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 U. W. 0. LIBRARY 
 
 r 
 
 THE / 
 
 I I 
 
 HiSTOHicflii & Sgieutifig Society 
 
 OF MANITOBA. 
 
 Social Customs 
 
 and Amusements 
 
 OF THE EARLY DAYS IN RED RIVER SETTLEMENT 
 
 AND 
 
 RUPERT'S LAND. 
 
 A PAPER READ BEFORE THE SOCIETY ON JANUARY 24TH. 1893, 
 
 BY JOHN MACBETH, ESQ., 
 
 PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY. 
 
 TRANSACTION 44. SEASON 1892-93. 
 
 -♦♦-•- 
 
 WINNIPEG: 
 
 MANITOBA PRRK PRESS TRINT. 
 1893. 
 
 \«i* 
 
'(I 
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 
THE SOCIAL CUSTOMS AND AMUSEMENTS OF THE EARLY DAYS IN THE RED 
 RIVER SEHLEMENT AND IN THE NORTHWEST. 
 
 By John MacBeth, Esq. , President of the Society. 
 
 Mr. OhMrmra, Udies »nd gentlemen : A 
 abort time »flto, during my •beenoe from the 
 oity on holiday*, • meeting of tbe ezeaative 
 oonnoll of the HiakOric»l tnoiety was held, and 
 at that meeting it waa decided that among 
 other papera that ahould be read during thia 
 preaent tooiety year, there ahould be one by 
 mytelf, and the Bubjeot waa praotioally laid 
 down on whlob I <raf to write. I, of conrae, 
 waa not there to enter a proteat or to exeroiae 
 my preaidential aotori^y and mid the matter 
 out of order. When I returned I found that 
 proteatiog waa of no avail aa them ref med to 
 be poaitive determination that I ahould do 
 aocsething for the aooiely, who honored me on 
 two oeoaaiona by eleoting me ita preaident. I 
 felt Bomewhat guilty of derellokion of duty 
 and Bubmltted meekly, and with aamuoh good 
 grace aa I oould. 
 
 The delieate Bubjeot aeleoted for thia paper 
 ia a iridi* one, and I trait that ita inoomplete- 
 ueBB and ahoricamioga will be attributed 
 to the unworthy banda in which it baa been 
 placed rather than to tbe anbject itaelf . It 
 must be rr membered here that as the popula- 
 tion of the settlement waa small there was no 
 great diveralty of amusemeuta or aootal func- 
 tions ir. the old days, but (uch aa they were, 
 they were plain and rimple and to tbn mind 
 of tbe writer particularly enjoyable. In order 
 to make a paper of any respectable length <* 
 will b* necessary to digress from the text (I 
 know I shall be pardoned by tbe olerfiymen 
 present, as it ia said that even they digress at 
 times from their tubjeota. I will not here 
 a late bow far back in the Red river day a my 
 own recollection goea, aa it la not deemed 
 neceasary to atate my ag>, but auffioe it to aay 
 that I will remember ibe 
 
 "good old days " 
 One of our earlieatreooUectionaof feativitiea 
 (and they were of]«nohja boisterous character aa 
 lo make a laating imprfsaion on my mind) 
 was the return of the tioatmen— as 
 they were called - from York Factory. Asbort 
 dfsciiption of this intereating and at that 
 time veiy neceaaaiy pertonage may not be out 
 of placp, although moat of you are familiar 
 wUh tbe charater, but few irenmt have aeen 
 him in bis priwtioe glory. Tbe boatman, 
 voyaaeur or tripman, aa he waa varioi-.»ly 
 oailed, belonged tn that data of aettlera who 
 did nob farm aufRclentlT to make them inde- 
 pendent of the Huda jn'a B*y Oo . or g<>neral 
 merchant. The tripa to York Factory were 
 two in the year, known aa tbt anmmer acd 
 fall trIpa Theae were made for the purpose 
 of brlnginsr gooda landed at York by the 
 Hudaon'a Bay abipa which brought oargoea of 
 auppliee for the Interior, inoludintr the Red 
 river. Theae boatmen were generally engag- 
 ed during the winter preceding the voyage. 
 If a man tan ahotl of anything and bad not 
 
 the money wheretrlth to purobaae, or aome- 
 bhing to pxohange for the commodity requif 
 ed, be went to the Hudaon'a Bay company's 
 store or to lome general merchant or freighter 
 and got an advance and agreed to pay for the 
 •ame by going to York. lie waa 
 then bound to be ready to ata^t 
 about the firat of June. In a crew of 
 night man there waa generally found one who 
 iurnlabed fnn for the othera or who, from 
 some peculiarity, waa made the bntt of the 
 party. There waa generally a fiddle or two 
 in thti crowd and lota of men who could play 
 it. I am told by a gentleman personally aog" 
 atzant of the fact, that in one instance there 
 waa a boat'a crew, where tbe fiddle waa paaa^ 
 ed down from tbe ateeraman to the bowaman 
 and every man in the Ixtat could play it. It 
 waa aaid on theae tripa when a fl«t atone waa 
 found it waa at once ntillz<>d aa a ball room 
 floor, and each man in turn "hoed it down" to 
 the enlivening atraina of the fi'^dle When 
 the different bricradea met at York Factory 
 and whtlat waiting for their oargoea, I am 
 told by sentlemen who have witnessed the 
 iceneaof boiaterona hilarity and continued 
 feativitlea that it aimply (to' uae a purely ori- 
 ginal phraae) "Iwggara derorlptton " Upin 
 their return to tbe R*d river and immediately 
 upon nnloadincr their boatr, a goodly supply 
 of 'he "ardent" waa broached and they proeee- 
 ded to make "Rome howl." It waa general- 
 ly looked upon aa a way (a little 
 noiay. if you likf ) they had of celeorating a 
 safe return from a more or less dangerona and 
 perlloua voyage. 
 
 OLD TIME UNIONS. 
 
 In these early daya people were "married 
 and given in marriage," and I believe the 
 ou<«lom prevaila even in > ur timea of greater 
 advancement and enlightenment; but O, what 
 a different affair a weddinv in the old timea 
 waa to thnae of the present dayl At the time 
 of which I aoeak, a m«riiage license cnet the 
 large aum of thirty abilliBgs (about $7.60) As 
 there were very few Rothscbilda or Vander< 
 bilta in tbe country then (althouRh many have 
 appeared on the aoene lately, e apeeially during 
 the "boom"), economy was practicfd, and the 
 food old faabioned cu**>nm waa reaorted to of 
 oublithing tbe bane. Yon will pardon me if 
 I digreua for a second. I nasd the worda 
 "thirty ahillinga" a moment ago, and they 
 remind me of a atory told me by that prioce 
 of genial and aooial o'd timera, 
 •he late lamented Honorable John 
 Norqnay. The incident, which actually oo- 
 ooourred, waa thia: In tbe early day a the 
 onrreney was ponnda, ahillinga and penoe,aod 
 when at the time of the tranater it waa 
 changed to dollara andoenta, it waa aometima 
 before the old aeltlen oonld macter tbe new 
 
•yakem. Fot Initanee, • eettain woman «m 
 Mked to Mil • WAvey, Mver»l of whioh her 
 bnabMid had jut broaftht home, »Dd the wm 
 offered fifty oente • pieoB for them. She 
 IndlgoMitly rejected the offer, atfttinR em> 
 ph»tio»ll][ that abe ooold not take leaa tb*D 
 one Mid aiz penee •piece for tbm, which aam 
 of ooarae wm readily end oheeifally given to 
 the Intenae happineaa and delight of the 
 worthy dame. The pnrctiMer yoa will 
 obaerve wm »he»d • cool 12^0. on each bird 
 he booghk. Now to return to the aabj'ot. 
 A wedding in the olden timea in the Red 
 river Mttlement wm not the tame affair o< 
 the preaent day. It did not conaiat In oranse 
 bloHoma, naherr, a wedding breakfMt, oon^ 
 gratnlatorr apMChea, wedding prfsnia and 
 laat bot not leaat, the orthodox hoaeymoon 
 trip. A wedding breakfaat they oertaioly 
 had, and Mveral of them for that matter, and 
 diaiiera and aappera galore. When anob 
 an important event took plack In 
 the Mttlement the frlenda and reiakivea 
 of both the "high contraotiog pMtlea" 
 wmre invited. The mode of invitation 
 differed from the preient atyle. Inatead 
 of aending oat a card aomethlng like thla :— 
 
 "Mr. and M ra. Smyth* reques > the pleasure of your 
 oompanyat the marrisi;e of thtir daughter Mary 
 Aramenta Jane to Mr. Fred. Augustine Bnratiode 
 Jones, on Wedneiday, the 15th of February, 
 1893, at 18 o'clock, noon, at St. John's O^tbedral," 
 
 they adopted a anrer way, eapeotaUy con- 
 aldering *ht' ,)al faoilitiea of the tlmea. Thr 
 father off ide generally wenti peraooall; 
 
 from hoaiL hoaie and extended *he invi- 
 tatiod to thoM be wished to bavp. I am told 
 that aomntimea the bride and one of her 
 brideamaids did the invikiog Thia caatom 
 certainly did not ob lain within oar rcoolleo 
 tion. The fea ivliiea genurally oommeooeo 
 the day before the aolemnization of the mar- 
 riage (•h)oh usa^Mv took place on a TtaniTB 
 day). Ealing, diiikiog, but principally dane* 
 Ing WM (he order. Oo the eventful day proper 
 he happy couple drove to churob, accompanied 
 by • loog prooeaaion of invited gueata in 
 carreola and cntters, beautiful boraea all be- 
 decked with weddiag<favorr, &o., and every 
 "gallant" acompanied by a ''partner. " Som« 
 timea, it ia aaid, "par tnera" were acaioe, and 
 aometimf a some ycuog belle wm not a little 
 embM(M«ed by the importualtiea of b«.r eev' 
 era! admirera to aocimpaoy them to the 
 marriage. She had, however, to make a 
 choice, often wm k« before the event, and al- 
 though ahe muatneceatarlly overwhelm tevera* 
 with diaappolntraent and grief ahe migh 
 Mfely be trnated (m now) to choote the righ' 
 one. I have a very diailnct r»o}llec»lon of 
 only anoo*eding in getting a "partner" for a 
 wedding (the iMt of the kind we attended) at 
 Prince Albert, aome yeara ago, after four or 
 five unaneceaafnl attempts; and at that time I 
 wa^ jnat ab:ut that age when I thought— well; 
 that I WM not a very bad looking fellow. 
 
 The return of the mairiage party or ptooea 
 aion WM generally made the opportunity for 
 the yonns men to give an exhibition of the 
 apeed of their horaea (and they hadaplendld 
 hor«M then) and the men iriih the 
 ■loirMt Invariably brought up the 
 
 rear at the fialah. There wm one 
 invariable rale in theae drivea and 
 that WM that no |one would dare pms the 
 bridal party in the race, m to do ao woald he 
 to commit a breach of etiquette whioh would 
 neither ba ovedaoked nor forgiven. We have 
 now arrived 
 
 AT THK HOUBK 
 
 of the bride'a parenta whioh wm always uaed 
 for the f CMt. The house of a neighbor was 
 alwaya cheerfully given up for the danceia (all 
 unneoeaaary furniture— indndiog beda acme- 
 timea— were handled out, and now in very 
 truth the fiat went forth, "On with the dsnce 
 let joy be nnoanfincd. " Thesf featlvitlea have 
 been known to go on with unabated vigor and 
 jojona hilarity for three daya and three 
 nigbta. It is true they were rather bMd on 
 moooaiainf, but people very often provided 
 themielvN with more than one pair, ao when 
 one WM worn out a new pair wm ready. But 
 the dance went on until tbere wm nothing but 
 what WM worn out except the>iloor, and aome- 
 timea there wm ve:y little of that left. Sjme 
 may perhapa think that the moooaasin part of 
 thla accoant over drawn, but I o*n asanre ynu 
 aericualy that I am, if any ibinir,ander the mark. 
 Of conise, you must unrteraiand tbao whfn I 
 u*e the vord "dancing" I mean "dancing": 
 Not the danoes of modern days ; no, instead 
 <>!! pianop and orobeatraa we bad the good old 
 f'jabio>i«5d fiddle, and always plenty oi able and 
 '.filling bands to play it Inatead of the 
 effeminate, eMy going and dreamy waltz, we 
 had the alwaya exciting and lively "Red 
 River jig," which required not only skill tn 
 dance but lota of endurance m well ; Ina'dd 
 of the modern catilion anfl quadnllu we danc- 
 ed the ever reliable old Scotch reel or reel of 
 four, and Inatead of the eomi<what lazy and 
 languid lanoera we danced the ever popular 
 and awingy old elgbi>hand reel. 
 
 Tbe next important »tep with the marriage 
 feativitiea wm the "kirkinit. ' On the Sunday 
 Immediately after tbe mariiago tbe bride and 
 brldeftrnom, accompanied by tbe groomimen 
 and brideimaide, drove te ohurcb, iheir taorsea 
 atill flying the many colored ribbons aaed on 
 the wtdding day, an" the biidal party them- 
 selves all arrayed i a their wedding habili- 
 menta. They ail aat together ana 
 were, cf course, the cycoaure of all 
 «|ea in the cbuich, and it is pretty 
 safe to opine that the clergyman 
 would have to use considerable lunv 
 PC jrer and do a good deal r>t "dtak poundioK" 
 to attract the eyea of hia flick from this par> 
 (ioular seat to tiimaelf; and I fancy that the 
 dteaaes, bonnetp, 8lo., of tbe bride and bridea- 
 malda would be the chief topic of converan- 
 lion after church inatead of the eermon. Toe 
 bridal party all dine together that day at the 
 houM of the bride. 
 
 Now you may perhaps imagine obat thia 
 would tnd tbe feaiivities, but not"' The 
 bridegroi m is still at hia fatber«ia i.«ws, and 
 he muat be brouMh back to the paternal roof, 
 and tbe new daughter must be welcomed right 
 royally. Tbe day fixed for the groom to take 
 home hia bride (alwaya to hia father's bouan 
 where he lived whilat preparing hia own home) 
 wm Tueaday. I** wm bow the turn of the 
 
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 pnenM of ih» groom. Tbey invlled, in the 
 ■Bine w»y M b if ore, all Iheit reUtlvea and 
 friends t J calebMie the •rriv*! bomeoflhelr 
 d»agb*er-1n law X« ii now the B»me old 
 ■tory fiddle, 'jiff," fe»BttoR »nd making 
 merry, KeneraDy till ranriaH the followina 
 morningr, waea all go home, po< off kheir 
 wedding garments, and go about their dally 
 work aa if tbey had been peaofefnlly alamber- 
 iog all night inaiead of paeainir a aleepleaa 
 ono, enjoy iog to the falleat the giddy danoe. 
 
 Dariutf nhe wln'er montha private partiea 
 were frequently given, and aa everyDody 
 knew every boiy they were muoh more enjoy- 
 able than Bome of the larger and more formal 
 partiea of the more reoent timea. 
 
 An "at bome," a "five o'clock tea," and 
 the modern "oard parly" were unknown, at 
 w»4 alaoa "reoeptionday." Inatead of hav- 
 ing «om>j stated day in the week for reoeivlng 
 calla or viaita, aa we called ahem, every day 
 waa a reception day. When one lady wlahed 
 to viait another abe aimply went when it waa 
 convenient for her to do ao, and alwaya found 
 the latch atring un the outalde of tbe door. 
 She invariably found the lady on whom ahe 
 waa calling av bome, if ahe waa not out, but 
 never found her out when she waa at home. I 
 waa told by a lady a abort time ago that the 
 worda *'at home" had two meaninora, one of 
 which waa "not receiving." I of courae took 
 her word for it and did not worry over look- 
 ing through different lex cosraphioa to aacer- 
 tain it the worda really had two meaninga. 
 
 Ohriatmaa day in tbe Red river aettlnment 
 waa not very well obaerved, but New Year'4 
 Day waa the day tha < waa kept. It waa • 
 great day, a red Ifitter day, in tact, eapecially 
 for the aboriginea Evf ry Indian who bad a 
 flintlock gun had it loaded up, and it waa a 
 very common thinff for aetiUra to be diaturb- 
 ed about daylight on Nnw Year'a morning by 
 a valley of muaketry outside the door. Thia 
 waa the way our du>ky brotbera uhnredin 
 the day that would ba to them one of con- 
 tinual feaatinfr. 
 
 After thia preliminary the ladiana would 
 divide themaelvea into iquada and atort on 
 their viaita, calling at every honaeon their way 
 and getting aometbieg to eat at each place. 
 If they could not eat all that waa given them 
 a reoeptide was alwaya at band in which the 
 remnanta were atowed away to be diacutaed 
 later on. Tbe aettlera alwaya prepared be- 
 forehand for their numeroui oallera of this 
 olaas. When a part of them entered the room 
 the men ahook handa all round. The iquawa, 
 however, were alwaya determined non to be 
 behind their pale faoed aiatera in keep- 
 ing up the pun'ooa that nrevalled, 
 of kiaainK nn New Year'a Day, and 
 tnaiatFd on kiaxing evrrybudy and ai>ybo(*y. 
 While I c'idn't object iprioutly to the oiovl*' 
 tory cuatom of the timfa I waa alwaya Imbued 
 that the prooeaa ahould oe mutually agree* 
 able to thn ptrtioipant^, and for that reaaon I 
 was impelled — bowevpr rude it may have 
 been— to make a haaliy rxit thrcugh tbe front 
 do'>r aa our dusky lady frienda came in by tbe 
 baok in order 10 avoid the terrible ordeal 
 
 Id the aominer pejple were senerally too 
 buay to devote much time to amuaementa and 
 
 pleaanre. Tbe gun and fiabing rod were tha 
 principal means of aport. We uaed to play a 
 i<ame we called "Ba*," which waa practically 
 ihn H»me aa baaeball, only we had no "lea- 
 Kiuer," no "profesetonala" and no "gambling." 
 We bad no croquet or lawn tennia, allhongh ., 
 ve uaed to wear a nngllge ooatume auch «■ 
 ienni« playera now affect, ahirt and tronaera^ ' 
 tnd I am (ure ')bat we wore it for the 
 tame reaaon that the tennis player 
 doea, to keep cool in. The one, how- 
 ever, was to play in, tbe other to work in. 
 The 24 ih of May was alwaya a vreat day In 
 thoae old Rod river timra. People would 
 7«ther at For* Oarry from Lake Winnipes to 
 Pjrtitge la Prairie, and aa far up the Red 
 rivpr aa Pembina and St. Joe acroaa the line. 
 We had no military manoe ivrea. but home 
 racing wa* the whole apart. We have on 
 many ocoaalona ridden racea from tbe fort 
 down what ia now Main aireet, but waa then 
 only a trail, to about where we are now 
 atanding. 
 
 Toere waa vf ry keen competition In the 
 differrnt events, and every race waa won on 
 Us merits — ^heb'st horte invariably winning 
 the race. There was very little gambling on 
 the «4vpnts and pool selling waa unknown. 
 (?eit.hi>r was tbfre any "jookying," "pulling 
 h' rsea" or "selling races " Tbere waa always 
 much aatisfaotion among thoae who took an 
 inlereat in horse racea to know that if their 
 favorite did not win be waa at leaat fatrly 
 beaten. 
 
 We knew nothing about Dominion Day, 
 hut I can w«<ll rt^ member when the 4th of 
 July waa clebra'el by our American friends 
 then resident in Winnipeg, tbe proper salute 
 waa fired and the day generally observed with 
 tiorae racing and other aportt. 
 
 A few days ago I cavn ac*oss a short poem 
 written by ahe Bon Harvey Rice, an old 
 iientleman in bis Slst year, and snug al the 
 first annual convention of the Early Giettlera' 
 Mieointion of Ouyahoga oouniy, Oleveland, 
 Tbd poem aerma to me to be very apprO' 
 priate to tbeondltiona of tbe people in this 
 oountry in tbe good old days. 
 
 Give me the good old days again 
 When hearts were true and manners plain, 
 When boTs were boys till full grorva, 
 AnA baby belles were never known; 
 When doctors bills wrie Uaht and few, 
 And ta»yers bad not much to do ; 
 •Vheo honest toil waa well repaid. 
 And theft had not become a trade. 
 
 Give ine the Kood old dtys asain, 
 When only healthv meat waa alain; 
 When flour waa pure and milk was sweat, 
 And aasages were fit to eat; 
 When children early went to bed 
 And ate no sug*r on their bread; 
 When lard was not turned into batter, 
 And tradesmen only truths oould uttei . 
 
 Give us t^o good old days again, 
 When women were not proud and vain; 
 When fashion did not sense outrun 
 And tair^rs had no neet to dun; 
 When wealthy parents were not fools, 
 And common se* se was taught in <4ohoolB; 
 When hearts were warm and friends were tru», 
 And Satan had not muoh to do. 
 
TBI ROHOBABU BVLMKnt'S BAT OOMPABT. 
 
 ThU paper would be tw from o implele it 
 ■ometblzig were not Mid of Ihe iooIbI onilome 
 of oflBoera uni people «enf>r»lly oaaneoied 
 with Ihe Hon. Hodtnn's Bvg Oo Sjmetimea, 
 II is Mid, Ihal the affix '*oon wable" la to the 
 name of wme person whoae moral ohaiaoker 
 would not entitle him to ii, bui the experienor 
 of Ihe old aettleri in their deallnRs with the 
 company, would juatify the term Hon. 
 H. B. 0. in every nenaa of the word. 
 Pjaaibly no individual, compaay or oorpora' 
 tion bad grmter opp jrtunitiea for imp jainfi 
 on the eredulity and isnoranoe (if baainen 
 matlen) of the nnaopbiatioated abotisinea of 
 thia oounlry m bad thia giffantic Hudaon'a 
 Bay Or., whoae forta, poaia and eatKbUah- 
 menta were in every eonoelvable pari, from 
 Labrador to the north pole. The loompany 
 waa generally fortunate and wlae in Ihe aelee- 
 lion cf lla offioera and employeea. Toung 
 gentlemen sent oni from the old oountty, ^nd 
 aome aelec>ed from among the natives of Ihe 
 oonnlry, were Renilemen <q eveiy s^nae of Ihe 
 word. They nearly »ll stnted at tbe foot of 
 Ihe Hudaon's Bsy ladder, and were generally 
 young men of education and enltnre.aDd many 
 of ihem of more than ordinary allaiomenta. 
 Young mm whoae early home training was 
 moulded on principlea nf morality, honeaty 
 and probiiy. Tbeae gentlemen, beginning, at 
 I have already aaid, at she fool of the ladder 
 beaame in »f ter yeara («ome of thf m many 
 yeara of devoted aervioe) prominent in the 
 adminiatr«tion of the •ff*ii8 of the oom- 
 psoy. Bf fair and boneat dealioga 
 with Ihe Indiana and natives they certain- 
 ly woo their gratitude, esteem and confidence. 
 I am •ndebied *o a ventleman who lived for 
 some years at York Factory, for a description 
 of the life at the place, and to another gentle- 
 man who resided for several years in the far 
 north for the happenings in the icy regions. 
 Both sbesq gentlemen were connected with 
 Ihe Hudson's Bay company, but with that 
 native modesty charaoteristic of Ihe officers 
 of Ihe company, they would not allow their 
 names to be mentioned. With reference to 
 she social enstoma of the offiaera who were 
 from ti'»e to time staticned at the Upper and 
 Lower Fjrts it may be said that Ihey always 
 joined with Ihe old settlera in their pleaanres 
 and amuaamente, and were always ivelcom'* 
 gneata al parties, wei^dtnga, etc., given by 
 the settlers, and it ia needleaa to say that 
 with that unbonaded and royal hospitalitf 
 for which the offioera of the company werr 
 noted, Ihey were not alow «-> reolproc«le ihe 
 attenliona ahown to them b' she old settlers. 
 When the officers set themteUesout to enter 
 lain thf y did it in msgnificeni and prlnoslv 
 atyle, and those who were fortunate enough 
 In bs invited to one ut Iheir parllea at either 
 of the forta were alwava treated with 
 unbonndfd hoapitality, They never did any 
 thing by halvea. 
 
 LIFB AT TOBK FAOTOBT. 
 
 New Year'a day at York, like il wm al all 
 Oi*i»t poata, waa the dny of the year, aod waa 
 onlebrated with mach ceremony, At fiv«> 
 o'clock in the morning the oleika and alaff 
 
 wnnld be oalled by the aleward to meet Ihe 
 cffloer In charge in the meaa room which was 
 generally in tbe residence of Ihe "iMurgeois," 
 and then after band ahakinga, complimenta 
 and grentioga refreshmenta were aerved. 
 After psrt'teiog of the goad thinga they 
 lenred. After them came in the tradr amen 
 to exohapge greetitgi with tbe officer in 
 charge They tben g»ve place to tbe laborera, 
 in nomber about forty, who called md 
 alto ren«>i7ed the hoapitality cf the 
 chief iffioer. After Iheae came the 
 women and ohildreo of the fort and 
 they in turn were treated *o a auppJy of cake, 
 dried fruit, etc ,and tbey wanton their way 
 rpjoioiog It was now the Indiana' turn. 
 Toey senerally oongregatf d about the fort 
 •t N« w Year to psrtiotpate in the good thinga 
 that, were going about that time. They were 
 invutebly well treated, and if not identical 
 with their white brethern they were 'uDy as 
 pleaaed and satitfird with their kind re- 
 ception. Oo New Year's evening the cfficera 
 in charge cf the Factory gave a grand dinner 
 and ball. To the latter all the employeea of 
 the company were Invited, the beat of good 
 fellosrabip prevailed and dancing waa kept up 
 until morning. Tbe custom oil giving this 
 annual ball was not only kept up at York bnl 
 at every post in tbe country, from tbe romol 
 "■t station on Ihe L kbrador coast to Ihe great 
 Ynkon in the Arctic circle. 
 
 Another great event of tbe yea' was the ar- 
 rivel of the Hudson's Bay ship at York Factory 
 which occurred about Ihe 20 h of August at d 
 br mght all tbe supplies for tbe year. Tbia 
 was aa event of great rr joicing and was an- 
 oouDoed by thn firincr ot six big guos. Thia 
 ship brought one of tbe two packets received 
 during the year from tbe outside world. Tbe 
 >xottement of opening and reading letters 
 from over the sea was intense, some letters 
 bringiog tidings of joy and rome of sorrow ; 
 some telliag u* oontinned health and happi- 
 ness of friends, and othrrs that some dear 
 relative or friend ><ad gone ever to tbe great 
 msiotily Perhaps none were more anxioua 
 for the tidings brought over by tnis great ship 
 than the pioneer missionaty and bis wife, for 
 not only were they anxious over Ihe arrival of 
 their few supplies of laxuriea from friends al 
 home, but what news wou'd it bring them 
 from thfttr dear children whom they had to 
 tend home to be educated. Oae osn easily 
 imagine how eagerly every word of their semi- 
 annual lettnra would be devoured, and what 
 hsppinnaa good tidtnss of their dear onea 
 would biing to Ibis seif-sacrifioiog and 
 devoted miaslonary and hta brave tkife. 
 All honor, we aay, to the devotion of 
 these mitalonrriea to their Maater'a work, 
 to the men who would aever family Ilea and 
 associati ma of their youth to brave tbe bard- 
 ahip and perila of pioneer missionary work in 
 •he froz°in regions of an undvllieed country. 
 The men not engaged in unloading and stor-< 
 ing the (roods from the ship occupied their 
 •lime in exchaning news or admiring the nice 
 things brought out for them. 
 
 All thia time the brigadea from the interior 
 were camped along the river bank, and kept 
 up a conlicnoua round ot feativtties, until 
 
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 th«ir OMVOM WIN AtiivrnA lo tbam, MHii' ^he 
 ■lardy tetpmen ohm more got down tc stelr 
 hMd work and oommeneed IhMr honuewud 
 voyage to the SMk»tohewftD or R:d R<ver •■ 
 the OMe might be. The MrlT*! homn tf these 
 bo»le irllb iheir preoloni OMgoea waa not only 
 • time of greM rejoioing •monft the voykgearf, 
 M we hMe Already ihewn, bat it wm • gteM 
 event in the Mtllemen». flveryona kni«w ibei 
 A qaM*(ty of oioa gocda bad wiived for the 
 H. B. Oa. And the few fteneral merohftnts 
 then doing bnaineir, and everyone wft* 
 •nziooa *o bnve • ahare of the good 
 tbinga bff Jie they were nil gr^ne, ma the 
 ■nppliea were limited — Jecidirdiy limited, if 
 oontpaied with the atooka noir impi rted by 
 the average merobanf. It la %tnn our wants 
 were not ao great or ao many aa now, bat we 
 «ere jaataaanxiona toget the beat that was 
 going then aa aie people of more rewnt timet, 
 The faahlona wer* not then qaite ao fiekle or 
 ohaogeahip, and I waa going *o any not qaite 
 ■o ab»aid ur ridioulona in many inataooea, 
 bat, on aeooad and oalmer tboanbta, I wl 1 
 not draw a oomp trlaon, aa it miftbt not be 
 in favor of the morn madero styles, and I 
 have grave fears that I might inoar the aevete 
 diapleatare of some of the fair aex, and 
 briog down thn wrath rf others on my de- 
 voted head Bn*, I think, I bear aome of 
 them aaying, ''<^bat do men kfiow aboat 
 faahlona, anyway ?" We meekly aay, "Noth- 
 ing." T»ey are paat finding oat, and aw»y 
 and beyond the oomprebension of tbe aver- 
 age man. 
 
 FABTHIB NOBTH. 
 
 In the Hadson's Bay potts in the far north 
 there waa always an atr of excitement in the 
 oommanity, Inoladlng the Indiana, a few daya 
 before New Years, a" the Indians began to 
 oonBregrate at the Fort, knowing that they 
 would be partioi pants in tbe festivities of 
 *hneeasjn. On New Year's morning, often 
 brforedayligb*, the officer's qaartera are viait 
 ed by all tbe employ eea of the compaDy and 
 by the Indiana, all tapplied with guna of 
 every deaoriptlon. At a given aigoal volley 
 after ToUey waa fired until the officer made 
 bia appearance, after hand ahaking and ex- 
 change of greetings re'reabmenta were served 
 in the ahape of tea, coffee and c«ke. At aome 
 poats it was ooatomary for the officer in 
 charg, his clerks and i^mplojeea, each with a 
 train of drgs, if possible, to go for a drive. 
 They generally smarted qoietly bnt on the re" 
 tarn «h*tn everyone was endeavoring to get 
 tbe lead tbe excitement waa ao intense that 
 all regard or reaped of superiors was for> 
 gotten, and each one with bis whip cracking 
 and yells to encourage the dogs, woold strive 
 for the first place. All previous recorda 
 of a firat-class dog fight were cli- 
 maxed by the spectacle that was 
 preiented sometimes, wh»n some seventy fitre 
 or one hundreds doss got into an entangled 
 sonffle. A grand dinner and ball was given 
 by the officer in rh«rge In tbe "big bouse" and 
 everybody enjoyed thtmselves dancing till 
 morning. In the winter montba in the north 
 the days were so short that most of the amute 
 menis were indoors, althoagh some of the 
 keener sportsmen Indulged In the chase. When 
 
 oaid playing became moDOlcnons a little 
 concert was got up and a pleasant hour was 
 spent sin^iog the go-^d old aonfta. As an 
 Instance of the wonderful adaptability of man 
 to hia RuirLundioga, at Fort Simt^aon and 
 Fort Ohippewayan billiard tablea were made, 
 the legs and top were uf spruce, the tatter 
 thoroughly levelled with a spirit level The 
 cushions and balls were of course imported. 
 The cues were of bitch, and the tips from old 
 tan leather cwrying straps and stuck on with 
 glue. I am told that these tablf a cjmpared 
 very favorably with those now in use. 
 It may be aurpiioing that in a country so 
 taolated there ahould bp f juod a good library, 
 but such there waa at Furt Slmp«on, the cen- 
 tre cf obe «reat Mackenzie diatrio>. Thia lib- 
 rary V as formed by i>ub«ortption from the 
 officers and men, ard by donationa of tooka 
 ffom the Hudson's Bay officer* well konwn in 
 txn country. la i<he autumn if each year the 
 officer in charge of the diffeiens posts, geta a 
 supply of books which are returned the follow 
 ipg year and a fresh supply obtained. Tbia 
 library was a great boon and veiy maoh ap« 
 precittrd To attempt to deicritie sne hard- 
 -tbipi, diffiouities and many prlvationr, even 
 an HStrvation itself, endured by t*>ft devottd 
 offic3r3 and men ot thn Hudsnn'« B»y Oo., in 
 tbis uoaettled land of winderfal dlstancvs, 
 wou'd cnly result In failure Their dangerous 
 aummer voyages and the indeacrible hardship*, 
 of their It, g winter trips on snow shots, with 
 their dog trains, sleeping ouo in tbe anow, with 
 Dotting but the canopy of heaven for a roi f , 
 with vary scanty bedding at d often not enongn 
 food to aatisfy the cravinsa of their appeiitea 
 we have of ren heard about but we cannot 
 df aoribe. Tbe indomitable courage and un* 
 failing pluck of theae men ia well known. In 
 tbe midat of their greateat trials, nven death, 
 almost certain death atatlng them in tbe face, 
 they would invariably rise to the cocMion and 
 suoceatfully combat and overcame the many 
 diffioultiea ia their path. They weie grit 
 right throucrh and were not mtde of the atuff 
 that woald sit down and innue or indulge in 
 uselesa repiuinga under difficulties and pri- 
 vations. It often seemed to me wonderful 
 bow oheeriul, contented and b«ppy these men 
 could be in their isolated oanditlon, their long 
 distances from relatives and friends, from 
 whom they can only hear oerbaFS once a year. 
 Many of theae Hudaon'a B»y gentlcmfn, hav- 
 ing been accuatumed to the beat aooiety in the 
 civilized centres of the old world, yet we hear 
 of them quite contented in their aolitary posts 
 often with only dogs and savages for their 
 companions and sometimes entirely alone in 
 the snow clad regions of the far north. 
 
 I well remember meeting one of Hadson's 
 Bay officera nn rnturn after years of abaence 
 from an ex^t nded f nrl'^ugb on a vlait to re- 
 lativea and fnends in EoglanJ, anme of whom 
 be had not aeen for over twenty five yeara. I 
 
 said to him, "Mr. , I am aarpriaed that 
 
 after taating once again the sweets of oivlliza- 
 'lon, aftpr alifeof baniahment "ud Isolation, 
 that 90U did not remain in England and 
 spend the rest of your daya in peac, omfort 
 and plenty, instead of returning to again 
 endure the prlvatlona and hardship! of lite in 
 

 
 kba froz«B Dorlh." H«look«dalm« la rar- 
 prlf e »nd ••id, "My dear fellow, in Easlkod 
 I'm a vety smftll lo»d in ■ very lM«e pQddl»; 
 in my diiiriot in the nottb I'm »bMliii« 
 mouMoh. " 
 
 OONOLCStON. 
 
 Your Dklienon mu«« D« nnw fally exhftoabed 
 »nd I will not farther try it, bat willoanolnde 
 ty rekdinfr • sDort p'tem wriiieD by Wm 
 Oerrond, Eiq , laknly of High B'nff, bai now 
 nf Ptinob Aioert. Mr. Gerrund wait b*rd of thn 
 Pottage laPraiiiA Si. AndrewR eooiety and wm 
 •Iwaya reftdy with » pietn to read on 3t. 
 Andrew's 6my. Many cf bi» efforts were of 
 very oonaiderable meri», bai when he ex 
 prpMed ibe ideM of nn old eeitler in poetry, 
 on tbe old and new order of things in this 
 oonntry, he certainly did it well. Before 
 reading tbe po^m I may explain that 
 there are perbapi some pretent who 
 will not onderatand tbe worda "me 
 whatever, " wbloh oooar three limea in 
 the poem waa, and ia yeS a very oommon 
 expre»Bion amooRat th«> natives of ahia ooontry 
 and they really mean 'for «ny part." For 
 inalanoe instead of aaying ' For my oart, I'm 
 gointr oo the fort," he wnuld osy **Mn what 
 ever, I'm going to tbe fort. " With ihia ex 
 planation I will give yon tbe poem. 
 
 WHAT WAS AND IS AN OLD SRTTLBR'S IDBA. 
 
 Oh ! tor tbe time that some despise. 
 At leaiit I liked them, me whatever, 
 Before th-< transfer muds us wise. 
 Or politics bad made us clever 
 
 Then faith and friendship, band in hand, 
 A kit dly tale to all were te'lingr. 
 Prom e >st to west, throughout the land. 
 Contentment relKoed in every dwelling. 
 
 'Twas then we alt In oordurojs 
 WouH travel to the churoh on Sunday 
 And listen to tbe good man's voice, 
 And do as he had said on Monday. 
 
 Our women too, ^oth wife and maid, 
 Had lovely trf ssee for a bonnet, 
 A goodly shawl upon the bead 
 Was all she ever put upon it. 
 
 Than gold waa aoaroe, 'tis vary troa, 
 But then it waa not much wa wanted, 
 Our arttflclal wauta were ftw. 
 And we were happy and contentad. 
 
 Bdt now alaa the timea are chaoKed, 
 At leatt I think eo, "me whatever," 
 And artilloial wanta are ranared^ 
 And piled in heaps along the river. 
 
 Our women'a thrown away the shawl, 
 And got instead a showy bonnet 
 With many a uostly talderall 
 Of feathers, silk and lace upon it. 
 
 Our men de?oislng corduroys 
 
 In broiddotb .Trace the church on Sunday, 
 
 And then go home to criticize 
 
 And do as they've a mind on Monday. 
 
 Our trend old faith's supplied with doubt 
 And friendships killed by speoulatioD; 
 And sweet content is driven out 
 And giumbling envy fills her station. 
 
 Oh for the time that some despise. 
 At least I liked them, "me whatever," 
 Before the transfer made us wite 
 And politics bad made us clever. 
 
 BIS HONOB SPKAKB. 
 
 At the oloae Hla Honor tbe Lientenant 
 Oovernor moved • vote of tbanka to tbe 
 leotnrer. His Honor referred to the graphic 
 piotnre whtoh bad been drawn and said that 
 it broaghji baok the old R<td river daya in all 
 tbelt brigbtneaa. Tboae of riper yeara wern 
 miich indebted to tbe leoturrr for the rem 
 ineaoenoea. 
 
 OoDsnl Taylor aeoonded the motion and 
 make an eloquent address Tbe oonanl re< 
 ferred to the early oonopotloi btaween R'd 
 River Settlement and A\ PanI Ha der oribed 
 the old aettlera t f Rfd River, aa tbey oame a 
 oaltnred, (ntellis'nnt and reapeotf d p^oplr* to 
 trade wi <h the Mioneaota ptoneera. No lea<« 
 than $150,000 a year were tbna dropped in *he 
 baaka nt the \fii'ai-Blppi. The oonaoi tbrn 
 referred to hin pnrsonal romioiacenaea of the 
 lecturer, at d o* the MacBsth family of Kil< 
 dotan. itfr. MaoBsth reinrnfd tbanka brliilv.