ry plains, while fresh
horses were taken to ascend the mountain trails. Fort St James on
Stuart Lake became the chief post of New Caledonia. Here ruled young
James Douglas, who had married the daughter of the chief factor William
Connolly. Ordinarily, the fort on the blue alpine lake lay asleep like
an August day; but on the occasion of a visit by the governor or the
approach of a brigade, the drowsy post became a thing of life. Boom of
cannon, firing of rifles, and skirling of bagpipes welcomed the long
cavalcade. The captain of the brigade as he entered the fort usually
wore a high and pompous beaver hat, a velvet cloak lined with red silk,
and knee-breeches with elaborate Spanish embossed-leather leggings.
All this show was, of course, for the purpose of impressing the
Indians. Whether impressed or not, the Indians always counted the days
to the wild riot of feasting and boat-races and dog-races and
horse-races that marked the arrival or departure of a brigade.

New Caledonia, as we know, is now a part of Canada; but why does not
the Union Jack float over the great region beyond the Rockies {124} to
the south--south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the 49th parallel?
Over all this territory British fur lords once held sway. California
was in the limp fingers of Mexico, but the British traders were
operating there, and had ample opportunity to secure it by purchase
long before it passed to the United States in 1848. Sir George
Simpson, the resident governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, advised the
company to purchase it, but the directors in London could not see furs
in the suggestion. Simpson would have gone further, and reached out
the company's long arm to the islands of the Pacific and negotiated
with the natives for permission to build a fort in Hawaii. James
Douglas was for buying all Alaska from the Russians; but to the
directors of the Hudson's Bay Company Alaska seemed as remote and as
worthless as Siberia, so they contented themselves with leasing a
narrow strip along the shore. Thus California, Alaska, and Hawaii
might easily have become British territory; but the opportunity was
lost, and they went to the United States. So, too, did the fine
territory of Oregon, out of which three states were afterwards added to
the American Union. But the history of Oregon is confused in a maze of
{125} politics, into which we cannot enter here. As we have seen,
Bruno Heceta, acting for Spain, was the first