“At Nodowa that policy was equally conspicuous. Did not Astor’s private missive to Mr. Hunt at that place give umbrage to all? Did not his private orders to Mr. Hunt to put his nephew, with one scratch of his pen, over the heads of all the clerks in the concern add to that umbrage? Could there be anything more impolitic and unjust? Could there be any measure more at variance with the letter and {245} the spirit of the articles of agreement? Did not his private instructions to his captains annihilate the power and authority of the partners? When the unfortunate _Tonquin_ left this, what did she leave behind? did she not, by virtue of Astor’s private instructions to her captain, carry everything off that was worth carrying off? Has not the same line of policy been pursued in the case of the _Beaver_? And this year there is no ship at all! Has it not been obvious from the beginning, that under Astor’s policy we can never prosper? and, besides, there are other untoward matters over which Mr. Astor had no control, such as the delay of the _Beaver_, the absence of Mr. Hunt, our formidable rivals the North-West Company, and, to crown all, the declaration of war. “Now, gentlemen, all these inauspicious circumstances taken together point out, in my opinion, the absolute necessity of abandoning the enterprize as soon as possible. We owe it to Astor—we owe it to ourselves; and our authority for adopting such a course is based on the 15th and 16th articles of the co-partnership, which authorize us at any time within the period of five years to abandon the undertaking, should it prove impracticable or unprofitable. Not, gentlemen, that there is any fault in the country—no country, as to valuable furs, can hold out better prospects; but Astor’s policy, and a chain of misfortunes, have ruined all. Astor, with all his sagacity, either does not or will not understand the business. The system we were bound to follow was {246} bad, and that system we cannot alter; so that we are bound in honour to deliver the whole back into the hands from which we received it—and the sooner the better.” These representations, stamped with the authority of experience, had the desired effect; the resolution to abandon the country was adopted, and Messrs. Stuart and Clarke gave it their cordial consent: as it was now too late to carry it into execution this year, it was postponed till the next; and the 1st of June was the time fixed upon for our departure.