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Fort Victoria Post Journal May 1848

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1848 May

      Monday 1st  May  Weather same as yesterday.  Early this morning the Steamer towed the Vancr out of the harbour & left her this side of Rocky point.  Garipie & Harvey who came by the Mary Dare from Ft. Langley were this morning sent to the Mill with Bates provisioned for the week.  Kaau & Ebony resumed duty this morning but the other Islanders are still very poorly. McPhail is getting better, Mr. McKay is also very ill with the measles having got ill three days ago. The people employed discharging the Mary Dare & carting dung for the potatoes.  Had the horses & 3 bulls castrated to day by Montgomery.  

      Tuesday 2nd  Occasionally overcast with a few light showers of rain. Wind blowing fresh from the South West. People employed as usual.  Some Tlalum & Sina-homish arrived in course of the day from whom we traded 8 beaver for 1 gun with a few other small furs.  300 plank were discharged to day from the Mary Dare   Owing to the sickness amongst the Indians we can scarcely get a single man of them to help us in discharging cargo.  Montgomery with Gabriel & the Nisqually Indians were castrating the bulls to day,  having given every information he can on that point to our people & having gelded all the horses old enough for the operation, he will leave to morrow morning to Nisqually, weather permitting. 

      Wednesday 3rd  Occasionally overcast with light variable winds.  Had the timber discharged from the Mary Dare in course of the day.  People employed at that & their usual occupations.  A woman & child died last night in the Songes' camp.  Early this morning Montgomery with the Nisqually Indians left for that place.  A few sundries for Nisqually Ot 48 were sent by them ∞ order of Dr. Tolmie.  Had all the dressed deerskins we have on hand with the hayquois packed up this afternoon to be forwarded to Ft. Vancouver by the Brig Mary Dare.  McPhail is getting better, so is Mr. McKay, but the Islanders are still very ill. 

      Thursday 4th  Blowing fresh from the South West with weather generally clear.  Operations going on as yesterday.  Captain Captain Scarborough has been ballasting at Shoal point.  Trade, 2 martens, 20 minks & 2 dressed deerskins.  

      Friday 5th  Fine weather still continues.  People employed planting potatoes.  Kahela, Friday, Bole, Tai, Kanome, Captain Cole & Kealoha on the sick list.  The Mary Dare & Steamer are still in harbour, the one ballasting & the other taking in wood.  Trade, 5 martens, 15 minks from Sanetch.  Some timothy seed was sown this afternoon in the field behind the barn on the other side of the swamp. 

      Saturday 6th  Blowing strong from the Southward & Eastward with weather generally clear.  The people employed as yesterday.  The result of the week's labor is as follows: about 150 bus. potatoes planted & dung carted out ∞ do., the sills & posts of the Saw Mill mortised.  Trade to day, 3 beaver with 6 deer. Two oxen were slaughtered ∞ use of the Steam Vessel and Mary Dare.  

      Sunday 7th  Blowing fresh from the South West with clear pleasant weather.  Nothing remarkable except that the Songes had been removing their camp to Canal de Arro where they generally fish.  A packet for Vancr has been delivd to Captain Scarborough & all the letters & papers for the Coast delivered to Captain Dodd this evening.  The Mary Dare & Steamer therefore leave the harbour to morrow morning, the former is to be towed by the latter some distance towards Rocky point.  

      Monday 8th  Clear pleasant weather with light variable airs.  About 3 this morning the Beaver & Mary Dare left the harbour.  Had a skow load of oak pieces sent over to day for the Mill in charge of Mr. Nevin.  Cole, Friday, & Kanome & Kealoha having got over the measles performed light jobs about the Estabt. Kahela & John Bole are very ill with the dysentery.  Kahoorie also resumed duty to day.  Had Lecuyer ploughing to day in the garden & Lemon preparing beds for onions being the first time we were enabled to do so since the measles have spread amongst our people. Were busy to day in the Store packing up the Stikine Outfit which is now nearly completed. 

      Tuesday 9th  Very warm weather with light winds from the Northward and Westward.  About 3 this morning poor Kahela departed this life, his complaint having been the chronic dysentery. Late this evening his remains were consigned to the tomb.  McPhail is again on the sick list & Peltier now acts in his stead.  People employed as usual in labor book.  Nothing now in the way of furs or provisions coming in for trade. Several pieces bark were traded to day for baize. 

      Wednesday 10th  Calm weather with heat very oppressive. Operations in hand going on as usual.  About 3 o'clock this morning Garipie's wife departed this life & her remains were this evening carried to the tomb.  Another Songes woman also died last night.  We have yet got six hands on the sick list, McPhail is a little better than he was yesterday & Mr. Wm. McNeill is doing well.  We have been busy making up the Ft. Simpson Out to day which we have nearly completed. 

      Thursday 11th  Weather generally clear & blowing a gale in the evening from the South West.  People employed the same, were employed in the Store to day packing up the Beaver's Outt. No trade. Sick list as yesterday.    

      Friday 12th  Blowing strong over night from the South West.  Weather clear & warm in course of the day.  People employed as yesterday.  We have now got the Stikine, Ft. Simpson & Beaver Outfits ready for shipment. Bahia & Keave two of the mill party are again on the sick list.  No trade worth noticing.   

      Saturday 13th Fine warm weather with light variable airs.  People employed as usual. The principal work of the week is as follows:  Outfits of Ft. Simpson, Steamer Beaver, and Stikine packed up, marked & numbered, 100 bus. potatoes planted, making now in all planted 441 bus., the sills & 4 posts of Saw Mill laid & placed & sundry other jobs done about the place.  No trade.  Paid a visit to the Mill Seat to day & found every thing there going on as well as can be expected. 

      Sunday 14th Serene and beautiful weather with light variable airs.  Nothing remarkable.   

      Monday 15th  Very warm weather.  People employed carting dung & planting potatoes.  Ouamtany, Gagnon, Ebony & twelve Indians were this morning sent over to assist Mr. Fenton in hauling out & putting up the heaviest pieces of the Saw Mill.  Lazard, Bole, Tai, Kealoha, Kanome & Beauchamp on the sick list.  Some fresh venison & other trifles were traded from Kawitchins & Whotlumies. 

      Tuesday 16th  Blowing strong from the Westward with fine clear weather.  We have now finished planting our potatoes, the seed planted came to 520 bushels.  A few trifles were traded to day from Whotlumies.  We are now packing up the remainder of the Outfits of Ft. Langley & Nisqually.  Sick list as on Monday. 

      Wednesday 17  Blowing fresh from the South West with clear weather.  Planted some onions & Indian corn in the garden.  The carters employed carting dung ∞ barley field. Lazard, Tai, Kanome, Bole & Beauchamp still on the sick list. 

      Thursday 18th  Occasionally overcast with a cold piercing wind from the South West.  People employed as usual.  No trade worth noticing.  We had some goods taken in to day to the servants' Equipment Shop. Four cows with calves were taken in from the plains.  McPhail is now doing duty having recovered from his late illness. 

      Friday 19th Raining almost all day with a strong breeze from the South West.  A few hands were to day employed getting wallpieces ready for the forge, it being too wet for mason work.  The mill party have been provisioned to day for next week.  Have had all the dry goods required for the Sale Shop taken in to it this evening.  No trade of any kind. 

      Saturday 20th  Had some heavy rain overnight & slight drizzling rain throughout the day.  People employed at various jobs, about the Establishment. Week's work as follows: dung carted for barley field & the same field (4 acres) ploughed, about 1/2 acre of land ploughed & planted with Indian corn, 30 pieces carried from the Granary for Blacksmith's Shop & about 30 nails made ∞ do., the secd sills & posts of Saw Mill put up with the rafters & these pieces hauled out of the woods & several jobs performed about the Ft.  Sick list as follows Lazard, Beauchamp, Tai, Bole, Kanome, Kealoha & Friday the Islanders have got the dysentery. Beauchamp a sore hand, & Lazard troubled with pains in the side.  McPhail, Dupuis, Peltier & Keave with two Indians @ the Dairy, the Indn whom we had there previously are sick. 

      Sunday 20 21st Alternately clear and cloudy with a little rain.  Nothing remarkable. 

      Monday 21 22nd Generally clear with warm weather.  People employed ∞ labor book, building the Smithy, carting, sowing & harrowing barley, dispatched the skow this morning to the Mill with Thomas & all the Indians we could muster, loaded with shingles, boards & plank & oak cogs for the Saw Mill.  Sent two private packages addressed to J. Lee Lewes, Esqr & Paul Traders, Esqr received here fm England on to Langley this morning with several letters for Mr. Yale & the gentlemen of the interior, by some Sanetch Indians bound thither. 

      Tuesday 22 23rd Overcast with rain in course of the day.  People employed as usual as ∞ labor book.  We are now employed in the Sale Shop packing up the Langley Servants' Orders.  No trade of any kind.  Three men are still on the sick list, one of whom (Tai) is dangerously ill with the dysentery. We have now got all the seed we intend to sow this spring in the ground, the barley being the last, was sown yesty evening abt 6 bus.   

      Wednesday 23 24th Overcast with heavy rain in course of the day.  Operations going on as yesterday:  Beauchamp, the blacksmith lately come from Vancr behaved himself very insolently on several occasions since his arrival here & this morning on my having ordered him to be careful of our 1 in. boards in filling up the forge & use slabs in some places in stead, which would answer the purpose equally well he told me he would do no such thing & on my having repeated the orders still persisted in his refusal to obey & made use of very aggravating language, which I told him brought forth an observation from me to the effect that he would have done better by remaining at Vancr after which he left declaring that he would proceed by canoe to Nisqually - he is yet in the vicinity.  Were busy to day packing up the Nisqually orders.  Tai is very ill with the dysentery.  Friday, Bole, Kealoha, Kanome, Cole are unfit for much outdoor work.  Ebony one of the mill gang is also on the sick list & has been since Sunday.  No trade. 

      W Thursday 24 25th Fine pleasant weather with light variable airs.  People employed at various jobs about the Estabt & putting up the forge.  Beauchamp is still about the Estabt doing nothing.  Some of the Indians are very ill with the dysentery & I fear the small pox is making its appearance amongst them, a woman having every appearance of having that complaint being in the camp.  Thomas arrived in the evening from the Mill for provisions & says every thing progresses well there. 

      Friday 25 26th Overcast with slight drizzling rain.  Operations in hand going on as yesterday.  About 11AM. Tai departed this life after a severe illness of several weeks with the dysentery, he is the second man on our obituary within the Ft. since the measles appeared here.  Several pieces of bark and other trifles were traded to day from Skatchets. 

      Saturday 26 27th Fine pleasant weather with a fresh breeze from the South West.  Their orders were served out to our people in course of this day & were allowed the day for themselves.  This morning the remains of Tai were consigned to the tomb & all the men at the Ft. attended the funeral.  The principal results of the week's work are as follows: the upper story of the Saw Mill put up & that building nearly shingled with some wood cleared away from behind it for a bridge for the logs & for the water cistern. A skow load of lumber sent from here to the Mill & sundry other jobs performed about the Estabt.  The wallplates put up in the Smithy & the wallpieces of that building put up.  Beauchamp having abandoned his resolution of proceeding to Nisqually without orders resumed duty yesterday morning. 

      Sunday 28th  Fine pleasant weather with a strong breeze from the Northward. 

      Monday 29th  Fine weather still continues but overcast during the afternoon.  People employed as ∞ labor book about the Estabt, erecting the forge chimney, putting up rafters on that building & raising oak crooks for the roof of No. 3 which we intend to shingle the first favorable opportunity. 

      Tuesday 30th  Overcast with heavy rain in the afternoon.  People employed as yesterday.  Some Skatchets arrived in course of the day and traded a few furs principally for baize.   

      Wednesday 31st  Alternately clear and cloudy with a strong breeze from the South West.  People employed preparing materials for roofing the Blacksmith's Shop and Store No. 3.  Paid a visit to day to the mill party & found them busy clearing away trees & other rubbish from the mill, laying the foundation of the water wheel & preparing the shaft & cogs of do. No trade.  We have now got through with the packing of the Outfits of Fts. Simpson, Stikine, Langley and Nisqually & the the Servants' Orders of these latter posts.    

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