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1850

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Fort Victoria Post Journal April 1849

1849 April

Sunday 1^st April. Fine pleasant weather, with a fresh breeze from the South West. The Rev^d Mr. Stain{e}s read prayers to day & delivered a sermon at which some of the Columbia crew attended.

Monday 2 Fine dry weather with light variable airs. People employed harrowing & preparing the pea field for seed. Some few packages were this afternoon landed from the Columbia. Early this morning the Cadboro sailed for Langley. M^cPhail found one of the cows dead yesterday, caused no doubt by starvation after the severe winter we have had.

Tuesday 3^rd Beautiful weather with light variable airs. People employed plough^g &c as yesterday. Had sown some seeds in the garden this afternoon. We have now received all the NW packages except a 1 cask tob^o & 2 other packages which cannot be found without delaying the ship some time longer in harbour. They must therefore be taken on to Col^a River. Some other packages of the mark C, which ought to have been landed here, are likewise stowed away in the bottom of the vessel & cannot be found. Some trifles were ~~landed~~ traded to day from Nanaimoult. Dupuis has now got 40 milch cows & M^cPhail 43.

Wednesday 4^th Fine pleasant weather with a little frost over night. Wind blowing fresh from the South West. People employed as yesterday. About 6pm the Brigantine Mary Dare arrived from the S. Islands which she had left on the 9^th ult^o. Were busy to day making up the Coast acc^ts. Some ballast was shipped to day on board of the B^qu Columbia.

Thursday 5^th Beautiful weather with variable airs. People employed as ∞ labor book. 8000lbs sugar have been discharged to day from the Mary Dare & some boiler plate iron shipped on board the Columbia. Trade, a few trifles from Kawitchins. Mr. Mowat Chief Mate of the Mary Dare landed to day very ill with weakness from that vessel & the five Islanders who came by the Mary Dare landed to day & have taken their quarters on shore. To morrow being good Friday the people are to be allowed the day as a holiday.

Friday 6^th Beautiful weather with a light westerly breeze. This being good Friday was observed as a holiday.

Saturday 7^th Fine weather still continues. People employed as usual, the result of the week's work is as follows: about 10 acres of land crossploughed, 20 bus. wheat thrashed & other small jobs performed about the Estab^t. Our potatoes being now getting scarce, all we have got being req^d for seed. We shall now have to issue out bread & cornflour to the people. Mr. Mowat, Chief Mate of the Mary Dare is very ill, he is lodged on shore here.

Sunday 8^th Fine pleasant weather with light variable airs. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 9^th Fine weather still continues with a strong Westerly breeze. Had about 300 bbls. salt discharged to day from on b^d the Mary Dare, 12 bus. pease were sown & harrowed being the first this season, shipped some salt and other sundries on board the B^qu Columbia for shipment to Columbia River.

Tuesday 10^th Fine weather still continues with light variable airs. All the salt is now discharged from the Mary Dare and the B^qu Columbia is now ready to sail for Columbia River. 14 bus. pease were sown & harrowed to day. Slaughtered 3 young animals to day ∞ use of B^qu Columbia.

Wednesday 11^th Beautiful weather. The Columbia hauled out to the offing. Some salmon & beef for the New Estab^t were shipped to day on board of the Mary Dare. 14 1/2 bus. pease were sown to day & harrowed, being now 40 1/2 bus. in all in the field behind the barns.

Thursday 12^th Fine weather still continues, with a light breeze from the South East. Early this morning the Columbia left the entrance of the harbour. All the beef & salmon for the New Establishment and Stikine is now shipped on board of the Mary Dare. M^cPhail is still bringing cows with calves. The ploughsmen were to day harrowing the potatoe field. Sent some coarse flour to the Mill this morning for servant's rations, being the first this season, instead of potatoes.

Friday 13^th Beautiful weather with light variable airs. Our people employed all day shipping goods & other sundries for the Coast on board of the Mary Dare. Some few trifles were traded to day from Skatchets.

Saturday 14^th Had a shower of rain over night, fine pleasant weather throughout the day. People employed as yesterday, shipping cargo & ploughing potatoe field. The result of this week's work as regards farming operations is not great. Our people having been principally employed about the shipping. 30 acres have been sown with pease & harrowed, about 16 bus. wheat thrashed. The mill party employed about the new gearing of the Saw Mill & putting up the dam.

Sunday 15^th Fine warm weather. Nothing occurred out of the ordinary course of affairs.

Monday 16^th Generally overcast with mild weather. The people employed as ∞ labor book, plough^g, harrowing & shipping plank on board the Mary Dare. We had some melons & other seeds planted to day in the garden. Minie still on the sick list & old Scarf is now quite blind.

Tuesday 17^th Fine clear weather with light variable winds. People employed as yesterday, ploughing & shipping cargo. We have now got every package for the Coast shipped on board of the Mary Dare & the men for the New Estab^t with the crew of the vessel supplied with goods for the summer. Some prelle for the cattle & other trifles were traded to day. This afternoon a poor Indian lad some way related to the Kawitchin freebooter Tsoughelum was barbarously stopped & mutilated by one of the Songes for the acts of his cruel relative.

Wednesday 18^th Fine weather with thick cold fog this morning, wind northerly. People employed as yesterday. The Mary Dare's stores for six months were shipped on board of her to day. Trade of no consequence.

Thursday 19^th Overcast with a fresh breeze from the South West. People employed preparing the potatoe field. Paid a visit to the mill party & found all well there. Some Indians reported having seen a party of Kawitchins prowling about the Mill & shortly afterwards the whole of the Songes' camp were under arms in pursuit of them & saw no one.

Friday 20^th Weather generally overcast, with light winds from the Southward and Westward. People employed as yesterday. Nothing remarkable.

Saturday 21^st Alternately clear and cloudy with variable winds. The results of the week's work is still not very great in the farming line owing to our people being employed shipping cargo on board the Mary Dare. About 15 acres of land have been cross ploughed & harrowed for potatoes & sundry other operations performed about the Ft.

Sunday 22^nd Overcast with occasional showers of rain, wind Easterly. No occurrence worthy of notice. The Rev^d Mr. Stain{e}s had morning & evening service. The Mary Dare is now awaiting a favourable chance to get out. [Coarey] arrived this afternoon with letters from Vanc^r & Nisqually {illegible: likely one or two words}

Monday 23^rd Overcast as yesterday with a fresh breeze from the ~~South~~ Eastward. Early this morning the passengers were shipped on board of the Mary Dare & that vessel left the harbour for ~~Columbia~~ Ft. Simpson. Had 45 bus. potatoes planted to day. 2 sea otters & some whale bone were traded to day from some Cape Flattery Indians now here.

Tuesday 24^th Raining heavily all night. Fine pleasant weather all day, wind South West. About noon the Cadboro arrived from Langley with a cargo of salmon & about 6pm Mr. Fenton left this place via Nisqually bound for Calif^a. Letters were sent by him to Ft. Vancouver. No trade worth mentioning. People emply^d planting potatoes.

Wednesday 25^th Fine pleasant weather & blowing fresh from the South West in the afternoon. Sent Mr. Nevin with a crew of the Natives with the skow this morning to the Mill for a load of plank to be shipped to Ft. Langley. The Natives are now living in a constant state of alarm from an attack by the Kawitchins & the Indian laborers we have employed can hardly be kept to their work. Were busy to day packing up the remainder of the Interior Outfits.

Thursday 26^th Beautiful weather with light variable airs. People employed as yesterday, preparing the potatoe field & shipping salt on board the Cadboro, which was discharged yesterday of her salmon. Mr. Nevin returned this afternoon with a skow load of lumber & started afterwards for another. We are now busy preparing the Interior Outfits & those for Langley & the Langley Equip^t Shop for shipment by the Cadboro. Harvey and Lazard being the only two men we can now get for the purpose, were pressing the bales. Cole came from the Mill this evening with some of the irons by the pitman, which broke, for repairing.

Friday 27^th Fine warm weather with light variable airs. People employed carting dung to potatoe field & packing up the Outfit for the Interior & Ft. Langley. 8238 feet lumber were shipped on board the Cadboro for Langley.

Saturday 28^th Warm weather still continues. The remainder of the Interior Outfits and the Outfits of Langley and the Equip^t Shop were packed, pressed & shipped on board the Cadboro. People variously occupied this week & little done in the farming here except 141 bus. potatoes planted being all we have now got in the ground.

Sunday 29^th Fine weather with a fresh westerly wind. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 30^th Fine weather still continues with the wind from the Southward and westward. People employed much the same as last week. Every thing we have got here for shipment to Ft. Langley including the Outfits of the interior districts and the Langley Equip^t Shop is now shipped on board of the Cadboro, & all the documents relative thereto made out this evening. The schooner therefore leaving this {place} to morrow morning weather permitting. Some canoes of Tlalums & Cape Flatteries arrived in course of the day.

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