* * A GENERAL HISTORY
wdriB, and fuffefinjg every ogpieffiba which a$ealou5 anjdrival fpirit c<^Id.
foftigate; mftfentheimurder MHorifoofi our partners,-. tile laming of another,
a»d «toeijia^row ^fjfdap®L:b^ one o f oar Series, who-readved^a: buH4
throo^h Msp<krderhoynjsffi tiM ejssctitionl o f ; Ms '&ttypithey«wpd con*
pelledtaaMowdsf a (hare of foe tirade. o Aswie had^ abeady omhufred. a
lofs, this idraqu-waspifas- efwy%dj£e£ti[ 4 definable ^enCrtp'-us, aiid was
concluded in the inorith of July 1787.^ .
Tfiis commeraal elMbliffiment wais jiowJoandgd ohja a®re fdfd bills
thati an^rMfoferfo Known in tlffiJeoHhtry^ivanAiif dot dmlyiebniipaed
in fulb fpsfce, vigour^ and pn^pdity^jinl ipiMWiiall interference Irani
Canada, but: maintained rat lead; an? equal t*hafe-of advadSgte I® t h e
Hudfon’s-Bay l^pafay^hotwidiftaadii^ ^feped o fc it^ b f their ,local
fituation. The followingaccount of; this (Hf-ereaed concern will mani-
feft the caufe o f its fuccels.
It affumed the title
tnore than an afiociation o f commercial Men, agreeing among thbtti-
fclyes brbfoe fur rtad§, a^ouoe$ed y&fo a»|ys hther bidhTefs,
though m ah yo f the parties.- i ^ g e 4 di%d4'< b c |^ # v^ p c^ r/ iflto *
gether foreign )to/ it* It mayabe;luid t&haye.bCerifupportedidntbely
upon ctfeditr; for, whfether the capital'belonged to thd proprietor, or was'
„ borrowed, it equally bare mtereft,;forwhi^h1 the affodatbn rVps'anfaually
accaamabte«-;Tt aataififted o f twenty Dwarfes*i ttije^jedlyrjdwidodB among
the perfblis coricecued. O f thefejr a ’cfaitairil pTOjlortiabi was heM by
thfe peoplewho managed'^fae 3rofinefe>inoCamda;aM! #ere.£ftyled agents
for the Company. Tfoeir duty waste import ?the"mcelfey ;gp6Ss from
England
-England, Bore them at their own expence at Montreal, get them made
up into the articles fuited to the trade, pack and forward them, and
(apply the daffi that might be wanting for the outfits ; for which they
received, independent of the profit on foeir (hares., a commiffion on the
amount of the accounts; which they were obliged to make out annually,
-and keep the adventure of each year diflinâ, Two of them went annually
to the- Grande Portage, to manage and tranfaft the bufinds
there, and on the communication-at-DetrOits Mkhilimakinac, St. Mary’s,
and Montreal, wlfere they received 'flores, packed up, and (hipped the
company’s fors for England, on whiehfoeyhad alfo a fmall commiffion.
The remaining'(hares, were held by the proprietors, who were obl iged to
winter and manage the bufinefs o f the coneem with the lndians, and their
refpeéiive clerks, & c. They were notfuppofed to be under any obligation
to furniffi capital, Or even credit. If they obtained any capital by
the trade, it was to remain in the hands of the agents ; for which they were
allowed intereft. Some -of them, from their long fervices and influence,
held double (hares, and were allowed to- retire from the bufinefs at any
period of the exifting concern, with one of thofe (hares, naming any
young man in the Oompany’s lervioe tp focoéeflffiim in the other. .-aSe-
niority and merit were, however, considered as affording a claim to the
fucceffion, which, nevertheless, could not be difpofed of without the concurrence
of the majority Jof the concern ; who, at the (ame time relieved
the feceding perfon from any refpQnfibifey^refpe&ing the (hare that he
transferred, and accounted forN&ti according to the annual value or rate of
the property ; fo that the feller could have no advantage but that of getting
the (hare o f flock which he retained realifed, and receiving for the
transferredmare what was fairly determined tp he foerworfo of it. The
former