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Origi begii the sion, othe first sion, or ill The shall TINL whic Map! diffe entir begir right requi meth 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X SOX J 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X lire details jes du modifier ]er une filmage The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Library Agriculture Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grdce d la g6n6rosit6 de: BIbliothdque Agriculture Canada Los images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la netteti de l'exemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. 6es Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrateo impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. 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Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole -^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". re Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film^s d des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. / errata id to It ie pelure, pon d 12 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 32X GLIMPSES OF THE PAST. IN The Red River Settlement FROM LETTERS OF MR. JOHN PRITCHARD. 1805-1836. NOTES BY REV. DR. BRYCE. Middle Church, Man. Rupert's Liin;ick IVom thi^ we.st(M-ii i>rairics. to his i"ri(Mi(l8 ill (Jreat liritaiii, while at the (iraiul l'(>rta^^(!, v. hirli WJIH the iiuiiH^ }^iven to the waterway between liake Su j.(^rior and liainy l^ake. During' iSd,') Mr. I'ritrhanl liad beer, statioiiod at a tort at the junction of the Sourin river wit h t he Assiiiiboiiu'. At this point there were three forts: IJrandoi'. Houses built by the Ilndsons I'.ay (V)mj)aiiy in 17H4; Assinibuine House l)elon:ed to the new North West Coiu- |)any, coninionly called the X. Y. C'oinpauy. which had split off from tluf Northwest (-'oiiipany of ^b)lltreal in ITUli aii. FoiRTH Lkitkh: Kduciition— Tlio nionil tone of the scttlcinPiit. FlKTir IjCTTKlt : C'hnrch jrrowth— Rot'orcnce to (iovt-nior Simpson— Sunday 8clif)olH— ( 'onunerciiil protiroHS, Sixth Lktikh : Hnildin^ ofSt. .lolin'sCutlu^dnvl— Fieo S<'lio(tl.s— Conclusion. m 1 GLIMPSES OF THE PAST. IN rm; ued uivuu sktti.kmknt. ISO.VIKJ.). ADVEHTISEMKNT. i'opy of a letter from Mr. .loliii Pritcluinl to hi8 Brotlier, to* j^etlier with several extrarts taken from Letters from the same — l)ated from Red River in America, iiim. or tin-y would both imiii and we should los.' Iht'iu. I then mailc a lirt* to cutlet' IhiMU as lh«*y witc mucli lormciih'd iiy tlic mosquitoes and in tlialease wil! tmmediatidy .ualUi]) to a smok.'. My tVi'Mid paid no at teiil-ion lo my advcrlisemi'Ul Itiit l\e[)t iiiiiuiiii; alter the h(>rses till I losl si;jhi oj' them. Il was in vain for mi', wiio was still extremelv lame from iiiv mislortnne the uvc *- *, I eedin.i; winter, lo all' nipt followiiii.'' alter him. theri'lorc I Ihouyhl it most advisable to luaUe lires .ipoii all the hanks near me, whieh iniL-ht be a j,niide to iiim, shoiiid he not. bt' able lo liiid his way to mc Twelve o'clock canif, bill not my friend. I now bewail to be almo-t dis- coiis(dat,i' and percei\ ini; a hill al a eoiisid'-i-ab!' di>laiie(' oil" which aiipear(3(l to mc lo be in the plains, 1 determined lo },Mj Ihere and make a lire. .\f!er h:ivin,u- passed a thick wood, to my inexpressible L^iief I found Ihe hill to be in the midst (d" another adjoining wood. When arrived at the hill from the io[) of which I had hoj)es of seeinir Ihe plains a};aiii lo in\' miuiilicaiioii 1 I'ouiid in>se!f siir roundt'd by thick and ainio^t inexpressible woods. 1 Ihen determined l(» relnrii lothe encampment. I had not advanced far liebire Ihe sky bcLiaii lo darken and a heavy storm of llinnder and rain came on. it was now iin- possiiile to liiid my way back ha\in,u losl my iziiide, the sun. 1 Towards ni^hl I biniid a small river with a coii>^id- erable current in it. I determined to sleep 'here and the iie.xt day to tollow its course, will kiio\vin,u il must dis- charj^nMtself with the nrcat Red Hivei'. Ne\l nioiiiin.ii al break of day I bewail to [irepare lor my dc[)artiire, but how dreadfullv alUicliiii; mv situ;ition. without even 1 From this point .1. Pritchiird andhi.s companion started for a fort ontlie tiu'Ai)pelle river which was some distance west of tlie F(jrt Ellice of to day. Tliey mis.sed tlieir road by^oiiM.; westward while they should have gone a little west of north. Plainly the wanderinjr man was lost up near the source of the PilKistone river, which he followed down nearly to Oak Lake. He then struck over to the Souris river which he mistocdc for the Assinil)oine. Tlie Assiniboine is spoken of by him as the Red River, just as Harmon writing; in. I line lUlh 180.') (page 141,) speaks of the Assiiulioiiic as the "l/p[)er Red River. 1 . I I'iivy iiu- llu' i\ 111'' .'hul CVl'U Maiiki't. ;^nii or kiiit'r. my sImms ;ili»';i(,y wnin onl .'iiid iki- tliiii;; bill my rldlln'sNi pciu'w llicm with. Il was then Ihf roiii'lh (lay.aml I had cati-ii iiolhiii;.' (vxccpt an t'-^y and one IrnLT Ihr day bt't'oi'.'. Tht' (Miiiili'y was iiiiknuwii to me and even had 1 known my way to my I''(n't. thf dis- tance was so ^reat I cmild have no hop:', lame as I then was of hein^ al)hf to rea.di ii.. I uave my s(miI to Almi.uhly liod and prayed that His and not my will miuhthednne. Seein.ii di'alh iiievitahif I became calm and resi'^ned to my tall'. Towards evenin'^ I discoveied the 'ilains anil as I thonuht the ureal lied Hiver W'iiich pleased me much as 1 shonld then die with thi' hop' (»!' my hody heniL: lonnd h\' the canoes in the Tall, hnt what was still nioi'e jileasan! lo me I lonnd a kite's ne>l with twoyonnj; ones. They were still nnlledLied and about the size of a rnll- L;rown pi.ueon, I made a lii'e and sinj.M'd the down otl' one which 1 hastily de\(Oired. the other I subsisled n[ion two days. What apjieareil to me lo be the Hed llivei- was nolhin^: more than a point of the Wdods tai the I{i\ er where I wa--. I walked or I'ather crept alon;: Ibis river lor about ten days more living- chielly upon I'ro^.-^ excepi three ynnuir ma;,'-pies. I now jierceived m\ body completely wasted Nothin;, was bd't ol' me hut my bones covered with a skin thinner than i)a[»er, f was jHTfectly naked my clothes haviuu been woi'ii in shoes. I nc»w |)er- ct'ived at a considerable distance to the ri,L:hl ol' me a ia\-er whi(di appeared lar^c and beiuj; almost certain il was the Hed River. pui'i)osed the ui'xt mornin.t,' lo make an t'll'orl to ^t'l lo il. accord iiiu'ly ! set out, havini:' advanced a considerable distance aci'oss the nlains I became so thirslv 1 ciMild not proceed. i then prayed to Almi,L:hty (lod, that lb' in His ,ureat .uoodiKJss snll'M- me to die ol' hniiLier and not ol' thirst, but if so ii was Ins iileasnre not mine, hnl His will If done. Our beaxeiily r'alher was pleased lo hear my prayer and I found a small sprintr very n<>ar nn' and was delermiiu'd thei-e to die. beiiiL; b'arl'ui if I li-fl the sprinn I would lliid no othtu' water. Oh. my d(\'ir brothtM*, how shall 1 di>scribe lo yon my feelings at, this moment, what crimes, said 1. iiave I committed to d(>serve so dreadful a death My iiody 1 have seen wasted awav bv decrees. I have not a fri<'iui lo close my eye or blaukel to rover my body and lar I'l-om a lioly sopiilclii't' n'ceiviii),' this my earthly I'ramo, that woll' and yonder bird ol" prey wait only my parting breath to devour my i)Oor remains, sin-ely the murdtn-er's tormenits are far lighter than mine. Mercy is shown to him even in the manner of his death, his pains are short, he has the com[)any of some good and charitable clergy- man ,)Ouriiig the balm of religions comfort into his bleeding sonl and his bodv he is snre thai neitiier the birds of the air or the beasts of the held will devour. 1 will notdistn^ss you or nysidf, my dear brother, on that head, your own heart will tell you what then were the sentiments of mine. After having agitated my mind for !-'ometime with the above thoughts, God was pleased in his great goodness to shew me, how wise and just, though unforseen, his judgennnits are. What a state to my soul when I reflected, and with truth was obliged to ackmjw- ledge, that my sutlerings however great tliey were I de- seived; and was justly punislitul. Tlie alUicting hand of God vvjis upon me. After having recommended myself to (iod. I deter- mined to proceed, entirely trusting in his divine Provi- dence and Will. I was determined to keep myself as cheerful as possible, and to e.\ert, till death putanend to my sufterings. my every efl'ort to support life. On the next day 1 ari'ived at the river, and found it to be much smaller than the Red River. '2 I foi'ded it, ami advanced into the plains to a small lak(>, where] slept. Some days before, I had found a !U>st of small eggs about the size "of sparrows', and I had eaten nothing (dse. How mortifying to me to see the bufl'aloes quenching their thirst, ii every lake near to which I slept, and geese and swans in abnncl ance whilst I w-as dying of hunger in this land of [)leiity. for want of wdierewith to kill. After having wandei-ed about for some days, I perceiv- ed some woods at a distance which 1 again supposed were upon the banks of the Red River, but was again disap- 2 J. Pritchard crossed the Souris which he culls a river, "Mucli smaller than the Red River," and journeyed south eastward to ward Turtle Mountain thinking all the time he was far up the As- 8inil)oine where tlie Shell River empties into it. »''■; M r I •I I I -I I painted, and lomid it to be a mountain or chain of l)anks. 1 proceeded alonjr the sanit» till I found some water in a small brook, and, sui»posin<^- there mij^ht be small lisli, dt^ voh^d a part of the next day to make a fishin.L? line with my hair, and th(; wire of my hat buckle I worked with my teeth into the form of a hook, but had no opi)ortuni ty of making use of it, as I found nohsh. I here passed two days without ealiog-, and on the second evening, be- gan to ari'ange my bed in the bt'st manner I could, in or der to breathi! my last. Pain .disai)pointment. and hung'-r had now given way to des])air. I was now so weak 1 could not get u[) tin; bank of tli(! rivei-, in order to put, a mark, but upon my hiiiids icid knees. I had not lain down many minutes, befoiemy mind, or rather my soul, sugg(3sted to uh! my want of confidenc(,' in Ciod's ])Ower and goodness, and the heinousnessof my oilence in thus abandoniiig myself to despair. 1 immedi- ately rose and prayed my H(Nivenly Father to b)rgive, strengthen, and su[)port me. An old wolf trap being near to me, I took two sticks from it in order to lielp me up the bank. 1 was no sooner on i Is edge when a hjii grouse :] ilt!W directly in my face, as 1 suppose to [)rottM!t its young. I threw my stick at it and she fell dead at my feet. It was not I that killed it, it was the Almighty, for I had not then sufficient strength. In an iM'stacy Of joy and gratitude, I threw mystdf u[)on the ground, and poured out thanks to the Giver of all goodness. O Lord, did I say. is it possibb* Thou wilt save me, or is it to prolong my misery? No, no. Thou art too merciful to delight in my sufferings. I ate i>art of the bird that night, and the next day tlie rest, and then continued my route, not leaving the little river, as I dreaded the want of water elsewhere. A serene and pleasant calm had now taken [lossession of my mind and never after birsook me. 1 this day fou.nd a plant, whose root the Canadians call the turnip of the plains : 4 But not having a knife or axe 3 He killed a hen grouse i. e., one of our common prairie chicken ( Pcdicot'tes 'phxmanellu!^). 4 After this tie took to eatinor what the Canadians (French roya- geur.o) call the turnip of tlie plains. This is tlie root of one of the Pea family {P,<." 10 lu make a slick, I had no iiopo ul" Jiggiiij^ them up ; Lli<; root beiii^' at least a foot in the earth, and tht; gronnd ex- tremely ha.d. The I'ool is from 2 to 3^ iiiches long anil 1^ in gii'lli, by no means unpleasant to tin.' palatf I Ihonght npon Ihi; sticks I had taken from the wolf-, ap one of which 1 still r(}taine(l. Ithavingbeen pointed for its forn. 'r nse was in every respect lilted for mypnrpose. 1 therefore set to work, which was very great labour for me in my weak state. Having eaten a few raw, I return ed to my encampment with about half a dozen, roasted them for supper, and found mysel; greatly refreshed next morning. 1 continually wandered about this river, living upon those roots and witii now and tiien a frog, in the hop(! of seeing somi' hunter or other. Every night I changed my encampmenl, each of which i supposed my last. On the ;U)th day, according to a stick U[»on which my teeth marked each miserable night, I perceived an elevated part of the plains, and immediatly proceedi'd to it as from lluMice 1 (;ould discover and be discovertjd at a greatei" dis- tance, i found it to be an island in the middle of a largt; lake. 5 Feeing, as befoi'e mentioned, perfectly naked 1 did not venture to sleep there, being fearful its nighl-aii- would chill me to tleath; thtu'efore I turned about and gained a point of the woods near, and slept or rather laid down under a fallen lre(^ I next day set off, in order to reg-iin the little river, bul on mv wav, behold and admire, the Providence of the Almighty'. I fancied, and wasctu'tain, I saw Indians at a distance, on a dilferent line to the route I was taking. I arrived at the place, and found it, to my greuidisappoint- ment, to be nothing m )re than a few busL^^s. I then went to gather grass i., make' a fire, being too weak to break the sticks for that purpose. 1 had not proceeded half an acre, before 1 perceived tw<» old wintering houses. You cannot conceive with what ecstasy I bidield the remainsof human dwelling. I sup- posed Ihest! houses to hav(^ been those of my friend Allen McDonald and the North West Company, at the lakes of of the river Qu'Appelle. On entering the deserted houses 5 Tlie wiuiderer then seems to have reacluul White Water Lake near Turtle Mountain, where durini^ the preceding year H IJ Co t& N W Co. had passed a season. 11 ! ! I could nut help moralizing on the inslaltility ot'hnnian na- tiire/and llic InsntficitMicy of man.' "•Here,'' said I," uncti good clieer did al)i)niid and thtjrfe now deserted walls have often eclnied the chtM'irnl song of tlie merry Ca- adian. Oftentimes here, have the light heels of my friends danced to tin; sound of the animating fiddle, here. piM'haps, on this very spot, has my friend Allen spent many a jocund honi-. How changed the scene! You, hos pitahle and i-eady-oiiened dour, itlie door having fallen), you now will r-'ceive a poor alllicted guest, whose only wish is lo leave his alrt'.iiiy sapltss hones in your ([niet i'ec('ss. After having th ns. morali/j'd for some timt;, I threw myself upon the ground, to give the Almighty thanks for having at last hronght me to a place where, in all prohahility, my hody would he found and i)restn-ved from ravenous animals. I now went to set a mark upon a suuill hank near the houses, and to dig up a few I'oots to appease my hunger. On my return. I nuide a fire and afterwards arrang(Ml a ht^d as far as ray strength would admit, in the form (dacotlin. Being so reduced 1 could have im hope of going any further, the soles of my feet, particularly that of my lame leg heing worn to the hones 1 now sal u[ton the bed, and, taking a [iiece of birch bark, began to mark with a nail the melancholy history of my suti\;rings. I had fi.xed upon the chimney being the bearer of my epitaph, the straw left by the winterers be- ing my only shroud. Whilst employed upon this melancholy occasion, 1 cast my ey(>s ui)on the ground, and, wilhoutauy umaniug having taken up a piece of cord, found it to be tarred, and it struck uie it must have belonged to the Hudson's Bay pi'ople. [ then took notice of a sleigh that from its make, 1 knew must have belonged to them. I now be- gan to think I was mistaken in the plac" where I was, and that jx'rhaps these were the Shell River lunises: "'But said '4, there ought to be three, namely the Hudson Bay Company's, North \VestCoini)auy's, and our own " ''Good God," I agiin exclaimed, "*pei'haps 'tis the Turtle Mount- ain, and that, its lake, but lean soon satisfy myself." The 6 His surmise of his position was correct. He was now fifty or sixty miles from his own fort tit the moutli of tlie Souris. 12 Hudson Bay and North West Company passed pai-t of last spring tiion;, and iTtliis is the place, I shall lind wood cnt in the spring, which must siill hcgrocn. Th(3 Inuiscs I know are throe years old. I direc^lly looked about, and, to my inexpressible joy found a scall'old, for the purpose of putting meat upon, of gi-een wood and many other marks of nu-ent habitation. Being now fully assured I was at theTurtle Mountain, an ou*[)Ost from the establishment of my own neighbors distant from my own fort about sixty miles, 1 began with renovated hop(\ to look into all the holes and cor- ners for rags of any dt.'sei'iption, to tie upon my feet, which wert» now in almost a putrid state. I had the good fortune to lind a ](air of old shoes the under leather of which was worn away and several pair of socks. I wrapped the whole about my l-et, spent the night in prayer, and next morning at break of day, after invoking the Almighty to strengthen, guide, and support me, I took the road across tht^ plain as near as I could judge homewards. That night I had the good fortune to find, and encamp upon, a small river where I had betm to hunt bull'aloes a few days before I left my fort, and from whence there is a beat(ui [)alh to my house, which I was greatly in need of, on account of my feet. Toward the evening of tlu; t'ollowuig day I discover(^d a band of Indians crossing the plains before me, but I was too weak to call out or increase my pace to ovi'rtake them. 7 1 raised my stick upon wliich I put a shoe and had the happiness to find they observed my signal. I was quite overpowered and stood immoveable. Two little boys came running up to me, but my appearance was so dread- ful they were afraid to approach for some time. I eu- conraged them by signals to come to me, which they did: I gave them my hand but was so ov(>rcom<3 at once mor;; beholding a human being, that I fell senseless to the ground. When I came to myself, I found the little boys carrying me to their fathei-; who seeing something amiss, was coming forward to me with his horse. I 7 Tliat he overtook Indians is not surprisiuj; as the great Indian trail from the Missouri, to tlie Assiniboiue passed west of Turtle Mountain, and run nortliward. 13 That All (lra('i(jiis IJcin;; win) had hithi'ito sii[)[)()rlt'(I nit*, liaviii^- now delivered nie safe into tiie hands of my friends left me to nature and them. 1 was now Indpless as a n(!W-lH)rn infant, and too weak to ride on horseback, therefore the Indian carried me in his arms to his com- panions to whom I was well known. On my arrival they came cryin,y- ai'unnd nie, oin' imlling off his shoos, another his stockings, and another covering me with his blanket; whilst my lirsl friend was i)re[)arin;^' a little [temmican of ponnth'd builalo meat and fat. Ilavinir eaten a little, for I was too far gone to have an appetite, and drank a cup of water; they jn-epared a kind of slc'igh upon wliich 1 lay down, and was so drawn to their encamp- ment, where wi; fonndabont forty oti m* tents of Indians. Whilst onr tents were putting np, the men, women, and children fornu'd a large circle ronnd mt;. They were extrenudy silent and afi'aid to come near me. It is :m possible to describe to yon what I was. 1 had not tin; appearance of an inhabitant of this world. Pictnre to your- self a man whose bom.'s are scraixul, not an atom of llesh remaining, then cover those bones with a loose skin, line as the bladder of an animal, a beai'd of forty days growth his hair full of filth and scabs. Yon will then hav(> some idea of what 1 was. The next day the Indians took me to my fort, in tin? same way as I was drawn to their tents. On seeing my fort I again bt^came senseless. 8 They carried me into my room, and you may suppose my people flock- ed about me, scarcidy believing tlieir s(Mises. With tears in their eyes they kept a mournful silence round me. One of mv men. an old man that greatly loved me did not even know me. '-What poor old man", said he, 'have they brought here? is he dead or alive?" and many such like expressions were uttered. Having recovered sufficient strength of mind, I gavt? to each my hand, and assured them nothing was amiss with me; that my inltdlects were as sound as ever, and that I was weak for want of nutriment. And now an universal joy played n{)OU each countenance; one and all at the same time, putting ijnestions to me. The news was soon S Afler forty days the wanderer reached his o»\'n fort at the luoutli of the Souris. 14 al iiiv iii>i'"liboiirs. TIk^v and tlu'ir men caui' riimiiiii' hi'.'atlilt^ss lo see iiii', my Crit'iKl McKay (jT tlit; lliitlsou's Bay Company brMu^liI willi him lloiii', sn;;ar, coHV'!' and Li; way through. Al i .;^hl when I tMicMmiu'd my h'^s liad tht' ai)[)i'araiic(' ol" a iioi'ciiiiiiic. I (hirst not take Ihciii onl ill the day, as others woiihl iiniiUMliatcly nilcr, and at nij^ht yon may sii[)[>os(' tiif hhiod lh)\V('(L I once I'oiuid u i'ew ras[)htM'i'i('s. and 1 once killed and skinned a snake in order lo eat it, hnl sn[)|)usinu it [toison, threw it away and resigned myself lo God. Both Indians and white people who saw nie, said lh(?y had sei'ii the hodies of men dead from hnngei-, hnl n(>ver saw one so dislignred as mine. After somi; of the firsl days were [)assed, and 1 sup[tos"(l dealh inevilahle, pleasanl serenity look possess ion of my mind, and I amused myself with admiring the inlinile goodness, power and wisdom of the Almighly. It was our universal Father that supported me, or il would he impossihle for human nature to eudur(3 what I did. I never saw two days without rain, and in that case could make no fire, the grass h<'ing too wet lo kindle, and I too weak to hreak wood, thiMcibre the w(!t grass re- ceived my naked hody for the night. You may imagine 1 did notsl(?ep, and that I anxiously walch(>d for the rising sun to warm my hlood. Lot us admire God's goodness, for who, hut lie, made me to suppose that 1 saw Indians in a different route from thai my ideas were taking me, and by tliat means brought me to ihe houses — who, but He made me so miraculously to discover where I was, and who but He supported me and comforted me till I found the Indians. SECOND LEITKH. (EXTHACT.) This letter gives some glimpses of the ordinary life of the early settlers in the lied Hi ver Valley. The references to the liev. D. Jones are very interesting as that gentleman was one of the fonnders of Churoh work in our colony — the successor of the first clergyman, tlie Rev. J. West. H(m1 River, July -^Gth, 18-25. "I will montiou ii few of the occupalioiis and geiUM-al routine of mv life wIkmi not eniploved in lln; lacloi'v. Mrs. P and tlui ehildren join me, or rather 1 them, in eni- tivating the farm or garden, by wliieh means we raise wheat and vegetables nearly sullicient for onr main- tenance and clolhing. We have three cows and three calves, which gives us a sufficiency of butter, milk, and sometimes Mrs. P. treats me to a small cheese. Fish- ing and hunting atTord a profitable amusement. Th(!se are my general <'mployments of the week during llm summer, beyond a part of each day given to the educa- tion of my children. Our Sundays are given to the attendance of two churchc's, one above, and one below onr residence, abont an equal distance of thnu! miles. My win*,er avocations are more domesticated. The long evenings and exclusion from all out door objects giv(;s me hnsure to educate my children and imiirove my own mind * • * l have before observed we have two Protestant churches, they are principally sui)ported by tin? Church Missionary Society. They also have established a school for the education of native Indian children, and the settlers maintain another school for their children. Mr. Jones, a gentleman from New South Wales, is the present officiating clergyman. 17 We are infoi-ined tliaf Mr. Coclnviiie iscomiiig oul to him as his assistant. In Mr. Jones wean; pccnliaily hlcssed. He is indelati^iahh' in the dnlies of his sacred ('"allinj;. ' * I have tlie happiness to l)e parlicnhu'ly intimate with Mr. Jones wiiich I consider th(! greatest hlessinj;- of my life. Soon after he arrived, a conueniality of miiul JUiittMl us, a inorc! intimate aecinaintancc,', 1 Irnst, has cemented oui- friendship in those bonds vvhiclithe world cannot hreaU. In addition to the jjublic worshijio'i Sundays, we meet for social prayer two (evenings in the W(M!k. "^The places of me(!tin},^ are alternately at the schoolhonse, oi- the private dwelling of one of ourselves. We communicate about six times in the year. At first the Communicants were \ery few in number, but are continually increasing. The last time we exceeded 60." iniHl) LET'I'KH. FLOOD OF IH-2(). Hcd llivci'. All-list -Jiid., IS;>(;. With rooliiiiTS of ,t:r;itilu(lr to Aliiii|.'h!y (lod, who, thoiif^h he h.'is Jilllictt'd, yd has s[»ni'('d; and in His wralh thoiiLriil uj)0!i nifTcy, I havi' to ndaic a most caiaiiiitons rvcnt whicli visili'd lis this s|triii,i;'. About the :U)lii of April the ice on the Hi-d Ilivrr hc- gaii to give way in particular iilaccs. l)iit did not ^^ciicr- iiliy break up till the first week in May, wluMi it present ed a scene ol (b'vastatioii dreadful to contemplate and very ditliciill tu describe. I !iave bel'ore inrornied you, ihai, this Cdunlry is lormed of one large plain ol' many bun dred miles in extent, ils western boundary, the RocU)- Monulain.-<, its southern I caiinol describe, Itnl I suppose soiiii'where aboni New Mexico. It is inlersectcd willi vei'V lew rivers and the lew eininences to be met with, scarcely deserve; the name of bills. I liml it necessary lo make these observations lo enable you to form some idea of tbe terrilic scene we have witnessed. W'Ik'ii the ice bi'oke U[) in inir neii^bborbood, it was late in the eVi^uinj;'. The night was dark and stormy, accompanied wiili rain. The Hood at once rost' higher than ever known by man. The crashing of imnienst^ masses of ice was loud as thunder; iieitlier the tallest po[»lar nor the stoniest oak could resist its impetuosity. They were mowed down like grass before the scythe- Tbe inhabitants lied trcnii their dwellings, and with their cattle sought safety ni)ou 1 lie lirsL liigh lands that present- ed thc'iiiselves. The water continued to rise, but not so rapidly as at first. As it rose the poor setllei-s daily retired and con- tinued their sorrowful route until those on tbe east bank reached a hill at about eight miles, and those ou tlu? west another at alioul nine miles distance. 10 From the 10 Bird's Hill on the east : Stony Monntain on the west. Itf h('i;;hls llicy had llic (■li(M'rl('s> prosjicct ul nw' ^fiicial ruin. Far as iIh' cyi' could discovci', lln' cai'lli was cov- I'rcd Willi walci- can yiii^ mi ils sin lace llic wrccU of a whole c()|f)iiy. Il;iiis('s, hanis, sialili's. Ii'iicfs, and in lat'l all llial could lloal was a jircy lo ih ' di'striirliM' (d t'iU''iH. The walcr coutiiiUi'd In lisc (ill ihi- lu'i-iuuinj.' or.luiic. ll IIh'U licj:au lo '"all th(iu;;h Ity slow dciJiccs. As il rclii'Ml. wc I'diaced uui' sicps aud Ironi 111'' niiddli' of llial uiiMilli lilt llic early [laii ol' .hily. we planted [lo latocs, hailey, and some wheal upon suidi Jau(U as llie water had lell ; and I am • xiremely hajipy lo say llial what we so [ilanled lM(dvs well and ihrnii^h llie Idess- ii;}is of the Almighty uonn promix'sa suliiciency inr man and heast. Yini may I'orm some iilea of the exteuL (d' this Hood liy (■onsidrrin<4 llie I'iver whose usual hreadth may Ite com [tared with the Severn at Shr-'wshniy having ex[ianded ilsidf t)ver a surface of more than seventeen miles; wliiidi is the distance he twee n tlu' hills on which the settlers took rtd'uge. I'hero of coui'se il was conliacled and its width ahovc must, have heen considerahly ^ureater. The depth was lliirt-v-live feel ahove its common level lieiu"; more Ihan Iwenly feel hij^her ihan llic former lh)od whitdi was considered a vei'V hii^h one. It is worthy of I'e- mark thai Ihe Ihrc" churcdies, Ihe I'esidence if Ihe clergy and Ihe house of our social prayer meeting, with Ihe ex cej)lion of llu; windmill, should he the only hnildin.us which have nol heen carried awav, or so much iniureil as nol lo deserve notice. It is no less riimarkahle lliat Ihe siles of Iheso buildings were nol chosen on accounl of iheir elevated siliHuion. hul on accounl of their cen- Iral posilion. I have now given you Ihe oullines of this disastrous ovenl, and lurn in grateful remembrance to lliin who directs all things; who in exhibiting tlu; greatness of His power, and th(! Justness of His wisdom, did not with hold his merciful kindness. Incredible as il may appear, not one human life has been lost, and so few cattle per- ished thai they are nol worth menlioning. I am writing Ibis on the site of my usual residence. I returned the day before yestm-day after an absence of twt'lvf wt'cks. 1 am living iiinltT a sIkmI of hoaids. Itiil iH'Torc lln' wiiilt'i' scis ill I Ii()|m' 1m have a ('(iiiiri»i'lal»li' lioiisc. A roiisidrralilr iiiiiMlit'r iil llic sclllcrs have It'll tilt' <'iniiitry ami i^oiii' lo the ruitt'il Slates, a lew ollwrs will I'l'liini It) Kiiii»iM'. Till' old rcsidi'iits still rt'iiiaiii and arc vciy aclivi'ly I'liiiilDvcd in ri'-cstalilisliiii;^ tliiii':s as hciclitlorf; so that I ('xpt'cl iit'xi sniiuiici' Ihf nMiicm- hraiM (' ol till' Hood alone will be ii'laiiied. To view the country now and conipare it with what it was a few weeks a^o — a sea ol' 'levastation o!" destdation — it is iin- possihle not to exclaim ''() Lord how woiiderlnl are thy works! Trnly the wilderness has lieeome a '•IVnitfiil field" and 'Mhe destn-t rejoices and blossoms as the rose." Mxtract Irom letter Au^'. '2 1st. 18-20. Since my last we have received I'lirther accounts td" the recent ilood and 1 verv mncdi b.'ar I'or the sab'tv ol the American settlenuMils on the lower parts of the Mis- souri, and St. Peter's Ilivers. Report says that some of their military posts have been overwhelmed and many soldiers drowned. We are also informed that sijveral Indian villa^fs have fallen ictims to these destructive waters. It is now clearly ascertained that they Howed from the Hocky Mountains and passiu}.^' over the banks of tht! Missouri itheii- usual chaiuud to the Gulf of Mexi- coi overflowed the adjacent country ; and were (;ou- ducted here by the ]\iviere a la Souris which falls into the AssiniboiiK' River about one hundred miles from this place. Our crops continue to look well : boih vvlieat and bar- ley are in full ear and the potatoes sufficiently large for the table. Whcm you consider that seven or eight w»?eks ago we were only sowing after the flood you will join in praise to Him iu whom vv(; live and move and have our being, for Tlis providential care towards His creatures (IIX'IIUCT.I U.(l llivrr, Aiijj. nil, IS-jH. Our Church, (II) which was hiiilt hy vnhmt.iry contrihiilioiis I'roiii the sclUcrs, is now i-ccciviiifi siicli a(hJilioiial imiiruvciiicnts as will in the nid, •^ivr it .. solid ity and hcaiily that woiihl hi* crcdilahh' to aiiv villaf^i' chiMcli ill Kn«'land " * 'IMh; alUMidancc j^ivcn lo our Sunday School is very tMi('onra}j[iiij4 and 1 liopo sonn- IViiil is discn nihlf al- i(!ady. We can only sow, and iiiay Ihc Lord of llic llarvi'sl lor llu; school. The teachers with few exceit- tions are natives. Did I inl'orin you that Mrs. (loch- rane is edncalin^ several of the (loinpany's (^hief l-'ac tors danj^hters who hoard at her house. This is an- other source of contort to me, and adds much to tho pleasun! of our \Ve(hiesday (^veuiii^s. It is truly n-fresh- iiif4 to join thes(! chihlren of the wihh'rness in liieir eveninj^ hymn of praise to tlie Goer- ceiv(» tlie Pcmal Code is with us a dead letter. This speaks volumes and can scarciy nu'et its parallel in the civiliz- ed world; and when I consichu' that the largest portion of our popuhitiou has Iummi drawn fr(nn the wilds that surround us, it is truly astonishing, and cannot fail to call forth praise and thanksgivings to the Divine Provi deiict; which so eminently watches oviu' us. The high water last year [trevented the sheep Ixdng sent, hut we h'dxo information of their heiug on the way. My exc(d lent friend Mr. Jones is the hearer of this to London 11. St. John's Ciithednvl, Winnipeg'. Firm LKiTKit. PiJor.nKss or cfniicii and cuinthy U("(i Hiv.M'. .Inly mu. is:;j. I shall Ih'^iii with the sniiicc oT all oiii' hlt'ssiii,L;s — the Chiii'ch. Our coiij^rcjialidii now consists nl' all the iii- hahilaiils thai ran jiossihly atli'iid, and the nnnihci- ol oni' ('onunuiii('ants is so I'ai' increased that ol' theniscdves they would lorui a res[>ectahle couj^rejiation. I helieve 1 inroiaued you thai Mrs. Simpson had joined (hose who rejoiced in the ho[te set Itelore them, and now I have the [ileasuie to say her husi)aiid, the (Jovernor, is heconu^ decidedly ndiuious. in his convei'sion the power ol th»' ^^race of (led has lieeu niosl eirectnally (lis[)layed. 1 he- lieve h'w instances of recent dati' are (^u reccu'd ol' such a ( hange as the Alnii^'hty has wrought in the heart ol (.lovei'uor 8im[tson. To the cause ol relif^iou in this country the support ol" so [towtu lul a niau is iucalculahle, and it appears to uie one of those mii-aculous events hy which the Almighty luakes known His lovc^ to His crea- turd hretiiren ; Itut their laith has not given way. We are lherel'«H'e led couhdently to hoi>e that Wr who hegan the good work will cari'y it on until their faith shall he with glor\' crowiu'd. At the lowereud of the settlement'! I '2) Mi'. Cochrane has a neat churcli. which the poor iiihahitauts huilt at their own exitense. It was cousfM'rated in May last. The upp(U' church, at which Mr. Jones resides, being out of repair and hesiiies much too small, we resolved to build a new 12. St. Andrew's parish. oiH! ul' stonu. In Decoiiilu r last the (iovcinoi . Mr. .loiio. .mother genllcniaii, and niysclt'. altci' ln-caklast, wen! down tlic seltlciiicut to the di>laiic<' ol' four miles to rollert a volmilary coiilrihutioii aiKi we I'cLiiiiicd lo din nor with a snbscription oi in(n(' tlian £()()(». Ii is delight Tnl to see with wliat zeal the Indians ((dliMl and carry stones to tiie place. Lahor is all they na\i' lo idler and that they give with a (-heerliil heart. The conntry in general is in the most inoniisin.L; >tate of pros[ierily. We have lornicda Tallow (loni[»any with every [trospe<-t of snceess. It consists of two hnndreil shai-es .and is [)laced nnder the nianageinent of si.\ di- r<'ctors, three id' wlnnn in the absence ot the (loveiinn lake tli(! (diair in rotatiini. The (lovernoi' m his [iresent capacity is a considerahh; stockholder. ! have llie Inni- oi' to he (decied ot out? of the latter which is so lai' agree- able lo my h'ldiniis; anil it stamps the pnldic api»robalion of my management of the linllalo Wool Coni[iany. which allhongh nniorlnnale in its result (being rniiu'd by tli'' Hood of l8-2()) was productive of good to the settlement dnring its operation, the iiemdicial idfects of wiiiidi aic hdl to this day. The object of the 'I'allow (jOmi)any is th,' e\[)orlation of that arlicde to l']nro[>e and we have every reason to e.\pect that we can comptMe with l{n>sia cm terms high- ly ad vantageons t(j onrstdves. We have a better climate, a more e.xtensive [tastnrage, and a greater facility in the e.\p(n'l of oni' goods lo market. Oiir present brc'edin;.; siO(dv ainonnis to nn)re than six hnndicd head, and next spring we shall add as many none. Onr llax helds are particnlarly good and line ; and indeed so are all oni' ('ro[»s. Grt>at em-onragement is ohei-ed by the Clovernor and pii'/es awai'ded to the best iiioweis and spinners of llax of whitdi we (ixiiecl to ship considei'able tinantittes home in a few years. Oni' Hock of sheep is wonderfnlly inci'eased and we ai'e now in daily expectation (d';{.(M)(l more from the I'nil- ed Stales. Itwonlil (dn'er yonr heart to see onr S(diool ol Indnsti-y, whiy as on that occasion. 1 still continue to enjoy <'v- ery blessinf.' my heart ca!i d(;sire on this side of the j>iav('. 1 think you will be gratified when you read the an- nexed copy of the Resolve in Council. It was unsought for and unsuspected, nor had I any knowledge of the circumstances till is was forwarded to nui by the Gov- ernor's secn^tary after his departure for Europe COPY. The Council having learnt with much satisfaction that the canst; of religion and education is much advan- ced at the Red River Settlement by tlu; eslablishnienl of Sundav Schools and that Mr. Pritchard has rendered his valuable servicers gratuitously for several years past; moreover, that thatgentlemanhas established day schools for the education of the youth of both se.\es in his neighborhood, which are attended by many children whose [)arents cannot allord to pay for their instruction, Resolved : That in order to encourage the laudable and highly useful objecjts in question, the sum of £25 shall, per annum, bt: allowed to Mr. Pritchard to allow him to carry on his view:^ of benevolence. [Thf End.] i } 1 i;i»ii'. >i