Saturday February 1^st 1800[.] Wrote my Letters to the Gentry of the Slave Country[.] Snowing & drifting all Day[.]

Sunday 2^nd[.] In the evenning Jos. Boucher Junior & Normand with Letters arrived from the Peace River – 11 Days from Grand Marrais & 26 D^o from the Forks P.R. Gave them a foot Tob^c each with fish Dram &c. They ate nothing since yesterday morning excepting their Belly fulls last night[.] Got every thing ready for Laprise's Departure for Slave Lake to morrow morning[.] Paid the Beaver Indian 20 Sk^s for his voyage[.] Laprise would only take the half of his payment – the other half he expects from M^r Thomson[.]

Monday 3^rd[.] Early this morning Laprise & the Indian set out for Slave Lake – they had for their Voyage 56^lb of Pimecan & 2 pairs of shoes[.] Fine day[.]

Tuesday 4^th[.] Every thing was ready this day for the Peace River Men's Departure tomorrow but as I expect every Moment to hear from Marlin's Band I shall retard the Express till after tomorrow to see if they arrive (I mean the Indians) so as to send the News of that Band to M^r Finlay[.]

Wednesday 5^th[.] Nothing New[.]

Thursday 6^th[.] Early this Morning Boucher & Normand went off for the Peace River with Letters[.] Gave them 50^lb Pimecan & 10 whitefish[.]

Friday 7^th[.] Courtois arrived from the Big Island – he brought 4 small & 1 Large Trout as a present[.] Gave him a Dram – this is the sixth year since he has not tasted a Drop of Rum[.] He engaged for 4 years which with 2 he was engaged before make him six[.] Tho' Contrary to my orders I gave this Man his 4 phials in Goods as he owes a great deal & was in want of things which I did not like to add to his Acc^t – he promised to tell it to no body[.] Lambert & his wife say that a while after Dark they heard a Ghost crying three or four Times successively Gras, Gras[.] If by this repetition of the Canadien favorite word gras the Ghost or rather Corbeau meant to intice some fat frenchman to follow him to his own Regions he would certainly find himself taken in by the arrival of either Lambert or Courtois who, tho' both very fond of Gras, are however both very Maigre[.]

Saturday 8^th[.] Paid Courtois for his Trout, (which have deux doigts de pLard Sur les Flancs,) 31 Hooks & a little Salt[.] A Spark of Fire which flew from the Chimney into my Cassette through a Crack on the Cover burnt me of my best new Shirts hors de Service & part of several more[.] Had there been no body in the House for an hour when this happened my Cassette and the whole house would have burnt to ashes[.] It is dangerous leaving a house alone with fire in the Chimneys – and it is equally dangerous keeping large fires in them all night after people are gone to bed – but the frenchmen will never be prevailed on to Sleep without a furnace to rot entirely their already half rotten Carcasses at the risk of Destroying their Employers property[.] This love for Fire at night is owing to their poverty or Stinginess to buy a sufficient number of Blankets to Keep them warm on a Cold winter Night[.] Yet let any body tell them so & their

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