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The 1820s were an era of transition for the Hudson's Bay Company: the HBC absorbed the North West Company in 1821 and throughout was engaged in a vigorous competition with the "Boston ships" of American fur traders. George Simpson, who still believed the Fraser to be navigable, envisioned Fort Langley as a central depot in response to American competition on the Columbia. While Fort Langley did not become such a depot, the first three years of the post's journals -- written by George Barnston, James McMillan and Archibald McDonald -- have survived and serve as a testament to the early years of this settlement and of its interaction with the Native peoples of the area. Morag Maclachan provides an introduction to the writing of the journals and has meticulously annotated their content in light of a wide range of secondary literature. An ethnographic essay on the journals and a series of appendices conclude the volume, including an especially useful discussion of the names of the 26 or 27 tribes mentioned in the journals.