French Colonization. WM Principle of, 17; Parkman on, 19.
French Language. BL Imperial Parliament repeals clause of Union Act making English the sole official language, 287; Elgin reads speech from the throne in French as well as English, 287.
French Priests. Hd Attempts to introduce, 181, 187.
French Revolution. Dr Its effect in the United States, 272, 273; principles of, disseminated in Lower Canada, 279. Sy Effects of, in Britain, 11.
Frobisher, Benjamin. A partner of the North West Company. Index: Hd Petition to Haldimand, 261. Bib.: See the memorials of Benjamin Frobisher and Joseph Frobisher, his brother, on the western fur trade, in Archives Report, 1890, and particularly that of Oct. 4, 1784, giving the early history of the North West Company; also correspondence in Archives Report, 1888.
Frobisher, Benjamin. Probably, according to Masson, a son of Joseph Frobisher. Entered service of North West Company, about 1798. Mentioned as clerk of that Company, in 1804 and 1805, and took a violent part in the troubles between the North West and Hudson's Bay Companies. Captured by Hudson's Bay men in 1819, carried to York Factory and imprisoned; escaped, and in a desperate attempt to make his way back to one of the North West Company posts, died of exhaustion at Cedar Lake. Bib.: Wilcocke, Death of Frobisher in Masson, Bourgeois de la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest.
Frobisher, Joseph. A partner of the North West Company. Member of the fur-trading firm of McTavish, Frobisher and Company. Built a fort on Red River, and penetrated to the Churchill River, 1774, where, at Frog Portage, he built a post. Gave the name of English River to the Churchill. Accompanied Alexander Henry up the Saskatchewan in 1775. Returned to Montreal, but retained a large interest in the fur trade until 1798, when he retired. Index: Hd His petition to Haldimand, 261. MS Builds trading-post on Sturgeon Lake in 1772, 4. Bib.: Henry, Travels and Adventures, ed. by Bain; Mackenzie, History of the Fur Trade in his Voyages.
Frobisher, Sir Martin (1535?-1594). Navigator. Made three voyages to America in search of the North-West Passage, 1576, 1577, and 1578. Vice-admiral in Drake's expedition to West Indies, 1586; led one of the squadrons against the Spanish Armada; took part in Hawkins's expedition, 1590. Bib.: Dict. Nat. Biog.
Frobisher, Thomas (1744-1788). Partner of the North West Company. With Joseph Frobisher, Alexander Henry, and Peter Pond, in the North-West, 1775. In that year, explored the Churchill River as far as Isle à la Crosse Lake. Index: MS Builds trading-post at Sturgeon Lake, 1772, 4. Bib.: Henry, Travels and Adventures; Mackenzie, History of the Fur Trade in his Voyages.
Frog Portage. Or Portage de Traite, leading from the Saskatchewan River, by way of Cumberland Lake, the Sturgeon-Weir River, Heron, Pelican, and Woody Lakes, to the Churchill. It was discovered by Joseph Frobisher, who built a temporary trading-post there in 1774. Two years later Thomas Frobisher built a more substantial fort at the same place. He was joined there in that year by Alexander Henry, and plans were matured for intercepting the western Indians on their way down the Churchill to trade at Prince of Wales Fort. Alexander Mackenzie says that the Indians called the portage Athiquisipichigan Ouinigam, or the Portage of the Stretched Frog Skin. Bib.: Bryce, Hudson's Bay Company; Burpee, Search for the Western Sea.