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1848
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1849
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Fort Victoria Post Journal July 1848

1848 July

Saturday 1^st July Blowing fresh from the South East but the weather still continues very warm. The mill men having been at work last holiday, were allowed the forenoon to prevent dis{s}atisfaction. The week's work does not show much, the people being principally employed making hay & rep^g ploughs & carts, the 1/3 of the roof of House N^o. 1 shingled w{ith} 36in. shingles & battens sawn ∞ d^o. No trade worth mentioning. The operations @ the Mill going on as usual.

Sunday 2^nd Fine & warm with a light breeze from the South West. Early this morning the Cadboro arrived from Nisqually with a cargo of beef & other sundries.

Monday 3^rd Fine weather still continues. Men employed carting in hay & discharging the Cadboro whose cargo is now nearly discharged. The beef from Nisqually appears to be somewhat tainted so that we must have it repickled before it is fit for shipping. No trade. Few strange Indians now visit the Establish^t.

Tuesday 4^th Blowing strong from the South West with fine clear weather. The people employed carting in hay, loading the Cadboro with salt for Langley, mowing hay & ploughing &c. Trade, 2 beavers, 1 bear skin & other trifles from Kawitchins. One of the Indian lads whom we had working here died this evening with the influensa & some of our Sand^h Islanders are laid up with the same complaint. Dupuis reported this evening that he had found one of this year's foals dead on the plains.

Wednesday 5^th Fine pleasant weather with light variable airs. People employed as yesterday. The remainder of the Nisqually O^t with the Servants' Orders of that post has been shipped to day on board of the Cadboro.

Thursday 6^th Weather same as yesterday. Some Skatchets arrived to day & traded a few beavers, lynxes & other small furs. The Cadboro was being caulked to day at which we had Harvey employed for the last three days. She sails for Langley to morrow morn^g weather perm^g.

Friday 7^th Beautiful weather with light variable airs. Early this morning the Cadboro left for Ft. Langley but the weather being calm is still anchored in the offing. People employed as usual, ploughing in Ogden's field, making & carting in hay. No trade worth noticing.

Saturday 8^th Blowing strong from the South West all day with clear weather. Had some thunder & light^g in course of last night. The week {sic} operations are as follows, 6 acres of new land ploughed, a quantity of hay mowed & carted in, several ploughs which got broke rep^d, House N^o. 1 shingled with 36in. shingles & battens sawn ∞ d^o., part of the potatoe field hoed, skow caulked & pitched. Beauchamp, Kaau, Okaia, Bahia, Coté Minie , Friday have been on the sick list with the influensa for the greater part of the week. Operations at the Mill Seat as well as might be expected, Jackson's Chimney in the Mill House having fallen down. Trade unworthy of notice. The Cadboro is out of sight, on the way to Langley.

Sunday 9^th Fine warm weather with light airs. M^cPhail when in search of the cows this afternoon found two Indians carrying away the carcass of an animal belonging to us which they had shot. On his approach they abandoned the meat & ran into the woods so that he could not catch them or ascertain to what tribe they belonged. Beauchamp, Lazard, Lemon, Peltier & St. Gre were to day married by the preast.

Monday 10^th Very dry weather. People employed as last week see labor book. We have not as yet found out the person who killed one of the cows yest^y but is supposed to be a Sanetch. Snitlum traded 1 beaver, several lynxes, minks, raccoons & other furs. No intelligence as yet of the Cowlitz.

Tuesday 11^th Blowing fresh from the South West with fine pleasant weather. Early this morning some [few] Cape Flattery Indians arrived & brought little or nothing for trade, their object being apparently to learn the present tariff for furs & oil. Sent four hands to day to mow hay for winter stock at the Mill & went over the prairies in that direction myself for the purpose. Some of our cattle are missing on the plains & are supposed to have been shot by the Natives for food as the animal was which was found on Sunday. M^cPhail is now alone as dairyman assisted by four Indian lads and we have got Dupuis at work ploughing. The quantity of butter made by Dupuis since last March amounts to 12kegs & 112ozs.

Wednesday 12^th Sultry weather with light changeable airs. We have now got in the greater part of our hay at this place at housing which we had three carts employed. Two large canoes of Tlalums arrived this evening & brought but little for trade. Sent the skow loaded with plank and other materials ∞ use of the Mill over to Fisgard harbour this morning and has not as yet returned.

Thursday 13^th Overcast with several heavy showers of rain accompanied with thunder. People employed as usual. Including the hay men, there are now 14 hands employed @ the Mill. Several gallons of oil & other sundries were traded to day from Tlalums. Beauchamp employed making iron bands & gudgeons for the Saw Mill which he is obliged to make of old iron, there being no other of this size req^d here.

Friday 14^th Weather beautifully clear with light variable airs. Operations in hand going on as yesterday. Had one hand employed to day making houses of accommodation for the men & another making a stable for the horses. Okaia is still on the sick list. Rations for 14 hands now employed at the Mill were sent over to day. The Tlalums who arrived a few days ago left this morning for their village. No trade. The Cowlitz has not as yet made her appearance & we are now anxiously looking out for her as we had intelligence of her being in the Columbia early last month. The Rev^d Mon^r Veyret is still here & appears to be rather unsuccessful in making the Songes attend his lectures; they appear to be impressed with the idea that he brought sickness amongst them, the influensa, with which some have died having unfortunately broke out amongst them on his arrival here.

Saturday 15^th Clear weather with the heat very oppressive. The result of our operations here this week is as follows: 16 acres of new land ploughed, the hay carted in, the Nisqually beef repickled, part of the potatoe field hoed, fences rep^d, 40 battens sawn ∞ Saw Mill House, a skow load of lumber sent thither, 15 ploughshares made & sundry other ironwork for the Saw Mill.

Sunday 16^th Very warm weather. Ouamtany in trying to tame down one of the mares for work, she unfortunately reared up on her hind legs & fell down backwards on the hard ground & got her skull fractured & consequently never rose again. Mon^r Veyret has married eight of our Canadians to ~~their~~ Indian women.

Monday 17^th The weather still continues vey dry. The people employed as ∞ labor book, plough^g, repairing fences &c. The cattle got into ~~our~~ Ogden's fields last night & destroyed a large portion of our oats. We are now under the necessity of keeping watch over them at night. The fires are now beginning to spread over the country but are as yet at a distance from the Estab^t. Some few furs were traded to day from Tlalums who arrived this morning.

Tuesday 18^th Dry weather still continues. People employed as usual. Okaia and Kaau still on the sick list. Had the furs dusted & aired to day. In the afternoon. Snitlum with some Skatchets arriv^d & brought a few furs with some deer for trade.

Wednesday 19^th Weather same as yesterday. Some Kawitchs {sic} arrived in course of the day and traded a few deer & other trifles. The Rev^d Mon^s Veyret left to day for Whitby's Island where he intends to remain for some time, previous to his departure he had married Dupuis, Minie , Coté, Bates & Dubeau & Louis Satakarata, these men were allowed this forenoon for that purpose.

Thursday 20^th Very dry weather & hazy owing to the fires that now run in various directions through the woods & prairies. No trade & work going on as usual. Set a bait of strychnine this evening for the wolves which prowl about the place every night, last night they had severely mutilated two of our young pigs.

Friday 21^st Blowing strong from the South West with fine clear weather. Some of our young pigs have been carried off from the Dairy last night by the wolves. One of the bates laid down last night was taken away by some of them. I had a chase after one of them this afternoon with M^cPhail but could not succeed in our object, having run into the thick bush. In reprimanding Louis Dubeau this afternoon for laziness and inattention to his work ~~that man~~ I was threatened by that man to be severely handled, upon which I caught hold of him and laid him down at my feet. In the scuffle I got my shirt torn & mouth bled but sustained no serious injury. Not however from want of exertion on his part who did his best to get the upper hand. Dubeau did not improve as a good steady civil workman by his trip to Vanc^r- he appears to be leagued with Bates, Beauchamp & Co. those who have lately joined us from that quarter, who make a boast of being unruly & insolent. Work going on as yest^y. Two men are employed digging a well in the hollow ground to the north of the Est^b & have not as yet come to water.

Saturday 22 Still continues to blow from the South West. A well dug 12ft, a stable made for the horses, a pair of cart wheels made, part of the potatoe field hoed, some iron work made by the blacksmith as ∞ that a/c, 30 bus. wheat winnow^d, 12 acres of new land ploughed & a few battens ∞ fur box sawn are the principal operations here this week. A qty. of hay made @ the Mill & some carted in to that place for winter stock. No trade. The bates laid down last night for the wolves disappeared.

Sunday 23^rd Fine pleasant weather. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 24^th Very warm & hazy with light variable winds. People employed as ∞ labor book, roofing stable, digging well & emptying the water out of the Ft. well which we began this morning in hopes of getting a sufficient quantity in it to supply the Establishment. Four ploughs underway in Ogden fields & two hands mowing hay, a small portion of the 1^st wheat field was mowed down on Saturday being ripe & the first this season. About 7 PM the B^qu Cowlitz from Columbia River made her appearance in the offing & fired two guns which were answ^d.

Tuesday 25^th Very hazy with little or no wind. The ship which anchored in the offing last night, instead of being the Cowlitz, proved to be H.M.S. Constance, Captain Courtenay from Callas via the Sand^h Islands. She brought European news up to the 1^st April of unusual moment, a Republican form of gov^t having been estab^d in France, the King of that country having been obliged to take refuge in England &c. Some fresh provisions were this ev^g sent on board the Constance pursuant to a reqⁿ from Mr. Thorne the purser who accompanied Captain Courtenay on shore this forenoon. No trade. People employed as usual. The Ft. well has been emptied this evening but the water in the bottom tho very clear has a bad taste, arising, no doubt from the wood. It does not taste {of} salt as was at first supposed.

Wednesday 26^th Very sultry weather & remarkably hazy. People employed as yest^y. Some of H. Majesty's officers called upon us to day. I went over to Esquimalt in the afternoon & dined with Captⁿ Courtenay who speaks very highly of that harbour. 2 young oxen were slaug^d ∞ use of the crew.

Thursday 27^th Sultry weather as yest^y with scarcely a breath of wind & very hazy. Captain Courtenay & some of his officers landed this forenoon & had a ride over the country. Two more animals were slaugh^d this evening for the ship's company. We have ent^d into an arrangement with Mr. Thorne the purser to have 480 lbs of fresh beef daily ready for sending on board, which will do away with many of our cows & working cattle. Four men were employed to day craddling the wheat which is now sufficiently ripe.

Friday 28^th Weather remarkably hazy & no wind. 5 hands craddling wheat & the others employed as usual. We began this evening using the water in the Ft. well. Its only defect is a light taste from the clay, but notwithstanding, the cattle drink it & {it} will answer well for washing. The water in the well dug in the gully on the N. side of the Ft. appears excellent. We shall therefore dig it deeper in order to have a more abundant supply than at present. In the afternoon Cape Flattery Kaau arrived with two canoes & we traded 150 gals. oil from him. He has got a few sea otters which we have not as yet traded. Upwards of 500 lbs fresh beef were sent this morning on board the Constance.

Saturday 29^th Weather very smoky & hazy as yesterday & very sultry. Some more oil and a few furs were traded to day from Cape Flattery Indians. Week's work as follows viz: about 10 acres of new land ploughed, the water emptied out of the Ft. well, a well 16ft deep dug about 100 yds north of the Estab^t in the gully which is not as yet completed, 10 acres of wheat mowed, some hay made & carted in, 3 craddles made, 12 axes steeled & other iron work rep^d by Beauchamp. Operations at the Saw Mill going on as usual. The machinery of the Mill is now made & placed, but cannot go until the rainy season sets in, there being no water at present.

Sunday 30^th Fog very dense with scarcely a breath of wind. No occurrence of any note except that a communication from Mr. Samuel Cunard to the Secretary of the Admiralty ~~was~~ regarding the propriety of keeping the coal mine on Vanc^r Island for the British Gov^t was handed me by Captain Courtenay.

Monday 31^st Foggy weather still continues with a fresh breeze of wind in the evening from the S.E. People employed as usual as ∞ labor book. Early this morning dispatched six of our Indians to Nisqually with the packet received by the Constance. Some few articles were traded from various tribes of Indians who now visit the Estab^t. Previous to the departure of the Cape Flattery Indians on Saturday, we received 4 large sea otters & 1 small one with 10 land otters and other small furs from them.

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