Page 261 |
Previous | 261 of 520 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
|
This page
All
|
M A M M A L S O F N O R T H E R N C A N A D A 237
HARBOUR PORPOISE— Pliocaena phoccena ( Linnaeus).
In the oft- referred- to statement of London fur sales, half
skins of the porpoise appear - without a break from 1856 to
1869, inclusive ( I can not say i f any were previously secured
for export) ; then we have the columns for 1870 and 1873
blank, while the catch varied between 4 ( the lowest) in 1862,
5 i n 1863, 6 in 1864, and the highest ( 2,278) in 1865.
The total sales for the twenty years amount to 14,048 half
skins— equal to, I presume, 7,024 killed porpoises. As
neither Dr. Robert Bell nor Mr. Preble mention this animal,
it is probably not an inhabitant of the waters of Hudson
Bay, and must, therefore, be considered as a product of
Labrador seas.
The discoverer of the great Mackenzie River ( which figures so
frequently in these Notes, and from which a large amount of
material was forwarded to the Smithsonian Institution, and which
has also for a long time been, and still is, a valuable and rich fur
preserve) surely deserves some notice, especially by a later fellow-townsman.
The celebrated fur trader and explorer, Sir Alexander
Mackenzie, was a native of Stornoway, Lewis, Scotland, who emigrated
to Canada in 1779, and soon after engaged in the fur trade,
and in time became a partner and leader in the Northwest Company.
In 1789 he discovered and descended the Mackenzie River
to its outlet in the Arctic Ocean. In 1793, by way of Peace River,
he was the first white man, with matchless prudence and fortitude,
to force his way across the Northern American Continent, and there,
in latitude 52° 20' north, left his mark on a rock by the seaside,
bearing the inscription: " Alexander Mackenzie, from Canada by
land the twenty- second of July, one thousand seven hundred and
ninety- three.'' Mackenzie's discoveries added new regions to the
realms of British Empire and commerce, and in doing so extended
the boundaries of geographical science. He did much more, and
but for his labours, and those of his contemporaries and successors
in the Fur Trade, it is doubtful if any part of that country would
to- day he a portion of tbe Canadian Dominion. Mackenzie is
described as " possessed of a vigorous iatellect and a fine physicfue,
of medium stature, square, muscular build, very strong, lithe, and
capable of enduring great fatigue. He was a remarkably flne- looklng
man, Arm and dignified, refined and noble in thought, with a mind
and energy bent on enterprise, and filled with zeal for the benefit
Object Description
Description
| Title | Page 261 |
| OCR | M A M M A L S O F N O R T H E R N C A N A D A 237 HARBOUR PORPOISE— Pliocaena phoccena ( Linnaeus). In the oft- referred- to statement of London fur sales, half skins of the porpoise appear - without a break from 1856 to 1869, inclusive ( I can not say i f any were previously secured for export) ; then we have the columns for 1870 and 1873 blank, while the catch varied between 4 ( the lowest) in 1862, 5 i n 1863, 6 in 1864, and the highest ( 2,278) in 1865. The total sales for the twenty years amount to 14,048 half skins— equal to, I presume, 7,024 killed porpoises. As neither Dr. Robert Bell nor Mr. Preble mention this animal, it is probably not an inhabitant of the waters of Hudson Bay, and must, therefore, be considered as a product of Labrador seas. The discoverer of the great Mackenzie River ( which figures so frequently in these Notes, and from which a large amount of material was forwarded to the Smithsonian Institution, and which has also for a long time been, and still is, a valuable and rich fur preserve) surely deserves some notice, especially by a later fellow-townsman. The celebrated fur trader and explorer, Sir Alexander Mackenzie, was a native of Stornoway, Lewis, Scotland, who emigrated to Canada in 1779, and soon after engaged in the fur trade, and in time became a partner and leader in the Northwest Company. In 1789 he discovered and descended the Mackenzie River to its outlet in the Arctic Ocean. In 1793, by way of Peace River, he was the first white man, with matchless prudence and fortitude, to force his way across the Northern American Continent, and there, in latitude 52° 20' north, left his mark on a rock by the seaside, bearing the inscription: " Alexander Mackenzie, from Canada by land the twenty- second of July, one thousand seven hundred and ninety- three.'' Mackenzie's discoveries added new regions to the realms of British Empire and commerce, and in doing so extended the boundaries of geographical science. He did much more, and but for his labours, and those of his contemporaries and successors in the Fur Trade, it is doubtful if any part of that country would to- day he a portion of tbe Canadian Dominion. Mackenzie is described as " possessed of a vigorous iatellect and a fine physicfue, of medium stature, square, muscular build, very strong, lithe, and capable of enduring great fatigue. He was a remarkably flne- looklng man, Arm and dignified, refined and noble in thought, with a mind and energy bent on enterprise, and filled with zeal for the benefit |
Tags
Comments
Post a Comment for Page 261
