a licentioufnefs of; manners which
could not long efcape the vigilant obfervation of the miffi0nap|i% vw,h°
had much reafon to complain of their being a difgrace to the Chfif-
tian religion; by; not -only. Bverving from its duties ihemfelves,* hi#' by
• > , . • ;r I . - thus
thus bringing it into diftepute with thefe; o f the- natives, who had become?
converts -tfo it ; and, camlfequen>tlyq QbffiruBibgthe; g reat object to which
tMgfepteus men hariideyptedrthfiiBiKvess T h e y , therefore, exerted their
influence to* procure, the. fopeprelflamrof thefe people; and aeeordingly, no
one was allowed to go up the country to traffic with the Indians, without
a licfenCe'frdm,the.gtivernmeM. o':
' A t fiifl:-thefep.ermifffon$ were, o f courfe, gi anted. only, to thofe whofe
charaBer was: fuch as cop,Id g iv e , no alarm to the. zeal -of the m iflipnaries :■
but theywer^afteEw^rds'hcflowdd as rewards for fervices, on officers, and,
their widriw^#ads#b^i)WlWtF'®S'¥®^w;^i^S !priable ta make ufe o f feheroji
(which may be fuppofed to be always tne^cafe with thofe o f the latter
deferiptfon) ip e re ;avowed jtp?jell, thetu\ fo the ^erehants, w h o 5 neqeflariiy
employed the Coureurs de^.bois, in q u a lk y of, their* a g e n t s a n d thefe
people, as may be imagined, gav£ fuffieient caulej fo r the renewal' o f
former complaints ; fo that the remedy proved, in .feB,-worfe than th e
difeafe; ,
A t length, military, polls were eftjtbliffied at the* confluence o f the different
large lakes of Ganada, which;,, in-a; great; meafbre,; checked the
evil consequences that followed from the improper conduct of thefe
foreftem,jand,: at theffame time, proteBed the trade.- Belides, a number
o f able? and rpfpeBable men: retired from the atr^yi profe'euted the trade
in perfon, undefutheir refpeBive- licences, with g-reat order and regp:-.
lffiaty, .and extended■;it«foi fuefe afpflftaace, i a^;i®- '^&ys> .fjoofi-
derecrto.be an aftdniffiing effort of) commercial enterprize.1 Thefe persons.
and kbe!!|niflicmaries! h®sfog; combined; their views at the" fame
■ a 2 time,