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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 r I ■ TRAI I Ha] RE A paper ??^:*': B:l,^WllW:OrB HISTORICAL AND E H OCIET ■;W)f MI^flCFM^ . /I 'Hj^y I TRANSACTiON HO A SEASON 1883-4,1 m JsiOTES yVNE) eOMMENTS ON H armo ii's Jo ii r na 1 , 1S00-1S20_ -HV- REV. PROFESSOR BRYCE, M,A., LLB„ CORUKSI'ONDING SRCKKTAHY. A paper read "hEfnra th- SnniEty on. the BVEning nf 13th DBCEinhBr, 1BB3, W T N N 1 P K (J : MANITOHA DAILY KKKE I'KKHrS. 1883. 1 1 ■■# HeminiHo the ruguliir iim iikI Scientific Stx priicueilings \ nut lire. Wo by Kov. I'rul I'l HaniioirH b R'ct'ived. A v led to Prufu8H«jr alsii ti ■M infoinitiUy sti pie liiul pioniiaei e itj ii prospect lii'iii^ obt]iine lit the next iiiei Mr. J. H. er dealing with mers trip to Ca liL' riillowing ill 1 l).v Rev. Prof. liL' arrival of t tile baiiku of He< tvlieii to iium lid ProfesHor Hryce for Iuh paper, also to Mr. Alexander Kippen, wlio leiitc'l Hurnion'H ImniIc to the society. following gentlemen were elected i))ers of the society : lluv. Principal Rev. C. B. Pitblado, Messra. F. (imitier, .F. A. Campbell, W. \V. haiii\n, VVm. Martin, W. l>. Russell, I'atton, W. S. iJrant, Wui. Lind- Stouewall), \\u\. .Ashdown, sr. , gerior from irrJ, and built forts at a number of its in our region. On Lake of the uds was Fort St. Charles, at the til of Winnipeg River Fort Maurepas, lie Forks near the site of this city Fuit Ruuge, at Portage la Prairie t-de La Rein^ between Lakes Win- g and iVEaiiifcpua Fort J)uupluiL» and the Saskatchewan mouth Fort Bour- bon. Tile references maile to these are very meagre however, and have not much more interest for UH than the fam- ous ex|tedition of Lewis and (*larku, up the Missouri in lH04-<>, or than the wan- derings of Hennepin at an earlier date up the Mississippi. Their continuity was lost, and when our present history began. tM I have been assured by one of Lork Selkirk's earliest t>and of Colon- ists, there was no trace of these forta re- maining. While the Xor'west Coiniiany anns fur- ther north. Sir Alexander Mac- kenxie (ITHIMKJ) in his absorbing book car- ries us to the regions beyond -to far away Atliabiisca, tiie Peace River, and the mighty stream named after himself, Hearne (17U!)-72) deals with the sub- arctic territory Northwest of Hudson's Bay t'O the Arctic Sea. Jonathan Carver (17U(>-<»8) leaves ua a most interesting account of a journey far northwestward. Alexander Henry (1800-181U) passe* throught the district, but he too is largely taken up with the free traile in the Sas- katchewan and the distiint |M)rt8, while we could have wished that there could have been placed in our hands in printed form, what still remains only a manu- script, the journal of Mr. David Thouip son, suneyor of the Nor'west Company (17!M5-i)8), and which describes the couji- ti7 and the |)osts to some extent at that .liite. In this remarkable absence of histori- cal data of our Winnipeg district, it is with real delight that 1 announce tJirough the kind oHices of Mr. A. Kippen, Mr. C. N. Bell, a member of our societ'^ has ob- tiiined from Prince Albert the only copy that 1 am aware of as being in the coun- try of Harmon's journal (1800-1820). I had met it in the Hudson's Bay Com- pany Library in Lond«>8e tu give a Hketch of some interesting facts scattered through it for the members of our society, with notes and connuents U|M)n them. The writer, D. W. Hannon, was an Amer- ican from Vei'gennes, in the State of Ver- mont, and was bom in the vear 1778. At- tracted north t(» Montreal by the fame of the Nor' west Company, which offered not only adventure for the young and the brave, but also a comiwtence for the energetic and the caiwble, the young Vennonter had left home at the age of 22, and bound himself for seven yeara to undergo the hardships of the fur trade. There are in the (lussession of this society si>ecimens as old as the year 1784, being before Harmon's day, of the agreements by which the Nor'westera bound their eni- ployes. Washington Irving in one of his lMK>k8 has j^iven us with all his brilliancy of description an account of the Nor'west Traders of Canada, and certainly their life was full of th6 pictures(iue as thus they sallied forth from Montreal in ■earch of the Western Colchis to bring back the golden fleece. To one who has gone up the Ottawa it is interesting to follow the youth, new to his work, leav- ing Lachine on 29th April, 1800, portag- ing the loads, repairing canoes, marking bdes, killing game, passing the site of the city of Ottawa "me three kettles," counting with melancholy feeling the fourteen cn)sses at Roche Capitaine Portage, marking as they did an eciual number of victims to the dangerous navi- Stion of the Rapids, and as the voyt^ers rt one stream to go up or down another, they pulled off their hats and made the sign of the cross for protection. How natural amid their dangers, when at one single rapid, could he counted no less than 30 memorial crosses of their com- panions gathered in by the voracious deep ! With interesting minuteness the journal chronicles the journey through Lakes Huron and Superior, to the Grand mta of the dama iup|H>ses will be mi them rum is all the savages uld the |K^"enta ', the girl is clo ion. cler^ 'nan in notice will be oins as to marrii ug. 10.— "Althc roviaions, yet oi " ig to eat, the fie icious ote. —This was i west voyageurs. ariiion now lex n^ northward hi inipog, and entei Portage, the great rendezvous of Nor'west Ct>m|Muiy. This was on shore northwest of Isle Royale and forty-five miles southwest of the fort erected on Tlmnder Bay at the iii( of the Kaministi<|uia, which was lu after William McOillivray, the the Nor'west Comiiany, Fort Will«;;^LThi, ^^ , The voyageurs who had acconipaniutl traveller n«iw returned t«> Montreal, those who earned him forward we new and daring set of men. They Kw contemptuously on the voyageurs i Montreal to Orand Portage, whom called "maiigeurs de latxl," iMtrk mI from tiie dried pnivisions used in absence of game coming up the li Tlie inland voyageurs rejuicem Lake of „„ 20. '• We » Woods to Swan River. »• v.„«fowi. rv»i July 31st, 1800. Mouth of theB ": 24~LittK Winipick (sic). "Here the Nor' jmlogig). Company and the Hudson's Bay Com ^ 30 — -" We ai have each a fort. The soil is »>od;ai )^^ which is ab the fruit I observe the red plum; („„,', tjve to thir graiHj also grows wdd in this vicmity ,t jt j, generally Note.-Here appears the furthest p tiinbe?, which c (except Rainy Lake) towards I^ike hirch, p<,plar, penor Jo which tlu. Hudson s Bay ,ere take, In nets, pany at this date had gone. In 177 jxcellent." two companies had first met ut ^p^ ^ I,, j j^^^^ Cumberland on the Saskatchewan, j,, " ^^ Bible an there was nothing but conflict f..rf ,^^^^ ;, j seven years till their union Th« «, that it too n, "Lake Winnipeg, was founded m 1 ^najje." a Fort Alexander is still maintained in ^_ {)_"»» w,. ^^gj locality by the H. B. Co. v^ixe with plei Aug. 3rd. The same place.—" *toeachof the substitute for bread, we now make u ^,^ ^i, ^^^^^ ,,, what the natives call pimicanjfcirhich t^.^^jg „f ^j^^ ^ suts of lean meat, dned and pouude j j,,^^ jj^^ and then mixed with melted fat. rand lay d«)wn a compound is put into bags, made o (Note— the sn skins of the buffelo, etc., and wlien \^.-^^ \ It becomes a solid body. Pinucan ^^ ^ ^^^^ ^ ^j^^^ ye^ pahtable, nourishing and he 51,.^^ ^-^^^ ^^^^^^ ar and great fa( food. Aug. 8.-"Th«eyeningMon8.Mi ,n t<. sleep sound took a woman of this countiy for a (<, obtain refresh] All the ceremonies attending 8U( ^m ^^ f^^ j^ event are the following : When a p j.' is desirous of taking one of the dauj j^j^^^ j^^ ^ ^^^ of the natives, he makes a present t< ^ n-aveller has ai 8 itdezvuua of 'hia WM (ju [luyale ami isat of the Buy at the iik liich waa lu ■ay, thti Iti ^ Fort Wil iiccoin}>aiiiu Muiitruul, I forward w an. They lu ) vttyaguurs tast), whom inl," iM)rk liuiia uaed in ig up the li rejoiced in ! of wowl miijB„^ northward half the length of Lake thabaaca illld mutncr nnd unf.«ni f.hn rivnp T'>minhinA ittiiig inuny ii ^]^ 111 ia found nn Winnipeg dii of the WoikU pointa «if iiii n we ahull lie journal from Lake nta of the damael, of audi articlea aa lupiKHwa will be moat acceptable, and m them rum is indiaiwnaable, for of all the aavagea are fond to exceaa. luld the |x>"enta accept the articlea of- ' the girl ia clothed in the Canadian ion." bte — Thia waa long before the arrival e\er^i 'nan in the Northweat. Fur- notice will be taken of Nor'woater 1118 ua to marriage. ug. 10. — "Although weareiiotinwant visiona, yet our (leople have killed to eat, the fleah of which, they aay, licioua " ote. — Thia waa not the Indiana but the west voyageura. ariiion now leavea with hia i>arty. inipog, and entera the river Dauphine, loada to hia deatination. LAKE WINNIPEO. ug. 17. — "The country about thia is low; and is overapread with pretty ry timber, and the aoil appears tu be juth of the re the Nor' on's Bay C(im| loil is good;ai red pluiii;! le RIVKR DAl'PMINK. 20. — " We see a great number of bustards, pelicans, etc. ug. 24. — Little Lake Winnipick (Win- ;oosis). 30. — " We are now nearly across lal(e, which is about 120 miles long, . . . —fniiu live to thirty bmad. The land this vicinity ^^ j^ jg generally low and well covered the furthest j timber, which consists of a species of xiwards l^ike ^ birch, poplar, aspen, willow, etc. udson's Bay( ,eretake, in nets, the white-fish, which Ijone. Inl(. jxcellent." ™*b ™v!' *'* ipt. 1.— "I have passed the day in aakatchewan, jjjg j-j^g Bible, and in meditating on conflict m I iresent way of living ; and, I must union. This jgg, that it too much resembles that s founded in 1 uy^e." # maintained in jj o _.i yy^ are now encaini»ed around ■^- ji ge fire, with plenty of f«M)d ; I have me place.— |, t,, each of the people a dram, and now makeu ^^^ ^H ceased to think <}f the fatigue imican^srhich trouble of the day. To make a place d and pouiidw j do^n, the i>eoplo 8cnii>e away the and lay down a few branches of the (Note — the spruce) such as this itry in every part produces ; and on |Te 8i)read a blanket or two and cover lives with another. A day «>f hard r and great fatigue will enable a n to sleep soundly on such a bed; i> obtain refreshment such as a slug- will seek for in vain on a bed of melted fat. lags, made and wheni dy. PiniicanI ihing and ing Mons. J ountiy for a ' itencUng bucj : When a le of the daugl a present I LIKK AT A NOR WEST FORT. ' traveller has at last arrived in the fMirt of the c«>untry where for a«>iiie veart lia lot ia to be cast. The older rusidonta of Manitoba are all familiar with the " 8wan River District." It ia now a part of thia Province, and, lying weat of Lake Winnificgooaia, ia aay 250 milea northweat of thia city. Tlieyoun^^ trader of twenty-two ia at once thrown into hia work, which ia ni>thiiig less than taking charge of a fort. The BU|H3riiitendent of Swan River Fort ia to iu:com])any Har- mon 8«j far and begin the (iiiteqirise of erecting another fort, and allow the novice to proceed. We must be careful to realize what is meant by a fort. The two forts on Red River up t«» last yew — Upper and Lower Fort (Jarry — were worthy of the name. We may well bear a gruclge to the H. B. Co., fmm an arcli- luologicol iMtiiit of view, that our Fort Garry, in which we took so just a pride, is now a thing of the imst, and that the coiiiimny with two hundred years of a most pictures({ue history, succumlwd to the spirit of the hour and cleared away this historic land-mark. This, in ]mss- ing ; but the forts that the disputants as to the boundaiy-liiie of Ontario are con- tinually rouiindiiig us of as being scat- tered with such prof usion over the North- west in French days, wore certainly not nearly such formidable objects should one desire to attack them, as the famous windmill which brought Don Quixote to grief in his war-like tulveiiturc, Mons. Perigne, of Swan River Fort, sallies forth valiantly, with six men, on the borders of winter to erect a fort at Bird Mountain. Harmon's Fort, one hundred miles to the west of Swan River Fort, is natnod Alexan- dria. It is interesting to read thatitBtottd on the bank of the Assiiiiboine, or Upi>er Red River. It was westward of Fort Pelly. The stockade around Fort Alex- andria was 254{ ft. X 142 ft. Those fa- miliar with Northwest life can i>icture to themselves the buildings arranged one aide of the 8<|uare on the interior, the st(»res according to a regular plan, leaving the central space for the natives to gather and hold their pow-wow. In this case the build- ings were whitewashed inside and outside with a while earth, which travelers so far west as the Bow River in the Rocky Mountains may still see used in the ab- sence of lime for the siuiie pur- pose. Harmon found mattei-s a go* id deal difl'erent from the surroundings of his quiet Puritan home in Vermont. In reply to his reproof given his men for playing cards on Sunday, he is informed T thut there ia rrn ** SniuUy in thi«cnmitfy. and no (jod nor duvil," nnd hitfort! IiIh Hecnnd nuinth had ux|tirud )i«t wax witnum in thu fort, itnulf of nn Indian hniwl in which eight faniilionof ('ruuNpiirtici|Niti)d, and reganlinu which he niakoH Miv very mild coniinvnt. " to nou a houHu full of drunken Indiann, conaiHtin^ of mon, women and children, in a niont iniiiloaitant Right." It !■, w« are hound in jimtict! to state, ono of the bn. Mr. Ai"chi])ald Noriiiiin McLeo«l, whonj readers «if the hisbiry of I81(» will recognize as one of the ]irouiinont Nor'- west ofticers, was at this time liour- geois-" shop-keeper " of Alexandria Fort. and being Scotch the day must be ob- served. The celebration seems to luive (wrtaken somewhat of a French charac ter. no doubt from the employes havin;^ been chiefly French-Canadians. We are t»>ld that the people of thu fort, aj^ree- ably to the cust^mi of thu country, early in the morning presented him with a cross, etc., and at the same time a num- ber of others who were at his door dis- charged a volley or two of muskets." Soon after, they were invited into the hall, where they received a reiisonable dram, after which Mr. McLeod miwle them a jtresent, I am afraid, of a fiuther supply of the same article. The evening closed with a grand entertainment. I fear this mode of celebrating St. An- drew's day has not yet entirely disap- peared fninj the w»)rM. WINTER IIUKKALO HfNT. No sooner had the new year of 180J [•iVBsed, with its festivities, than the (juos- tion of winter supplies arose. Men, women and children must hie away to the bufliilo plants to engage in the lutnt. The tmveller ni Manitoba of less than ten years ago often met fathei", mother, sons and raii'ies is something striking to til familiar with their great scarcity iit| time of the Selkirk cohmiststeiiorfv years after. It is well known the is not indigenous to .\merica, and t!ie| ciirrence in such abundance at River would indicate a coiisidenililt' merce with Central America, wheiiii! troduced by the Spaniards, the iie so useful for the Viutt plains mtist been brought up the Mississip|>i and soiiri valleys, and reached our nint latitiules. Tliat. however, the Imntel much later than the dog in this regi(i( shown by the Creo name for h " mis-ta-tiiri,' meaning " big dog.' every-day life of a free ti-ader could linl be monotonous, but even in it episiult a more striking kind occur. Haii was on one occasion found adoptiiii,'| role of AN I.NIHAN MEItirlNK MAN. About duly, 1802, one of the liiiiiW his emi»loy complained of having iMwt tune in hunting. He complainud whenever he fell upon the trail "f animal he was followed by an evil sd As he approached the animal, the spirit, just before he had coiiiei enough to take aim, with a terrible i IS. Ill till) tti [„|,Bfi h"• II, tllU lllllltfllt tolltfl iiiim1«- nf Minu mill tilk. tun to twotitv kI HpruHll HI III liiid H Hii^'iir 111 luilll fllMII u II iiouoiiiimiiici 1h nf " lit Tho hold iiHiiii, tliuy ill! nmch within n ruiiiiiiilud or be- tiiiii towanl tho ahiriiung voico wlioii Mill it, and tliat it would atop tho ,Y tN tongiiu. Ho furthot- warnod him [It look huhind him, but to pui-nitutho aI, and ho would iiiidoubtodly kill. His romody Hiu-cootlod, and Hai- n-hilo riniiigto a liigli iMiaitioii of ro- iiiiioiig tho IndiaiiM, at loiiHt coiii- iitontoii«~ g in this re!,'i(i name for "big dog." bmder could tjn in it epism I occur. Hal inid adoptiii!.' irlNK MAX 10 of the liiiiiti of having iMNi cumplaiiiud the trail nf by an evil 8[ I animal, tlie ! hatl come th a terrible our NorthwiM |,^ j,, \,^^ founil here in tho upper ;li riiiii or Devonian strata, as in Ontario New York State, and will no doubt imvo a useful native industry, on a itirmer basis than land speculation or er towns. He also speaks of sugar ig made from the sh]i of the maple f course the true maple but the leijiiiido Aceroidos " so well known to ill. The MisHsiiuitomuiiuck (service y) berries receive, as is proper their (I of praise. A feature that wo do ciiiu t;0 mention is also noted the Impiter.H. This is the earliest notice ily 2:\n\, 1H02.) unless it be Indian UH of these ]>e8ts, thai has come to kiinwlodge. We are iiuite faniiliar ih the fact thai the Selkirk Colonists in S18 and 1810 suffered from thoso ter- e enemies of the farmer, but even at wirly date the American Desert to Southwest of us was sending its I'elcume messengers to us. DOWN THK AS.SINIB()INK. IB ability to open up now means of isiMirt, and discover as the countiy explored by their employes untried lies, was a thing in which the Nor'- it Company far exceeded the Hudson's lyl'miipany before the union of tho cuui}>anies. The Nur' westers and their iiion wore chioHy colonists hnving their headipiartors in Montroal, while tho Hudson's Kay ComiMiny's men were ohietiy fi-oiii Hrit^iin and ctmhl not be ox- IHicted t.o show tho aanie a»g and Winni|>egiH>His largely given up at this timu for tlie later journey, which has remained to this day, by way of the Assiniboine. Harmon now gets orders (1H04) to come southward to meet tho superintendent of the district, a Mr. ChalMiillox, t«> tmns|Nirt giMMlt from what was considered the head ol navigation on the .Assiniboine t^i his |iost. This Mr. (.'halMiillex seems to have had his headiiuartei's near the mouth of the Soiiris, where at this date there woru three fort/S, Krandon House, bohmging to the Hudson's Hay Comitaiiy, after which the ('ity of Brandon is named; .\ssiiiilioine House, bohmging to the Nor'- west ('omiwny : and Souris River Fort-, belonging to the X. Y. Company, an oH'- shoot of tho Nor' west (7omi>any between tho years of l7*Mt and 1804, and to which for the time being belonged the well- known tradei'H, Edward Bilice and Sir Alexander Macken/.ie. The junction of tho Souris and the .-Kssiniboine is ovi- donily among the key points of tho fur trade of the southern district. I had the pleasure of visiting, on tho west- ern journey of the Historical Society this summer, tho sites of these fortH. and was glad to find them .still recognizable. I made measurements of them, and will givedetailsof their history and tojMigmphy in our forthcoming ro- poit. .\t this time (1804) it i.s interesting tr> notice a circumstance mentioned by our author, as showing the impingement on the Northwest fur tiiule of a great ox- ph)raiory expedition further south. Har- incm is informed by Mr. Chamboillez, that Captains Clarke & Lewis, with a hundred and eighty soldiers, had arrived at the Mandan village on the Missouri, a point three days' march south westward of Souris mouth, some 80 miles south of the boun- dary line. They had sent a message to Mr. Chaiiiboillez to visit them. On their an'ival thuy hoisted the Amei'ican Hag, and Mr. C. stated they had behaved hon- orably to his people, who had gone thither to trade with thu natives. A pleading exchange of international courtesies! The local traders of the three forts at the Souris mouth Hcom to have V)een on good terms with one another, as an enteitaiunient of tlie t i 7 I Uiuftl exuhomiit ohanioter in doRorihwl hy Harmon. On tliu :t()tli of May, 1H05, our oxpiorer with iipwniiU of forty men, in five boAta and wvon uan«MM, oamo iluwn tho AuinnilMiino, leaving Houria moutli behind. On June l.'lth they reached I'ortoue la Prairie, where waa a fort of the Nor'- weat ComiMiny caUu«l "Miaerahle," hut beautifully aituated. OpiNitite the ffirt there ia atate«l to have been the plain we know BO well, aixty niilea long and from one to ten wide. We feel ((uitu crest- fallen aa citimna <»f the Northweatem nie- tropolia at the meagre notice given by Harmon of our h>cality. Here it ia: Juno U>th. "The Forka. At thia ttlace the up^Msr and lower lied Rivera orm a junction. The ccunitry amund ia pleaaant, the aoil apiMiara to l)e excellent, and it ia tf>lerably well timbered with oak, baaawood, walnut, elm, poplar, aaften, birch, etc. Oraiw vinea and plum treea are alao aeen.' Alaa I the change! Where are our foreata now ? Paaaing down Ueeople, would bo of the highest order. Tho custom of the country of making what was virtually a bargain and sale of marriiigeable maidona by their IHireiits, for a considemtion of a material kind, seems to us undesirable enough. Harmon relates, with considerable frank- ness, the proiiosal made him by a Oroe chief to give him one of his daughters, and could such matters be made matter of open negotiation the proposal was by no means a dishcmoring one. Said he : "I am fond of you, and my wish is to have my daughter with the white people, for she will be treated better by thom than by her own relations." The fur trader iKtlitely declined tho proposal though, he says, it would have secured the father's furs and also those of all of his band. Among the ofhcera of tho fur ccjinpanies there seems to have prevailed, in some cases, a syst'.^m somewhat resembling the morganatio marriage* nf Oer Hannon thus atatea it: " it| ouatomanr for all gentlemen remain for any lengtli of time, in I»art of tho world to have a fenialf |»anion, with whom they can pawt i time more a4)cially and agreeably, tlm live a lonelv life, iw they must aingle : and when they return to thuirj tive land, they place the ci-devant untter the protection of wtuie honont i with whom she can |>aaa the remaiiuli her daya in thia country, much l agreeably, than it would be forcible] her to do, were ahe to be taken dowtiij the civilizee called, though nized as auch by no legal fonnalitieii- auch were imiM>aaiblo in tho wildurne was the daughter of a French Cana who had marrietl from among thf Indians, at the base (»f the Rocky Moi tains. While in the Northwest, iiienlj is made of tho birth of throe uhili tho oldest of whom, (ieorgo Hiir waa aent to Vermont as a boy to Ih-m cateil, but whoao death caused the ( est sorrow to father and mother in I far away Northern home. When in i the time came for the fur trader to tho ctmntry ho says: "The inothurl my children will accompany me ; an she shall be satiatiod to remain in my | tive land, I doaigii to make her re^'uh my wife by formal man'iiigo. * am under a moral «ibligHtion not to solve tho connection if she is williiii;| continue it. Ever since my own nil was turned effectually to the Hubjectl religion I have taken jtains to inatnidj in the groat doctrines and duties of (q tianity. My exertions have not buenj vain." During the retirement of Athabaska life, tho echo of the .STIRKINO TIMEH ON TUK KEI> KIVKI| in 1815-l(i came to him by letters, of course, looked at these events fn'd Northwester stand|>oint. In Noveul 181(), tho news roacned him of the |,ij conflict in June, by which (>ov« Lli ittio Alul Mtine twenty of Lord Hul- III eiiiitliiyM wuru cruully put t<> ;ii. Am wiw thu umiikI wny of |)iittiiiK Hiitl Sulkii-k'a coloiiiatn niul tliu llutl- iltty C'iiiii|iniiy tiruru tliu iiggruMom ./iiiK Nor'Wunt fortii, in ciirrvinK Witittuni Dttlcvni to Mullaon'H Ittiy, li-vi'ii in MillvinK fortli u|>«mi tliu Hois llua, who, HKriiion'M infommnt tulU wtii'u iimnv uf tiioni without ({un or niinitittii. ThiMiu who have |Nii(l iiioru iitioii to thu Mulijuct know liow incor- |h vi'ntion of thu Htliiir thiH is. Loiil ^irk In 8|Nikun of lui hnving thu frun/.y jiiithlniHn, in Htill t-usolvint; t.i purauu rild initjuutii. In IHIU our author Ihfd Fort Williiiiii, honiuwanl ful, hiiving 8ud achuinu, of wliiuh, V iu« I know, thuru ia no utiiur ac- |)t, Thia waa tliu uatabliahinunt of a NOR'wKHT KLYHIt'M he iiiturior for rutirud oHioura, tradura [tru|>|iui'H and thuir faniiliua. Anyone liur with the uonfiiuta of thu Hud- litiy ('oiiiiNiny any Lord Selkirk. All ett'orta tu foy it had failed. The apiHiarancu of liKiblu Earl hiinaulf on the banka of Kvil Kivur with hia hundrud or two of Mt'uroiis had daahud the hu]>ua of the Pwust Coiniianv of gaining aupreni- Itheru. The half-breod families were lieginniiig to gatlior round thu Keurintundunt of the Muttluniunt. Thu |Nirtnurs and clerks in thu Indian country itaulf had HulMoriliud auvuml thouaand dollara to liugin a achiMtl uither at llainy Lake or Fort William for the lieneAt of the children at thu aevernl (loata, who would be sent to thia centre for education. It wiut further proiMiaed to liegin miaaionary enterpriaua in tone new auttlenient. How different the hiatory of the Ked River aettlement would have been had this scheme gone on, it would lie ditticult tu aay for tlie Nor'westera luul great influ- ence with the R4iia-Brulua. Aa it waJi, these elements of our jKipulation had in 1870 grown to 10,000 on the banka of Red River, lieaidea the many employed at |io8ta of the Hudaon's Bay Co. all over the Northweat. The centre of gravity of the Northwest might havu been at Fori Fraiicia inatead of Fort Oarry had the acheme gone <>n, but it received its death blow by the tiiuoii of the two great fur companiea in 1821. \