Extract of a Letter from James Douglas Esquire to Archibald Barclay Esquire Secretary of the Hudson’s Bay Company

Extract of a Letter from James Douglas Esquire to Archibald Barclay Esquire Secretary of the Hudson’s Bay Company

Fort Victoria
Hudson’s Bay Company
Fur Trade
Vancouver Island
British Columbia
Indian War
Sanitch Tribe
Cowetchen Tribe
Fort Rupert
19th century

This is a letter addressed to Archibald Barclay Esquire - Secretary to the Governor and Committee, the London board of directors of Hudson’s Bay Company – from James Douglas Esquire – deputy to the chief factor of the Columbia Fur District of HBC. The letter consists of information about a disturbance and act of violence from the Sanitch and Cowetchen tribes towards the Colony, the affect this has on the Vancouver Island settlement and how HBC will resolve these issues. The outcome is that Douglas is recommending to the Governor and Committee that small settlements should be formed on the borders of the Fur Trade Reserve, to protect the Indians as well as the cattle. This is useful to show the relations during nineteenth century British Columbia, between HBC and the Indians as well as the alternative tribes who were in opposition against the settlement of Vancouver Island. This also gives us an insight into the workings of the Fur Trade branch of HBC and the roles within the Company.

James Douglas Esquire

Colonial Despatches: The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871

http://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/getDoc.htm?id=V515HB05.scx&search=fur#searchHit1

22 December 1850

Tejal Mistry

The National Archives, London

English

Textual - handwritten

19th century British Columbia