Ex-Judge Malcolm MacLeod, Q.C., of Aylmer, Que., a northwesterner by birth, on examination before the committee produced a number of letters received by his father while he held the appointment of senior officer of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the northern district. Among these letters was one which showed that the original explorers of the country between the Mackenzie and the Yukon described it as “a land of milk and honey.”
Judge McLeod added:—“We know for certain that at Fort Liard, wheat is a reliable crop for four years out of five, at any rate.”
Hon. William Christie, ex-member of the Northwest Council, was at one time inspecting chief factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company service. This witness was examined before the committee and explained that as inspecting factor of the Hudson’s Bay service he was in charge of all the districts from Red river to Fort Simpson—from Fort Garry northward—Red river district, Swan river district, English river district, Athabaska river district, and Mackenzie river district. All of these were
Under His Supervision.
He had travelled over the whole of them and descended Mackenzie river as far as Fort Simpson. He did not think that any authoritative attempt had ever been made up to that time to collect statistics, etc., as to resources of this region. The business of the Hudson’s Bay Company was confined to the fur trade, and if there were any scientific investigations in the old days these were conducted under the authority of the British government. The Hudson’s Bay Company’s posts on Mackenzie river were established at convenient points for the fur trade all the way down the river. Fort Simpson was at the head of the whole Mackenzie river district.
Potatoes at Fort Simpson.
There was no settlement around any of the company’s forts. The white men in the forts were largely from England and Scotland—gentlemen’s sons—and some were married to Indian girls and French half-breeds. Traders, other than those of the company, were at that date going in for furs, up as far as Great Slave lake. The Hudson’s Bay Company opposed them the best way they could, but had sold the country to the Canadian government. The Church of England, as well as the Roman Catholic Church, had missions throughout the region, and had had them for many years.
Mr. Christie informed the committee that he did not think there would be any difficulty in navigating with suitable steamers the Mackenzie from its headwaters to Arctic ocean, because the year before his examination they had had the experience of a successful voyage of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s steamer from Fort Simpson down Mackenzie river nearly to its mouth, below Peel river. They could have gone through to Arctic sea if they had wished to do so, but having no pilot, and not knowing which of the channels they should take, they did not like to venture. It would have been a disastrous thing to the company if that steamer had met with any accident which would have prevented it from returning to Slave river that season.
Reached the Mackenzie From the North.