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‘The faithfulness of our dealings’: the correspondence between George Simpson and Ferdinand von Wrangell, 1838–48

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

Ian R. Stone
Affiliation:
Laggan Juys, Larivane Close, Andreas, Isle of Man IM7 4HD

Abstract

By an agreement in 1839, the Hudson's Bay Company and the Russian American Company established a framework for co-operation in their activities in Alaska and adjacent areas of Canada that lasted until the 1860s. The signatories to the agreement were George Simpson and Ferdinand von Wrangell. These men were prominent in the management of the co-operation and this was facilitated by their mutual trust and friendship. An examination of their correspondence affords insights into business methods in a cross-cultural environment in the mid-nineteenth century, and into the extent to which their personal relations influenced major decisions in economics and politics with regard to the areas of activity of both companies.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002

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