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Fort Victoria Post Journal August 1847

1847 August

Sunday 1^st August. Fine clear weather with a strong breeze from the South West. No occurrence of any note.

Monday 2^nd Blowing strong from the South West & weather alternately clear and cloudy. About noon 4 canoes of Cape Flattery Indians arrived with a few furs and oil, w part of which were traded to day. Men employed cutting out rafters, carting hay, repairing cart wheels & pit sawing. Lazard and Louis Satakarata on the sick list.

Tuesday 3^rd Fine pleasant weather & generally clear. People employed as yesterday. 250 gns. oil were traded from the Cape Flattery Indians. About noon Snitlum's son arrived with a bundle of furs which he traded principally for guns. Early this morning I started in canoe with Ouamtany & Coté & 5 Indians for Belle view Island, to take possession of it, pursuant to orders from Mr. C{hief} F{actor} Douglas. Travelled nearly from one end of it to the other & erected poles at a few places showing my having taken possession of it in H. Brit^ic M'^s name. Young Snitlum, to day in trying one of the guns outside, wounded a Kawitchin woman, for which he had to pay 4 yds. baize.

Wednesday 4^th Occasionally overcast with a little rain over night. Mild weather throughout the day. Started this morning from the Songes fishing at Belle view, where I he left a keg with some salt in order ~~that~~ to have a small quantity of the salmon caught there cured when fresh to ascertain its quality & arrived off this harbour at 9 AM. Proceeded direct for Esquoimalt Bay to examine a stream of fresh water reported by Indians to be there & found it as reported running over a ledge of rocks, the site being apparently well adapted for a mill. Operations progressing here to day were caulking & pitching skows, cutting hay, repairing & making cradles ∞ wheat, squaring posts ∞ inside of Granary &c. The Natives are now beginning to bring in salmon but not the proper kind for salting. Snitlum's son left this forenoon for his own village. I arrived here at 3 P.M. from my trip to Belle view & Esq^t & found everything getting on as usual.

Thursday 5^th Overcast with heavy rain in the afternoon accompanied with some thunder and lightning. 6 hands were employed to day with "cradles" mowing wheat, being the first this season. Were busy during the forenoon, while fair, beating & airing the New Caledonia furs. Some salmon were brought in to day also by the Natives for trade, but not the proper kind for salting.

Friday 6 Heavy rain this morning, with a strong breeze from the South East. Had some thunder & lightning to day also. People employed as yest^y. About 10 AM. a Cape Flattery canoe arrived, being Yolo Cum & another Chief who traded 7 sea otters, 7 land otters & other articles. 6 craddles were at work to day mowing wheat.

Saturday 7 Beautiful weather, with a light breeze from the Eastward. Cape Flattery Kaau & party having traded all they had left this morning. Week's work as follows: 20 acres of wheat mowed & a q^ty of hay made & housed, the rafters of Granary cut out, 12 packs of N{ew} C{aledonia} furs beat & aired, 6 cradles made ∞ mowing wheat, the skow caulked & pitched & sundry other duties performed about the Store.

Sunday 8^th Beautiful weather with light variable winds. No occurrence of any note. The salmon are now got in abundance at the Songes fishery at Canal de Arro.

Monday 9^th Mild weather and overcast throughout the day. All hands were to day employed reaping & collecting the wheat except Lemon and Lazard who were caulking & repairing one of the skows. No trade of any kind. Louis Satakarata is still confined to the house with his eye which is now getting a little better.

Tuesday 10^th Beautiful weather with a strong breeze from the South West. All hands were employed to day also harvesting. No trade. The two skows are now caulked & tarred & are ready for use when required.

Wednesday 11^th Beautiful weather still continues, which is very favourable at present for our harvesting, at which all hands are employed. A field of wheat mowed down last week appeared this morning sufficiently dry for housing & the wheat was carted in accordingly. Nothing now doing in the way of trade.

Thursday 12 Very warm weather. Were busy all day binding, reaping & housing our grain. No trade nor any occurrence worth noticing.

Friday 13^th Warm weather still continues. People employed as yesterday harvesting. 27 galls oil were traded this afternoon from Kawitchins.

Saturday 14^th No change in the weather. Week's work as follows: 80 acres of wheat mowed & about the half of the wheat housed, 4 loads of hay housed & sundry other jobs performed about the Store & farm. No trade except a few potatoes from Kawitchins.

Sunday 15 Weather very warm but rather hazy. Wind light from the South West. Remained quiet.

Monday 16^th Weather same as yesterday. All hands were to day also employed harvesting except 5 hands & some of our engaged Indians who were employed beating & airing the furs preparatory to their being finally packed for England. Two canoes of Cape Flatteries arrived this forenoon & traded about 74 galls whale oil, with some other trifles. They have got two sea otters, which are not as yet traded. Some of the fair inmates of this Estab^t who had been on a vesel to Langley arrived this afternoon & brought advice from that place up to the 10^th when all were well but the salmon trade does not appear to be very flourishing, there, owing to some differences between the Natives.

Tuesday 17 Weather still continues beautifully clear which is very favourable for the operations we have at present in hand, vi^z beating & airing the furs & harvesting. We have to day unpacked & aired 45 packs of N{ew} C{aledonia} furs. All the grain about the Fort the oats & wheat is now mowed down that beyond James Bay is all we have now to reap, which is not as yet sufficiently ripe. The Cape Flaterries left this morning having disposed of all they had for trade except the sea otters which they would not trade at the usual rate. 6 bbls potatoes were traded to day from Kawitchins.

Wednesday 18^th No change in the weather. We have had all the Colvile furs out to day, beat & aired the ripest part of the wheat beyond James Bay was mowed down to day, the rest of it & all the pease will have to be left untouched yet for about a week not being sufficiently ripe. No trade, but a little whale oil from Kawitchin.

Thursday 19^th Very warm weather with light variable airs. Were busy all this day also cleaning the furs, Minie & Gagnon repairing ploughs, 2 men winnowg grain in N^o. 3. & the rest binding & carting in the oats. Snitlum's son arrived in the evening with a bundle of furs for trade.

Friday 20 Very warm weather as yesterday. We have now all the grain near the Estab^t secured. Were busy to day also airing & dusting furs. Early this morning 5 canoes of Cape Flattery Indians arrived & traded 2 sea otters, a few land furs & whale oil.

Saturday 21^st Heat very oppressive. We have now got all the furs on hand here beat & aired and are now ready for a final packing for England. Were busy all this week reaping & securing our grain – at that, & the furs all hands were employed. No trade to day worth noticing. The Cape Flattery Indians left this morning for their own quarter.

Sunday 22^nd Very hazy but warm as usual. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 23 Weather very hazy in course of the morning & evening but warm & dry. We began this morning to pack the N{ew} C{aledonia} furs ∞ O^t 46 for England being the first this season, a party of the men were employed beating them and the rest cutting the pease, which are now ripe. About noon the B^qu Cowlitz entered the harbour from the North, having the returns from that quarter on board. She ran down here from Ft. Simpson in the short space of 5 days. The news brought by her from the Coast is upon the whole favourable.

Tuesday 24^th Weather as yesterday, warm & very favourable for our operations of packing the furs & harvesting. All the Coast Returns were landed this forenoon from the Cowlitz, which appears in good order - were received as ∞ Bill of Lading.

Wednesday 25^th The fires are now beginning to run over the country, the smoke from which together with fog so completely obscures the atmosphere that the sun is hardly visible at noon day. Sundry packages from Depot were this morning shipped on board of the Cowlitz. Letters & other documents were at the same time written to the Board of Manag^t & handed over to Captain Weynton who took the ship out to the offing about noon where she anchors for the night. The Natives are now bringing in their potatoes for trade.

Thursday 26 Weather as yesterday without any signs of rain. People employed packing & pressing furs, cutting pease. We have now got 47 bales of furs packed of the Returns of Outfit 1846.

~~Wednesday~~ Friday 27^th Very foggy all day with rain in the evening. Wind towards sunset blowing strong from the South West. We could not get on so well with packing the furs to day as usual owing to the dampness of the air. The people employed packing were therefore pressing the bales. No trade worth mentioning.

Saturday 28^th Blowing strong from the South West during last night with a little rain. The smoke is now clearing away. The people were employed the whole of this week reaping & housing grain and packing & pressing furs & win^g grain in Depot. All our wheat is now put in, our pease however still remain on the field. 55 packs of furs were packed & pressed this week. No trade worthy of notice.

~~Monday~~ Sunday 29 Weather still continues hazy with little or no wind. About 11 AM a whale boat entered the harbour which proved to belong {to} a ship called the General Teste of Harve de grace, Captain Morin. The Captain came in the boat & says he is to winter in this quarter until he can get whales to fish in the spring. He wishes to ~~hav~~ obtain from us a supply of fresh meat & vegetables. The Cowlitz is still at Rocky point, being unable to proceed on account of the weather being so hazy.

~~Tuesday~~ Monday 30^th The haze is now gradually disappearing & the weather during the day has been generally clear. Were busy packing furs, housing & cutting pease. Captain Morin of the General Teste brought his ship to the entrance of the harbour & came on shore in the evening & bought 12 shirts for cash.

W Tuesday 31 Weather still continues the same. We were busily employed to day also packing & pressing furs, carting in our pease. Captain Morin & his Doctor landed to day & bought 481lbs beef & 9 bus. potatoes, which is to be settled by an order on Messrs Vidar & Danthuster at the S. islands, who appear to be his furnishers. No trade of any importance with the Natives.

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