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Fort Victoria Post Journal July 1849

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1849 July

      Sunday 31st 1st July.  Weather clear & pleasant with a fresh breeze from the South West.  The nights are very cool for the season. Nothing remarkable. 

      Monday 2nd  Weather clear & pleasant as yesterday with light variable airs.  People employed as usual at their several occupations.  Trade of no consequence, except a little few articles from the Skatchets.  Straw berries are now brought in in considerable numbers.  Had the well emptied this evening, the second time, in hopes of finding better water than we have hitherto found in it, but has still the unpleasant taste it usually had. 

      Tuesday 3rd    Weather beautifully clear and warm with light variable airs.  People employed at their usual occupations.  No trade worth noticing.  Began equipping the servants of the Establishment with their Outfits to day. 

      Wednesday 4th  Overcast with a refreshing shower of rain, wind light from the Southd {&} Eastd.  About 2pm the Bqu Columbia arrived from Columbia River having been 18 days in Baker's Bay.  The people of the Establishment employed as usual, about various jobs as ∞ labor book. 

      Thursday 5th  Alternately clear and cloudy with a strong breeze from the South West attended with some rain.  People employed at their usual occupations & a party employed discharging the Columbia.  No intelligence as yet of the Cadboro. 

      Friday 6th  Weather rather cold for the season with the wind blowing fresh from the South W & clear.  People employed as yesterday, dischg cargo, &c.  Sent three teams of oxen to day to plough new land for spring fall wheat in Ogden's fields.  No trade worth noticing.  Supplied a few of the people with their orders to day from the Sale Shop. 

      Saturday 7th  Generally clear with the wind from the South West.  This week various operations were in progress vizt: making articles of furniture, hoeing potatoes, ploughing, discharging and shipping cargo & getting on with the slip for building vessels, &c. No trade worth noticing.  Their orders were given the mill men this afternoon. Early this morning the Cadboro arrived from Nisqually with a cargo of lumber. 

      Sunday 8th  Had heavy rain over night, weather generally clear during the day with a fresh breeze from the South West.  Nothing occurred out of the ordinary course of affairs. 

      Monday 9th  Overcast with some rain, but the weather is rather cold for the season.  The people employed principally as last week.  Some Skatchets and Kawitchins arrived and brought a few trifles for trade.  Were pressing & packing the land otters brought from Nisy by Mr. Douglas for shipment to Sitka by the Bqu Columbia. 

      Tuesday 10th  Generally overcast with a light breeze from the Southward and Eastward.  People employed to day ploughing, shipping wheat on board the Bqu Columbia, discharging lumber from the Cadboro, &c.  No trade worth noticing except a few fresh salmon. 

      Wednesday 11th  Fine pleasant weather with light variable winds.  The Bqu Columbia having every thing for the Coast on board, removed out of harbour this afternoon & exchanged salutes with the Fort. About noon Mr. Chief Trader Tod arrived in a canoe from Ft. Langley.  The New Caledonia Brigade arrived at that place a week ago.  600 bushels salt were shipped on board the Cadboro for Langley.  The Columbia crew were supplied with articles to day from the Sale Shop. 

      Thursday 12th  Very warm weather with light variable airs.  People employed much the same as usual.  The Columbia disappeared at Rocky point about noon.  Some Cape Flattery Indians arrived in course of the evening and brought some oil and other trifles for trade. 

      Friday 13th  Warm weather as yesterday with light wind.  Two ploughmen hoeing the potatoes & the others employed as yesterday.  About 4pm Mr. C{hief} T{rader} Tod left for Nisqually in a canoe manned by our Songes lads.  Letters &c. were forwarded by him for Vancr and Nisqually.  The Cadboro left the harbour to day also & for Ft. Langley having some additional supplies on board for that post and the Interior Districts. 

      Saturday 14th  Fine clear weather with a strong breeze from the westward.  People employed the same as usual. The week's labour is principally as follows:  part of the potatoe field hoed, the Cadboro discharged and loaded for Langley & various jobs performed about the Establishment.  210 gns. oil were traded from the Cape Flattery Indians.  The salmon are now beginning to make their appearance in the Straits. 

      Sunday 15th  Weather clear with a strong Westerly wind.  Nothing remarkable except the arrival of six Cape Flattery canoes. 

      Monday 16th  Fine weather as yesterday.  People employed making hay, raising wood for cart wheels, building, hoeing potatoes and thrashing grain with horses.  Crawford who had been in our Establisht was here since last autumn was transferred to the Cadboro on Friday.  About 10 this morning the Langley Indians left with the despatches for that place.  170 gns. oil were received to day from the Cape Flattery Indians. 

      Tuesday 17th  Fine pleasant weather with a strong breeze from the Westward.  People employed at their usual occupations. 31 Some oil and two sea otters were traded from the Cape Flattery Indians. 

      Wednesday 18th  Fine weather still continues with a light breeze from the same quarter.  People employed the same.  George McKenzie the millwright who arrived with Mr. Tod was sent to the Mill yesterday and left in charge of the party employed there.  This afternoon Mr. Douglas started with a party of 2 men and Mr. McKay on an exploring expedition through the Island.  Traded some salmon from some Tlalums who arrived from Rocky point.  Equipped a few of the men of the Establisht with their orders this afternoon from the Sale Shop. 

      Thursday 19th  Very warm weather with light variable airs.  People employed at their usual occupn.  150 fresh salmon were traded from Tlalums for baize and tobacco & no other occurrence worthy of notice. 

      Friday 20th  Very warm weather as yesterday.  People employed hay making, thrashing grain, making & repairing cart wheels & raising oak ∞ do, squaring sills ∞ Mr. Staines' kitchen.  Some fresh salmon were traded to day also from Tlalums.  This evening the Indians who left with Mr. Tod returned from Nisqually & brought letters from Dr. Tolmie. 

      Saturday 21st  Fine warm weather with light airs. This week's {work:} a qty of hay made, part of potatoe field hoed, 130 bus. wheat thrashd and wind, about 5 acres of land ploughed & sundry other operations performed by the trades men & miners at the Ft. Mr. Douglas returned this evening from his excursion with the party all safe. 

      Sunday 22nd  Weather beautifully clear with light airs from the Southward and Westward.  Remained quite as usual & had divine service. 

      Monday 23rd  Weather still continues clear and pleasant with light cooling breezes from the Southd and Westward. Sent an additional party of 4 men and eight Indians to the Mill for the purpose of making hay there for winter stock. Some five or six kettles & a few other things were stolen a few nights ago from Dupuis' Dairy, the door having been forced open.  As there is now scarcely a sufficient quantity of milk got there from the cows, to cover the expense of keeping three men there we have to day abandoned the place, the best of the milch cows taken to McPhail's Dairy.  The other operations in hand about the place going on as last week.  Traded a few galls oil this afternoon from the Cape Flattery Indians. 

      Tuesday 24th  Clear weather continues with heavy dew at night.  People employed as yesterday at their several occupations as ∞ labor book.  Some salmon were traded to day from the Tlalums & 4 land otters this morning from the Cape Flattery Indians who left about 8 a.m.. 

      Wednesday 25th  Very warm weather with light variable airs.  People employed as usual.  A considerable quantity of salmon has been traded to day principally from Tlalums. No trade in furs.  Kamakeea came from the Mill this evening sick with the fever and ague. 

      Thursday 26th  Clear weather with a fresh breeze from the South West.  People employed at their several occupations as yesterday.  A considerable quantity of salmon were was traded to day also from Clalums.  4 land otters and other sundries received from the Skatchets who arrived this afternoon. 

      Friday 27th  Had a heavy shower of rain this morning with occasional showers during the day, wind blowing fresh from the South West.  Operations in hand going on as yesterday.  Some fresh salmon were traded to day also from Clalums and some few furs from Whotlumies who arrived yesterday. 

      Saturday 28th  Fine warm weather with light variable airs.  This week's labor amounts as follows:  a pr new wheels made and three wheels repaired, a lot of wheat thrashed, not as yet winnowed, a qty of hay made both at this place and at the Mill & several acres of new land ploughed.  Some fresh salmon were traded to day from Tlalums.  Nothing done in the fur trade. 

      Sunday 29th  Beautiful weather with a fresh breeze in the afternoon from the Southd and Westward.  Nothing remarkable. 

      Monday 30th  Fine weather still continues with the wind from the same quarters.  People employed much the same as last week.  The hay being scarce in the vicinity of the Mill we sent a party this morning to Mechausen to get some made there for the Mill. The hired servants, who came by the Harpooner discontinued work this afternoon, alleging as a reason that they had not fresh beef for dinner.  M Mr. Douglas settled with them this evening & they promised to resume duty to morrow.  A lot of salmon was taken in to day also for trade. 

      Tuesday 31st  Blowing fresh from the South West attended with smoky weather occasioned by the fires which are now beginning to spread over the country.  People employed at their usual occupations. Trade, some fresh salmon which we are salting down for winter stock & no furs. 

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