It was a fact, nevertheless, that notwithstanding such discouragement the two expeditions of Indians who visited York and Churchill that year brought down two hundred packs of one hundred each, that is to say twenty thousand beaver skins. As to the other Indians who arrived from another direction, they carried three hundred packs of one hundred each, which made a total of fifty thousand beavers, besides nine thousand martens.
[54] All this ceremony has a significance of its own. Interpreted, it said: "Whilst the sun shall visit the different parts of the world and make day and night; peace, firm friendship and brotherly love shall be established between the English and the Indians, and the same on the latter's part. By twirling the pipe over the head, it was further intended to imply that all persons of the two nations, whosoever they were, shall be included in the friendship and brotherhood, then concluded or renewed."
System of Licenses re-adopted by the French -- Verandrye sets out for the Pacific -- His son slain -- Disappointments -- He reaches the Rockies -- Death of Verandrye -- Forts in Rupert's Land -- Peter the Great and the Hudson's Bay Company -- Expeditions of Bering -- A North-West Passage -- Opposition of the Company to its Discovery -- Dobbs and Middleton -- Ludicrous distrust of the Explorer -- An Anonymous Letter.
It has already been observed how fearful had grown the demoralization of the Indians, chiefly through the instrumentality and example of the _coureur des bois_. This class seemed daily to grow more corrupt, and bade fair to throw off the last vestige of restraint and become merged in all the iniquity, natural and acquired, of the savage races. We have seen, too, how the missionaries intervened, and implored the civil authorities to institute some sort of reform. It was at their solicitation that the Government of Canada at length decided to re-adopt the system of licenses, and to grant the privileges of exclusive trade to retired army officers, to each of whom they accorded a certain fur-bearing district by way of recompense for services rendered by him. In order that the trader might be protected against hostile assault, permission was given to establish forts in certain places suitable for their construction.