William Tomison at Gordon House to Joseph Colen at York
Aug. 6 1797
"I cannot pafs this opportunity without giving you my repeated wishes of enjoying a pleasant & happy winter.
Sir I am sorry to inform you that many Packages rests here that the Canoes brought from the Factory and left here by Mr Sutherland Fidler & Rofs as also all the Steel and Iron bars Hatchets etc. and a strick order for all to be brought up in the Fall by Mr. Oman this orders you know I never can comply with for I believe you never heard that Tomison ever took a piece of Goods from the Factory and left it by the way or got another man to carry it for him neither did he load his Canoe with necefsaries for himself and left the Companys Goods behind. All the Twine for Cumberland House I have taken which was in No. 5 & 6 also the most part of what you sent for Mr. Bird as to anything else we cannot take the Parcel J. C. which was left also I find their is two pieces of Goods left on account of carrying Thompsons things up which I think in the first place be a very great Imposition on you & much more so on the Hon'ble Company for in my opinion that Man that would have been a Carrier for so base a man as Thompson ought to have both his Ears cut off which I should not have Scrupled at had he been my Brother. I am sorry to say that matters has gone to a great length this Year which I must confefs will not be allowed another Year let the consequence be what it may. You will please not to have any Bundles? Packed for next year with one single article of any kind whatever not lefs than six nor more than twelve Knives Handkerchiefs Files and Bayonets Excepted which maybe more. So I conclude with wishing the Compliments of the Season to attend you and all under your Command & Remain
Dear Sir
Your mo Obed humble Sevt
Wm Tomison"
1M257 B.239/b/61

George Sutherland's letter to William Tomison in response to the above note.
Aug. 10 1798
"Sir
" In looking over the Correspondence Book last year I there saw your most ungenerous Letter to Mr. Colen dated Gordon House August 6 1797 wherein you observe that many Packages rest there which the Canoes brought from the Factory but were left by Mefs Sutherland Rofs & Fidler as also the Steel Iron bars Hatchets etc."

" Now Mr. Tomison give me leave to remind you of what you so well knew at the time of writing the above letter Viz. that all the packages Steel Iron etc. alluded to were sent in a Boat from the Factory to Gordon House the design of sending this Boat & Cargo was to load Canoes for the Upper Settlements provided I could engage any Number of the 24 Canoe Men whose contracts expired that season however only one Man (Wm Johnston) would engage before the Arrival of the Ship, the consequence was that I found myself under the Necefsity of proceeding Inland with 2 Canoes only these I brought with their Cargoes from York Factory therefore the Boat Cargo must of course be left there till the Arrival of the Fall Canoes."

" The next paragraph worthy of the least attention runs thus Viz. neither did (Tomison) load his Canoe with necefsaries for himself & leave the Companys Goods behind"

" Sir I am realy at a lofs to conjecture what you would insinuate by saying that I loaded my Canoe with necefsaries for myself as it was notorious to every Officer at York that the state of the Ware House would not permit of even the usual Quantity of Provisions taken Inland annually & this very circumstance created some Difsatisfaction among the men that Season. Indeed so different was it from what you advance that I was under the necefsity of leaving at Gordon House the Button that I had for my pafsage up but perhaps you allude to my Keg of Salt and I dare say you do not think me deserving even of that article. But it is rather a fortunate circumstance for me that few people agree with Mr. Tomison in this as well as in every other respect. or probably you particularly allude to the small Box of Crockery ware which I brought from England some years ago and carried up last Summer. I freely confefs that this was a great Innovation on our Inland customs. Yet I cannot help thinking it rather beneath the dignity of the Hon'ble Hudsons Bay Company that their Inland Master should ask the Gentlemen from Canada who are his neighbours to take a Glafs of Wine or a Cup of Tea out of a Tin pot more especilly as when they treat us we see Silver China & Glafs on the Table this is all I can urge in my defence on this head."

" I am glad I was not concerned in the affair which you threaten to mutulate some of the Officers and this I consider a fortunate circumstance for my poor Ears."

" You say matters have gone a great length this year but which you will not permit another let the consequence be what it will."
" In Answer to this paragraph I can only say that had you remained in England I would have carried matters to far greater length yet I frankly confefs we have done tolerably well considering it was only my first year. I imagine you allude to the Trade at Edmonton House being carried to a greater length than usual or pofsible you mean the length of the Boats or the great distances they have been Navigated. in either case you have most religiously kept your word having docked both most effectually this Season and we all know the consequence. But you will be pleased to recollect that by means of those very Boats 18 Men carried up two hundred pieces of Trading Goods great & small you also know that this Quantity of Goods required no lefs than 40 Men when employed on your old stale plan of Conducting the Businefs with the Insignificant Craft Canoes. But this you call a great Innovation in our Inland customs we all admitt this to be true however there are people here that Insists upon its being not only an Improvement but a very great one & this opinion they are Determined to abide by untill you can prove (which appears to these officious intermeddlers rather paradoxial) that it is better for the Hon'ble Company to maintain and pay one hundred Men than it is forty five this being the exact proportion between carrying on the Businefs at the Upper Settlements with Canoes or with Boats. Upon the whole the Venom contained in your letter cannot fail of proving its own Antidote as the most Voracious appetite for scandal and Defamation can hardly venture to swallow such a pill by the bye this is nothing new from Mr. Tomison nor can it ever be otherwise the Ethiopian cannot change his Skin."

"On a former occaision you told me when I had done what you had done I should find etc. etc.. Now Mr. Tomison I will just ask you what are those Matters you have performed, why I believe they are all pretty well Known Viz. that you went Inland upwards of Twenty years ago where you found Cumberland House and the Trade Established on Mr. Cockings returning you was appointed Master of that Settlement. Very well. you come down annually with your Trade to the Factory and carried up some Trading Goods. prey would not any other person in your Situation have done the same. at length the Canadians went farther up the Saskatchewan River to establish Trading Houses & you crawled after them and in this Manner you have followed them from Cumberland to Edmonton Houses yet I cannot see any thing so extravagantly clever in all this as any man (a natural excepted) would and must have done the same. But Mr. Tomison did you ever make an attempt During the long period you resided Inland to conduct the Businefs with any other Craft than Canoes and thereby have saved the Hon'ble Company an enormous expence. No, you did not. Did you ever attempt (even during the period you was Chief) to erect any out port and by that means extend the Trade. Certainly not, on the contrary it is notorious to every Officer on York establishment that you opposed in all its stages every generous effort that has been made to support the Trade by erecting Settlements in different Quarters thereby to keep the Interprizing Canadians at a respectable distance from the lower Settlements and by this means Securing the very best Furs this Country produces."

If I remember right when you was first in England in the year 1790 Settlements were erected at Swan and Nelson Rivers as also the expeditions to the Northward were set on foot. But on your arrival the Chagrin you felt and the part you took against these Necefsary Establishments are too well Known for me to dwell on the subject. this great truth requires no farther confirmation then your own publick Letters and Journals yet notwithstanding the obvious Disadvantages these and other Settlements erected since have laboured under they have produced upwards of sixty two Thousand made Beaver and you well know all or nearly all of this Trade would have been lost to the Hon'ble Company without these establishments."

" On your arrival last Nov. at Edmonton House you there saw both the New Boats for the first time you know the great Cargoes of Trading Goods they carried up without a single article being in the least damaged. you also knew they arrived earlier (notwithstanding the unparaleled latenefs of that Season) then the Canoes ever did if you recollect you asked me how the Boats answered my reply was that they spoke for themselves, you then asked me if I did think it was too hard work for the Men & whether they did not Grumble etc. I told you I did not think they were much harder wrought then the Canoe Men were and at the same time I gave you to understand that my Men never Grumbled and to tell you my mind freely I have no Idea of consulting the Inclinations of the Men at any time far lefs when the Companys Businefs is concerned, yet Strange to tell not a Man will say that I used him ill in any respect whatever."

" Sir I will now ask you if you did not find material at Edmonton House for Building Canoes did you also find Materials for building two more Boats of exactly the same size as the others they have been found by experience to answer our most Sanguine expectations. Now Sir what could induce you to cut 5 feet from each of the Keels designed for the New Boats and thereby render the plan in a great measure abortive. We all know the reason why forsooth because they were brought into use by another person it is very plain that these Boats are a great eye sore to you yet I cannot help thinking but that our employers have too just an Idea of their own Intent to suffer you, or any other person so far to impose upon them as to reduce the Boats in size far lefs Annilate them which I am given clearly to understand is your avowed intention as soon as you can by any means find a plausible pretext for so doing by the bye you are not likely to have an opportunity of this kind in this Century or even the next as to the next especially towards the Conclusion we need not be very solicitous about it as in all probability ere then Old Charon with his wonted goodnefs may give both you and me a cast his Boat which I understand is contructed on a different principle from those required up the Saskachewan River."

" To be serious you cannot for a moment suppose that you can injure me by reducing the Boats the very Idea of this is truely laughable yet it is most true that by so doing you have injured the Hon'ble Company and that in no small degree."

"Mr. Tomison this your conduct but ill accords with the Idea the Hon'ble Commitee have to my certain knowledge entertained of your faithfull services, abilities, experience etc."

" Sir give me leave to ask you a simple Question Viz. What benefit would accrue to the Company from the use of Boats had you in your consumate wisdom introduced them fifteen or Sixteen Years ago why I will let you into the secret The Company in that case must have received during the last Sixteen years upwards of one Hundred Thousand Made Beaver over and above and would have saved upwards of Nine Thousand pounds Sterling in Servants Wages only, and this you yourself must allow to be a very moderate calculation. Yes Sir these are indisputable facts and speak for themselves but from your General Conduct with respect to these useful Craft I have reason to suspect you have advanced something when last in England about the impracticability of Navigating them up and down the Saskachewan River, however the contrary has been already proved and that in a very satisfactory Manner."

" There is another matter that requires some attention Viz. That we all Know the Furs traded at the Upper Settlements are of the very worst Quality sent to England from York does it therefor behove our employers to get these such as they are at as cheap a rate as pofsible and in what manner is this to be accomplished certainly not by reducing the Trading Goods either in Quality or Quantity, this would be absurd indeed where there is a competition the only means therefore remaining is to conduct the Businefs intirely with Boats and thereby save six hundred pounds A Year in servants wages. Pofsibly you may say the Number of Men required to Navigate the Boats would be incompetent to Cope with the Canadians I candidly confefs I cannot comprehend what is meant by this Idea unlefs it be going to open War with them which is well Known to be highly prejudicial to the Interests of our Employers for my own part I do not see the Necefsity of the Company keeping a Standing Army at the Upper Settlements to protect their Trade as they themselves are well aware peace is more conjonial with the spirit of Commerce in all Countrys this is easily proved as in at Edmonton House, by our being in a state of profound peace last year but at open war since."

" You have to my certain knowledge been perpetually Writing to England these last ten Years for more Men and we all know the Company have kept sending out as many annually as their Ships could accomodate & very few have returned in proportion you also Know that this must have been attended with a very heavy expence have not our Employers therefore expected an increase of Trade in proportion however in this they have been greatly disappointed the cause I leave Mr. Tomison to answer."

" But I now ask you if the Companys Inland Servants have ever been judiciously employed every one knows they have not, will they be so this year, No, certainly not, is their any prospect they will be so in the future why this rests entirely with our Employers in England, as their appears at present no greater sign of improvement then there was twenty years ago. You yourself must be sensible that the upper Settlements have been shamefully neglected otherwise the Company most long ere now have received thirty Thousand Beaver annually from that Quarter but the great misfortune to the Company has been that they never had any person at the head of their Inland affairs but Mr. Tomison. Yes Sir, I repeat it, this has been a real Misfortune to them yet if I am rightly informed our Employers are of opinion they have no person on this Establishement so capable of conducting their Inland Businefs as yourself. If this is realy the opinion of our Hon'ble Committee they have some reason to consider their Inland concerns from York in a very prosperous way at the same time I am willing to allow you every merit that is your due."

" I have understood from yourself and others that you always made it your Study to make the most of the Companys Goods by making many excellent Bargains for them. for instance you have traded many an Old Clatch of A Gun from the Indians for a pot of Liquor or a yard of Tobacco & have afterwards had the same Stocked and varnished by an Armourer and then sold them to the Natives at the same price that you did new Guns from England, you have also sold old Kettles from the Kitchen at the same rate as new ones, or when an Indian brought you A Skin for a Hatchet you have given him a Bayonet or a Knief in lieu thereof etc. etc. etc. whatever merit may be in all this it is intirely yours. By the bye what you may think merit I call imposition. Fraud appears to me the very worst method that can be adopted to extend the Trade. it resembles A Man who thinks to go the shortest way to heaven by saying his prayers backwards."

" You seem to have forgot that you have opponents who are ever ready (by way of retaliation) to render you obnoctious to the Natives by puting the most unfavourable construction on your mode of Dealing with them and then they turn your sordid disposition to their own advantage."

" I now conclude but not before I give you to understand that what I have said in this Letter is mere Charity to what I could have advanced were I so disposed. I began it with a full determination to write only what I can prove and will prove what I have Written."

" For the disclosure of the before mentioned facts you are indebted to yourself alone, the falsity and Malignity contained in the Letter above alluded to is so serious an attack upon my Character and Conduct that I should be unjust to myself if I omitted saying this little to exculpate myself. other wise in all probability the inconsistancy of your Conduct and your inability in the station you fill would have escaped the ? version of
Sirs
Your Humble Servant.
1M257 B.239/b/61

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