Before the CPR was completed, the most efficient travel across pre-Confederation Canada was by water. In this post I've focused on the HBC Princess Royal. Fifty HBC ships - barques, brigs, frigates, schooners, sidewheelers, sloops, steamships - served the Pacific Northwest 1822-1918 beginning with the brig charter Lively (1822-24). The HBC records provide a glimpse at the many types of ships settlers took to and from the Pacific Northwest.