Page:New Brunswick Magazine Issue 1.djvu/87

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

AT PORTLAND POINT.

71

his supplies from Martin Gay of Boston, and early in the year 1768 had the misfortune to lose a vessel laden with goods for the Indian trade. Writing to his partners, Mr. Simonds mentions this incident and observes, "We imagine that the loss of Mr. Anderson's vessel will cause more trade to come to us than we should have had if she had gone safe, but as we have more goods on hand than we expected to have we have made only a small addition to our memo, [for supplies needed] and some alteration."^[1]

The Indians frequently came down the river as far as St. John to trade with Simonds and White, but more commonly they were saved this trouble, because the company's sloops and schooners went up the river in the spring and fall with goods and supplies. In the autumn of 1767 a trading post was established at Ste. Anne's point. Not long afterwards this was carried away by an ice-jam and another was built to replace it. Benjamin Atherton seems to have been in charge for several years. In addition to trading with the Indians, he sold goods on commission to the white inhabitants, under the name and title of Atherton & Co. Furs and produce were often brought down from Ste. Anne's in gondolas, of which the company owned several, and in winter they were brought down on the ice by the use of horses and rude sleighs. The articles most commonly required by the Indians were guns, powder, shot, flints, knives, hatchets, Indian corn, flour, pork, molasses, stroud [a thick blue cloth] and blankets, with

↑ Anderson employed one Charles Martin as his bookkeeper and assistant. Losses, probably consequent upon the Revolutionary war, embarrassed his business and led him to mortgage his property, which afterwards passed into the hands of Frederick Pigon and Henry Appleton of England, who in the year 1790 sold it for £540 to Rev. Dr. John Agnew and his son, Captain Stair Agnew. In the deed of conveyance the property is described as "All that tract or farm called Monkton containing by estimation 1,000 acres situate lying and being in the Township of Newton in the County of Sunbury and Province of New Brunswick, heretofore called Nova Scotia." John Anderson seems to have removed to Quebec The name of Monkton which he gave to his place was retained for many Stars and the ferry from Fredericton to the Nasnwaak was long called the Monkton Ferry.

[1] Anderson employed one Charles Martin as his bookkeeper and assistant. Losses, probably consequent upon the Revolutionary war, embarrassed his business and led him to mortgage his property, which afterwards passed into the hands of Frederick Pigon and Henry Appleton of England, who in the year 1790 sold it for £540 to Rev. Dr. John Agnew and his son, Captain Stair Agnew. In the deed of conveyance the property is described as "All that tract or farm called Monkton containing by estimation 1,000 acres situate lying and being in the Township of Newton in the County of Sunbury and Province of New Brunswick, heretofore called Nova Scotia." John Anderson seems to have removed to Quebec The name of Monkton which he gave to his place was retained for many Stars and the ferry from Fredericton to the Nasnwaak was long called the Monkton Ferry.

[1]