WB Coltman Report Transcription
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
W. B. Coltman Report Transcription September 30, 2016 Image Number Image Text Notes Tags Image Link 1 [Cover] *23 2/F [[?]] http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-001-v8.jpg [inside cover] inside cover; 1939; october, 18; abilities, Oct 18 1939 furlio 2 Furlio Abilities http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-002-v8.jpg A General Statement and Report relative to the Disturbances in the Indian Territories of W. B. Coltman; Special http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-003-v8.jpg British North America by the undersigned Special Commissioner Commissioner For inquiring into the Offences committed in the said Indian Territories and the circumstances attending the same. 3 W. B. Coltman 4 Blank page Blank page http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-004-v8.jpg 1 Hudson's Bay Company; http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-005-v8.jpg North West Company; Statement according to the order of time of the principal occurrences relative to the recent official statements; Earl of disputes between the Hudson's Bay and North West Companies which appear to me the Selkirk; Hudson's Bay undersigned special Commissioner to have been substantiated by the Evidence taken before Company statements me, or to have been admitted by the parties in the respective Official Statements transmitted February 18; North West me by the legal Agents of the Earl of Selkirk of the 18th February, and by the Agents of the Company statements North West Company of the 14th March last, or in their generally acknowledged Publications March 14; Selkirk share of under the titles of "Statement respecting the Earl of Selkirk's Settlement" and "Narrative of Hudson's Bay Company; occurrences in the Indian Countries," and which appear to be material to the elucidation of the causes and circumstances of the late disturbances in the Indian Territories. N.B. Whenever the Statements in the Publications have been relied on they especially referred to, and (with the exception of Bills of Indictment) the few facts resting on general notority and personal knowledge which it has been found necessary to notice, are mentioned as such. Previous to and during the course of the years 1810 & 1811 It appears according to the Evidence before me supported by the frequent assertion of the principal facts in the Publications of the North West Company, and the tacit admission thereof implied by the silence of the opposite party; that the Earl of Selkirk became proprietor of £40,000. Capital Stock of the Hudson's Bay Company, which (as their whole Stock is stated to be £105,000. and about £25,000. thereof to be held by females and minors) gave his Lordship a predominant influence over the proceedings of the Company in consequence several 5 2 Hudson's Bay Company; http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-006-v8.jpg North West Company; of the old Committee, (which body have the general management of the Companies Affairs) District of Assiniboia; resigned, and made way for his Lordship's relations and friends; the purchases were originally Hudson's Bay Company begun in conjunction with Sir Alexander McKenzie a principal partner of the North West Committee resignations; Company, who was to have one third and the Earl two thirds of the amount purchased; these Alexander McKenzie; Earl parties however soon disagreed, but after some threats of a Chancery Suit their disputes of Selkirk; agricultural were compromised. settlement; On the 29th of May 1811 - A Grant was made by the Hudson's Bay Company to the Earl of Selkirk of a large tract of Country for the purpose of forming an Agricultural Settlement to supply their trading Servants with provisions, the Company retaining to itself the rights of Jurisdiction over the said tract, which has since been called the District of Assiniboia; the boundaries thereof maybe seen by reference to the annexed abstract marked No. 1 taken 6 from the map published to by 3 North West Company; http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-007-v8.jpg Hudson's Bay Company; the North West Company to accompany the "Narrative of Occurrences in the Indian Earl of Selkirk; Earl of Countries," and the particulars more fully ascertained by the abstract marked No. 2 taken Selkirk's Settlement; from the map published with "the Statement respecting the Earl of Selkirk's Settlement." This Selkirk Settlement; Grant was strongly opposed by all the proprietors of Hudson's Bay stock connected with the agricultural settlement; North West Company, some of whom are admitted in the "Narrative" to have purchased *29th May 1811* their Stock for that express purpose. Many other admissions more or less direct of the facts stated by the opposite parties regarding this part of the subject will be found in their respective publications, and from these admissions and the evidence before me no doubt can be entertained that a spirit of decided opposition towards the intended Establishment of Agricultural Settlement was entertained by the principle persons in London connected with the North West Company 7 4 Hudson's Bay Company; http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-008-v8.jpg North West Company; The motives for this hostile feeling it is more difficult fairly to estimate. On behalf of the Assiniboine River; Earl of Hudson's Bay Company and the Earl of Selkirk it is contended in "the Statement" that it arose Selkirk; fur trade; Selkirk solely from the interested fears of injury to the Fur trade, and an apprehension of this nature land grant; colonization; appears in fact to be admitted in some degree by the declaration in the protest against the John Pritchard; clerk; Grant, "that Colonization is at all times unfavourable to the Fur trade" - the evidence of Disposition 123; former Servants of the North West Company has also been brought before me to prove the apprehensions of the partners of that Company, that the establishment of the Colony would materially injure their Trade; especially that of Mr John Pritchard a clerk in charge of a post on the Assiniboine River at the period of the first establishment of the Colony who (Disposition 123) states expressly that it was the general opinion of the partners in that 8 quarter 5 Hudson's Bay Company; http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-009-v8.jpg North West Company; that if the Colony succeeded the result would be to form a Nursery of Servants for the colony; Red River Colony; Hudson's Bay Company, and thereby enable that Company more effectually to oppose their Red River Settlement; Trade - exclusive of affording such facility for adventurers to get into the Country, as must Selkirk Settlement; destroy the species of monopoly established by the North West Company and that in Pembina; monopoly; fur consequence although individually well disposed towards the Colony, he felt it his duty as trade; winter; 1813; 1814; long as he remained in the North West Company's service to oppose its interests by all fair American War; means, and especially by buying up all the provisions he could get, which he did to a considerable extant in the Winter 1813-14 (this last measure is however by other evidence stated to have been rendered necessary by the events of the American War) he also states his belief that the post of Pembina which had been abandoned two years before was re- 9 established 6 North West Company; http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-010-v8.jpg Fond-du-Lac; Colony; for the purpose of opposing the Colony in the purchase of provisions and his knowledge that Alexander McDonnell; Alexander McDonell in charge of this post, did *29th May 1811* so oppose them. Other James Grant; Indians; testimony (Depn. No. 131) has also been brought before me of declarations made by the said Deposition 131; Alex McDonell of his fears of the ruin of their Trade in consequence of the great reduction in Deposition 167; the prices of all supplies - especially spirits and clothing to be looked for from the future manufacturers of the Colony - and in a letter of 15th April 1815 from James Grant at Fond- du-lac, then a Clerk and now a partner of the North West Company of which an extract has been proved before me (Depn. No. 167), it is stated, "if the Colony stands any time it will render the Indians of this place so independent of us; that it will be nearly impossible to stand our ground with them." On the part of the North West Company it is on the other hand contended, that independent of their objections to the 10 7 Earl of Selkirk: Selkirk http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-011-v8.jpg Settlement; Selkirk Settlement as founded on the assumption of a right of Territory (whereof they deny the Colony; Selkirk existence on the part of H.B. Company) over a Country of which they have been in long Concession; colonization; previous occupancy of their considering it as a measure injurious to their interests as Traders, settlers; - dangerous to the peace of the Country - and likely to produce only misery to the Settlers; they had before long reason to suspect that other views besides the Earl of Selkirk's enthusiasm for Colonization, had given rise to the prospect, and were gradually convinced that the establishment of the Colony was (as is expressly stated in the "Narrative" published in London where the alarm appears to have been first taken) only a pretext to induce Settlers to emigrate and thus introduce into the Country at an inconsiderable expense a sufficient number of persons to carry into effect the plans of aggression and competition against their 11 Trade; in proof of these assertions 8 North West Company; http://data2.archives.ca/e/e447/e011163878-012-v8.jpg Hudson's Bay Company; the evidence of Mr.