The articles of Canadian traffic comprehend almost every necessary of life; but the principal productions which it supplies for commercial purposes, are grain, timber, fish, and furs.
The only grain that is exported, is wheat, which is of an excellent quality, and yields a greater proportion of flour, than that which is brought from the Baltic. That of Upper Canada is superior to what is produced in the Lower province, and is usually exported in the form of flour ; as it is thus more easily conveyed by the navigation on the lakes and rivers, more secure against damage in the voyage, and more beneficial to the coun try by the profits and wages of labour arising from its preparation. It is even Frequently converted into bis cuit, which is both of a good quality, and cheaper than what is procured from Britain ; and which is sem to supply the shipping at Newfoundland and Halifax. The timber of Canada is also a principal article of exporta tion, and can be furnished for every purpose of the dock yard, house carpenter, and cabinet-maker. Its oak is next to that of Great Britain in point of quality ; its pines can furnish masts 120 feet in length ; its staves arc pe culiarly excellent, and daily rising in demand; its forests, in short, could easily render the mother country inde pendent of every other foreign supply of timber. This branch of trade has greatly increased of late years. It is said, that, in 1810, not less than 600 vessels arrived in the St Lawrence for this single article, and regula tions have been made by the British government, to fa vour the importation of Canadian timber to a still greater extent.
The fisheries of Canada have not been prosecuted to the extent of which they are capable, and have received very little encouragement from government. There is a seal and porpoise fishing on the St Lawrence, which produces a considerable quantity of skins and oil ; and on the Labrador coast an establishment has been form ed, which sends chiefly to the West Indies large cargoes of cod, mackarel, shad, herring, salmon, and a fish about the size of salmon, called bass.
But the fur-trade of Canada may be considered as the chief peculiarity in its commerce; and though not so va luable a branch of traffic to the colony as grain, or to the mother country as timber, is at least next to either of these in importance, yielding a duty of 20,0001. annually ; and is most of all entitled, from its nature, to a more particular description in this place. In this trade, the
French settlers engaged with great eagerness, at the first establishment of the colony ; and, as the Indians were not then acquainted with the value of the articles, large quantities of the richest furs were procured, in exchange for the most trifling wares. The accumulation of skins in the magazines soon became so immense, and the de mand so inadequate to carry off the supply, that thc mer chants were unwilling to purchase more, and the abun dance of the article nearly ruined the trade in Canada. The adventurers, who explored the Indian territoi ies in quest of furs, and who were styled Coureurs de Buis, naturally sought a market among the English settlers in the neighbouring colonies, and many of them fixed their residence in the country of New-York. The attempts, which were made by the governors of New France to prevent such desertions, and to recal those fugitives, were long attended with little success. Many of them became attached to a wandering life, and took up their abode among the savages, from whom they could be distinguished only by their superior licentiousness of manners. As the conduct and example of such charac ters occasioned the greatest obstacles to the exertions of the Catholic missionaries, an order was at length procur ed, that no one should be permitted to traverse the coun try for the purpose of trafficking with the Indians, with out a license from government. These permissions were at first granted only to persons of known respectability, to officers of the army, or to their widows. Such, how ever, as did not choose to make use of the licences per sonally, were allowed to sell them to the merchants, who again employed the Coureurs de Bois in quality of agents, and these again soon furnished occasion for renewed complaints from the missionaries. Military forts or set tlements were at length established at the confluence of the rivers with the larger lakes, which served at once to protect the trade, and to check the improper conduct of the more profligate adventurers; while, on the other hand, a number of respectable men, who had retired from the army, prosecuted the trade in person, under their respective licences ; and, with the assistance ol'the missionaries, extended their excursions as far as 53 north latitude, and 102 west longitude.