One Of The Most Noted Of These Is Ashley's
Company, From St. Louis, Who Trap For Themselves, And Drive An
Extensive Trade With The Indians.
The spirit, enterprise, and
hardihood of Ashley are themes of the highest eulogy in the far
West, and his adventures and exploits furnish abundance of
frontier stories.
Another company of one hundred and fifty persons from New York,
formed in 1831, and headed by Captain Bonneville of the United
States army, has pushed its enterprise into tracts before but
little known, and has brought considerable quantities of furs
from the region between the Rocky Mountains and the coasts of
Monterey and Upper California, on the Buenaventura and Timpanogos
rivers.
The fur countries, from the Pacific, east to the Rocky Mountains,
are now occupied (exclusive of private combinations and
individual trappers and traders) by the Russians; and on the
northwest from Behring's Strait to Queen Charlotte's Island, in
north latitude fifty-three degrees, and by the Hudson's Bay
Company thence, south of the Columbia River; while Ashley's
company, and that under Captain Bonneville, take the remainder of
the region to California. Indeed, the whole compass from the
Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean is traversed in every direction.
The mountains and forests, from the Arctic Sea to the Gulf of
Mexico, are threaded through every maze, by the hunter. Every
river and tributary stream, from the Columbia to the mouth of the
Rio del Norte, and from the M'Kenzie to the Colorado of the West,
from their head springs to their junction, are searched and
trapped for beaver. Almost all the American furs, which do not
belong to the Hudson's Bay Company, find their way to New York,
and are either distributed thence for home consumption, or sent
to foreign markets.
The Hudson's Bay Company ship their furs from their factories of
York Fort and from Moose River, on Hudson's Bay; their collection
from Grand River, &c., they ship from Canada; and the collection
from Columbia goes to London. None of their furs come to the
United States, except through the London market.
The export trade of furs from the United States is chiefly to
London. Some quantities have been sent to Canton, and some few to
Hamburg; and an increasing export trade in beaver, otter, nutria,
and vicunia wool, prepared for the hatter's use, is carried on in
Mexico. Some furs are exported from Baltimore, Philadelphia, and
Boston; but the principal shipments from the United States are
from New York to London, from whence they are sent to Leipsic, a
well-known mart for furs, where they are disposed of during the
great fair in that city, and distributed to every part of the
continent.
The United States import from South America, nutria, vicunia,
chinchilla, and a few deer-skins; also fur seals from the Lobos
Islands, off the river Plate. A quantity of beaver, otter, &c.,
are brought annually from Santa Fe. Dressed furs for edgings,
linings, caps, muffs, &c., such as squirrel , genet, fitch-skins,
and blue rabbit, are received from the north of Europe; also cony
and hare's fur; but the largest importations are from London,
where is concentrated nearly the whole of the North American fur
trade.
Such is the present state of the fur trade, by which it will
appear that the extended sway of the Hudson's Bay Company, and
the monopoly of the region of which Astoria was the key, has
operated to turn the main current of this opulent trade into the
coffers of Great Britain , and to render London the emporium
instead of New York, as Mr. Astor had intended.
We will subjoin a few observations on the animals sought after in
this traffic, extracted from the same intelligent source with the
preceding remarks.
Of the fur-bearing animals, "the precious ermine," so called by
way of preeminence, is found, of the best quality, only in the
cold regions of Europe and Asia. * Its fur is of the most perfect
whiteness, except the tip of its tail, which is of a brilliant
shining black. With these back tips tacked on the skins, they are
beautifully spotted, producing an effect often imitated, but
never equalled in other furs. The ermine is of the genus mustela
(weasel), and resembles the common weasel in its form, is from
fourteen to sixteen inches from the tip of the nose to the end of
the tail. The body is from ten to twelve inches long. It lives in
hollow trees, river banks, and especially in beech forests; preys
on small birds, is very shy, sleeping during the day, and
employing the night in search of food. The fur of the older
animals is preferred to the younger. It is taken by snares and
traps, and sometimes shot with blunt arrows. Attempts have been
made to domesticate it; but it is extremely wild and has been
found untameable.
The sable can scarcely be called second to the ermine. It is a
native of Northern Europe and Siberia, and is also of the genus
mustela. In Samoieda, Yakutsk, Kamtschatka, and Russian Lapland,
it is found of the richest quality, and darkest color. In its
habits, it resembles the ermine. It preys on small squirrels and
birds, sleeps by day, and prowls for food during the night. It is
so like the marten in every particular except its size, and the
dark shade of its color, that naturalists have not decided
whether it is the richest and finest of the marten tribe, or a
variety of that species: It varies in dimensions from eighteen to
twenty inches.
The rich dark shades of the sable, and the snowy whiteness of the
ermine, the great depth, and the peculiar, almost flowing
softness of their skins and fur, have combined to gain them a
preference in all countries, and in all ages of the world. In
this age, they maintain the same relative estimate in regard to
other furs, as when they marked the rank of the proud crusader,
and were emblazoned in heraldry:
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