Early Canadian historical literature : the journals of the traders of the North West Company of merchants from Canada

The fur trade was for generations the chief industry of this continent. Tile struggles of France and Britain were not for possession of anapparently barren country. They were motivated by the desire to control the great wealth of the fur trade.UncLer the French regime the traffic was monopolistic in character. Colonizing companies possessing exclusive privileges forbade free trading,only to have their decrees flouted by Pierre Esprit Radisson and other members of that enterprising class known as coureurs des bois. [...