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32X
X I-I E
Historical & Scie|1tifig Society
OF MflNlTOSA.
The FiFst ReeordeF
()i< •
RUPERT'S LAND.
A Paper read Mm ttic Society on May 4tli, 1890,
BY GEORGE BRYCE, L L. D,
./ A/'A' MciiiIhi of' t/h- Socitiv.
TRANSACTION 40. SEASON 1890-91,
O t.^ ^•' t-
ti5b
no. 40
WINN I \'VA\ ■
MAMTtJliA I KI-:i': l'Ki:s,S rklNT.
1S!K).
335^
' //St
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4^ S
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'O
THE FIRST RECORDER.
Sketch of "Judge Thorn," an early l^ed River Celebrity.
llev. Dr Hrycc, uii Uli of May. m the City '
Hall, Wiiiiii|>»'g', bt fure the Historical and
Scientitic Society of Manitoba, read the f(.l-
lowin^f inteiesting biographical sketch of a
remarkable man of lied Kiver of old : —
In the winter of 1S82, while staying in Lon-
don, which the subject of this sketch med
facetiously to call "'the wen of the world," the
writer treciuently met a retired old gentleman '
often known as ".Judge Thom," who had '
more than forty years befijre made iiis entree
to Red Kiver Settlement as first recorder of
Kupert's Land. At the time of meetmg in
London the judge had entered upon his
eightieth year, lie was tall, and though
walking with a, slight stoop, was of command-
ing presence. He was what people usually
call a man of marked individuality. His
opinions were all formed ; he had views
on any matter that came up for disciission ;
and was very fond of a talk with a passing
friend. In conversation with tlie old gentle-
man it would be at once noticed that he hid a
large fund of information, and to any 'isitoi-
from Manitoba It was surfirising to see how
the lapse of ."{0 years' absence from thecountry
had tiot effaced a line from memory in regard
to the affairs of all the families ot that time
resident in Red River. In t'a^t .fudge Thom
had a marvellous mind for details. Some
would no doubt have called him lo(|uacious,
but to most he was a very interesting man.
Dr. Thom's broad Aberdonian accent had not
been greatly softened by his colonial resid-
ence, nor by his subsequent sojourn in Lon- |
don. In speech and ideas the Judge was a j
strong miiii, and it will be our pleasing duty
this evening to give the outlines of his some-
what eventtul life, which ended a little more
than two months ago
KAKLV LIl-K.
Adam Thom was born in Aberdeei* on the
30th of August, 1802, and had the remem-
brance to the last of hav'.ng seen in his tiiird
year the great rejoicing that took place after
Nelson's great victory at the oattle of Trafal
gar, October 21st., 1805. Indeed .fudge Thom
Was of opinion that a certain weakness of eyes,
fr(jm which he suffered all his life, was a re-
sult of the illuminations tliat took place in
connection with that great event. In the
year ISli), young Thom being, as he himself
says, "of the same age as .Joseph ii\ the pit on
hi( way to the pre.-<ence of Pharaoh,"' entered
King's College, ^Vberdeen, where he was a sne-
cesshil student, and gradua;td by 1S24
with the d'gree of Master of Arts. It was in
the second ytar of his course at Aberdeen that
he met with one who, far away on
the plains of Rupert's Land, was to be
his intimate friend and companion, whoiiv
indeed he was to call his "'alter ego. " This
was John McCallum, of whom we .iliall speak
mure fully and who it will be remembered
founded the .schc^ol, whicii became in time Kt.
•John's College in this city. Scotland was
then as now sending up its young men to the
great metropolis, whicli contains more Scotch-
men than Edinburgh, and in 1S2.") boili Thom
and his fellow-student McCallum found them-
selves earning their bread there, the former
in Woolwich and the latter in Jilacklit-uth
KMIOK.VTKS T(1 U.\NAIi.\.
About this time a great outflow of the
British people was taking place to th'^ new
world. In the year IS.Sl upwards of ;fO,000
people left the British Isles for Canada. t)\er-
jjressure of population and political discontent
were no doubt the chief factors in this great
emigration. In the following year a popular
movement to Canada was heaaed in the south
of England by Lord Egremont and three
ships carried the Sussex colony to the St.
Lawrence. To the enterprising mind of
young Thom the opportunities said to be
afforded by Canada were a great attraction,
and so taking tiielast shi|) of the season (1832),
the "Rosalind," from London, after a rough
passage, the vessel even running aground at
Anticosti in the, St. Lawrence, the young ad-
venturer reached Montreal. Carried away by
the new woild fever in the foLowing year his
friend, McCallum, also accepted the task,
under the patronage of Rev. David .Tones,
the Hudson ISay chaplain at Red River,
of founding a bo.trding .school for the children
of the Hudson liay cinnpanv otticer> and
others at the headipiarters of the company,
and sailed by the company's ship early in
1833 to come t)y way of Hudson Bay to the
scene of his future labors. Voung Thom
seems to have at once entered on the study of
law in Montreal, and with such diligence, that
according to hii own account, having his time
shortened by oneyrar because of his rlegree,
he was admitted into the profession of law in
the year 1830.
A POLITICAL WlilTEK.
To any of Mr. Thorn's friends it was e\i-
dent that there was in him to the end of his
life a strange restlessness of disposition. It
agrees completely with this that he should mt
h■^\e settled down to the routine of a lawyer's
life. His disposition led him to take great in
terest in juiblicatfairs. He was in mental charac-
teristics something of an independent thinker,
and yet his conclusions were usually rather
staid and ordinary. Hi» mental bias was
evidently that of a radical, while his social
180488
2
(liH|)()!(iti(iM lt-'<l him to hf stiihiwliat subntT-
vinnt tu |ire viiiliiitc iilwiM and ciintoin.s. In i
iiiftliDfl lie was radicial ; in fact, hf wan cun-
HHrvativH. It will be itHcesHary to bear in
mind this sniiHwIiat Mtrik'njf inliartrionionM-
ness ti) iiii(it'r«tand Moinn of the t'pisodt'H of hiw
lifn. Alfair.^ in Montreal at thin tiiim were
in a strained ccndition. It wan nhortly be-
fore the rebellion of 18;<7. The HritiHh colony
in Lower (Jinada held the reiliH (jf
power; the I'Vench Canadiant* were in a highly
(liHxati.itied state. I, luin I'apiiieaii waH Htir-
rinj; up tils I'rench cdiipatriots. In his sedi
tioiw cari'er he uaint out boldly for Rnpubli-
can principles. "The tiiii" has gone by," said
I'apineau, "when l']uroi)e could jfive inonarchH
to America. The epoch is iip|)roachinK when
Aineri(!a will «ive rei)ublic« tu Europe. Now
Adam Thom, thouirh, no doubt, sympathi/.int;
with the just claim of the Frencli (lanadians
for self Kuverntiient, was intensely j'riti.-ih in
feeling, and therefore fntered with great
ardour into the discussions then going on.
Well educated, fond of society, which in Slon-
treal was entirely under the control of the ml
ing powers, and with his career to
make, the young lawyer thtew himself
into the wordv warfare, and wro^e
the letters signed "Oamil!u'<." remembered for
many a d ly for their anti French ferxor and
liower. It is even said that for a time he
occupied the position of editor of the leading
English journal of Lower Canaia, the "Mon
treal Herald." His prominence as a publicii-t
naturally drew lohini the attention of Lore
Durham who arrived in Canada onhis mission
of [lacification on May L'ltth, ISliS The bril-
liant Karl of Durham, who did rn ire f.iv C.m
ada in the short six months of his stay in the
New World than any other (Jovernor-General
.n his full term, had the faculty of associating
witli himself men of the greatest ability. As
to the great report, Justin McCarthy says of
him in his "History of Our Own Times," "His
policy for the Oanadas was a great succt^ss.
It established the principled of colonial
government."' With him on his staff Lord
Durham had brought o\er as secretaries and
assistants three men of exceptional ability —
Charles ISuUei, who had been a member of
the l^ritish House of Comnicn«, the brilliant,
though somewhat wayward Edward Wake-
field, and Thomas Turton, a very clever bar-
rister. To this group of able assistants the
young lawyer Adam Thom wa^ added, and m
the train of the great Liberal statesman he
seems tf> have returned to Oreat Britain in the
autumn of LSIW, where he spent the winter in
London.
KEt'OltPEU .\T KEl) KIVKK.
In 1885 the Hud.son's Bay company received
back from Lord Selkirk's heirs the transfer
of the district of Assiniboine, which had
been sold to the Earl in 1811 As the |)0|)u-
lation of the settlement had grown by this
time to about r),000 souls, it was deemed wise
to have established some simple form of legal
institutions. A council (if fifteen members
apjiointed by the Hudson Bay company met
at Fort Garry on the 12th of February (if that
year and passed certain ordinances. Among
these was one dividing thesettlnment into four
districts, and estabiinhiiig a (lU.irterly court (it
summary jurisdiction in each of these v iinpe-
tent to ()i<hI w ith small amounts. Each of thesu
courts was empowered to refer any cas<^ of
doulr, or (litticulty to the Cnurt of (!i'',ernor
and Council of Assiniboine, as the Red River
Legislature and judicial b(jdy was callivl. The
estal>lisliment of a court of appeal sucii as had
been decidetl on, and the tnct tli it the( Jovernor
of the colony was sometimes a trader and
at other times a military olticer led the com-
))any to consider the necessity of appointing A
trained lawyer to adjudicate in such cases as
might arise, and to gi ,e legal advice to the
company in its complicated business. Ale.x-
antler Koss argues at .-lome length against the
need of thi:', but hi.s reasons show he had
little comprehenoion of the prinoiples on
which alone communities can advance. Sir
(ieorge Simpson had met the young lawyer
and political writer in .Nf out real, and ou the
completion of his et ;: ^t-ment with Lord
Durham ottered Mr. Ttioin the new judge-
shii) then decided on, and the first recorder of
Rupert's Land, or he is also called the
President of the Red River Court, left lOng-
land, canie by way of Xew \'ork and readi-
ed Fort Carry in the spring of l.S.S!). Sir
(Jeorge Simps(jn was credited with great
shrewdness in making the appointments for
the Hudson Bay company. It is evident from
the very considerable salary— 1'700 sterling a
year— paid the new judge at a time when
incomes were ridiculously low on Red River,
aw well as trom the unanimous opinion of
Ross, Dr. Mountain, Ilev. John Ryers^n. and
.fames Hargrave, the historian of the Hudson
Bay company, that Adam rh(jm was
a man of decided ability, ui>right
character, and very e.xtensive reading It
would seem to one now that a lawyer who
had practiced longer at the bar. and wh" had
not been so pronounced as a publicist in Mon-
treal, would have made a more impartial
judge, but the fact that for ten years he ad-
ministered law in the courts without complaint
would seem to show that the troubles which
arose in the later years of his judgeship arose
rather from the inevitable conflict between the
com|iany and the people than from any fault
of his.
Hi.s "alteh E(;o. '
We turn aside for a little to look attiie
career 8{ Mr. Thorn's college friend, .fohn Mc'
Calluin, who, as we have seen, in 183H came to
Red River to establish what to day has become
St. Johrj college with its attiliatod schools,
and it may be premised that in him
we hive one of the truest and most
practical men of the old Red River settle-
; ment. With the aid (jf his superior, Rev.
I Mr. Tones, buildings were erected between
the southwest corner of the present St. John's
\ churchyard and the river bank. In the year
I lS3(i Mr McCiiUum married the daughter of
Chief Factor Charles, of the H. B. Co. The
school steadily grew, and five years after its
; founding Rev. .Mr. Jones retumed to Eng-
lan(l and Mr. McCallum l oame heacl of the
institution, so that when the old frien(Js
; from Aberdeen met at Red River, the one.
.I\i(lj(e Thiiiii, wan till' heiul of tlic legal, tlic
DtlitT, .McCiiIliuii, iif till' t'(i(i(.'iiti(iiial, int^rt'Kts
of tlie wide fxti-iit if liu|i(Tt s I.iiikI. Oriniii
ally tht' hDiirdiiiK-^c.'lKMil liiid heeii hcjfiui
iiiidfr the iiiis|))ceM (if lliH ( Uiui'ch MiMsiitnary
Society, hut at tlit' tiiiif .it tli*- visit of
I>r. MuuiitiiHi, l>i>lio|) (if Mniitrt-al, to llid
liiver ill 1S44, a tliaiiKe had takt'ii
placf, fur tm >*ay^. "It i-< now
conduutf'd by Mr. .MeCalliiiii on his
own iicfount with tli» help of an alluwam.'e
from the comiiatiy. It w really a nice estali-
linhliieiit, and the preiijineH atlin hed to it have
more neatiitM.s and linisfi than is coinniun in
y.)Mnp: and remote Neitlemenis. The yo\itliM
have a nei rate (garden for ifuir own airuiHe-
iiKMit." Mr. McCalliim had by hin patience
and indiii-try taken such a hold on the coin
innnity that (Jii the visit of the
IllSIIOI' Ol' MONTIIK.M.
it vvah deemed advisable to ordain him, which
event took iilaceoii7th of fuly, 1K44. Mr.
llcC.illuin's dutie.s not only included the
suhdol but tor the next tiirec v<'ars the
incumbency of the parish church, which then
reckoned amonjrrst its hearers all the iieopleof
Kildonan. .f ud^e Thom had for several years
taken up his abode at Lowei l''ort(iarry, where
his wife and children li\ed with liiin. In the
year hSKi the British ( Joverniiient being
in the midst of ttie contention with the (nitcd
States over the < )reK'"i 'piestion and probably
on acconntof theenforcementot thecnniianv s
claims thought it wise to send out the (Jth
Royal regiment to Red River The Lower
Kort being reqtiired for the troops Judge
Th<im was compelled to seek quarters else-
where and seems to have lived, foi a year,
three; or four inile.s 'his side of the f rt. In
1S17 he purcha.seH the house, then just built
by Chief Factor Charles, in whicii the Bisho))
of Rup«ut's J,and now li.'es, and which is well
known as Bishop's Court. Judge Thom refers
with p.cuHar pleasure t(. the changes which
had made 1 im "door neighbor" to hin old
friend, McCalluni, "with notliing but a pad-
dock between." The school was now at its
height for there were in it more than fifty
paying pupils, including girls. From
it came A. K. Isbister, one of the
mo.st distinguished men born in Ruiiert's
Land, and to the " McCalbim school " mem-
bers of the older generation of Red River
settlers look back with fond affection. Sad
indeed was it for education and religion on
Red River that Mr. McCallum died in 184!).
Judge Thom became his executor and Bishop
Anderson, the first Bishop of Rupert's Land,
arrived just in time to perform the funeral
services ot the worthy teacher.
ST. .John's ('oi.LEnE.
On Mr. McCallum's death the school imme-
diately began to decline. Bishop Anderson
was so busy with the other duties of his office
that the institution was suffered to languish.
In 1855 a reorganization was attempted, a
number of the leading peojile of the
country were formed into a college board,
the name of St. John's college v\'as chosen, and
the coat of arms, with the beautiful motto
"In Thy Light Shall we see Light," adopted.
ill three or four years the want of succemt
I'.oinpelled the closing of the college. In IStio
tiie present Bishop of Rupert's Land arrived
at Red River. The Mc('alliim school build-
ings had become a ruin. On his leaving on
lii>; first jiurni'y in his dioce<e the bishop gave
orders that they should be pulled <lown. Thin
wan partially done, but th-i central
building was thougiit good enough to
be preserved. It was accordingly tpar-
ed, and those who have come to Mani
toba even in recent years may reniember
the house occupied by the Ri'v. Sannu 1 I'litch
ard the remnant of the Mcf-'allum buildingr.
Bishop .M.ichraj refi unded Si. John's (College
in iSCid, from which time it has tiad an t'\er
increasing and prosperous existence. Mr.
McCallum's widow and daughter, who are
still living, invested a sum of money for St.
John's college and the e.xcellent anomenie'er,a
gooci microscope and other instruments have
been supplied from this source. Judge Thom
always took a deep interest in St. John's
college, being one of its honorary fellows and
was also a benefactor of Manitoba college.
,iri)i;K TiiiiM IN ri ii: ic.
l'"roiii his high position and public sympa-
thies, .Fudge Thom became a most intluential
man in the Red River settlement. Ue had a
marvellous gift of language, and in such a
primitive society as that of Red River, was
sure to be looked up to by many as an oracle.
He was e.xceedingiy approachable, and his
ardent temperament led hiin to do all sorts of
kind service., for those who sought hin assist-
ance. When the bishopric of Rupert's Land
was founded, he became the registrar ; uhen
the Kildonan church wanted a deed he drew it
up, and made it so firm in its provisions that
when changes were necessary a few years ago
in the tenure they were very dithcult
to make. Thoutrh the agent of the
Hudson Bay company, and therefore bound
to carry out the policy of the company,
as to not tncouragmg the entrance of too
many religious bodies on Red River, he is
said to have had a hand at the same time in
framing the petitions forwarded to London by
the Presbyterians of Kildonan Rev. John
RytiHon. on his visit to Red River in 1S54,
tells of his going aown to Kildonan to hear
a lecture from Judge Thom "On the state and
' progre.ss of the Red River Settlement," and
' the hearer says that tha subject was treated
"with great elegance, beauty and ability."
In the cjuncil held at Fort ( Jarry the judge
was a leading spirit, and we are told that by
the |)eople generally "his influence was re-
I garded as disproportionately great.'' The
council being looked upon as the instrument
I of the Hudson's Bay Company, it is quite
[evident that his being a ruling influence in
I that body would subject him to severe criti-
cism l)y the people, and that to a certain
extent his influence
.vs A .lUDOE
would be lost. As already stated, the rela-
tions of the settlers on the Red Rivei to the
Hudson Bay company had become very un-
satisfactory. The company, by their charter,
no doubt had a monofoly of the fur trade.
finding It .hthcM.lt « l»'^:.7; I i„a..ed the ou.
hardly rrcoKn./.ed t « ^,'^"4^ clait... F..r «oin '
Vivny had n"**:"'"'^ '^^ .'e'-on Judge Tho.n .
^,l,iee_,twaHdmU-d to n ^^ ,;„vernor
con.l.any-. ^^'^T fin y'rcm an.ationK, cue f
(n.riHtie isHued ^"'' , '' , ttu-r I *fon' the coi.i-
,,any would ca"y any f^f'' ^,„t.r h.; had
kerlaration that foi .^ J'^^-^ e,n<aned. i»
tlie fur trad.' ^, ♦'h" "^T/Jy^ which wa; •^•'"^
th. wiiterot '^"y ™mth^^ ^''^^
tjy i.<««t to write h»H « ""•",■ ^declaration re-
«limldhenothaven.va. h. ^^^^ ^.^ l,,ter
,,uued aH to t""^'"^. "Vv, Trtice, open, to be
must be depoHited n th. umc , ^ ^^^^
"xan.intd I'Bfo^^.^.^'^.^acamentH. Ca-es a.e
tyrannical and «ev«re *■! *ctn ^^^ „„
cited in winch ^«"};X'rmd" inconvenience and
m(,narieswerecau«ui nucn'n ^^^^
InHs bv theHe Htnngent rfK"'" T„dKf Thoni,
iTnorlnd the. l^f .f.^r irfuf Vopular
naturally received ^\^^^^^' half-breed, took
disai-proval. ^^^^^ ^1, fnaKain^t the company,
the lead in the ^^K^^tiitum^^' ^^^ ^^^ y ,n
A Htran(?e "to'V. 't/v'^iu breeds who had hither-
whnh the English hall weeu cain«
uiupported the f "'". ft'^^-n-rench fellow-
to tl-row in their lot wi'''\;"';'p, had left hiP
Countrymen. A comimny ~ ^^ ^.^ ^ed^
two daughters at lortua^y ^^^ affection of
One of them was the obje^ct ^^ ^^^
« v. une Scotch ba,ltBreeo, mu„ y(,nng lady
'tiiCofa young Highlander T^ey ^K^ ^^^^
"said to have P'-^^^/'-ie young Hiehlander.
k,nd parent f^-.;^J gS^^y" the {atherH ap ,
The Scotchnian, fortihea y ^^^ 5^ t,, {or his
proval, proceeded to upOT.i ^^^^ ^j „„e ,„
b>n^o^etr«e^iy,^^A^i-^n^
company. ,,.«„ ^kfaiu.
.,fter the publication
During the ^v? yf^J^.^-^, tin agitatu.n was
of the proclamation a const ^^ leader of
going on among t»^« ^Z^^bettev known to the
this uproar bore a name Dtv ^^^^ ^^^^^
esent ^ene^ation a. .hat ^^^ .^^^
\.ouiH Kiel. Kiel the e^a ^^^^ ^ ^
Isle a la Crosse, ."^"5^^^ ,;,,(i ^ French half-
Knell Canadian f;UVi«. ^^^^ ^^ Lower
breed mother. ^ "/^J^'^^iorthwest to enter the
Canada, came to the .^ur ^^^ ^^^^ y^.^^s
Service of the company. ;^^^^^^ ^^ afterwards
a novice in the !^ ''**^';'„^'i5eine, three or foui
built a water nuU ,^," ^Kce made a canal nine
miles from St. .^P«^*^f '^"^^ married to one
miles long to feed i*' J^^^" ^j^re family, and
rt the well known L^«i n^df ^^ ^^,^gi,,o„
from this umon spra g ^^^^^^^^^ was a very
fame. The miller of the v.is
capable man ; had * ^reat 1 ^^^^^ ^g,iM
fellow countrymen , and wa thoroughly
When popular feel nK nan (juillautne
,^„«edithappene,d tha in ^^^^^^^^ j ^t
wa« done, but Sa,.. only was V^\i::i:S
Ah the day of trial <?« '^ ';,; Caldwell wan
,„ent grBW intense. '.'J^T,,,,,,,,, ,t wa,H
known to be '{'"f '' ^t^„ \h.- fan... ." "Anti
rememb.-re'..,had wr ttt t „„,reover,
(lall.c lett..rs" in ^}''"'J [,^ ,.olicy of re-
Haid to be ,he director '' *■ ' ,nan. The
■ Sanction, and •'«''•''"»'£ ''.Iscen.u.n day.
aay of trial had bjen hM.l religious
' May 17th, and this was t^f^'^ ^'^^ ^^, to meet
Sfmtby the ^"rench J - -u ^j^^, ,, ,1 bun
i„ the morning. </" ^/^^,.„;,i. came fn.m a
areds of French Metis, a. » ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^,^1
the settlements to ^^^ , f j^, of the church,
leaving the.t guns at tbe ^ ""^,,,^^ ^^.y gath
ont.)red for service. At tie c ^ ^^^.y
ered together and were add -h^ ,.,,„tryman
oration by Loum \^^l-J\\ .'Louis Riel .«b-
writing of the «natt^^ ;' y,!', ^j^^^ occasion,
tained a v^ritab « tr mn p . o ^^^^ ,,^,^.^t,A
and long ai'd l"'^\'^''f.'a river." Crossing by
by the echoes c^ \^i\','^'t"e Metis surrounded
way of Voint P^^^l'^s, t le x ^,
The unguard.'d ^ou t home^^.''L,,,d t.u.k their
The governor '^^'^l.^''^^' T cnrivn. scene then
; Beats at e evn o.eU ck. ^ ^i,,^ against the
I ensued, tbe tuag^tia es pu ^^^i^,,„g that
' violence, Rjel .'» T' '^iVunal one hour, and
they would give t " , they would
that if justice were not dc"e j^,,^ then t'u.k
do it themselves. A.^ a ^^.^^^^^ th
place between -Judge 1 noil declare
Tis loud J««l'^^**;""saYer est libre"— -;
ue dis ce moment bayer ^^^^ ^^^^^j
downed by tlie shouts of J-^Jj^,^,' ^^ rs
was over and Sayer ^n^j^^^om. while the
betook themselves to f eeO ^^^^^ ,,„,„,erce
departing ^f«^^'^;"'lce est li'>re '. vive la
est libre'. le ''".'"" ^'''^ «eri 01. jne. Judge
Uberte." This crisis ^'.^^-"J'^,, George Simp-
Thorn, at the ^^^Pg,^?J'7Jon the bench for a
sondidnott^ake HM'*''^ ^^^ition a„d his
year though be still heian ^ ^^ ^^ attempt
:^trS.n^:o::i^clitsdistastefulmono-
l>oly (vniKH C.VSKS
•' O'l'llKH l.A.-ir.-. ^
The co..sUtutK>n of the «^}^^j;%^;JX^^^
„,ade it <iuite pos> b e un .^^,^,,, and asso-
sent himself and for tr *-_« business,
cuued magistrates o "^^'y^ alfair a very
About a y:^\*i^" in which what would
complicated cfse.'^mf,;" ^^^iety j,^„rt (iarry
be called the leade.^o soc^ >^^ ^^^ ^ ^
were involved. l^^^^^^J ^fticer of the pen-
officials. Gapt. I os.«ta ^ipfamat.onof
sioners, brought an aaum ^^^^ ^^^ f^
character against I rader / „,„,eting h'S
aud two other pers-ns tor ^^^^_j f the
name dishonorably wt; ^^j. Governor
^;rtleuian in charge o rtC^^^^^^^^^ .^^^^^^
lunpson and •{"<*«'' J ,""'„„ the occasicm
^case Pri^?^'^l\' ae." -i^bom took his seat
jf the trial -'u^R'- "• fV,„uah apparently
i'^'" *t .3": re oSvernoi Caldwell,
u.uch to the d^^lj^^^^^^^^^^ ^^,, approval of Gov
After this, tor a year w. j^^ ^>,,,i
Sin.p-^on, therecorder du n^^ ^^ j,,^ ^,„rt
jXeThoiuwasapp.)... 1^^^, I so con-
tuhthe ^'^T ''tfth. time o his departure
tinned to act until th'^tm. ^^ ^^^^^_ ^^^^^ .^an
' for England. Ktcoru.
iw>n.
wax
WftM
Anti
over,
{ re-
TI.H
1 diiy,
i/iiif-et
1 livin
•I nil nil
,, and
jliurcn,
,<ath-
a tiery
tryiiia"
IW\ <>b-
ccaHion,
cliciited
sHinK by
roundud
(larry.
.ok their
;,.nH then
ain«t the
iriiiK that
uxir, and
,,.y would
then t'lok
i.and with
5 declare
bre" —
s, the tnal
.• ()rii»()nerrt
while the
cdtiimtrce
^, I Vive la
ne. JndKe
•oitse SiHip-
bench for a
;,n and hiH
the attempt
^tefidnio""'
Fort (iarry
currier to ab-
iior and awso-
\,e business,
aliaiv a very
w'liat would
^tFortUarry
of Company
!■ uf the pen-
(lefaniation of
y and hi-^ wife
J nnecting Ins
family "f the
iry. Governor
uined into the
t\H' occasion
took his seat
h api)ai''"'^''!.y
ernoi C;ildwell.
.p,,rovalofGov
, sit. In lf'->i
,rk >f t*'« '^ '"'■'^
Iv and so con-
, Vis departure
other cases than
thoHfl mentioned are foimr' i day in proceed-
IHKH. I'p to the year iSi'.i the work 'loiiH liy
tfiiilKe Thom seeiiis to huvc l»'en Very Mati><-
facl(;ry and elhcH'tit Col. (^roftoii te»tilied
that in lsl7 the Uui\\ liusinesM waj* done in a
peifei!tly smooth and MUccessfnl niiinni'r. In
is|S .)ii(l^{e Thorn (li'liM-icd iiulKtiient on
tlie (.^.ilder cnse, iiuolviTi>{ the iuriiilijtinn of
the I liidsoii's l'>ay r<iin|i:iiiy, and that has heen
(pioted with approval as an important opinion
in the Sujireine C'Hirt of Canada liy a pro-
minent <^. C. of this city.
IIBllKNS TO HHIT.M.V.
Fifteen years of service in the remote and
isohvted ^^etllelllent of lied lliviT ha<l enabled
the ifc irder to accuiii'diUe a handsome iMMipe-
tence. Mis fi lend .MiCiilliim was <had. and
ttie I roubles hetwteii the conipiiny an the
people made it disa^jreeable for the well
abused jiid^[H to remain in his new worlil
sphere. He accordiiiKly rewi^'ned, and re-
turnin>? by way 'if York ['"actury saded from
th It port in the company's ship "The I'lince
of Walen" on Septend.er 'J(l, iMol.wJtfl his wile
and t\Ko sons. ( )n the ves.sel there was the
Arctic explorer I )r. I!:ie, who had just found
the Hr-it traces of .Sir .(olm Franklin ; and also
Rev. .lohn Ryersoii, who has left a writtiii
account of the voynKe, which proveil to he
tedious and (laiiKeroUM, taking nearly
six weeks to London. In the second year
after his return .Fucl^e Thom received the de-
gree of LL.I>. from his own unlver^ity a*
Atieroeen in recognition of his attainments.
He appears to have lived at Fidinburi,'li and
Tonpiiiy in what miifht seem lo be his dfclin
iiig years, but removed to fondon in I.s70and
took up his abode in his wi-W known rt sidfiice,
4'.> Torrinuton .Srpuire, a score of years lon^'er.
The family of his dt'iiaited friend were a con
Htaiit care to him. l<'or tlifiu he always show-
ed a pa <sionate ref,'aid. .\ fi'oubli.some law-
suit witfi a leading ba ikin^; house in
for misuse of his funds, worried him f
and Hnded in his Insjntf the ca-ie.
III.S l.llKliAUV TKNI>KN<'IKs.
The Bishop of Mont,real, on his visit to
Fort Garry in lS4t, mentions that at that
time lte:!order Thom "was deefily entraged
latterly in liiblical studies." In 1M21 at
Aberdeen he had joined the Hebrew clas«, an
ext aordinary tliim,' for an aspiratiu to the
legal |)rofessi'in. But like numbers of ^''eat
8tud"nts he had become involved in the
seemingly hopeless ma/.esof the interpretation
of the j.rophecies of Scripture. In ISITlie
completed for i)ublication his work on the
tytiical character of what he calls "Abra-
ham's 4;50 years." An active mind like that
of .Judtre Thoni must have something,' on
whicli to work. In not liaMnx enou^jh to Hll
ui> his time anrl utilize his ener-
gies, he must have some abstruse
line of study. His mind seems to
have had a b-Mit toward? mathematics, and his
inclination and probably early*training led
him to be. a minute study of the Bible, e\en
in the original tongues. As showing his bene
toward figures, the writer remembers .fudge
TKom saying that he never trot into a London
omnibuH — many of whose figures run up into
London
I years
the thousands without resoh ing the number
into its factors, and combining tie in in e\ery
possible manner. Nuthing delighted him so
much as to g) t an appreciative IJMtener and to
refer for an h Mir at a time to the inarMllou.^
events of history and to show that th-'y were
not isolated, liut were part of a great system
of developlm nt.
MLS IIUK.\T IIOIUIV.
His reverence anil his mathematical bias
at length settled on Mil idea which completi'ly
mastered him, and made him in his later years
a perfect arithmetical enthusiast. There is
lying before the society his large octavo work
of ;I00 pages printed by lieminglon it <'o.,
lioiidoii, and which contains his elaborate
theory. This work has his essay, which he
calls "Kmnanuel," in a " pentaglot minia-
ture," i. e, in English, {''rencli, German,
Italian and Spanish. In the preface it is
stateil that a lady, evidently one of the Mc-
Calimn family had placed the means at his
disposal for printing an edition for gratuitous
distribution to friendsand leariiKl bodies. The
dedication of this strange work runs thus :
"To
.Miss K. .1. M..
The Self-iliinliiK' Donor
of
Kliiniainu'l's Polyglot AiitoliioL'ni|ili.v
To Mie Appriiiiriate l,ilirarii s
All rniMid the dlolie."
.\n invesciKatioii of the work shows Uiat his
idea is that 'M and 'M, which he in some way
regiirds as the alternative numbers represent
ing the length of our Saviour's life on earth,
are normal units of all the great events of
history. Of course, though he so thoroughly
believed in his theory and in its very great
value, vft it may easily be seen that it is only
a serie.s of arbitrary groupings and fanciful
idetititications. The wonder is that a mind
of such strength could have wasted itself on a
[)ath so fruitless and so extravagant.
l..\s\- D.ws.
In summing up the life of the tirst judge of
Rupert's liaiid, it is eviderit we are dealing
with a irian of great activity and capaiity. He
was perfectly at home in the (Jreek and fjatin
classics ; he was a Hebrew scholar, and well
acffuainted with our own literature. He was
well versed in law, and gave his ofiinions with
fullness and decision. An active newspaper
writer in his earlier days, tie always main-
tained a lively interest in public idfairs. It
was his misfortune to be crushed between
the two strong forces jf a great trad-
ing coiiifiany's interest and the natural
aspirations of a iieople after freedom. \o
<loiibt this wounded his firoud spirit deeply
and prevented him ever visiting the Red
River \gain as he would have liked to have
done. He was no trimmer ; he was not even
liolitic. He had strength of feeling and
tenacity of purpose. Though somewhat diffi-
cult to work with yet he was open, and at
heart kind and considerate. Passing away
as he did fin the 21st of February of this year,
in his eitfhty-eighth year, in a (piiet old ago
we may well drop a syiri))athetic tear to the
memory of the hone»t old warrior.