Page:Letters to Mrs. F. F. Victor, 1878-83.djvu/18

 a capital taxidermist & he it was who set up the birds Mrs Harvey some time since presented to somebody of which I saw a notice in the papers. Our early flowering shrub nuttalii was named after Nuttall. They crossed the country I think with Nathaniel Wyeth. He was a fine fellow, but failed in his main business plans. He built on the West side of Sauvies Jsld Fort Williams, and also built Fort Hall. Boissee was estab lished by the HBCo-it is a French word signifying thinly wooded. Dr McLoughlin was required by the Company to put down poor Wyeth that is in a fair honorable legitimate way. The bargain that did his business was something like this: he was not to oppose in the lower country & we were not to oppose in the interior, but where he had one party we had two & then much better goods. Think of the cascades, the Dalles & the almost insuperable difficulties, want of command over his people, & who can be astonished at his failure? One of these traders had a supply of squeaking wooden Cats & Dogs which took with the indians amazingly against our staple goods. By the time that beautiful toy, Hussars on wheels, could be had from England the Indians had tired of toys. Indians are grown up Children. In the spring of 34 news came that a Junk was wrecked at Cape Flattery. Mr. Thomas McKay, son of Tonquin McKay was sent off with 30 men to go there by way of the Chehaylis & rescue the survivors. They were stopped at Pt Grenville the coast is there precipitous. The Co then sent Capt [Wm. H.] McNeil with the Brig Llama who by taking hostages from the Indians secured the remaining crew of the Junk 3 in number-they were brought to Vancr & sent off in the fall by the ship bound to England. Cpt McNeil was an American, one of the most successful of the Co's opponents on the coast. They purchased his vessel the Llama & acquired his services-he died only about a year ago. He ran the steamer between Victoria & New Westminster. He was a Boston man & sailed for the house of Sturgis & Co. He be came a factor in the service. I went passenger with him to England in '42-he was mate with Capt Thomason at one time; i.e. Dana's Capt in "Two years before the mast." He