Under that odium the great discoverer's
name has rested for nearly three centuries; yet the accusation of theft
is without a grain of truth. Radisson and Groseillers were to obtain
half the proceeds of the voyage in 1682-1683. Neither the explorers
nor Jean Groseillers, who had privately invested 500 pounds in the
venture, ever received one sou. The furs at Port Nelson--or Fort
Bourbon--belonged to the Frenchmen, to do what they pleased with them.
The act of the enthusiast is often tainted with folly. That Radisson
turned over twenty thousand beaver pelts to the English, without the
slightest assurance that he would be given adequate return, was surely
folly; but it was not theft.
The transfer of all possessions to the English was promptly made.
Radisson then arranged a peace treaty between the Indians and the
English. That peace treaty has endured between the Indians and the
Hudson's Bay Company to this day. A new fort was built, the furs
stored in the hold of the vessels, and the crews mustered for the
return voyage. Radisson had been given a solemn promise by the
Hudson's Bay Company that Jean Groseillers and his comrades should be
well treated and reengaged for the English at 100 pounds a year. Now
he learned that the English intended to ship all the French out of
Hudson Bay and to keep them out. The enthusiast had played his game
with more zeal than discretion. The English had what they wanted--furs
and fort. In return, Radisson had what had misled him like a
will-o'-the-wisp all his life--vague promises.
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