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EARLY SCOTTISH 
 INFLUENCE IN . . 
 NORTH ami: RICA 
 
 I.KCTIKK I)LL!\i:iH.I> I'.KF-OkK THE 
 C A!.i;h(.MA\ S(Kil.r\(.|- MoNTRIAL, 
 
 i\ Si". Anhkiav's IIomi:. on 7th 
 Jamakw 1.^98 
 
 BY 
 
 l'Ak(jL-lI.\K SlLARr .M.\( I.i:X.\.\.\, lU/.L. 
 
 
 MOXTRIiAL: 
 
 WriNEsS ■ rRIMINU 1(UL'.SK 
 IS9S. 
 
EARLY SCOTTISH INI' LU1<:NCI': 
 
 IN 
 
 NORTH AISIHRICA. 
 
 Mr. President, Ladies and (Gentlemen : 
 
 To the love of adventure ami ^ain, the j^lory of discovery 
 and the renown which attached to successful enterprise alon^ 
 the coasts of the newly-discovered continent of America, we 
 can ascribe the heroism and fortitude which possessed the 
 hearts of the early adventurers and explorers, who in hi^h 
 spirits and full of hope left the known world in search of the 
 plunder and rich rewards they e>c])ected to reaj) in the new. 
 France and Spain were early rivals in discovery and adventure, 
 but the prize was so j^reat that the conflict for its possession 
 was not serious between these f^reat powers, h'ur and j^old 
 were the two ni'iin objects which attracted the attention of the 
 early discoverers. The fiery Spaniard inllamed with the love 
 of ^o\d carried his discoveries over those brilliant countries 
 scorched with tropical suns from Mexico to Peru and in search 
 of the richly-paved streets of the mythical 1^1 Dorado which 
 haunted the fertile brain of the ill-fated Kaleij^h. while the 
 li^ht-hearted I'Venchman turned his face towards more nor- 
 thern lands in pursuit of the less splendid but profitable rewards 
 of the chase and the forest, extendinp^ his adventure over the 
 valley of the St. Lawrence and the snow-clad hills and plains 
 of the " Great Lone " and " Wild North Land " which ex- 
 tended to and beyond the Arctic Circle. The liriton may have 
 been slow in assertinj^ his rij^hts of discovery in the newly- 
 found Continent, but when he did come, it was to remain until 
 he conquered and his prowess and valour enabled him to imfurl 
 beneath our clear northern skies the flag' that proclaimed to the 
 world ''^nt he acknowledj^ed allejiiance, proudly and devotedly, 
 to the Hobe-encircling British Empire. Early in the 17th 
 
century, a patriotic Scotdiniaii and favourite at the Court of 
 Kinjj^ Janus I. — Sir William AKxandcrobtained a Royal 
 jj^rant of the Acadian peninsula with Cajx.' I'.reton Island and 
 the part of the mainland now occu])ied by New Ih'unswick and 
 (iaspe. Tlitre was .already a New iMiijland. .a Xew l-rance 
 and a New Spain, and why should there not he a New Scot- 
 land ? To the whole of this territory Sir William ^ave the 
 name of Nova Scotia. It mattered not to him that a part of 
 it was already in the possession of the I'Vench. I'.y his Koyal 
 Charter he had the right to establish an Order of Kni}^dits 
 iiaronets of Xova Scotia, and in a period of ten years he issued 
 over loo patents of this new order of nobility, and to each l>ar- 
 onet lu' f^ave an estate of i8 s(|uare miles, lie hoped to have 
 establslud a solid Scotch .Acadia, and thereby drive back the 
 ed^e of battle between I'>ance and I'Ji.ijland to the very banks 
 of the St. Lawrence. I'ut his dreams were premature, the 
 seeds of international war had been sown and the strugij^Ie for 
 possession was otdy bei^inninji:. The infant Colon v did !iot 
 .grow, for .Acadia was the scene of many cruel and heart-rend- 
 iujLj; conlhcts before the .glory of h'rance was crushed over loo 
 years later on the Plains of Abraham by the brave and daunt- 
 less Wolfe. This was the first attempt to transi)lant Scotch 
 settlers in America. The failure of the experiment was not 
 due to any fault of the Scotchmen or to any want of suitability 
 to the country. The scheme was chimerical and premature, and 
 the territory which was the object of the grant was not in the 
 pt)ssession of the I'ritish Crown, but was under the dominion 
 of the King of l''rance. 
 
 In the planting of the liritish Colonies between Xew Eng- 
 land and hlorida, the Scotch ])layed no inconsiderable part, 
 ])articularly in N'irginia, Xorth and South Carolina and (leor- 
 gia, where there were many distinctly Scotch settlements estab- 
 lished in the early days. JUit as the history of our own coun- 
 try should be our first study and as in its early days under 
 r»ritish rule Scotchmen i)layed an important and honourable 
 part, I intend to direct your attention to a very brief review of 
 some of the services rendered to Canada and the liritish Crown 
 l)y men of Scottish birth ; and while we recall the exploits of 
 
our cotintrviiuMi in the Xew World, we must not UfV^vt what 
 is (hu- to their alhes of l-'renrh orij^iii wht» wire thr piuiuiTs el 
 oivili/atioii in ( anada. 
 
 J)uriii}; the i-reiieh ref^iiuc thr fur trade was the inM.^t im- 
 portant in(histry of the eountry. It was protitahle. thonj^di 
 often earned on under ^n-eat (hffieuUies. To I'reiuh e.\])lorers 
 we owe mueh. 'Hu'v penetrated tlu- wihlerui-ss tlirouLjh a 
 spirit of adventiu'e as well as for the love (»f i^ain. Tlionj^h 
 the houndaries of Canatla in those (Uiys were not dilhu'd with 
 the precision which marks the outposts of our ti-rritory to-da\ . 
 the early h'rench explorers had advanced our frontiers to the 
 head waters of the (Ireat Lakes, had ^one down the Mississippi 
 to its mouth, and had henuned in the h'n^lish C\)lonies on the 
 Atlantic so that their western houndaries were the AUej^hau) 
 Mour.tains. i'.etwc'cn 17,^1 and 1745 \ erandrye. a distin- 
 g'nished h'rcnch I'xplorer, and his sons, had jj^one hiyond Lake 
 Superior on to the Lake of the Woods, and to Ued River, 
 wdiere they huilt I'ort Kouj;;e on tlu' present site of the City ol 
 Wimiipe^-. and from thence up the Sasketchewan l\i\er to the 
 hase of the Rocky Mountains. Lp the ( )ttawa. alnni; th;- 
 Great Lakes and across the plains, the brave-hearted and hardy 
 h'renchmen had established a lucrative trade with the Indian 
 trai)pers. A new and vmicjue class of men t;rew ont of this 
 trade. 'Ihey were kmtwn as L'oiiriitrs ilcs Hi>is. rangers 
 of the woods ; ori<;-inally men who had accom])anied the 
 [ndians in their huutiui^ expeditions and beconu' acijuainted 
 with remote tracts and tribes. These men were accustomed 
 to set out from Montreal with canoes well stocked with i>;oods. 
 arms and annnunition and to make their way up the rivers and 
 lakes, far iidand, where they exchan,L;ed their wares for the 
 products of the chase. They adai)te(l themselves to the tastes 
 and habits of the tribes with whom they traded, sometimes 
 adopting; the Indian dress and not infrequently takini;- to them- 
 selves Indian wives. As they passed the .greater ])art of the 
 time far removed from the restraints of civilization, amid tlie 
 perfect freedoTU of the wilderness, it is not surprisint^ that, when 
 after an absence of perhaps 12. 15 or 18 months they returned 
 to ]\rontreal. the head(|uarters of trade, they gave way to 
 
« 
 
 revelry and cxtrava^.itice. I'arkniati says that " tlicy con- 
 ducted tlieniselves much Hke the crew of a luau-of-wnr paid 
 off after a Um^ voyaj^e. As lotij^ as their heaver skins lasted, 
 they set no hounds to their riot — and j^^'unhhu}^ and (hinkinj^ 
 fdled the (kiy and the nij^ht." With all the faults whi-h have 
 been attributed to them, they were a necessity of their day, and 
 they carried far itdand the claims of the I'Vench Kinj; to the 
 territory of this Continent to the exculsion of all others. The 
 h'renchmen of these days ^ave to I'rance a Continenf, but 
 h'rance thouf^ht little of the j^dft and fate took it back aj^ain. 
 Nearly a century before the cession, the ICnj^^^lish had awakened 
 to the importance of the l'"ur trade in North America, and in 
 1670 Kiii}^ Charles 11. (►f ICnj^dand j^^ranted a charter to his 
 cousin Prince Rupert and about 20 noblemen and fjjentlemen 
 under the name of "The (lovernor and Company of Adven- 
 turers of i'jif^land and tradinj^j into Hudson's l>ay." but com- 
 monly known as the Hudson's r>ay Com]);niy. by which he 
 assured the Company of the sole trade and connnerce of 1 lud- 
 son's I'ay and of all rivers and streams flowing into it. which 
 were not already possessed by the subjects of any other Chris- 
 tian Prince or State. The territory was to 1)e reputed a IJritish 
 Colony, and to be called " Rupert's Land." The members of 
 the Company were to be absolute pr()i)riet()rs and lords. They 
 alone were entitled to the exclusive trade of the land and were 
 empowered to make laws and ordinances arid to imi)ose pen- 
 alties and punishments. No English subject was to trade in 
 the country without the leave of the Company, and for these 
 great and exclusive powers and privileji^es. it was to pay annu- 
 ally a royalty of two elks and two black beavers. The Conipany 
 beg-an its mercantile operations with zeal and energy. It estab- 
 lished trading posts, visited once a year by ships from luigland, 
 at the mouths of some of the important rivers llowing into 
 Hudson's lUiy. It did not attempt to j^rosecutc its trade in- 
 land. There was no necessity for the first J 00 years why it 
 should. The Indians brought their rich furs to the Posts on 
 the Bay, where they exchanged them for the goods and gaudy 
 trinkets brought there in the Company's ships. Many con- 
 flicts took place between the Company and the French, but 
 
tlif laltiT wtri" lint al)k' t»» disiilaci- ihc l'"-ii};lisli advrnutrrrs, 
 and wIk'H tlic l"U'iir-«k'-lis had yiviii plaoi' in tlu- n-d cr()s> «»t 
 P'-iij^^latid on the hcij^dits of (Jmhii-. the lludson's IWiy Com- 
 l-any was firmly i'stal)li>lu'd in its ifadc with tht tribes visiting 
 the inreat iiihmd sea. 
 
 We will leave lludson's I'.ay for the ])resent and for a mo- 
 ment observe what is takinjj; plaee in the ( iulf and Kiver St. 
 Lawrence. The story of the takini; of (Jiiebec has been told 
 so often that I would not now refer to it. were it not for the 
 distiiiji^uished and j^'alLinl eonduct of soiiu' of the Highland 
 ke}.iiments in tha'. memorable eonlliet. i'he l"ra>er IliLih- 
 landers and the I'dack Watch were with the^allaiu Wolfe at 
 Louisbur^i;-. and ri<;ht splendidly did they cover themselves with 
 .tjlory. They accotu|)anie<l him to (juebec and foremost 
 anion}.^ the soldiers who scaled the steep banks of the St. Law- 
 rence were tin- I'rasers. .\s the\ ai)proache(l the banks in 
 their small boats. ;. P'rench sentinel challenged tlu'm sharply 
 out of the darkness. "' W ho i^oes tlure ? " l"ortunatel\ in one 
 of the leadin.y; boats was a I'ra^er ofhcer to whon. kretich was 
 as his own tonj^-ue. and he replied. " The l-"rench.' TIk' suspi- 
 ci )US soldier aj^ain challenj^ed "■ What Regiment.'" and the 
 officer replied " The Oueen's." which he knew was expected 
 about that time to arri\-e from MoiUreal. As tluy wire land- 
 iiijL;' another sentry, more suspicious, ran down to the water's 
 cd^e and asked. " Wh\- do xoii not speak louder?" The 
 C"aptain replied, with wi»u(K.-fid ccoluess. " Don't make a noise 
 or the L.n^lish will be u])OU us." an answer which satisfied the 
 jiuard. I'ate that ni},dit was on the side of the r.ritishers. and 
 in a few minutes the heii^hts were !;aine<l and by daylight 
 \\'olfe's army was pre])ared to con(|uer or to die, for retreat 
 was out of the (picstion. While Wolfe had been concjuerinm- 
 a' LouisburjLi' and before he came to (Juebec. Montcalm had 
 defeated the Tiritis'' ' "r'nadiiTs and I lijuhlanders on Lake 
 Champlain at the battle of Ticonderoga. After the Ixittle some 
 Ilij^hland prisoners were huddled tojj^etlur on the field expect- 
 ing;- no (piarter from the Lrendi or their Indian allies, when a 
 stalwart I'Veiich officer walked up an<l stendy rebuked some of 
 his men in I'rench, and then suddenly addressed the ])risoners 
 
ill ( lacHc. Surprise was soon turned to terror, for they con- 
 cluded that no I'renchnien could e\er speak (laelic, and that 
 His Satanic Majesty in perst)n was before them, ^'ou can 
 imaj^ine their relief when they le[U"ned he was a Jacobite serv- 
 ing' in the h'rench annw After the coiU|uest. and the Royal 
 Standard of I'.nj^land lloated on the breeze from Hudson's 
 I'a}' to I'lorida and Louisiana, an offer of land tyrants was made 
 to such of the iii^hlanders as wished to remain in America, 
 and many of them took u\) their abode in ( )ld Canada and the 
 Maritime l'ro\inces. Their descendants are still to be found 
 in many of the wholly j-rench ])ortions of the Province of Que- 
 bec, where they ha\e become hrench in everythini;' except 
 their names. Murray Day and P'raserville, now resorts of 
 fashion, trace their n.ames back to the heroes of Ouebec. The 
 peace which followed the cession was of com])aratively brief 
 duration. In less than 20 years the war of the American 
 revolution coiuul^-ed the Continent. The counsels of the rash 
 and the blind drcne the old l-'n^lish Colonies into revt)lt. 
 Some of the revoliitioiiarv leaders were men ^^\ ."^cottish des- 
 cent, and notably anioUL;' these were Patrick I leiiry. the orator, 
 and Ak'xander llamiltitn, the distinguished statesman and 
 political writer. Continental freedom was not a sentiment to 
 alienate the Canadians from the Uritish Crown. The " .\ew 
 .Subjects," as the kreiich Canadians were called, had learned 
 to ap])reciate the freedom accorded them by their coiuiuerors, 
 and the old subjects who had settled in Canada after the con- 
 (|uest were either soldiers who had fought l'>ritain's battles in 
 conquerins.i- Canada or their cliildri'u who inherited the military 
 s])iril of tluir sires. ( »ld and new subjects united with one 
 common accord in defence of their country. Many of them 
 were discharged men and oflicers of the k'raser llij;hlan- 
 ders. Montreal fell an easy prey to the Congress . )oi)s, who 
 then ])ushed on to Ouebec, but the united force of l-Jiolish, 
 Scotch and I'rench withstood the sici^e and in the end repulsed 
 the American force, which retreated, leaving- amoui;- the slain 
 General Montuoiuerv and his two aides, it is a straui-e coin- 
 cideiice that .Montgomery, the invader t)f Canada, had fought 
 under Wolfe in his last campaign. 
 
9 
 
 After the ill-fated strujij^lc on behalf of the I louse of Stuart 
 had cuhuiuated in the affair of '45. a Scotch settlement was 
 established in New \'ork State near Albany at the instigation 
 of Sir \\'illian\ Johnson, who was the owner of a lar^^e estate 
 there and who formed a friendlx alliance with the Six Nation 
 Indians. Sir William died in 1774. and was succeeded in his 
 title and estates by his son. Sir John Johnson, who soon be- 
 came Commandant of the Militia in the I'rovince of New N'ork. 
 Sir John headed the i.oyalists in his Stale and rallied to his 
 support the Scotch I lijuhlanders. but was evemuall\ forced to 
 take refu.i;e by llijuht to Canada. His arrival in .\b)ntreal was 
 conunimicatcd to the ( iovernor-(ieneral, Sir Guy Carleton. who 
 soon prociu-ed for him a commission to raisi' the KiuL^'s Koy.d 
 Rej^iment of .\'ew N'ork. Althouiih there were two battalions 
 in this re.^iment, almost all tlu' officer^ weri' Macdoui-Us who 
 came from ( Ilen^arrv in Scotlan<l. ( )n the termination of the 
 war. and the disbanding- of the Ke^iment, man\ of them 
 settled in ( lleuj^arry, (Ontario, and i;ave the name to the 
 ct)uiity. 
 
 Canada had now become a I'.ritish C olony. and with the in- 
 flux of a new population had come a change in the life and 
 as])irations of its ])eo])le. When i'"rench domination eruled. 
 some of the tild traders went l)ack to tiieir native land. 1 he 
 fur trade with the interior stagnated for a time. The I ludson's 
 I Jay Comjjany had hardly felt the competition of the l'"rench 
 traders in the region beyond the (ireat Lake>. The I'ay 
 Company ne\-er had the trade which foimd its outlet by the 
 St. Lawrence. It was not lonj;-. however, until r>ritish traders 
 ])rominent anion;;- whom were .Scotchmen Mho had come to 
 .Montreal — the .Mcdillivrays. I'rasers, McKenzies. McLeods. 
 .McTavishes and others — took up the prcjsecutitju of the fiu' 
 trade with a vi«>-or and enterprise which had not l)een eciiudied 
 in the days of the hVench re,i;ime. The services of the cour- 
 eurs des hois were enlisted and the trade which found its out- 
 let in Montreal soon increased in volume and extended far 
 beyond Lake Superior into the rei;ion of the s^reat illimitable 
 western and northern coimtry from which the I ludson's lUw 
 Com])any had been accustomed for 100 years to receive the 
 
10 
 
 products of the chase. Competition soon ftirced the Company 
 to chanjTc its methods. Tt could not afford to allow the base of 
 supply to be tapped without an effort to hold the trade. Like a 
 sleepinf.1^ j^iant the Kn.^lish fur company roused to action, left 
 the Shores of Hudson's T>ay an<l ])enetrated inii) the interior 
 until its agents met the IVFontreal traders on the .^Saskatchewan 
 River, at Fort Cund)erlan(l, in 1774. and a contlict bej^an be- 
 tween the rival traders 'which extended over a period of 50 
 years, and was terminated only by an amaliiamation of the 
 confjictinj.^ interests. There was a stroni;' resemblance in many 
 respects between those who carried on this rivalry. The chief 
 ajjents and factors of the 1 fudson's 1 'ay Company were Scotch- 
 men frt)m the Xorth of Scotland. They entered the service 
 of the Com]:)any when young" nn'u. after a close examination, 
 mental, moral and ])hysical. They received twenty pounds a 
 \ear and board and lodging, and when their ai)prenticeship was 
 ended they had promotion in \ie\v. The hardships and expo- 
 sures of their life were severe. Man\- of these Scotch ])ea- 
 sants were born U) a hard and rough lot at home, but they 
 looked u])on the ])rivilege of service in the Comi)any's em])loy 
 with ])ride and enthusiasm. The hazardous sea voyage to 
 Hudson's IJay and the first sight of its inhospitable shores, were 
 soon followed by severe task work under conditions which 
 were novel to them. Ihit their hopes ran high, and their robust 
 bodies carried them through hardships \\hich would have been 
 impossible to men of weaker physi(pie. The fur traders of 
 .XFontreal found it necessary to miite their forces and fortimes 
 in partnership, which was done in 178^, tmder the name of the 
 North-West Company, and which for a time held lordly sway 
 over the wintry lakes and boundless forests of the Cauadas. 
 The Company was divided into a certain number of shares 
 between the Montreal partners, who lived in a lordly and hos- 
 pitable style, and the " wintering- partners " who went off by 
 the streams and lakes to reside deep in the interior amongf the 
 natives, to instigate business and to gather in the results of 
 hunting and trapping^. It had in its employ about j.ooo per- 
 sons as clerks, guides, interpreters, voyageiu's and boatmen. 
 The point of cnd)arcation was .Xfontreal. or more properly 
 
11 
 
 speaking' Lacliine, from which the snoods intciulocl to he har- 
 tcrcd for furs were convoyed iti hoats and canoes up the ( Jttawa 
 to Lakes Xipissini;-, llin"on and Superior, and thence hy a 
 chain of rixers and k'd<es to Lakes W'iimipeg', Athabasca 
 and (ireat Sk'ive Lake. As the l'oni])any became; regularly 
 organized, a(hnission into it was extremely (htificnlt. A can- 
 (hckite had to enter as it were '" before the mast," serve a seven 
 ) ears" probation, and rise slowly b} his merits and services. 
 I lis goal was of course some day to become a partner. Most 
 of the clerks were young men of good families from the High- 
 lands of Scotland, characterised by the [)erseverance, thrift 
 and fidelity of iheir race, and fitted by their native hardihood 
 to endure the iriah. and privations of the rigorous climate of 
 the north. < )ccasionall_\ clerks froui the inland posts were 
 accorded the privilege of a visit to Montreal to have a taste of 
 civilized life, but these were brilliant spots in their existence. 
 1 know of no better description of the .North-West Company 
 than that given by Washington Irving, which I will take the 
 liberty of (pioting : 
 
 ■■ To behold the Xorlhwesi L ompany in all itN state and 
 grandeur, however, it was necessary to witness an annual gath- 
 ering at the great interiijr place of conference established at 
 I'ort William, near what is called the (irand I'ortage, on Lake 
 Superior. Ilere two or three of the leading i)artners from 
 Montreal ijroceeded once a year to meet the partners from the 
 various trading posts oi the wilderness, to discuss the affairs of 
 the company during the preceding \ ear. and to arrange i)lans 
 for the future. 
 
 " ( )n these occasions might l)e seen the change since the un- 
 ceremonious times of the old l-"rench traders ; now the aris- 
 tocratical character of the Uriton shone forth magnificeiuly. 
 or rather the feudal spirit of the I lighlanders. livery partner 
 who had charge of an interior post, and a score of retainers 
 at his command, felt \\\<c the chieftain of a llighland clan, and 
 was almost as important in the eyes of his dependents as of 
 himsilf. To him a \isit to the grand coiu'erence at I'ort Wil- 
 liam was a ni<3st important event, and he repaired there as to 
 a meeting of Parliament. 
 
■■ Tlu- partiKTS from Montrt-al. however, wore the lords of 
 the aseeiidant ; coniinj^ from the midst of luxurious atid osten- 
 tatious life, they (|uite eclipsed their compeers from the woods, 
 whose forms and faces had been battered and hardened by hard 
 livinj^ and hard ser\ice, and whose j^armeiUs and e(|uipment> 
 were all the worse for wear. Indeed, the ])artners from below 
 considered the whole dignity of the company as represented 
 in their persons, and conducted themselves in suitable style. 
 They ascended the rivers in ^reat state, like sovereij^ns making 
 a i)ro,i>ress, or rather like Mi.i>hland cliieftains navij>atin_o- their 
 subject lakes. They were wrapi)e(l in rich fiU's. their hu.i;e can- 
 oes freiji'hted w ith every convenience and luxiu\\-. and manned 
 by Canadian xoyajj^eurs. as obedient as llii;hland clansmen. 
 They carried uj) with them cooks and bakers, tot^ether with 
 delicacies of every kind, and abundance of choice wines for the 
 bampiets which attended this yreat convocation. llap])y were 
 they, too. if they could meet with some distiniiuished strani>er. 
 above all. some titled member of the liritisli nobility, to accom- 
 pany them on the stately occasion, and ^race their lii_t;h sol- 
 enmities. 
 
 ■' I'ort William, the scene of this important annual meetinj;-. 
 was a considerable village on the banks of Lake Superior, 
 llere. in an innnense wooden buildiut;". was the j^reat C(nmcil 
 hall, as also tlu> bancputiniL;' chamber, decorated with Indian 
 arms and accotnrements. and the trophies of the fiu' trade. 
 The house swarmed at this time with traders and voya^eiu's. 
 some from Montreal, bound to the interior posts : some from 
 the interior posts, boimd to .Montreal. The coimcils were held 
 in i^reat state, for every mend)er felt as if sittin<i; in parliament, 
 and every retainer and dependent looked up to the assembly 
 with awe. 'as to the House of Lords. There was a. vast deal 
 of solenm deliberation, and hard Scottish reasoning.:;, with an 
 occasional swell of ]>ompous declaiuation. 
 
 I liese m'rave and weighty councils were alternated by huge 
 feasts and revels, like so.ne of the old feasts described in Lligh- 
 land castles. The tables in the great bancjueting room 
 groaned under the weight of game of all kinds : of venison 
 from the woods, and fish from the lakes, with hunters' deli- 
 
13 
 
 cacics, such as buffaloes' tongues, and beavers' tails, and vari- 
 ous luxuries from Montreal, all served up by experienced cooks 
 brought for the purpose. There was no stint of generous wines, 
 for it was a hard-drinking period, a time of loyal toasts, and 
 bacchanalian songs, and brinuuing bumpers. 
 
 " While the chiefs thu.-i revelled in hall, and made the rafters 
 resountl with bursts of loyalty and old Scottish s(jngs, elianted 
 in voices cracked and sharpened by the northern blast, their 
 merriment was echoed and prolonged by a mongrel legion of 
 retainers, Canadian voyageurs, half-breeds, Indian hunters, 
 and vagabond hangers-on who feasted sumptuously without 
 on the crumbs that fell from their table, and made the welkin 
 ring with old I'rench ditties, mingled with Indian yelps and 
 veilings." 
 
 Probably the most distinguished man connected with the 
 North-West Company was Mr., afterwards Sir. Alexander 
 Mackenzie, a native of the town of Stornoway, iti the 
 Island of I>ewis, Sc(Jtland, who emigrated to Lanada about 
 1779, and became one of the principal partners in the 
 Compan\ u\nm its (jrgani/.ation a few years afterwards. 
 Well educated, his mind was bent upon enterprise, and 
 being possessed of a robust constitmion and capable of 
 enduring great fatigue, he was well (|ualitied for the 
 voyages of discovery with which his name has become 
 associated. He was one of the " wintering partners," 
 and for eight years had his head(|uarters at l^'ort Chippew- 
 yan, on Lake .\thabasca. it was from this point liiat his two 
 great voyages of discovery were made. ( )n June 3rd. 1789, 
 accomi)anied by a crew of four Canadians, two of whom were 
 attended bv their wives, one (Jerman, an Indian who had ac- 
 quired the title of " I^nglish Chief" through having traded 
 with the Hudson's Bay C"ompany, and his two wives, together 
 with two young Indians, the latter of whom served in the two- 
 fold capacity of interpreters and hunters, he leh l-'ort Chij)- 
 pewyan, entered the Slave River, followed it north to the Slave 
 Lake, across which he sailed, and then entered the Mackenzie 
 River, to which he gave his name. He had not proceeded far 
 when he met tribes of Indians who had never seen white men. 
 
14 
 
 Tlu'v. howovcr, wore not hostile, and their j^ood-will was easily 
 obtaiiKMl by means of presents. I'ish and j^anie were foinid to 
 he (]nite plentifnl. His object was to reach the Arctic Sea, 
 and settle the (|uestion of the practicability of the Xorth-W'est 
 passaj^e which had been a lonj^ aj^itated pr(>bleni. llefore the 
 middle of jidy, he had reached a country where at that time 
 of the year the sun never sank below the hori/.on. It was 
 extremely cold, however, and as the mouth of the Macken/.ie 
 River was approached, considerable ice and foj; were encoun- 
 tered. Whales were also seen, and an island at the mouth of 
 the Mackenzie River was consecjuently called " Whale Island." 
 lie <lid not find it necessary to proceed farther north, and 
 be^an the retm-n voyaj.;e about the middle of July. Mis i)arty 
 was obliged to put up with considerable hardship during the 
 retiu-n voya^ye. and they arrived at h'ort Lhipiiewyan early in 
 Septend)er after an absence of 102 days withoiU :iu\ loss of life 
 or any serious difticulty with the natives. Mackenzie was 
 now satisfied that there was no navij^able water channel con- 
 necting.; the I'acilic and .\tlantic ( )ceans farther north than the 
 outlet of the .Mackenzie River into the .\rctic ( )cean. lie then 
 resolved to rtnd a route westward across the continent direct 
 to the Pacific ( )cean by way of the Peace River. Sium after 
 his return from the Arctic ( )cean, he ])roceede(l to .Nbmtreal, 
 where he consulted his partners and i)ointed out to them the 
 profits which would accrue to the Company if its trade could be 
 extended westward to the Pacific Ocean. Jle i)roposed to visit 
 London in order to ascertain from the reports of the naviga- 
 tors who had discovered the Pacific ( )cean all possible informa- 
 tion respectin.y; the coast and i)articularly the latitude of h'ort 
 Chippewyan and the I'eace River. He also desired to add to his 
 knowleds'e of astronomy and to obtain a better e(|u'pment of 
 astronomical instruments for the puri)ose of taking- observa- 
 tions than he had had. when he explored the .Mackenzie River. 
 His partners in Montreal approved of his proposal, and he im- 
 mediately proceeded to London, where he was well received 
 and every opportunity was j^fiven him to obtain the recpiired 
 information and instruction. P>ein^ of a studious turn of 
 mind, he (piickly acquired the knowlcdp^e which he desired, 
 
ir. 
 
 and ill tlu- sinntiK-r of \/i)J \\v tiiul liiiu aj;aiii at Inri C'liip- 
 pcwvan prepared f<»r the jounu'v to tlu- I'aiit'u- ( )(.iati. It 
 was a bold, perilous undertakinj^ iti those days. Xo white 
 man 11]) to that time had penetrated into the unknown recesses, 
 passes and daujuers of these ^reat mountains. The ditVieultics 
 which confronted him were miknown. but he was not a man to 
 be discouraged by ditViculties of travel or exploration, and on 
 ( U-tober loth. \/i)2. he set out for Peace Kiver. The princi- 
 pal man in the e.\])e(lition next to Mackenzie himself, was Alex- 
 ander .Mackay, an native of l^utherlandshire. who was an ex- 
 pert boatman and hiuiter. and shared tlu' res])()nsibility 
 throuj^hout the journex with .Macken/.ii'. The party consisted 
 often men. and end)arked in one canoe ^5 feet loUjn' and less 
 than 5 feet wide, and so lijj^ht that two irien could carry it a 
 distance of three or four miles without stopping to rest. ( )f 
 course, they had to take with tlu-m pro\ision>. ^oods for pre- 
 sents, arms, amnnmition and ba|L;s.;a|L;'e. the whole to the wi-i^ht 
 of about ^:^.()()() lbs. It was his iiUention to pass the winter 
 east of the Rocky Mountains at k'ort l-"ork on the I'eaci- Kiver, 
 to which place ln' had sent some men I'arly in the season to 
 prepare tind)er for buildings. This poim was nacbed in about 
 three week>, and here Mackenzie and his ])arty remained until 
 early in May, i"')^, wlu-n the ice left the ri\er and the journey 
 westward was ri'sumed. .\s he ascended the head waters of 
 the I'eace Kiver. he found the difficulties of naviiiatitm in- 
 iTeased. Ka])i(ls and falls wire encountered, and in many 
 l)laces the river was found to run through f^orj^o. After hav- 
 ing; crossed the sunmiit of the Mountains, he saw L;reat num- 
 bers of beavers and whole acres of larye po])lars cut down by 
 them. The Indian tribes which he met in tlu' .Mountains were 
 clad entirel)- in furs, and from these tribes, throuiih his inter- 
 preters, he obtained much information res])ectinjL;' the rivers 
 leadin<j into the I'acilic ( )cean. These Indians told him of a 
 lar<2;e river that ran towards the midday sun and at the mouth 
 of which white men had been seen in vessels as bi^' as islands. 
 The banks of this ^reat river were soon reached, and Macken- 
 zie imaj^ined that he had reached the j^reat Columbia Kiver of 
 which he had heard when in Enj^land; but as we shall presently 
 
16 
 
 see, Ik' was mistaken as to this. After havinj^ followed tlu' 
 r'ver for some distaiice, lie came to the conclusion that it would 
 arry him too far south, and conse(|uently determined to re- 
 trace his steps for some distance and to leave the river and 
 attempt to cross the country in as direct a line as possible to 
 the Ocean. In the meantime, his provisions and annuunition 
 were becominj^- low. and his men he^an to nuirnuu", and ex- 
 pressed a wish to return to the Peace River. I'einj;- a man oi 
 courap;e and determination, he did not desire to return without 
 achieving' his object, and he knew from his own knowledj^'e. 
 and also from the information obtained from the natives, that 
 the sea coast was not very far distant. Me told his men that 
 they wotdd be disijraced for life if they should return to civi- 
 H/cati(^n without accom])Hshin;>;' their purpose, and they deter- 
 mined to press onward. They soon came to other river>. 
 which were foimd to be tee niuj;- with salmon. The supply 
 cpiestion had. therefore, resohed itself, and as he expected to 
 return shortly by the same route, part of their sui)plies was 
 buried or cached sufficiently deep in the j.;"round to enable a fire 
 to be built over the i)lace where the provisions were hidden, for 
 the pur|)ose of (lestroyinj>; all si^^ns of anythiui;- havinj^; been 
 left there, lie had tuany stranj>e experiences, and his journa 
 relates that on one occasion he cli'nbed a tree to take an ob- 
 servation of the surrounding country. Most of the tribes which 
 he met were peaceful, although many of them at first appeare( 
 to be jn mortal terror of white men. and (lisapi)eared into the 
 woods almost as quickly as they were seen. When these tribe- 
 became aware of the jx'aceful intentions of Mackenzie and hi- 
 men. they were (|uite friendly, many of them insisting upon 
 acc()m])anying him on his expedition, lie had to watch hi- 
 property sometimes, in order to prevent it being stolen by the 
 natives, and frequently Mackenzie and Mackay kept watch 
 alternately during the night. On one occasion after some of 
 their outfit had been stolen by an Indian tribe. Mackenzie sum- 
 moned the chiefs together, told them that the white men owned 
 the sea and had the power to stop the salmon from comitii^ 
 up the rivers, and that he would exercise this power and thii.* 
 starve out the Indian tribes and their friends unless the stoUn 
 
propcMtN wa ri'storod. This ruse suori'rdiMl. and ciiiissarii'^ 
 were promptly dcspalclic'd to restore the luisNiiiu pro]KTt> . ( )n 
 the jo'ih of July the lon,i;"-looked-for raeilie ( )eean eanie in 
 \ieu, and in order to I'ecord his arrival on thi' eita>t. Maeken 
 /ie painted in verniili<in on the ta«.e of a roek DverlookinjL;' tlu' 
 sea. " .\i.i:\.\\i)i:u Macki-.x/i i-. ikom (".\\.\i»a r.\ land jjnd 
 Jii.N, i7<>,v" '''*■' '"^-'lurn journe\ was soon coninienei'd. and 
 was praetieally over the same route as the westward trip. The 
 pinnnie.'.M was found where it had been left, and the\ weri 
 soon over the suuunit ,uoin,i;' down the I 'eaoe River a^ain. 
 At one ])artieular part of the River they went duwti a> far in 
 onedax as it took seven days to i;et up. and the i)arty returni'd 
 to I'Ort C*hi])pewyan after an absence of i i months. .\laekeJi- 
 zie does not ajjpear to ha\'e remained mmdi longer in the north. 
 He returned to .Montreal, hut continued his conneetion witli 
 the North-West C'ompan}-. .\t the eonnneneement of tlu 
 present eentury hi' was a member of the Lei^islature of the 
 Province of (Juebeo for lluntinmdon C"ount\. lie did not tind 
 Canadian politics cont;enial. and in January, 1X05. in writinj; 
 to a friend from Ouebec. said : " I am heartily tired of lA\yisla- 
 tion. [ sincerely wish that those who ihounht themselves my 
 friends in bein,^- the means of f.^ettin|n' me so honourable a situa- 
 tion had been otherwise emplo\ed." lie shortl\ .afterwards 
 returned to .Scotland, where he married and livt'd until iSjo. 
 
 .\fter tlie Jacobite rising' in Scotland had been put down and 
 striui^ent laws had been enacted aji;ainst the 1 linhlanders. many 
 of the latter were forced to leave their homes and their countrx. 
 Their lands were beinij" turned into j^razinjLr fields for shee]). 
 It may be asked. " Is not a man betti'r than a sheei) ; "' and it 
 is hard to concei\e how in an\- ci\ilized country the ([Uestion 
 coidd be answered otherwise than in the affirmative. I'.ut the 
 landlords of Scotland in those da\s e\identl\- thoumht other- 
 Wise. The " fliiLi-hland clearances" brought many sturdy clans- 
 men and settlers to Canada. In .\o\a Scotia many thousand 
 Scottish settlers came to the Comities of Tictou. Anti^^'onish. 
 GuNsboro and Cape lireton dm-injn- the last (juarter of the 
 eighteenth century. ( )ne of the symi)athetic men of the period 
 was the Earl of Selkirk. who. thouj^h a nobleman of the Sc(Jttish 
 
18 
 
 r'ordcr Country, had an admiration for the I iijuhlaiKk'rs and 
 in 1804 he hroujulit out a colony of about eij^lit hun<h\'d. wliiidi 
 he settled in Trince l""d\\ard Island. A second colony undei 
 his auspices was settled in the western part of the I'rovince 01 
 ( )ntario. I liaM' alreadv referred to the Scottish settle. nent in 
 New York State, which came over to the County of ( ilenmarrv 
 Shortly after the Kevolutionary War. a VdV^c emij^ration oi 
 lli,!4hlanders from the (Ileuf^arry Instates in Scotland under tlu 
 leadership of the Reverend Alexander Macdonell. came to 
 Canada and settled with their kinsfolk in (ilenmarr\. Thi- 
 priest was one of the earliest Catholic priests and missionaries, 
 other than l-"rench. who had settled in I'pper Canada. IK 
 was the founder f)f thf Parish of St. I\a])haels. the pioneer 
 parish not only of (ilenj^arry. hut of l'])per Canada. His dis 
 tinouished namesake, the Reverend Alexander Macdonell. 
 afterwards liishop in 1X04. l)rou,L;ht out several hundred oi 
 his fellow countrymen who had been members of the disbande 
 Cden^arry I'encible Ret^iment." which went out of service afti 
 the close (►f the Irish Rebellion. The Reverend .Mexandn 
 Macdonell had been the Chaplain of the Re^imetU. and whe 
 it was disbanded his faithful soldiers and their families, throut;! 
 his efforts wuh the I'.ritish (lovernment. were ^iven passaj^e t( 
 Canada, and on arrival here obtained free j^rants of land. 'riu\ 
 also settled in the Countv of ( denj^arry. and he continued td 
 l)e their spiritual adviser, lie was the fir.st Roman Catholic 
 liishop of Cpper Canada. land as such travelled often on foot 
 from one end of the IVovince to the other, k'or 36 vears hi 
 was a notable fi^au-e in the Province. He i)ossessed an inlluenci 
 over his fellow countrymen which was exerted for their wel 
 fare and advancement without distinction of creed. He wib 
 a true I'.ritisher and loyal to the core. \\'hen the War of 1812 
 broke out. he joined the Cdens^arry Rej^iment as Chaplain, ani 
 no one was more active at eidistintj and recruitint^- than h. 
 was. Durinjr the Kel)ellion of 1837-38 he issued a loyal ad 
 dress to the people of (ilenf^arry. railing- upon them to stan(. 
 firm in their fidelity to the Crown. It was a favorite sayinj;- o^. 
 Ills that every man of his name should be either a priest or ;. 
 soldier, and had he not been a i)riest he certaiidy would havi 
 
iii.'kU' ;i '^\\"i[{ •>n1fliir, junl prnhably would have i(|iialk'(l an\ 
 of the (.•inimiit iikmi t>f his tiatiu- who si-rvi-d with honour and 
 (hstiiu'tion not oidy in thi' I'.riti^h Army, hut in the Armies of 
 I'rance and Spain. Mr dii-d in 1S40 whik' on a visit to his 
 native Seothmd, and in iS()i his mortal remains were broni^ht 
 to St. kaphaels and from ilien- remowd to Kinj^stnn. where 
 they wert- fmallx laid at rest. I'.arlv in the present eeiUur\ the 
 County of ( ili'iijuarry had hi'eome a well-established .Scotch 
 .sittlemi-nt. which attracted inan\ of the Highland innnijurants 
 who settled in Canada in the first (|narter of the century, (ileti- 
 yarry .Scotchmen have i^ixen to I'pper ( anada an Attorney- 
 rieneral and a Chief Justice, and a Prime .Ministi-r to the 
 I 'nited (\'inadas. 
 
 Next to .^ir .XK'xander .\lacken/.ii'. tlu' mo.st distinyitished 
 cxpk)rers of the Xorth-W'est C"ompan\ were SinuMi hraser and 
 David Thompson. Ik)th exercisi'd considerable intliiencf on 
 the history of British Colund)ia and attached their names to 
 Rivers which the\ had explored, i'raser entered the service 
 of the Companv in \/^)2 at the ai^t' of m). and became a part- 
 ner ten years kiter. In 1X05. at a conference hekl at I'ort 
 William, it was (k'cided to extend the operations of the Com- 
 pany bevond the Rocky Mountains for the purpose of occu- 
 pyini.i' the territory and antici])atinii' .\merican explorers who 
 niim'ht mo\-e nortliward and establish a ckiim to ownership by 
 occupation and discovery. This duty was assigned to .Simon 
 Fraser, who soon afterwards left for Lake .Vthabasca and the- 
 Peace Kiver. His chief com'panion was John .Stuart. In 
 1S06 he reached l-'raser River and .ii^ave the name of .Stuart 
 River to one of it.s tributaries in honour of his fellow-traveller. 
 In 1807 canoes from Athabasca reached him. amid the wilds 
 of the Rockies, ^vith k'tters from the C"omi)any urminjj^ him to 
 follow the _nreat river to the sea. In the s])rin|H" of iSoS with 
 Stuart, a crew of 20 men. two Indians and foiu" canoes. the\ 
 "Started down the River, which they reji^arded as one of the main 
 branches of the Columbia, .\fter many hair-breadth escapes 
 and the loss of one of the caiux's. lie reached the Pacific on 
 July 1st, and found the latitude about 4(/. He then knew it 
 was not the Columbia, as the latter entereci the ( )ceati in lati- 
 
20 
 
 tiulo 46° 20'. Ill" fi)iiii(l tin- Indians oti tlu* coast so trouMi 
 soiiK' that 1k' was j^lad to start hack in a frw days. Tims \va- 
 navi^ati'd Ity white iiioti the swift-lldwiii^' ri\er tt» which I'raMi 
 nave iii> name. I )avi<l rhitmpMiM was in tiu' empluv nf iIk 
 llndstin's I'ay ('()mj)an\ whi-n Sir .\le\ander Maeken/ie madi 
 his tu»» fani»>ns nips which I ha\c ahead\ described. When 
 Thompson K'ft the I'lay ("(im]iany in \~^)~. lie juinid the .\'orth 
 West (Ompany. Ik' made >e\iial attiin|)l> to cross th, 
 Kocky .\l(»nntaitis farther sonth than tiir Tiaci' Kiver. whi.-li 
 had been nsid by .Mackenzie and IVaser. and linallv reached 
 the head waters of thr (ohnnliia in 1X07. havinj.^ crossed th( 
 snnnnit by the pass now nsed b\ the (anadian Tacilic Kail 
 way. lie was also the first to explori' the Thompson River, 
 one of the tribntaries of the I'rasir. In iSii he followed the 
 C'olnmbia from its sonrce to, its month in the I'acitic, where 
 lu'was kindlv reieived by the I'acitic I'nr Company which had 
 been ori.;anizi'd by John Jacob Astor.ol .\'ew N'ork. In tin 
 meantime l'"raser\ associates were acti\<.'l\ eni^as^ed in I'.vtend- 
 inj.;' the trade of the C"ompan\ into tlu' interior of tlu' comUr\ 
 which was now called .Vew Caledonia, braser retired from 
 the service of the ("ompany after some years, and was olYered 
 the hononr of knijuhtliood. bnt he, di'dined the decoration on 
 acconnt of his linnted means, .\stor wa> the niovinj.^- spirit in 
 the I'acitic l'"nr Company, and in the snnnner of iSio orj^anizeij 
 an expedition from .\ew N'ork in the ill-fated Toncpiin. ( )nv 
 of the most e.\])erienced men in this expedition was .Mexand v 
 Mackay, who had accompanied Mackenzie on his journex t" 
 the I'acitic. and who lost his life in the Indian massacre of tin 
 Toncpiin's crew on the i'acitic Coast. The I'acitic b"nr Com 
 ])any coni])rise(l 33 persons, all but three of whom were I'.ritisli 
 subjects, .\nother of the traders beloni^in^- to .\stor's Com- 
 pany was -Mexander Ross, who remained on the I'acitic Coasi 
 until 1823, when he crossed the Rockies and settled in ine Sei 
 kirk C'olony at \\i:K\ River, where he became the Sheritif oi 
 the District. The Ton(|uin reached .\storia at the mouth m 
 the Columl)ia shortly before the visit of I )avid Tiiompson iti 
 the summer of 181 1. The loss of the Toncjuin. the cruel mur 
 der of the crew, and other disasters which attendt-d the veil- 
 
tun-, i-i>mril)Uti.(l tt) tlu- racifir I'lir ("uinpaiiy hrcotniii^ a 
 failure, riir base of supplies was Xi-w NDrk. and it was a lonij; 
 jniinirv nmiiijtlu' llitni. Tlu' hiwikiii^ out of the war in iSij 
 bitwceii ( inat r.ritaiii and the I 'nited States was felt even on 
 tlu' I'aeilie Coast, and when shortly after the British War Sloop 
 ]<ae(Min visited the ("ohnnhia Kivi-r. with the intention of ca])- 
 tiuMuy Astoria and of sei/inj^ any vessels which inijj^ht he found 
 tlierc l)elonL,dnj4' to tlu' I'nited States, the post was found in tlu' 
 po^^session of the Xorth-W est Company, to whieh it ha<l been 
 transferred a short titne previonsls. 'Thus I'nded Astor's en- 
 terprise (tn the ( ohnnbia. 
 
 'The strnj^^le between tlu- Hudson's j'.a\ Coini)any and the 
 Niirth-\\'e'>t ( "onipany for tlu' control of tlu' fur tra<le, whieh 
 had been proeetfhnjL^- with .^reat \ijL;our and bitterness diU'inj;- 
 the last (|uartcr of the last century, and had risen to fever heat 
 early in this ceiUury. was brouiiht to a crisis b\ an immigra- 
 tion movement of an ini])ortant character. The I'arl of .Sel- 
 kirls i)osed as the friend of tin- lli^hland 1 ".miL;rants. lb' had 
 St tiled a colony in I'riiuH' h'.dward Island and another in 
 Ui)per ( anada. In order to ac(|uire t(.'rritor\' on which to set- 
 tle a colony in the .Vorth-W'i'st lu- boUiL^ht a coiUrollin;; interest 
 in the capital stock of the lludsou's r.a\ ('ompan\ and pur- 
 chase(l from it o\er oiu- h mid red thousand scpiare miles of what 
 is now pan of .Manitoba and the nortlu'rn portions of .Minne- 
 sota and I )akota. ( 'aptain .^Ii]^■s .Macdouell was appointed 
 Gowrtior of the ("ompany and Selkirk's spi'cial rejjresentative 
 in the colon\. In iSi i the tlrst of the Selkirk Colonists set 
 sail for tlu'ir new homi'. li was an ill-fated voyage, h'ever 
 brok'e out before the shi]) had reached Hudson's I'.ay. Many 
 of the immigrants diecl at si-a. while tlii' smwivors weri' landed 
 in an eufi'i'bled condition, so late in the season that thev coidd 
 not ])roceed on tluir jourui'V of Soo miles to Red I\i\er. where 
 the colony was to be established. Tlu' i)oi)r i)eople were not 
 pro])erlv ]irovi(U'd for by the l^arl's as^i'ms. and tlu' food and 
 accommodation snpi)lied were t'Utirely iuade(|uate. The 
 misery of their hrst winter in the new wdrld was but a fore- 
 taste of the hardshi])s in store for them, ddiey reached Red 
 Ri\er the following summer, when they bej^au to erect houses 
 
')9 
 
 fnr tlicmsi'Kcs and for tlic ( '">nii»an\ . UwiiiL:: to tlic si-arcit\ 
 of food the ('oIoii\ was iiio\cd soutli towards tlic open coiui 
 tr\, wlicn- hnlTalo ronld Itc ol)taincd dnrini; tlic winter, an<l it 
 returned in tlic folli .wini;- sininiKr. Miis nioviniL;- of the ( 'olon\ 
 was rc|)tated for two winters. 'Ilicre was a -■eaiu-itv o| su], 
 plies at Ked l\i\'er and the (io\frnor i-sned a proelaniatioi 
 forhiddin^ the export of peniniican or other lood from tlh 
 eonntr\. This ,i;ave the North \\'<-st ( oiiipai;\ an oi)|)ortnnit , 
 to heL;iii o|)en warfare on the ( oloiiv . I he ( io\ crnor tollowei] 
 up his (irdcr l)\ a sei/nre of 400 ha^s of peiinniean, and tip 
 North Wot (onipaiK then sent two of ii^. most daring aii'l 
 astute l)artner^ to remo\-c the ( oloii). I hesc were I )nnraii 
 ( amci'on and Alexandei- .\lae(loiiell. I he former was a- 
 adroit as he was hiild. lie s|iokc to the (nlonisis in ( laeli' , 
 thrcatcnid them wuli the Indians and half hreeds, and in tli' 
 a))sence of the ( ii ivernor sei/eil t heir arms and took possession 
 of their cattle. The <lo\ernor on his retnrn was ai"rcstc<l on 
 a chari;e of stealing; the ])emmican, and was taken to ( anada 
 (aimron prc\ai!cd u])on .ahont 150 of the colonists to l;o with 
 liini to Lake Sinicoe, in I pi)er ( anada, w here they w ere olferer 
 fric grants of land. Those who rehised to l;() to ( anad;i 
 started to retrace their steps to I IndsoiTs llav. The expulsion 
 hcin^ now com])leted, the colon\ dwellings, with the cxc(|)tioi 
 of the ( io\crnor's lioiisr, were burnt to the ,nr<innd. '1 he h )\al 
 few who refused to l;o to ('anada soon recci\'c(l assistauii 
 from the Hudson's l'.a\ ( om])an\, ami returned with soni<- 
 m-w arri\als in the fall of 1S15 to the scene of the ruiuc'l 
 ('oloiu. ("anu'ron, too. had returne<l, and as his ])reseuce wa= 
 regarded as a menace to tlu' safetv of the distressed < <ilon; 
 he was placed under arrest and disi)at(died to I'.n^land i)\ wa; 
 of lltidson's r>a\. lie was in custody foi- 17 mouths, hut wa- 
 discliar.nfd immediatelv on his arrival in < iicat liritaiu. 'I h' 
 most serious collision hetwt'cn the t\M) ( om])aiiie^ P lok placi 
 in June. 1S16, \]u\ far from h'ort I )ou.t.;las, in which ( iovenioi 
 Sciuple and 20 others lost their lives. TIu' c(tlonists who tf)nk 
 no part in the li^ht surrendered tlu' h'ort to the .Nor'-W'ester-, 
 and ahandoniiij:; the settlement startc-d for llndsou's I'.as in 
 tendinj; to return (o Sco'land. Tlu' news of tlu' battle, the deatii 
 
of the ( iovcriior and tlu' siizurc of I'mt I )Mii<4las canscd i^icat 
 cxcitt'iiu'iit ill Montreal, when- the sad intelh^cnee reached thi' 
 head(|uarters of tlie Xorth-W Cst ('Miiii)any. Lord Si-lkirk 
 hintself was on his way to tlie ( o|mii\ witli o\cr one hniidnd 
 sohh'ers who were to hceoiiie sdlU'i's, wlicn the intclhL^cnec of 
 the (hsaster reached him. lie rdaliated h\ sci/inn I'oit W il- 
 h'ain, the cliief western depot of the Xor' wi'stcrs, arrestt'(l tlu' 
 K'a(hnm' partners tliere and sent iheni piisoiiers to ( anada. 
 W'iien 'w reaeln-d i\rd is ieer he re captmcd I'Ort i )oni;las and 
 diove the X'or'-wcsters ont. I lie settlers oil their \\a\ 1o 
 
 lindson's l'>ay heard tlu' news and retnriicd a;',ain to the post. 
 The Imperial ( io\-ermiient intervened ami ordered nmtiial res- 
 titution lielweell the t W o «( oiiipailies. There was llo fiij-llier 
 armed cnnllict in K'ed l\i\er, hut much litigation L;re\\ mil of 
 these stirring' events. The p;irtiiers and (derl;^ ti\ the .X'orth- 
 West ( oiiipriii\ who had been ;irrested were hnniL^hl to trial 
 in 'loioiilo and .Montreal, hiit thes were all ac(|nitted. The 
 North West ( ompaiiN' was cimiposed of the hadim; c"mmer- 
 cial men of ( 'aiia<la, and tlitw natnralK had ^leat inihieiice, and 
 it seemed impossihle to ohlaiii a coiixicti' m) at.;aiiisi an\ > >\ the 
 C'iiin|)an\'s ot'licers or agents. .Maii\ of those who hail heeii 
 arrested h\ Lord Selkirk siieil him for false ane^; and ohlaiiied 
 damages. Liincaii ( ameron succeeded in mitiiiiL; lliiee tliwii- 
 sand poninls as ref>aration for his arrest anil imprisdniiieiit. 
 Cameron afterwards retiirned to (anada, represented ;ilie 
 C"ount\' of (deiij^a.rrv in the i ,ei;islal i\e AsseniliK, and died in 
 W'illiamslow n, <)nt. The Selkirk settlement was now estali 
 lislied linn aiu! sine, and iis foinider in iXiS reinnied to Imi^' 
 land somewhat shattered in health. Imt ntisiihihied in spirit. 
 Selkirk in his yoiith was a friend of .^ir Walter Scoii, whom he 
 asked to take np his caii!-e on hi-- final reimn \'> I'.nnlaiid, Imt 
 Sir Walter was either disim lined to interefeie >tv his nther eii- 
 gajL^emeiits did not permit him to dii s(i. I.ord Selkirk died in 
 France in hSjo within a few ila\s of the death < A Sir Alexander 
 !Maekcii/ie. 'I he two ^reat ( onipanies. which had lieeii 
 brought to the hrink of ruin tlironi;h their ri\alr\. then amal- 
 gamated, and the old I hidsoirs \'>:\\ ( oinpany lei.niied su- 
 preme until 1X70. 
 
24 
 
 Before the time of Lord Selkirk, the Hudson's Bay Company 
 was not distinguished for diseovery or exploration. The one 
 inland enter])rise of the C\)niiiany up to that time was the dis- 
 covery of the C'op])erniine River by llearne. To the North- 
 West C"i)nii)any we owe our knowletli;e of the Mackenzie, 
 Peace, l-'raser. 'iiiompson and C'ohnnhia Rivers, and positive 
 information re^ardin*;- the Rocky .Mountains, and the over- 
 land n)ute to the Pacific. Lono^ before Astor had dreamt his 
 dreams of C'ohunbian fur trade the Xor'-westers had planted 
 nil i1h' wild shores of Xew Caledonia and ( )ret;on the first 
 f^crms i)f i'.ritish domination. Lord .Selkirk's motives and 
 character have been the subject of divers criticism. Mr. Kings- 
 ford is i:)articnlarly severe upon him. lie says : "To Lord 
 .'Selkirk we do not owe a single discovery, judge his conduct 
 as we may, we can only recognize that his one endeavour was 
 to obtain ])ossession of the known localities r,n the jiresumecl 
 territorial rights of the Hudson's lUiy L'ompany, which until 
 his time had never been asserted. Xo new trade was begun bv 
 him. Ilis endeavom- was to control that which had been 
 created, and what is nujre, to exclude those bv whom it ha*' 
 been devel()])e(l."' Xo doubt he was a man of spirit and deter- 
 mination, lie invoked the exclusive ])rivileges granted to tlu 
 Lludse)n's liay Comjtany by its charter and attempted to oust 
 all rivals from the territory to which he had obtained an appar- 
 ent title from the Company. 1 le was not blind to the legal ob- 
 jections which were raised to the rights which he endeavoured 
 to assert, because we hud that he entered iiUo an agreement 
 with the Indian tribes that he shoidd give them loo lbs. of to- 
 bacco a year for tlie lands he had accpiired from the iludson's 
 Bay Comi)an\. lie took a dee]) interest in llighland innnigra- 
 tion, and the Red River Colony is said to liave cost him £(S5,ooi 
 sterling. .V re])Utable historian who camiot be said to havi. 
 been predis])osed in his favour, says he had a religious objed 
 in view in establishing the Colony, that it was not his intenticn 
 that the Colony should be reinforced by further inunigrant? 
 from Scotland, but that it should l)e an oasis in the desert am 
 a refuge for retired servants of the Iludson's I'ay Com])any, 
 half-breeds and converted, or, so to speak, civilized savages 
 
LT) 
 
 If this was his object, it proved a distressing- caricature of such 
 a fancy. It was in some respects a uni(|ne settlement, ke- 
 nioved tooo miles from any well-established settlement, it was 
 wholly isolated from the outside worKl. A whole year was 
 necessary to receive an answer from an order sent to l-Lurope. 
 The liattle of Waterloo was not heard of there for nearly a year 
 after it had been fought and won. The oriiL^inal colonists were 
 mostly Presbyterians, and they contended that Lord Selkirk 
 had jiromised them a minister of that church. They never 
 ceased to im])ortune the authorities for a minister of their own 
 faith, but until 1851, when the Reverend Dr. I'lack was 
 settled in the Colony, they had to be content with a modified 
 service of the Church of I"Lni^land. They had remained faith- 
 ful to the cluu-ch of their fathers for nearly half-a-centm-\' under 
 conditit)ns which would not have been endured l)y any other 
 nationality than the Scotch. 
 
 Whatever strictures may be jilaced ujion T.ord Selkirk's mo- 
 tives, he rendered i^ood services to the lCmi)ire. W'itliout 
 doubt his occu])ation of Red River saved the present Province 
 of Manitoba for the Pritish Crown. To the X(5rth-\\ est Com- 
 pany and its partners and explorers in liritish Cohuubia or .\ew 
 Caledonia, as it was then called, the liritish Empire owes a 
 debt of i^ratitude which it can never repay. Who can doubt 
 that if Sir Alexander Mackenzie and those who followed him 
 into the interior of that wild and unknown land, had not been 
 possessed of the i)luck, endurance and enterprise which en- 
 abled them to overcome the obstacles of nature and carry the 
 out]iosts of civilization into Xew Caledonia, that jL^^reat and rich 
 Province of Canada would to-day belong- ti) the Anuricau 
 Republic, and Canada and the h'mpire would not have an out- 
 let upon the Pacific Ocean. Take a fiance at the maj) of Prit- 
 ish Cohuubia, and the most casual observer cannot fail to be 
 struck with the names of rivers and localities wliich s])eak in 
 unmistakable tones of Scottish (liscover\- and adventure. 
 
 Not only in the north and west do we fmd well-defnu'd traces 
 
 of Scottish iiiHueuce. but throufj^hout every province of the 
 
 DtMuinion the early Scotch settlements have left landmarks 
 
 which will ei'.diive* for-aU. -tiuve.. .'.A.U.h.ouour to the earlv sct- 
 • •••«•• •■ ', ,11,, • ', ,.i 
 
 • • • « t 
 
 ft 
 
26 
 
 tiers, explorers and discoverers, who risked comfort, health 
 and often sacrificed their lives in advancino- civilization and 
 movinj:^ outward and onward the bounds of Knipire. Ihcir 
 descendants of to-day may not realize the difficulties and dan- 
 gers they had to face, hut we can admire the courage and enter- 
 prise of the men of Scottish blood who are entitled in a large 
 degree to the honour of preserving the Northern half of this 
 Continent to the I'.ritish Crown. Long may the connection 
 with the mother land endure, and may our beloved Canada 
 contimic to be a bright and shining gem in the world's greatest 
 Empire. 
 
 " I'ritain bore us in her flank-, 
 llritain nursed us at our birth. 
 Ih-itain reared us to our rank. 
 'Mid the nations of the earth." 
 
 . . • •