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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at oifferent reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. Ihe following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour 6tre reprodult en un seul clich6, il est filmd A partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. ;:.,*■.. 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^ ' T ^ifiy ijBiSj^cs!^— — w»— ^^ iiW^H^BSS^- THE AMNESTY AGAIN '^^^ ' t TWV. AMNESTY AGAIN OR CHARGES REFUTED BY (V/;> « is ^pc^ gii[rhIrisItop %u\\\ OF 8T BONIFACE, MANJTOBA. ( Translated from the Fvnch. ) }^ 27 ^^ ue E^>Bi '^' U 9r:iY. IMIINTED AT "THE STANDAIMt' OKKK'K WiNMPKO, MaNTTOHA. 1875. nrmisirfnrvT; ;7 .s _wT^ir !^^ THE AMNESTY AGAIN; OR, CHARGES REFUTED. BY MONSEIGNEUE TAOHi;, ARCHBISHOP OF ST. BOI^IFAOR " I)es{)atches concerning tho commu- tation of Le])ine'a sentence and North- West Amnesty liave been ottici;ilIy published." Resolutions, said to be the consequences of such despatches, have been presented by the Government of Ottawa, to the House of Commons, and carried by a large majority. Although it may be observed with reason, that the matter which gave rise to those d'spatches and i-eaolutions has been already too often i-epeated, never- theless, the Amnesty being to me a question of honor and justice, I consider myself bound to speak of it anew. F'ive years have been employed to attain even a superficial knowledge cf the facts that constitute the basis of the solution of our difficulties; the vote of the . majority of the Commons affirms, that five yeaivs more are needed to give them a definitive solution. Prompted by circumstances and indi- viduals to take an eminent position in the a[)peasing of the North-West trou- bles, 1 am under the obligation of speak- king of amnesty, as long as it is not granted, full and entire, as understood by me. Moreover the above-mentioned docu- ments reflect too directly on myself for it to be possible for me to remain silent. Those who brought forward my name in them, and then laid then. before the public, cannot find fault with me for noticing what they them- selves assert. Consequently, my inten- tion is to make a few observations, firstly, on the despatches exchanged between Earls Dufferin and Carnarvon, concerning the Amnesty ; secondly, on the Resolutions of the Honorable Mr. Mackenzie on the same subject. Observations on Loud Dufferin's Despatch of 10th Dec, 1874, and on Lord Carnarvon's Answer, dated 7th January, 1875. Ft is with the utmost i-eluctance thp.t I enter upon the subject, in the j)oint of view imposed upon me. It is {leculiarly painful to come forward to criticise an official document, issued by His Excellency the Governor-General. Jiy inclination as well as by convic- tion, not only do I respect authority, but the same feeling extends to those who a^-e invested with it. Hence my deep regret at being obliged to contia- dict the Representative of Our Beloved Sovereign. I trust, however, that if the Right Honorable Earl Dufferin will condescend to attentively peruse the following pages, he will agree that I have a right to exclaim against the unjust treatment to which I have been submitted. The !i(tl)I(' H»MitiiiUMitH wliirh distingii sli His KxwIlHiu'y lire, in my cstiiiuitioii, a sulKcit'iit ,t;uar!irit»'e that lif will not resent a defence to wljicli I hnve been |»ri)V()k(Ml. 1 willingly helifve tliat the attacks were not dicratod by any ill feeling, l)ut, coniiiig from such liigli quarters, it is impoMsilii*! to allow them to be recor< led by history \\ithoiit venturing to refute them. It is un(l(Mibteilly to be deplored that public excitement, a lack of knowledge of persons and places, owing to their s Privy ciliatioii. miHS no "111 both he ji('(>i>l^' n'eniine'it About BvioiXH tc tely, !»»'>•- trht have iitteniion lltin (jOV- n. Fully e disposi- ive always nt oj mil say how- to think or that 1 i tried to )f ambig- i perfectly tliey were in to any ual inter perial and liuse I had both by hey acted signed by ued in his (•a])!\eiry as Oovernoi-Cjeneral of Cntiada, ! while others, ('i|nally f,'enuiiie and of but by th»M'xpi'<'.ss (h'sire of the (.^ucen ; I the sauie \vt'i;(lit. but proving,' in my it wan novertlich'ss (•ountersi;L;ned by \ fiivor, are destroyed oi- laiil asiile. The the Honorable H. \,. Kaufrevin in liis I uieitdierM of tlie Select Coiriiiiitte*' capacity us ('aiiiidian Ottieial. Tlie iiuticed tliis fiuissioM with the s;iiuf Hiuiie Proclatnation mentioned in Sir astonishment that I did myself, and pio .John Younj^'s letter was oiiicially j vidcd for it, by inserting; ii tlieir handed to me by the Honorable the ! l{ep(M't, certain of my letters lo Mi. Seeretarv of State foi' the Provioccs of Howe, of which T hail a copy, and one (Mnada. Por^ivcness was the pecMdiar of Mr. Howe's answeis, produced in its prero;j;ativeof th<^ Crown, Hud Canadian ! oriixinal form, ministers aflfirnied that they desired it. ' It would be dithcult to explain \\o\\ Mr. Howe's aiiswei saNs; "'My ' deeply 1 feel the injustice of the asser *' Lord, T have had the honor to receive tiou brought forward in the 13th para- " yoiu- Lordship's letters of tlie 3i(l and ; graph of the Despiitch. Had Lord " 7th May, and am commanded by His l)uir(>iin not been intlueneed by the " Excelhnicy the CovernorCeneral, to exaggerations, and even by the falsities '' express his sympathy in your anxieties i multiplied by tli«! Press and at the "and his v;arni acknowlei/ycmpiit o/' i tribune, His Excellency eould cer- " i/um' exertions, in the cause of peace tainly not so completely mistake the " and nioderation." ! nature of the part 1 acted in the This was the first letter I received \ question of amnesty, or he would after my arrival at Fort (iany, and \ have avoided the unfair accusation being an ofhcia) answer to the affirma- } contained in the said ]»aragraj)h ; he tion that I continued to ^n-oviise \ would not have exposed Lord Car- Jurc/iveness, it would, I think, require ; narvon to err so completely in the an uuceness, relying on the \ rader or extent from those in trusted to benevolence of the Imperial Government, \ the gentlemen ivho had j/receded me." are not noticed by His Excellency, while his attention is given solely to the document that repudiates the responsibility of the j)romise made in the name of the CaniuHan Government ? This may perhaps be accounted for by the fact, that, when the documents concernine: the North-West difficulties I never had the pretension " that, of viy own accord I could promrdgate a pardon in the Queen's name," Still less was I under the imnression that I could " expunge, on my oion mere motion, a j)riiicipal term from a Royal Proclama- tion." I beg of Lord Duff'erin, and could my were laid before the House of Commons, } voice reach Loj'd Carnarvon, I would on the 15th April, 1874, my correspond- ' also beg of him, to allow me to inform ence, prior to the 7th June, was not j them myself in what light I have al- produced. What remains to be ex- ! ways viewed, and showed forth to plained is, the producing of coramuni- ! others, the character of the mission 1 cations expected to prove against me, ! accoirplished at Red River. If tiieir 6 liOivlsliipH c!Oiules<; 'iiil to tlo iivi tlio ho- nor iiml tilt! jiisticn of n'mlin^' the tol- lowiiiL,' liiips, I IV'ol conviuwid that tl.ey will admit that my notions difl'tu- gn at- ly fr(jm what is KMnniscd. Far from coiiHidcrin;^ iii^'Hcir ii8 u *' Pleiii|»ot(mtiary," [ novtM- aspired to moi-o than the rulv of an Iinnihlf snhjoct of ircHMitjfsty, that an Imp -rial OlHi^er had nitiiist«)d with a m('Hsa;^o of peacis and conciliation f^r a po))nlatiou that liad coiitidrncc in mn. Ka'* from ox- pun^'in;L,' any part oi such message, .1 kn( w that my powers were so limited that 1 ilelivercd it to those it concerned, without even heediui,' what hiid taken [)lace before my arrival in tln-ir midst; and as it had been given unlimited and without restriction, I did not think myself empowered to limit or restrict it. My orders were to see the leaders ; r saw them. I had to assure them of the liberal intentions of the lm])erial and Cuiadiau Uovei-nments. I did .so, using, as far as I could recollect, the very expi-essions ot those that had sent me. I neither saitl nor did anything t had not been told to .say or to do. Had I thought I was x " plenipoten- tiary," I nu^lit perhaps have taken upoji myself to modify souu) points owinjir to circiunstances ; I did nothing of the kind, for the vei-y reason Ikiww I had no authority. I had been instructed to act conjointly witli Messrs. Thibault, De Salabery, Smith and Mactavish. Mr, Smith was heaving the place, I could not retain him ; the thiee other gentlemen ren)ained ; more or less I conferred with them. All that 1 aid was with their a})proval, and to meet the views of His Excellency as conveyed by Mr. Howe. / co-operatPAl with them in their loeU-directed efforts to secure a peaceful solution of the difficulties in the Northivest ; and that peaceful solu- tion was secured. But the death of Scott was not known at Ottawa ! That is true ; neither was it known at Otta.va, on the Oth December, that sixty British subjects would soon be arn'.sted and kept prisoners at Fort (larry. I Jut this lattei- occnrnMice was known on the Kith February, when the Proclamation was nIHcially handtid to me; ;ind still, n(»twithstanr Settlement, (ind. to exlianut all " means of explanation and concl/iafioti " before hav'uKj rceoiirne to force.''' (-)n my arrival at Fort (iairy, I made known what had beeii conununicated to me at Ottawa, and, with e(|ual diligence, wrote to Ottawa how things stood at Fort (iarry. If the Authorities had given tlie directions received, because^ tliey were not aware of what was going on iit lied lliver, how explain that, on learning the lamentable event of the death of Scott, they avoided, systema- tically, saying a single w(»rd teniit it is not tlie less piiint'ul, at'tev live ywirs of exofictatiou. tu have it imputed that I usui'petl tlie tith? of " pleuipot m- viaiy," while in reality I merely con^ey- Mi a message as given, and, in such way, that it elicited the felicit;iti«)n.s of those that liad given it. I wouhl not shrink from the acciHa- tion of not having acted according to the I'ules and customs of a di[»h>matist, but in such a case I will he permitted to add that, if a Tourney in (liplomucy was what was looked for, a niissionary that had passed the greater part of his life in the wilds of the North-West should not have been chosen. More- over the ability of those who conducted the affair throughout, is not sufficiently a|)parent to give a right to make me i-esponsible for wh.it remuins to be done. Had I taken upon myself not to fulfil the mission I had accepted, I would certainly have ]irevented concilia ti(m and drawn new disasters on the coun- try ; so my opinion is now, as it was then, that I would have betrayed the reliance })laced on me. Instead of peace, war might have ensued ; instead of sub- mission, rebellion; instead of a peace- ful acquisition of the country, struggles of which it is difficult to foresee the duration and the consequences. I know that my apjtrehensions may appear imaginary to those unacquainted with the situation of Fort Gariy i^v March 1870. Certai 1 military men tro:-it my notions, in this respect, as lightly as certain Statesmen did my views on th« policy of the North- West before the outbreak. Five years of uneasiness, troubles, ir.isfortunes and great disturb- ance of the public mind throughout the Canadian Confederation, come to show that the knowl<3dge of places and things can provide for tleficiency in the politic- al art. Had the message given in March 1870, not been conveyed, just as T had received it, something more momentous and more painful that an amnesty would have to be dealt with. His E.Kcellency is ipiite i-ight in affirming that my powers had no greater extent than thot;e of Messrs Thibault, Smith and de Salabei-ry, but he is mis- taken in believing that I assumed luore autho"ity than those gentlemen. Even with the belief that my powers were less tiian those- of the Canadian Com- luissiouer, appointed by Letters Patent under the Great Heal of Canada, I have not tho slightest doubt that I would not have met Lord Lisgar's views if, insteiid of acting as I did on ai-riving at Fort Garry, i had acted on the follow- ing argument: '' I have a message of [)eaoe and couciliatioii ; I hav^ an assur- ance of forgiveness, but the situation is alteied. con.sequently I cannot deliver my message ; I must hasten back to Ottawa, in order to inform the (iovern- or-(Jeneral and his advisers that what they said could not be an exact expres- sion of tiieir intentions, (as they failed to write the whole of it), and that what was reduced tv) writing did not provide explicitly for tlie actual circumstances; T will have nothin.w more to do with it ; so much the worse for themselves if, on my arrival at Ottawa, they ha^'e to repeat the telegram sent by Sir John Young to Lord Granville on the 4th ATJril 1870 : " N.... came here from Fort (iarry " with bad ' ewa.... it is quite clear Kiel " will yield to nothing but force ; things " now look very bad." 1 easily comprehend the degree ot im]^ ortance that His Excellency ascribes to the condition of amneaty as expressed in Sir John A. Macdonald's letter : " Should the question .vrise as to the " consumption of any stores or goods " belonging to the Hudson's Bay Com " pany by the insurgents, you are au- " thorized to inform the leaders that if '• the Company's Government is res- " t(> 'id, not only will there be a general " amnesty granted, but in the case the ** Company should claim the payment " of such stores, that the Canadian Gov- '' ernment will stand ' ter seeming to be the essential [)oint ''n cbe eyes of the Canadian Ministers. When I arrived at Fort (yarry, the Comj)any's (Jovei-nment had been re- placed by the Provisional Government, and tliat, with the consent of the ex- Governor, the Honorable William Mac- tavish. This Provisional Goveriuiie'Vv, no matter how it may be qualified, was not the leas acknowledged by the popu- lation at large. The Canadian Com- missioner, toavert further complications, had contributed to its consolidation ; the Official Agents, Messrs. Thibault and de Salaberry had, for the same rea- uon, acted in like manner. Coul . T, coming the last ..ad without avthoritif, act in opposition to those who had pre- j<5eded me and with whom I had been I instructed to co-operate ] Wa« I to 2 bring about another revohuion? Could 1 conscientiously abstain from all ai"*ion, when tbre.seeing that such a > nirse would be still more pernicious than what had already occurred I Overlook- ing the probability of renewed comj)li- cations, and contrary to the opinion of the gentlemen whom I lud to consult, should 1 defer making known the in- tentions of the Government that had called me in all haste from Pome ] We had neither twlegra)»h nor regular mail, and it was not pDSsibk to get news from Ottawa before si.x or seven weeks. S[)ring was approaching with the dan- ger of an invasion fiom outside ; my arrival had been awaited to come to a final determination, as to what steps were to be taken. If the message t'li- trustetl to me proved satisfactory, the Delegates would leave to negotiate ar- rangements : if, on the contrary, 1 was not authorized to give the assuraiifes required, all the negotiations were to be done away with, and means of defence were to be devised. The Provisional Government weie in possession of all the properties, furs, arms and ammuni- tion of the Hudson's Bay Company; The entire population could bfl ransom- ed and forced to share an action, cri- minal no doubt, but only the mere to be deplored. The Indians had a threat- ening asprct ; Fenians and American Volunteers solicited leave to come and aid ; Messrs. Thibault, de Salaberry and Mactavish were of my o[»inion, and many others shared our conviction, that there was no time to lose. Notwith- standing all this, it is })retended that I, a mere messenger of peace and concilia- tion, should have been silent ; I should have hidden the message that alone saved us from ruir. Had I without authority, decided that since the Com- pany's Government could not be restor- ed, ail the instructions given at Ottawa could not sustain tlnnr meaning, and should not be mentioned, although I had accepted the responsibility of con- veying them, I would certainly nothave met the views of those who had sent 10 me, So, I um entirely (sonvinccd that ] what 1 did wns what J sho-ild liave done. Many do not snspeot the vexa- tions and pain to which I liave heen subjected throuijli tliis question of Am- nesty ; nevertheless, after tive years of reflection, I am more than ever stitisfied that I did my duty, and that, instead of abusing the coutiilenee sliowii mo, I fully realized the views, said to be those of the Imperial Government, expre:.sing the desire " /« exliaiist all me.cuiH of ex- " planation awi <;(»u;i/ia(io/i. before hao- " huf recourse to forced How could I deciile that those views were altered, and that tiie conditions alluded to htid more weifjfht than it had been given to me to unilerstand, since it is well known that, on the 22Md of the same month of Miirch, Sir F. Rog- ers, writing officially, recalls that, " Troo[>s should not be employed in forc- ing the Sovereignty of C'anada on the [)opulation ( of Red River ) should tney refuse to admit it." In speaking of the Fenian movement attempted in 1871, the Lieutenant (lov- ernor of Manitoba does not fear to say, " If the Dominion has at this moment a Province to defend and not one to conquer, they owe it to the policy of for])earance." By reading the Honourable Mr. Archibald's evidence, it is easy to come to the conclusion that the " policy of moderation" was in keeping with an amnesty. Lord Dufferin hesitates to repudiate the views taken by the ex- Lieuteriant Governor of Manitol)a, to whom he gives a iust ti'ibute of praise. I willingly side Avith His ti)xcelleney, and am of those who think that Mr. Archibald's moderation derived from his wisdom, and that the one and the other, withheld new complications that it was his duty to avci-t. In Octol-^r 1871, the Authorities were in peaceful possession of JNIanitoba, three days suffi- ced to place a thousand n^en at their disposal ; of this number, hundi-eds were or had been soldiers, and they could be commanded by experienced of- ticers. Arms and ammunition -were within their reach; the Artilhry of Fo''t Garry was at liand, and still, the Li 'Qtenant-Governor aHirujs that ho w IS compelled to make ])romises and to give assurances in order to pi'cserve the Province enti'usted to his government. It does not re(piire a great amount of argument to ])i()ve that, in the month of March 1S70, the situation was in- comparably more perilous, in the point of view of both luiperial and ('anadian interests • and, since war could not be avoided, unless I transmitted the pro- mise confided to me, I would have been greatly )v[trehensible hai' T not done so. Young officers of the impeiial army detecteord Dutfiv.nn im- pute.-i to me IS of all that I have read on the subject, wliat I feel most deeply. In the l()th paragraph of the roof of the ne- gotiation Lord Dufteriji says ; " the "people of thf. >iorth-West had cliosen "their delegates and had consented to "treat with the Canadian Government "some weeks before the Rishoj) had "aT>peared upon the scene," A part of the truth is not the whole of it, and as His Excellencv does not command the whole of the trnth, he will allow me to irnform him of what he does not know. I have no doubt that Lord Dufl'erin will regret having publicly conti-adicted me. P>y a I'psolution ])assed unanimously, the Convention held at Fort Garry, ac- cepted, on the 10th February, 1870, Duf- tliat tlie Ain- ic ue- the D('tl to iinent had avt of aiul luand allow ^s not liord l)licly |)U8ly, 11870, tlie ptopsitioii made to .s«nd a delega- tion to Canada, to tioat with the Cana- dian Uovfiunient on the allairs of the North- West. Tlie FresidoJit of the Pj-ovisioual Government Jiaving been elected, chose and made known to the Convention his choice of the ])eraons he would ai)j>oint. as delei^ates of the Nurth-West; and the Hecretary t)f State notilied r.hese gentlemen of the choice the President had n»ad(t of them. The f(dh)winif is a copy of the letter address- ed to one of them :— , . ' ' , ...,•. , "Fort Garry, '"Jlat Feljriiary, 1670. "Rev. J. Ritcliot, "St. Norbert, 1 1. R. S. "R3Voreiil .Sir, — " [ am (lirricted to inform yon tbab you " have been .ippoitited, l)y the President of "the North- \V est rerritoi'ios, a co-emiimis- " sioiier, witli John Black and Alfred Scott, " 10yi[uire3, to treat with the Government of "the; iJominion of ( auada, upon terms of " Coafederatiou. . .: "lam, .:: ,. ■ ''^" ' ■' •' Uevd. Sir, --'■'"'.'■ ^'' " Your obed't. Servant, (Signed.) "THUS. BUNN", ;:■• ■; "Sec." It nmst be remai'ked that Mr. Tiiomas Bnnn was not Secretary to the Convention, bnt had been elected hy the Convention as Sacretary to the Provisional (Government. Let these proceedings be treated as they may, and no matter what name ia given m the Delegates, it is not the less certain that those chosen and appointed, as already nnnitioned, Jul not accept their mission, and that notliinff was don-', rt'Iative to the tvansactions, between tlie daif of thi nomination and that of my arrival at iSt. Boniface. Moreover, the " Portage movement," the arrests of new prisoners and, above all, the execn- tion of Thomas Scott, rendered the negotiations more than problematic. As far as regards the departure of the Delegates, I can fairly "say that I know more than any one else about it, as it was at my re[)eated entreaties in })rivate conversations with those gentlemen, that I determined two of them to over- come their reluctance, and to accept thp delicate mission that had been ofl'e;;e«l them more than a month before, and concerning which nothiruj was t/tt nettled. Messrs. Ritchot and Black would certainly Jiot have decided to leave for Ottawa, had I not been in a l)0.sii.ion to tell them what T did, together with shewing them the letter Sir John A. JNlacdonald had written me on tlie l(jth February. It was through me that they received the money for their travelling expenses. They had to be provided with credentials ; insti-uc- tions had to be given them ; all of which sv(M-e furnished on the 22nd March, and not before. These docu- ments were, moreover, signed by the same Secretary of State, Thomas Buiin, and were issued by th^ Provisional Government. Nothing of all this would have been done ; the Delegates would hiive been neither willing nor able to leave, if I had not previously given the Leaders of the Provisiorial Government the assurance of a com- plete amnesty. Mr. Smith's evidence is evoked agamst me, while the gentle- man never said, nor very likely never knew, anything of what I have just re[)orted; and my assertions are repudi- ated, although I am the only one that has personal knowledge of what occurr- ed on this point. Mr. Smith himself, could not have left the country without the pass that would have been withheld from him as well as the Dfdegates, had I not, on arrivingi made known the dispositions of the author'ties, in the same light as presented to me in Ottawa for transmission. The telegram forecited sent by Sir John Young to Lord Granville, on the 4th April, shows clearly that things wei'e fai' from being settled when Mr. Smith left Port Garry, and that concili- atio'i was not expected, the Governor- Gen spiral stating, " It is quite clear Riel " will yield to notiiing but force." The impression produced by the Canadi- an Commissioner is soon modified, even in the a|)preciation of its author, by the newf received from Fort Garry, 12 after his arrival at Ottawa, so that lie la eu.vl)le(l to say, at the close of his Report begun tlie 12th April: "It is " far more pleasing to be able to state, " which I tlo --^ith much confidence, •' that a large majoiity of the French " party have no misgivings as to union '■ with Canada, and that joinei] by and " under the guidance of His Lordship '* Bishop Tache and other members of " the C/lergy who enjoy their confidence, " they will veri/ short/f/ jyrove themselves to be staunch suppjrtem of the Doniin- in their aUegiance to n t. furnished with another " Bill of Rijihts " as basis of the settlement to be made. When the Provisional Government, trusting in the assurances given, agreed upon sending a Delega- tion, they maintaii\ed the choice already made. My earnest solicitations having determined the nominees to ascept the mission, then came the question of credentials and instructions for their guidance. i^Both were furnished on the 22nd March. Save the name of the person, the credentials were identical for each of the Delegates. The follow- ing is a co}jy of that addresse' , ,. "Fort Garry, " 12th February. 1870. "ToK-iv. N. J. Ritchot. ' ' Sir. — The President of the Provisional " Government of Assiniboia in Council, by ' ' these i>resents grants authority and com- " mission to you the Revd. N. J. Ritchot, "jointly with John BHck, PJsquire, and the " Honorable A. Scott, to the end that you " betake yourselves to Ottawa, in Canada; "and that when there you should lay before * ' the Canadian Parliament Ae list entruste 1 " to your keeping with these presents, ' ' which list contains the conditions and pro- " positions under which the people of " Assiniboia would consent to enter into " Confederation with the other Provinces of ' ' Canada. " Signed, this 22n(t day of March, in th« •year of Our Lord, one thousand eight -' hundred and seventy. " By Order, (Signed), " PHOMAS BUNN, "Secretary of Stata. " Seat of Government, Winnipeg, " Assiniboia. " •i f !'-. n Tlio list of " Conditions and proposi- tious" mentioned in tiiis letter was very (/liferent from that j)iepared by the Convention, as it is easy to ascertain by even the most su])erficial examina- tion of both documents. Tiie Delegates accepted their credentials and instr .c- tions, and engaged to make them the basis of all their transactions at Ottawa. I am perfectly well ac([uaint- ed with the minutest details of this second "Bill of Rights," although it was not correct to say that I my.selt had di'awn it up. J. came to a complete knowledge of it by having heard it dis- cussed by the Delegates in my presence. With or without reason, all the articles of the document did not meet my vie.vs, for instance, the creation of a Province then seemed prematvu'O. In the month of February, the Convention entertained tlie same opinion as I did, and rei)rdiated the idea suggested by Mr. Riel on this point. Only a Terri- tory was sj)oken of at the time. Mr. Black himself, member of the Conven- tion, had, therein, ridiculed the idea of aaldng a Frotdnce with constitutional rights and responsible Government ; nevei'theless, the same Mr. Black, as well as the other delegates, accepted the demand of a Province, together with other articles of this new " Bill of Rights," as a condition of the arrange- ments he would endeavour to conclude at Ottawa. It was with these otficial documents and no others, that the Delegates came forward in the Canadian Capital. It was in virtue of this last commission that they offered to treat ; and I am quite certain that both Revd. Mr. Ritchot and Mr. Scott would have refused to negotiate, had they not been received oflScially by Canadian Minis- ters, in virtue of this delegation ; avoidi^"" meanwhile, in public, anything that might compromise their mission. This, I can attest as having been repeatedly said to nie by the gentlemen themselves, as well as by others. Mr. Black having never returned, I cannot maintain what attitude he adopted ; but I am perfectly satisfied that he did not betray the engagements oontiaoted before he left, and the said engage- ments certainly bound him to act accordi' g to the instructions given by the Provisional Oovernment. As jiroof that the amnesty had been refused. Lord Dufferin mentions Sir (/linton Murdoch's letter to Sir Fred- erick Rogers (Report, page 193). I wonder that Lord Dufferin did not notice, in this letter, that the " teinis " pro[)osed by the Red River Delegates, '• as the conditions of annexation to " (,'anadn," are quite different from those alluded to by His Excellency. These new terms, set forth by the Delegates Avere forwarded to Loid Granville by the Governor-Cieneral. Consequently they were not unknown in high quai'ters. Sir Clinton Murdoch refers in substance to the points 1, 10, 1 1 and 19, which he considers as inad- missible, meanwhile acknowledging that the others have not the same character. If Sir Clinton Murdoch's letter prov^r. that the amnesty demanded in the Jj'h clause of the new " Bill of Rights ' was refused, it is obvious that the same letter proves that the same demand had been made ; and, as it does not appear elsewhere than in the " Bill of Riirhts," framed bv the Provisional Government, it is evident that the same " Bill of Rights " had been taken into consideration by those who nego- tiated with the Delegates. What has given rise to several mis- givings on this subject is, the having given the same name to distinct docu- ments. Besides several inedited essays, some- times called forth, I have knowledge of three •* Bills of Rights," drawn up dur- ing the Red River troubles. } .—The iirst in the month of No- vember, 1869, and forwarded to Hon. William McDougall through Colonel Dennis, It is published in the " Ses- sional papers of 1870 (page 19)." 2. — The second was prepared by the u '' Oouventioti " in January and Febru- ary, 1870. toleifrapheil in substaiico by ine fioin St. Paul, and soon afror fur- nished in exteiiso to tlie Government of Ottawji. That is tlie ona referred to by Lord DufFjrin. Tbis list is placed as aj)peuded to the Report of Honorable D A. Smith in the " So.s.sional papers of 1870 {\yi'.^e 12* 10). It was neither f^iven to tlie D.'legates nor presen- ted by them to the Canadian Minis- ters. 3. -The third "Bill of Rights" is exclusively the work 'of the Executive ot the Provisional Government, the very one that was given to the Dele- gates on the 22nd March and accepted by them as condition of the settlement to come to Ottawa, without however making of eveiy one of its clauses, as many conditions tiiiie qua nan. This ^^Bill of liijktH " is the only one exhi- bited by the Delegates and of which they pressed the acceptation. In his notes, written afcer each sitting with the Canaflian Ministers, Mr. Ritchot shows the relation existing between the different points of that " Bill," and the concessions coi-responding that were ob- tained. After all that, [ think it is impossible to admit that the Delegates were not commissioned by the Provi- sional Government, or that the condi- tions to 1)6 proposed were settled "before the election of Riel to the so-called Presidency." I do not wonder at the hesitation to accept these facts, their logical inference being so different from what is easily admitted. Sir John Young, in his letter of the IGth February; acknowledges that what I did in leaving Rome and in coming to Red River was done " for the pur- ^^ posi of rendering service lo Her Ma- "jestt/'ft Govermnent," and that " Lord " Granville was anxious to avail of my " valuable assistance from the outset." These lines were written under the im- pulse of feara that the Red River troubles inspired at the*time ; now that fears are dispelled, my action appears in another light. According to the Des- patch my i)atriotism. although a])pre- ciated, benelited only my fellow-coun- trymen in Red River. It sutKcos to my conscience, no doubt, to have done my duty. My heart may be satisfied at havin'iaking of Amnesty, to attenuate the bearing of the r./tsemh/e of my mis- sion, to arrive more easily at denying its details. A superficial reader may discover eulogy addressed to me in the IGth paragraph of the Governor-Gener- al's Despatch ; for my part, 1 see some- thing else. Every word of that Des- pi'.tch had certainly been weighed by the eminent nobleman thiit wrote them; all their meaning was calculated, and it is not to Lord Dufferin that it is neces- sary to remark the difterence there is to the ear, the mind and the heart of an English Statesman between the follow- ing propositions, viz : I'he disinterested patriotism of a Catholic Bishop induced him to accept sacrifices, p>'ivafio)is and fatigues for the good of his felloio-coun- trymen—ov this other equally true : the same Bishop did the saobe tlung for the purpose of rendering service to Her Majesty s Gocernment, according to the desire of Lord. Granville, Minister of tfie Colonies. The reader will please not think that I am here craving praise for wJiat I have done ; my motive is, solely, to claim justice toward those who have !•«- lied on my word. The 17th paragraplt'of the Despatch speaks of a private : letter from Sir Geo. E. Cartier. As a general thesis, it is clear that His F^xceliency is right ; still the strength of his argument dim- inishes, when it is recalled that Sir Geo. E. Cartier had been officially se- lected by his colleagues, to transact the affairs of the IS orth-West, jointly with Sir John A. Macdonald. That since the illness of the latter gentleman, Sir ♦w > George was the " hcum Ipmi'vh" of ] Ourtier assured iiif at Montrfjil, on tlie the Prime Minister, and the only one | loth Jnly. tlint I had reason to act and with whom it lia.l remained jiossilde to ■ to spt-al-' as I had j;oin<^ witli him and Geor<;(! E. CA\vt\ori\Hj>f)\si)ttaff'i/ charged , Mr. Areliihald to Niai^ai^ It see His with this attain As far as the inter- Excellercv, wlio would give me renew- pretatiou of the letter goes, I am (]nite < ed assu ■ ices of what had heen told satisfied that if His Excellency had | me, and juld be anxious to hear the heard it commented onby its author, as I particulars of the jieaceful solution of did, even before 1 had received it, he I the Hed Hiver difficulties that had been brought aliout. I, at first, refused positvely to acrB)>t the invitation : pressing solicitations brought my assent. I left Montival on Monday tlie i^r^th July ; on the 20th., we touched at Kingston, where Sir George was informed tliat a hostile demonstration was ben;g prepared for his a:i"ival at Torontu, since he was would find that the letter bears the interpretation that I put u{>on it. It is im[)ossible for me to admit the sup- position that 1 ain so obtuse i.s to have heard and judged of all in a manner so dinmetrically opposed to what was meant to be said or to what acts signified. If circumstances, conversations, pi'i- vate and eonlid(?ntial letters from a Mi- nister or from Ministers of the Crown travelling with '" traitor Jiishop 'J'ache." i r have no significance, why did the North-West Gonnnittee compel me, in the name of the Canadimi, Pdrl'iameni, to whom the Ministers are responsible, to leveal those conversations and )iri- vate letters \ What I felt the most, while giving my evidence before the Connnittee of the North-West, was, to disclose secrets and confidential com- nuiiuc:itions, and to appear as 'straying the reliance placed on me. Had i known His Excellency's opinion, as to tlie worthlessness of conversations and private letters, it is very likely that the Sergeant-at-Arms, of the House of Commons, would have had the trouble to take me under his custody. On one hand, I have been foi'ced to disclosiu'es that are contrary to all my notions of delicacy and of social relations ; and on the other hand, it is positively asserted that such disclosures are of no real value. The 24th paragraph of tlie Despatch alludes to my interview ith Lord Lisgar at Niagara, on the 2.'ird July, 1870. My desire would be never to have been forced to sf)eak of an inci- dent so painful for myself and so Juim- iliating for others. Sir George E. The im[>re8sion produced by tlii'< news may be easily imagined. Heedless of the insults that, as far as I was per- sonally concerned, excited the utmost contempt, I did not wish tt) give an oc- casion of annoyance to my ti'avelling companions, and proposed to return to Montreal : but the strength of Sir George's oVyections previiled, and it was decided u['on that I would go by Oswego to Buflialo, meet Sir George at Niagara on Saturday the 23d instant, and see the Governor ( Genei-al. The progi'amme was carried out notwith- standing the immense humiliation I ex- perienced at the idea, that I, a British subject, a Canadian in the widest sense of the word, afcer having conscientious- ly fulfilled a mission confided co me by the Representative of my Sovereign, I was compelled to land on a foreign shore, because being in my com])any would call forth the insults of an excit- ed mob, encouraged by leading men- Yes, I repeat, my humiliation was pro- found, and liad I followed ray inclina- tion, I; would have telegraphed to Toronto and gone on, .so as to give the authors of such baseV jjroceedings the chance of realizing their project. / 16 At Buffalo, the articles of the Aineri- I can ])resa furnished ample details on the " indignation meeting" held at To- ronto on my occasion, and the violent spooches that had been then pronounc- ed, all of which I had leisure to peruse. Had I chosen to publish how it ha[)pen- ed that I was then at Butf'ah), our neijrhbours nii'dit have obsei-ved how the liber t If and loijalty, of which British subjects so highly boast, are safe-guarded in the nxost populous Pro- vince of the Canadian (Jonfedei-ation. I remained silent at the time, and would never have mentioned this occur- rence had I not been forced to it. On Saturday, the 23d July I arrived at Clifton House, Niagara, to wait upon His Excellency, ami that, let it be re- membered, solely at the re{)eated and earnest request of the gentleman then acting as Prime Minister. I am ignor- ant of even the rudiments of the diplo- nnitic code, but, if the reception given me by Lord Lisgar be what ic exacts I tru,^t I shall never become expert in the art. Sir George, while paying a poor tri- bute to the courage of His Excellency, informed me of Lord Lisgar's unwill- ingness to see me after what had been going on at Toronto. I would absolute- ly leave at once, for this " senile pusil- lanimity" in the person of the Repre- sentative of Her Majesty astonished me far more than what had taken place at Toronto. Sir George was greatly annoyed, and it was merely to s[)are his feelings that I consented to have an interview with the Governor. When invited, I proceeded to His Excellency's apartments ; but what was not my sur- prise on meeting Lord Lisgar at the door, his arms stretched out, and with a repulsive jest and in a voice trem- bling wif,h emotion exclaimed : " I sup- "pose you are not coming to talk of }>o- "litics ; I cannot talk of politics with "you." I re8i)ectfully observed to His Excellency that the trip to Niagara had been undertaken solely at the sug- gestion of Sir George who, naturally, must have informed His Excellency of the object in view. I offered to withdraw. My proposal seemed to bring a change and I wa.i invited to en- ter and take a seat. I did so, a prey to the double feeling of respect due to the Representative of my Sovereign, and of surprise at such a reception under such circuin.stanee.s. I may remark, by the way, that I might have spent my birth-day more agreeably had I not de- clined other invitations to agree to that of Sir Geo. E. Cartier. Today I havn taken the liberty to oppose some of the allegations made by Lord Dutferiu; but in so doing, I am, all the while, convinced that he would not have ti'eated me as his Predecessoi did ; for it n)ust be remembered that it was Lord Lisgar's Government that had invited me from Rome ; it whs hy an autograph letter from His Excel- lency that he gratefully acknowleriged what I had done for " Her Maji'My's Government-" the work of conciliation that he had entrusted to me was com- pleted. A Minister of the Crown had somewhat forced me to undertake a trip to which I was evidently disinclin- ed ; the same Minister had been insul- ted on my account; through delicacy for the gentlemen travelling with me, I had been myself obliged to seek re- fuge abroad. It is evident that under such circumstances I had a right to ex- pect a reception different from that af- forded by Lord Lisgar. It was 'luritig the interview that His Excellency, with- out making further promises, left me under the impression that those already made would not be retracted, and when I spoke of amnesty, in favour of those to whom it is now refused. Lord Lisgar showing his Proclamation added : "jIt covets the whole case," He then insist- ed upon my conferring anew on the question with Sir George, as being in full possession of hia views, alid he, Siv George, renewed the assui-ance that the amnesty would certainly be granted, and that I was right when I promised it. 17 Tf I was r'iilly wron;^', 1 maintain ♦iliat i* Wfus ;i dnty of lionunr find just io" to tell uie 80. Mi)V.3over had li'u Ex- cellency Of Iii.s adviser told me that I had not acted iiecording t > iheir views wh 'n pronii«iu.j the anineHty in the way [ had done, I would have been the first k) acknowledi^e it -.wu] to make it known to tlip interested jiaities. If later, I had thought tit to usk for iniiminity, 1 world have solicited it ov other motivoH, and all the agitation to whi<;li this question has given rise Would have been 'voidfl. I I(fft liord Lisgar's :!, ai tment toglve place to the llonorahle Adania (jli'orge Archibald, wiio was injiiediitil// sworn fts Lieutenaiit-Uovcrnoi- of the new Pi()\ ince of ^Fanitola. I would rt^s|)ect- fidly draw th.- attention of the reader to the Xiges 134 and 135 of the Report of the North-West Ooniuiittee. anHen lofi mini^'iiLioiiH I in in/ |Min|ihl't, (hroii.;^h a t'e liiiLf ot' (U'liciacy. I had al- HMuly n'lul all thtn- phiiii ot" tho way I had homi tit'attul. What struck uie most in the evid^'uce was that, togutli'i- with otlmr (jiiiiimnt quiilities, ctiitain ;,'entletn(Mi arn t-ndo^v- e I with a wonderful olasticity of nmni- ory. I was certuiidy not awaro that this fjiculty had j)ov\im' of i-oiitiaction or dilation to sucli a ilegree. At all evi ncs, the House of (Join:iions has just attirmod, by a lar^e ni ijority, that it is not for th« honor of Canada, that tluj (juestion of aninesty should remain in ita present stata. The very words : •' it is not for the honor," involves a paru of my thesis; by h iving added that it is notjwit, both of th? reasons that Lave actuated me, in layin^j so much Btfess on the question of amnesty, would have been made known. iii \A mucli to ba deplored that the Nortli-Wost tioubl's hive been discus- sed with re^'ard tj religions or nation- al itie.s, for such considerations had absolutely no inttu 'uce on the attitude taken by the | eople of Red River; p.nd those who havn excite I prejudices suid hatred by an atuai of the sacred words religion and nationality have certaitdy involved a mighty reaoonsibility. It is unjust, false, aiid dangerous to say that the unfortunate Scott was executed, because he w.is a Protestant and an Oraugemin. It is equally inaccurate to advance that I plead Jn favor of the .\iniiesty, boo.iuse tliose to whom it iti rtd'iised are (.'atholios. I solemnly c|«- cl.ir.' that such is not the (!ase. I would h I'.'e acted as I have done, evfii had thi I'o'i'x bfen reversed. I would have deiiiamled for Pri>testantsor for Oranjje- mi'ii, had 1 XyrMx intruste 1 vvitii a simi- lar message for thfm, what I aske i for (.'atholios, in wlioie fivor a.ssurineei had been given mn. The regret 1 feel ai till) death of Scott is sulhcient to p ove that every man has a v\*\\l to till* atlection of his fidiow creatures, and that [ have the consolation not to be wanting in that fedin,' towards all, without e.Kception. I pledged my hon- or lo those to whom I was sent, and I have ho need of the sympathy I In^ar them, to feel the responsibility, and consitler it so much the more my boun- den duty to claim what was promised, as it was the sympathy known to be entertained for them that. indnc(! I tiiem to acce|»t my word with unlimited cou- Hdence. What I have doii" to re leem my word as given, needs no other motive than tlie conviction that houor oblujes and that it, as w^ll as justice, is vio- lated, when obligation* are not fultill- ed. 1 did not demand the Amnesty 1)9- causi the Metis have more or less French blood in their veins. Oucp more, 1 would have done s > for no matter what party, with whom I had contracted the same obliiratioii in the same way. If our difficulties are to lie looked upon as a question of national- ity,! do not fear to say that neither the English nor the Scotch woald have a right to oppose me ; for(dd settlers in Red River belonging to the above n v- tioMalitl(^s were not far from my mind nor afiection, when, in order to [>revent the horrors of a civil war, I came from Rome in all hastr-, and received at Ot- tawa the assurances I thought would necessarily restore peace to the coun- try. These affirmations may seem strange to those who have not hesitated to call me " traitor," "ruffian," and other appel- ^ n [H I.' Mil IVO mi- ' for tct'-i akioMH, l.hi'. t'.fi t liii puljlio hIiimIs liavf tin) |irivil«?g(i ol" Hfttiii;,' ItHtun! tlmir r«M(liT«. 'I'lioHe wlio ur« aci|iiiiiiitt'(I vvitli im will easily IjhIimvo inv, uiid I am Huti.slicij witli tlixt. Tim lltvsuliitiuiiH |tr(»pi)S'.'il ])f i:.,i lion. A. Ma;k»iot to see so many others sa(!ritiee evi-rytnini^ elsH t ) such considoiMtioiis, PlacBcl a'toVH all inlhi 'iic • of t'ds kin 1, I can oxpr's.s my opinion fiody. To thosti who may oliject to my trcatin;^ a (picHtion disciis,e'd in p »1 tics, f will inoiely say : Why was 1 c illod upon to intt;rft;rt! { it would havn liet-n much more aj^rcable to do otherwise. 1 shall thisrefoii! take tin; liltin'ty to exanune the llesolutionK, said publicly to Irive met my ap[)roval. 1 only wi-di that th9 *r •■ ?■ If. owin^ tt) my position, an opinion su/j/jospjI to be iiiijte, ajips ired t) dest'rve BO.ne consideration, I am confident tliat an opinion that is arti^in't/ iitlne will no", b.' ooia;)lt'tely re.sent -d. Tile K,>:s )lutions and tho mobive.s til It snp;)<»rb t'aeni sug^e>.t the follow- in;.^ paraivraphs. 1. — Fi\);u tho evidenc) leported by th.^ Committee on the North-West tro ibles, the Hon. A. M ick^juzie, those wh) have supported his Resolution, as w.dl as those who voted its am:^nd'nent, it a[>pears : '• That in ^.870, the Rp.pre- *' {ieiitatioi:s of tJia CauaJiioi Goiernment *' ij wa ifliuu'ii p'^rntnis of pfomineiice in " the. N^orth- West, assurances that a com- " p.'efe amriesti/ woa'd be granted, and " vi'.qi^sts I th'Xt th-iis assurav'^es should " be, as the If were, communicated to the " inliu'i'Hted piirtifM ," it further nppearti that: '•.''• 3l ^- 23 of } about this levy of Metis Volnnteors are all consii;nod in official d.)cmne!i(s ; so it did not t vko lou!» to establish this a* it did in the preceding case ; and with the iielp of the North-West Com- mittee, tha work was done in tlire? , years, four months and four days For my j)art, having been acquaint'-d w'th all this from the time it occurve tentence was since commuted. It is ;■; astonishing to see that those who were so prompt to punish, have been so slow ;; ; - to forgive, when calling to arms and acceptance of military service are con- sidered as ail agreement in honor bind- ,> ing towards those ■«■ ho are so called j)ersonally and answer the call. ;: Relative to the events of 1871, as : .5 well as those of 1870, the French newspapers were better informed than ^ others in all that was favourable to the cause of theMetis ; this was owing to the simple fact that our friends, in the _; Province of Quebec, received and believed the intelligence that others would not have heeded. Those who keep a file of the French newspapers o*" Quebec, can easily ascertain that the information given therein was more accurate than that furnished by the English press, even by th()se who, con- cerning the question of the North- West, have not the degree of acrimony that characterizes several of their confreres. Would that such tardy reve- lations could cause it to be understood, that those who seem to know nothing but to give abuse, are not always in the right, notwithstanding their persis- tence. On th.e conti-ary, the violence of the attack, on such matters, should suf- fice to inspire mistrust. When men of standing, affirm jio.^itively tinngs that they have (>\ery opportunity of becom- ing ac(piainted with, it. is clear that tho.se who will not e\ en admit a doubt andwho,nevei-theh'ss, continue to excite to feelings of anger and vengeance, are not moved by a sentiment of justice. Moreover, the general elections of 1872 were approaching ; the agitation had to be kept up, and the Metis of lied Ri/tr were denied the credit, due to themselves and their 'eaders for the at- titude taken by them, at the tiuie of the Fenian invasion. 3. — From the same evidence, it <^ur- ther appears that Sir John A. Hacdoii- ald (111(1 Sir Ceo. E. Cdrtier, an xotll n.s the Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoha, thought proper to reipiest the expatriation of L. lUel aitd A. D. Lepine for atirne : that proposition was agreed to and mon- ey ivas fwvdshed to Jielp L. liiel and A. D. Lepine during their expatria- tion ; it appears further, that, during the general election of 1S73, at the sug- gestion of the Lieutenant-Governor, Louis Riel was requested to withdraw his candidature in Provencher in favor of Sir Geo. E. Cartier, who was elected accordingly, and publicly received and a(;knowled(jed the congratulations of L. Riel and A. D. Lepine on the event. Very short-sighted would they be, who could not detect why this thiid motive precedes the Resolutions. For to be impartial, mention should have been maile not only of what was re- quested of me, at the beginning of 1872, but likewise of what was urged in like manner, at th« beginning of 1874. Both of these attempts are to be found in the same official document, and are the facts of the two honorable geDtlemen, who have followed in suc- cession as Ministers of Justice. The idea is the same, and I hare not the slightest doubt that the same means of success would have been employed, had I consented to repeat in the last ca«e what I had done in the first. The two learned jurists here alluded to would not, nor could not, enter ui)oi'i negotia- fi m \ ': I i i' ji: tions of any kiinl witli Mr. Riol or his followers, had thtty been as jL^uilty as it is rt'piosiMited. Two iiiiiHst;>i.s of jus- tice c;)ul 1 not iisk of two Lieutouant Governors iior an Aicabishoj) to hcc )nie as int:Miuo(Uary, to obtain a lasult tliat would finally pnicludo from th ; acfc'.jn of justicH, ni(3U who, in the oj)iniou of those Honorable Ministers, would have deserved tin ])iinishni3nt they aie said to merit. Still less was it ])assi!tle to furnish, or to be reatly to funiisli. mon ey to bring al)out the desired residb. It must 1)2 owned tluit Mr. Uiel has been veiy badly r(![):uil for the disintjr- e.itednesd ho displayed by his endenvors, and tliat, without any compensation whatioevei', to secure the election of Sir Geo. E. Cartier in Proven 'her. Tiie electoral cam])aisti/, tjraiited iy tloe fnip-riaJ (lorerimieid, and lohich inc:i'(i\ he hc.lieoed, he loiftdlij accepted by till', (Jitnaliii.il peoph. The nature nf the engageuients tak^n in this clrcumsfcaucii persuades me that they would have been fuUilled this time. The four considin-ations that mobive the lli'soluiions establish, witli th ; ut- most evidence, that, if we have even a pa -tial amnesty, it is diii^ to the con- dujj (if Sir G ;(). M Cartier, th^ Moiiora- ble Atlams Gi'or«j;e Ai'chibald, the Right Honorable John A. Mac loiiaid, and his colleagues not sufficiently advocate the poUcij of sue ces at all events, to be of opinion that, for years, the intere.-^t of one's country can be sacrificed, with a view to keej) or to attain the GrDvurnmeut of it. Thanks to the author of the Rasoln- tions, for having said that it is not for the honor of our common country to leavo tilings Ui atafa qno. This is what I always thought. For you see, kind reader, honor is one of those old words that signifies one of those old things that, in my astimation, are far above success. My domestic education as well as that which followed it always conveyed to my mind this idea of honor, as a bright pharos that should guide man and nations through all the ditficulties to be met with. The silence and the solitude of my life, iu the deserts of the North-West, have not altered my convictions, nor even per- haps my illusions. Tlie dread of what is not honorable has led me to whiit is termed a " monomania," which, during the last five years, is disi)layed in the demand of an amnesty, the refusal of which does not now a})pear honorable, even to those who had opposed it with the greatest violence. Yes, as the Resolutions attest, the fads developed in the said instance, can- not be ignored by the people or the par- liament of Canada. This sufficiently affirms that not only the people, but also the parliament, have not been aware of what the interests and the honor of Canada UMpiired, since several years, in this respect. This was also my notion. The Canadian people are too good, too honorable, and also too int«,'rested to have left things as they were, had they known their real con- dition. The Canadian Parliament is too wise for not having come, ere tiiis, to a satis fi;ctpi'y solution, had not numerous ciicumstances prevented the truth from reaching them. The final decision is not far ; the country will be released from the fetters that chain it, aiid, unquestion- ably, its liberty will be complete. (i. — That in t]i<' opiniomif the House, it iiiould he proper, that a fall aniiieMy shoald be (/raiitel to all persons concern- ed in the JVorth-West troables, for oil acts cominitt<',d by them durinj the sairocured a seat in Parlian\ent to one of the Federal Min- isters ; and it is precisely Messra. Riel and Lepine that are banished from Her Majesty's possessions, and that, for five years, period evidently fixed, in order that he, who got Sir George elected, for the last Parliament, mav neither be able to take his seat in the actual Par- liament, nor get elected in the next one. Amnesty is asked for, because in 1873 Sir John A. Macdonald, comprehending that the partial amnesty then offered by the Imperiol Government would not prove satisfactory, gave assurances that he would take steps, which would result in an unconditional amnesty ; and ex-' ceptions are made, which Sir John would not even propose, because he knew they would not give satisfaction The intei'ests of the country require an end to be put to the difficulty, and it is left without a complete solution. The honor of the country requires that the promises be; fulfilled, and it is de- clared that a part of them will be sacri- ficed ; and ... I know not who suppo- ses a telegram from Archbishop Taclu^, that approves of all this. I am very sorrv to be once more in contradiction with those who are in power ; I know that the liberty I am taking, in thus expressing my opinion, may have some inconvenience, and tliat ^ may have to suffer for it ; nevertheless, I do not think it my duty to be silent. I have not enough of experience, in the art of expedients, to accept one that does not appear to me as either honorable or just. Inasmuch as I am personally con- cerned, I understand that my parole is redeemed, since the reality of the pro- mises made to us, and the good faith with which they were conveyed, are acknowledged, their advantageous result admitted, and the approval given by no disavowal of them. Had I only myself in view, 1 would be silent ; such would be much ea.sier and much more agree- able ; nioi'ti agreeable, for myself, in the first place, and perhaps more so for others too ; for 1 feel convinced that failing to approve, silence would please better. It should be admitted that such was impossible, through the noto- rious bad faith with which a telegram was made or supposed affirming 'an ap- proval that I had nev« r given. It may be better that I was farced to speak at once ; otherwise I wjuld not have pub- , m ^ f Hshed anytliing, and my silence might have been taken for an assent. I can- not agree to a demand of V.)aiiishm'^nt, when it was pardon that was promised. In order to secure the Resolutions, it is Haid tliat tliey were framed, in order to n?eet the views of Her Majesty's Gov- ernment. As far as I judge, wliat has been determir.ed seems to be but the ordinary transaction do ut des. With the samn object in view, those who are led had to recoil, to meet at a certain point, their leaders, who would not come forward the whole ot the way. This idea of retrent is suggested by the vote Oil the Resolutions, any the strictest impartiality, act outside of the tield in which passions and interests strugijle ; n)oreover that he shall avoid all exaggeration f) of langn!\ge and all inaccuracy of facts : such exaggerations and inaccuracies always entailing the most dangerous consequences. Justice among Christians, in order to command resi)ect, submission and confidence, shoidd realize the emblem chosen by Pagans to rei)resent it. This observa- tion is inspired by the impression deriv- ed from the way in which the ])olitical suits were conducted in Manitoba, and by asseverations such as tlie following, read in the sentence of death pronounced against Mr. Lepine : " Search in tht " annals of the barharoun tribes which, *' for centuries, have roamed over the " vast prairies of the North-West and •^ you will fail tojind a parallel in " savage atrocity." This phrase must have been prepared long beforehand, for in the evidences given against Mr. Lepine, tliere is nothing to justify the words. Had he, who pronounced them, been ignorant of what he had heard before he came to Manitoba ; had his notions on the troubles of the North- West been formed only at the Court of Queen's Bcinch, of Winnipeg, lie would not have usetl such language no more tl an the following sentence, pionounccd on the same occasion : " Not a solitary " iiidividual has ever dared to speak or " write a simfle senteiwe, I will not say " ofjnstijiciilion, Init even in extenuation, *' p(dli((tion, excuse or apology of (your " crime's) enormity." If it was possi- ble in the month of October, to not be aware that something had been said or written in this sense, it has been easy to learn it since. That is the way under the world : Parliaments, Ciovern- ments, and even tribunals act somewhat with the impression given by letters such as those of the unfortunate John Bruce and other statements that are not of more real value. 1 need not re{)eat that I deeply re- gret the death of Scott. It grieves me more than the greater number of those who have used violent language on the subject. Still, notwithstanding the pain it occasions me, ami, at the risk of bringing renewed abuse on myself, I must say that I am convi.iced that the execution was carried out, only because tho.se who ordered it thought they had a right to do so, to aveit still greater misfortune. While deeply re- gretting the awful act and the circum- sti'iices that accompanied it, I feel con- vinced that they .should be ascribed to inexperience and not to cruelty and l)arbarity, which are certainly not cha- racteristics of the Metis; and it would be well if many of those who have accused the native poi)ulation of Red River, would not be liable to a greater degree of hatred and I'evenge that the Metis are. An accusation of a different kind, but equally rei)lete with falsity and malice, has just been uttered before the Parliament ; it was fearlessly afhrnied that, if Mr. Riel is made an outlaw, such Ls due to Messrs. Royal, Girard and Dubac. If this had come from elsewhere, there might be room for ex- s\ l.V,K-.i C--' *M Vi .W-.-'iir '^^».>M«* <«KM»i 29 :*v 'M cuse ; but the gentleman tlip.t made the aasertion, is too well informed to believe what he affirmed. In the name of juhtice and comi l jaiblic opinion and divert i^s attention from the proceedings on which so much stress is laid, but in which, most certainly, the Honorable Messrs. Girard, Royal and Dubuc would never have consented to take any part what- fioevei'. Without wishing to point out all the injustice [lerpetiated, under the pretext of our difficulties, I consider myself bound to say something on the actual occurrence, because the thi-ee honorable gentlemen so falsely accused are amongst the first French Canadians who came to reside in Manitoba after our troubles ; that tliey have ever sine* been devoted to the welfare of the coun- try, and that the injustice done to them Is prejudicial to our pojtidation. I shall add a word in favor of another friend of Manitoba, also very unfairly treated, and that, precisely, because he serves us with greater generosity ; Mr. L. R. Masson will allow me to express tiie feeling of gratituile in.spired to my- self and to our population, by the disin- terested zeal with which he vindicates the '"ights of his fellow-countrymen of Manitoba. I know that Mr. Masson took interest in the North- West, even before he meddled with politics. Inheritor of the important co'-respondence which the Honorable Roderick McKenzie held for years, with several members of the ancient Conij)aiiy of the North-West, Mr. Masson while studying and placing those valuable inedited documents in order, has acquired an amount of know- ledge on the North- W^est, that very few can command. Such information and the interest it brings with it, have nat- urally led Mr. Masson to follow, in a sjiecial manner, events concerning the popidation of Red River. Of late years, my personal I'elations with hi» family, the respectful regard and the gratitude I entertain for his venei'able mother, have brought me into friendly intercourse with this gentleman, and con- sequently he is acquainted with numer- ous details, unknown to many others, and that have contributed to increase the interests, however great, that he had already evinced. I have had am- ple reason to remark that, to extensive knowledge on the Noi'th-West, Mr. Masson joins a sincere desire to serve the same country. I am aware of the numerous s^'^rifices that the honorable member for Terrebonne has imposed upon himself, in our favor ; and since he is attacked and even insulted, on our account, we will be allowed to say that his effiorts and services are hei-e duly and gratefully appreciated. If ever the history of Manitoba be writ- ten by an impartial hand, his name will m 111 be therein set forth, in noble characters, among the most sincerely devoted friends of the French Metis and of the entire j)opahition of the Nortii-Wost. While a feeling of gratitude recalls the name of a friend, it, at the same time, loudly says that it should extend still further. As compensation for the regret I experienced while writing the preceding,' pages, I shall, before coming to a close, afford myself the consolation of expressing my satisfaction and happi- ness, in considering the attitude taken by those who defended and helped us amidsc our troubles --r.iiddiffi?nUiereciated that it was unani- mous. Thanks to the population that such Legislature so honorably repre- sents, for having so generously and so earnestly entreated in our behalf No one, to my knowledge, has been author- ized to say that the petitions, showing nearly sixty thousand signatures, have prevented the " severe tone of the Des- patches ;" but it is obvious that those petitions, together with the efforts of the Press, have greatly influenced the determinations lately come to. Not- withstanding the regret you experience, and in which I share, beloved country- men, it would be too cruel to imagine that your efforts are fruitless. The lives you pleaded for are saved i The vexatious prosecutions, inspired by ca- price or hatred, are about to cease. An important step has been made towards a definitive solution. A cooler appre- ciation and a little more courage, will enalilo us to finish what is begun ; and our solicitations will shorten the years of exile. Let us hope that it will not take five years for the question of am- nesty to pass definitely and e,xulusively to the domain of history. In all that is praiseworthy and gen- erous, the Canadian people always find their clergy at their head or encourag- ing their efforts. Hern, again, we can- not refrain from giving vent to the gratitude elicited by the earnestness rn^vttife?t«d ..in. . ftivor of Maniioba.. .a*., well for what was done openly, as for the numerous and fervent prayers imploring heavenly prot^ectiou and mercv. ,■ , -. ,-,'.- j^.,-.,--. n';''-. ';, •;,'v '•,.,?< We cannot sufficiently express to the Venerable Prelates who, also, so kindly . came forward to request that the premise made to one of their colleagues be not trifled wi:h ; that peace and tranquillity be restored to our popula- tion ; that an end be put to the excite- ment and uneasiness that have been already so baneful to many loyal sub- jects of Her Majesty. Thanks, My Lords, for this generosity on your part. Thanks, for having exposed yourselves to the mortification which was not withheld, and that a little more delicacv would have spared you. A more im- partial Judge than those of the earth will keep account of your efforts. The people confided to your solicitude and to mine, unite in a common feeling of respect, love and gratitude towards your Lordships. May the above pages which I know to be in harmony with the sentiments of those who are devoted to us, prove to them that the knowledge of facts, places and persons, can only add to our convictions. It is with this view that I take the liberty to lay them before my friends. \/ \ L I .tC. tXaJKtimN r.T>w * ■ 31 and NOT^. When inviting me to come from Homo, the Caniidian Government had promised that my travelling expenses would be defmyed. Now, in the interest of appeasing the North-west troubles, I not only came fi-om Rome to Fort Garry, but moreover made another journey from Fort Garry to Montreal and back again; another from Montreal to Niagara via Buffalo *nd back again ; ten trips from Mon- _.tr^-9lio_ Qttawa,__and as luapy more from Ottawa to Montreal (without men ioning those made at the request of the North-west Committee that were paid). For all the above travelling and all that concerns me personally, I received on the 7th February, 1870, the sum of $1000. As it is clear that this amount does not cover my expenses, I intend to demand the balance from the Canadian Government, in order to help, in so much, the families of Messrs. Kiel and Lepine during their banishment.