Hence it arofe, that i t was fo late asithe.year 1-766, before which, the
-trade I.mean to confider, commenced from -Michilimakinac. The firft
who attempted itwerefatisfied to gothelength of the RivâCameniftiqüiâ,
about thirty miles to the Eaftward of the Grande Portage, where'the
Trench had a principal eftabliftiment, and was thelihe of nflirconhnuni-
.cation with the interior country, -'It was once deftrdyed' by fire. Here
they went and returned.luecefsful in the following fpring ^to. Michilima-
^inàe. : r Their fuccels induced1 them to^renew their journey-, and incited
sdtherslidfoHdwtheiivexample. /Some of them remained'at GamenîîÜ
•quia, whjle .others proceeded to arid beyondThe t i r ^ f e F%tagej which,
fince that time.has become the principal entrepôt .of thaif.trade, and.Is
filuated in k b ^ i in latitude^B.*-North,^nïIbngitodeL^tf.’VYeïlî ."After
parting the ufual feafon there,; they went bach’^to iSËchiHmakîhae âs
before, and encouraged by the trade, returned in inei^afed nuinjaers. c One
o f thefe, Thomas. Curry, with a Tpirit of ënterprize fuperior 'fa th k of
his contemporaries, determined to penetrate to the furtheff limits dftlfe
jFxench difcoferies jn that country,; or at leaft tiltiheTroft Üwplâ flop
.him. For this purpofe he procured guides and interpreters, ^ixxi Were
^acquainted with the country, and’ with four canofes arrived?*at^Êôrt
Bourbon/which was one of their ports, atrtftè Wert. ên&pT'th'e' Cedar
Lake, on the -waters o f the .Sa&aïchiwiçe. Mrs rifk and toil- jfere 'well re-
compenfed, for hè came back the following fpring with his canoes'filled
with fine furs, with. which he proceedeffto.Canada, and was fatisfied never
again to return to the Indian country;
From this period people began to fpreadover every pàrt of the country,
particularly where the French had èftablifhed feulements.
Mr. James
v Mr. James Finlay yras }>he fir:ft who followed Mr. Curry’s example,
and with the dame number of canoes, arrived,{in the eourfe of the next
feafon, at Nipawee, the laft ,of the, French ièttlements pn the bank of
thé Safkatchiwine River, in latitude nearly 3431. .North, and longitude
'tpff.Wefl;: he found the good fortune, as he followed, in every refpeói,
the eXaUiplp^qf his^predeceflbr.
% As-; róay. be ;fu-pppfGd/jtherP were npw people enough ready to replace
riiem, and the trade was purfued, with fuch ayidity, and irregularity, that
in a few'ye^sfit became the reyerfe of what it.ought to have been. An
animated competition .prevailed, and the contending parties carried the
trade beyond the French limits, though .with no benefit to thcmfelves or
neighbours, the H,udfous-Bajy Company; who in the year 1774, and
not til^|hen«|thouglit proper to move./rpm, home to the, F a ll bapk,of
Stpcgeon L a k e ^ in .la t i tu d eN o r th ,- and longitude 102. 15. Weft,
and; bPPame/TO.ore jealous,.,qf’ the^r. fellow . fubjcQs^ and, perhaps, with
mdre capfe, thajj.they hadjaeqn, of^thofe, o f Jxance.^Fr©m this-period
to the piefen® time,, they hayedjpen following jjh^ Canadians to their
different eftablifhmenfs* while,, on the;.contrary, there is not a fohrary
inflance t-ha^t the Canadians; have followed tfiem ;. and ^ ere are many
tl^y h^yejUot; yetgattajppfLij Thi^ hpwe^r/wiff nq
iloagpt b t a fe^ jgL a i
Company, is .cpmparejd; with that ^bjeh. has;jbpepipur/ij^do hyitheir .rivals
in1
This fatal
jddwi tQ;thë;ti:ade fLomiCa-nada/and, :with otherringidental caufes, in my
b opinion,