ABORIGINAL HISTORY

DOCUMENTS - Fur Trader Accounts - Letters: George Cartwright to Hudson's Bay Company 


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 *Text transcription incomplete

? of letters from Capt. Geo. Cartwright in Labrador to ? in England.---

 

To Anthony Eyre Esq.

Dear Sir                                                                                                               

Ranger Lodge 2nd June 1771

                                I am ashamed at not writing to you last year by Mr. Lucas; I’ll tell you no lies about the matter, but frankly confess that the number of letters I had to write and short time for so doing caused you to be forgotten amongst many oI am ashamed at not writing to you last year by Mr. Lucas; I’ll tell you no lies about the matter, but frankly confess that the number of letters I had to write and short time for so doing caused you to be forgotten amongst many others of my friends for I defer’d setting my hand to paper until my arrival at Fogo intending to go there with Lucas but I suddenly changed my resolution the day before he sailed. It was sometime before I could bring the Esquimaux Indians left with me by Lucas to tollerable behaviour, or get the better of the dread they had that I should murder them on any slight occasion; but I fancy now they have as great a regard for, and as little dread of me as their own country people, ‘tho’ at the same time they are in great awe and carefully avoid doing any thing which they think will offend me. They were very useful in the winter, for my poor dogs would have been starved but for the seal they continually brought up from our post near the Cape which is ten good miles from hence. They brought it on a slide drawn by dogs; and ‘tis amazing what they would draw. The old man who weighs weighs full fourteen stone one day took down eight two-inch larch plank about 20 feet long by 11 inches broad and rode on it himself with only three old dogs & four whelps of six months old. The dogs are about the size of your spaniels. They are a restless sort of people, as indeed those who live on what they kill must be; being obliged to shift their habitation with the seasons in order to be near their food. First of all they pitched their tent in a cove near the Cape, but the weather soon made them think of quitting that: they then applied to me and I gave them nails and lent them a boat with a couple of men, to cut and carry wood down to build themselves an house,t’woud kill his wives and children. One of the latter did die. I then gave them a house in the river, about half a mile below this, where they stayed till the beginning of Febr. when they went down to Lion Head and dug themselves out a house in the snow, which was the most curious thing I ever saw. T’was exactly of the shape of an oven with the mouth rather leaning outwards for the conveniency of entrance, which had a long porch before it. The latter was made of square pieces of snow cut with a hand saw and water poured over the seams, which instantly freezing made it perfectly wind and weather proof: The former was ha[cked out] of the snow with an adze and a square hole cut out over the door for a window on which was laid a flat, transparent piece of ice, shaved very thin with a knife & cemented with water. The roof also being not above a foot thick admitted so much light that it was by much the lightest appartment I was ever in, & had a particular brilliancy from the numberless small icicles formed by their breath; and without any fire ‘twas warm enough for the tenderest person I know to live in. You ascended into it by steps which made the entrance easy without stooping altho’ the door was not above two feet square. Somewhat about one half of the floor was left chair height above the roof and was covered with deerskins on which they slept & sat and exactly fronting the door, which was stopt at night with a piece of ice made to fit exactly to raise the degree of warmth. On either side the door was a lamp fixed on sticks. The curiosity & excellent

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Contrivance of these camps was well worth notice and I [missing] your satisfaction. It was a large, thick flat stone hollowed [missing] soup-plate towards one edge, decreasing to nothing on the other, w[missing] shelving towards them, the oil all settled in the deep part, in wh[missing] small bit of dry moss of a particular sort, plentiful enough on all [missing] that was their wick: across the lamp some small matter higher than the wick & a little behind it was placed a small stick, over which hung a number of small rashers of seal’s fat, which gently melting with the heat of the wick dropped down & supplied the consumption of oil. Each wife had her lamp & under them upon the floor lay seal’s carcasses which they got from our crew & eat either raw or boiled; nor did a piece which they trampled underfoot for a week come amiss to them: - they are, to be sure, the nastiest feeders & greatest eaters I ever saw. - My four couple of fox-hounds are reduced to a single dog; some of them having lost themselves, others I would & died in a ??? But the couple of blood-hounds are more and to five couple. I set up my tea??? Lately & have got two pair of as good horses as my indian friends: they will have a strong set when all the ten are in; & if I then come upon the fresh slot of deer shall ride a hunting most merrily & always be close in with the hounds. I walked to Chatteau in March when the sun gave a tollerable degree of heat but the whole country being covered with glazed snow the reflection made me go stone blind the second day after my arrival there & the whole time I was in the greatest agonies, the feel being exactly as if my eyes had been full of scotch snuff. Many people have entirely lost their sight by it, but that I suppose owing to improper applications. The prescriptions of those I consulted were so contrary to my own judgement that I determined to doctor myself & accordingly t??? It on ?????????? For want of better things tormented them with water only which restored me to sight the second night, this was to not to expect to see in less than a week, perhaps a month. As prevention is always better than a cure I invented a method of preventing the like accident happening again, and have ever since gone out all weathers without damage; yet I could not prevail on my blockheads to do the same & they have all of them been blind over & over again. I refer you to my father for farther particular?? I am. Dear Sir

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To William Cartwright Esq.

Honour’d Sir                                                                                                                      

Ranger Lodge 2nd June 1771

I have once more the pleasure of enquiring after your health & that of the rest of the family at Marnham? ??? ????ainting you that I am still alive and well. At the beginning of the winter I was in a very critical situation. Not Lucas left me on the eleventh of October with eight hands & about a month’s provision: immediately after the weather changed apace & the river began to freeze. In a few days a Sealing Crew of ours arrived but brought me no letter or any account of my brother’s arrival at Fogo; but on the 21st at ??? Came with provisions which relieved me from my anxiety. We had very fine weather afterward till the beginning of December, when there were a few sharp days; but upon the whole the winter was very good. Whilst my Thermometer was in being it never froze more than 52 degrees. It was unfortunately broke in December, which prevented my making any more observations on the severity of the frost, which I think was greatest in January. It several times brought into my mind those lines in Hudibras

“And many dangers shall moiron

“The man that meddles with cold iron” -- for whenever anyone forgot himself in setting a Trap & laid hold of it with his bare hand, it immediately stuck to it like sealing wax to paper. -- Mr. Coghlan sent me off two other Sealing Crews, (They all consisted of six hands each) but they settled upon the Newfoundland shore & what they did I have not yet heard. The one here killed 800 Seals (which we

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judge will produce 14 tons of oil,) besides about 30 foxes. The people I had in the River made but bad work of it. Two of them with Charles & myself attended the furring. We had but about two dozen of traps and most of them bad ones (our new ones did not come from England) besides the two furriers here were but ignorant ones. Every body who had lived here before insisted upon it that there were no Beaver; but from what I saw in the winter I was positive to the contrary and after an infinity of pains was confirmed in my opinion, by finding two new & above fifty old houses; but that not being till after the ponds were all fast & having no dog that would find them under the banks when they lay out, we killed but five; three of which, were Mikites, weighting 45 lb each, the other two 14. They are most delicious eating when fat; at other times but indifferent. In the latter end of October I had the luck to kill a very large stag & a fortnight after, standing at the door I saw fourteen coming down the river upon the ice. I snatched up a rifle & should have had an exceeding fine shot at a good hind, but my gun was not loaded and away they scampered into the woods. However clapping a couple of mittes upon my shoulder I pursued them, and in about three hours came up with & killed a brace of them. My larder was then most luxuriously furnished, that with economy???? and some little helps from the beaver; grouse, hawks and ravens we did not finish the last of the venison till the 17th of February. -------- The river was froze up from the 2nd Novem. to the 13th May: the still ponds are not yet all broke up & there is now ice before the door above three feet thick, although it lies in a warm cove fell to the sun. I had my health very well till about the middle of January, when I was very indifferent for about a month, owing to a cold I got by lying in the woods four nights following in very severe weather. During my indisposition a very melancholic accident happened. Mr. Jones the Surgeon of the Garrison at Chatteau coming over here imprudently by himself, lost his way and was froze to death. I did not know he was missing till four days after, when my people searched and found him upon Round Island. He had got within an hour’s walk of this house when he unfortunately took my footing upon a pond which lies on the Neck between this River and Niger Sound & followed it. I happened to go that day over to the Sounds to look at a river which lies in the S.W. corner of it: after which keeping down the south side crossed it towards the bottom and went at night to Seal Island. It is ????????????????????????????????????????????????? and only because he was a good man, & my being innocently the cause of it, as he was coming to this house: but it was very river?? making me accessory to the death of two more, for he was coming to deliver my mail, and his loss together with the want of better assistance obliged me to take upon myself the office of Doctor. My trouble did not end there, for I was constrained to officiate as nurse next, & take the child to bed with me, her husband having enough to do to attend her. [crossed out] She would have done exceedingly well but for her own imprudence in getting up too soon, which gave her cold and she obliged me to transmogrify myself into a physician and an apothecary. Here I had like to have failed for want of tools for not one gram of what was wanted did my shop contain. The poor woman grew worse, was in imminent danger of her life & I found it was absolutely necessary something should be done, kill or cure, therefore carefully perusing my friend Dr. Brooks, & considering the qualities of each simple concluded that a plant which grew in great abundance hereabouts was of the same kind as some of those prescribed, gave her a strong decoction thereof and ??????????????????????????? came again. I fear I’ve dwelt too long on this subject, but hope the novelty of it will plead my excuse. My reputation as a ?explorer? too is perfectly established on this coast; I have healed the wounds & shed the blood of most of the people hereabouts & not one of them but declares I handle the lancet better than any surgeon they ever felt: in short I have had a deal of practice both in physick and surgery & every one of my patients have done well which is more than the best physician or surgeon in London can say. But let us return to business. I have cut down more trees in my estate this winter than many men of fortune in England have on theirs. I kept two saws going most of the time, but the stuff being bad & the workmen worst we have not a great deal of board to show for it: however we have built two vats & cut stuff enough to build a salmon house, covered wharf, & a stage for the cod fishery. Six boats are repaired & one third of the salmon house is up. The quantity of fur but small, it consists of Marten, Fox, Squirrel, Otter and Beaver. We have killed three beasts of a kind we are not acquainted with – I am of opinion they are sables, and one ?Carcarew?. It is of a very mischievous nature & in shape partakes with both the bear & wolf, but

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not so large as either: his skin of little value. The cursed wolves did me a good deal of mischief. They carried off two traps & left some toes in two others. Our Sealing Crews also lost two traps by them, & a third was near gone, but they came up just in time enough to shoot the wolf. He was a brave stout old beast but not very well tasted. They sent me a quarter, but ‘twas as much as ever I could do to prevail on my stomach to receive it. You will wonder that we got but little fur; but the three best months in the year were elapsed before the traps or furriers arrived, & a fourth was spent in rummaging the country. But I know it now pretty well and am thoroughly convinced there is a vast fortune to be made here with industry in a short time; & I have got insight enough into the business to know how to make it too & will before I leave it: yet I shall not be at all surprised if we lose money as we at present go on. This goes to Newfoundland in a shallop which I now dispatch for oil casks &c & hope her return will bring me letters from England. I am

Honoured Sir

[signature]

Our little To Mrs. Cartwright

Honour’d Madam                                                                                                           

Chatteau 24th August 1771

During the course of this summer I received several very acceptable letters from Marnham, for which I stand much indebted to the respective authors. I can not expect credit when I declare I have not yet had time to answer them particularly, yet ‘tis a fact; nay I can hardly find time to shave myself, but as soon as I have dispatched our little Nimrod (Watson Master) shall have some leisure, when my father shall have all the information relative to the trade we are concerned in, as far as my abilities will allow; and an opportunity of writing again will soon offer. Through the means of the Indian family which wintered with me my interest is pretty well established amongst these savages. Twelve shallops of them came here this summer and called on me in their way when I joined the squadron and moved with them to Cape Charles, Camp Islands & this Harbour, pitching my tent amongst theirs. With only one of my ????????????????????????????????? Day for my tent was full of them from morning till night. I depended on the great professions of friendship which they had made and was not deceived; for they behaved very well and did nothing without my consent. The Chief lately accompanied me to Fogo. I shall have the agreable company of another family or two next winter and intend never to be without them. I have made great progress in their language, which is a more uncouth one than Malabar. -- We have had an exceeding bad summer, which has hurt the cod fishery much by constant gales of wind, and more than once they had like to have set one diving for muscles. -- Grants will soon be given upon this coast for the farther encouragement of the fisheries, which indeed cannot be carried on to the greatest national advantage until the adventures have some better security for risking their property than they enjoy at present. I wish my father would procure me one of as much intent as I could occupy, and in such a situation as my brother can point out to him, for we reconnoitred the coast together last year.

To William Cartwright Esq

As my mother acquainted me that you was desirous of knowing the advantage to be made from the several occupations upon the coast I shall now endeavour to lay them before you.

The cod fishery is a considerable branch, but much more precarious here than on the Newfoundland shore. It requires great knowledge, a large capital; a vast number of hands & boats to carry it on, so that I shall say no more on that head. — The salmon fishery may be followed in many different places, for all the Rivers we yet know of abound with this fish. Three men, three nets with two small punts are in general sufficient for one river. The season lasts from the latter end of June to the beginning of August. What fish is caught later serves for winter provision. As soon as the salmon is packed the man repair the buildings, put out traps for Otters, ships for Deer & nets for Bay Seals till the middle of September, when, being all Furriers

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Furriers they betake themselves to the woods for the winter, where they kill Beaver, Otter, Marten, Deer, Bear, Wolf and Fox. In April they return, but put out Otter & Fox traps along-shore. When the ice breaks up they set nets for young Seals, kill ducks & gather eggs, of which we got about a thousand last spring, & might have got three times the number had we had time. In May they are getting Rinds for roofing the salmon houses & other buildings and put the cribs and every thing else in order for the ensuing season, by which you see they do not want employment.

                The The Sealing is a profitable branch of business. In the beginning of October the Crews should repair to their posts & get every thing in order. The Seals come from the northward about the second week in Novem. and are all gone by before the middle of December. When the work is over the nets are hung in a house to thaw & dry; the Seals are covered with snow to prevent the frost from harming them, which it otherwise would do equal to fire. Now they put out traps for fur near the post & take advantage of every thaw to skin out & put the fat into vats or cashes l spring. But in May is the great work of skinning & melting out the oil. The cashes are then strung in the shade to prevent the heat of the sun from causing a leakage in them. The nets are again dry’d more effectually, the skiffs lodge in safety and the people having delivered up all their craft are dismissed to follow their other occupation of cod fishing for the summer.

                As for the Indian Trade it will be carried on to As for the Indian Trade it will be carried on to most advantage by the Moravians, or rather monopolized by them, in consequence of their being settled in the midst of the savages by means of a grant from the government. I have some trifling traffick with them when they were in their neighbourhood; but It can no longer answer to pursue it with a vessel fitted out at a great expence as we did last year. Beads are the staple commodity in this barter after the indians have supplied their wants in Tools of iron & a few other conveniences; and in return they furnish whale-bone, young Seal skins, Fox, Otter, Marten, Deer, Bear & Wolf skins in small quantities.

 

 

To Lieut. John Cartwright

Dear Brother                                                                                     

Ranger Lodge 20 Sep. 1771

                Four days after you sailed, the Enterprise returned. Poor Lucas brought an indian family with him, which wintered with me. Soon after a Crew of Shore-men arrived at Seal island – They killed 800 seals, 33 foxes, 5 Otters, 1 Deer & 1 Wolf. On the 21st October after this pairing of supplies the boat which Coghlan sent in consequence of your arrival at Fogo, arrived with Provisions & Winter Crews. Two men with Charles & myself commenced Furriers. I was the best of the crew, so you may imagine we made a fine hand of it. But I will pass over the affairs of the winter, having filled my other letters with them, & come to occurrences of the summer. On the 4th of July five Indian shallops arrived at the Cape. Some of the men came up here that night & lay in the dining room. Next day I went with them to visit their wives; the day after the women & children with some men came up here again, 32 in number; a goodly company! They were exceedingly pleased with their treatment, devoured a great quantity of salmon & carried more away with them. At night five did not choose to leave me & so they spent their evening here. The next day I took Charles with me & pitched my tent amongst them by the side of the little tickle. My winter friends had made so favourable a report of me that they all behaved exceedingly well, nor did they steal anything although the tent was full from morn till night & goods were lying about. I employ’d my time so well that before it was known at Chatteau that they were here, I had got almost all the things they brought for trade but they amounted indeed to a very small quantity as the Moravians take care to supply all their wants before they leave home. On the 16th I accompanied them to Camp Islands & took my passage in the boat of their Chief: after a stay of two days, we proceeded together to Table Point where I killed a brace of Deer. On the 26 five boats more came,

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came, four of which went directly to the rest, the other came up here. They not having seen those who winter’d here began to behave in their old way and presumed on their numbers being no less than thirty five. I had only two men at the house but I soon convinced them they were wrong; for one behaving with great rudeness to Nanny I seized him by the collar and gave him such a launch out of the door he was near going head foremost into the river, then made him get into his canoe & march off, and order’d the rest to take themselves away, which they did immediately. Two days after I went to Camp Island again  but their last boats had met with the Moravian Brig to the northward & sold almost every thing. August 4th I sailed for Fogo taking with me the Chief; on the 20th we returned to Chatteau when I found that the indians were gone to Quirpon & up the Streights. On the 1st September they returned, the Chief joined them & early the next morning they went off home, carrying with them two ???? Some seal-skins & whale bone I had given them to build me an open canoe with. I speak the language tollerably well & had the two families wintered here, according to their promise, should almost have been master of it by next spring. -- I am now more than ever of opinion that Lucas was very partial to these people; for I think them but a sorry race of mortals, with but little of honour, honesty, gratitude, fidelity or any one moral virtue to recommend them; while they [crossed out] are riplete with revenge, fraud, selfishness, avarice and every vice, except drunhonness, I almost ever heard of. We cannot expect they should behave otherwise to us when they rob and murder each other, are governed by no laws but their own will, which prompts them to revenge with the knife or arrow every slight affront or injury. Thanks to Heaven, they are great cowards! What some have assorted of the chastity of their women is most absurd. Not one of them will refuse her compliance for a penny worth of beads if an opportunity offers; nor a man will refuse you his wife for a night for a few strings; but I think the payment should be on their side, for they are far more filthy than swine and which ??? In my sight I would ???? ??? Persuade myself that I am looking upon women. I had plenty of offers from both the men & their wives; that did not choose to part with my goods at such a rate. Nothing is more common than an exchange of wives; and a dog has nearly as great an idea of modesty as they – Lately I have had several good dishes of green pease and in winter could have set out a table of five & five without salt meat from October to March; besides a Depart of ???, Castors, & Tarts &c &c &c I had one Beaver house in the Upper Island Pond & another about five miles NW of the House. We found above fifty old ones & none of them ever furred: it was late before we began to rummage & snow soon coming on obliged us to desist. The Deer boat to the southward by us, then westerly along the Streights, from the middle of December to the middle of January; crossing the South Head, or Punt Pond in their way to Niger Sound, thence by the head of St. Peter’s and Temple Bays they got upon the western ground. Between Rack Cove & Bradore they are in the greatest abundance till the beginning of April, when they return, and it is June before they are all ????, They rode? Over? Bay then chiefly between White Bear Sound & Hat Point; and after the ice breaks Hat Point & Pent House are their principal ongoing? places. Notwithstanding what we have been told I found them ten times more difficult to get a shot at whilst the snow was on the ground than in summer; for then they always frequent the high barren hills and keep so good a look-out, and are so shy, ‘tis next to an impossibility to get near them; besides they move about so much and make such short halts, that there is little chance of meeting with them. I have slotted them for days together without coming up with them, although I have seen them at going off. They generally travel down wind as their nose then informs them of any pursuit. The only chance is to forelay them on the march; but we never had an opportunity of doing so except once in May, when one of the Furriers killed a hind: but she was so rotten and poor that we could not eat a bit of her. -- My excursions this winter will not be so intriguing as last, for I have got an indian slide to be drawn by dogs. The

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bloodhounds are increased to five couple and all broke to the harness, so that when I get upon the fresh slot of deer I shall travel at a merry pace. The Table Land is the best place for Deer and White Bear in Spring, of any I yet know. I shall live there from February till June; burrowing like a rabbit in the snow. I must get you to order me a tent from the Oil Cloth manufactory at Knightsbridge, one side white the other brown; it must be the shape of a soldiers but supported by a strong wooden frame as well as poles, for in winter it will be cover’d with snow, in summer with boughs or sods. Let the frame be 8 feet long & 7 broad joined at the angles with screws. The ridge pole to be 5 feet high, supported at each end by a perpendicular pole: & from the ridge pole to the frame on each side have nine rafters, (pointed with iron at each end) for bearing up the snow &c. The tent to be in one piece & closed at each end; except a hole 2 feet square by the side of one of the perpendicular, over which must hang down a canvas door. The holes in the ridge pole & the frame which receive the iron points of the rafters, must also be iron bound: on the outside too of the ground frame all round, let there be short stumpy spikes of iron, corresponding with eyelet holes in the border of the tent, in order to keep it light and close down. Pack all in a chest with a parcel of spare canvas for repairs. If it is well executed I shall be able to shift my winter quarters, as often as I shall be inclined.

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