1846
1847
1848
- >January
- >February
- >March
- >April
- >May
- >June
- >July
- >August
- >September
- >October
- >November
- >December
- 1848 PDF file
1849
1850

Search the Entire Journal

Fort Victoria Post Journal March 1848

1848 March

Wednesday 1^st Overcast with snow, wind blowing fresh from the N. East. Completed the shingling of N^o. 4, Keave clearing land with oxen, three other men planing boards ∞ lining of Sale Shop & the rest employed as usual. No trade except some fresh fish which were served out to the men as rations. Another cow calved yesterday making the ninth this year.

Thursday 2^nd Overcast with heavy rain in the evening. People employed the same. M^cPhail brought another cow with calf in the evening, being the tenth this year. No trade worth mentioning.

Friday 3^rd Cloudy all day with a fresh breeze from the Eastward. 3 more cows with calves were taken in to day, being the thirteenth this year. 6 martens & a few raccoons were traded from Kawitchins.

Saturday 4^th Generally clear with light variable airs. People employed as usual. The result of this week's work is as follows: the roof of N^o. 4 completed, the Sale Shop lined, 40 plank 23ft long sawn, 10 acres of land ploughed & a portion of land cleared, 20 bus. grain thrash^d & win^d, all the timbers sq^d ∞ Grist Mill, being as follows: eight days work of 9 hands, 4 sills, 11 beams, 9 posts, 5 belts & 3 wallplates being, in all, 1287 2/3 solid feet, a q^ty of stones collected ∞ dwelling house chimney at the Mill & sundry other jobs performed about the Establishment. No trade worth noting.

Sunday 5^th Fine clear weather during the forenoon. Rain in the evening. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 6^th Heavy rain over night with a strong breeze from the South West, which continued all day with occasional showers. Mill Party emp^d as last week: Gagnon, Minie and Trudelle fitting up the Sale Shop, Lemon assorting garden seeds. Keave clearing land with oxen, Ebony d^o. with the engaged Indians & the rest employed as usual. Captain Cole one of the mill men on the sick list. Trade, 1 beaver & a few other small furs.

Tuesday 7^th Overcast with slight drizzling rain, wind light from the South^d and Eastward. Operations in hand going on as yesterday. Captain Cole one of the mill party came this evening to the Ft. very ill with a pain in the back. The American cow lately received from Nisqually calved to day & another cow with a calf was taken in to day by M^cPhail which now make fifteen calves this year. We have got a party of Indian women picking our potatoes which are growing in the cellar. No trade of any kind. Some raddish, cress & pease were sown to day in the garden.

Wednesday 8^th Overcast with light air from the South^d and Westward. Heavy rain in the evening. People employed as yesterday. No trade.

Thursday 9^th Raining heavily all night & throughout this day, with mod. winds from the South^d & Eastward. 2 cows with calves were taken in to day, making now 17 in all. No trade except 1 deer.

Friday 10^th Weather generally clear with a gale of wind from the South West. People emp^d as usual. 1cow with a calf was taken in to day which now makes 18 daily milked. No trade.

Saturday 11^th Alternately clear and cloudy with a light westerly wind. People employed same as yesterday. No trade. M^cPhail has now got 19 cows with calves, which are daily milked. Week's work as follows viz^t: 12 beams, 15 belts, 1 wallplate & 11 posts squared for the mill, 35 plank 23ft long, 24 plank 15ft long sawn, 26 bus. wheat thrashed & win^d , the Sale Shop lined with 1in. boards & 40 plank of its upperflooring tongued and grooved with a counter made therein. Cassimir Gardipie {Garipie} arrived this evening from Langley in order to bring his wife back with him. He brought a letter from Mr. Yale which conveys favorable news upon the whole.

Sunday12^th Keen frost over night. Beautiful weather through^t the day with light airs from the North^d. Cassimir Garipie left this evening for Langley by whom a letter was sent to Mr. Yale.

Monday 13^th Beautiful weather with light variable airs. People employed ∞ labor book, fitting up the Sale Shop, ploughing, harrowing, thrashing & attending cattle. Nothing done in the way of trade. The measles are beginning to appear among the Songes. Jeealthuc's the chief's youngest child is laid up with that complaint. {Finlayson likely intended to indicate that "Chief Jeealthuc's youngest child is laid up with that complaint"}

Tuesday 14^th Mild weather & cloudy. People employed as usual. Paid a visit to the mill party & found them all well & getting on with the work as usual. No trade worth noticing.

Wednesday 15^th Generally overcast with a fresh breeze from the South West. Operations going on as yesterday. M^cPhail has now got an Indian lad to assist him in milking the cows. Two cows with calves were taken in to day making now 21 daily milked. 2 land otters & a few other furs were traded to day from Sokes.

Thursday 16^th Blowing fresh from the South west with clear weather. People at their usual occupations. Some of the Natives have got the measles, but of a mild type. No trade.

Friday 17^th Occasionally overcast with variable winds. Dispatched five of our engaged Indians this morning to Nisqually with letters sent here for Vanc^r sometime ago by Mr. Yale. I sent a letter to the Board of Manag^t by the same conveyance, acquainting them with our proceedings since I last wrote on the 25^th Jan'y. Two more cows with calves were taken in to day by M^cPhail which make 23 in all now daily milked. All the timber for the Grist Mill is now sq^d except the rafters.

Saturday 18 Beautiful weather with light variable winds. No trade worth noticing. Caught some wild oxen this evening for the purpose of hauling out the mill timbers. The week's work is as follows: 20 sleepers, 12 beams, 5 rafters, 6 belts, 3 posts sq^d ∞ Grist Mill, 30 plank 2in. 23ft long ~~squared &~~ sawn, 20 bus. grain thrashed, a portion of new land cleared, 30 acres of land ploughed & shelves put up in the Equipment Shop & sundry other duties perform^d about the Establishment.

Sunday 19^th Fine pleasant weather with a fresh breeze from the Southward & Westward. Several canoes arrived this evening from Ft. Langley but brought no letters from that Post.

Monday 20^th Occasionally overcast with a fresh breeze from the South West. Minie & Dupuis left with 10 oxen to haul out the mill timbers at the seat in Fisgard harbor. 10 martens were traded from Kawitchins. M^cPhail has now got 28 milch cows with their calves. Lazard & Peltier have been taken from the Mill Party for Dupuis & Minie . The former was repairing carts with Trudelle & the latter with Ebony & Coté repairing fences. The rest employed as last week. No intelligence of the English vessel.

Tuesday 21^st Blowing a perfect hurricane last night from the South East. More moderate through^t the day from the same quarter with snow in the evening. Paid a visit to the mill party & found them busy hauling out the timbers & squaring the rafters. Trade, 2 martens & other trifles from Sokes.

Wednesday 22^nd Blowing strong still from the Eastw^d. Operations as follows viz^t: fitting up Sale Shop, rep^g fences, enlarging Dupuis Dairy, plough^g, clearing land, thrashing grain &c No trade. The n^o. of milch cows is now 31, three having been taken in in course of to day & yesterday.

Thursday 23^rd Beautiful weather with a fresh breeze from the North^d. People empl^d the same. Two cows with calves taken in by M^cPhail. No trade.

Friday 24^th Fine clear weather with a fresh breeze from the South West. Had keen hoar frost overnight. Some of the Songes are laid up with the measles to whom I have given some of the med^c prescribed by the Doctor. About 10 AM the Indians whom I dispatched this day week to Nisqually returned having brought letters from that place up to the 20^th inst. and from Vanc^r to the 29^th Dec^r. The measles are still prevalent at these places. Our operations progressed as yesterday. M^cPhail has now got 35 milch cows, two more having been taken in to day. An arrow was found stuck in the ear of one of one of the calves done, no doubt by some malicious Kawitchin or other distant tribes. The injury is however of no consequence it not being mortal.

Saturday 25^th Overcast with a fresh breeze from the South West. No trade worth mentioning. Operations of this week, sum up nearly as follows: 46 rafters sq^d ∞ Grist Mill, all the timbers for that building hauled out of woods, 10 acres land ploughed, Dupuis' Dairy taken down, rebuilt & enlarged, 30 bus. wheat thrashed & winn^d a portion of land cleared & the fences repaired, with sundry other duties performed about the Estab^t. 16 plank & 10 boards 23ft long sawn & shelves made for & put in Sale Shop with three carts repaired. All the mill gang were called to the Estab^t this afternoon, except 4 hands who remain there for the purpose of taking out the rafters.

Sunday 26^th Fine clear weather with a strong breeze from the South West. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 27 Weather generally clear with a strong breeze from the South West. 4 hands still employed at the Mill Seat carrying out the rafters, Minie sowing pease in Ogden's fields being the first this season, 8 men & 2 Indians with a team of horses & oxen ploughing & harrowing, 6 hands squaring logs for the saw & the others employed as last week as ∞ labor book. Little or nothing done in the way of trade. Had four wild oxen taken on for the plough & harrow, which we had some difficulty in managing. Dupuis has to day resumed his duty as dairyman.

Tuesday 28^th Wind blowing fresh from the Northward with thick fleecy clouds passing from that quarter. People employed as usual. The four hands who were employed at the Mill yesterday, returned to day, having hauled out the rafters. 18 bus. pease were sown to day & yest^y & partly harrowed. 3 cows with their calves were taken in to day by the dairymen making now in all 38 milch cows. No trade of any consequence.

Wednesday 29^th Beautiful weather with light breezes from the Northward and Eastward. 7 hands were to day cutting & squaring wood for cattle stands, others plough^g, harrowing &c as ∞ labor book. 9 bus. pease were sown to day but not as yet harrowed. The dairy men have now got 41 cows, three having been brought in to day. No trade worth noting.

Thursday 30^th Keen hoarfrost overnight. Overcast all day & blowing strong from the S.S. West. People employed as yest^y. Snitlum arrived in the afternoon & traded some few furs. We have now got 43 milch cows, two having been found to day. We have now got 30 1/2 bus. pease sown & harrow^d in Ogden's fields.

Friday 31^st Alternately clear and cloudy with a strong breeze from the South West, attended with occasional showers of rain. People employed much the same as usual. 3 milk cows have been taken in to day which took three men this afternoon securing them, they being so wild & unmanageable. 13 beaver and otter were traded to day from Snitlum.

Previous Month // Next Month