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Ho '^ W^.(^ 
 
 Bibliotheque 
 
 ' V'^V-WV -V 
 
 IJE 
 
 VICTOR MORIN 
 
 MONTREAL 
 
 aNADA 
 
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 BIBLIOTHEaUE NATIONALE 
 
 L 
 
REPIL Y 
 
 TO THE 
 
 LETTER, 
 
 f-ATELY ADDRESSED TO TilE llir.ilT IIONOKABI.E 
 
 CIk €aii of ^flluriv, 
 
 nv 
 
 ^IIF. HON. ^ND REV. JO 11 y STRACIUX, D D. 
 
 RECTOll OF YORK, IN UTPER CANADA; 
 
 EEING FOUR LETT!' Pi.S 
 
 (RE-PRINTED FROM THP, MONTREAL IIK.RALD,) 
 COXTAIMNG 
 
 1 STATEMENT OF FACTS, 
 
 ji 
 
 OONCF.nNiNG TUV. SRITI.EMENT ON KEO-llIVKH, 
 IN 'I'lIK niSTHlcrOF OSslNIHOI.A, 'IKHIMIOKV 
 OF TIIK HONBLf. HUDSON'S HyVY COMPAN'» , 
 lill01'£PJ-Y CALLED lll'PL^.l'i'S LAND. 
 
 BY 
 
 ARCHIBALD MACDONALD, 
 
 FACTS ARE CUILLS THAT WINXA DTNG. 
 
 [/?.v ;•«*,] 
 
 i-irrfii— r— «n"T^-iaMWi 
 
 jf'>vrrr.<ri ( i.oirER-c ty .ini) : rmwF.n nv n. iirnv 
 
 JUNK, 1816. 
 
 I\ 
 
 A 
 
To thf Hoiwrahle and Reverend JOHX STR )CHA^\ D D. 
 Member o) the Executive Council, and Rector oj I'ork, in 
 Upper Canada. 
 
 IJONBLE. AND REVD. SIR, 
 
 T, 
 
 HE Pamphl(it which yo»> lately published in the shape 
 of a Letter, addressed to the lUght llouorable the I-arl of 
 SKLKIKK, on tlie &ui)ject of the Col ny at Htd River, 
 came into my hands just as I was preparing to leave En- 
 gland for this Country, so that I had baiely time enough to 
 point out to some of my friends, the malicious falsehood <»f 
 tiiose accusations against me, of which you have conde- 
 scended to be the public retailer. After the liberties you 
 have taken in the Postscript, in what ytiu say of the Agents 
 and Oflicers of the Colony, you cannot be surprized, that I 
 should 1)6 desirous of clearing my own reputation, and those 
 of my friends, of liie stain you have attempted to fix upon 
 them. In doing so, I shall conline myself in matters of 
 fact, chiefly to what fell under my own observation, and 
 in reasoning merely to correct the erroneous conclusions 
 you have drawn from cncumstanct^s, cit' er wholly without 
 foundation, or grossly misrepresented, l^xcept in what is 
 entirely consisient with my own knowledge, I shall not 
 make any alteinpl to detend the leputution oftheLailof 
 Selkiik; the exposure of the malev(»lent and coritPmptii)!e 
 aspersions by whicn yt)U endeavor to vilify his character, 
 being, of course, dependent on proceedings, before courts of 
 justice, aid therefore in't to come for some time completely 
 before the public. Neither shall 1 enter tliC lists with you 
 upon the great national questions, concerniiig the policy or 
 impolicy ol colonizing this or that portion ot the lintish do- 
 liiiuions, being fully peisuadeo, that neitiier your lucubra- 
 tions nor mine, however much we might v-ilue them our- 
 selves, are likely to ha\e murh elleci in aeterniiuing tln)se 
 important matters. A 2 'i'o 
 
 Ci 
 
f'^ymi, who, on (he ,„-psonf . 
 
 " '« in. pu, and throw., . iie , ! V'^""^"-'iy M.pped out 
 S'"n for ihe deccnrv Iw . ""''^ '"p restraints wli A u 
 
 »'^^U J could ofe ''^'' ^'^'-^^•^ "^u.1. bitter than a„V 
 
 Hef, 
 
 ''on-id 
 
 •re prococ(iin(T ( 
 
 «^r \vhat 
 
 'g 1" partic^•Iars, it 
 
 "I'lV not hf 
 
 .^^'t' Jiave made i,u\>]ir wi *""'^'" "« Uiose wl.i^.k 
 
 larU„,,,W„„ llH.„,„fi|./,", '"'""'■'- '"'""K "" active 
 
 !>:'i•;:;;;'^1;:r^-■<'^^X'1l;,7,:;;';r,^*,^^''■- 
 
 ° ' "•'"' ^'onj the UK,,,..,,/ *-'' jou candid y 
 Jiic/icenitMit of., .,,,,1 "'('Uiont ^ on heard nf' .1 "^ 
 
 IIC- 
 
 coni- 
 
 JK-'cesiSary uif, 
 
 ^yad 
 
 '■cci: l. 
 
 '"'"illation, '/jj 
 
 Hid th 
 
 -'11 de( 
 
 flocieed 
 
 
 'S V«H| JkuJ d 
 
 ^"""ed to obtain ti 
 
 ""« even befoi 
 
 pectus, and after 
 
 .you 
 ^^'i'Jling iour 
 
 }euis 
 
fU- 
 
 yrars wiihout obtaining any infoimalion that siiilcd your 
 long meditated jjiirpose, you Imd just finished your caliiin- 
 ))ialory loUer, wlun the N. W . Company al leni^th Lrouijlit 
 bctore you a con^idoralde number ol the settlers. As you 
 liad condtsccndcd, in your 1 Alter, to repiesent to Lord Sel- 
 kirk, at som»i length, what he had reason to be belter ac- 
 (^iiuinled with than you — that is, the dillicullies attendant 
 on all )i('\v selilenuM\is, and as yim had not Leen able lo pro- 
 cure any appiopiiale iulormalion in imie to be eiabodied ia 
 your l.euer, )ou Were glad lo seize ilie opportunity thus 
 I'urnifched, ot" producing in the Postscript, something like a 
 pr.ittical pro(;t' ot" the projdu'Uc sagacity and ability with 
 which you had forelold the diiaster.s of ti)e Colony. 
 
 ^'ou cant'.oi be supposed, however, to have been very anx- 
 ious to ai^ceiiain the truth of the statements which you pro- 
 duced ivom the selilers, truf-ting, that it" ihey were true, 
 they could not be disproved, and if false, thai it was not 
 you, but the settlers, who would be responsible. Vou were. 
 only solicitous to l)tmg into public view, what, appeared, to 
 iise your own words, ''sa'ongly coiidboraiive" of what you 
 had written, and it would not, theiefore, have been consist- 
 ent wiili your plan lo take any notice of the fact, that a num- 
 ber of the settlers vkhom vou saw, notwilhsianding the hard- 
 ships and diilicullies which they had ei;Countered in cheir 
 jmsta>;,e by sea and land ; notwithstanding ihe nurHcrouG 
 impofitions which had been practised upcm them, and not- 
 wiiljslaiiuing the rnal-trealmeut which, according to your 
 Siatemeni, ihey had experienced, bi-th before and after 
 (her arnvul utthc Ued lliser, had neveitheless been so well 
 Satisfied Willi iheir situatif ii in the Colony, as to write let- 
 ters to iijcir neaiest and dearest relations m Scotland, ad\i- 
 sing Uiem to come and share iheir good fotlune. Neither 
 Mould it have bUited y(;ur purpose to have paid any attention 
 to whctt, nevertheless, u.ui denial cannot dis|)rove, that the. 
 feitliit) of the soil at the Colony, surpassed any that they 
 had ever seen ; and that, for the purpose of cuitivaiing graiji 
 or potatoes, the land being ready cleared, they had only 
 to piouj;h the ground and put in the seed. Nor could you 
 bt-: expteietl U) have bluie-i, iliat of ihe men w honi you saw, 
 s-j:::e, .\h'. had urii3ii::'l'y C'jme uui as aideiiled bfrvanto, 
 
 had. 
 
G 
 
 / 
 
 ^'•e ^ardsi.-n ''"' ^'i'"" 3our luiud. ' 
 
 f ""ioieafu,,,,,,, 7^J ';-P;;sed up,,,, „,„ 'if ^ 'e.r , ,„. 
 
 7. i he y>,.„/,,,.„, ,.'"""'''"• sKires.—tf Tk ■ ' ,"" ^'wra 
 
 _ '"""' "'^^ ''■Perienoed pe..onit^ '■■''^"^'■~ 
 
 , ^' (-'on tracts rr , 
 
 P'^^'N that / ord^ p"''';'; t^^'s i^ead it will K 
 
 t'^e ccrnpUi,, J ' ' '' f Potation c;f them h , "^' '^^^g'nated 
 lands whirl ; I '-^ ^'^'^ ^" mai<e n » • "^ ^'''"'^■^rf to Jay 
 
 «-" <^n\lT '''^''' ^"<^ -er e,l J /'"^ deceived no 
 
 '^'" ^''^"- S t^r^ ^^'^^^ ^J:z:r' ^^^-^ 
 
 «""e before themt /• f >'^ ^'^'^^ to thel "'"'"'''"' '"^ 
 ^'"'^^t.t.nns t^lTr^'"' ^" ins Lo d2 : ^''(^^^"S, hast- 
 
 ty, 
 
^'■'ieve it u,ji 
 3""i- injiid. 
 \ thtir mm. 
 
 Tl,e p,iccs 
 
 ^^'V^r to ex- 
 
 ' "^igJnated 
 '■'ved to Jay 
 
 'ivedofthe 
 ''>refatljers^ 
 ^3 Aijled in 
 ■t'ceivedno 
 irn to their 
 " aiTieljor, 
 ^«i deputy 
 'ijfated to 
 wiio haej 
 
 B deljght. 
 nds wjtl, 
 
 'g, hast. 
 "t» with 
 fitlion of 
 nvdWy to 
 necessi- 
 
 tv, to ensure tbp'r arrival at York Tactdry in due fonsou, 
 that thev ^hollld set out on their v(>v.i^<! v/iiImuI tl-l ty ; 
 iindvvL'll kiiowiii}; timt his own cxperiunre in s i<Mi eqjip- 
 merits would fiCilit.ite then deparliiie iulinitely bt.'lU'i tiiuii 
 could be done by uny agent whatever. 
 
 As to your statpnicnt ubout the te'ni3 imposed upon tht 
 eniii;ratits, both wiUi respect t(» tlie p is-, if^ • maney, .-.lul ihf 
 j)ncu ol" the lands. 1 know that his Loid-hip lias lixcd ihoic, 
 ii(»l as you sa} , with the miserable view t-f robbing ihem ot 
 the pnor pittance which constituted lhe:r ail, but upon tl.t. 
 p'-inciple, that it is only by making men pay a reasotiabk 
 price for what they get, that they can justly be expected to 
 remain true to -heir en-agem'-ni'?, or bccoiiie anxious to im- 
 prove their lands. .Although it must be evident to the whole 
 ^vorld, that the sum total of the property of these poor peo- 
 ple could be no obj ct, to tempt a person of Iks Lordship's 
 rank and fortune, to commit so infamous an act, as that of 
 Avhich yr)u have the impudence to accuse him, it may not 
 be amiss to notice here, some of the aiguments upon which 
 you ^eem 10 lay such stress in reprobating this part of his 
 l.o.'dship's conduct —If the principle on which he acted in 
 titis insi.ince weie wrong in theorv, llis Lordship's formtr 
 experience had taught him, that it was practicallv riglit. for 
 he had always found that the most troublesome, iht' ni' st 
 discontented, the m'St unnan ige able, and the most ungrate- 
 fu , of all the settlers le had e\er h.id to deal with, were 
 those whom he had treated with the m 'st liberality, and 
 most nearly on the tootmi: (d mere cha ily. As settlers, 
 thoie who pay for what tliev receive, teel the value of their 
 independence, and ot what they have bought ; while those 
 to whom you give everv tniug, are ready at all times to a- 
 bandon what ha. cost them luUhing, and to go any where 
 else in quest of adventures, jut as tliose men had rlone, wh.'.in 
 you examined, in quitting ibe colony, and going to Upper 
 Canada. 
 
 Among them, one R. Gann, was almost the only person 
 to whom Lord Selkiik had given a free passage to the Colo- 
 ny, and )elht; was tht; very nrst ihut was iiiUuceU to abdn- 
 
 drr- 
 
8' 
 
 "'"■"If,,,, ' '■ "'"'"r il,„ • '' "'^""tKr;,,,/,,, V-* '"■"' 
 
 sagf of. r^'*"^' that fhn .1 
 ^^'^t ten /"'^^'^'^' 'i^"n.v H ' "" ^'^V. that hi, r „ V'f ^o or 
 
 ^^'^ at whic/, r ""/^''-ed that ten n '"^' ^^'^'/v bnM 
 
 ^Aiutation on thn , 
 
 ich 
 

 )i 
 
 , ' "'"■ t'>e hn, 
 
 /"■oof „/• t/jg 
 , ''!'^ ^'^ the 
 
 "*• t/je pas. 
 'V'^ so or 
 
 ';^'(k, but 
 ^u:ii. J,, 
 
 s^iKeoiar- 
 P Jjas ve- 
 '^'■'^'speo- 
 ^''2- t/)«t 
 
 which 
 'ce, his 
 "t hovw 
 ^ aver- 
 Hnd to 
 
 WuVh 
 
 <iou sny thfrr is brtween tlie lands in Ciinnda and those al 
 the lied Itivcr sottlemciu, first, on acmuiil of tlieir Mtu- 
 ation, and next on account ot their (|U.iliiie8. ^Vllh ri^prct 
 totlie fornuT, I cun onlv tell yoii, tliat llic Ice on the Hcd 
 iJiver UKU.iIly breiiks up fioin llic lOlli to llic I5lli ol Ap-il ; 
 ih.it in the navigation from Hudson's May to tJic SctlU-nv iit, 
 there is no nt'cfssily whatever for cdnoes in iiny part of it, 
 and that when I Wfiit up with the settlers, we cinployt'd 
 boats of about 0,5 ftet keel, and c.tlcuiatt'd to cany lioin 
 t'lri'e to fi'ur tons hnrdon, \o\\ have stated, l!iat tl)e livfig 
 and lak»'s on this rouie are not clear of ice ami ealV for navi- 
 gation till tlip middle of .lime, and that a hoat or canne can- 
 Jiot leave ^'ork Factory for the lied Kiver latoi than the (hh 
 of Scpteinhcr. in re; ly to this Miatetncnt, I have only t(i 
 eay, that in the year I8lt, not rem nkcd as unusually fivo- 
 rahle, I started with the boats above meniione<l from York 
 Factory on the '23d May, and without enconnterinj; any dan- 
 gfr whatever, arrived with these inexperienced men at the 
 settlement on the 2'2d June, including some delays (»n ilia 
 road. On the ( ther hand, a boat of the same des-cripiicn 
 from York Factory, arrived at the settlement on the I2tli 
 November, so tliat for that season, these lakes and rivers 
 were actually navigated I74. days, considerably more than 
 double the lime that your report allows it to be practicable, 
 
 After the statement of this siitnple fact, the public may 
 judge what reliance they ought to f lace on any intoiination, 
 from a person who has been taught to assert, that, " tlie • rt- 
 *' tier can oidy depend on 83 days in the year foi transacting 
 " the commercial business of the colony by Hudson's Bay. 
 
 With respect to the price of the land, you say, that to 
 charge £50 for every 100 acres, in a place so remote, is 
 to pillage the unfortunate emigrant ; because if he had fdimd 
 his way to Canada, he would have received 200 acres for 
 nothing, or at most for the price of survey ; and that farms 
 are often sold in Upper Canada for two dollars an acre ; that 
 is, from lO to 30 acres clear, with a small log house ; and 
 you reckon the average price of land in Upper Canada, with 
 all its advantages, at 5s. an acre. The price of land de- 
 pends a gooti deal on its quality, and on the labor necessary 
 
 B ^0 
 
10 
 
 ascertain the q„a|,ty n^l H , ° r^^T'. ^'-''•''■^ >''"' ^'> 
 "^^■'U, you prefer ihc indi ct m , ' . / ^"' ^^''"' '''''^'^ 
 ^'^an.ler \lacKe„.,e, whom ,1 Tl"'^'"^' ^'' ^^i"" ^'^i* 
 
 ^^"^^.ver. ha3 .]o,«-rihe,| th. \ ! ''''""'• ^'^•^'» ^r, 
 
 --'^', '-• the h.b.t.t.; . f ',;;:,! " ,'""^ -""^o- - the 
 
 ^'^''. ^^^^I. venison. an-ibufV-lfV"'"' '^''^»'"Hins in 
 
 h.i\nUiUnn .,fsavii...es re.vl.!, ,^ q'>a Uied it so wHI lor the 
 *^''e of civil,.ed bt,;. V '^ '^ "*^« '-^ ""«t for the don ? 
 '''-^^^' this assertion wUbo^Vh- ^""'"^'^ ''^'^ '^'^ V"u , 
 
 ous opinions on Hu, ^Lint ^ '^ ''"'^^^ >'""'• <^"one- 
 
 ^'"'lor all the d 
 
 ^v•hi(•|l you go 
 
 yre;i 
 
 ,tly 
 
 is-idvantapes of d 
 
 'n'iM"i<y. our land 
 
 'mate and situatiou. 
 
 ^Id 
 
 amounting to 5^Mon i ^ ' *'"'"' 
 
 ^y^-^^ (some of the e j i 'vt^v'! ".''''^'^''^ ^^ ^"^^ '" 
 "^^^N P'--a.e., and other kinds f ,', i^, ''^^ ^'♦'"dition) and i„ 
 y^^^^d any that I ever bearl.f ^ ' *'"'" '^'"'""^ ^e-e be- 
 
 -"Ployed a. cavalr^r'teNtnh r'".^'""' ""^ ^^^-e 
 t"n>s last season wonld Ave ll ^^ ''', ^"'"P«".V' ^^"^ '«" 
 ''"^«i>^"dont ofalLs.ppies ■'^^" ^.^ '' «« to render u« 
 ;i"-^^'-- Voti wiJ) n, liud t i';?"^''' ^'-^^"^ ""y other 
 to tliese fa,t«, supported us ttv "'' ^" ^''' "'^'"^^ 
 
 ti'Hn you must have L snr •■.''' r """'^'"^'"^ ^^'tnesscs, 
 th it the colony, of wh h "^ ^W " '"" ""^' '"''"'"-^ 
 announced the destruction ul r^"' '" triumphantly 
 
 ^vvre despatching your r I'll '" '"•'^'"-'' "t the tune you 
 
 J-; re.stubli.hed,-7hata h ;.h" T" ''' r'''^ ^^-«-" 
 to I'^e ground, and as nuich do ' „ ''' '^"^^ ^'''' ^"^it 
 
 cessary to destroy the '"^.^;''"^ »* o"r enemies thought ne- 
 
 oi .September, tlfe seult 'tS^r ' '''^ ''''' ^^ ^'^ -«i 
 Indians (whose ima-nnod h ,. assistance of the r.ative 
 
 scribe) had securedCd bo . e fl f 500 f ^".^'' P-°« ^o d^! 
 Me* other gr^m and potatoes i uC? T''!^^ "^'^^''^'^^^ be- 
 
 t^ wtjes, in such abundance, th^twith 
 
 the 
 
 "f 
 
 ■S 
 
11 
 
 «'<"=Hion. Instead 
 p before y„u, to 
 '.'*' ^{iver Settle. 
 '^ '''^'"g to 8ir AU 
 '^ .^^Pect to h„id 
 
 ^t couritrv ,n tlio 
 \'>, aboiiti;],,;^ if, 
 
 't to the wisdonj 
 ;;*y Hssfrtion, (na 
 '.'^'l «« coHclusion) 
 
 !^^ so wHI r..r the 
 '^^ ^"r the donji- 
 '^•^ '^'d >.ou to 
 •prudence; but 
 •''y your orrone- 
 
 «"<1 sitiiatfou, 
 '«ed us returns 
 y* 'ii> to 60 in 
 'd'tion) and m 
 "rns wee be- 
 land. J^Jad 
 iUid horses 
 P^ny, our je- 
 <> lender us 
 "1 any other 
 '^ t-zedencd 
 ^vitiiesscs, 
 « intoniied 
 U'Jiphantiy 
 ~ tune you 
 heint: so 
 
 us 
 
 rs 
 
 fen burnt, 
 ^""g'u ne- 
 'y the end 
 tiie native 
 Jns to de- 
 ''it'at, be- 
 thiU with 
 the 
 
 the continued :iid cf the Indians, ihoy Iind fvcry ^rnspfct 
 of possessing pknly of provisions lor 100 taimhes tor 12 
 months. 
 
 So tuucb f<»r the nature of ibj rlitnato and soil, which you 
 declare unlit for civil society ; hut thv priMoioal advHnliige lo 
 a new MU'.lei-, wliich the l.iiids on lltd liver po<?e>s, steins 
 wholly to liave escaped your notice. 1 nilude lo the lacility 
 of ctdlivatlon. All thai is there tiecessarv, as I have alrea- 
 dy said, is to |)loup)j and put in the seed : am{ I rett i it to 
 any imj)artiHl j^erson, wlio is ac(pi,iiiiif d wuh tlie impede- 
 mcnts for cultivation, presented l>y ht^avy woods, to ju(ij:e 
 whetiier 5s. which, according; to your staioii;eiit, is ihe ditlei- 
 ence between the average |)rice ol l.itui in rpjier Canada, 
 and at the lied Kiver Settlement, is not a \c:y inoueiate 
 compensation f(>r the lamer to p iv jor so nii|Hiilnit an a<l- 
 vantage, while he la $iill sniiieieiilly witmn the leach of 
 plenty of wood for everv uselul purpi'ee. One instance luay 
 be meniiontd us a proof of the extreme taeility sviih which 
 an indusinous man nii^ht cultivate ihete lands. 
 
 .John Bruce, a man upwards of 70 years of a^;p, he;:an 
 last spring, as soon as the weather permitlod, to open his 
 lands for the first time, and having, no family, without any 
 assistance whatever had sowed Ia the I jth Juno, one bush- 
 el of wheat, and hali' a hushe! of liarley, and h^d planted <> 
 bushelsOf potatoes, besides having a stock ol piMUf, beans, 
 cabbages, and other vegetables in his garden ; so that il lift 
 had been permitted to reap the fruiis ol his industry in 
 peace, he would have had a sufi'lciency, at the average rate 
 of returns, to have supplied the wants tven of alamiiy. 
 
 After this refutation of what you have advanced concern- 
 ing the (piality of the land, and of the climate, it may not 
 be amiss to notice, what you ailmit in the l*ostiCiipt, tliat 
 " if the Colony really possess the advantages set lorlh in 
 " the Prospectus, the disaster thai has happened will he 
 transitory ;" from which a pedagogue might fairly conlcude, 
 that as the disaster alluded lo has indeed hcen very transito- 
 ry, the colony niu.st pcs^ess the ad\antages, i\c. <.\c 'I'hc 
 apparent candor of this adinissuMi uii youi putt, seems, at 
 
 s 2 least 
 
12 
 
 ^^t that we m..v 
 
 *iOfioiaUeandh'evd. Sir ^" ^^^^^ "iea« 
 
 '^ o^^Ji^m Servant, 
 
 <?filed r.iver 
 
 
f 
 
 y -"B for nnt k 
 
 J" tin 
 
 ta/es 
 
 yoa 
 
 ejvant, 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 ( No. H. ) 
 
 fo Me Ifanorchfe ami Reverend JOHN STRlClTAXyD D. 
 
 Mernhcr of the Executive Council, and Rcctur of York, in 
 Upper Canada. 
 
 HONBLE. AND UEVD. JJIR, 
 
 A very slight exaniination of the facts oont'iined in the 
 Letter, wiiich I had the hniior of addicbsiiig to you last 
 week, will suffice to prove, that the chmate of the btt'.itnieiit 
 at Red Iliveris much better, its situaiion much ruoie acces- 
 sible, and its soil infinitely more productive, than you have 
 been taught to represent. The settlers, therefsire, whu a- 
 greed wiih Lord Selkirk tngo theie, were noi deludtd as you 
 Jiave affiiined, to suflei the extremes of misery and want, 
 in an inaccessii^le wihJernebS, but weie placed in a situation, 
 where withiuit any extraordmary exeriion ofindust'y, they 
 would soon have begun to enjoy the comforis of plenty and 
 independence and, in no inconsiderable degree, the luxuries 
 to be acquired by cominerce. If they paid, then, for their 
 passage, and theii lands, it must at least, he acknowledged, 
 that tliey got something substantial in return. You asseit, 
 however, that the tide was fundamentally bad, but, not- 
 withstanding your raving upon this subject, as it is a ques- 
 tion of which I cannot be supposed a competent judge, f 
 shall enter into no discussion concerning it, further than to 
 remark the singular circumstance, that the Rector of V'oik, 
 in Upper Canada, shou'd have chosen to beconie an advo- 
 cate for the most extravagant claims of the American gov- 
 ernment, rather than admit any thing which might seem to 
 come in competition with the interest of his iuvoiite Fur 
 'J'raders. 
 
 ^9 
 
 As the following words are to be found in the Charter, 
 " and at all times hereafter shall be, personable and capa»- 
 " ble in law to have, purchase, receive, possess, enjoy, and 
 
 *' retain, 
 
! ) 
 
 <( 
 (( 
 
 if 
 
 ■• :f'X^'''>-'''7r'r^''""ft;'^'/- 
 : ""U ,^ t """ ^"*'".-/ ,, """""'■'ems a,'^;' "'" 0'.' 
 
 " '"'••' in "';"■ ""<' C,™""« '"" 4-s an ' ""' ""'""ce-^ 
 
 "'' ^« "^"pinion, u,,. „ 
 
 ' "Jat tile Gnv« 
 
 ■ :■ ''"""--"Co...,-, 
 
 it 
 
 a 
 
 << 
 <i 
 it 
 
 «< 
 
 
 if 
 
7"^^ successors • 
 
 't:'- J say,; 
 
 ' "^^s sentenc/ 
 ;7teis to fhe' 
 
 ^^^^e Ciiarter 
 ^ ^^^^ in,por: 
 ' ''Son n,ur)v 
 '"^s of th,4 
 ''^, ^" H<pre.. 
 
 "faniitti,;^ to 
 ^,^^"t^ the 
 
 soil. 
 
 ill 
 
 con- 
 
 J'lc/uc/e 
 
 'ng frotn 
 'p<i sini- 
 tititd to 
 
 n OCCU-- 
 timber, 
 s a pri- 
 feab/y 
 
 •'SSess 
 'e( ted 
 
 unci! 
 
 15 
 
 " appointed by the Compnny to commnntJ tlifir establish- 
 •* ments, are, by the Charter, hiwfiilly authmist'd to try, ac- 
 " cording to the laws of Kngland, all causes, civil or oiiiii- 
 " inal, which may nrise within the Company's Territories. 
 " But we can'iot advise them to exercise a criminal jurisdic- 
 " tion, so as to atlect life or limb, without a relVrcnco up- 
 " on each case of conviction, t(» the pleasure ol the Lxccu- 
 •"' live Government m England. 
 
 " 4. We are of opinion, that the Company niay appoint 
 " a Sherin, to extcute ihe judgmenis ui ibe Court, atid 
 '' that he will bo entitled to exercise the :^ame powers as a 
 * Sheriff m England, so far as they are applicable to the sitii- 
 *' ation ; and that in case of resistance to his auihority, 
 " he may use force, so far a* may be necessary for overconi- 
 '' ing it ; and we are of opinion, that the |Opulation of the 
 " country will be boiind to attend him, when he calls ujjou 
 them, in order to assist him in executing the judgments 
 and process of the Court. Hut the bheriti' ought not to re- 
 sort to the force of the pofiulation, except in cases of great 
 necessity, where his own immediate odicers are not suliii- 
 cient to overcome the resistance in enforcing the juHg- 
 " ments and process of the court, and this power cannot be 
 *' exercised with too much circumspection. 
 
 " 5. We think the Governor may, under the authority 
 " of the Company, appoint constables, anl other officers for 
 " the preservation of the Peace ; and that the ofilcers so 
 '' appointed, will have the same dutie^ and privileges as si- 
 " milar officers in England, so far as thot-e (hities an J pri- 
 '* vileges may be applicable to their situation in the Territo- 
 ** ry of the Company. 
 
 " 6. Weaie of opinion, that the Persons will be subject 
 *^ to the jurisdiction of the Court, who reside, or are louiid 
 " within the Territories over which it extends. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 " SAMUEL ROMTLEY. 
 " WILLIAM ClU'lSE. 
 
 G. 8. IIOLROYD. 
 " J. SCARLET. 
 ^« JOHN BELL." 
 
 The 
 
■hi 
 i ■ 
 
 H^ 
 v^ 
 
 i 
 
 , ;i 
 
 16 
 
 .^ V^e same Genthn 
 
 " P ' ^^'^ not t/,int .,• ^- ^^^- 
 
 '^^^"^^— -r^:::?-^- 
 
 .. '^ ""mberof fl, "^^« o^ validity 
 
 " > f-^tirnoijv of, ^^"ess to their n . '^roJiow tijern' 
 
 5'> '"credible w, I ■ ^'"Purfence ' ''"^'^'»'^n of that M, i . 
 
 h «n 1 '"''"Reived it V ^ '' w^'nderfuJ I ^ "* ''^""e, 
 ""'.««^^ ^^/iriou.Ivl.:.^«" accuse h,';"..^r ^ven yo ' 
 
 
 "w have ;„„.erv:7r . ";"' ■■' '■» w..nd fi/r* » "'«;; 
 
 ^^a numerous 
 class 
 
 
I 
 
 . "' i^fMver and 
 ^P. 133. ^ 
 
 j'^'^'fion to the 
 f" ^'>« Terr/to! 
 
 '^a Louijci;." 
 above. 
 
 ^^' yy hava 
 
 and \a, 
 
 to, 
 
 t '^ct ,/;s: 
 
 ""t to 
 
 and 
 
 '^^ ^«nferred 
 /;^«»tion of 
 
 who 
 
 w^ent 
 
 ' to taicrf 
 ^^ a crop 
 'Jr the re, 
 '^'w thern' 
 on tracts 
 '«nd the' 
 'spicions 
 s -Loi'd- 
 >e deiu. 
 
 Indeed 
 an un. 
 ''^ yoti 
 
 fohle- 
 
 ^i'ne, 
 
 ' .yoti 
 
 'eep. 
 
 foijs 
 
 iasa 
 
 ir 
 
 class of poor people, the amplK^riition I'f whose rnnditton, 'it 
 Wt]\ ktiowii to have fcrniid a principal (»l)ject in hisliie. ilij 
 next carries his |>lt>t inio execution, witliout any possilihty, 
 as yoii say, ot its ever proviiij* lucrative to IniDsell, but 
 iiie'tly iir tlie supreme ph.'a'^ine he was to ♦•njoy, in con- 
 t;^iiipl,itiii<; the nj;;ery, into which, at an eimrmnus exnenct* 
 to I'lfTi'elt, lie liHrt sucoedtMJ iii phinj.i!i<i the h.tlph's-s and 
 liiit'i iiiDite laniilies ot ihe emigrant?, 'i uu have assiTted, 
 thai Lord S. ri"ver lepD^rd any coiiliilence in tlie l':L'al otiini- 
 ons iihu\e stated ; atid yet yon Miy, ih.it lie p.opo^ell lo pay 
 ti'ii ihoii.saii'i poiiLds for the lille. \ ou cl)ari;e luia witli 
 having', loieseen l! at the SHtMeib, he sent out, could iievtr 
 posMhIy [)i ct-nie ihe in rnJiUient inhabitants of thf pLce ; 
 and, yet, you accn-e him of having ncit d with more than 
 tlie CriUiioiis cunru! t' t'f uii ,iV incious hind johher. "i On h.avii 
 a(iirnie:J, 'hat if l.(ird St-lkiik ii td uivi-n ilit cnii}.ira!its u lie« 
 Jjassage out. and their laiuis l^r latnu-g, lit wculd still havB 
 htt'n a gamer ; and, yet, voj pit tmui to have deiiionstraled, 
 th.if the seitleniPiit could n^MT, hy any pobt'ibility, have 
 proved succesMid. — \(;u ai=sf'n, that tljc tirrns, which l>ord 
 Selkirk gave to ernigraias, were hard in the extreme ; noih- 
 in<,' shi;ii, in fact, of picking their pork* ts.— To nndeiBtand 
 this ch irt;e, your readers must renieniher, tliat the emig- 
 ranth, whom his Lordship liad to d«^al vviih, were pt rsoiib <>t" 
 a veiy extiaonliiiai V desciiptit'ii, svhose heing compelled to 
 pay trn gniru as tor their {lasNage out, and to tnlei into «'n- 
 gag- nieiits to make good the price of ih»>ir hinds, had the 
 same ert'ect m enticing thtm to quii tlieir Ik me^, where, you 
 Say, they were'' very cornto; t .b.e." as a preinum, »if a 
 n!i;ch greater amount, would ha\e had upon pertons of an 
 ordinarv character. 'Ihe pranue of goveri mt-iit, motieiing 
 the temptation of a free passa^:e, and lands for iK/ihirifi, is 
 the siihject of yonr comiiiendations ; and, yet, m tin saii.e 
 breath, yon accuse l.'wil .'^ilkr k, nf eniicing people to euu* 
 grate, by ni.iking thi-m pav a hiiih price f .r hi ih. 'ihe mi- 
 se'V, v\l:irh y'ui had foielohl. as ciitain, iiaa now. .ucoid- 
 iDii to yoar account, ht-eii ci nsmiim itrd, and \tt Loid .Sel- 
 kiik undertakes, at the iisk of iiib h«\,)t'i, .uid wn\i the cer- 
 tainty of encouhtei iii'^ much pei>oi.al ircoiiveiiuine, lii© 
 voyage to this eounliy, aod tlie joir la-'V lulo the inle'lor, 
 which you so anoj^aoliy tell hin;, Uiv,i he ou^ht to have 
 
f ! 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 18 
 
 *;"«. before h. I 
 
 ''■""4 a„ / , '"" ">■"■« ,1""''' -^'" h ; """ ^'""■"• 
 
1 
 
 19 
 
 ^«^»/ish the r J 
 
 r' r -^' -iK.^: 
 
 
 to 
 
 '/"'t their 
 
 > as to 
 
 ^•^t after every 
 
 '^"v presence, 
 
 '\'^y on tije 
 
 llM,, 
 
 unl 
 
 J, 
 
 ''^ StTvanrs 
 '"'^ ^'« those 
 
 ^" '^'"ch .is 
 
 and 
 
 "^^^ <•/ the 
 
 ';"y, tJuy 
 
 '' "1 /Jiu 
 
 '^■/'eudent 
 had pur- 
 
 "^' three 
 ^^- ; hur, 
 
 ti to ej,. 
 
 iva^.^s.' 
 
 f/ 
 
 gaj^c himself as a servant, for om year, ftnm the time of his 
 ariiv.tl at the ciloriy, Lord Selhiik eii<^;igin<i; {o give Ijirn 
 lands, ill thti t'lid of lh.it yen, on the same foolini! iif> tt> 
 oih-.r settlers; and as i.ord helhirk reserved il.f right of 
 tr msforriiig ^lathes()n's services for tho wh'ile, or any part 
 of that year, to any other |)erson, ht* f iiL;aued, in citse (it" 
 his heinp thus irana'erred to tlie IluJh.iai's May Company, 
 an't o\ tht'ir employmu hiin at a disiaiiee, to he at the ex- 
 priice of his iiluiinuc convevanc*' to the setlleiiienl. wht-n 
 hi-i t'^elveunMilli's service sii'aiUI li.ive vxuired. 'I he iwelve- 
 nionih'A fcervice therefore. conhiitiUei! what he was lo |:ivc, 
 instead of p lyni;^ in m aiey lor Ins passaue out, and ;.;ave hiiu 
 no hetter chi ui to a passa,n<> htnne, \viLhoiit paying for it, 
 than any other s»t'h*r had — Mosi oi the ]jeople I'rcm Snth- 
 tilandshire, fomud Jirir c^n^'aienients, htfoie ihey left their 
 own parishes to Coiue to Str-'ruaehs ; but Mathesson fnUowcd 
 them of his own accord, aiul only thiTe, <lid his bolicitaiioits, 
 ai'ied by the inttrvtiitn'o of a (lenlletnaii, who was friendly 
 to him, olita.n Lord Selkirk's ab^ent to the singular coulruct 
 under which he went out. 
 
 He became, afterwards, rather dissatisfied with the terms 
 of his contiact, either on account of the unavt.itluble deten- 
 tion at C'hurch-hiU, or fiom some other reason, and was not 
 even reconciled to it, though his lot ot land had been laid 
 out and marked, to be d<divered to hini as soon as Ins ptriod 
 of service should have expired, 'lonrnoxe every pretext 
 for complaint, 1 prop' sed to him, by oider of the (losernor, 
 on the evenuiii of the 5ih of Ju'ie last, the fidlowm^ oftVr : — 
 His term of service to he leckoned frcni the day of his t-ra- 
 h.ukation in Orkr ey, just as if lie hud originally signeti a 
 contract to that etiect, to have .^'20 a year, a Iree passage 
 out and home, if reipiired, and of courte his viciUiils tor the 
 whole time. '1 hese sin;j,ularly favorable terms he wi.uld not 
 accept, dt-maiuJinj^ .t'30 hir the last of the three years. — 
 Where, then, is the t. iindaiion for your clamour ie^})ecting 
 tlie injusiit't of h^^ n.>t bfiofz enlitlfd to a free passage h(tme, 
 and tor the talt-s i>\ a leilow, whcse base H:^raiiUi(te, for 
 the treattnt-ni he rereucd cu < nly be (tp-udled by ihe j^k^ks 
 •lisreiiard of iruili, w'lii-h yon h.\e nuiiiil'. ,sied, in vuluniter- 
 iuj; lo become the ptiLdisiiei « i such lalsthuuds ? 
 
 .' 2 flverv 
 
 li^^iiQ 
 
J« 
 
 20 
 
 ^^ H- lirJ, „„ h"nus ; ;,,if J . . J 'iu both the dm 
 
 ,'',"• "^"" a,'i';''"'^;«<--,'" yourm'.uuT'l "'^ «'"" I 
 W" "• r«l„;e '',""'-" ''"""'S ll.„ v„, ,'1 ""™''' '""'""i? 
 
 ;f-^st tl^ CnI^'^::;,?^!""^. cnno^ ,. 
 
 '"^''''•'<s ( have ,»:. '''' '""^'' ie^s Tvf . i ""''^""'s 
 
 ^"^he confacf, '""'^^ ^'" your i.p.e.e, , , '"^' ^'^"" the 
 
 ^'^'^•P ^lirtheT to sir. M^'" ^^"'^'''N i sh ,1 ' '. ^''" ^^'"^ ''t 
 
 """"'■. an,l liev.. Si, 
 
 '"""■""«' <"«'lient Servant, 
 
 ^"""».M,o WeOO.V.aD. 
 
 7-.- , . «^^ed River Cp,,i 
 
 ^^««.-.-4.M»^,o, ,„e. 
 
 
 Yb 
 
'^''*' f'> or,M, 
 
 ^"^ 'Mi//t,irvr 
 "T'f 'i)l)or of 
 .V'xi liave 
 ^" t'le riiiik 
 " pJssayes 
 ^h the pV„. 
 
 « ''istanres 
 
 ''"ip.'oved 
 
 !• '^^e fcUite- 
 
 Pt been H? 
 
 « part in 
 P-'i'atioiis 
 
 T^pliinfs 
 li.tj) the 
 
 '"t'spect 
 ^■'n.^ at 
 whit I 
 
 )t=z 
 
 D. 
 
 f 
 
 ( No. iir. ) 
 
 To the Uomrahkand Rerereml JOlfX STRlCfF^X, D. D. 
 Member 0/ the Executive Coiiticil, and Rector oj ^ork^ in 
 Uj»per Canada. 
 
 IIONBLE. AND UHVI). SIR, 
 
 My last letter will sulTice to show, tliat tlie rights of lun- 
 fled pr'>peily at the Colony on lied li.vtr, are as secure, in 
 as frir as a lff;il title goes, as iiinny oilier part ft" the Kini^'s 
 dominions, and tliat ttie terms of the contracts with the emi- 
 grants, were no higlier than was necessary, m order to be 
 ret tain, that t!iey were actually in earnest in their apparent 
 anxiety to herome Soiilers, and that, ihev wer^? not ineic 
 vagaixn.dd wihhin^', to escape from dehts or ciimt's. 1 pro- 
 ceed now to examine some of the other suhj( els of their 
 (oinpl liots, in tho f);(ler already pointed oiii. i?, Va^nge. 
 frot/i Scut land to C/nin/iil/. Matheson s;!ys that they \vcre 
 ufl! nscd o'l the voy.ige, [jut M'l'herson cdmpl lins thai iht-y 
 were ordered ti> keep walch wirli the -ailnrs ; a grciit liard- 
 sliip to oe SUIT, Ci;-e.M.iily' as the n^gul iti«>n was not com- 
 jjhed with ! it was intended that the elu ciive men slionli 
 lie (iiviied for the voya^f, inl > three watdu's, and it is well 
 k'lo'.VM thai sailors generJly are in two To the ohstinacy 
 of the (nii!.'raiits in not ^u')!ii!i'.iiig to this regul.ition, and 
 to others h)r the prcsi-rvutio'i ot healtli, vvincli L"'rd Selkirk 
 lia<l taken tlie pains (tfwriiipg f'r tneir }:overnment and ad- 
 v.'.nti-._u'e, tijiibi he asorihe"'., iIil- ure.it ptugiess. of the fexer. 
 It Was evident, at tlje tune, that the ccntagion had been 
 l/rooiiht on huud about tlie pi-rst)'! of oin' uf ihe women, wbo 
 \v li- unfiiiiinialoly taken ill a few da\s after we sailed. '1 his 
 tiispK ion wai conliroied, by the tnielligence hroui.ht out hy 
 thi' s>ii,>s Of xt sea^ron. that the same disease hail proved ta- 
 tal. sMoii a!t( r we silled, to several individuals in the nei^'h- 
 boihoud, ai'd especially to a in in, at whose house the above 
 woman hid lodged, wliile wailing at Strcmness. 
 
 . Ncv 
 
'/f 
 
 22 
 
 up^vari. ..*^'^ '•' take ijje ,, ', ,'""^ t'ven j/,,,,/'' *' '""'r- 
 
 «t ( Inirr nil . , ' ''"' Pass.i.H . , -^ "''f' tlx- ,r, 
 
 """"'ion ?;hl '•," K""tlcm „ V, "' "■'"■" ^'r L s"""- 
 
 ^' 
 
 -' ' or IS ion t r 
 «f«'ts i„ rea„-j"t,7'» '''''->' >« the c„„ , . 
 
f 
 
 ""^""'•«s, to ,„, 
 '"*« win, ^,^^ 
 
 , ''^* ''^t, not. 
 
 ^^^ "'e iosg 
 unistawces 
 
 'f"y sirfc 
 ^^"'"^ ad- 
 
 f^ftaiices 
 ^e Wind, 
 
 irf)|,ve, 
 «n the 
 
 "j iind 
 J iheir 
 
 ny of 
 'atjoa 
 
 ad. 
 
 
 i 
 
 ■i 
 
 23 
 
 Lad, nt the <lirt>rcnt prrioHs, fn.in tl e time. t!ipv fmbnrkfi 
 at Sirniniieis, nil llit^ dtstrttd ihe sitlltnunt ti) go to 
 CdDiida. 
 
 Durinp; the p!i«sHgp, each m'^*>^, of twelve persons, inrlii. 
 4u\ii, chilili>'ti, ififutd flaiK, \Wti' «ir Poik, diij' |)it;re of 
 «i^ lit pdiuiils, Hisrujt five |n)iiiids, OulMual fiftpcn poiifdii. 
 Ikirlev or Split I'ease, in Soup, siK pdiiiids, and Molasset 
 at pleasure. Alxut ninety g.iilotjs of J.iniairu I'uni was 
 Jikewiie stTved out. durnm the p.iss.i^c to C'liiirciull, tliont;!i 
 the number of ellcciivti uieu did not at any time exceed 
 forty. 
 
 \Vliile at riiurchiil, du.'irp tlio winter, (he provisinnft 
 were seived out weekly, as follow : Oatmeal 6"7'2 lbs. Fease 
 Co lbs o»* half il.at quantity of I'eail Harley, Mola'-sts 54 
 lbs, Tartiid^e. 2 KJ in number, equivalent to one pound 
 •aeh, Meef or I'oik .54. lbs. '1 his ([uantity siniong eighty 
 persons, men women iitui cliildren, eomes within a fraction 
 of 2 lbs. per day, f(»r each indiviilual, ail poialively go«Nd and 
 wholesome food ; and let it be remrmbered, that this was 
 in a situation, where it wwnld have been necessary to haNC 
 put the whole on short >ilu»wance, from ilie d.iy of their 
 uirival, had not L(»rd Selkiik .sent, out in the ship a much 
 i',i eater quantity of p'ovisions than was necessary for the 
 vwyage. 
 
 On our route into the interior, in the spring, the quanti- 
 ty served «'Ut every week, cunsisied of Oatmeal i)8 lbs. Chi- 
 na Hice best quality lt;6 ll)s, liiscuit40 lbs, sound Peniican 
 100 lbs. Irish I'oik 228 lbs. 'I'liis was divided among the 
 t'lhy emigrants who went with me on this jcnirney, so as t<> 
 allow 2 lbs. per day U» 3l/, who were woi king hands, and 
 to the remaining 20, who were women and men employed 
 in tlie boats, at the rale of Ig per day. 
 
 At the sttilcment, the provision* served out weekly to the 
 seitlers UKUvidualiy, consisted of I'emican, 7 lbs. Hufialoe 
 I'at 1^ lbs. I't'taioes, as soon as they came in season, on an 
 average ,63 Ibt^. hut, in the latter aiiicle, thty were &cldi)nx 
 restricted to any uuantiiy till some of ibem, having determin- 
 ed 
 
/?:/ 
 
 1' 
 
 S4 
 
 *■'' '" eo to r ( 
 
 ^^i& 
 
 in 
 
25 
 
 I. 
 
 ill the 
 
 V 
 
 niuc/f 
 
 
 ' wit/. 
 -i i6s. Cut 
 
 ''lijiicun. 
 
 ^^' eini, 
 "ijir/j 
 
 •"y in 
 
 "He 
 f^ or 
 
 ill 
 
 m 
 
 U a preparation of meat, very iriRriiirusly coiitri\o(l by the 
 Judi.iiis lor preserving; it witluuit tialt. 1 lie lean ol llie 1-iif- 
 faloe lieef, or ol' venison, is dried by the lioat ot' a lit', and 
 is then pounded small, mixed in a large trough, with moiled 
 fat, and crammed, while still warm, into ba!j,s made ')t" luf. 
 faloe hide. ^^ hen cold, it becomes hard and iinptiitirahlc 
 to the air, ani »1 kept dry, will be tound perter\ly j^" >'d Inr a 
 long period of time. I have, n)yi-»lf, ealen it aJler IS 
 months ; and I have bttn told, that it may l)e kept for yt irs, 
 ]t may be mentioned as a jiroof of the wholet'omi'necs of ih.s 
 article of diet, that, there wasscaicely any sicknets known 
 among the emigrants, after oiu" arrival at the beitlement, 
 and that thosie who subsist upon it fur the <;re:iter jaitot 
 their lives, are well known to be robust, healthy, and athle- 
 tic men, although they are frequently known t> live fur years 
 together without tasting bread or vegetable diet. 
 
 Notwithstanding the fertility of '.he soil, it was never r\- 
 pectf*d, that it would be so fully taken advaut ige if, the 
 first summer after our arrival «t the settle. neut, linuted as 
 we were m the quantities of seed, as to produce a siippl ,' su!!i- 
 cient for the additional number of persons who thus joined it 
 that summer, including, not oulv those tliat came out willi 
 liic in 1813, but also those settlers that came from l",n>.'l,ind 
 in 1814. The total nuiiil>;'r of settlers, before our an iv.il, 
 did not exceed MX families, aiid each of these, though tluy 
 liad not begun their improvements till the summer of IS 13, 
 had delivered into the general stu'e, some part of their pio- 
 Uuce, consisting (»f potatoes, bailev, wh-at, and tut nips, af- 
 ter reserving what was nccessiiiv lui ijemi. and the coiibump- 
 tion of their own families. Most <»f tht> new etuiiets, ofeour^e, 
 had raised nothing out of the ground, and it was an iuipeii- 
 ous duty, incumbent on the UoveriK^r, to takv> a^ivanta;:e 
 of the other meai»s of subsistence, which the countrv pos'-ei;- 
 aed, till the cop of I SI.") should be g(»t oil the {'round, wliei\ 
 from tbe (|uantitv of 3"ed set apart, he knew there would he 
 no further pr()!)ability of a scarcity, indeed, when it is con- 
 Bidered, that, before the middle i-f .lanuary of that year, a 
 number of the settlers had (leterniined to go to Canada ; 
 that, from that time, till they aetu illv sri out m the canoes 
 of the North West Couipunv. tlieir whole time und attention 
 
 D ^ui 
 
'7„^ \""tO'. Lac/ 
 ^ :'""« Jast, af, 
 ,^' and the mm 
 
 f^f attentioa 
 ^'•'^Js for theiv 
 
 ^l ''Je ni.'ddfe' 
 
 '^^ f'emWna, 
 ''f"*e ofpo: 
 ^ them, for 
 
 ^<^ont/acted 
 I'oe meat, 
 were nil 
 -ents, to 
 '■'efi to be. 
 employ 
 ^ ^ort/, 
 ^i/es a, 
 3s time, 
 
 c ^^)rtli 
 ^^ (^pen, 
 "''f than 
 Partuie, 
 
 to em- 
 Pernor 
 ^staclo 
 
 Ta 
 
 -y 
 
 H2f 
 
 the 
 
 h 
 
 1 
 
 The means, wliich thev took lo effect lliis oliiert, wire rf 
 g.n t'xiraordiimry Dalure. 'I'hey took pains to represent eve- 
 ry incomeiiience, to wliich the new sittmtioii ot the s^elilcis 
 necessarily exposed ihciu, as a part of ii design, contuvtd 
 by the oliicers of the colony to ellVct their niin ; iliey loUl 
 them, that it was impossible for the Colony to prospir, and 
 impressed them with terrors fur the nati\e Indians, tf v. hcte 
 hostile determinations they frequently pretenriKl t.' h;i\ c it- 
 ceived intelligence by letters from distant quarters, pri fin- 
 cingand reading, |)ublicly, letters from ilVeir own uiiti:-, con- 
 trived for the |)urpu6e, and they endeavoured p .iti."ula:ly l.'V 
 Mich means to make the women exert tlu ir iflituncs ()\tr 
 their liusbands and families. Mr. Duiiran Cameron, a Fan- 
 ner and Agent of the North ^^'ehl Company, who jkIpj lud 
 the common settlers to -a fumiliar mieinauM' with liim. f(- 
 i^uenlly pretended to compassii;nale iht di ploialde coiui.tii.ii 
 of his country-women in that unkr.own conr.try, :ind to com- 
 ir.iserate the dreadful silualior, in which they mu'-t i)C, when 
 ihe Indiana should come to put in execution the j;( f.eral nuib- 
 sacre they meditated. As the Indians in the neii.'hl.( ui l^oud 
 had always conducted themselves in a mani er that puAed 
 their friendly inteniions towards the Cuiorj', Ciimeroa 
 could not hope to gain entire credit for huch repifsentalions, 
 so that he was obliged to add to them the m; st ihittprmg pic- 
 tures of ( anada, by telling the settlers, thai i.ll the High- 
 landers, who had settled there, had now become lich, and 
 that the North-AVest Company had {^reut inllnence with the 
 government there, which thould all be exeiled to piocuitf 
 them lands. Several of them positively declare, iliat they 
 were promised Lands in Upper Canada, as well as provisions, 
 cattle and agricultural implements. Mr. Cameron endea- 
 voured to add to the effect of these representations >ind pro- 
 mises, by boasting of having the authority of goverriment> 
 for whatever he did, hud he fre(|uenlly triec' to excite ihe 
 Colonists \o rebellion against the officers of the Colony, by 
 telling them, that the governor had no authority whiitever, 
 that the Charter of ihe Hudson's Bay Company was iiO bet- 
 ter than waste paper, and that Lord Selkirk, in sending 
 them to that country, had no object in view, except to effect 
 their destruction by the savages. 'I he natives in the ncioh- 
 jb()urhc|od resisted ullhis gulicitations to take up aims against. 
 
 Tfcc 
 
r 
 
 ^"V":uilyr,Z' "^''^aii.t, t„ co-operat,. ,1 ; •■' '" "« North 
 
 '^''W;^ l.n,e„t„;S," " '. '"""'"S well. ^^1". ""' ^^ Pfevai,. 
 fr'"H the de. „„,;'„ '-"'""y "as sure 1 , L j "'^ ^ucressful 
 :« S^»eral)v. at^d so^";, "■*"■'' ">e N . f ,t" " P™'"'i'n 
 
 '^•'"t of s„cc,.s!',^ , '"''"''d to the r,.r . "'""' »' d Iha^- 
 
 ^ «"■''' ''"ve ,0 ",;";■''"«. -'-„ „,: o^ui,: j p-'^ing. fr„', ; 
 
 .>(■ 
 
 '"'"fe 'lumg u„ sial ; . '" various attarU ™™ """'"'S 
 " «£ CVnmtnv-l ^ "'^ ""^ governm.n, , ''' "'""■'i were 
 
 f "'"setiier,. " h .' ""'' "fvants ,„"T"* '» employ 
 "'^ fiove.nn, „t "'. j >'f Prevailed 1™"^ "'" "«'> »"i 
 '"""iitaryar-at .'■'"' '^"'''^es thus en,r? '" '■«™'t against 
 
 g^' iiutljoritv I? '^^^"'ne, at least th "^"^^'"g them 
 
 s:^r^r'-U^oS-ii'i^^"^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 1 
 
"' ™'fi'" have 
 
 "{>' "est cC 
 , : • ^'lum- 
 ^ in the North 
 
 ^ «nd pron.i. 
 "^ ^e prevai/, 
 ne successful 
 ' ^ Pnnectjon 
 ^st <^-cnipany 
 "' «'d that 
 
 "^ I'^e land 
 ^ "^w means 
 ^vijich were 
 ^^ie North 
 ^" em p Joy 
 7^th such 
 *'^ against 
 '^ ^ed out ( 
 
 'd e.xercis. 
 
 '^out any 
 ^e Chief 
 to soot/i 
 ^8 them, 
 
 fin Ca- 
 1 iiiver, 
 
 of their 
 ■ ^'nder 
 Ja;)e of 
 ^Jat he 
 done; • 
 
 29 
 
 i'dlsely asserting that he held a Captain'^; Commissinn in Uh 
 Majesty's .-ervice, and that he was an ollireron cUtujil teiMCc, 
 though t!ie short lived corps of Voyageurs, lo whicl) hi- j le. 
 tended to have belonged, had been reduced iwoycaii bl :.e. 
 ^'\s Ofticer in command, however, lie chose to give iniu^.If 
 brevet rank, and at Halls, and on many dthir cccasions. lie 
 xvore the uniform of a i>lajor, with two I'paulcts, aii'i il-ti 
 bword of a field officer, with a waist U It and metal M-ab- 
 bard. This uniform was said to have l)elon^ed to .Mi'. Avchcl. 
 N. M'Leod, atiother Partner of the Norili \Vebt Company, 
 v;ho had held the commission of Majnrin the above jvtnliu- 
 iied Corps. 'I'his gentleman had l^i^ucd a W'airant, as u 
 civil Magistrate for the Indian leriitorks, to uj)i relicial our 
 Governor, under a groundless accusation of I'eUmy, aiid 
 seems to have felt such real, in securing the objtct of bis 
 warrant; that he even lent his old UMilnrm, to i^erve ;:b a dis- 
 guise for the agent who was to enfoice it. '1 be pieliudcd 
 military character thus assumed by the a{;c!)ts aiid partt.Hrs 
 of the \orth West Company, was well calculated to make 
 an impression on the ignorant settlers and half-biceds, wl:a 
 used to boast of that authority fo» every insult they of.ered 
 to us, and for every atrocity they comaiitled. 
 
 The influence of Mr. Cameron among the scttlcjs was ve- 
 ry much increased by pretensions of personal fiiendihip to- 
 wards them. He used to treat the men, on every occasion 
 ■with rum, and the women with wine, shrub, tea, Uuffaloo. 
 tongues; and in short, every luxury that his house ciiuld 
 afford, entertaining them with sumptuous Halls, at least onc& 
 a week. The common labourers w ere always made welcome, 
 to sit down at his table, and to partake of whatever he had. 
 Such were the means, by which they were prevailed upon 
 not to go to Pembina with the governor. Notwithstandiiijj 
 their refusal, 1 continued to supply them as usual with pro- 
 visions, and endeavoured, frequently to p'evail upon them to 
 follow the Governor, v.'ho had gone to Pembina without them, 
 till it become manifest, that their object, in remaining behind, 
 was to consume as much of our stuck of provisions as possi- 
 ble, and to get every thing they could out of the Colonial 
 Stores, before setting off for Canada. 
 
 The 
 
 7 
 
30 
 
 
 i. 
 
 , '^^t-jr fenj>jcro/r •* "limber of^ ^" "^^out an i, 
 
 ^^^•^'^v, w ctyt '''^^'^f'i^es hvf- '"^^^Jt bre-^L- ^^Pt. 
 '^'^^loV.r::.^ '-^'minued .^."^/^^^ w,,/,,' f^^ "Pen the 
 
 
 . : -» ^wti) c — -use who i: 
 
 or 
 
 ca 
 
 \m&i 
 
 tiie (• 
 foid 
 
 itid 
 
 tile. 
 
 t avow, 
 
 ■ ^'pen/5 
 
 i vvo 
 
 J their 
 
 ys af, 
 ' Were 
 J'etidv 
 
y thing if,ey' 
 '^ promises 
 ;'*'"''« huusB 
 leiiJiiiids for 
 ">' '-^iusuls, 
 ^6 t^n their 
 ' that thev 
 '' ^vhohad 
 to a hetrer 
 
 ^i;id used, 
 "^sonie of 
 ^^ i (old 
 7 had cn~ 
 
 l^m ),ad 
 I'embina, 
 '^al Store 
 
 "P/c;but 
 I should 
 V'- They 
 l^st con- 
 direct- 
 iiour, 
 'itions 
 com, 
 com- 
 ^apt. 
 the 
 ng a 
 Jich 
 rmi- 
 dhy 
 
 the 
 ave 
 not 
 
 eir 
 u/- 
 if, 
 
 ra ■ 
 
 V 
 
 31 
 
 "tca-lyb g-» to Penibiim, on the comiitiotj'j that T had offered 
 before, an;i, upiu this, I furnished (heui with atnnrinitiou 
 ami ot'ier articles for the journey. Their plan liid heja con- 
 certed wiili Canjer«)ii, who took tills me ms toobuinthar. 
 supply of aoiniiiuition, for, no sooner Inl t!ie uien g »t it 
 'from me, than they went and dchve ed both uandtbei' guns 
 to bini, and, taking a letter, which he wjslied to send to h\% 
 agent at Turtle lliver, they sol olT, iv fiis seiivicf, for that 
 place, without lliose things which th>'v ha I leprescn'.cd to 
 me as ahsolalely indispensaf)U> fo- the journey. On ihs way 
 up to Turtle llivcr, they met with the governor alvove i'embi- 
 n I, who told ihein that the season w<i8iio\v loo f.ir advanced f»r 
 the purpoic of hrnting, and endeavoure I to persu adr them to 
 return, to be ready to cuilivale the grouals on the. break;n<.^ 
 up of the frost. '1 hey would not comply, saying, that I had 
 told them that they should get no more p.ovisioas out of ihj 
 Siores, and that, as they had come s<. far, they would not go 
 back witliout seeing Turtle River, t.iking care, liowever, ta 
 conceal'lhe real o'jject of their journey, which was to deliver 
 Cameron'- Utter to his agent there. The Governor, unacquain- 
 ted with the moiivo, and Hr.dmg them intraf table, gave them 
 what provisions his own puily could spare. 
 
 > b' 
 
 Durii'g the Tew days that tiiese refractory mm w.?rp n- 
 fusid provisions by me, they were snppl.ed by Mr. Cani:?ron, 
 who employed tiiem, and 1 believe no person will eavy ihw 
 share of merit f*)r humanitv, which you ra ly lay claiiu t j 
 for yourtnenda, the fur traders, on that account. 
 
 4th. JFork imposed upon (he Settlers, They complain of 
 the hardship of being obliged to build huts and tents f(»r their 
 own Use, at Churchill, but tliey do not state, that Lord Sel- 
 kirk had been at the e.^pence of sending <nit, in the ship, I '2 
 marquee tents, each cinstruct* i for containing It) person?, 
 and that they refused lo len 1 the sailors any assist.iuce, to 
 get them out of tlie stnp, until they had leceived promise > 
 of payment for their work, winch payment was accordingly 
 made in goods at Voik Tactcry. They c(miplain <if being 
 obliged to erect their hut* at the distance of I'Z miles fro u 
 , Churchill Factory, " because," says Matheson, " the Chrks 
 \vere afraid of the sickness." The true cause v.-as, that thty 
 
 niig'ot 
 
32 
 
 M! 
 
 ynight he near thew^^i e i 
 t'i"cd. Th^ ,/r '^'' '^'»s f-omnletelv :»rJ r ^ """^ hunting 
 
 '-^t ^ •''", rJ,,l ; "7- '^ad tbev been suffered ? ''' -^^ ^'^« 
 
 V-k ;.Sn^ t .-"'"""^ ""'. t" ml ,^ ''.""Staled) 
 n"gl>t be no i;,!' '""''"' "»• rivers op"„" d f,. '''"'« '" 
 
 "'<""en, v,.!,„nce,e7 o ;„ "" """" «"ve „f ,he 'Vn "." 
 certuiu V tl,. ,,, ■ """'iwnynieim .1, . . """ and 
 
 will, us J. ' ■ " "■"* I'-t necessirv to LT *'"""« '"'"'y 
 
 tl.e G„v», ^ ""' "n"'. I«c;.u-e Vu l """^ """''^ Provisions 
 
 ro ,te '„ h ^^ "P P™visio„s for us . nt"""""' ''"'-I b«u 
 
 vSi::t,tdf^^^2";^'rvr'- -• 
 
 *>'ii&, ,10(1 beddiiifr ,.f , " "pwii tneir sied(roa »», 
 ^^'^'i- 'n the c.-tt;,;!;^''^'' ■" "'' -,„.„ u: Cno ,S 
 
 Thev 
 
 
33 
 
 •uilding and 
 ^od hunting 
 Jnately sel. 
 
 of provi- 
 (•e the win- 
 to employ 
 'ging some 
 nie of the 
 "c ofticera 
 fiiplain of 
 turn to go 
 iH's in the 
 niain idJo 
 "list have 
 in of ha- 
 i Sunday, 
 ">n those, 
 lie iiucii 
 
 object. 
 'Jt, witk 
 to work 
 
 ourney 
 tated ) 
 eing at 
 
 there 
 n time 
 and 
 t and, 
 
 as is 
 ? half 
 daily 
 siong 
 j by 
 beeu 
 I the 
 niea 
 vere 
 )ro- 
 lale 
 hey 
 
 fi 
 
 <fhey, next, complain of the h^irdship ot tracking tlje 
 loits, and of the want of shoes. Ilcsidi^s th*> Mocasins de-* 
 livered to thena, before leaving Voik Tartorv, 1 gave each of 
 , the men five pairs, vv^ithout charging for them, wht>n we 
 reached tile tracking ground ; which is more than the Hud- 
 son's Bay Company us^ually allow their people, in the same 
 distance, and, as a proof that none of them iiad, at any time,, 
 to walk without m-icasins; I have only to state, that there 
 were twenty pairs remaining in store, ai'tor our arrival at 
 the Colony. If those people expected, that thoy were to 
 have sat in the bi'Ets, while otlicr men were er.iployod to 
 ^)w them up the livcrs, it isceituinty more ihau they had 
 any right to look lor. 
 
 '5. Prices of A r ticks furnished out ofthcSt<)rrs. Andrcv^ 
 INlacBeath, and William (»unn, nciir the begiiiiung of their 
 Statement, as you have reported it, siy, that tl)py were 
 charged with hoes 10s, axes, 15s, and tliin small copper 
 kettles 30s. A few lines farther on, ihiy forget what Uioy 
 had said at the beginning, and comphiin that tliey never were 
 told the prices of any thing. After tuch a downright con- 
 tradiction, what credit is due to the tales, which, with your 
 intrusive assistance, they have contrived to propag.ite ? 
 The prices of these articles as charged, without dislmriiim, 
 in their accounts, may be judged of by the following spcci- 
 tnetl. Andrew MacBeath is charged with one London 
 made hoe, 53 Id; for one made at the settlement 45 6d ; for 
 one London made felling axe, on the American model, 7s. 
 6"d ; for one small axe i2s. 6d. ; and for copper kettles, the 
 regular price was 6s. 8d. per lb. 'Ihe public may compare 
 those prices with those of the same articles at Montreal, 
 where hoes of the same description are sold fo- 5s ; felling 
 axes ps ; small axes 4?. Id. I (inl no copper kettles m 
 Montreal, of the same description, as those we used at the 
 Settlement. They are made remarkably thin, on account of 
 lightness, for carriage by inland conveyanct', and are tinned 
 inside ; but some guess may be formed of the value of such 
 articles, when I state, that the price of pl.iin sheet copper 
 in Montreal, is from 4s Gd to 5s pr. lb. At the Grand Portage, 
 where the enterprize and monopoly of the Fur Traders are 
 
 unresisting, felling a.xes are sold ai 24s. small axes f^s; and 
 
 Jj copper 
 
34 
 
 "■(^P'r k-(llcs, if,i,„ , .• 
 
 from the Tnil \^^^'' as a /Vw n(l,„ * """'' it rinhr tr. 
 ^•■»'- «nic/es at ^f ''""P'"^«on,"t e ,."'"* ^^'^'^e then/ 
 
 ° ' on Lake Superior. ^ ^ ^^""^^> and at 
 , '^'le prices. Jio. .. 
 
 I he prices hn 
 
 '"••J"!, «l... A .'"""'"»". we J" ^P''<^f C„nadJ 
 y procure tl,» „ '='' "' ' suv vt, "m " ^""b U'est 
 
 -ARTICLES 
 
at Ids C<1 
 
 in forming 
 from Heii 
 
 fKiiM the 
 it right to 
 ^ rttuiltd, 
 ide them, 
 
 of siini- 
 la, and at 
 
 '' T hosj 
 
 ts of the 
 
 her than 
 
 Hudson's 
 
 articular 
 
 Canada; 
 
 with the 
 
 e prices 
 
 let. If 
 
 ih West 
 
 U easi- 
 
 but I 
 
 im ex- 
 
 t think 
 
 ) 
 
 35 
 
 ARTICLF.S. 
 
 PniCES 
 
 u, 
 
 • -< 
 
 
 r 
 
 > 
 
 ^ 
 
 •• • 
 
 ■2 Sb 
 
 J 
 
 
 %'-> 
 
 2^. 
 
 %■ mt 
 
 ** 
 
 ^'^ 
 
 "* 1 
 
 1 
 
 • loes ({'orn) no 
 
 /\\es telling 
 do sm^ill 
 Copper lieitles lbs 
 
 <'()iton Shirta tio 
 
 } ills, coimu'in ' 
 ' rdvatji, wortllen 
 Check Cotton, best quality 
 
 yard. 
 
 •■"<Uton'lldkf<5. large 
 
 J 
 
 green, 
 
 >il 1 IGKIS. 1 
 
 I lowhcrs Duck 
 "loth, blue or 
 \ard wide 
 loth, (Vrey 
 i^ckets Kcrspv, 
 tickings, worsted 
 Ombs, lv()ry 
 
 Pots, tin, 1 gal, 
 do 
 
 Pan-. 
 
 tiun 
 
 Shot 
 
 1 qrt. 
 smull 
 Clasp 
 
 no. 
 
 pr. 
 
 6 -1. 
 
 yd. 
 
 yd. 
 
 no. 
 
 pr. 
 
 no. 
 
 110. 
 
 Knives, \^ias 
 Powder 
 
 Shot 
 
 Buttons, common gilts '2d 
 bebt doz 
 
 lb. 
 ^d 
 
 , 
 
 
 ."1, 
 
 1/ 
 
 ft 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 y 
 
 
 2 
 
 () 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 6' 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 5 
 
 .5 
 
 7 
 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 J 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 
 1 1 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 6' 
 
 <; 
 
 
 15 
 
 J) 
 
 U 
 
 o 
 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 
 5) 
 
 1 
 
 O 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 ()■ 
 
 .5 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 9 
 
 ij 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 J 
 
 
 
 ;* 
 
 6i 
 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 D 
 
 
 
 ! I 
 
 7 
 
 !) 
 3 
 3 
 1 
 
 2 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 () 
 
 J 4 
 J) 
 
 13 
 
 () 
 
 1 .> 
 18 
 
 it 
 
 3 
 
 18 
 
 4 
 
 0' 
 
 
 n 
 
 8i 
 
 9 
 
 4 
 
 J) 
 
 17 
 
 7 
 
 !S 
 
 
 iG 2 18 
 
 (i 
 3 
 
 6:', 
 
 4.^ 
 
 8 
 
 12 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 l.> 
 
 4 
 
 9 
 
 i>. 
 
 As some cf the York prices are lower than those at Mon- 
 treal, it can only be accounted tor from diti'crtnces in the qua- 
 irt;es of articles, but it is bufest tvJ calcul.ite, only, by tiangs 
 in which there can bo little doubt, as to the article meant. 
 
 ES 
 
 Reckoning upon this principle, it will be found, that the 
 Settlers were supplied in Ossiuiboia with goods, above 100 
 per cent cheaper than at York, the capital of Upper Cana-- 
 -" E 2 cia, 
 
36 
 
 da, and above 30 per cpnt clipaper, than they could liave 
 •purchased ihcm at Montri'al, the comiuciTial metri'in lis of 
 Biitish Ndiih Aint-rica, v. tiere they rii;iy bo lauJi'd out of it 
 nhipt di.-uct fidin Ijightiid. 
 
 The very prices of which the settlers so ahairdly com- 
 plain, win serve to shew, in addiiun lo ulut 1 luive alrea-* 
 dy suid, on that tubject, th.it die couiiiiunicuiinu with Ln« 
 glund, by Hudson's Bay, is n.tt&o enoiinously diliicultas you 
 have laboured to represent it ; and ihit ymi liavc only «lis- 
 played your total ignorance, by pitsumug to wjitr profess- 
 edly on a subject, on wliich yoiu ii.to.niati'iU was so inac-^ 
 cuiate, and the peculiar vimltnce ot your uk.lims, by at- 
 tempting to make it appear, wilbuut the sliadow of evuit-nce, 
 thai every agent at the Colony, was as ready to rnpose ufxta 
 Ihesettltws, as you have proved youiocjf diapvj»sud lo iraduc^ 
 our characters, , , i 
 
 It ma}', now, be worth while to eilquire, wliat prices th^' 
 settlers received fur the same aitide!-, nn delivering tben> 
 to the North W^st Company, wiit-n they embarked in th^ 
 canoes of that Company, for Canada. According to the 
 athdavita of some of tliote very men, as} tiken before a Ma« 
 gistrate at Yoik in I'pper Canada, it apptcirs, that two shiU 
 lings was the price ihey received for felling axes, when they 
 delivered them to the North West Company. One maa 
 States, that Mr. Cameron paid him, in all, twenty eight 
 sbiliings and six pence, for one felling axe, one shovel, ona 
 dying pan, two copper kettles, and an iron crank, for hang-' 
 iiig the kettles on the fire. Most of these articles had been 
 charged, m\ the boi>ks, against the settlers, but I can aver, 
 that not one of them had a shovel, which was not the proper*'. 
 ty of the liar I of belkiik. It may be doubted, however, 
 whether stolen goods have often been purchased at so low n 
 rate, as these settlers were allowtd by the North West Conw 
 pany, for things which they had not paid for, \ 
 
 As you profess to be so well acquainted with " the great 
 " enterpiize.and the savings on outfils necessary for carrying 
 '* on successfully the Canadian Fur Trade," perhaps you may 
 teable to give to the public, the prices which the same ar- 
 ticles 
 
 y 
 
sr 
 
 uld have 
 
 I'pt lis of 
 
 uut ut'it 
 
 lily com- 
 ive alrea* 
 uiiIj En- 
 jlt as you 
 only <iis- 
 «' pjofess- 
 i St) inac-k 
 s, L»y at- 
 evulfiico, 
 JDbe upott 
 
 > traUuc^ 
 
 >rices th^' 
 ng lheu)i 
 (i in tli9 
 to the 
 a ^Ja. 
 Itwo shil« 
 Iicn they 
 ne niAtx 
 y eight 
 vel, onft 
 r hang- 
 ad been 
 n aver, 
 proper- . 
 |owever, 
 10 low 4 
 t Conir 
 
 e great 
 jarrying 
 ])u may 
 Ime ar- 
 ticles 
 
 > r 
 
 If- 
 
 tirlra must have cost the North \Vf«t Cimipany, had thev 
 brciiuht tliein ()v the usual conveviinre, Irom Montreal, W) 
 the I'licrt \\he»e tliey roceiveU tl'.em from the grltl»Ms, ?(> as 
 to ijhew tho ratf of prolil, which thov contnvcil to ni;ike, hy 
 thi-. Uans.iciitif' Lest I hoiild fall into an error, in llie cal- 
 cuhition, I ah;- .1 not attempt it any further, than to stite, 
 that, at the Cjrand Pori.igc, which is not ahove half thi' dis- 
 tance, goods are usually sold fully 2U0 per ceni above the 
 Montreal pi iocs. The ^eitltrs thiniselves, I am intornifd, 
 Giiy, that they were induced to part with many ariiclts. m 
 expectation of hnding them cheaper in Canada, and di» not 
 now scruple to lament the en or, into which tney hnd, th*t 
 they had fallen. 
 
 As for the articles of Hum and Tobacco, the prices that 
 the settlers conj; lain of, need very little txplanatmn. At 
 the time of enibarkmg at Stromnets, not above eight out «)f 
 the whole of the emigranis made u^e of lohacco ; hut wlun 
 I came to letailit at Churchill, I wa^ surprised lo fiod, that 
 there were only two men, of whom M'Beath was out, ulio 
 did not make use of it ; " becuuhC we do not pay for it mi me- 
 diately,'' said they, " let us have plenty of the Karl's 1 oLac- 
 co, and also of his good llu n," but when they were t(dd that 
 they must pay in cash 5s per lb for the T*)bacco, and I'is 
 per gallon for the Hum, tlio infyimaiion had so good an tircct, 
 that only .^'6' was Collected, for both articles, during the 
 time that they were at Churchill. Tho^e that went for their 
 provisions to Churchill, were regularly supplied with Hum 
 gratuitously, while so employed. At the Colony, Hum and 
 Tobacco were supplied on .redit, tho same as other aiticles, 
 and notwithstanding Macl)eath and Gunn's complaints, about 
 the prices, and of having had to pay in ready money, 1 have 
 to inform you, that there never was a penny paid by either 
 of them, and there is not even a charge for tobacco m their 
 Recounts. 
 
 , This letter is alieady so exteadtd, thut it is necessary td 
 
 icfer 
 
 I 
 
38 
 
 •I -I 
 
 P'^crmy funhrj chGcrvatlons to anotlicr v.cck, and in tlak 
 
 Q..an iuj:t>,, 1 coutmne, * 
 
 Ilcnble. and Rev. Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient Servant, [ 
 
 AUCIIIDALD McDONALi;), 
 
 . of Ked Tiiver Selliement, 
 DIstilct of Ossioiboia, r.upen's Land, 
 
 t 
 
 Montreal, 6ih June, ISl^v 
 
 
 U 
 
3y 
 
 i*^- 
 
 =r:» 
 
 (No. IV.) 
 
 'fo the UonorahJs and Reverend JOHN STRACIIAX, D. I). 
 
 Meinhcr uj the Executiie Cuuuctl, and lUctor of Yorfi, h 
 Uj.per Canada. 
 
 5J0NBLE. AND REVD. SIR, 
 
 The facts contained in my I'ist letter, vill «orve to inrdioi 
 tbe public, of of S( me of the ine;in.s, ro ortod to by ibo l\x 
 Traders, to render the settlers discontentfi at ibi- Culoiiy 
 and to explain tba origin ofsimie of ilie tales of distiiss 
 which you have labored to circulate, without all'<wiii4 your- 
 self to hear but one side of the question. 1 pK cicu now to 
 examine their complaints, concerning thoirhai;;^ i^c, and tlia 
 personal treatment they received, from tbii Uflicer toi iha 
 Colony. 
 
 0, Baggage — With respect to this article, as it was im- 
 possible, for those who went with nje, by land, froniChuich- 
 hiU to York Factory, to take the whole of their ba!:i:aij;e a- 
 long with them; the greatest part of it was lelt in charge of 
 their friends who were to be forwarded l)y water to \ o:k 
 Factory, and afterwards up the rivers to the colony. It was 
 a part" of Lord Selkirk's agreement a, ilh the selih rs, tliat 
 each grown person should be enntlevl ti» have two packa;j,es, 
 of about } cwt. each, and each person under 15 years of age, 
 to have one such package convened wiili them, fiom York 
 I'actoty to the settlement, at his Lordship's expence. 'I'he 
 clerks who had the charge «)f br.ngmg the remainder of the 
 settlers up from York F.ictoiy, permitti'd them to embark 
 their own baggage, and wiiat, they said, beloi geii to their 
 friends, as far as there was room, in the boats, ano gave them 
 an assurance, that the reniainder should be sent by the ear- 
 liest opportunity. Some of these people, however, tonk with 
 them a quantity of their own baggage, exceeding the stipu- 
 lated alluwance j and, when they arrived at the settlement, 
 
 ic 
 
40 
 
 it was no doubt \e-fatious, for those who had gone up with rhdj 
 tosee that very little of their baggage had' been brought up, " 
 while some of" those who had hud a comparatively easy roti- 
 veyance, brought the Vv-hole of theirs along with them. There 
 certainly outfht to have been more efiicient arrangements 
 made for preventing this disappointment; and I freely ac- 
 knov/ledge, that there is blame due on that account. Itisnot 
 true, however, that they suffered any material inconvenience 
 from the want of their things, for they were supplied from 
 the scores with clotiiing well suited for the climate, the mea 
 with leather toggles or ^apots, and leather trowsers, which 
 are much better and warmer than cloth, (M'Beath in parti- 
 cularjiad both,) and the women with stout duffle petticoats, 
 and good grey cloth pelisses, made for them in England, to 
 be used on the passage to the colony. They were undoubt- 
 S(ily charged with the clothing supplied to them, and it vvas 
 so far, a iiardship to be without thr-ir baggage ; but as to their 
 ullegation, that their things never were forwarded from York 
 Factory, it if? positively false, for, before the date of tho 
 Story yr.u retail for them, 1 had delivered them, to tiieir fa* 
 tl.er:;, brothers, and other relations, on their arrival at\ork 
 I'lictory, from Scotland, last fall, who took them along with 
 their own baggage to the colony, in as good a condition, 
 whatever they may say to the contrary, as when they werQ 
 left at Churchill. From tiiis it appears, that, if they had re- 
 mained at the colony till the arrival of their relations, who 
 came from Scotland, in consequence of their recommenda- 
 tions, they would not have sustained even the appearance of 
 ■•iltimate loss, by their baggage having been left at Church- 
 hill. 
 
 Their tales about being frost-bitj'are scarcely worth notice. 
 as nothing of that kind occurred more than what often hap- 
 pens in Canada, and what to my knowledge happened some 
 times in London, last winter; that is, a man's nose, or his 
 cheeks, being slightly touched with the frost, for a few minutes. 
 If any of them had ever gone the length of becoming an open 
 iore, you might have been shewn the marks. 
 
 7. Treatment, experienced personalli/ hy the Settlers . — As I 
 am particularly mentioned by the settlers, as having behaved 
 
 harshly 
 
41 
 
 liotice,, 
 
 hap* 
 
 some 
 
 lor his 
 
 Inutes. 
 
 open 
 
 As I 
 
 liaved 
 Irshly 
 
 liarsbly and unkindly, it is reasonable that 1 slio'ild be per- 
 mitted to speak of tiiy own conduct, fur tlie necessary jrar- 
 pos0 of exonorating myself from these charge*. In the first 
 place, the duty imposed upon me, of delivering the articles 
 out of the stores, was a very unthankful office ; they fre- 
 quently made very unreasonable demands, even when their 
 intentions were honest, and it always fell upon me, to give 
 lh*5 refusal to such applications. The demands which they 
 made of course, always seemed just and reasonable in their 
 own eyes; they were therefore frequently reiterated, and the 
 repeated refusals, which I had t • make, very naturally led 
 them to look upon me as personally disagreeable. 1 found it 
 impossible to get rid of theii importunities, till at last I a- 
 d«pted a resolution, of giving nothing whatevei, without a 
 written order. Notwithstandmg this disagreeable situation, 
 where 1 could hardly avoid giving ollVnce, the story that you 
 have told" for them, concerning me, is very difitient from 
 what thfy wrote to their friends m Scotland, at least, il ^ 
 may credit what the latter told mc, on iheir arrival at York 
 lactory, last fall. 
 
 Their having been frequently bled \.o prevent snow blindness, 
 advanced by them as a proof of cne of the dangers and hard- 
 ships of which they complain, '"jrnishcs, likewise an evi- 
 dence that their complaints were not unattended to. 
 
 ■ 1' 
 
 As for what they say about the devil growing blind, and 
 about going to the moon, if I had heaid any person talking in 
 that manner, I should have imagined that he was either analive 
 of the moon, or some how under the influence of that I'lanel^. 
 and if ever such expressions escaped my lips, my thoughts, 
 at the time, must have been wandering in that direction ; as 
 it appears yours must have been, when you ^xpecied credit 
 for circulating such stories. 
 
 When tJiey determined to rob the Government House, of 
 the artillery and muskets, provided for the defence of the 
 colony, they were glad nf an excuse to palliale such an nut- 
 rage ; and they accordingly, raised a repor., that these auns 
 were to be used to prevent theit going to Canada ; but, 1 de- 
 f)' them to prove, that any such cxpressiua ever v/oj ni;ide 
 
 r use 
 
49 
 
 •■^U'-h u report had bL?^f.?"?T^>' ^''^"^ ^he Governor TW 
 P-Ple, who were ,n7b^;;';^^^^ it could Z'stify 
 
 -r.rinors, far le.s could k it^fr "'''"« ^"^ P'"ndering S 
 ;^f>;«pe of I^vless attacks S^^^ '""'' °^^''^'^ trea8on,^,n th, 
 
 ^he Great Seal of LngUndf "''^"^'^-y °^^ <^'^^'ter undef 
 
 Another subisct nf ^ 
 ^'^'--^tosee tie Stat :?Sra'' "' ""' ^'^^^ "^^^ were 
 
 '•ere pa.J the bulames due t«rh """'?' ""^ that rhey n.ver 
 hetare they left Scotland tl^/."' ^^ ^'"^ ^'-''^''^ed. eveu 
 ^^"^'^tearn, W work Jo ne n ^^''^''^'^'^'^g^^ tht sellers 
 I-ttothecreduoftLt acclt' '-^^i^^'^^^'^-'t. shou be 
 
 yere furnished out of the 1? ' f /''"' "'hatever g.ods 
 them As you are so will '' '''""'^ ^« <^harged a|a msf 
 you may uj,r.n tl err ha 1"^ '^ '"^^^^^^« '" thfs bu'u f 
 
 W^r^ .vith ^3 7^. SdV V^Cgu'^' "^^ '?^"-'^^- 
 •-'ysSd; and AJacbeathwiM ?? """ "^"^ ^^t^^er witk 
 ^;!'""« ^''>'«niowi„r3s foTl^' '^^ ^'^ -being allowed 
 ; g.^-g potatoes 2d pef k'eg'of s'L"!," ""1"°" P^ 'toe: ' 
 • d you .n.yadd. tbat tht d7 ?i""^^ ^"^>h«'r victuals 
 ^"uch more considerable. '''^'^ "^ 'heir accounts are 
 
 |4'- '^^"^'^:? w:; :!:^ -V"t'^-^ --^. on 
 
 •^"^''>' "^« to be delu^redinotr' '"''•' "''"^'''' '''^ 
 ^''''\ to be pLced to the cred t Th """^ ^'"^^^ "t a fixed 
 ''<>.'"<iu«tnou., and to be afL 1 / ^ P'*"'''" ^^o had bee^ 
 r-% to supply the nee .sit^^Xht''^?''"'^' «' ''^^ '-' 
 P -;d^^. The accounts, ,s kern '"^''' ^'^'"^ ""t s.> well 
 ^ "lartin.es, when every,' stn'' ''""""• ^' balanced a 
 P->''-nanne, to enqu,re'c ^ ' .r^:: '^r^t hberty, in a 
 ; '":''^^'' the baluL for or L' f/ ""'""' 'ten.s, and 
 tbe..ttlersjusilv rep.sed n Tf'f '^. !'"" '^ ''^ wbole of 
 J^'^'^'. wh.le ihey .e nained s ^. //'^"^f^"^^ i" th-s arran4- 
 ^'^'•« to their engagenients .nH 5 '" ' '"'" '"t^"tions, to ^i 
 t-"upted, and suTi ex ' "^ ""J ^"t. faction never w '' 
 
 ^^^'^ ^'>-h We,t cLInJ^^; : ;-/--of the paruj.ns f 
 
43 
 
 on 
 >wn 
 :ed 
 Jen 
 Viie 
 tell 
 at 
 a 
 \ 
 
 ii' 
 
 
 to rescue us from the misery they ocrasioned, and to lake d 
 pagj-Hge to Canada, against our :nrhnati ns, against our en- 
 gagements, and against our true interests. The joy with 
 which they saw us depart, and the shouts which they rais''d, 
 on heholdiiig the flames and smoke rising from our dwelhnj^s, 
 to which they had set fire, are a snfficifnt p'oof, that the ir 
 pretendtd compassion for our situation, was not the tiuo 
 cause of their anxiety, to induce us to take a pas^age, in their 
 fanoes, to I'pper Canada. The zeul of your hiends, the 
 dealers in furs to provide for our happiness, was so neurl} al- 
 lied to thai of the odious bigots, who used to condemn a man 
 toihe flames in his worhl, on pur|)0^e to f^ecuic his salvaUun 
 in the next, that it may well hediubttd whether they wrulil 
 have permuted us to retire so peaceably, jmd to sa\e so 
 much of our properly as we fottunaiejy did, h.id ihey i.oC 
 been utraid of our friends, the native Iiidiaiis, wlio aidefi u'i 
 in embarking our cattle, and other effects, and e c< rted us 
 down the river, and who implored us, in the must afftcting 
 language, to return in mo'e strength and protect t.liew> frciu 
 the insults vvhi«;l) they w< re perpetually bubjectcd to, b\ the 
 partiz.a'is of the Noitb West C'(»mpuiy. 'llns is no ulesl 
 picture; it is nothing but the liutb, a t'Uth tn which e\eiy 
 one of the settlers who then atcouipanitd me, is ready to m.iko 
 oath. 
 
 This cruelty and violence to the poor and industrious Sd 
 tleis, must appear infamous to all who eiij(*y tbe eth ( tu.il 
 and benign protection of the laws wf KnglanO, mid \\b(;rtio 
 accustomed to see tbtm regularly and inip;iriiiillv .nin.iniMei- 
 ed to the rich ai.d the pt>or, the strong, aiid tbe weak It is 
 impossible to believe, as it is far from mv wibh to ussert, thil 
 all the gentlemen who have shares in the rap tal oi the Ni rli 
 ^\ est Company, can be so depraved, as to approve of such . e- 
 testable proceedings, but it is well known, ihiii ilie couhiuuii- 
 011 of that company conters an mthience in its managenieiii, 
 proportioned to the shares of tbe indivuiual, and that tliose .\- 
 gents whol)ave most shares in tlie caoiiul, possess likewise al- 
 most tilt undivided direciion of ibe ari.iirs of ihe Cinnpaiiy i y 
 sending [\ii. Cameron back lo ilie slntion signalized as W.y. 
 scene of his atrocities, bis agstciates have giMii a pioitt ib.it 
 they approved i;f h.ii urv>rn.cipled ccauu. t, uiid llhil ib'-y )da- 
 
44 
 
 fpvl porfect confirlcncc in bis disposition, to act for their Colli* 
 nion interest. The invasion of the colony by an armed Bandit- 
 ti, tiic pUmdering nf the Govt-rnment house, and the subsequent 
 tediiition of it, and the habitations of the inoffensive settlers 
 to ashes, were arts of unparalled barbarity, which it was i«i- 
 possible to deny; thtreiorc, the partners oftheN.W. Company, 
 havt asserted that they were ell'ecicd witliout any cooperation of 
 tbeir servants, andjthat they weie wholly the work ot the native 
 Iniii..n«, and more espHcially of the half breeds. They have 
 c\en attempted to tind a justilication, for the hostile acts of 
 the latur, who are iheir kinsmen, by pretending that such a 
 rmbless and insignilicant band form an independent nation, 
 ■^ho lay claim to theterritory of the colony as theii own. Oa 
 this claim it may be remarked,that, b) the Laws of England, 
 illegitimate children cannot inherit even the personal proper- 
 ty of their own parents, but here is a cluster of civil magis* 
 trates and gentlemen oi the North AVest Company, presuming 
 to question the King's prerogative, and, in the face of a 
 grant, regularly made by the Crown toother persons, laying 
 claim to all these lands, in the nai::e of their own bastards, 
 and those of their dependents ; a mode of providing for their 
 progeny, truly becoming the affection of patriarchs. 
 
 In order to deter people, who were desirous of emigrating, 
 from jciining the settlement, many endeavours have likewise 
 been made, through the medium of newspapers, and by oth- 
 er subordinate means, besides your pamphlet, to mislead the 
 public, and to induce them to believe, that the Indians were 
 hostile to the settlement. I have stated before, that the at- 
 tempt to ruin the Colony, was entirely the work of the par- 
 tizans of the North West Company, employed for that pur- 
 pose, under ih • superintendence of their agent, Mr. Duncan 
 Cameron. 1 hat statement is grounded on facts, which all their 
 counter assertions cannot weaken, norall their falsehoods over- 
 turn. Mo jjeraoii who has the least regard to truth will ven- 
 ture to deny, that, when, in obedience to Cameron's orders, 
 the cannon were tuken by an armed foi ce, from the store of 
 the Colony, these fruits of lawless violence were carried^ a- 
 luio'st the bhouts and acclamations of the robbers, by Mr. Ca- 
 meron., the agent of the North West Company, into their 
 jtyst, which ihey chose to cull loi\ Gibraltar ; that on ihat 
 
 occasion^ 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
49 
 
 I 
 
 Bcv^afnii, he shook hands with the ringleaders of the thiev^, 
 and distributed drains to the whole of the 'janditti ; that re- 
 peated attacks wrre made, afterwards on the Government 
 House of the Colony, by the same partien, sallying torth, 
 Under arms, and in military array from Cameron'B post, 
 where the clerks furnished them by his orders, and in hm 
 Bight with arms and ammunition, and where they were fre< 
 quently trained, and exeicisedfor the purpose; that soma 
 families of the settlers were even dragged as prisoners out of 
 their houses, because they refused to go to Canada, in the 
 canoes of the North West Company ; ihat Cameron himself 
 threatened to put some of them m irsns, for the same reason i 
 that another of their agents threatened Mrs. M'Lean, m the 
 presence of her husband, who had been severely wounded in 
 one of their attacks, that she and her children should be burnt 
 alive in their house if they did not quit the settlement ; that 
 the most active of the incendiaries, who were employed 
 in setting fire lo the houses, weie the same clerks and seiv- 
 ants of the North West Company, who had been so CJSKspicu- 
 ous in the preceding outrages, under Cameron's autlionty ; 
 that none, but the North West L'ompany and you, have been 
 found to assert, that a single native Indian was concerned in 
 these nefarioLi proceedings ; that when the partners of the 
 North West Company assembled, last summer, at Fort Wil- 
 liam, on Lake Superior, they prematurely congratulated one 
 another on the complete destiur',um of the Colony ; that their 
 fliependents in order to obtain favor, boasted of the share they 
 liad taken, in effecting that object ; that such of the traitoi-- 
 ous settlers, as had been most active in their cause, were pre- 
 sented to the principal partner*, of the Company, as gentle- 
 men worthy of thtir friendship ; and that one, in particular, 
 lor the pre-eminent atrocity he had displayed, in the outrages 
 agninst his countrymen, at the colony, was especially p'-dis- 
 ed by Mr. Cameron, for his conduct and zeal, as a partizan, 
 and, though iioibing more than a common peasant, was dis- 
 tiuguish>:d by be.iig seated at table above the Clerks, and 
 next to the partners of the Company. 
 
 In the face of these facts, gentlemen of the North West 
 Coiupany, botb m London ano Montreal, have dared to as- 
 ciibe the whole infamy of those inicrniU transactions tu the 
 
 ntttivc 
 
 / 
 
46 
 
 native Indians ; and you. who have voluntarily enlisted 89 
 their champion will no dcubt be ready to assert, as an apolo- 
 gy for your friends aid employers, that they had betn nus- 
 infornied, but it wiM require something more than ab&eriions 
 to render it probable, that the principal agents and prinio 
 managers of lh« Company should possess soliitle information 
 on its most important affairs. '1 hat Mr. M'Leod. the ma- 
 gistrate whose uncommon zeal was spoken of in my last letter, 
 approved entirely of the measures, by which the tall ot tho 
 colony bad been attempted, is perfectly manifest from lus 
 inefiectual and absurd interference, in the name of the i\(»rtli 
 West Company, at York, a few week-i ago, to obtain tht- lib- 
 eration ot the partiean above alludeo to, as having received 
 the caresses of !SJr. M'l.eod's associates, the pan nets at Tort 
 William, for his distinguished zeal in their ""eiv ice. lie hai 
 been nrrested and brought to York, for the crimes, v/hich ob- 
 taineu for him such marks of favor from the North West 
 Company, whei. Mr. M'l.eod, aniviig iheie, and finding 
 him in gaol, mace extraordinary etTorts to procure his re- 
 lease tht>ugh he had never seen the man in his life before, 
 and probably never would ha\e heard of him, had it not been 
 for his infamous conduct. Can the North West Company 
 expect the most rreduUms to believe tl eir assertions, that 
 their servants had no share in efl'ecting the destruction of the 
 settlement, while their partners are so foiward, in thevr 
 name, publicly to patronize and protect criminals, with 
 whom they have no connection, except what originated in 
 these transactions ! From Mr. Mc'l.eoa's conduct en this 
 occasion, it appears, that he had so high an opinion of hini- 
 icif, as to imagine, that his conntmimre jMissei-std suffi- 
 tiei.t splendour to make what was black appear white ; and 
 to expect that by ostentantiously extending the patronnge of 
 the No; lb West Company to a malefactor, he was to deter 
 tlic otlicers of justice atY(>ik, from doing their duty. Can 
 Mr. M'Leod and his associate^, have the presumption to be- 
 lieve, ihat their sanction is al(»ne suffii iei t to fix the stamp 
 of propriety on actions deserving the abhonence of mankind ? 
 If ihey choo&e to admit robbers and incendiaries to a ti.milur 
 interctiurse withtliem, do they expect to obtain, for such »le- 
 ttbia'.Je characte:s, the appiobatioii of the wor d nt large ? 
 Of; is it, that thu'.e ^eniltmen b^ve been &o long in iho hrtb.it 
 
 i 
 
 
 ! 
 
 h\ 
 
4T 
 
 and 
 |ge cf 
 
 Ictcr 
 Clin 
 
 Le- 
 
 tamp 
 Inul ? 
 ili.ir 
 
 -(<f 
 
 > 
 
 i 
 
 ib.it 
 
 of praising and rewarding, as laudable and meritorious ex- 
 ploits, whatever measures tlioir agents and drpeiidi'ius might 
 have successfully empioved. to accomplish the objects, or es- 
 sentially to promote the iinmedi'ite interests of the ('ompany, 
 that they have at length really ceased to tegird as criminal, 
 any actions committed under their proiectiun, and at their in- 
 stigition, tho' for barbaritv and atrocity, they may seem, to 
 the rest of the world, almost to;) enormous to have been per- 
 petrated in tliH present tunes ? These (icnllemen would do 
 well to remember the old adage, *' that the wo' Id judges of 
 *' a man by iImj company he keeps," and that those, who ad- 
 inii. tlie authors of the most audacious crimes, to their friend- 
 ship, are more liktly to depress the estimation of their ovvi; 
 chaiacie 8, than to elevate, in the opinion of society, that 
 of the objects of their attachment. 
 
 P>ut to return from this d-gress'ron, I have further to inform 
 you, with respect to the settlers' .tccouiits, that not (»ne ol 
 those who complained to you, ever Oem mded lus Hccoiml, or 
 the Oalance due liim, uiuil he had avowed the resoluiiai of 
 ahaiidomng the j-etthMnent. After they had joined ihi- NrMlh 
 Weat Compinv'«5 forces, and even afier some of ilirm had 
 been Hctivtly employed on various occasions in firing into our 
 dwellings, they had the effrontery to Hsk for their arcourus, 
 as ir i had nothing better to employ myself about than to 
 write accounts, win n the duty, nay the necessity of bearing 
 arm*, and of keepii.g watch against their unprincipled attacks 
 on our lives, had become imperious. 
 
 With respect to Vluthesin, it must be clear, from the na- 
 ture oHiis coiitr<^rt, wh.ch you have published, that he wh* 
 e:ilillfd to no Wdges f(»r ivvelve months aft* r his arriv-d a! 
 the >ettkme.t; and. as that period had not expired, when 
 he deserted, it reiuaios for you and fiim, to pftini out to the 
 ptiMtc, on what services he cluins 1*21. His assertion, that 
 I told him that the balance due to him was onlv t'9, iseqiial- 
 Iv iia!-'Unoed ; since, -o far from th if, it ap[)eirs, fi om the 
 books in my pobsebaion. that be had incorred a debt of X2) 
 8s since the lime of h.s em'oarkation in Oikney. 
 
 Matheson r» tkcs a comidaiut, iliat I oup:w^< his lettfM. 
 
4» 
 
 tU ncvci' rftcelved but one letter, which I certainly did opeit; 
 but at his own desire, for he told me to do so, when he left 
 the scttlcnnenr, in October, to go to the Hudson's Uay po>t, 
 at river Qu'apell, a considerable distance from the settlement. 
 lie then expected a letter by the ships that fall, in answer to 
 one which I had written foi him to his father, the preccoinj; 
 year, which letter I accordingly r« ceivcd, opened, and after- 
 wards enclosed and forwarded to him. Hut since he chuscs 
 to impute this to m« as an arbitrary interference wjth his af- 
 fairs, it is worth while to remark, that he never cooiplamed 
 of it, cither to myself or the Ciovprnor, nor did lever know, 
 that he disapproved of it, till I saw it noticed in your pam- 
 phlet; although he thanked me, next lime I saw him, fir the 
 care I had taken of it.— Before quitting Matheson's subject, 
 it may not be out of the way, to call to his »ecolleclion, n 
 circumstance, which, by this time, I dare say, has escaped his 
 retentive memory ; although, in truth, it is rather snrprismg, 
 lie does not complain of the hurt he received in liis arm, on 
 the following occasion. One day, in my tent, he only took the 
 liberty, without being desired so to do, of opening my writnig 
 <lesk, out of which he took the key of my trunk, opened it 
 also, and overhauled every thing in it until he found at the 
 l»ottom of it, a cannister of patent gunpowder, with which he 
 overloaded, and burst in pieces, a double barrelled gun, which 
 had cost me twelve guineas in England. Hut it seems that 
 Natheson is one of those, who has only learnt to keep thecre- 
 dit side of his account. 
 
 
 \ 
 
 4t 
 
 n 
 
 tl 
 
 tt 
 
 tl 
 
 At the end of M'Beath's report, the following story is sub- 
 joined in your own words; " Andrew M'Beath, particularly 
 observes^ that he could not getcloathing fro.n tlie store lor 
 his infant child, although his wife and he had been ot)]i<reu 
 to leave their clothes at Churchill, under the promise of 
 having them immediately sent after them, which was nev- 
 er done/' To this I have simply to reply, that Andrew 
 IVrBeath had no child at all, while he belonged to the Colo- 
 ry. 1 have been mforraed, indeed, that his wife was deliv- 
 ered of a child at a post of the North West Company, on the 
 River Winnipic, some time after they bad left the settlement.. 
 This specimen of the bare faced lies which you have lent 
 ^•aurself to circulate, desers-es no comment of mine. It is foF 
 
 tlifr 
 
49 
 
 f 
 
 t 
 
 the public to judge, whether ynu most deserve the indigna- 
 tion or the coulnnpi of every honoiable man, tor the frequent 
 and daring disphiyt. oi the most base and niahnons credulity, 
 by which the whole teuor uf your pamphl»'t is dibtinguibhed. 
 
 Before concluding this correspondence, however, it would 
 he unreas' nable not to acknowledge the liberality of the ob- 
 servations you hrive made, at page 2'<J, regarding a provi- 
 si'inft»r the eduraiion of youth, and tor the niainteiiaiice of the 
 Clergy Ntiihiiig less than a high sense of your own superior 
 jii'tgemfnt, and the deep interest which you natuially felt in 
 the l.uier object, could have induced you to commit to print, 
 any plan foi the improvement of a colony, which in your own 
 opinion y<iu h-iddenionstiated to be impracticable ; but a pjo- 
 pt)sal, for maintaining independently, the ('lergy of each re- 
 ligious btci, which might be found tea parish, is pt'culi:irly 
 liberal on your part, since by abandoning the Kirk of So ot- 
 L-nd. as soon as ymi tound, that the high ro.id to promotion 
 Was to be successfully followed, by taking orders in another, 
 you had ^iven a proof, thatyuu considered these varieties of 
 little importance. 
 
 Having now replied, pretty fully, to every objection, wor- 
 thy of an argument, which you have prnduct>d against the 
 Colony, you would probably feel hurt, if! look leave of you, 
 without noticing the trash, which ynu ha\e trumpeted foiih, 
 about wolves, and on which you lay so much stress, if the 
 fear r.f wolves devouring their sheep, had deterred mankind 
 from entering upon new and uncultivated countries, where 
 would bave been the importance of the discovery, which has 
 conferred immortality on the name of Cidumbus; where would 
 have been ihe vast dominions of the Spaniards ; where would 
 have been the extensive Empire of the Portuguese, in South 
 America ; where would have been the wide spreading estab- 
 li>^hment£ of the Un.ted States ; where would have been the 
 proMiues of Hrilish North America; where, in fine, would 
 have been your Ueclorship of York, in I pptr Canada ? Do 
 not deceive yourself, sir ; those, who have undertaken to co- 
 lonize the District of Ossiniboia, are not so sheepish, as ei- 
 ther to be deterred from theii purpose, by the howling of 
 wolves, or driven to surrender their rights, by the violenre 
 ofiuc«udiaries. G Let 
 

 -'. t-j//" 
 
 50 
 
 Let me ndvlse you, however, next time you make an at- 
 tack on ilie reput.iuoii of a NctMiMUiiii, likt' ihe Karl oJVil- 
 kirk, to aspire tmly al the pact «>i' an iiniinal more ignoble 
 " than u wolf, and to fnnient yourstif with a cliaruc'tt-r more 
 emblematic of yuur eflbrts to do hnn an injury. It has of- 
 ten been said, that Scotch Curs arc famous fo» flying at the 
 lieels of a genJeman's horse, as he rides through the streets 
 of the vill.iges in Scotland, and it seenib, that those ac 
 York, in L'pper Candida, do not full short of their c<uiiitry- 
 men, in this laudable practice. If you dislike this illustra- 
 tion, you will fiiKl a very appropriate motto, for your next 
 publication, in the well known Nnrseiy I'ale uf the Little Do- 
 .gie barking at the muuii. 1 icmain, 
 
 i 
 
 llonble. and Rev .Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient Servant, 
 
 ARCHIBALD McDONALD. 
 
 of Red River Settlement, 
 District of Ossiniboia, Rupert's Land. 
 
 Montreal, 6th June, 18 iff. 
 
 \V. Grat^ Prmteu 
 
 /2^ /f