哈德逊湾公司(Hudson's Bay Co.)

加拿大经济政治史上一家重要的商业公司。1670年5月2日在英国设立，目的是找寻欧洲通往太平洋的「西北通道」（Northwest Passage），以运送商业货品。哈德逊湾公司承受的土地，也就是所谓的「鲁伯领地」（Rupert's land），占领哈德逊湾的邻近土地，东起拉布拉多（Labrado）西岸，西到洛矶山脉（Rocky Mountain），南起加拿大南端边境的红河（Red River）源头，北至哈德逊湾切斯菲尔德入口（Chesterfield Inlet on Hudson Bay）。哈德逊湾公司最初从事毛皮贸易，并且在哈德逊湾四周广设驿站，後来在1783年出现竞争对手西北公司（North West Co.），双方展开了长期的武装斗争，直到1821年两家公司合并。哈德逊湾公司原本享有独家毛皮贸易权，但在1858年这份垄断契约更新，其他独立公司也获准参与毛皮贸易。1870年哈德逊公司将领地卖给加拿大政府，换取三十万英镑、驿站周围采矿权以及加拿大西部的肥沃区域。哈德逊湾公司在1991年以前都还是大型的毛皮采集及销售商，後来事业版图才渐渐扩张到房地产及百货业。

English version：

Hudson's Bay Co.

Corporation prominent in Canadian economic and political history. It was incorporated in England (May 2, 1670) to seek the Northwest Passage to the Pacific, to occupy lands adjacent to Hudson Bay, and to carry on commerce. The lands granted to the company, known as Rupert's Land, extended from Labrador west to the Rocky Mountains and from the headwaters of the Red River on the southern Canadian border north to Chesterfield Inlet on Hudson Bay. The company first engaged in the fur trade and established trading posts around Hudson Bay. By 1783 competitors had formed the North West Co., and armed clashes continued until the two companies merged in 1821. The company was given exclusive fur-trade rights until 1858, when the monopoly was not renewed and independent companies entered the fur trade. In 1870 the company sold its territories to the government in exchange for £300,000 and mineral rights to lands around the posts and a fertile portion of western Canada. It remained a large fur-collecting and marketing agency until 1991, with extensive real-estate interests and many department stores.