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Show 36 APPENDIX TO PART I. three ycnu, with an astonishing-spirit of enterprise and pcrscver:mce, J>as:;ed oY t' all that extensive and unknown countt·y. His C!->tablishmcnt, althou gh not splendid, (the mode of trave llin~ not ad mitting it) was such, as to admit of the most unlimited e:xpcnces in C\'Cry thing- n ecessary to fttcilitatc his enquiries ; and he is now cnga~cd in di~esting the important result:; of his c ntct·prise. 1 find from the observations and sug·~estions of l\11·. Thompson, th at when at the source of the Mis~issippi, it w.1s his opinion the line of limits between th<.: United States and Creal Brtt.~ in, must nm such a course, from the head of the Ia ke of the \ Voud~, as to touch the somcc of the 1\lb~issippi; and this I di~covered to be the o pinion of the north west company, whom, we may !luppose, or reasonably conclucle, speak the language held forth by their go,•ernment. The admission of this pretension, will throw out of out· territory all the upper part of Hcd river, and nearly two fifths o{ the territo ry of Louisiana. \\(hcreas, j r the line he run <.Inc west ft·om the head of the lake of the \Voods, it will cross Red river nearly at the cntt·<~nce of Heed ri\'er, :mel it is conjectmed strike the wcstem ocean at Birch .ilay, in Queen Charlotte Sound. Those <lilr<.: t•et ~ces of opinion, it is presumed, mig-Itt be easily adjusted between the two governments, at the present day, but it i:; believed that delays by unlo l d in ~ the true value of the countt y, m ay produce diiT!cultics, which do not at pre· sent e:xist. The north west company, have made establishments at several places on the south side or L ake Superior, and on the head waters of the rivers S ... uteaux and St. Croix, which clischaq;c them· selves into the Mississippi. The first 1 m e t with on the voyage up, was at Lowet' Red Cedar L :-~ke, about one hundred and fifty miles, above the Isle de Corfcan, bcin ~n the cast side of the river, and distant therefrom six miles. It is situated on the north point of the lake, and consists of log buildings, flanked by picketed bastions on two of its angles. The next establishment I met with, was situated on Sandy Lake; for a description of which, sec document marked A~. Midway between Sandy Lake und Leech Lake, is a small house not worthy of notice. On the south west side oftllc latter lake, from the outlet or the Mississippi, stand the head quarters of the Fond du L ac department ; for information relative to which, have reference to document marked D t .Hct'e resides the director of this d~partmcnt. In document c.* is a recapitulation of the specific CIJ'll• cl-:-s of 1 I 5 p .... cks of peltt·y, which will ~ivc an idea of the whole, amounting per said voucher to 233 packs p e r annum in the Fond du • See A. Appendix part I. p:1ge 38. t lb. B. p. 38. f lb. table C. facing page 40. APPENDIX TO PART I. 37 Lnc department. Document D.* will explain the relnti\'C price of goods in that distric t, b11t the trading- pl'iccs arc various, according to situutions and circumstances. Voucll~,;t· E.t ~hew<> the nuntbcr of men, women, and ch ildn.n in the service or the north \\est conlpany, in the district ufot·csaid, with th eir pay pe t· a nnum, &c. &c. This depal'trncnt brings in an nually li)l'ty canoes, which by a calculation made hy a f.rcntlcrnan of veracity and in formation, who has been e ighteen years in the lncl i.lllll'ade, and in the halJil of importing· goods by 1VI ichi limac kinac, it appears thut the annua l amount or duties would be about t hit·teen tho11s.tnd dollars. The L ower Red River (which I conceive to be within out· tcrritot·y) would yield aboul half that sum, viz. 6,500, and the llucl :>ot1's bay com pa ny's sen·ants, who import, by the way of Lake \Vinipic, s ix thousand five hundt ·cd dollars mot·c. Thus is the United Stutes defrauded annnally, of about twenty ~ix thousand dollars. From my obset·vatiuus, and infonnation, I think it will be an easy matte r to pre vent the srn u :~·g-l ing- of the Fond d~t Lac department. By cstabl ishillg a post with a gal'l'i:;on of one hundred lltcn, and an ofiicc of the customs, n ca r the mouth of the rire r St. L oui-;, where a ll goods fot· the Fond du Lac department must enter; this is at present the distributing point, where the company have an establi:shment, and the goods on being received from Kamanitiquia, arc em barked for tl 1eir clifrerent destinations. That P oint also COilllltands the commun ication with Lake de Sable, Leech L ake, Hed L ake, &c. &c. &c. I am also of opi nion, the goods for R ed l{iver (if it is with in ou t· boundary) W011ld enter here in prefe rence to being exposed t,o seizure. 1t is wottlly o f t'cmark: that the charte t· of the Hudson's Bay con1pany extends to all its waters, and iC the Bt·itish government conceived they hacl a u thority to m:1kc such a gratll, tltey cenainly would clailll the country th~,;rcirt spccd1ccl, which would cxtct d fat· south of' the west line, from the head of the lake of the \Voods. The not·th west cotl!pany, were about to push the ir trade down the Mississippi, until thry would h uve met the trt~dcrs of Michilim. ackinac ; but I g-a \'C them to ttndel'stancl, that i t could not be ad- 1llHtcd; ns appears pel' letter· to Nit·. Dickson.1 Z. l\1. PmE, l~t Lt. 1st U.S. Hegt. Infty. '* Sec D, appendix part I, page 39· t See F.. appendix part I. page 4e ~ Sec appendix part 1, page l 3• |
