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THE Ordinary Monthly Meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute was held at the new rooms, 15 Strand, on Monday, February 19, The paper read was by Mr. F. W. Chesson, Secretary of the Aborigines Protection Society, and was on the new Canadian province of " Manitoba. " His Grace the Duke of Manchester, the president, occupied the chair; and there were present the Right Rev. Robert Mackray, Lord Bishop of Rupert's Land, the Venerable Archdeacon Hunter, late of Rupert's Land, Lord Alfied Churchill, Sir Bartle Frere, Sir Charles Nicholson, Bart., Sir John Rose, K.C.B., Mr. H. Blaine, Mr. Conolly, Mr. Sedgwick Cowper, Dr. Cheadle, the Rev. Jas. Davis, Mr. Dallas, late Governor of Rupert's Land, Mr. C. W. Eddy, Hon. Sec, Mr. Isbister, Mr. Edward Jenkins, Mr. Labillifere, Mr. Macfie, M.P., Mr. M'Arthur, M.P., Mr. Molineux, Dr. Russell, Mr. A. R. Roche, Dr. Rae, Col. Millington Synge, Mr. Sargeaunt, Col. Torrens, M.P., Geoeral Sir Garnet WoUeley, Mr. Wheeler, Agent-General for Queensland, Mr. Leonard Wray, Mr. Edward Wilson, and Mr. C. Wray. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed, and the secretary announced that Prof. Smith, of Australia, and Sir George Verdon, late Agent-General for Victoria, had been elected hon. members of the institute. Before proceeding to the ordinary business of the meeting, Mr. Edward Jenkins remarked how inconvtnient it was that they could not hold their meetings in the rooms of the Institute of Civil Engineers. It was purely the fault of the Government that the fellows had to resort to the small rooms of their own institute. The society had been threatened that every time they used the rooms of the Institute of Civil Engineers they would have to pay income-tax. This was monstrously absurd, and he wished to ask the members of Parliamant present if they would ascertain whether that parsimonious policy was to continue. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Chesson then proceeded to read his paper. He said: I have undertaken to address you this evening on a country which is one ot the oldest and at the same time the youngest of the colonies of Great Britain. This statement may appear paradoxical, but it is ueveithe- (J a; 4 Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. Jess true. Manitoba owes its formal existence as a cf»Tom' to an Act of the Canadian Parliament, vrhich was, so to apeak, only passed yesterday. In reality, however, the germs of colonial life and of local self-government have existed there for considernhly more than half a century ; and, if a still larger view of the past history of this region be taken, we are carried back to a time when — although the banks of the Red River and the Assinniboine had not then emerged from their primeval desolation — the subjects of the French King had penetrated far into the interior of Rupert's Land, and even into very northerly latitudes, in pursuit of the fur trade. That was an age of romance — an age of romance, happily, bat little disfigured by scenes of violence and blood ; for the French voyagetir, while ever daring and reck- less, even amid the everlasting solitudes of the wilderness, yet found it neces- sary to depend upon the Indian for his peltries, and to treat the confiding savage as an ally and a friend. He found that tlie interdependence of one man upon another, of one race upon another, is the great law of nature, am! that, indeed, he could turn t'-ic skill and agil'itj' of the native hunter of wild animals largely to his own profit and to that of his employers. Long before Charles II. granted a charter to the Hudson's Ray Company, French Cana- dians who rendered allegiance to ""the most Christian king" traversed the inclement shores of Hudson's Bay, as well as tliose more genial tracts which are watered by the Saskatchewan. By making friends with the Indians, and engaging in a system of barter with them, they provided the Canadas with an ample supply of those luxurious furs which, while enriihing tlw merchants of Montreal — a class vividly portrayed in Washington Irving's ** Astoria " — opened up new avenues of trade, and largeh' added to the comfort of mankind. It is not necessary to enlarge upon these well-kno'..n facts, and 1 only mention them now because thfty indis- putably prove that, when Canada regained her lost inheritarire, Hhe did but enter into possession of what was clearly her own. Is speaks well for English statesmanship — at least for the statesmanship of twenty years ago — that long before the Hudson's Bay Company surrendered its monopoly to Canada, long before the commencement of those delicate and protracted negotiations which defied the skill of successive Secretaries of State and Canadian Governments, until Lord Granville cut the Gordian knot — the greatest authorities on colonial questions in the Imperial Par- liament, without distinction of party, recognised the paramount importance of opening up to colonisation territories virhich the exigencies of the fur trade had necessarily doomed to barrenness and isolation. One cannot but speak with sincere respect of the manful eflForts which the late Duke of Newcastle made in this cause ; of the eifective aid which the late Undtr- Secretary for the Colonies,. Sir Charles Adderley, rendered to it; of the caustic eloquence with which Mr. Roebuck advocated the great interests of colonisation ; of the sigacious insight and comprehensive breadth of the speeches which Mr. Gladstone delivered on the same subject. With epi- grammatic point Mr. Roebuck once remarked that " where the axe of the settler rang, there fur and the trapper disappeared." It followed that wher^ the trapptr pursued his prey, the ring of the settler's axe could not possibly be heard ; and thi.*, indeed, inevitably accorded with the policy of the fur- B^iZr m MP Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. traders, who, havinf? fulfilled the chief end of their incorporation, have now wispl}' subordinated their trade in the beaver, the martin, and the otter to that far higher object which, as Mr. Roebuck truly said, was, "that British North America should bear the preponderance in fact which it bore upon the map." I do not wonder that a man like Mr. Gladstone, whose imagina- tion always kindles under the influence of an inspiring theme, should have felt " a romantic interest " in this question. The loftiest flight of the imagination could hardly soar above the reality. No man with a grain of poetry in his nature could contemplatt' without emotion a country which, although inhabited by tribes whose nuniberi*, all toM, do not exceed the population of a second-rate English city, yet occupies a 8U()erficial area nearly as large as the continent of Europe. That vast expanse of mountain and prairie ; those virgin forests unscathed by fire or axe ; those wide-spreading plains which supply herbage to the liufTalo, and reverberate only with the sound of his elephantine tread ; those noble rivers, like the Mackeneie and the Saskatchewan, in which no vessel stouter than the fragile canoe has ever threaded its perilous way ; those yet more majestic lakes, like Winnipeg and Manitoba, which are really inland feas, capable of bearing on their bosoms the navies of the world — these iiierely superficial facts of the physical geography of Rupert's Land may well excite the enthu^iiasm of any man whose mind is able to appreciate the grandeur and sublimity of nature. Even the late Sir George Simpson— who in his evidence before the Select Committee of 1857, said " he did not think there would be any emigration into the Hudson's Bav country for ages to come" — that is to say, I suppose, until over-population has driven the victims of the anti-Malthusian theory into the most sterile regions of the globe — felt constrained, when describing Rainy River, to anticipate the day when *' this noble stream " would bear " crowded .steamboats on its bosom," and when "populous towns" would line its picturesque borders. What waa iliis but giving a prose version of the well-known lines — " Behind the scared squaw's birch canoe The steamer smokes and raves. And city lots are staked for sale Above old Indian graves." The truth is that the Hudson's Bay territories were depreciated partly because the pursuits of the fur trade necessarily conflicted with any scheme of colonisation, and p."irtiy because, at least, to the superficial oliserver, a country so desolate, so inclemeat ajd apparently so sterile, possessed none of those attractions which perpetur '7 meet the eye in more southerly lati- tudes. But at that very time there was al undant evidence to show that every part of the Hudson's Bay ten. »es was valuable to civilised man. As Siberia has shown — as the diamond-fields of Southern Africa are now showing — as the history of gold discovery in both California and Australia amply testifies, the wealth of a country is far from always depending upon the fertility of its soil, or upon its fitness for agricultural operations. True, there miist be adequate and economical means of subsistence either on the spot, or easily accessible: otherwise the transport of supplies would cost far too much to admit of mining and other pursuits proving remune- Mr, Chcsson on Manitoba. rattve. The ability to obtain a continuous and sufficient supply of food must f<>rin the basis of all successful enterprise in a new count. y. How, then docH this rule apply to the Hudson's Bay territories ? Writing of the southern shores of Hudson's Bay, between Cape Jones on the east and Cape Henrietta INIaria on the west, Mr. John M'Lean says that, although the finer cereals cannot be ra ised on the shores of the l>ay itself, beans, barley, turnips, potatoes, cujumbers, cauliflowers, all flourish at Moose factory; while the rivers swarm with sturgeon, pike, herring, the white fish, &c. It is, moreover, believed that within forty miles of the coast the finer cereals can be cultivated. Of Athabasca Mr. M'Lean says: — " The people of this part subsist entirely on tlie produce of the country — 6sh, flesh, and A>wl, of which there is the grettt«^st abundance." Mr. Isbister told the Select Com- mittee of 1857 that he had raised barley and potatoes as far north as Fort Norman on Mackenzie's river — that river which is navigable from the Arctic ocean to the Great Slave Lake, and which flows through a district enriched with iron, copper, silver, lead, and coal. Mr. M'Lean gives quite a picturesque description of the farm attached to Fort Simpson on the Mac- kenzie, although at the time of his visit hundreds of natives, living in the district had died of starvation. This gentleman, who was for twenty-five years in the Company's service, also states that " the banks of the Atha- basca, Peace, Slave, and Mackenzie rivers present many localities fit for farming operations." Viewed by the light of these facts how important is the testimony of the late Sir John Richardson. "It would be true economy," he wrote, " in the Imperial Government or in the Hudson's Bay Company, who are the virtual sovereigns o f the vast territory which spreads northward from Lake Superior, to ascertain without delay the mineral treasures it contains. I have little doubt of many of the accessible districts abounding in metallic wealth far greater than all the returns which the fur trade can ever yield." The Company did not and could not — without endangering its monopoly — engage in the undertaking to which it was invited by the sagacious Arctic traveller ; but I hope that Canada, with a just and natural solicitude for her own material interests, will lose no time in developing the mineral resources of the great posses- sion whose destinies have been entrusted to her control.- I remember the impression which was produced on the Select Committee of 1857 by the beau- tiful specimens of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, cinnabar, malachite, &c., from the Hudson's Bay territories, which Professor Tennant submitted to the Committee ; and it is lamentable that during the last fifteen years next to nothing should have been done in Kuper t's Land to unlock from the earth the treasures which lie buried beneath its surface. What little has been done is due mainly to a few adventurous gold-miners — veritable descendants of the Gryphons and Aremaspians of antiquity — who have toiled for years at the surface-diggings on the banks of the Saskatchewan ; and it is surely greatly to the credit of these hardy pioneers that not long ago two or three of their body journeyed altogether six thousand miles in search of the probable source of the precious metal in the Rocky Mountains — a quest which proved unsuccessful, because they fell short of supplies. But we have not had long to wait. Gold has recently Mr, Chesson on Manitoba. I been discovered in large quantities near the sources of Peace River ; and, according to the latest intelligence, diggers are swarming into the New El Dorado from the Northern Missouri. The fisheries of Mackenzie's Kiver, of Hudson's Straits, of Ungava Bay, and of a thousand other streams and lakes, do not need to be enlarged upon. VVhuIe-lisheries, salmon- fisheries, fisheries of all kinds, may be established on any scale which the largest enterprise may project. I might dwell especially upon the salmon and sea fisheries of Labrador, or upon the great whale fisheries of the Arctic Sea, which in two years, according to a report of the Secretary of the American Navy, yielded to our enterpri sing neighbours eight millions of dollars. Longfellow writes : — " Forth upon the Getche Gumee, On the shining, big sea water, , With his fishing-line of cedar— Of the twisted bark of cedar — Forth to catch the sturgeon Nahma, Nishe-Nahma, King of Fishes, In his birch canoe exulting ; All alone sat Hiawatha." And all alone, so far as this country is concerned, still sits Hiawatha. Nor is this all. It would not be difficult to show that all the special pro- ductions for which Great Britain and other countries are now largely dependent upon Russia can be procured, in ample profusion, from Rupert's Land. The mountain cannot go to Mahomet ; what is needful is that Mahomet should go to the mountain. That such a country should have been for two centuries more or less in the possession, or under the control, of Great Britain without its resources, except in the single article of furs, being developed, is creditable to us only upon the assumption that paisi- vciQiuy is a national virtue, and stagnation a desirable condition of human affairs. Canada has begun the work of opening up and settling the Hudson's Bay territories by creating the new province of Manitoba, which, stretching northwards to Lakes Manitoba and Winnipeg, and extending from east to west through three degrees of longitude, includes all the settled parts of the Red River and the Assinniboine. It would be inconsistent with my present object if I expatiated on the history of these settlements, or narrated the deadly feuds, and even the sanguinary battles, which disturbed the peace of that region soon after Lord Selkirk first pitched his tent in it. Those animosities were for ever set at rest by the union of the rival fur companies, and by the consequent establishment of one supreme m onopoly. But, in justice to a hardy race, it ought never to be forgotten that the banks of the Red River were settled in 1812, 1813, and 1816 by three bodies of High- land emigrants. Ag we all remember, Dr. Johnson once remarked that " the noblest prospect which a Scotchman ever sees is the high road that leads him to England." While appreciating the humour, and to a certain extent admitting the truth, of the great lexicographer's joke, I am not prepared to say that the British metropolis bounds the horizon of a Scotch- man's aspirations. On the contrary, wherever there is honest and good work to be done on the face of the globe, there a Scotchman will be found w 8 Mr. Chcsson on a 'Manitoba. performing liia share of it manfully — often, as at the more distant post:< of tho Hudson's Bay Company, under circumstances peculiarly tryiniif to his constitution, his patience, and his self-control. Lord Selkirk's Iliglilanders, as I have said, were the founders of those settlements which, although in the first instance struggling with poverty, with famine, and even with civil war, are now as prosperous as they are well ordered and enterprising. They have had their difliculties, arising from a want of a market for their produce, from periodical Hoods and plagues of grasshoppers, and more recently from the revolt of the French half-breeds, under a young and fiery lower Canadian named Louis Kiel. Hut although the fact is perplexing to moralists, good does sometimes come out of evil ; for un- questionably the movement of the disaffected half-breeds who established themselves at Fort Garry, and who set up a '^"overnmeni.and even hoisted a flag of their own, had the effect of induoi Canada to concede to the province a far more complete system of local and representative government than Mr. McDougall was empowered to establish, when his entrance into British territory was successfully barred by a hostile force. There is ano- ther circumstance upon which the Red River people may fairly be congra- tulated. I refer to the bloodless suppression of the insurrection. No sooner did Sir Garnet Wolselsy and his gallant red-coats make their appearance, than, as if by an enchanter's wand, the whole fabric of organised anarchy dis- solved, Riel and O'Donoghue disappeared, and the Union Jack superseded both the bunting and " the buncombe " which the malcontents at Fort Garry empIo3'ed to give a colour of realitj' to their short-lived Republic. That Canada made mistakes, over which it is now desirable to cast a veil, every one, including Canada herself, is now disposed to admit ; but I have not heard the most exacting critic allege that Sir Garnet Wolseley committed a single error, or question his title to the honours which were bestowed upon hiin after the successful issue of his expedition. The future of Manitoba need excite no apprehension. The only wonder is that it should ever have rested under i cloud of ignorance and misrepresentation. There is no region in North America which oflters greater natural advan- tages to settlers. Indeed, the most impartial witnesses have always borne Oiie uniform testimony to the boundless fertilit}' of the valleys of the Red River and the Assinniboine. What did the Bishop of Montreal say in the work which he published twenty-five years ago? " The soil, which is allu- vial, is beyond example rich and productive," and " the people," he says, " revel in abundance, but it is all for home consumption ; they have no out- let, no market for their produce." Wheat is the staple crop ; and Professor Hind, whose explorations have justly placed him in the front rank of American geographers, is of opinion that new varieties from Canada or the New England States would ripen in three months. He is equally enthusi- astic in regard to other crops, such as hay, hops, beet, and flax ; while be pronounces the prairies of Red River to be the finest in the world. Taking a more general view of the country, he estimates that the total quan- tity of the finest arable land between the Red River and Moose Woods, on the southern branch of the Saskatchewan, is 11,100,000 acres, and that the land lit for grazing purposes occupies a similar area. Nay, more; Pro- Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. ffessor Hind, as the result of his exploration, afllirms that a " continuous Lelt can be settled and cultivated from a few miles west of the Laiie of the Woods to the passes of the Rocky Mountains, and any line of communica- tion, whether by waggon, road, or railroad, passing through it will even- tually enjoy the great advantage of being fed by an agricultural population from one extremity to the other." Among the examples which Professor Hind gives of the extraordinary productiveness of Red River, there is one derived from the experience of Mr. Gowler, a settler on the Assinniboine, about nine miles from Fort Garry. This gentleman alternated his v/heat with other crops — a method of cultivation which enabled him to grow 56 measured bushels to the acre; his turnips are described as "magnificent;" and the Professor remarks that the potatoes " far surpassed in quantity, quality, and size any he had ever seen before." In parting with his guest, Mr. Gowler — a shrewd, John Bull sort of farmer — pointed to the prospect before them, and then delivered himself of the following speech : — " Look at that prairie; 10,000 head of cattle might feed and fatten there for nothing. If I found it worth my while, I could enclose 50, 100, or 560 acres, and from every acre get 30 to 40 bushels of wheat year after year. I could grow Indian corn, barley, outs, flax, hemp, hops, turnips, tobacco, anything you wish, and to any amount ; but what would be the use ? There are no markets ; it's a chance if my wheat is taken, and my potatoes I may have to give to the pigs. If we had only a market, you'd have to travel long before you would see the like of these prairies about the Assinniboine." It is needless to multiply testimony — to pile Ossa upon Pelion. The burden of all the complaints made in the old times was the want of a market for the surplus produce of the country. The first duty of Canada, therefore, is to provide its new province with a direct and regular means of communication with itself on the one hand, and with British Columbia on the other. At present, practically the only outlet is through American territory. What the Americans are doing in Minnesota (where 30,000 new emigrants settled in the year 1870) oughi to be an incentive to similar, if not greater, exer- tions on our own part. The present excellent Bishop of Rupert's Land, who speaks with an amplitude of personal knowledge to which I can lay no claim, has made a statement the full significance of which can only be judged by a careful examination of the map He says : — " Lines of railway are approaching from the South through the State of Minnesota at the rate of nearly a mile a day during the summer. The nearest station on thp line from St. Paul is now at Breckinridge, on the Red River, withia 200 miles of Manitoba. The North Pacific line, which has been made this summer from Duluth City, on Lake Superior, will probably have a station thi>? autumn fifty miles nearer ; and from this latter station the Red River, which has two good steamers on it, is navigable except at low water, while ships can sail from Liverpool to Duluth. At the most, a railway to Manitoba may be looked for within two years, and telegraphic communication witli Breckinridge is to be completed this autumn." It Ls desirable to remurk that the period to which his lordship referred has long since passed, and that much of the work of which he gives so striking a description has been already accomplished. B Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. The Americana have stolen a march upon us; for with a just appreciation^ of the value of the trade of Red River, their railway to Pembina, which is on the boundary line, will be completed by the end of the present year. Thanks to the restrictive policy which has so long closed that country against all access from the civilised world except through American terri- tory, or, what was far worse, through the distant and perilous waters of Hudson's Bay and straits — the latt er involving besides a six or eight weeks' canoe journey to York Factory — thanks, 1 say, to this restrictive policj', there was not until last year any direct or regular means of communica- tion between Canada and the Red River ; and if one may jud ge from the complaints which have since been made, the existing arrangement is far from being a satisfactory one. The tide of emigration to Manitoba, even from Canada itself, must flow through Northern Minnesota unt'l a railway has been constructed. To say nothing of Canadian authorities of the highest reputation, Colonel Synge has demonstrated before this Institute the prac- ticability of various routes between Canada and Red River; and, indeed, the government of the Dominion is abso lute ly pledged, by its agreement with British Columbia, to construct within ten years a railway which shall connect the shores of the Atlantic with those of the Pacific. But there is no time to lose ; and whatever is done should be done quickly. The tide of empire flows westwards ; but the question whether owr part of the'' r shall be enriched by the fertilising stream of settlement depends u tK" promptitude, the skill, and the resoli'tion with which we take the tide at flood. If we desire to .secure a full share of the benefits which must ac e from that great flow of emigration, which is the phenomenal movemei jf our day and generation, we must not talk about building railways in ten years, we must build them to-day. That Canada is fully alive to her duty in this matter, I do not for one moment deny ; and that she will prove equal to the performance of that duty is equally probable. It is verj' gratifying to learn that the Cana- dians intend, without loss of time, to supply Manitoba with an internal railway system. Several schemes are now before the Dominion Parliament ; one projected line is between Pembina and Portage la Prairie on the Assinaiboine ; another is between Pembina and Fort Garry ; while a third proposes to connect Fort Garrj' with the north-western angle of the province, with power to extend the line to Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba, and to navigate those inland seas, and also Lake Winni- pegosis and the Saskatchewan. Not only are these projects wisely conceived and certain to be reproductive in a pecuniary point of view, but they exhibit statesmanlike foresight and sagacity. With railways population multiplies, land becomes more valuable, trade increases, and the general prosperity and security of a country are enormously augmented. When a good rril- way system is in operation within her own borders, Manitoba will speedily become one of the brightest jewels in the British Crown — a credit to the Dominion and a source of strength to the Empire. It is estimated that last season a tho: 'and Canadian (vmigrants settled in Manitoba ; but it is desirable that large bodies of English, as well as of Canadian, emigrants, should establish themselves in that fertile region. Mr, Chesion on Manitoba. If 'Complaints have been made that, owing to mismanagement, land is difficult to obtain in the province; bat these complaints are of doubtful justice. They appear to have sprang from the fact that the rights cf the resident native population to grants of land have been recognised. Surely nobody •can have so good a right to a share of the country as the half-breeds who have made the Red River settlements what we now nnd them. Bond fid* residential settlement is not only insisted on, but perhaps the regulation on this subject has been unduly strained ; for the claims of non-resident officers of the Hudson's Bay Company have been disallowed, although their families reside at Red River, and although their non-residence simply arises from the fact that their duties compel them to live in other parts of Rupert's Land. Governor Archibald deserves no such reproach as that which has been cast upon him ; but, in fairness to other settlers, no time should be lost in completing the survey of the country and in opening up every part of it which is available for settlement. The Goveruinent of the Dominion is mauirtstly justified in setting its face against the whole tribe of land sharks ; for people who flock into a new country from purely selfish or speculative motives, and without any intention to settle in it, are more likely to prove a curse than a blessing. I am informed that the Dominion Government has decided to sell land very cheap — from one to two shiUlings an acre — to emigrants who intend to settle down in the country. No wiser policy could be inaugurated. The land is valuele.-(S without the people to cultivate it ; and a sufficient population caa only be attracted to the laud by making it both cheap and accessible. I am also glad to learn that this great country promises to be a Paradise for the artisan and labouring class. I lately read that at Winnipeg " wages are from two to three dollars a day for any man who can shove a plane or a saw." Would that Bethnal Green could be transferred bodily to the shores of Lake Winnipeg. No view of the prospects of Manitoba would be complete without some reference to the Indian question. It of course remains to be seen whether the red man in that country will escape the cruel fate which unhappily has overtaken him in other parts of the continent. To a partial extent this grave problem has been already decided in a manner favourable to the cause of humanity. The existence of the half- breed population of Red River is a proof that a weaker race may blend with a stronger one to the great advantage of both. The sterling qualities of this mixed community have been often and justly a subject of praise ; and when the exigencies of a settled country render it necessary that hunting should be entirely abandoned for husbandry, we may con- fidently anticipate that the half-breeds will favourably compare with the inhabitants of any colony in the world. As the connecdng link between the Indian and the European, they may be expected to take a practical interest in the protection and elevation of their aboriginal brethren. Numbering many thousands of souls, they will, for years to come, form a preponderating element in the population of Manitoba. As students, clergymen, professors, men of science, and officers in the British army, they have given evidence of the highest capacit}' ; and no one who has had any personal aciiuaiut- w t2 Mr, Chesson on Manitoba. an( e with them, or who has studied their history', can doubt that the)' arp fully qualified to enjoy the equal rights and privileges of British subjects. I know of no brighter or more hopeful picture of the kind than the peep which Professor Hind has given us of the excellent predecessor of the pre- sent Bishop of Rupert's Land, whom he found " seate d between two young Cree half-breeds teaching them quadratic equations." In July of last j'ear a treaty was concluded between the Canadian Commissioner and the Indian chiefs of Manitoba. They assembled near Lower Fort Garry, which is de- scribed as the most picturesque part of the river; and their encampment, mostlj' constructed of birch-bark, numbered se venty lodges, and covered an area of several acres. Many and wearying were the controversies which arose between the negotiators. Ultimately the Indians agreed to surrender their rights in exchange for a reserve of 150 acres of land for every five persons, together with a small annuity, which is " to last as long as the sun shines." Henry Prince, the Chief of the Saulteaux Christian Indians, remarked that "it was said the Queen wished the Indians to cultivate the ground. They cannot scratch it — work it with the fingers. What assistance will they get if they settle down ? " The Commissioner promised to give them a school and schoolmaster for each reserve ; to supply those who wished to cultivate the ground with a few ploughs, harrows, -and oxen ; and to make a present of a buggy to each of the chiefs. So the Indian Treaty of Manitoba was concluded. But is this enough? It is thought by some persons, whose practical acquaintance with the subject entitles their opinion to the greatest weight, that the Indian has been hardly dealt with, and that he ought, in the matter of land, to have been put on an equal footing with the half-breed or the white settler. Moreover, if the Indian is to cast off his heathen habits and to become a homely cultivator of the soil, it is desirable to -^ive him a fair start. He needs assistance in building his house, the use of tools and of the implements of husbandry, and the loan, for several seasons, of ploughs and oxen. All these appurtenances might be supplied if lands were reserved for the purpose. The sales of the reserves would produce a fund large enough to defray the expenses of this civilising agency ; and I feel convinced that every dollar spent upon the agricultural settlement of the Indians would be prolific of benefit to the entire community. The present Bishop of Rupert's Land, in a letter which I have had the honour to receive from him, says : — " The Indian has quite sufficient capacity for civilisation. We have an Indian parish of 300 Christian and settled Indians at Red River of the most satisfactory character. But it is not easy to build this up, and there will be many disappointments in any such attempt, not from want of capacity for work, but from the habits of the Indian, which lead him to divide all the supply of food he has. If an Indian kills a moose, every person that comes in is welcome to a share till the whole has gone. So an Indian with potatoes or wheat has the same desire to give, so long as the supply lasts, to any one needing help. He feels a meanness, a stinginess in acting otherwise. It is thus difficult in many cases to get an Indian, on first settling, to sow seed from the last crop. This prevents that saving care which is Accessary for success in a young settler." Professor Hind also I Mr, Chesson on Manitoba. ii gives a happy illustration of this phase of the Indian character. " We met," he says, "an Indian in a canoe near Elm Point, and Whiteway, at my request, told him we were starving. I wished to ascertain the truth of the statement so often made respecting the liberality of these Indians in case of necessity. The answer was a happy one. Approaching our boat in his canoe, the Indian said, ' Look ; if you see anything to eat, take it.' In his canoe were sixty fine white fish, and a few pike. I gave him some potatoes, tobacco, and tea, and accepted a dozen white fish which he pressed us to take." These examples of Indian liberality to the white man ought to make us act in an equally generous spirit towards the native race ; and I feel assured that, in this matter, wo may appeal with confidence to that sense of justice and humanity which has always actuated the Canadian Government in its relations with its own Indian tribes. The satisfactory solution of the Indian question requires great wisdom and patience — fur more than are likely to be exhibited in connection with the ordinary machinery of Government. Thi Indian civilisation which already exists on the banks of the Red River has been the fruit of many long years of earnest effort on the part mainly of the Church Missionary Society and of its able and devoted representatives. While Canada ministers, so far as she is able, to the temporal necessities of the Indians, we must look to the missionaries to mould their character, and to educate them in the higher duties of human existence. Whether regard be had to the general interests of education in the country, or to the special needs of the Indian tribes, the establishment of St. John's College is an event fraught with importance to the intellectual and religious future of Rupert's Land. In that college, which owes its existence to the apostolic zeal of the present Bishop, native youths are not only studying the higher branches of know- ledge, but they are being specially trained for missionary service among their benighted countrymen. Let British sympathy, then, extend a helping hand to the good Bishop in his efforts to raise a staff of native catechists and pastors. The most serious Indian difficulty, however, lies not at Red River, but in the regions which swarm with wandering Blackfeet, Crees, and other warlike tribes. The report of Lieutenant Butler, a highly intelligent officer, who was sent out to the great plains by the Canadian Government is conclusive as to the existence of a dangerous state of feeling among these tribes. The war of extermination which is being waged in the neighbour- ing territories of Dakotah and Montana has intensified theif hostility to the white man. Whole tribes have been decimated by small-pox; and the survivors, with the natural distrustfulness of savages who have only experienced the dark side of civilisation, attribute the pestilence to the malignity of the white interlopers. The perils of the situation are aggra- vated by an illicit trafiic in arms, ammunition, and whiskey, which is being carried on with the Indians by traders from the Red River and the Upper Missouri. As I pointed out several years ago, some arrangement for the better regulation of the frontier ought to be made b3tween Great Britain and the United States. Lieutenant Butler is emphatic in his opinion that the sale of strong drink to the Indians should be sternly repressed. That 1 u Mr, Chesson on Manitoba, drink is the fertile cause cf Indian crime, lawlessness, and warfare; it fills the red Ishmael with the murderous passions of Gain. The Lieutenant thinks that " the suppression of the liquor trai^o of the West can be easily accomplished," but whether the task be easy or difficult, it ought at once to be performed. I am fully sensible that the view of the new province of Manitoba which I have given is a superficial one ; but perhaps I may hr\ve said something to stimulate interest in a country which is pre-eminently worthj' of the attention of every enlightened and patriotic Englishman. The time is not distant when a chain of settlements will extend from Lake Superior to the Rocky Mountains ; when one great highway to the Pacific will be across British territory ; and when the enterprise of the Anglo-Saxon race will diffuse the blessings of civilisation through every part of the now gloomy sclituded of Rupert's Land. Those who, like the explorers of past and pre- sent generations, have made known ^he resources of this great country, or who, like Mr. Isbister and Mr. A. R. Roche, the predecessor of the presentable secr«tary of this Society, have in times past fought for the civil and political rights of the people of Red River, have rendered a service to the Empire which it would be difficult to exaggerate. It now remains for the British nation to build upon the foundations which have been so broadly laid. No higher duty can possibly devolve upon an Imperial State than that of nur- turing the commonwealths which have been established by its enterprising sons in distant parts of the globe ; and the performance of that duty will show to the world that we are no^. false to the traditions of our fathers, but are determined to perpetuate the power, the wealth, and the unity of the British empire. We may with a hopeful eye look forward to the time when, as I have already remarked, Manitoba will be only one of a group of new colonies in Rupert's Land, destined to be united to the mother country by the enduring bonds of loyalty and of fraternal, or rather of filial, symyathy. The tide of emigration must soon flow into the fertile regions of the Saskatchewan, and even into more northerly latitudes, thereby proving that our sun, as a colonising nation, has not set ; that the indomitable spirit which has. built up this great Empire is equal not only to its preservation, but also to its extension ; and that the eloquent tribute which Daniel Webster once paid to the Power — " whose morning drum-beat, following the sun, and, keetping company with the hours, circles the earth in one continuous and unbroken strain of the martial airs of England " — is as true to day as it was when the Australian continent was added to the British dominion. Although we are only at the threshold of our Titanic undertaking in the countries west of Lake Superior, much has been already accomplished. We owe thanks for this to the gallant travellers who have explored every part of these regions, from the American frontier to tha Arctic Sea, and from the wilds of Labrador to the RocHy Mountains. The names of Mackenzie. Franklin, Richardson, Back, Thomas Simpson, Rae, Cheadle, Palliser, and others, will be for ever associated \vith the exploration of the distant wastes of Rupert's Land. Only a courj^gft^ which laughed at difficulties as, we are. told, '4ove laughs at locki^piith8t'.'^c.umbined with aq ttnweari?4 patienos. Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. IS which left no room in the heart for despair, could have enabled them to crown their labours with success. Their example ought to inspire us with the determination to promote, by every means in our power, the happiness and prosperity of the new province of Manitoba. (Loud app'au£9.) The noble Chairman said, before the discussion was proceeded with he would ask the secreta»-y t j read a letter which had been received from Captain Huyshe. The letter was then read as follows : — " Dover, February 18, 1872. *' My dear Sir, — I have to express my thanlis for the kind invitation which you were good enough to send mo, on the part of the President and Council of the Royal Colonial Institute, to attend the lecture to be delivered by Mr. Chesson on the 19th inst. I regret very much that my military duties at Dover will prevent my presence in London on that day, the more ' so as I feel the honour of having received a special invitation from the Institute. I take a great interest in the future of our colonies, more espe- cially in Canada and in Manitoba, and should have liked very mucli to have heard Mr. Chessuu's lecture. I have little doubt that Mr. Chesson will advo- cate the expediency of encouraging emigration to Manitoba, which presents so good an opening for men who are not afraid of hard work, and have some acquaintance with farming. The great obstacle to emigration to Manitoba at present is its inaccessibility, and the fact that the best route is through American territory. I scarcely see how this difficulty is to be got over until a railway has been constructed from Lake Superior to Lake Winnipeg, an undertaking which must, sooner or later, be carried out, and the sooner the better. Apologising for the length of this letter, and thanking you again for the kind invitation which I have had the honour of receiving, I am, &c. "George HuYSHE." Mr. CoxoLLY, of the Canadian Emigration Department, said he had listened with ranch attention to Mr. Chesson's paper, and the views ex- pressed therein were similar to his own. He believed the province of Manitoba, which looked a very small spot on the map, was capable of absorbing aU the poor that Great Britain could breed without inconvenience. (Cheers.) He further believed the northern part of Saskatchewan was the most fertile country in the universe. The Archbishop of Manitoba, who was a gentleman well acquainted with the colony, had said that it was the finest wheat-growing country imaginable, but more to the south of the territory the land was less fertile. He (Mr. Conolly) was of opinion that the Canadian Government had left no stone unturned to make the colony habitable. They had agreed to establish railway communication to the province in ten years, and he had no doubt they would carry out their agreement. (Hear, hear.) At the present time the only route to the province was the overland Dawson route, and many emigrants had already used this route to the colony ; but then this way of getting to the province was a very difficult one. They had to travel by road some distance, but the roads, he vas happy to say, were macadamised, and therefore were easy to travel over. Steamboats, too, were soon to be introduced .on the lakes, so that the passage from the Bay to Manitoba would very soon be made in five dayu. No doubt, he said, everyone was anxious that a fertile country like Manitoba should be at once populated ; but, perhaps those persons who already resided there were best able to answer that question. It was not essential to pour a number of emigrants into a country whose supplies were ^ i6 Mr. Chesson on Manitoba* insufficient for the consumption of those who already inhabited the colony. All requisites in the way of house accommodation there were scant and dear for want of a good railway communication, and the price of living was, therefore, very high at the present time. But Canada was doing all she possibly could for the new province. Although Canada had telegraphic com- munication and an excellent sysiem uf Government, yet three millions of people were obliged to pay for all the arrangements tiiereof; whereas if fifteen millions of people were there to pay for wnat three millions were now paying for, there could not be a doubt that C^anada would increase wonder- fully in her march of prosperity. (Hear, hear.) He did not mean to infer by that that Canada was not already increasing ; for when he was out there some three years he said you could actually see it enlarging day by day. (Laughter.) Further, he said, there was not a more contented people in the world than the inhabitants of Lower and Upper Canada. (Cheers.) The descendants of the ancient settlers were as loyal as any body of men in Great Britain. (Loud cheers.) They were fast adopting our English go- ahead principles, and were likely to become one of the most noble, wealthy, and industrious classes of the community. For Ontario he could speak with certainty, and say that there never was a more opulent class of people in proportion to the population. When he was out in the colony he lived amongst the " people." He did not stop at the Grand Hotel, as his funds would not run to it. (Laughter.) He sometimes had the distinguished honour of dining with a nobleman or gentleman, and when he did he endeavoured to conduct himself to the best of his ability. (Renewed laughter.) For some time he lived with the pioneer settlers, and very often with the men in the camp, and therefore he had had exceptional opportunities of witnessing the ways, manners, and customs of the people, and he could say positively that a more hardy and enduring set of people never set foot on the iace of the earth. (Hear, hear.) There was no necessity for doctors in that colony — (laughter) — for when the people were sick they were sick enough to die. (Renewed laughter.) With such a class of people as he had described he thought there was little to fear in the way of contention. The Americans might continue to stir up strife, but the Canadians would be ever loyal to their sovereign. They had fought for their country before, and would do so again. (Hear, hear.) The Americans had tried to cross their borders on many occasions, but they had each time been foiled in the attempt. Mont- gomery tried to enter by force into the p*^ nee of Quebec, but this loyal people took his life in defending cheir nag, and if they should have to go to war again, he had no hesitation in saying that they would fight as manfully and loyally as ever. (Hear, hear.) With such a loyal people as the Canadians, then, he would asK that they should be fairly and liberally treated by the mother country. If Great Britain, he said from the outset, had done her duty to her colonies, Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Disraeli would not now be troubled with any petulant message from President Grant. (Hear, hear.) Instead of inducing emigration to our colonies. Great Britain had been silent on the subject, and matters had been left to take their own course. No facilities were afforded for the transfet of the surplus popu- lation of this country to our colonies, and the consequence was that all the dfii IMHiHHIIMM . > Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. '^ people wont to the United States, and there we had seen a specimen of how they conducted themselves towards Great Britain. In conclusion, he im- l)res8ed upon the meetinfj the necessity of inducing a healthy and steady flow ot emigration into our various colonies, believing that was the only waj'^ of making them fruitful branches of the grand old English trunk. (Cheers.) The noble Chairman then called upon S'.i Garnet Wolseiey to address the meeting. His Grace said that all the gentlemen present had no doubt heard of the gallantry of the Prussian staff of officers. He had had the good fortune to peruse the report brought up by Sir Garnet Wolseiey on th e Ked River Expedition, of which he was some time commander, and he could say that whatever may have been the faults in the system of promotion in our army, they had not got a better officer in the whole of the Prussian forces than Sir Garnet Wolselej'. (Cheers.) Sir Garnet Wolseley said that after the very able and amusing speech of Mr. Conolly, he was afraid he could not say very much on the subject. He had had the good fortune to pay Manitoba a visit, and he could fully corroborate all the statements as to its agricultural wealth and fertile soil made b}* Mr. Chesson in his very interesting paper. The transformation of the Red River Settlement into the province of Manit oba took place under very unfavourable auspices. Discord was the result of that transformation, and it arose from the internal paid warfare which was waged during the winter of 1869-70. He hoped, however, that before many years passed away ell remembrance of that discord and rebellion would be as little known as the history of the Indian tribes who formerlj" occupied the country. (Hear, hear.) With regard to the agricultural wealth of the province, he could say that while he was in the colony he remembered visiting a farmer on the Assiniboine. Upon a sking him what he planted upon the quantity of land round about his residence, the farmer told him that he grew wheat. He then askfcd if he used any kind of manure. The larmer replied that he did not, manure was simply a drug in the province ; it was all carted away to one place and left for the ice to carry it away. For thirty years, the farmer said, he had planted nothing but wheat on the whole of his land, and it had yielded him enormous returns. This instance. Sir Garnet considered, was sufficient to show the fertility of the soil of the country ronnd and about Manitoba. This new province was one large plain of virgin soil left un- touched by the plough , and all it required to deliver it of its resources was a population. That population should come from England, if not, he said, it would most assuredly come from America, and if the latter went to populate the country we should ultimately lose the colony altogether. Ad- mitting the fertility of the soil and the want of a population to till it, the next question was how to get people into the colony. They could only be got there by a railway, and that railway was wanting. The route already established was one surrounded with great difficulties. It was a route suf- ficiently cheap and feasible for a large number of emigrants to pass over, but it was manifestly insufficient for the purpose of populating the country. He hoped before long railroad communication would be established to Fort Garry, but if it was to be done by the English it should be commenced at <^ Mr. Chcsson on Manitoba. once or the Aniencun» might steal a murch upon us. Even now every town of tlio United States could pour forth its population within 200 milcB uf Manitoba, and unless some ellort was made forthwith wu should most u:i»uredly sue this new province in the hands of the Americans, and then all chuiicc of seeing the British rule extended beyond thu Pacitic would be at once and for ever lost. He concluded by saying, that he looked upon the establishment of a railroad to Manitoba as a fit ainl opcr subject for our aspirations. The Loud Bishop of Ruperts Land said he was sure the company were all very much indebted to Mr. Chesson for his very able paper. He believed the colony which had come up for discussion that evening had a most extraordinary future btfore it. In his paper M r. Chcsson had spoke of Manitoba with regard to its past history as well as to the present. With regard to the past he (the speaker) did not think that very much blame was attached to the Hudson's Bay Company — (Hear, hear.) — neither did he think it was in the power of that Company to open up the country. He believed that when the present shareholders succeeded the previous ones they would have been most happy ard willing to have opened up that colony, but they found it was impossible to do so until a population should have come gradually to it from the surrounding country. But Manitoba was now changing ^nd becoming slowly populated. All that had been said about the fei lility of the soil he could fully corroborate. The prairies there were some of the finest ever seen, being similar in character to those in th«t Western States of America. Only six years ago, when he went out to that country, there was no railway to Manitoba within 600 miles. Now there were several lines within 200 miles of the new province. The large tracts of waste and barren land that he saw then, were now, for upwards of 1 00 miles, owned and tilled ' v emigrants who had arrived in the colony. It was astonishing, he said, to see how the people poured into (he new province. The Bishop of Minnesota, who was an excellent judge of emigration, had written to the various church papers saying there never was such a flow of emigration as had recently been pouring into the Red River Settlement. M". Chesson had referred to the troubles with the Indians. He (the speaker) was happy to say that there were now no troubles whatsoever with the Indian tribes, either in Manitoba or Rupert's Land. With regard to the treaty that had lately been concluded, he thought there had been some mistake made. There were two questions to be borne in mind in dealing with the Indians. There was the idea of obtaining lands for the purpose of emigration, and the settling of those Indians so that they should not be a drag upon the new settlement. (Hear, hear.) If they were not settled down, they would become one of the worst set of vagabonds on the face of the earth. lie considered there should hav* been a further reserve of land set apart for the purpose of affording some substantial help to the Indians who would settls in the colony. Mr. Chesson also spoke of the spirits supplied to the Indians. He (the speaker) was happy to say that one of the first measures of the new government in the North-west Territories — the name generally given to the whole of Rupert's La»4— wfts one excluding the sale or introduction of wine into that coun- Hfinan WFjom ) Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. fpi try. This had led to most beneficial results, more especially in respect to the mission work. As to the College which he was about to start in the colony, and which wjis also referred to by Mr. Chesson, he might say that they had now under tuition thirty half-broeds, and these were all doing exceedingly well, many of them being in the higher grades of education. In conclusion, he wished to express his thanks to Mr. Cliesson for his paper, and to state that, although the province of Manitoba was very little known at present, it would not be long before it would be the home of many a labouring man in England. (Cheers.) Mr. Dallas, late Governor of Rupert's Land, said he quite afjreed with all that had been said respecting the desirability of prohibiting tlie intro- duction of spirituous liquors among the Indians. It had been a curse t(i the country. (Hear, hear.) All the lawless crime and warfare among the Indian tribes solely resulted from the sale of strong drinks between them, and unless this traffic was immediately repressed, the results would i)e terrible to contemplate. He was glad to find tlie Bishop of Rupert's Land took a more hopeful future of the Indian question than himself. He believed the interests of the half-breeds, who were settlers, and who were dependent upon the chase, fishing, and various other precarious means of subsistence,. were the most important to study. The climate of tlie Red River Settle- ment was a most exhilarating one, and the soil was productive ; but be did not agree with the gentlemen who said that generally 56 bushels of wheat could be got from the acre ; 25 to 30 bushels were the general average. In that part of Mr. Chesson's paper relating to the opening up of the Red River Settlement, he thought the writer had dealt a little too hard with the Home Government. This country, he was con- vinced, could have done very little in the way of populating the new pro- vince of Manitoba until new railway communications should have been opened. But, then, the question arose who was to open up these communi- cations ? He believed that the expectation in Canada was, that the Eng- lish Government would come forward and give a guarantee for the railroad. That, of course, depended upon the view which the Home Government took of the advisability of interfering with the new colony. For his own part, he did not believe that Manitoba would ever fall to the lot of America. The people in the Red River Settlement were loyal to the English Crown, and' preferred being guided by the British Sovereign. Dr. Rae said the vexed question about the spirits supplied to the Indians had already been settled in the northern part of the country where, for the last twenty-six years, no spirituous liquor of any kind had been admitted. No blame, therefore, was attached to the Hudson's Bay Company in this respe«t. Mr. Dallas contended that spirits w ere brought into the country, and created the most demoralising eifects on the Indians. The scenes that were to be seen at Port Alexander resulting from this traffic were sufficient to prove the authenticity of this statement. His Grace the Dukk of Manchester said, that although the subject for the evening had been very ably discussed by a great number of gentlemen, yet there were several others present whose views they would be glad to- Mr, Chesson on Manitoba, have on the paper nnd the colony. He would therefore propose an adjournment, but before doing so he would oiler a few remarks un the subject. The lied Uiver Settlement was a moat desirable eountry, and offered immense advantages to emigrantH, but the conimuQicatiuns there were at the present time in a very unsatiHfaetory condition. It ought, he considered, to be the endeavour not only of the Canadian dominion, but of the Home Government to open up those communications as soon as possible in the hope of populating the country with loyal Englishmen. (Cheers). It was only repeating a well-I^nown remark to say that it was the duty of the whole Empire to bring the uninhabited portions of the globe out of obscurity, and make them profitable, and where the population was redundant to transfer it to where it was required, and where it could be useful, and industrious. (Cheers). The discussion was then adjourned. The adjourned meeting was held on Monday, March 4, when most of the gentlemen who attended the previous meeting were present. These included Lieutenant Uutler, Mr. Beaumont (late Chief Justice of British Guiana), Mr. J. Bate, Dr. Cheadle, Mr. Sedgwick Cowper, Mr. F. W. Cheseon, General Sir 11. C. Daubeney, Mr. C. W. Eddy (Hon. Sec), Captain Huyshe, Mr. Halliburton, Archdeacon Hunter, The Bishop of Rupert's Land, Mr. Isbister, Mr. Lyall (Governor of the Bank of England), Mr. Frank Lynn, Mr. A. M'Artbur, Mr. Gisborne Molineux, Mr. M*Murray, Mr. H. E, Mont- gomerie, Mr. R. A. Macfie, M.P., Mr. W. M'Arthur, M.P., Captain Mansfield (G9th Regiment), Sir Charles Nicholson, Mr. Ramage, Sir Edwin Pearson, and Mr. A. A. Pearson (of the Colonial Office), Sir Harry Purkes, Dr. Rao (the Arctic Explorer), Mr. A. R. Roche, Mr. Alexander Rivington, Colonel Millingtcn Synge, Colonel Torrens, M.P., Mr. J. Todhunter, Mr. James Wheeler (Agent-General for Queensland), Colonel Sir Garnet Wolseley, Mr. J. A. Youl, and Mr. Frederick Young, «fec. The Skcrktary read addresses which had been presented to Her Majesty the Queen and the Princesjs on the recovery of His Royal High- ness the Prince of Wales. The reply of Sir William Knollys, acknow- ledging the receipt of the latter, and expressing the deep satisfaction of the Princess at its reception, was also read ; and it was anuounced that Mr. F. W. Chesson and Mr. James Wheeler (Agent-General for Queensland) had been elected Fellows of the Instil. Archdeacon Hunter, late of Rupert's Land, resumed the discussion. He said the only claim he could have for addressing the meeting was in the fact that he had resided ia the country for twenty-one years. With many of the remarks in Mr. Chesson's paper he most cordially agreed, and he could also endorse the opinion set forth by the Bishop of Manitoba in reference to the policy of the Hudson's Bay Companj'. That company, he was con- vinced, could not have opened up the Red River country for colonisation at the time they wanted. The one great drawback was, they had not the means. It required Imperial funds for such a high and noble purpose. The country itself was a most excellent one in all respects, and was very wealthy. The whole of it might be divided into two parts — the woody Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. ft portion and the prairie part. The former would not be extensive for agri- cultural o[ orations ; it was only to bo recommended for its good 8port and fur trade. In that part of the country occupied by the prairie Indian, he believed there was great mineral wealth ; there might also be several patches of land fit for cultivation, but for agricultural purposes he would recommend the northern and southern portions of the Sasltatchewan ; and were we to send out the whole of England to those parts, he thought it would not be exaggerating to say that every man would be able to own a certain quantity of land, and to have his own farm. (Hear, hear.) The Church Missionary Society, with which he was connected, * ^d been referred to by Mr. Chesson in his paper. At the Red River Battlement they had several mission stations, and the Missionaries were all indefatigable in assisting the natives to become the bona fida agricul- turists of the country. In Manitoba the agricultural wealth of the soil was, beyond all doubt, the greatest in the Red River Settlement; and as to its healthiness, why, he considered himself a good specimen of the healthy nature of the country. (Hear, hear.) Next, as regards the liquor question. He would like to reconcile both Governor Dallas and Dr. Rae by corroborating their statements. There had been no liquors of any kind introduced into the northern part of the country, but in those por- tions near the Saskatchewan liquors had been brought in by the free trade of the Americans. He concluded by remarking that the province of Manitoba only required a cheap and efficient railway communicntion to make it one of the most profitable provinces in the Canadian Dominion. Captain Huysiik was next called upon. He thought that the sub- ject had been pretty well exhausted, and was afraid that he could not throw any new light upon it. As, however, his friend, Lieutenant Butler, had travelled through the greater part of the country, he would ask him to address the meeting in his (Captain Huyshe's) stead. Lieut. BuTLEK then went into the question cnn amore, dealing seriatim with the fertility of the soil, the healtniness of the country, and its advantages for civilisation. Having explored the valley of the Saskatchewan, he could testify to the fact that that ^vas a region of great fertility and capable of the most extended settlement. Our American cousins, he said, were prone to tell us that the whole of their land was fit for settlement ; he, however, had travelled through the greater portion of the United States, and he could positively say that it was not so. When once the Missouri was reached, then the country fit for set ers and cultivation was passed. The question of the aboriginal inhabitants was undoubtedly a most important one. The Indians of th"* thick woods were compelled to dwell in small numbers, while the In( 'ans of the plains were obliged to dwell in large numbers. The whole life of the prairie tribe was one of perpetual warfare and strife ; they were a selfish lot, and wer epared to dispute — as in the case of the American advance into their wilderness — every inch of their ground. It WdS singular to note, however, that on the appearanc e of the white man the Indians gradually disappeared. From what cause this was so it was difficult to say, and although it might be hurtful to our ideas of civilisation, yet it was nevertheless true. With regard to the development of the great 22 Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. West by the Americans, anyone who had travelled through the Western States must be struck with the extraordinary energy with which the Americans had pushed their way into the wilderness. It had been said that the Americans had stolen a march upon us. He believed they had stolen a great many marches upon us — (^hear, hear) — and that was only the greater reason why we should go to work with renewed vigour and follow their example. Indeed, he thought that history would call to a stern account that nation which, having abundance of waste lands and money at its disposal, should fail to impress on those lands the stamp of her nationality. (Cheers.) Dr. Chbadlb corroborated all that had been said in the favour of the Hudson's Bay Company, observing that their rule was a just and kind one, ard their dealings with the Indians honest and to the purpose. He referred to the agricultural resources of Manitoba, and also bpoke at some length of the healthy nature of the climate. Turning from thence, he briefly remarked that the mineral resources of the country were undoubtedly very great. Not only was there iron and copper located in the province, but there was also an enormous bed of coal. All these minerals, too , were to be found not only along the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains, but also along the whole range of the western flank. He did not share in the opinion which had been expressed by many, that the Americans would populate the colony. No doubt the best way to get to Manitoba was through American territory, but then he did not think that the mere passing through the States could do them much harm. He did not, therefore, attach so very great importance to the establishment of a railway, although he should like to see Canada take it in hand so as to avoid all risk. (Hear, bear.) He believed that the reason why Canada had not been able to get colonists the same as the United States, was simply that the land was much better for the settler in the one place than in the other. Although the soil of Canada was an excellent one, yet the prairie lands of the Western States of America were the best for settlers ; and so long as emigrants could obtain ground of that kind, they would not spend a lifetime in ploughing up the forest lands of Canada. But now the land in the United States was nearly all owned, and for the future Canada would be able to get settlers in the same way as the United States, and .' s earnest wish was that she might succeed. (Hear, hear.) Colonel Syngk, in an earnest speech, dwelt on the value of the connec- tion between the colonies and the mother country. He strongly insisted on the importance of a systematic emigration, and observed that, if we could not with coneistency transfer the surplus from a redundant popula- tion to a colony the soil of which was without growth for want of tillers and settlers, we were inferior to the ages that had gone before us, and not worthy to occupy the position in which we were placed. (Cheers.) Mr. Frank Lynn said he had just returned from the Western States, and that although he could not corroborate what had been said by former speakers against the soil of the Western American States, yet there were drawbacks to the advantages they might possess in that respect in the Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. 23 intensity of cold during the winter, produced by the bitter north-western winds, which blow with the force of a hurricane, often at a temperature of 20 and 30 degrees below zero, and in consequence of which nearly 200 persons were frozen to death during the past winter, and which really made the climate of Kansas and Nebraska severer than the climate of Red River. The care taken by the United States for the recep<:ion of the emigrants at New York was considerably less than the care taken by the Canadian Government, as the emigrants were exposed to the frauds of every species of swindler on their arrival at New York. Mr. Lynn concluded by recom- mending the Canadian Government to provide some hotel or Government houses for the reception of fresh settlers, as one of the drawbacks of a new country always consisted of the enormous charges made upon them by hotel-keepers for every necessary they required. In all the main points of his paper Mr. Lynn coincided with Mr. Chesson. Sir Charles Nicholsox inquired the cost of transferring emigrants from England to the interior parts of the Red River Settlement, and also whether families arriving in the country could get employment immediately on their arrival. Lieut Butler, in reply, said that at present it was not an easy matter to arrive at anything like a correct estimate; but last year the Canadian Government were pushing emigrants through from Montr eal to Red River for $30 per head. That, of course, did not include the voyage from Liver- pool. As to the employment of families on their arrival in the settlement, he thought many persons might be able to get work at a very remunerative rate. Mr. Halliburton said he was glad to find colonial questions occupying such a large amount of attention in the minds of colonists at home. The subject for discussion was an interesting one, and one that could be dealt with largely. He had heard it remarked that the Americans had stolen a march upon us, and why was this so ? Solely because the country had been tied up for a series of years by a monopoly such as the world never before saw, and such as he hoped it would never see again. On the north of the Red River Settlement we had a country resembling Great Britain in many respects, with coal and other mineral wealth, but the whole of it had been kept in obscuritj' for the purpose of enabling the Duke of York to pay his jewellery bills. (Laughter.) There was now, however, a fair chance of the country being opened up for colonisation, and as the fertility of the soil had been proved bej'ond all doubt, and the climate was a healthy and invigorating one, he hoped to see it shoot out and become a prosperous and successful branch of the Canadian Dominion. Mr. R. A. Macfie, M.P., remarked that the Royal Colonial Institute had evidently begun to work in earnest, and was beginning to show itself a very useful institution. But what was our Gov ernment doing in connection with colonial affairs. He feared they were doing little or nothing. He was very much surprised, a little while ago, on receiving a circular of the Northern Pacific Railway, to find the names of three noble earls mentioned therein, who were busy in assisting emigration to America. Although it said " Emigration to the United States and British North America," yet every place was entirely 24 Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. foreign. Now, he would like to Itnow what the Queen and the House of Lords thought of that. He considered we should scatter our sons thr oughout the whole of the British colonies, and thus tend to build up one great Empire. For the purpose of instructing youth as to the wealth and position of all our colonial possessions, he would suggest that geography should be rigidly taught in every school throughout the country, and that lecturers should be paid to deliver discourses on the subject in every institution in our land. (Cheers.) The press, too, he considered, should certainly take up the matter. Although there was a long account of the last meeting of the Colonial Institute published in the European Mail for transmission to the colonies, yet not a line was to be found in any of the London journals compiled especially for home readers. He thought as an institution the liritish press should certainly bring their powerful aid to bear upon the subject. In conclusion, he would put a question which he would very much like to see answered, viz., " What is the loss the Empire sustains in the transfer of, say, a body of 10,000 men from the British Isles to foreign territories ; how many individuals lose employment thereby ; and to what extent do the tradesmen suffer in Great Britain through such a transaction?" Mr. G. Lyall said he came to the meeting as one of the directors of the Hudson's Bay Company, to hear what those gentlemen who had travelled in the country had to say about that territory. It was no use now going into the historical question, how far the Hudson's Bay Company were right or wrong in the way in which they dealt with that country in former times. He believed that they did quite right up to a certain period, in not endeavouring to open up the country and in not encouraging poor, helpless colonists to go there whilst it was unprepared for settlers. It would have been morally impossible for them to have gone ahead as prosperous and commercial settlers. The time,- however, might now have arrived when Canada could induce a healthy flow of emigration into the Red River Settlement ; but he would observe that his experience told him that the country would not thrive unless it could raise up an article for export. The emigrants to Manitoba could put their plough into the soil ; but as colonists they would be unable to flourish unless they could get rid of the materials which they had produced, and so add to the commerce of the country. If an article or articles of export could be raised and removed by railway com- munication to other countries, then he believed the Red River would flourish, but unless they could do that, the country could certainly not become a prosperous and successful one. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Ramage gave his experience of a journey through the Red River Settlement, observing that there was scarcely a place on the face of the globe that offered so many advantages as the country between York Factory and Hudson's Bay on the Rocky Mountains. There we had, in the first place, timber which could be exported ; most of the rivers were navigable ; and within fifty miles of Jones's Bay there were deposits of minerals that would pay any company to search for. Mr. IsnisTER said it was now several years since he was out in the Rec*. River Settlement ; but from practical experience as an agriculturist in that River the actory e first able ; s that le Red. n that Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. 25 country, he could fully indorse everything that had been said with regard to the fertility of the soil. He believed that Manitoba, when populated, would turn out to be a prosperous and successful colony. Mr. MoLiNEL'X stated at some length the progress Manitoba had made during the year 1871 — the first vear of its existence. Amongst other things, they had established ". police system; had taken a census of the country ; had subdivided it into districts ; had elected a local magistracy ; the Indian claims had been settled ; the public lands had been surveyed for the reception of emigrants ; they had erected a custom-house ; the tele- graph had been introduced ; and railway communication within the terri- tory was beiog vigorously prosecuted. He had no hesitation in saying that in a few years Manitoba would prove to be one of the most flourishing provinces in the Canadian Dominion. Mr. C. W. Eddy thought it was not very material whether ea Ijrants went through American territory or not ; the usual route to India, and the only route to Canada in winter lay through foreign territory ; and therefore the mere gojng through the United States could be no obstacle in the way of emigrants wishing to settle in the new province. Mr. M<>NTGOMKuiE Stated that the railway through Canada to Manitoba was in a fi.ir way of being commenced. Not long ago a few gentlemen made an application to the Canadian Government for a guarantee of 10,001)/., and negotiations on the subject were still pending. If these negotiations turned out favourable, the railway through the Canadian territory would be at once proceeded with. His Grace the Duke of Manchisstek said he thought that he might now congratulate Mr. Chesson on his very able paper, and the interesting dis- cussion it had called forth. For himself he certainly had acquired an immense amount of information in listening to the several speeches, and had becomvi coiiviuoed — muck more so tliun he was before — of the value to the Empire of the British dominions which were yet undeveloped. There was no doubt, from the descriptions they had heard, that the Red River country was eminently well-favoured by providence. Its geographical position was a good one, its temperature a healthy oue, its soil a fertile one, and in mineral wealth it was abundantly ricn. It appeared that the soil of the Western States immediately to the south was nothing like so good and extensive as that within the British frontier. Of course there was a great deal of rich soil in many parts of th« country, but he gathered from what had been said that the States were rapidly filling up with settlers, and that the future field of enterprise would, undoubtedly, be in British territory. As regards the conveyancing of British people throUp^h the United States to the far West, he did not see that there was much to fear on that score ; for if emigrants had made up their minds to go to a British Settlement, they would settle down in it with as much disposition to become British as they would have to become American if they had stopped in the United Srates. No jealousy, therefore, need be felt towards the Americans for the railroad which they were pushing forward with such vigour. On the contrary, he thought we ought to be very much obliged to them for opening up the British territory to colonisation. In conclusion, he proposed a cordial vote '■f > -r^ i'm ^ 26 Mr. Chesson on Manitoba. of thanks to Mr. Chesson for his very interesting paper, and for the lively and animated discussion it had elicited. Mr. F. W. Chesson, in returning thanks, remarked that in his paper he had endeavoured to estahlish six points : — 1. That while Rupert's Land is valuable for the fur trade, it is of infinitely more value for colonising purposes. 2. That in the region of the Red River and the Sasl tchewan there are tens of millions of acres fit for agricultural settlement. 3. That apart from its agricultural wealth, the country possesses undeveloped mineral resources of great magnitude, and fisheries of enormous value. 4. That the great want of the country is direct railway communication between Canada and Red River, and from thence to the Pacific. 5. That in order to prevent Indian wars the sale of strong drinks to the Indians shoiild be suppressed in the manner proposed by Lieutenant Butler. 6. That the Government and people of Great Britain should co-operate with the Government and people of Canada in developing the resources of our youngest colony. If he had not succeeded in establishing these six points they had been, at all events^ established by the various speakers who had made so valuable a contribution to our knowledge of Rupert's Land. He urged especially that England should help in the construction of the projected railway ; and concluded by quoting Lord Lytton's remark that the Red River Settlement was the key- stone of the viaduct which would one day span British America. lu pro- posing a vote of thanks to the noble chairman Mr« Chessoli warmly thanked his Grace for having presided over the two meetings. It was announced that the next meeting of the Institute would be he! on March 21, when Mr. Hyde Clarke would read a paper on " Capital avail able for Colonial Development." :5 .- )