252 T. C. Elliott. time for his legs and digestion to become accustomed to this change, which required him to cross the Columbia River bar periodically and remain on board ship part of each year. The departure of the expedition James Douglas mentions in a letter written to John McLeod from Fort Vancouver in March, 1832: ' The Nass party left us in the early part of last April. * * * They were greatly retarded on the passage by contrary winds and in consequence did not reach their destination before the nth of May." And a letter of Duncan Finlayson's of the same date reports : The coasting trade is progressively improving; it turned out last summer about 3000 Beavers, exclusive of other valuable furs, but the loss it sustained in the death of Cap. Simpson will be seriously felt. * * * he departed this life at Nass on the 2nd of September (1831). * * * Our people appear to be firm- ly seated down at Nass. * * * n and we have it in mind to extend our settlements along the coast, the best and most judicious plan we can adopt for the purpose of wresting that trade from the grasp of the Americans who have so far monopolized it". The Fort built in the summer of 183 1 was at the mouth of the Nass River and was named Fort Simpson in honor of the Captain who died there as just noted. In the summer of 1834, however, the location was changed to a point forty-five miles further down the inlet, not far north from the present Prince Rupert of the Grand Trunk Pacific. The following year the location of a post was selected further south on Milbank Sound near the mouth of the Bellacolla, which stream Alexander Mackenzie had followed to the Pacific in 1793; this fort, was named Fort McLoughlin. The American monopoly which Mr. Ogden was expected to break up and succeeded against so well had to be met with its own methods and means of trade. This is evidenced by the following entry in a journal kept by Wm. F. Tolmie the 14th August, 1833, at Nisqually on Puget Sound: "A ves- sel is soon to be dispatched to the Southward for a supply of tobacco and rum, etc. The latter article is expended and
