The Great Company : $b being a history of the honourable company of merchants-adventurers trading into Hudson's BayWillson, Beckles
History
The Great Company : $b being a history of the honourable company of merchants-adventurers trading into Hudson's Bay
Willson, Beckles
Fur trade -- Canada; Hudson's Bay Company; Northwest, Canadian -- History
But the Company was not yet out of the wood. Clandestine trade was to
be again its bogey. The disaffection had been temporarily arrested
amongst the sailors: but they were hardly prepared to learn that it
extended to the captains themselves, who had, however, the best of
reasons for concealing their feelings. When the ships came home in the
following year the Company received information that a seizure of furs
and other valuable goods brought from Hudson's Bay had been made since
the arrival of the Company's ships that season. Communication was
entered into with the Commissioners of Customs requesting a particular
account of such seizures either from the Company's ships or other
places, "in order that the Commissioners may pursue an enquiry for
detecting the frauds that have been committed to the prejudice of His
Majesty's Revenue and the interest of the Company."
[Sidenote: Clandestine trade by the Company's captains.]
Suspicion for the loss of numerous packages of furs now began to
fasten itself upon one of the Company's captains, Horner of the
_Seahorse_. Horner acknowledged that he was not altogether ignorant
that the furs had been abstracted from the hold of his ship. The
Company deliberated on his case, and it was "unanimously resolved that
the said John Horner be discharged from the Company's service." The
other captains were now called in and acquainted with the reasons for
Captain Horner's discharge. The Adventurers declared their
determination to make the like public example of all persons who
should be found to be concerned in clandestine trade.
In the following year the Company came to a wise decision. Taking into
consideration the state of its trade and the many frauds that "have
been practised and detected," it was concluded that such frauds were
connived at by the Company's chief factors and captains, who were not
only privy thereto, but in consideration for some joint interest,
permitted this illicit trade to be carried on.
[Sidenote: Salaries increased.]
The Company seems to have thought that the chief factors and captains
might have been tempted to these nefarious practices by the smallness
of their respective salaries, and therefore in the hope of securing
their fidelity and encouraging diligence and industry, and the
extending of the Company's trade to the utmost to the benefit of the
Company and the revenue, it was decided that a salary of £130 per
annum be allowed the chief factors at York, Albany, and Prince of
Wales' Fort; also the factors about to be appointed at Moose Fort and
Severn House, "in lieu of former salaries, and all trapping
gratuities, and perquisites whatever, except a servant, which is to be
allowed to them as before."
A gratuity was to be given to all chief factors of three shillings
upon every score of made beaver which they consigned and "which shall
actually be brought home to the Company's account."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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