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1848
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Fort Victoria Post Journal Janurary 1848

1848 January

Saturday 1^st Very rainy and sleety with the wind from the South West. The people were enjoying the New Year, which passed away quietly.

Sunday 2^nd Keen frost over night & the harbour this morning coated over with ice. Weather serene & pleasant during the day. Snitlum & son left this morning, having been here since the 18^th ult^o.

Monday 3^rd Keen frost over night with a heavy fall of snow during the day. Wind blowing fresh from the North. People employed putting up the Bastion, covering drain in front of N^o.6, pit sawing & Minie cutting oak crooks for the Bastion roof, which we intend to have shingled at once. Trade, 1 land otter & 1 bearskin.

Tuesday 4^th Keen frost still continues. Ice 6 in. thick in some places. Weather clear & pleasant. The people employed as yesterday. No trade.

Wednesday 5^th Frosty weather still continues, with the wind from the Northward. 4 hands were to day roofing the Bastion, 5 hands carrying pieces out of the Ft. Yd, 3 making a pig stye, 4 pit sawing plank & the rest of the disposable hands with Indians digging trench behind the Ft. to drain the water from behind the houses.

Thursday 6^th Fine pleasant weather with a light S. West wind and thaws. People employed as yest^y except 4 hands who were squaring posts ∞ inside of Granary, 4 shingling Bastion, 2 hands in the afternoon raising cogs for the Grist Mill. No trade.

Friday 7^th Fine & mild with light variable winds. The snow is rapidly disappearing. People employed as yesterday. We have now got the required number of posts for the Granary & 53 cogs raised. Nothing done in the way of trade.

Saturday 8^th Mild weather during the day but frose a little over night. 4 beavers & other small furs were traded to day from Kawitchins. Week's work as follows, the upper storey of the Bastion put up & shingled, 11 posts ∞ Granary & 5 logs ∞ saw 23ft long squared, 160ft of trench dug to drain the water from behind the men's houses, 105 cogs ∞ Grist Mill raised, 40 plank 23ft long 2in thick, 36 boards of 12 & 10ft sawn, the usual quantity of grain thrashed. 25 bags pease were taken down from the barn this afternoon.

Sunday 9^th Gloomy & overcast with light variable winds. No occurrence worthy of notice.

Monday 10^th Showery ~~wind~~ with a mod. breeze from the South East. 4 hands squaring logs for the saw, one of whom (Ebony) cut his foot & came home in the afternoon. 2 raising cogs, 4 putting up gallery on front of the N. Bastion, 4 pit sawing & the Indians & other men employed as last week, draining the Ft. Yard. Friday also cut his thumb on Saturday & is now on sick list. 14 beavers & otter with other small furs were traded from Skatchets who arrived yest^y.

Tuesday 11^th Overcast with a fresh breeze from the North^d. People employed as yesterday. We have finished thrashing last year's crop of pease which comes only to 298 bus. The Skatchets left this morning for their own place. The Silongut or small fish are now raked up by the Indians in the harbour.

Wednesday 12^th Stormy with heavy showers of sleet & rain. Wind South East. I started with Lazard this morning by land towards Fisgard harbour in order to discover a road to the Mill Seat, but found none preferable to that by the water fall in Concordia arm which we will have to bridge over for that purpose. People employed shingling the N. Bastion which is now completed, & taking the bark off the S. Bastion & putting its upper storey plumb, covering drains, pit sawing &c.

Thursday 13^th Snowing & raining all night which cont^d at intervals throughout the day. Wind S.E. People employed the same as yesterday, sq^g logs for saw, raising cogs, roofing S. Bastion &c. No trade worth noticing.

Friday 14^th Blowing fresh from the S. East with frequent showers of rain and sleet. We have now got the required number of cogs raised for the Grist Mill. People employed as usual. Trade, 1 land otter & a few minks from the Songes. M^cPhail has been to day after the cattle on the plains & found none missing as yet, although the weather has been very severe for the last ten days.

Saturday 15th Mild weather with rain in the evening, wind South East. No trade. Week's work as follows, viz^t: the south Bastion put upright & shingled, 60 yds. of trench dug & covered, 200 fence poles cut taken home, 112 boards 1in 13ft long sawn, 37 logs ∞ saw 23ft long sq^d & 28 hauled out ∞ oxen, 200 cogs raised & carted home with sundry other duties about the Est^b & farm.

Sunday 16 Heavy rain without intermission all day. Wind S. East. No occurrence of any note.

Monday 17^th Overcast with mild weather. Early this morning Mr. Nevin & myself started with 8 hands & as many Indians to cut the road to the Mill Seat, from the plains through the woods to the rapid in Concordia arm & to bridge that place. I returned in the evening after having marked the route through the woods. People about the Ft. employed squaring & getting ready the posts to support the Granary beams, sawing plank for that building, hauling out logs ∞ d^o. with oxen. Trade, 5 martens, 2 beavers & other small furs from Kawitchins. One of the cows was found to day at Clover point with a broken leg caused by some accident or other going through the wood. M^cPhail was ordered to slaughter her & bring the meat and hide home.

Tuesday 18^th Fine and mild with light variable airs. The people employed as yesterday. No trade

Wednesday 19^th Alternately clear and cloudy with occasional showers of rain. I started this morning to mark out the route from the fall to the Mill Seat & returned in the evening after having marked out the road at which the people are to be employed tomorrow. The men employed as yesterday, squaring wood for the bridge, cutting out the road to the Mill Seat, pit sawing, putting up the inner posts of the Granary &c. About 5 pm the Brig Mary Dare made her appearance from Ouahu & Captain Scarborough landed in the evening & delivered letters & other papers from the agents there. Her cargo consists of molasses, salt & tea to be landed here.

Thursday 20^th Beautiful weather with light variable airs. People employed as usual, several bbls. of salt has been discharged to day from the Mary Dare, which only came to anchor in the harbour about 11 a.m. from P^t. Ogden where she lay at anchor last night.

Friday 21^st Thick fog this morning, cleared up as the day advanced into a fine day. Had all the salt & molasses discharged to day from the Mary Dare. People employed as yesterday. No trade.

Saturday 22^nd Overcast with slight drizzling rain. Every thing intended to be sent to Columbia River has been shipped to day on board of the Mary Dare with a skow load of stones for ballast. Week's work as follows: road cut through a belt of woods this side of the rapid, distance 2 miles, with 5 logs sq^d. & put across that place for a bridge for the road leading to the Mill Seat, 16 pillars placed under the Granary beams, the roof of the S.E. Bastion completed, the Mary Dare discharged & got ready for sea, about 20 bus. of grain thrashed & sundry other duties performed about the Store.

Sunday 23^rd Fine & mild with light variable airs. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 24^th Overcast with several showers of rain. Had a skow load of ballast shipped to day on board of the Mary Dare. People employed as last week as ∞ labor book. A few skins were traded to day from Kawitchins.

Tuesday 25^th Overcast and showery with a fresh breeze from the South West. People employed bridging the fall in Concordia arm, cutting out a road to the Mill Seat & cutting out hatchways in N^o. 6. No trade. The Mary Dare is still in harbour but leaves tomorrow morning, weather permitting.

Wednesday 26 Raining almost all day, wind blowing fresh from the South East. Early this morning the Mary Dare left the harbour for Columbia River. We have now got 5 large logs across placed across the fall in Conc^diaarm, at which 7 hands were employed for the last 8 days, the others employed as usual as ∞ labor book. No trade.

Thursday 27^th Blowing a gale from the South West all night which continued all this forenoon with heavy rain without intermission all day. People employed as yesterday. The road to the Mill Seat is now cut out, with the exception of the bridge. No trade. Nor any other occurrence worth noticing.

Friday 28^th Still blowing strong from the South West with frequent showers of heavy rain. The people employed as usual. No trade worthy of notice.

Saturday 29^th Keen frost over night. Blowing strong from the S.S. West with some snow. The Mary Dare is still wind bound at the entrance of the harbour. No trade. Week's work as follows: 5 logs adjusted across the fall in Concor^a arm for a bridge, with materials prepared for its rail, hatchways cut in N^os. 6 & 5, 8 pieces 36 ft long 5 + 6in sq^d for ladders, 4 pieces 13ft long 12in sq. sq^d for store ladd^r, the road cut from the fall to the Mill Seat, 80 plank 12ft long sawn ∞ bridge flooring, 21 bus. wheat win^d & thrash^d.

Sunday 30^th Blowing strong from the Eastward with weather generally overcast. Early this morning the Mary Dare left the entranse of the harbour with a fair wind & much about the same time the French Whaler ma General Teste Captain Morin made her appearance at Trial Island from the Gulf of Georgia & anchored in the offing about noon. Captain Morin landed in the afternoon & remained on shore for some time & afterwards returned to his ship. His trip to the Gulf had been unsuccessful. Got no whales.

Monday 31^st Overcast with a light breeze from the Eastward. Early this morning Mr. Nevin with 8 hands left for the Mill Seat in Fisgard harbour provisioned for seven days to square the timbers for the Mill and to erect a house for the people there. 4 hands with six Indians were at the same time dispatched to the rapid bridge which is not as yet completed. About 8 AM Captain Morin of the General Teste landed, of whom we bought 180 gns. sperm oil at 80 ^cts ∞ gn. for which we gave 53 1/2 bbls. potatoes and 1054 lbs fresh meat. He left a mem^m with us of supplies req^d by him on his return in the autumn together with a list of the principal articles generally wanted by whalers on the NW Coast- Messr Gallihot et Frere, Havre, France are the owners of the General Teste.

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