1846
1847
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Fort Victoria Post Journal December 1847

1847 December

Wednesday 1^st Dec^r Had a very foggy morning, afterwards cleared up a little when the Steamer left for Nisqually. People employed as yesterday except 4 hands who were squaring logs for the saw & 2 pit sawing, another has been shovelling away the coals from under the boilers. No trade. Lecuyer employed carting pease stocks up to the cattle shed for winter provisions for the cattle.

Thursday 2^nd Very foggy with slight drizzling rain. 6 hands squaring logs for the saw and the rest employed as yesterday. No occurrence of any note.

Friday 3^rd Fine pleasant weather. People employed the same as yesterday. No trade. Nor any arrivals. Dixon employed giving the Steamer's boilers a coat of coal tar.

Saturday 4^th Overcast but very mild. There is nothing now done in the way of trade. The result of our operations for this week is as follows: 150 feet of the stockade adjusted on the ground, barked & made ready for erection, 13 ~~boards~~ planks of 2in. sawn 23ft long, about 20 logs of 23ft long squared for the saw & hauled out, 1 dray made by Minie , 14 cords of firewood cut ∞ Steamer & some pease and wheat thrashed and winn^d by Satakarata & the Indians, 15 logs ∞ saw hauled out by the oxen, some coals removed from underneath the boilers & part of said boilers coated with coaltar, 2 [illegible] bags made by Dixon.

Sunday 5^th Very stormy with heavy showers of rain, wind South West. This day passed away without any remarkable occurrence.

Monday 6^th Fine clear weather after a frosty night, wind Northerly. People employed opening trenches for the pickets, morticing posts, taking the end pickets down & pitsawing. Nothing done in the way of trade.

Tuesday 7 Fine & pleasant frosty weather, keen frost over night, wind light from the North^d. People employed the same as yest^y at the pickets.

Wednesday 8th Had some sleet over night which cont^d for some time this forenoon. We have now got the northside pickets down, some of which we got hauled to their present intended site. No trade. Lecuyer sick list.

Thursday 9^th Cold and disagreeable weather with frequent showers of heavy rain & sleet. Wind strong from the Southward & East^d . People employed as usual, preparing & getting up pickets. We got 4 king posts up this afternoon. M^cPhail found a mare with a young colt on the plains to day.

Friday 10^th Cold weather with a strong breeze from the South West attended with some rain. People employed as usual at the pickets. Nothing remarkable, except that one of the Indians whom we have employed cutting wood for the Steamer, got severely injured by a tree having fallen on him.

Saturday 11 Keen frost over night, fine pleasant weather throughout the day. People employed putting up the new stockade. Week's work as follows: 46 bus. ~~wheat~~ pease thrash^d and fann^d by the Indians, the pickets on on {sic} the north side {of} the Fort taken down & hauled to their present site, the king posts put up along the front, 6 spaces of the pickets adjusted & prepared for putting up, 160 ft of trench dug with the old pickets in front put upright they having previously leant considerably outwards. Trade, 2 small beaver for a 5 ½ yds cotton.

Sunday 12^th Blowing fresh from the South West with weather generally clear. No occurrence of any note.

Monday 13^th Blowing fresh from the Eastward with some rain. People employed digging trench for & putting up stockades. No trade.

Tuesday 14^th Had some frost over night, weather beautifully clear throughout the day. People still employed putting up the stockades & digging trenches. In the afternoon Snitlum arrived with a bundle of furs which he did not as yet trade.

Wednesday 15^th Heavy rain this morning, the weather afterwards cleared up into a fine pleasant day. Snitlum traded 20 beaver, 2 otters & some other small furs at the new tariff. About noon the Beaver arrived from Nisqually, Mr. C{hief} F{actor} Work passenger. She has got 3000 west side otters on board for Sitka. She brought from Nisqually sundries as follows: 75[tt] shingles & $107.45^cts in cash. also [445lb] fresh beef. The express from York Factory arrived at Ft. Vancouver on the 20^th Nov^r.

Thursday 16^th Fine pleasant weather with light airs from the Northward. People employed principally putting up the pickets & shipping sundry goods on board the Beaver. 16 bales of land otters for the Russian American Company were to day safely shipped on board the Beaver.

Friday 17^th Weather beautiful & very mild for the season. People employed principally about the pickets. No trade, nor any occurrence of any note.

Saturday 18^th Very mild & pleasant weather for the season. The principal result of this week's work is as follows: 300 feet of pickets put up, 300 ft of trench dug with sundry other duties about the Establishment. No trade.

Sunday 19^th Weather mild and pleasant as yesterday. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 20^th Occasionally overcast with a little rain & still continues mild. Early this morning the Beaver left this {place} for the North having all the land otters rem^g here for the Russⁿ Amer^c Company on board together with sundry other packages for Stikine and Ft. Simpson. Ebony with 10 Indians cutting poles on the other side for covering drains we are now op^g through the Ft. yard, 4 hands pit sawing & the others employed about the pickets. No trade

Tuesday 21^st Beautiful weather. The people employed as yesterday at the pickets. Had 4 hands sawing plank ∞ Granary flooring.

Wednesday 22 Weather still continues mild and pleasant. We are still busy putting up the stockades, pit sawing plank & carrying poles for lining drains we are cutting out through the Ft. yard. 1 land otter a few mink & several gns. oil were traded from Sanetch.

Thursday 23^rd Very foggy weather but mild & pleasant. We have this afternoon got all the pickets up & the outer Stores being now enclosed we promised the men a holiday tomorrow. Several gns. of oil were traded from Songes, with 1 land otter & a few bearskins.

Friday 24^th Mild weather still continues. According to promise, the people were allowed this as a holiday, the stockades now being up. Some Skatchets arrived in course of the day.

Saturday 25 Weather overcast with drizzling rain The week's operations are as follows: 30 plank of 2 in. 22ft long sawn, 330 ft of stockade put up, 60 ft of trench dug to drain the water from the Ft. yard, with a qty of pease & wheat thrashed. The people were enjoying Christmas to day. All passed away very quietly. Their allowance was as follows, over & above their usual rations, to each man: 1/2 lb flour, 4lb fresh pork, 1 pt molasses & 1/2 pt rum.

Sunday 26^th Mild weather but generally overcast. A few Kawitchins arrived but brought nothing for trade. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 27^th Raining heavily in course of the night, kept fair throughout the day, wind South East. The people were to day employed taking down the Bastion, digging trench through the Ft. Yd. Satakarata with Indians thrashing grain.

Tuesday 28^th Sleety & stormy with wind from S. West. People employed putting up the Bastion &c as yesterday. Trade, 2 bearskins & a few other small furs.

Wednesday 29^th Alternatively clear & cloudy with rain & sleet. People employed as yesterday. No trade worthy of notice. 48 bus. pease were to day taken down from the barn.

Thursday 30^th Cold weather with a stiff breeze from the South West. People employed as yesterday putting up the stockades & digging trenches. A few bearskins were traded from the Songes principally for looking glasses & tob^o .

Friday 31^st Gloomy & overcast with a cold breeze from the Eastward. This afternoon has been allowed the men to prepare themselves for the New Year & receive their rations. The Bastion being now nearly rebuilt & all the stockades closed the same allowance as on Christmas was issued out to the men, a young bull having been killed for the purpose.

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