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1850

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Fort Victoria Post Journal November 1849

1849 November

Thursday 1^st November. Generally overcast but mild. This was kept to day as a holiday as usual. The Mary Dare arrived.

Friday 2^nd Overcast with a strong breeze from the South West. People employed as usual as ∞ labor book. Gov^r Colvile & party return^d this evening from Soke. No trade worth mentioning.

Saturday 3^rd Cloudy with a fresh breeze from the South West, with heavy rain in the evening. The principal operations this week are as follows: 15 pieces 10 x 7 ins. squared for beams of the new building about to be erected, 15 bus. wheat sown & harrowed & various other operations performed about the Estab^t. Began this morning discharging the Mary {Dare} at the Salmon Wharf.

Sunday 4^th Generally overcast with a fresh breeze from the Southward and Eastward. Nothing remarkable transpired.

Monday 5^th Weather cloudy and rainy with a fresh breeze from the South East. People employed at their usual occupations, preparing land for wheat, building & performing various operations about the Establishment. Were discharging coals from the Brig Mary Dare. The a/cs of the year say O^t '49 is now closed & the Cadboro is now ready to sail with Mr. Douglas for Nisqually who proceeds to Ft. Vancouver.

Tuesday 6^th Blowing strong from the South W East. People employed variously as usual as ∞ labor book. The Cadboro could not cross the straits to day with the high wind blowing. Some of the men who came from the coast were engaged last night & were equipped to day with goods from the Sale Shop.

Wednesday 7^th Overcast with a fresh breeze from the South West. About noon to day Gov^r Colvile and Mr. Douglas with Messrs Tod and Fraser left this {place} for Nisqually on board of the Cadboro on their way to Ft. Vancouver. People employed as usual, ploughing, &c. No trade worth noticing.

Thursday 8^th Raining almost all day with a strong breeze from the South East. People employed as usual: ploughing, building, &c. as ∞ labor book. No trade worth mentioning. We had two alarms this evening by two chimnies having caught fire but were soon extinguished.

Friday 9^th Raining heavily this morning, but the weather afterwards cleared up into a fine day. People employed at their usual occupations. We have now got all the fall wheat we intend to sow in the ground, making in all 26 bus. viz^t: 19 1/2 bus. in Ogden's field and 6 ½ bus. in front of the barn. Some [Yates & Dougls] wheat were also sown.

Saturday 10^th Had a little frost over night. Fine clear weather throughout the day, wind light and variable. People employed principally as yesterday, ploughing, harrowing, carting, &c. This week 15 acres of land were sown & harrowed, about 6 acres ploug^d for spring crops & sundry other operations performed about the buildings. No trade worth noticing. Some of the men who were lately engaged were this evening equipped from the Sale Shop.

Sunday 11^th Overcast & mild weather. Nothing remarkable except the death of poor little Rebecca Douglas who breathed her last about 6 p.m.

Monday 12^th Raining all night without interruption & continued so all day. People employed at their usual occupations, ploughing, building &c. & some hands repairing the roofs of the dwelling houses, which are now leaky after the dry summer we have had.

Tuesday 13^th Raining to day also with light airs from the Eastward. People employed at their usual occupations as ∞ labor book. This morning the Mill began to work, there being now enough of water in the Mill Stream. No trade worth noticing.

Wednesday 14^th Raining heavily over night, fine clear weather during the day with light airs from the South^d and Westward. People employed at their usual occupations. This forenoon the remains of Mr. Douglas' deceased child were consigned to the tomb. Trade, a few land otters and other sundries from Skatchets.

Thursday 15^th Blowing fresh from the Eastward with the weather overcast. The people employed ploughing, building, pit sawing, &c. as ∞ labor book. This evening the sawyers having enough of beams sawn for the new building, about to be erected, commenced under the directions of Yates to mortise the sills. Trade, 6 land otters, 4 beavers & a few rats, principally from Skatchets. The Mary Dare is still in harbour making ready her rigging & bending sails, &c. assisted by some of the Steamer's crew preparatory for sailing, three of her own crew being on the sick list.

Friday 16^th Overcast and lowering portending rain, wind blowing strong from the Southward and Eastward. Paid a visit to the Mill this forenoon & found the party there well & getting on with the work as well as can be expected. The Mill goes well & there is now abundance of water which is likely to continue the dam affording a regular supply. This morning a Sinahomish Indian left this {place} for Nisqually & brought a letter for Mr. Douglas. No other occurrence transpired worthy of noticing. The Mary Dare still remains in port.

Saturday 17^th Overcast and lowering with heavy rain in the evening, which still continues to fall heavily. Wind from the South East. People employed principally as yesterday. The principal results of the week's work are as follows: about 4 acres of land ploughed, the posts sq^d for the new building & hauled out, the sills of said building laid, sundry jobs made by the smithy for the {blank} shipping & the operations at the Mill going on as usual. No trade worth mentioning. Part of the garden has also been trenched. The Natives are now bringing in some of the winter herring & salmon for trade.

Sunday 18^th Overcast with a fresh breeze from the Eastward. Had heavy rain over night. Nothing remarkable.

Monday 19^th Blowing strong from the Eastward & no rain but overcast. People employed as ∞ labor book, building Bachelors' hall, trenching in the garden, &c. Had M^cPhail & Dupuis to day on the plains taking an inventory of the cattle. A considerable quantity of oil was traded to day from the Cape Flattery Indians, but they have not as yet disposed of the furs they brought.

Tuesday 20^th Blowing strong from the South East with heavy rain over night. People at their usual occupations. The Mary Dare still remains in harbour, being unable to proceed to seed {sic} for want of an efficient crew. Sent Thomas with a crew of Indians in the skow to day to the Mill with provisions &c to bring back boards from that place to weather board the new building now being erected.

Wednesday 21^st Overcast and showery with a fresh breeze from the South West. People employed building, ploughing & looking after cattle on the plains. The Cape Flattery Indians are still here, but have not disposed of the sea otters in their possession. M^cPhail & Dupuis have taken in 170 head of cattle to day within the enclosure in Ogden fields.

Thursday 22^nd Fine weather until noon when it became overcast with heavy rain. Wind light from the Southward and Eastward. People employed principally building the new hall & the priest's house. No trade of any consequence. The first three posts & wallplates were to day ~~erected~~ put upright of the Bachelors' Hall.

Friday 23^rd Overcast with a little rain, wind light from the South East. People employed at their usual occupations, building Bachelors' hall, the priest's house, ploughing, in search of cattle, &c. No trade of any kind. About 1 pm Augustine Willing arrived from Langley having had Mr. Yale's consent to leave that place & come here.

Saturday 24^th Raining heavily last night & variable weather during the day, wind light and variable. This week's operations are as follows: the sills of Bachelors' hall placed & four of the posts put up, some timber squared for the priest's house, about 6 acres of land ploughed & several other operations performed about the Establishment. This afternoon a ship appeared in the offing but have not as yet ascertained what vessel she is. Mr. Nevin with a crew of Indians were sent out to her assistance. Charbauneau one of the Steamer's men is very dangerously ill.

Sunday 25^th Raining almost all day with little or no wind. Nothing remarkable, except that the vessel which appeared in the offing last night was taken into harbour. She is the American B^qu I.W. Carter from Ft. Francisco to Oregon with passengers got damaged off the Columbia bar & bore up here for repairs.

Monday 26^th Overcast with light variable airs from the Northward & eastward. People employed much the same as last week. The passengers on board the I.W. Carter landed to day & bought some goods from the Sale Shop for which they paid specie and gold dust. They intend to leave tomorrow morning, weather permitting for Nisqually. Our interpreter Thomas goes along with them to Nisqually in charge of the Indians. By them letters are to be sent to Ft. Vancouver.

Tuesday 27^th Fine clear weather, with a fresh breeze from the Northward. About 1 pm the Mary Dare at length left the harbour for Ouahu & the American passengers who arrived by the I.W. Carter left in canoes for Nisqually about 4 p.m. The seamen of the Steamer & Mary Dare were this morning rather the worse for liquor having purchased rum from the passengers on board the American vessel. Yates & two men employed p repairing the rudder & mizen mast of the American vessel & the blacksmiths making the ironworks.

Wednesday 28^th Had some frost over night with fine clear weather all day, wind Northerly. People employed much the same as usual as ∞ labor book. In the evening some Sinahomish Indians arrived from Nisqually, which they left on the 29^th of last month. They were sent on by Dr. Tolmie for the purpose of making shingles at this place. They met the Cadboro on the 11^th inst. @ Whidbey's Island, from which place Mr. Douglas sent a few lines by them acquainting us of his progress.

Thursday 29^th Raining for the greater part of the day with the wind light from the ~~South~~ North East. Had old Satakarata with some Indians to day employed thrashing out pease. Yesterday the same party were measuring out the potatoes in the cellar & have now become so low, as 140 bushels which we must keep for seed. The people must therefore have to be fed on coarse flour & pease. Nothing traded to day worth mentioning. The carpenters still employed at the repairs of the American vessel.

Friday 30^th Slight drizzling rain with the wind light from the North East. Traded some potatoes to day from Cowitchins. Started the Sinahomish Indians, who arrived the other day from Nisqually off to Esquoimalt for the purpose of commencing shingle making, having been initiated in the art at Simons {sic} Nisqually. People employed much the same as usual, see labor book.

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