British traders were instructed by the London board of management to stop the sale of liquor to Indians, and the practice was abolished. It is a curious fact, however, that the first successful application of a prohibitory liquor law was in the Indian country and among fur traders.
Captain Chittenden has given a very good catalogue of Indian tribal names, but I more than suspect that it would be impossible at this date to obtain from any source a perfectly correct notion of these family names or of their significance, least of all of their spelling and pronunciation. Observe the spelling of Lewis and Clark and the endless variations from their standard by subsequent travelers and writers. Observe, also, how frequently the Indians on the Clearwater River, in Idaho, are divided and subdivided, passing usually under the name of Nez Perces, but answering to Flathead, Sahaptin, and Chopunnish about equally well. The Snake or Shoshone tribe has also several names, one, that of Les Serpents, evidently French.
Let me close by mentioning in the American fur trade some of the most familiar names after Astor. Saint Louis being the starting point of trading expeditions furnished most of the leaders and partners, among whom were Choteau, Henry, Lisa, Pratt, Ashley, Fontenelle, Bent, St. Vrain, Sarpy, Smith, Sublette, Jackson, Campbell, Farnham, Fitzpatrick, Bridger, Pilcher, Carson, Walker, Williams, Tulloch, Vanderburg, with many others; and Wyeth and Bonneville. The work, which is in three volumes, with map and illustrations, is rich in biographies. As an introduction to, or an accompaniment of the history of the settlement of the Northwest, Captain Chittenden's book is invaluable.
