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was a peculiarly welcome prize[.] The seals of a great many private letters were broken and the contents perused and Williams selected and kept all the books, inventories, and letters, &c. which he thought of importance, either for rivalling the North West Company's trade, or for pursuing the system of malicious persecution that had been for so long a time in activity, against their proprietors and servants. To see one's private papers rifled, to behold the concerns of one's trade examined into and ransacked with avidity, can not be done without exciting resentment , and provoking remark, especially whilst but upon Williams observeding at the time that by thus seizing the persons of the North West C partners, and taking possession of their papers & and property, he should strike them such a blow as they would not speedily soon recover from, and put a speedy conclusion to their contest with the Hudson's Bay Company, However, upon hearing this speech, M^r Shaw could not but conclude that, when Williams talked of seizing the property he of the North West Company, he must mean the valuable returns in furs from Athabasca and Lesser Slave Lake, which, by the inspection of these papers before him, he knew were on their way, and must necessarily pass the Grand Rapid. He concluded therefore that it would be best to give up useless altercation and remonstrance, and, in hopes by escaping from this band of desperadoes, to and be

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