Newspaper Page Text
Volume Ilf]
published weekly,
BY
JOJ7.V m. chap.ltox.
s iET- as.-d.x, Hal#
PAID IV ADVANCE.
ON THE FUR TRADE.
Front the Emigrant.
The importance of this trade is
queffioned by none ; but it has
hitherto been conducted in fucli a
manner, and on so fmail a scale, as
to yield but little to the enterpris
ing hardihood of the individuals
concerned. An attempt to form
a large company, and invent an
umpie capital, has, wejaelieve, been
formerly made, without success, on
account of the smallness of the
scale. The subject is now in agi
aiion, but we fear too muqh lime
will be consumed in deliberation,
and the great, the all-important
advantages now within our grasp,
will ‘be taken from us. Should
this be the case, property in this
section ofthe country mu it depre
ciate. Other settlements will be
formed high up the Missouri which
will be taken from us one of
the principal articles of our trades,
and by confequenres one of the
principal sources of wealth.
We do not hesitate to call this
trade, conducted on the extensive
icale now contemplated, an all
important object, for in addition
Cos the wealth to be accumulated
from It, it is the only means of so
cnrlty from a vexatious and ever
lafling Indian warfare. To be fat
isffed of this, we need only recur to
the events of the late war. In this
direction, it was emphatically a
war of traders, and so in the nature
of things, it muff ever be. Small
companies, or many individuals
with distinct and clashing interefls,
and beyond the control of govern
ment, embark in the fur trade,
wherever they expect to collect
mod skins.— A oonteft arises, and
the Indians are easily persuaded to
way-lay and murder the traders
fiom whom they receive lead ad
vantage. Added to this, the re
cent occurrences of the Hudson’s
Bay and N. W. companies (hould
flimulate capitaliffs, to provide
for their fafety and their interefls
in time. The king of England
and lord Selkirk are largely con
cerned in the Hudson’s Bay com
pany. The latter, finding the N.
W. company engaged in a lucra
tive fur trade, attacked and finally
drove them from their posts by
tite o’ce of arms. The law can
not reach him, and if it could,
would not be put in force. Ar
rangements are now making by
these companies to extend their
trade up the Missouri, to the richefl:
hunting grounds; and when our
traders rcfolve, as they will, at
fome diffant day, to embrace the
advantages now within their reach,
they will have to fight their way
into (for they never can fight
through) a powerful band of Bri
tish traders and Indians. The
mortification we (hall then feel,
will not be abated by the recollec*
THE .NEWS.
WASHINGTON, (georg;a) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, is 17.
tion that tnefe men are t
on the Janus of rha U ( State \
Our rur trade is at prefeat car
ried on entirely by individuals or
(Vnall parties. It extends on Ivan
fes river to the Kanfes town, on the
f-a Platte to the Pawnee towns, on
the Missouri, to the mouth of
White river, or perhaps to the
firff creek wed of the mouth.
From this inconfidetable trafic
in the word part of the country,
little profit can be derivek Where
as the grounds in the weit extend
ing up the white Capp'd moun
tains, and along fefferfon’s, Madi
(on’s and Gallatin’s rivers, abound
in lurs. A large company might
be formed which wo aid cat off
ar.d exclude the Urkifl;
fro n our goods by force it requi
ffre, prevent them from tampering
with the Indians and fettle the dis
pute with Selkirk and the N. W.
company, in a fumovary way.
Our frontier would thus be rtn
dfre l secure ; the lavages, fom
eri7 employed to murder our ct
izens, would be attached to car
interefls, and the wealth now car
ried into Canada, might be forever
secured to this and the neighboring
territories. Funds would not Le
wanting. If they could not be
procured here, they might from
the eastward.
i'ois subject is certainly of vita!
intereff. We diall hereafter call
the attention of the citizens to its
details.
St. Louis, June 2 1.
From the Boston Chronicle
NARRATIVE.
On the late visit ol the Freffdent
to the Independence 74, commo
dore Bainbridge, with that atten
tion to the interefls of those under
his command which so Urongly
characterizes him, on preferring
his officer, detained acting mid
(li ip man King, while he mentioned
his escape alone in an open bout
from Burmuda. The following
is the (latement in the words of
midshipman King himfelf:
I was taken in the United States
brig Vixen, on the 22S of No
vember, 1812, by his Britannic
majefly’s (hip Southampton, were
wrecked on the 27th of Novem
ber, on Little Illand, one of the
Bahamas. We were taken off
Little island by his majesty’s brig
Rhodian, and taken to Jamaica,
th re wine kept prisoners until the
8d ol April, ISI3, when a part of
the Vixen’s crew were paroled,
myfelf among the number, and
font home in the Rebecca, Syr
of Philadelphia.
We entered the Delaware
on the 2d of May’, and were
boarded by the Poictiers of 74
guns, commanded by Sir John I‘.
Eerresford, who ordered us to
come to anchor, and took ail the
officers and men belonging to the
Vixen on board the Poictiers, (or
the purpose of exchanging them
for lome of his crew then prisoners
at Philadelphia. The officers and
men were released on the ? oth ol
j May, with the exception of James
igStCVcus, cgroenrer of * tfi* Vixe/
and myfelf, who lir John thought
proper to detain on supposition of
our being British fubjeOs—The
Poictiers failed for Burmuda on
the 1 2th, and arrived on the 25th
ol May. Stevens and myfelf were
fenr on board the guard (hip Ruby,
of 64 guns, then commanded by
commodore Evans. The Ruby
had a fine boat, which failed re
markable fad. I mentioned to
fome of my companions in captivi
ty, that we might venture to cross
the Gulf in her without much dan
ger, but could get none ol them
to join me, with the exception of a
man by the name of John Black,
who gave his aisent, and gave ins
oath that he would join me in any
scheme for our liberty. Thinking
that I could put confidence in this
man, I next day fold fomefhirrs to
fome of the crew, and got one cf
the men belonging to the Ruby to
buy me a pocket compass and four
loaves of bread. Being 6or 8
days without getting any chance
that I could make my escape, &
our mess being (hort of provisions,
I gave 2 of my loaves to the mess.
The 24th of July being very (lornty
and continuing so during the night,
I thought it would be the bed op
portunity I could get of going of?
with the boat, and accordingly
watched for the favoring moment.
About 11 o’clock P. M. a heavy
squall of rain came on, and the
fenn y on the gang-way went under
a (lied that was built over the main
hatch-way, and the officers of the
deck and quartermaster got under
the forward part of the poop. See
ing the coail dear, I got my pocket
compass and the remaining two
loaves of bread, and called my
companion. We got down on the
lower deck, and unfhipped one of
the gratings of the lower deck port;
I gave my bundle to my compan
ion, and told him to remain there
until I could get the boat along
side ; I got on the Twinging boom
and cut the painter and haul’d the
boat close into the fide ; but what
was my astonishment when my
companion, after handing me the
bundle, said he would not go ! In
vain did I state that we (hould
have fair winds one half the way,
at lead, owing to the trade winds,
prevailing in that latitude; he said
it would be impoflible to cross the
Gulf in an open boat, and men
tioned the scantiness of our pro
viflor.s ; finding that I could not
prevail on him to go, I (hoved oif
& let the boat drift aflern ofthe (hip
I When about an hundred yards a
flern, they (truck a bill, and the
j sentry cried all was well. I made
(ail as soon as pofiible, and at day
light was thirty miles Iror 1 the
(hip. On miffing the boat they
fenr several veflels in chafe of me,
as I have fmce been informed by
one of the prisoners on board.
I had several fquals between
1 Bermuda and the Gulf Stream. 1
\ differed a good deal for want of
| every thing XcoulcU
• think. o c V ‘V- n
My lips were parched witti (he uin;
I used to Irritate them with
fingers, to try it the pain would
keep me awake ; but ail proved
ineffectual; 1 often got asleep, and
sometimes when 1 awoke would
, and the boat with her fades aback
and (leering a different courle.
After being out four day, I tried to
(leer by tying my hand to the til
ler, which proved to be very ufe
ful in the red of my passage. I
fuifertd a good deal in the Gulf
owing to the continued motion of
the boat. I saw a brig, but think
ing that (he was an Eriglilh
man, I was fearful of approaching
her. i made Cape Henry on the
2d of Auguff, about 4 P. M. on
the approaching of the light-house
discovered the British fleet lying
in Lynnl.eren bay. I hailed to
fouthw'ard, and beached the boat
about 12 o’clock at night, about
i o miles to the southward of the
Cape. I unbent the boat’s jib, &
carried it about a quarter of a mile
from the boat, and went to sleep.
I got up about sunrise next morn
ing, and got to Mr. Whitehoufe’s
dwelling, who treated me with
every kindncfs that my situation
required. I proceeded to Nor
folk, aftei remaining with Mr.
Whitehoufe two days, when I re
ported myfelf to captain Cassin,
who advanced me funds to get
to Washington. I fold my boat
(or 30 dollars; the boat was about
22 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 3
deep, with a forefail, mainfale and.
jib. She was hallaftcd with freJlr
water in breakers.
Tbennopyla —ln two orations
which we have seen, and which
were delivered on the 4th of July
lad, in honor of the day, we have
obitTved the defence of the pass of
Thermopylae cited as a parallel to
the defence of Plattsburg and that
of New Orleans. We are fond of
classical aliufions; but they are
ridiculous when they are not very
appropriate. The Spartan band
of three hundred commanded by
Leonidas, fell bravely defending
the Grecian defile ; but, notwith
fl.anding that, the Pcrfians found
their way into Greece. What
funilitude, therefore, is therefore
between the defence of Plattsburg
and New-Orleans, (the particulars
of which are glorious for our arms
and too well known to be here re
peated,) and that c f the pass of
Thermopylae ! In one of the ora
tions in question, we (hculd have
expected from the orator,Mr AW),
better things ; because, judging by
the antiquity of his name, he ought
to have been well acquainted with
the (acts of ancient hi (lory : but
we ihould, perhaps, excuse him,
when we reded that it mud have
been a long time fmce he left the
Ark on Mount Ararat, and con
sequently his memory may be a
little rusty as to what he remarked
in his pad age through Thessaly.
[No. 34.
