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Seems my Doctor got it wrong when she said I should stop taking insulin. I did contact the diabetic nurse and she said I should keep taking it as we'd discussed a couple of days prior to seeing the Doctor. She said the Doctor made an error in thinking because my blood glucose levels were so good I didn't need it but neglected to understand that it was because of taking it I was at those levels.
I think the thing to take from this is that you shouldn't just trust your Doctor and if you feel the advice you are given is not what you expected then go get another opinion.
I will say this is also why I lost the sight in my right eye as I accepted when I got bleeding in it to wait the five days to get to see the eye specialist whereas I should have gone to emergency at the local hospital.
--------
So what do you think about Donald Trump getting a new aircraft to add to the Presidents fleet? I must confess I think it's not a bad idea as a new Airforce 1 is long past due and I'm not sure Boeing is capable of manufacturing it.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland and world news stories that can affect Scotland and as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on search engines it becomes a good resource. I might also add that in a number of newspapers you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish which I do myself from time to time.
Here is what caught my eye this week...
Taking back control in the age of managed decline
By Annemarie Ward
Read more at:
https://thinkscotland.org/2025/05/ta...naged-decline/
US loses last perfect credit rating amid rising debt
The US has lost its last perfect credit rating, as influential ratings firm Moody's expressed concern over the government's ability to pay back its debt. In lowering the US rating from 'AAA' to 'Aa1', Moody's noted that successive US administrations had failed to reverse ballooning deficits and interest costs.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4ge0xk4ld1o
Canada's iconic Hudson Bay brand to survive after sale to competitor
The Hudson Bay Company - Canada's oldest corporation - will sell its brand to another iconic national retailer, Canadian Tire.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yk71dmxk3o
Can new apprenticeships help boost Scottish education?
As part of The Herald's special report on reimagining secondary school, education specialist and former teacher James McEnaney explores a relatively new qualification that some believe could help transform the experiences of many students: Foundation Apprenticeships.
Read more at:
https://archive.is/d83zC
Heriot-Watt team achieves a revolution in photonics
Even before I arrived at Dr Marcello Ferrera’s office in Heriot Watt University, I knew that I might be out of my depth.
Read more at:
https://archive.is/MKiMc#selection-1653.3-1653.123
Solving the mystery of a dinosaur mass grave at the 'River of Death'
Hidden beneath the slopes of a lush forest in Alberta, Canada, is a mass grave on a monumental scale.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0k3x8lmje1o
Conrad Black: High time for an American pope
Not since the 14th century have the Holy See and the world’s most powerful secular government been led simultaneously by fellow countrymen.
Read more at:
https://archive.is/CcrnP
The King and Queen's Special Visit to Canada House in London
King Charles and Queen Camilla visit Canada House in Trafalgar square to mark the 100th anniversary of its opening, ahead of their visit to Canada later this month.
Watch this at:
https://www.youtube.com/live/sMH1aZd...NijBNPrEcYmaFj
Kate officially names new Royal Navy warship HMS Glasgow
The Princess of Wales has officially named the Royal Navy's newest warship HMS Glasgow in a ceremony on the River Clyde. It is the first of eight Type 26 frigates to be built by BAE Systems at its Glasgow shipbuilding facilities in Govan and Scotstoun.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyvqvdn4lwo
Waverley: 50 years of the paddle steamer bought for £1
Douglas McGowan thought it was a wind-up when he was offered the Waverley paddle steamer for £1. He was one of a group of young enthusiasts who enjoyed a jaunt out on a paddle steamer in the 70s. But they never thought they would actually own one.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mrryl2nm7o
Carney says Canada in talks to join Trump's Golden Dome defence system
Canadian Prime Minister Markey Carney has said that "high level" talks are taking place with the US about joining its proposed "Golden Dome" missile defence system, aimed at countering futuristic threats.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4ee9jmk17o
Electric Canadian
CJfarmGrit
CJfarmGrit delights in the challenge of recording educational videos that we hope bridges the gap between farmers and consumers. Gen Z siblings BLESSED, along with our parents, to be working together in agriculture! Us Four siblings are 4th generation farmers.
You can watch these videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/@CJfarmGrit
The Royal North-West Mounted Police
A Corps History by Captain Ernest J. Chambers (Corps of Guides) (1906) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forces/rcmp/rnwmp.pdf
Memoirs of Half-Breed of Manitoba abd the Territories of the Canadian North West
By Father Lacombe (1901) (pdf)
You can read this memoir at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...ba/metis04.pdf
For the Memoirs and Remains of the Reverand Walter Inglis
African Missionary and Canadian Pastor by The Rev. William Cochrane, D.D., Brantford, Ontario (1887) (pdf) Anglican Church of Canada by Fennings Taylor (1869) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/Reli...00cochuoft.pdf
Mary Neilson Houstoun Cochrane
Edited by The Rev. Wm. Cochrane, A.M., Zion Presbyterian Church, Brantford, Ontario (1871) (pdf)
You can read about her at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/make...n-Cochrane.pdf
The Life and Times of Gen. John Graves Simcoe
Together with some account of Major Andre and Captain Brant By D. B. Read, Q. C. (1890) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/make...s%20Simcoe.pdf
The Journal of The Engineering Institute of Canada
Added Volume 2 (1919) for you to read.
You can read it at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/maga...ngineering.htm
Construction
A Journal for the Architectural, Engineering, and Contracting Interests of Canada. Added Volume 3 1909-10 for you to read.
You can read it at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/maga...nstruction.htm
Thoughts on a Sunday Morning - the 18th day of May 2024 - Planting Seeds
By The Rev. Nola Crewe
You can watch this at:
http://www.electricscotland.org/foru...planting-seeds
Unforgettable 35-Day Wilderness Expedition in Canada's Big Land
The Full Documentary of the 2020 "Boreal to Barrenlands - Crossing Labrador" expedition! An unprecedented canoe journey that takes four friends 670 kms through Labrador’s interior to cross three-ecosystems, two heights of land, and one entire province in 35 days.
You can watch this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...and/videos.htm
Paddle down scenic Ontario river
As the First Canadian Heritage River (designated in 1986), the French River holds a pivotal place in Canadian history. It served as a superhighway during the time of fur trade, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. You’ll learn about the nation-building developments that took place along this waterway, and the challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples and voyageurs who paddled it daily.
You can watch this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...rio/videos.htm
My Canadian Experience
Continued to update my entry for May 2025 which you can read at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/canada_add21.htm
The Beaver Magazine
Added Volume 6 No. 2 (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...rMarch1926.pdf
Electric Scotland
The Bard Family
By G. O. Seilhamer, Esq. (1908) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/webclan...stor00seil.pdf
The Tartans of the Clans and Septs of Scotland
With the Arms of the Chief - volume 1 (1906) (pdf)
You can read this volume at:
https://electricscotland.com/tartans...ts_of_Sc01.pdf
Old Edinburgh Club Minutes 1908-1915
A little hard to read but worth a perusal.(pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...81915_text.pdf
A Master in Israel
Angus MacIntosh was a native of Strathdearn, in Inverness-shire. Early dedicated to God by devoted parents, and converted by His grace, he was ordained as minister of a Gaelic chapel in Glasgow in 1792, was translated to Tain in 1797, and died in 1831.
You can read about him at:
https://electricscotland.com/bible/masterinisrael.pdf
Margaret of Scotland & the Dauphin Louis
An historical study based mainly on Original Documents preserved in the Bibliotheque nationale by Louis A. Barbé (1917) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...00barbuoft.pdf
The Land Question
With special reference to New Zealand and Old Scotland by Rev. James MacGregor, Oamaru, N.Z. (1883) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/bible/landquestion.pdf
An Index, drawn up about the year 1629
Of many records of Charters, granted by the different Sovereigns of Scotland between the years 1309 and 1413, most of which records have been long missing with an introduction, giving state, founded on authentic documents still preserved, of an introduction, giving a state, founded on authentic documents still preserved, of the ancient records of Scotland, which were in that kingdom in the year 1292, to which are subjoined, indexes of the persons and places mentioned in those charters, alphabetically arranged, published at the desire of The Right Honourable Lord Frederick Campbell, Lord Clerk-Register of Scotland with a view to lead to a discovery of those records which are missing by William Robertson, Esq. (1798) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...abou00grea.pdf
In Defence of the Regalia 1651-2
Being selections from the Family Papers of the Ogilvies of Barras edited, with introduction, by Rev. Douglas Gordon Barron, M.A., FSAScot. (1910) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/webclan...egal00barr.pdf
A Genealogical Memoir of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Drummond
And of the several branches that have sprung from it from its first founder Maurice, to the present family of Perth by David Malcolm, A.M., One of the Chaplains in ordinary, in Scotland, to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (1808) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/webclan...ofDrummond.pdf
New Scots Export Plan in Global Start-Up & Investor Crosshairs
Budding Entrepreneurs To Benefit From Groundbreaking Transatlantic Initiative out of Scotland. An article by Bill Magee.
You can read this article at:
https://electricscotland.com/magee/article0030.htm
The Gentle Heart
A Second Series of "Talking to the Children" by Alexander MacLeod, D.D. (1881) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/bible/g...tsec00macl.pdf
A Collection of Poems
Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect by John Lauderdale (1796) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/poetry/...-john_1796.pdf
Story
Arctic Trader
The account of twenty years with the Hudson's Bay Company by Philip H. Godsell,
F.R.G.S., Former Field Officer Hudson’s Bay Company (1932)
INTRODUCTION
The period covered by Philip Godsell’s narrative, though short in the life of a great company (which celebrated its 250th anniversary some fifteen years ago), is perhaps the most eventful in the history of Canada’s north. When young Godsell joined “the service” as an apprentice clerk in the early part of this century, life at many of the northern trading posts was little changed from that throughout the hundred years previous. Transportation and communication in summer were by York boat and the birch-bark canoe, and in winter by the carriole and the dog sled. Mails were infrequent, and a Post manager was forced by his isolation to depend upon his own initiative and resourcefulness to meet the varying conditions of a primitive life. The life of the native was simple, being governed almost entirely by the necessity of securing the bare means of existence. Comforts, much less luxuries, were unknown, and life, even for the traders, was primitive.
The story is brought up to the present day, and when it closes, a tremendous gap has been bridged, marking an evolution in the history of northern Canada such as would have been inconceivable to the “wintering partners” of the old “Company of Adventurers trading into Hudson’s Bay” of even a generation or two ago.
Two factors are almost solely responsible for this change, the aeroplane, and the radio, by which both time and distance no longer isolate the occupant of the lonely outposts, even on the shores of the Arctic. The marvel of this change can only be appreciated to the full by those who, twenty-five or thirty years ago, were compelled or elected to live on the fringe of the Arctic, and who now, on a Saturday night, listen to the messages sent from within the vale of civilization, to friends or relatives in all parts of the north, through the medium of the Canadian Broadcasting Commission. To such, the reading of Philip Godsell’s story will bring a striking realization of Time’s march of progress. To others, it will be a record of northern Canadian life engagingly told by one who has learned of it by living it; a record that needs to be preserved for future generations.
CHARLES CAMSELL, B.A., LL.D., Deputy Minister of Mines and President Canadian Geographical Society
FOREWORD
For nearly thirty years I have said “How!” and “Wateheer?” to the Indian, and “Chimo!” to the Eskimo, more frequently than I have greeted men of my own color. For in my case boyhood dreams came true. I came, I saw, and was conquered by the romance of the Silent Places, since when some irresistible urge has carried me by York boat, dog-train and canoe over most of the lakes and rivers of the Northland. In the lodges of the Red Men, and in the igloos of the Huskies, I have learned to know and appreciate the many sterling qualities of these natives.
The North is still vibrant with color, beauty and romance, though this is quickly passing, and in the ensuing pages I have attempted to depict the real North as I knew it; the North of the Fur Trader, the Mounted Policeman and the Indian.
I must, however, ask my readers to be tolerant if this book does not measure up to high literary standards.
Nearly thirty years spent in isolated trading posts, far from the social amenities and “advantages” of civilization, amongst wigwams of Crees, Dog-Ribs and Ojibways does not make for literary style. Those to whom this vast sub-arctic territory is unknown may be inclined to doubt some of the unusual features related in this narrative.
It is, however, just another case of truth being stranger than fiction, though I have endeavored, where possible, to give dependable references in support of incidents which might otherwise appear improbable.
P. H. G.
1104 Byng Place, West, Fort Garry, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
May 15, 1934
You can read this book at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/tra...tic-Trader.pdf
END.
Weekend is almost here and hope it's a good one for you.
Alastair
Seems my Doctor got it wrong when she said I should stop taking insulin. I did contact the diabetic nurse and she said I should keep taking it as we'd discussed a couple of days prior to seeing the Doctor. She said the Doctor made an error in thinking because my blood glucose levels were so good I didn't need it but neglected to understand that it was because of taking it I was at those levels.
I think the thing to take from this is that you shouldn't just trust your Doctor and if you feel the advice you are given is not what you expected then go get another opinion.
I will say this is also why I lost the sight in my right eye as I accepted when I got bleeding in it to wait the five days to get to see the eye specialist whereas I should have gone to emergency at the local hospital.
--------
So what do you think about Donald Trump getting a new aircraft to add to the Presidents fleet? I must confess I think it's not a bad idea as a new Airforce 1 is long past due and I'm not sure Boeing is capable of manufacturing it.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland and world news stories that can affect Scotland and as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on search engines it becomes a good resource. I might also add that in a number of newspapers you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish which I do myself from time to time.
Here is what caught my eye this week...
Taking back control in the age of managed decline
By Annemarie Ward
Read more at:
https://thinkscotland.org/2025/05/ta...naged-decline/
US loses last perfect credit rating amid rising debt
The US has lost its last perfect credit rating, as influential ratings firm Moody's expressed concern over the government's ability to pay back its debt. In lowering the US rating from 'AAA' to 'Aa1', Moody's noted that successive US administrations had failed to reverse ballooning deficits and interest costs.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4ge0xk4ld1o
Canada's iconic Hudson Bay brand to survive after sale to competitor
The Hudson Bay Company - Canada's oldest corporation - will sell its brand to another iconic national retailer, Canadian Tire.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yk71dmxk3o
Can new apprenticeships help boost Scottish education?
As part of The Herald's special report on reimagining secondary school, education specialist and former teacher James McEnaney explores a relatively new qualification that some believe could help transform the experiences of many students: Foundation Apprenticeships.
Read more at:
https://archive.is/d83zC
Heriot-Watt team achieves a revolution in photonics
Even before I arrived at Dr Marcello Ferrera’s office in Heriot Watt University, I knew that I might be out of my depth.
Read more at:
https://archive.is/MKiMc#selection-1653.3-1653.123
Solving the mystery of a dinosaur mass grave at the 'River of Death'
Hidden beneath the slopes of a lush forest in Alberta, Canada, is a mass grave on a monumental scale.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0k3x8lmje1o
Conrad Black: High time for an American pope
Not since the 14th century have the Holy See and the world’s most powerful secular government been led simultaneously by fellow countrymen.
Read more at:
https://archive.is/CcrnP
The King and Queen's Special Visit to Canada House in London
King Charles and Queen Camilla visit Canada House in Trafalgar square to mark the 100th anniversary of its opening, ahead of their visit to Canada later this month.
Watch this at:
https://www.youtube.com/live/sMH1aZd...NijBNPrEcYmaFj
Kate officially names new Royal Navy warship HMS Glasgow
The Princess of Wales has officially named the Royal Navy's newest warship HMS Glasgow in a ceremony on the River Clyde. It is the first of eight Type 26 frigates to be built by BAE Systems at its Glasgow shipbuilding facilities in Govan and Scotstoun.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyvqvdn4lwo
Waverley: 50 years of the paddle steamer bought for £1
Douglas McGowan thought it was a wind-up when he was offered the Waverley paddle steamer for £1. He was one of a group of young enthusiasts who enjoyed a jaunt out on a paddle steamer in the 70s. But they never thought they would actually own one.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mrryl2nm7o
Carney says Canada in talks to join Trump's Golden Dome defence system
Canadian Prime Minister Markey Carney has said that "high level" talks are taking place with the US about joining its proposed "Golden Dome" missile defence system, aimed at countering futuristic threats.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4ee9jmk17o
Electric Canadian
CJfarmGrit
CJfarmGrit delights in the challenge of recording educational videos that we hope bridges the gap between farmers and consumers. Gen Z siblings BLESSED, along with our parents, to be working together in agriculture! Us Four siblings are 4th generation farmers.
You can watch these videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/@CJfarmGrit
The Royal North-West Mounted Police
A Corps History by Captain Ernest J. Chambers (Corps of Guides) (1906) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forces/rcmp/rnwmp.pdf
Memoirs of Half-Breed of Manitoba abd the Territories of the Canadian North West
By Father Lacombe (1901) (pdf)
You can read this memoir at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...ba/metis04.pdf
For the Memoirs and Remains of the Reverand Walter Inglis
African Missionary and Canadian Pastor by The Rev. William Cochrane, D.D., Brantford, Ontario (1887) (pdf) Anglican Church of Canada by Fennings Taylor (1869) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/Reli...00cochuoft.pdf
Mary Neilson Houstoun Cochrane
Edited by The Rev. Wm. Cochrane, A.M., Zion Presbyterian Church, Brantford, Ontario (1871) (pdf)
You can read about her at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/make...n-Cochrane.pdf
The Life and Times of Gen. John Graves Simcoe
Together with some account of Major Andre and Captain Brant By D. B. Read, Q. C. (1890) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/make...s%20Simcoe.pdf
The Journal of The Engineering Institute of Canada
Added Volume 2 (1919) for you to read.
You can read it at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/maga...ngineering.htm
Construction
A Journal for the Architectural, Engineering, and Contracting Interests of Canada. Added Volume 3 1909-10 for you to read.
You can read it at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/maga...nstruction.htm
Thoughts on a Sunday Morning - the 18th day of May 2024 - Planting Seeds
By The Rev. Nola Crewe
You can watch this at:
http://www.electricscotland.org/foru...planting-seeds
Unforgettable 35-Day Wilderness Expedition in Canada's Big Land
The Full Documentary of the 2020 "Boreal to Barrenlands - Crossing Labrador" expedition! An unprecedented canoe journey that takes four friends 670 kms through Labrador’s interior to cross three-ecosystems, two heights of land, and one entire province in 35 days.
You can watch this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...and/videos.htm
Paddle down scenic Ontario river
As the First Canadian Heritage River (designated in 1986), the French River holds a pivotal place in Canadian history. It served as a superhighway during the time of fur trade, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. You’ll learn about the nation-building developments that took place along this waterway, and the challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples and voyageurs who paddled it daily.
You can watch this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist...rio/videos.htm
My Canadian Experience
Continued to update my entry for May 2025 which you can read at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/canada_add21.htm
The Beaver Magazine
Added Volume 6 No. 2 (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...rMarch1926.pdf
Electric Scotland
The Bard Family
By G. O. Seilhamer, Esq. (1908) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/webclan...stor00seil.pdf
The Tartans of the Clans and Septs of Scotland
With the Arms of the Chief - volume 1 (1906) (pdf)
You can read this volume at:
https://electricscotland.com/tartans...ts_of_Sc01.pdf
Old Edinburgh Club Minutes 1908-1915
A little hard to read but worth a perusal.(pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...81915_text.pdf
A Master in Israel
Angus MacIntosh was a native of Strathdearn, in Inverness-shire. Early dedicated to God by devoted parents, and converted by His grace, he was ordained as minister of a Gaelic chapel in Glasgow in 1792, was translated to Tain in 1797, and died in 1831.
You can read about him at:
https://electricscotland.com/bible/masterinisrael.pdf
Margaret of Scotland & the Dauphin Louis
An historical study based mainly on Original Documents preserved in the Bibliotheque nationale by Louis A. Barbé (1917) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...00barbuoft.pdf
The Land Question
With special reference to New Zealand and Old Scotland by Rev. James MacGregor, Oamaru, N.Z. (1883) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/bible/landquestion.pdf
An Index, drawn up about the year 1629
Of many records of Charters, granted by the different Sovereigns of Scotland between the years 1309 and 1413, most of which records have been long missing with an introduction, giving state, founded on authentic documents still preserved, of an introduction, giving a state, founded on authentic documents still preserved, of the ancient records of Scotland, which were in that kingdom in the year 1292, to which are subjoined, indexes of the persons and places mentioned in those charters, alphabetically arranged, published at the desire of The Right Honourable Lord Frederick Campbell, Lord Clerk-Register of Scotland with a view to lead to a discovery of those records which are missing by William Robertson, Esq. (1798) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...abou00grea.pdf
In Defence of the Regalia 1651-2
Being selections from the Family Papers of the Ogilvies of Barras edited, with introduction, by Rev. Douglas Gordon Barron, M.A., FSAScot. (1910) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/webclan...egal00barr.pdf
A Genealogical Memoir of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Drummond
And of the several branches that have sprung from it from its first founder Maurice, to the present family of Perth by David Malcolm, A.M., One of the Chaplains in ordinary, in Scotland, to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (1808) (pdf)
You can read this book at:
https://electricscotland.com/webclan...ofDrummond.pdf
New Scots Export Plan in Global Start-Up & Investor Crosshairs
Budding Entrepreneurs To Benefit From Groundbreaking Transatlantic Initiative out of Scotland. An article by Bill Magee.
You can read this article at:
https://electricscotland.com/magee/article0030.htm
The Gentle Heart
A Second Series of "Talking to the Children" by Alexander MacLeod, D.D. (1881) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/bible/g...tsec00macl.pdf
A Collection of Poems
Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect by John Lauderdale (1796) (pdf)
You can read this at:
https://electricscotland.com/poetry/...-john_1796.pdf
Story
Arctic Trader
The account of twenty years with the Hudson's Bay Company by Philip H. Godsell,
F.R.G.S., Former Field Officer Hudson’s Bay Company (1932)
INTRODUCTION
The period covered by Philip Godsell’s narrative, though short in the life of a great company (which celebrated its 250th anniversary some fifteen years ago), is perhaps the most eventful in the history of Canada’s north. When young Godsell joined “the service” as an apprentice clerk in the early part of this century, life at many of the northern trading posts was little changed from that throughout the hundred years previous. Transportation and communication in summer were by York boat and the birch-bark canoe, and in winter by the carriole and the dog sled. Mails were infrequent, and a Post manager was forced by his isolation to depend upon his own initiative and resourcefulness to meet the varying conditions of a primitive life. The life of the native was simple, being governed almost entirely by the necessity of securing the bare means of existence. Comforts, much less luxuries, were unknown, and life, even for the traders, was primitive.
The story is brought up to the present day, and when it closes, a tremendous gap has been bridged, marking an evolution in the history of northern Canada such as would have been inconceivable to the “wintering partners” of the old “Company of Adventurers trading into Hudson’s Bay” of even a generation or two ago.
Two factors are almost solely responsible for this change, the aeroplane, and the radio, by which both time and distance no longer isolate the occupant of the lonely outposts, even on the shores of the Arctic. The marvel of this change can only be appreciated to the full by those who, twenty-five or thirty years ago, were compelled or elected to live on the fringe of the Arctic, and who now, on a Saturday night, listen to the messages sent from within the vale of civilization, to friends or relatives in all parts of the north, through the medium of the Canadian Broadcasting Commission. To such, the reading of Philip Godsell’s story will bring a striking realization of Time’s march of progress. To others, it will be a record of northern Canadian life engagingly told by one who has learned of it by living it; a record that needs to be preserved for future generations.
CHARLES CAMSELL, B.A., LL.D., Deputy Minister of Mines and President Canadian Geographical Society
FOREWORD
For nearly thirty years I have said “How!” and “Wateheer?” to the Indian, and “Chimo!” to the Eskimo, more frequently than I have greeted men of my own color. For in my case boyhood dreams came true. I came, I saw, and was conquered by the romance of the Silent Places, since when some irresistible urge has carried me by York boat, dog-train and canoe over most of the lakes and rivers of the Northland. In the lodges of the Red Men, and in the igloos of the Huskies, I have learned to know and appreciate the many sterling qualities of these natives.
The North is still vibrant with color, beauty and romance, though this is quickly passing, and in the ensuing pages I have attempted to depict the real North as I knew it; the North of the Fur Trader, the Mounted Policeman and the Indian.
I must, however, ask my readers to be tolerant if this book does not measure up to high literary standards.
Nearly thirty years spent in isolated trading posts, far from the social amenities and “advantages” of civilization, amongst wigwams of Crees, Dog-Ribs and Ojibways does not make for literary style. Those to whom this vast sub-arctic territory is unknown may be inclined to doubt some of the unusual features related in this narrative.
It is, however, just another case of truth being stranger than fiction, though I have endeavored, where possible, to give dependable references in support of incidents which might otherwise appear improbable.
P. H. G.
1104 Byng Place, West, Fort Garry, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
May 15, 1934
You can read this book at:
https://www.electriccanadian.com/tra...tic-Trader.pdf
END.
Weekend is almost here and hope it's a good one for you.
Alastair