British North America circa 1823

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Abstract

Depicted on this map is British North America less than one hundred years after the fall of New France. It also shows the emergence of British influence prior to Confederation. British North America circa 1823 was comprised of Lower Canada, Upper Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland (including the Labrador Coast). The Northwest Territories were considered British possessions, while the Hudson’s Bay Company controlled Rupert’s Land. The United States and Britain jointly administered the Oregon Territory. This map along with New France circa 1740 shows the settlement and population in Canada for two important periods in Canadian history prior to Confederation.

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA circa 1823 represents the extent of British North America (including the extent of Hudson’s Bay Company posts and districts) less than one hundred years after the fall of New France and shows the emergence of British hegemony prior to Confederation. The geo-politics of British North America - circa 1823 are explored and discussed in relation to: International Boundaries, Internal Divisions, Hudson’s Bay Districts, European Settlement and European Population.

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Settlers at Red River, early 1820s, in a sketch by Peter Rindisbacher showing a Swiss immigrant wife, husband and two children, a German, a Scots Highlander, and a French Canadian.

International Boundaries

The present international boundary between the United States and British North America was established to the Lake of the Woods by the Treaty of Paris (1763), clarified by the Treaty of Ghent (1814); and extended along the 49th parallel to the Rocky Mountains by the London Convention of 1818. Unable to agree on an extension of the boundary to the Pacific, the two powers agreed to exploit the area jointly until 1828.

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Historical Map: 1794 The British Possessions in North America (Samuel Lewis)

British claims to the area rested on exploration, commercial use and the Nootka Convention (1790) by which she had acquired Spanish claims north of Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island. The American claim was similar, especially after 1819 when she settled her western boundaries with Spain and acquired remaining Spanish claims north of 42° latitude.

Russia had been active on the Pacific coast since 1741 and in a directive issued by Tsar Alexander 1 in 1821 stated Russia’s claim to the coast as far south as the 51st parallel. In 1824, Russia relinquished her claims south of 54° 40´ north latitude to the United States and the following year settled her interior boundary with Britain along the 141st meridian and a line following the summits of the coastal range south to the 56th parallel where it intersects Portland Canal Inlet.

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Historical Map: 1854 British North America (John Arrowsmith)

Over the years Britain and the United States had acquired overlapping claims to the Pacific coast between 42° and 54° 40´ north latitude. It was not until the Oregon Treaty (1846) that the present boundary through this area was finalized.

Internal Divisions

British North America was divided into the separately administered colonies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. (Newfoundland, sometimes regarded as a sixth colony, had a status somewhat different from the others.) The rest of British North America stood under the charter of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

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Historical Map: 1802 A New Map of the Province of Lower Canada (Samuel Holland)

Administration of the five main colonies was similar. Each colony had a governor or lieutenant-governor appointed by the Crown who was responsible to, and received his instructions from, the Imperial Government of Great Britain through the Colonial Secretary at the Colonial Office. Although the governors of the respective colonies acted independently in civil affairs they were under the command of a governor general, who resided at Québec, in matters that affected all of British North America.

Each colony had a Legislative Council whose members were appointed by the Crown, on advice of the governor, for life. The only representative body in each colony was the Legislative Assembly consisting of members elected by the freeholders for a term of four years.

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Painting of Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe at the First Legislature of Upper Canada, Navy Hall, Newark [Niagara], Upper Canada, 1792.

All bills that were initiated had to pass both houses (Legislative Assembly and Council) and receive the assent of the governor. In 1817, the governor finally became a resident on the island. A Legislative Assembly was elected for St. John’s in 1824 and in 1825 an Executive Council was appointed, but representative government for the rest of the island was not granted until 1832.

Hudson's Bay Districts

In March 1821, the North West Company and Hudson’s Bay Company amalgamated and on December 5 of the year, under an Act of Parliament (dated July 2, 1821), the new company, which retained the name Hudson’s Bay Company, was granted exclusive trade with the Aboriginals in British North America by the Colonial Office. As before, the Governor and Committee of the Hudson’s Bay Company in London directed all affairs of the Company.

By 1823, British North America had been divided into a Northern and Southern Department. Each Department was subdivided into fur trading districts presided over by a governor appointed by and responsible to the London Committee. A council of chief factors and traders from each of the districts aided him. They were also appointed by the London Committee.

• Northern and Southern Departments

In 1811, the Earl of Selkirk, principal stockholder in the Hudson’s Bay Company, had obtained a grant from the Company for 116 000 square miles (300 500 square kilometres) to establish a colony on the Red River.

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Painting of Early Settlers Arriving at the Red River Colony, 1812

The District of Assiniboia, as the grant was called, was administered by a governor, first appointed by the London Committee in 1821, and a small council. Since Assiniboia lay within in the Northern Department, the governor of the latter Department was considered the more senior of the two. Both governors were responsible to the London Committee.

The only significant part of British North America outside the Hudson’s Bay Company control in which trade with the natives was pursued was the old Domaine du Roi containing the King’s Posts (a fur trading company). John Goudie of Québec had obtained the lease to this area in 1821. East of that part of Mingan seigniory controlled by the Company and in the southern part of Upper Canada were some independent traders. The number of these and their locations are difficult to establish.

Northern and Southern Departments

The Northern Department had 15 districts containing, by the end of 1823, some 60 posts of which York Factory was the entrepôt and administrative centre. The Southern Department had eight southern districts containing some 30 posts administered from Moose Factory.

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Hudson's Bay Company store at Moose Factory, Ontario, with scales for weighing. Established in 1672 to 1673, it was the second trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company.

A southern (Montréal) district and the posts within the Mille Vache, Portneuf and Mingan seigniories were administered from Lachine by McGillivrays, Thain and Company, agents of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The seigniories had been leased by the Company in 1821 for 21 years; Mille Vache with Port Neuf for £300 and Mingan for £500 per year.

European Settlement

The population of British North America was overwhelmingly rural living in dispersed farmsteads and small villages strung out along the shores and river valleys of the Atlantic coast, through the St. Lawrence lowlands to the north shore of Lake Ontario. Farming, fishing, and lumbering dominated their economy. Along both shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence east of the Saguenay River and along the coast of Newfoundland were many seasonal fishing and sealing stations. Beyond a few families at the more important ones on the Gaspé and Strait of Belle Isle, none of these stations had permanent populations.

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Sketch of a French Fishing Station, Western Shore, Newfoundland

On the Labrador coast, some fishermen had begun to settle near Rigolet early in the 19th century. To the north Moravian missions to Inuit had been established at Nain (1771), Okak (1776) and Hopedale (1782). Both the Moravians (a Protestant religious group founded in the 15th century) and British authorities sought to discourage European settlement in Labrador.

The vast area west of the European settled margins of British North America was the territory of some 140 000 aboriginal peoples. Living among them were some 1300 Europeans, half of whom lived in the Red River colony, and an estimated 2000 Métis. Either directly or indirectly, the fur trade dominated the lives of all these people and increasingly those of Aboriginal descent as well.

European Population

In 1825, the population of European origin resident in what is now Canada stood at about 943 000. In addition there were about 146 000 Aboriginal peoples and perhaps 2000 Métis for a total population of approximately 1 090 000. This figure does not include transient fishermen, nor does it adequately reflect the population for the colony of Lower Canada. Of the European population, 51% (480 588) lived in Lower Canada and of these about 85% were of French origin.

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The next largest colonies were Upper Canada with 16.7% (157 923) and Nova Scotia with 15.2% of the population. The smaller colonies were New Brunswick with 7% (72 327), Newfoundland, 6.3% (59 721), and Prince Edward Island, 2.8% (27 011). In all of these colonies, there were only five towns with populations over 3000, Montréal (31 516), Québec (22 101), Halifax (14 439), St. John’s (10 000) and Saint John (8000).