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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reprodult en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. ' errata d to e pelure, :on ci n 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 f. t\ ■■ A 'riiK GREAT NORTH-WEST OF CANADA. A Paper read at Conference, Indian and Colonial Exhibition, London, June 8tii, 1886. HY ALEXANDER BEGO MAlUirio Ol l.nllN'K IN llll': CllAlK LONDON : H. miAOKLOCK & CO., T.'), FARUINODON KO.VD. H.C f?"i*" •Wis' '}',■ ( •,/>r.i .^^ Yi", >-:i Ul I 'V^ > . « I*.* '^'l* ^i :-t^i JA'iSt TIIK GREAT NOETH-WEST OK CANADA. A Paper read at Conference. Indian and Colonial Exhibition. London, June 8th. 1886, rtv ALEXANDER BEGG. j;Ai:i^ri8 oi' lounk in thk cmaii; L0N1)(1N: II. HLACKLOCK & CO., 75. FARRINGDON KOAD. F..i\ THE GREAT NORTH-WEST OF CANADA. On the 20th April, 1534, Cartier sailed from the port of St. Malo, in France, on an exploring expedition to the shores of the New World^ and in the following August he discovered the river St. Lawrence, which ho ascended as far as Hochelaga. In 1603, Champlain was dispatched by a company of merchants in France to make a preliminary survey of the St. Lawrence with the view of opening up a trade along its banks, and to his energy and zeal Canada is indebted for its earliest settlements. In those days, however, the course of development and settlement wa's slow, and in 1634, over thirty years after Champlain's first visit to the St. Lawrence, the whole white population from Gaspe to Three Rivers was hardly one hundred and fifty souls. The interior of the continent was yet to be explored. Champlain had previously ascended the Ottawa, and stood upon the tihores of the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, and he had received from western Indians numerous reports of distant inland regions, yet his knowledge of the great lakes in 1634 was exceedingly limited. He resolved to extend his explorations in the hope of establishing friendly relations with the powerful tribes living, as ho was told, beyond the northei'n shores of Lake Huron. His imagination also was fired with the idea that by means of the great inland waters, of which he had but slight information, he might be able to discover a new highway to the East. The dream of Champlain has now, after a period of nearly three centuries, become a reality, and the new highway to the East across the North Antci'icau Continent is an accomplished fact. It is true that a ^nviit portion ol' ih<' i-o-it^ is ovcrlniid iiisfi'ad of Ixiincr iilf(\i>('tlior tlio WiitiM'-wity Cliiitn[)l;iin (Ireumt of, jinl the iron liorso lornis a very iiii()orhint fiirtoriii travorsiiif^ it, wliilc t!io ;L;;r('iitinlim(l lakes arc rolo^iited to a si'condarv jjlaco. Yet. the dr/ain of a route to the East by wav of the St. Lawrence, which fired tlie iniaiiination of tlio old French navigator tlwee hundred years ago, is practically I'ullilh^d. The man cliosen by Chaniplain to explore tlie ri'i;ion h(iyond Lake Huron was John Nicolhit, who was tlio first wliitn man to visit Sault St. Mario and who afterwards discovcM'ed Lake Michigan and ex[)lored the shores and part of tlie interior of wliat is now known as the State of Wisconsin. To the elf'ortsof tlie Jesuit missionaries, however, is due the early explora- tion of Lake Superior, and tluur map of that greatest of inland lakes, in 1()71, is a monument of tli(>ir hardihood and enterprise. To Robert Cavelier, better known by the designation of La Salle, who, like Champlain, was inspired by the thought of discovering a new route to the riches of China and Japan, is due the early exploration of a large portion of the country lying west and south-west of Lake Michigan, and Father Hennepin, his lieutenant, penetrated as far in a north-westerly direction as the Fails of St. Anthony near the pr(»s(Mit site of Minneapolis. This was in 1080, and about the same time another French explorer, named Du Lhut, having reached the head of Lake Superior, continued his exploration to the south-west of that point, and when near the Falls of St. Anthony met Hennepin and joined his party in their return JGurneys southward. These explorations, of which I have given a brief outline, attracted the attention of adventurous traders, who soon pushed their way beyond the farthest point reached by the explorers, and in the year 1700 fur traders from France are known to have penetrated as far as the Assiniboine Valley in the prosecution of their calling. In 1766 many traders from Montreal pushed their enterprises throughout the whole of British America, even to the Pacific shores. In 1784 the North-West Company of Montreal was formed, and carried on trade through Canada via the lakes to the head of Lake Superior, and thence across the continent to the Pacific Coast. Although the Prince Rupert Charter was granted by King Charles II. in 1670, it was not till the beginning of the eighteenth century that the Hudson's Bay Com|)any entered the Saskatchewan and Assiniboine country to trade, and not till 18M did Ca tliey set up their claim of exclusive rights under their chiirter. Tlio effect of this latter act, however, was to arouse the auiinosity and resistance of rival fur companies, and it was not long ere the Hudson'n Bay Company found themselves opposed hy powerful organisations, such as the North-West and X. Y. Companies of Canada. So great then became the competition, and so bitter the rivalry between the three fur companies, that great loss of property and life ensued ; and finally there was every prospect of ruin falling on them all. In 1820, however, a union of the companies was effected, which resulted in their trading together under the original charter of the Hudson's Bay Company. An Act of Parliamcmt was passed in 1821, which gave the company, as reconstructed, the exclusive fur trade for 21 years throughout the whole British North- West territory clear through to the Pacific. In 1838 a new arrangem.Mit was entered into by which the Canadian Companies, whose interests had been before unitad, and the stockholders of the Hudson's Hay Company, became entitled as nearly as possible to e(iu;il shares. A renewal of the license granting the right of exclusive trudo was then applied for and granted to the Company for a term of 21 years from the 30th May, 1838. The attention of the Canadian Government was first attracte;! to the countrv in 1816 bv the conflict of interests betw^een the Canadian Fur (companies and the Hudson's Bay Company, but no decided action was taken by Canada to acquire the North-West till 18(58, although previous to that time negotiations on the subject had been going on between the Canadian and Imperial authorities. The iirst attempt at settlement in the North-West was In 1 S 1 1 , when the Earl of Selkirk secured a tract of land from the Hudson's Bay Company for the purpose of planting thereon a colony of Scotch settlers, and in 1812 the first batch of these immigrants arrived in the country by way of Hudson's Bay and York Factory. The Scotch colonists at first ujct with manv vicissitudes and trials in their new home, and it was not till 1827 that their settlement on the banks of the Red River began Lj show real signs of prosperity. Lord Selkirk's colonisation scheme did not prove, so far as he was concerned, a financial success, and in 1835 the executors of his estate sold back the land to the Hudson's Bay Company for £84,111, although it had cost his lordship in the first place nearly £200,001). The Scotch setthirs nainiHl tlioir sottlfm Mit Kildonuii, and at tho timo when it passed into tho hands of tho ilndson's Hay Company in 18.'J5, the population is said to have nunihenHl ahout '>,000 sonls, since which time it has gone on prospernig, and is to-ihiy one of the most flourishing districts in the Province of Manitoba. I must now deal with anotlier body of the early settlers, viz : — tho Half-breeds. Of these there were two classes, the English and the French — th(» former being the ott'springs of marriages contractiid by Company oiticeri and servants with Indian women, tho latter being descended from the pioneer traders and hunters who came from Lower Canada. Tliese Half-breeds, accustomed to roving habits on the prairie and in the woods, were not favourably disposed to the quiet life of a settler, and therefore devoted themselves more to hunting and trading than to tlie cultivation ot the soil. They were wont in those days to assemble in large bands in tlie spring, and proceed in a great body to tho hunt. To give an idea of the formation of these hunting bands, 1 may quote the one which left the lied River Settlement for the liunting grounds of the buffalo in 1H4(). The brigade consisted of 1,210 carts and harness, 6,)^) cart horses, .')86 draught oxen, 403 horses used for running, with saddles and bridles, and the number of persons in the band amounted to l,(JoO souls — men, women and children. These bands framed a code of laws for their guidance on tho plains, and were very strict in their enforcement. The plain hunters generally returned to the settlement in August, and bringing with them, as they did, an abun- dance of provisi(ms, they were not apt to pay much attention to gathering in the harvest. The first missionaries to the North- West were the French Roman Catholic priests, for we hear of Father Dalmas, about the year 1690, engaged in the study of Indian languages +j enable him to ])reach the Gospel to the savages of Hudson's Bay, and in 1736 Father Arnaud was killed by the Sioux in tlie vicinity of the Lake of the Woods while on a missionary tour. The conquest of Canada by England, however, interrupted the Catholic missions in the North- West, and it was not till 1818 that they were again resumed. The Scotch settlers had their own Presbyterian missionaries from the firsr, and in 1820 the first minister of tlie Church of England, Rev. John West, arrived in the North-West. While noting the early progress ^i of 8 12 The spring and autumn months are most enjoyable, the weather being in the former bright and cheerful, and in the latter balmy and pleasant. The summer is at times very hot and sultry, but the North- West possesses one peculiarity which does not belong to the country lying south of the American boundary line. No matter how hot the weather may be in the day-time, at sun-down there invariably s[)rings up a cool breeze, invigorating and refreshing to wearied mankind, and at the same time beneficial to the growth of the plants of the earth. These cool nights are indeed a great blessing, and they make the summer-time not only endurable, but even pleasant. Now for that great bugbear, the winter. Travellers, authors, and artists have ever delighted to picture Canada in wmter garb rather than depict the green fields, beautiful forests, and wild blossoms of our bright, fair-faced Dominion. Probably they thought their pen or brush pictures would be too tame or too much like home if they depicted a farm, garden, or forest scene. To suit their purpose--to stir the imag nation of their })atrons, they must adopt something more striking. Hence we find our ice carnivals, our sleighing parties, tobogganing, snowshoeing, skating. )i 19 and scenes of tlmt nature, doing duty here in England as tlie chief cliaractoristics of our country. Go out into tlie Canadian (Jourt of this Exhibition ; look at tho numerous speeinions of our agricultural products, our excellent grains, of almost every variety ; our beautiful prairie grasses, and oin* luscious fruits, and t(dl me if it is all winter with ns in Canada. Yet, until re(!ently tho idea was very prevalent in this enlightened country that Canada was but a second Siberia, only a stepping-stone to the North Pole, and that our sunshine, wiien wo enjoyed it, was but a passing ray. Time prevents my explaining the scientific reasons why the winter cold of the North- West is not felt so much as might be supposed from the readings of the thermometer. The cause is attributed to the dryness of the atmosphere, and to the absence of wind during the extreme frost. I can only give ni}' own experience to illustrate this. I have had occasion to frequently camp out durin^r mid- winter in the North-West, and never suffered any great inconvenience, liardship, or suffering from so doing. 1 suffered more last winter from the damp, raw cold in the city of London than I ever did in the North- West during my long experience there. It is to be hoped that tliis (rreat Colonial Exhibition will correct the false impressions retrardinf^ C.^inada. even yet entertained in many (piarters throughout England, and that instead of the country of snow and ice, as she has been represented to be, her true characteristics, her resources, her productiveness, and the beauties of lier climate will become better known. The sta})le products of the great North-West will ever be wheat and meat. As settlement si)reads the area of land under cultivation will, of course, increase in proportion, and the increase in this respect has been very remarkable during tlie past two or three years. It is estimated that between 100,000 and 200,000 acres of fresli land have been sown this year. Tliat mc^ans between 3 or 4 million bushels of grain to be added to the figures of last season, and so the work will progress from year to year, until the carrying capacity of the different outlets of the country will be strained to their utmost to move the rapidly increasing surplus. I have seen the question raised whether the Canadian North-West can indeed ever become a great wheat-producing country, owing to early frosts and the injury likely to be caused thereby to tli:> growing crops. I will only say that my belief is that, in the first place, the extent of and injury done by early frosts in the North-West have been very much exaggerated bv 20 jKirtlos, wlioso motivf^s I will not horo disciiss. In tlio noxt. |)la<'o, tlioao froHtB siro of Ji locil ratlior than of a gononil character, and, lastly, that as tho conntry bccoinos nioro wottlcd they will disappear alto/rether. I will leave it to my fri(ind Profeasor A.'acoun, who has stndied tlu'se frosts from a scientific and practical ]>oint of vic^w, to ex[)lain their nattiro and extent, and I think the (!oncInsion that will bo arrived at aft(>r lu^arin^ him will l)(» tliat th(»y will never [)rove a serious drawback to the conntry. The North-West has had several visitations which, according to the wiseacres of the day, wore destined to make the county valueless, and vet it lias survived and j)rospered. For instance!, tlu're were the floods caused by tho overflow of tho river. The first flood took j)laco in 177(5, the secouf' in 17110, tho third in 18U!J, tho fourth in 1820, and the last in 1852, and since then tho nearest approach to a flood has been the overflow of a i'ow acres of lovv-lving land here and there close to the river bank. At no time were the prairies flooded for any great distance from the river, yet in the old days the floods were fre(*ly (pioted as one of the chief reasons why the country would never be fit for settlement. I remember also, in the old days, we used to have grasshopper visitations, and very destructive pests these were, but tluiy also seem to disappo^ar with sc^ttlement ; and although I have heard them in times past fnHjly (juoted as another reason why the country could never be successfully settled, yet one never hears of grasshoppers now in the North- West. Minnesota and Dakota suffered in their earlier days in the same way from floods and grasshoppers ; but they too have survived them. So will it be with early frosts ; as the country becomes st'ttled we will hear less and less of this so-called drawback. One blessinir. however, the Canadian North-West has evc^r enjoyed, and that is a freedom from the hurricanes which so frequently devastate the western and other parts of the United States. That this is a blessing which we North-Western Canadians have reason to be thankful for may be gathered from the sad stories of havoc and suffering of which we have recently read as taking place in different parts of America. 1 need hardly refer to the different products of the. North-West. A glance through the agricultural section of the Canadian Court will give you a better idea of what they are, and the excellence of their quality, thtui any description I can here give. That the wheat, oats and barley are unsurpassed, the potatoes and roots unrivalled, are points notdisput"!, 1 i \ •)i' (', ihom , that 118 I will I' frosts hiro and licarin^ country, to tho CMS, and 1(1 floods t iU, and tilt) a Hood iid tli(M'(» for any rc! fr('(*ly I'or h(^ Ht to have mt tlu^y ird them ry could HM's now r earlier too have becomes blessing, Kit is a western r'hich we may be we liave "est. A A'ill ffivo quality, 1 barley Iisput"i, 21 and th(f weahh ol' wild nutritious jfrasses indicates how j»eeuliarly suilabN* is the country for stock purposes. Indeed, it is now a Hxed principle in the North-West that a farmer to be successful ou;^ht to follow miNcd farniin;;, and at the eastern base of the Hockics the; wonderful success and increas(* of cattle ranclu>s proclaim without a doubt tint tho future uu'at supply of Great Hritaiu will be furnished in a very lar;i,