Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/105

Rh If we turn to Mitchell's geography, printed in 1842, we find Oregon territory described as the most western part of the United States; and contains an area greater than that of the whole of the southern states, with an Indian population of eighty thousand. So that the dominions of the Hudson Bay Company must have been all told, larger than the whole of the United States in 1842, with a much larger Indian population than is here set down. These facts as to the vast dominions and unrestricted sovereign powers of the Hudson Bay Company, are given as an all sufficient reason to explain the anxiety of the early pioneers of Oregon as to the course of this great corporation towards these early settlers. These pioneer families of civilization could not believe that any King Charles could sell out this great country to a private monopoly trading company to be held for all time as a game preserve to produce pelts for London profits. And hence their early and unrestrainable resentment.

The original capital stock of the Hudson Bay Company was $52,500. And upon that capitalization the company declared dividends of fifty per cent, per annum. In 1690 the stock was trebled, and annual dividends of twenty-five per cent was paid. And in 1720 the stock was again trebled and on that capitalization the dividends averaged nine per cent, per annum. And by the time the Americans commenced to open farms in the Willamette valley, the capital of the company had been gradually raised up to two million dollars, on which the company was paying dividends annually varying from ten to twenty per cent, and the shares of the stock were selling at a premium of over one hundred per cent, after paying a payroll of three thousand skilled white men operating boats, posts, ships and a net work of one hundred and fifty trading posts reaching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its vast business was divided up with two departments, and eight districts as follows:

Post—Fort Vancouver; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 200.

Post—Umpqua; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 800.

Post—Cape Disappointment; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 100.

Post—Chinook Point; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 100.

Post—Coweeman; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 100.

Post—Champoeg; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 150.

Post—Nisqually; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 500.

Post—Cowlitz; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 250.

Post—Fort Colville; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 800.

Post—Pend d'Reille Lake; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 400.

Post—Flatheads; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 500.

Post—Kootenai's; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 500.

Post—Okanogan; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district, Columbia; Indians, 300.

Post—Walla Walla; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district. Snake Co.; Indians, 300.

Post—Fort Hall; locality, Oregon territory; department, Oregon; district. Snake Co.; Indians, 200.