Item 18 - Letter from Roderick Mackenzie to Simon McTavish, 11 May 1800

Open original Digital object

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Letter from Roderick Mackenzie to Simon McTavish, 11 May 1800

General material designation

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title based on contents of item.

Level of description

Item

Reference code

CA RBD MSG 431-18

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 11 May 1800 (Creation)
    Creator
    Mackenzie, Roderick, approximately 1761-1844
    Place
    Montréal (Québec)

Physical description area

Physical description

1 folded sheet ; 23.2 cm x 19.8 cm

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

(approximately 1761-1844)

Biographical history

Roderick Mackenzie (c. 1761-1844) who had been a partner in the North-West Company, conceived the idea of writing a survey and history of the Canadian North West. In 1806 he had printed a circular letter that he sent out requesting information for his survey. He was interested in geography, longitude and latitude, mountains, rivers, the weather, the soil; flora and fauna and methods of hunting; the First Nations and their history, culture, morals and government; and the history of the fur trade. And his letter included a long list of vocabulary as well. All these were to serve as hints to his informants. Mackenzie had as his model The Statistical Account of Scotland published in the 1790s in twenty-one volumes by Sir John Sinclair. One example of the responses to Mackenzie's circular letter is the series of letters George Keith in the Mackenzie River Department sent him from 1807-1817 in which he described the country, the climate and the inhabitants. He also included a vocabulary list and First Nation stories including a creation myth.

Custodial history

Scope and content

Manuscript letter to McTavish signed Rod. Mackenzie, dated Montreal 11th May 1800.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Language of material

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

Generated finding aid

Associated materials

Related materials

Accruals

General note

Red wax seal intact, with remnants of another wax seal.

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Control area

Description record identifier

Institution identifier

Rules or conventions

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Language of description

Script of description

Sources

Digital object (External URI) rights area

Digital object (Reference) rights area

Digital object (Thumbnail) rights area

Accession area

Related subjects

Related people and organizations

Related places

Related genres