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Great Company: A History of the Honourable Company of Merchants-Adventurers Trading Into Hudson's Bay
Great Company A History of the Honourable Company of MerchantsAdventurers Trading Into Hudson's Bay Author:Beckles Willson General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1900 Original Publisher: Dodd Subjects: Fur trade Northwest, Canadian History / Canada / General History / Canada / Pre-Confederation (to 1867) History / North America Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may... more » be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER IV. 1668-1670. The Prince Visits the Nonsuch -- Arrival in the Bay -- Previous Voyages of Exploration -- A Fort Commenced at Rupert's River -- Gillam's Return -- Dealing with the Nodwayes -- Satisfaction of the Company -- A Royal Charter Granted. Early in the morning of the 3rd of June, 1668, without attracting undue attention from the riparian dwellers and loiterers, a small skiff shot out from Wapping Old Stairs. The boatman directed its prow towards the Nonsuck, a ketch of fifty tons, then lying at anchor in mid-Thames, and soon had the satisfaction of conveying on board in safety his Highness Prince Rupert, Lord Craven, and Mr. Hays, the distinguished patrons of an interesting expedition that day embarking for the New World. Radisson was to have accompanied the expedition but he had met with an accident and was obliged to forego the journey until the following year. All hands being piped on deck, a salute was fired in honour of the visitors. Captain Zachary Gillam and the Sieur des Groseilliers received the Prince, and undertook to exhibit, not without a proper pride, their craft and its cargo. Subsequently a descent was made to the captain's cabin, where a bottle of Madeira was broached, and the success of the voyage toasted by Rupert and his companions. The party then returned to Wapping, amidst a ringing cheer from captain and crew. By ten o'clock the Nonsuch had weighed anchor and her voyage had begun. The passage a...« less