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Show Jr (}w British mrrchants wrr·c prohibited ft·om tt·acling in uppcl' I ... ouisiana1 the Amrr·h·an mrl·chants, with tht> aitl of tlw pr·ofits aa·isin;.; fr·om (he t t•adc of the Jowel' portion or the .Missour·i and the wt•steJ•n br·anches ol' the 1\lissis ·ippi, would bt~ enabled mo t pt·olmhly to bceome the ueces ·ful rivals or tht• NoNhwest ('0111pany in Ow lllOI'e dhitant J>ar(s or the cominent; to whieh we mig-ht look, in such case, will\ a \V('ll-founcJcd hope of enjoying g'l'('at aclvantagt'S fr·om the fut· cr·adc; bnt j{' this }H'ohihil ion docs not shortly take l,lacc1 J will ventu&·e to Jll'rdiC't that no such attempts will ever he made, and, conscqut•rlfl)'• that we shall fol' scvct·al genc•·ations be taxed with the defcnee of a couutry, which to us would be no mor·e than a bar·•·en waste. About the beginniug of Au;;·ust last, two of the wintet·~ ing par·tners ol' the Nor·thwrst compa.ny, visitecl the Mandan ancl 1\linncta•·ec villages on the 1\lissotu·i, ancl fixed on a scite fol' ot. fol'tificd cstahli~hmcnt. This {)I'Oject oucc cal'l'ictl into dr<'ct, we have no right to hope fot· the tl'aclc of the up pel' JWr·tion of the l\1 i~ ou•·i, until our government shnll think pr·opet· to disloclgc them. This season thrrc has brcn sent up tho l\lissom·i, for· the Indian tJ•acJe, IIHH'e than tl•t•ble the quantity or mrrcJmuclisc that has evet· b<·en p•·m·iQusly rrn()al'l\.<'d in tllat o·adc at ~•ny one pcl'iod. ()('this quantity, as f~tJ· a~ 1 could Judge fr·om tlu• best inl'o1'mation I coulcl collrc.·t. t\\o-thu·c.b \\as thqH'O· I•t•r·ty or Br·it ish lll('l'CIJants, and clit·cctiJ OJ' indit·e('tly lllat of tll c· 1 Ol'lhwebt<·ompany • .1\'otanyol'thi~l•H·rl'laandisc\\a de~• iiH d fora lli:;he&· point on thr 1\li ·sou1·i than the nwuth oft he \ ClllliUiuu l'i\'CJ', 01' the IWighbour·hood of the Yank.tons or tlli.• ;·iH'l' D,·moiu; or cour· r, tiU.'l'C wilJ he a grrateJ• CXCC!:IS or gootl;:, be,>und what Ow ludians can pua·thase, unh·ss they sell at one-thinltheir custo111aa·y pt·icc, which tho Amcr·ican nteJ·eltaJtt ccr·tainJy cannot do without sacr·ilicing his caj>ilaJ. Ou HI.)' r·cl ua·u thas fall. l met on the !lissout·i an Amcricnn uat·a·c.:!Jant by the naltle ol· Robet·t 1.\'1 •t;JcHan, formci·Jy a di.;tint)Ul':iiu:cl pat·ti an in 1hc Hrmy under gcncl'al 'Va~ ne· .J1 fJJl!'wli._v. ill a conversation with this ~cntlc.>man, I l<>arned that dut ·in"' t.hc Ia ·t wiutel', in hiH trac.le with the 1\lahas, hC" hacl a h compctit.o•· by the name of .Josc>ph La. Croix ( hclicn•ll 1o llc cmployccl by the N Ol't Invest co•upany, hut now is an avo" eel British mcrdmnt)-that the }Wi<·es at whi<:h La ~r·oix sold bj ·goods, <WlllpeJlell him to I'ClhWC tlw l':I.I.Cs of l1i ' OWll goods so mueh as to cause him to sink upw:u·ds or two thou~ sane} dollars of' hi capital, in tlH~ ('OUI':,C ol' his tt·ade, that season; huttlmt. a · he h;ul c•nlla1·kcd in this tr·ach· f'ot· two year past. ancl ha.d roa·mcd a favourable at· quaill(:tll('(~ witlt the 1\fahas ami othcr·s, he ·houltl still continue it a fow .·t·asons mol'c, cvPn at a. lo s of his time a.ncl capit~ll. in 1 he• hope that govct·nm ·nt se('in;., the l'l'l'OI' would <~o r·a•t•ct it. aucl tltat he might lhcurq~ain his lo ·scs, f1·out I he cit·<·umst:uwe of his ;;cnc•·al acquaiutancc with the Indians. J also met. in my way to St. Louis, an of h<'l' IIH'I'<·hant, hy the same ll<Lille, a captain ~l·(Jellan. fot'tlll'l'ly or the lTnitt~d tate ·' cot·ps of aJ·till<wists. This gl·ntlcman iufoJ·med me that he was conne<:tcd with one ol' the pa·itH·ipal houses in Baltimor·e, whil'lt l do not now l'C<'Ollect, llut can readily ascertain the nam • and sl :meting of' 11w Ji1·m. if it is consi· dcred of any itupOl'taJICt'; he said ltc h;ul bi'Ought with hill\ a small but wdl assot·tcd adventure, calcula.h•tl L'ot· the Indian tl'adc, by way ol' expct·inH·nt; that the majority. of his gootls wct·c of the jj uc hi~h -pl'iccd kind, calculated lot· the tt·acle with the Spanish province of l\ew .Mcx:<·o, "hich ho intenc.lcd to catTy 011 within the tcnjtor·y of the ·uilcd States, neat• the hoa·dc·.r or that {H'OVinec; that COiliH'ctctl wHit this ohJ'ect the house with which he was corH•ct·ned was rc~\(1y t•o cm'h al'l~ J:u·gcly in the l'ur ta·adc of th · M' 1 rs-som ·i, llt·ovic.led it should appear to him to otler advanta ~~cs to theur. That sin ~·c he had al'l'ivctl in Louisiana, which Was Ja.st autumn, he h:ul (.'ll(le:t.VOUI'l'd tO infOI'lll himsc•ff' of the stale 01' this (t•acle, a111J that f'l'Olll }lj:; inquit•irs, he la:ul been so fully imp1• · ~,sc1l with the di ·aclv:wta;;cs it lahoul't'cl un~ct•i't·om the f•·et• adatiil.'iou ol'thc Bt·iti..,h mrl'(' }m nl "i: he \'OL. rr. ·' '\[ |