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Les diagrammes suivants iilustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^<^■ ■r. 79/ hk F 4-^ .;- . r 3"'^ 33 Victoria. Sessional Ptipers (No. 12.) A. 1870 H) NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES. -:o:- llEPOKT OF DONALD A. SMITH, Esq. Ottawa, I2th April, 1870;, The lion. Joseph Howe, Secretary of State for the J'roviiicet, Ollawa. Sir, —In pursuance of the com!iiis.rt i haw. now the honor to .:ubmlt._ Leavin'^r Ottawa on tlie VMi Docember last, I reached St. Cloud, the termiiius of railway communicati"'on on tiie ITth. contiuuin;^; on the same day by stage, and arriving' at Aber- crombic on the evenini^- of tlie 19th. Here we had to abandon wheeled carriages, and, pro- curing ;i sleigh, after a couple of hours' rest, we resumed the journey, and on the afternoon of the 2Tst, met Hon. Mr. McDougall and party about thirty miles b.'yond Georgetown. From him I learned i ..v serious the asix'ct of affairs had latterly become at lied lliver; and, pushing on; we got to Pembina about 11 p.m. of the 21lh, and to Fort Garry on the 27th. The Gate of the Fort we found open, but guarded by several armed men, who, on my desiring to be shown to Guv.rnor M tcTavish's house, reijuestcd me to wait till they could communicate with their chief In a sliort time, Mr. Louis lliel appeared. I announced my name; he said he had he:ird of my arrival at I'embina, and was about to send off a party to brin" me in. I then accompanied him to a room occupied by ten or a dozen men, whom he introduced to me as momb-rs of the "Provisional Government." He requested to know the purport of my visit, to which I replied in substance that I was connected with the Hudson's Buy Company, but also held a commission from tiie Cantidian Government to the people of Red lliver, and would b.; prep ired to produce my 'creilentials so soon as they, the peo23le, were willing to receive me. I was then asked to take an o ith not to attempt to leave the fort that night, nor to up-iet their government, legally established. This request I perempt- orily refused t(j comjily willi, but said that, bi'liig very tired, I had no desire to go outside the gate that night, and promised to take no immodiate steps forcibly to upset the so-called " ProvisionaT Government," '-legal or illegal, as it might be," whiiout lirst announcing my intention to do ."-o :" Mr. Rivl taking e.\ceptioa to the word illegal, wlulc I insisted on retaining it. Mr. 0'i->i>;iohue, to get over tiie dil'.ieulty, remarked '-That is as he" (meaning myself) " uiider.st inds it," to which I rejoinyd, ''Precisely so." The above explanation, I am the more ])articular in giving, as it h is been reported that I at once acknovdedgcd the Provisional Government to be h-gal. Neither then nor afterwards did I do so. I took up my quarters in one of the housjs occupied by the Hud-^on's Bay Company's officers, and from tliat date until towards the close of _Febru:iry, was virtually a prisoner within liie Fort, although wilh permi-.-ion to go outside tho walls for exercise, accom- panied by two armed guards, a privilege oi" which 1 never availed myself All my official pip^n-s ha.d b.!en left in charge of Mr. I'rovcncher, at Pembina, as I h.".c' been warned that if Ibnnd in my possosion, they would unquesiionably be seized, as were those brought into the Settlement shortly al'ter by the llev. ..Mr. Thibault and Colonel De Salaberry. The state of matters at this time, in and around Fort Garry, was most unsatisfactory, and truly humiliating. Upwards of sixty British subjects were held in close conlinemeut as "political prisoners;" security for persons or property, there was none; the Fort, with its 12*— 1 1 • 1- le it r- it h 7 e a r 1 I i e 83 Victoria Sessional Papers (No. 12.) A. 1870 large supplies of ammunition, provisions, ;nul stores of all kinds, war, in the possession of a few hundred I'Vench half-breeds, whose leaders had declired their determination to use every effort ibr the jmrposo of annexing' th-^ Territory to tlie United States; and the Governor and Council oi' Assiniboia were powerless to enlbrce the law. On the Gill January, I saw Mr. Kiel, and soon cume to the conclusion that no good could arise from entering into any negotiations with his " Council,'' even , ere wc to admit their authority, which I was not prepared to do. We learnt that on the 13th, the Grand-Vicar ThibaulL and Colonel De Salabcrry ap- peared before the " President and Council of the People," when some erplauations and compliments were exchanged, after which the Very Ptev. gentleman and his associate were politely bowed out and lost sight of. Meantime we had frecjuent visits in tlie Fort from some of the most influential and most reliable men in the Hettlemcnt, wlio gladly made known to the people generally, the liberal inten- tions of the Canadian Government, and in eonse"|uence one after anotlier of lliel's Councillors seceded from him, and being joined by their friends and by many of their compatriots and co- religionists who hiul throughout held aloof from the iii.-urgents, they determined U) longer to submit to his dictation. This change evidently had a nuirkc J efTcct on lliel, cau.sing lum to alter his tactics and to profess a desire for an accomodation with Canada ; accordingly on the 14th January', he called on me, informed me that he had seen Messrs. Thibault and DeSalabeiTy, whose instructions did not authorize them to give assuninces that the people would bo secured in possession of tiieir riglits on entering into tlie Confederation, their cin.nd being merely " to calm the Frencli Half-breeds." lie then asked to see my Commission, and on my explaining that, owing entirely to the action taken by himself, it was not in my possession, iu an excited yet faltering manner he said "yes, I know, 'tis a great pity, but how soon could you have it?" "probably in five or six days," I replied. "That is too long, far too long" he responded, and then asked wliere the documents were deposited, requesting at the same time a written order for their delivery to his messenger. To this I would not accede, but on his assuring mo that they would be delivered into my hands, and that I sliould be aflbrded an opportunity of com- municating their contents to the people, I consented to send a friend for them. It was so decided, and immediately after the messenger had received his instructions from me, I was placed under strict arrest, a Captain's guard being assigned me, whose instructions were, not to lose sight of me for one moment day or night, and to prevent me from communicating either verbally or in writing with any iudividu;d. I protested, saying, " am I to consider myself a prisoner 1 " " He replied, "certainly not, I have the utmost confidence in your honor, but ciieumstauces demand this." It v.'as now about 10 o'clock and my messenger liaving been marched out, I retired to bed, but only to be awakened 'twixt two and three o'clock in the morning of the 15th, by Mr. lliel, v.lio wit'.i a guard, stood by t!ie bed side and again dcni.'UKled a written order for the delivery of my (Jfheijd I'apers, which I again peremptorily n.'fused to give. The well aifeeted French party became aware of wliat had hajijiened and not believing iu lliel's good f iith, determined to preve/it the p;ipers from falling into his hands. They got together some sixty or eighty men, who met my friend on his way buck and were escorting liim, when on the 18th about "10 miles from the Fort, they were accosted by Kiel and some of his party, and by the Peverend Mr. Pitchot. An altercation took_ place, Kiel atteripted to use his pistol, sa.ying: "he would not be taken aUve iu his own coumry," on which a revolver was levelled at his head, and j.Mr. Pitchot, having interposed, ho was micerenioniously told to stand aside and "not to ititerfere any further with matters unconnected with his sjiiritual duties." It m;iy be well to note that all those who took part in this affair were Catholics, and, with one or two exceptions, French Half-breeds. Nothing more serious hapjien( d at this time and the party proceeded together to Fort Gurry, where they arrived in the forenoon. A feAv minutes before they entered the house, the \'ery llev. Mr. Thibault, Pere Lestanc a)id Colonel Pe Salabcrry, called upon me and, with the exception of my guard they were the first individuals with whom I was permitted to converse since the 14th. They appeared to be niueh concerned, and said it was currently reported I had been endeavouring to incite the difi'erent parties to ho>tiIe collision. 1 repudiated any such charge; explained tiiat 1 had acted only iu the cause of peace and order, and wiiii_ the desire of making the people, both French and English, fully acquainted with the liberal views of the u 33 Victoria. Sessional Papers (No. 12.) A. 1870 Cauadi:iii Govcinmont, fo tli.-it ;i pc:iCofiil Irnnsfcr of tliD Torritory nii'/i'.t bo off.otof], nrlding that I was ple;is:;J to think t'.icro w;;s now every Hkeliliood tliis wnnld sjxedily Lo aeconiplii-hod In the meantime, the party in po.«s.i^?ion of my papers entered tlie adjoininjr room, on which Pere Lestanc joined tlicm, v.liik^ Messrs. Thibault and Do S dalK'rry went outside. Immedi- ately after they retired, Mr. Kiel cimc to me, snyinii;: '' Ynnr eonimi.s.-ion is here; but in the hands of men who had no ri;2;ht to have it." I expressed suti.-fictiou that it had been brought in, and said beinc: now in por-session of it, I mast be reli.'ved from all restraint, and be pi •- mitted freely to conimuiiieato with the people. Jle at once removed the ^ruard, and wo went up to tlic party who had just arrived. Messrs. Kiel and U'Donotrhue, with a few of their friends, were present, and vehomentlj' protested atrainst the action now bein;; taken, while th.o ex- councillors accused them of trensnu to the Impvi'ial Grown, and of u.-iii,i>- every effort to brinf» about the annexation of tlie Country to the United States. Kiel replied "that wa.s only supposing the people desired it, but that he was willing t)ie question siiould be submitted to them." Pere Jj(>stane spoke warmly in favor of the '' President," who, ho said, had acted so as to merit the gratitude of his countrymen, and bogged them still to jilaee confidence in him. This evidently had no ciTjct, and ultimately, after a good deal of recriniitritiou it was arranged that a meeting of the inhabitants from all parts of the .Settlement should be called for the morrow, the 19th, at whicli the papers bearing on the subject should bo read, a guard of forty men remaining in the house to ensure the safe-keeping' of the documents. Riel's men were now fulling ■.i^vny from him, vhile th(! loyal pai'ty expi'ossed tlieir determination no longer to be guided in the matter either l>y him or by Pere Lestanc and his associates. They were full of hope, and confident that the folloM^ng day would bring Avith it completa success to the cause of Canada. Late th.at night, Pere Lestanc paid tliem another visit, which was prolonged for several hours beyond midnight, and next morning it w;is found tliat a majority of those wlio liad seceded from Kiel wei'e again on friendly tei-ms Avith him. The hour for the meeting having arrived, upwards of a thousand psople attended, and deeming it of great imiiortance tliat the explanations to be made on behalf of the Canadian Government should be faithfully rendered to the French Epeuking portion of the Settlers, whose leaders hr.d studiously Avithheld from them all knowledge of the +rue state of matters in connection Avith the proposed transfer of th(3 country, I requested Colonel de Sahiberr-y to act as interpreter, bu* the C(^loneI, diffident of his own ability as a translator, proposed jNlr. lliel as interpreter, and the latter Avas appointed accoi'dingly. At tliis meeting, and that j held the fcUoAving day, the reading of the Com- mission, the Queen's Letter, and evfry other document Avas contested Avith much obstinacy, but ultiniau iy carried ; and threats Avere used to myself in the presence and hearing of the Chairman, of tlio Secretary, Judge Blael:, and others, more especially by Mr. Piel and Pev. ;Mr. Lestanc. At the commencement of the meeting, I requested the Chairman and those near him to begin ])y insisting that all arms should b« laid doAvn, and that tlie ihg then flying (ileur de lis and shami-ock) should be rei-laced by the British ensign ; this, they thought, Avould come better at an after-stage ; but tlie o])portunity of doing so uoav lost, ncA'or locui'red. As is generally known the result of the meeting was the appointment of forty delegates, 20 from either side, to meet on 25th January, "with the object of considering the subject of Mr, Smith's Commission, and to decide whvtAvould be the best for theAvelfiro of the country,' the English as a body, and a large number of the French declaring their entire satisfaction with the explanations given, and tlieir earnest dos'r; foi' uisien with Canada. On the 22nd, Riel had several conferences with the well alfccted French within the Fort: he was melted even to tear;-, told tlieni how cirnestly he desired an arrangement with Canada, and assured them that he would lay down Ids authority inimediatly on the meeting of the Convention. They believed him sincere, -'wl. although I cnnsidered that tlieir guard in the Fort sliould not be decreased, they h(?ld th:it ten men Mould bo amply siillieient to leave while they went to secure their elections; the consequence Avas that they had hardly gon a when repressive measures Avore resorted to, and the Hudson's Bay Company's stores which had hitherto been only partially in their hands, were now taken complete posse ; ion of by Kiel. 3 33 Victoria. Sessional Papers (No. 12.) A. 187, EfToits wore made to ]in\-o the prisoners roleasod, but witliout efloot. The Dol(';.'r'.1i'S vaot on tlic S^tli, and coutinnod in sossiou till t'.io lOtli FoV^riiary On the 2C>t]\, I liandc'd lo tlieir Clininufin, Jnd,i;o Dlack, tho documents read at tlie meetings of the 19th and 20^1 January, and, c" tho 27tli, attended the Convention l»y ai)poinfcment. I was received with nnieli cordir.lity 1^ all the delearts of the Dominion ; lait, on bein^ rttjuested by Mr. liiel to give an opinion regarding a certain " li.st of rights," pre]).'ir,"d by his party in December last, I declined to do so, thinking it Ijctterthat the present Convention should place in my hands a paper, stating their wisihes to v.hieh I sluuld "bo hapj)y to give such answers as 1 believed would be; in accordance with the views of tho Canadian Government." The Convention then set jiliout the task of preparing a '' lisL of rights," embodying the con- ditions on which they would be willing to enter the confederation. While the discussion regarding this list v. as going on, Vtr. Eiel called on me and asked if the Canadian Government woukl consent to receive them as a Province — my reply was, that I could not speak v/ith any degi'oe of cert.ainty on tho subject, as it had not been referred to Avhen I was at Ottawa, the intention then being tliat the North-West should, in the first instance, be incoqioratcd under the Dominion as a Territory ; but I added, that no doubt it would become a Pro\ince within two or three years. On this ]\Ir. lliel, with much emphasis, (jxclaimed '' then the If udfon's 1-ay Company is not safe yet," to "srhich I answei'ed " Mr. l\iel, that carinot influence me in the slightest degree, and I am fpxite prej^ax'ed to act as may be recpiind of me in my capacity as Canadian Connnissioner." This was on the evening of the ord February, on the following day the proposition to enter as a Province was negatived by the Convention, and on the 5th, another motion directed against the Hudson's Pay Company, also failed; the language Tised by Mr. liit;l on the latter occasion having been violent in the extreme. The same evening, Eiel proceeded to Governor McTavish, who had been dangerously ill for many w(!eks back, and was then barely able to sit up, jilaced a guard over him, and heaping reproaches .and insidt on him, declared that ho woidd h;ivo liim sliot before midnight. Pael then sought out Dr. Cowan, tho ollicer in immediate charge of Red lliver District, upiiraided him for his persistent o])position to " the people," the insurgents, and declaring that his name would go down with infamy to posterity for tlie part he had takcai^ demanded that he would imiueuiately .swear allegiance to the Provisional Goveinment, or ])repare for death within throe hours, giving him a quarter of an hour for consideration. Tho D>,Ltor immediately replied, that ho knew no legal authority i" the country, but that of Gre.at Britain, tu which his allegiance was due and that he would not take the oath rccjuired of him. He was then seized and i)ut in confinement iilong with the jn-isoners taken in December last. I wa"? also put luidor strict guard, but not removed from the house. Notwithstanding this, and the painful doubt created in tho minds of tho English mem])ers of the Convention as to tho course they should pursue after these ariests the Delegates again met on the 7th. On the otli, they had resolved to j)lace in my hands the List of lUghts they had drawn up, which was done at II o'clock on the 7th, vdth jui intimatiim thfit the Convention would be glad to nu;et me at 1 o'clock ]).m., th;; into: vcning two hours being allowed me to frame my answers. In drawing up these, T w.is allowed no reference to any documant either written or ])rinted, cicept the " Li.-it of ilights," and a guard stood over me to see that I should write nothing else than that to bo }>resented to the convention. I had just finished writing when Mr. Kiel aiid his " Adjutant- General " Le[)in;', who was also a member of the Convention, came in, an;l Kiel looking at the latter in a significant manner said " the answers to the List of Ilights must. 1)0 simply yes or no." On this I remark eil tliat I tliouglit otherwise and would act as circumslanees might appear to me to require. I then retired, and on returning to the room a few minutes later, found there Mr. Kiel, tlie Kev. Jlr. Thibault and Colonel De Salaberry. We proceeded together 4 /I / 41 33 Victoria. Sessional Papers (No. 12.) A. 1870 to the Convention, and in course of conversation Col. Do Snlaberrj saitl lie would gladly have come to see nie before, but could not as he " had been a prisoner throu,f»hout." The proeeediii,!:;a of the convention aa reporti'd in the " Xow Nation " newspaper, of the 11th and 18tU Feliruarv, copies of which I have had Hie honor of addressing;; to you, are sufficiently exact, and render it unnecessary for me liero to enter into details. SufRceit to say that a lnr'j;^> majority of the delegates expressed entire satisfaction Avith tho answers to their " List of Ui^hts." and professed confidence in tlie Canadian Government, to which I inyited them to send delegates, with the view of eiFecting a speedy transfer of tho Territory to the Dominion, an invitation received with acclamation and unanimously accepted, as will ap[ic:u' by resolution hereto annexed, along with tho List of Rights and my answer to the aaino. The delegates named v/pre John Black, Esq., Recorder, the Rev. Mr. Ritchot, and ISlr. Alfred II. Scott. A good deal of opposition having been offered to the election of the last named of the th-ce. The i^roceedings of the Convention came to a close on the 10th Fel)ruary, by tho nomination of a Provincial Government, in the formation of which several delegates dec- lined to take any part. Governor IMacTaA-i^di. Dr. Cowan, and two or three other persona were then released and the Hudson's Day Company officers again allowed to come and go at jdeatture, but I was still confined to the Fort : Riel, as ho expressly stated to Judge Black, being apprehensive of my iniluencc with the people in the approaching elaction. Riel promised that all the prisoners should soon l)0 released. On the 11th and 12th six or eight of thorn were set at liberty, and Dr. Cowan was informed in my presence, that as they were all to be discharged without delay, the rooms the}^ had occupied would be placed at his disposal in a day or two ; Riel remarking at the same time that he would liave them thoroughly cleaned out Rumours now began to circulate of a rising at the Portage, and on the night of the 14tli and 16th of February, some 80 or 100 men from that district jjassed doAvn close to Fort Garry, and proceeded to Kildonan, where tliey were joined by from 300 to 3.'50 men, principally English half-l)rceds, from tlie lower parts of the Settlement. Had thase men, properly armed and organized, been prepared to sup])ort the well affected French party, when tho latter took action, about the middle of January, or even in |the beginning of Februaiy, during the sitting of the Convention, order might have been restored and the transfer to Canada provided for without the necessity for firing a single shot ; but now tlie rising was not only rash, but purposeless, as, without its intervention, the prisoners would unquestionably have been released. The party was entirely un-organized, indilferently armed, unprovided with food even for one meal, and wholly inca])able of coping with the French now re-united, who, to the number of at least seven hundred were prepared to offer the most determined resistance, which, as they were in possession of a number of guns (six and three pounders), ample stores of ammunition, provisions, and eveiy other rec^uisite, they could have done most effectually. My sym2)athies were, in a great measure, with the Portag* men, whom I believe to have been actuated by the best of motives ; but under the circumstances it was not diificult to foresee that the issue could not bo otherwise tlian disastrous to their cause. Tho attempt was, therefore, 'to be deplored, as it resulted in ])lacing the wliole Settlement at the feet of Riel. The great majority of tho settlers, English and Scotch, discountenanced the movement and bitterly complained of those who had set it on foot. Forty-seven of the party were cap tured on their way home, while passing within a few hundred yards of the Fort ; the explanation I have heard given for their otherwise inexplicable conduct in having taken this route, i)ist(>a(l of making a detour which would have ensured safety, being a supposed promise by Riel that they would be pormitt(?d to pass unmolested. Their messenger, a young man named jNLijoan, on being ([uestioned by Archdeacon McLean and myself in presence of the Rev. ]\L'. Gardner and one or two other gentlemen, admitted that Riel, on being asked " if the party would be jteimitted to ])ass," was silent, and oidy, on being informed that they intended next day to uno the route just outside tho town, I'emarked "ah ! that is good," *nd for his purpose it no doubt was so. Captain Bolton led the 5 as Victoria. Sessional Pnpers (No. 12.) A. 1870 pnrty, and be and his friends at the Portage sa.siived mo that he exerted himaelf to the utmoHt to keep them from ri.sing, «■ d onlj joined them at the last nioment whfn lie sa-w they were determined to go forward, lie vaa captured on the 17th, tried by " Court Martial," and condemned to lie fihoc at noon on the following day, but at the intercossion of the LordBiyhop of Rupert's I r-.ni), Archdeacon McLean, «,nd, in short, every influential man among tho English, nnd I liavo been told also, at the earnest enrvcaty of the Catholic Clergy, the e:\coufion v.'as delayed till midnight of Saturdiv, the 1 9th. Further than this, Kiel declared ho could lU't, would not, yield, exce))t, indeed, Dr. Sehiiltz should be captured in tho meantime, in which case hf. would be shot in.stcad cf Bolton. Arch- deacon McL<^an had been in olcso attendance on Capt. Bolton for twenty-four houra, had administered to Lim tho fiaci-ament, received his last commands, and had promised to be I)resent v,-ith him at the last moment, and when I met the Archdeacon on my way to see Eiel, nl'out 8 (-'clock (-u the ev»ning of the ICth, ho was doi>})ly alfected, and had given up all hope. T found with Fviol, IMr. IT. N. Bobiason, of "The Nation" newspaper, and shortly afterwards Mr. Jamefj Ross, " Chief Justice," entered, followed in a few minutes by Mr. Baur.iityno, Pcstmaster, who had been ordered to bring tho key of thj mail bag, Avhich Ricl o[)ened, and examining the letters perused and retained one or more. Mr. Ross pleaded for Bolton, bu,t was repulsed in th.o most contemptuous manner. I had already been speaking to Riel on the subject when interrupteil by Mv. Ptoss'a entrance, and now resumed tho conversation. Riel was obdurate .and said that the English settlers and Canadians, but more especially the latter, had laughed at and despised the French Half-breeds, believing ihat they would not dare to take tho life of anyone, and that, under these circumstanceu, it would be impossible to have peace and establish order in the country ; an examjile must therefore bo made, and ho had firmly resolved that Bolton's' execution should be carried out, bitterly as he deplored the necessity for doing so. J reasoned with him long and earnestly, until at length, about 10 o'clock, he yielded, and addressing mo, aj^parently with much feeling, said *' hitherto I have been deaf to all entreaties, and, in now grar.ting you this man's life," or words to that eflect, " may I ask you a favoi- f' " Anything," I r«pliod, " that in honor I can do." PTe continued, " Ca ^as disunited us, will you use your influence to re-unite US'? You can do so, and v, . t this it must be war — bloody civil war !" I answered, that as I had said on first coming to tho country I would now repeat, that " I would give my whole heart to eflect a peaceable union of tho country with Canada." "We want only oiir just rights as British subjects," he said, " and we want the English to join us simply to oljtain tliese." " Then," I remarkcl, " I shall at once see them and induce them to go on with the election of delegates for that purpose ;" and he replied " if you can do tins, wp.r will be avoided, not only the lives but the liberty of all the prisoners will be secured, for on your success depend the lives of all the Canadians in the country." He immediately proceeded to the prison, and intimated to Archdeacon McLean that he had been induced by me to spare Capt. Bolton's life, and had further promised to me that immediately on the meeting of the Council shortly to be elected, the whole of the prisoners would bo released, requesting the Archdeacon, at the same time, to explain these circumstances to Capt. I'olton and the other prisoners. The nioment was a fearful one for the settlement : every man's life was in the hands of Riel and fully appreciating the significance of this, the Bishop of Rupert's Land and the Protestant clergy generally, now earnestly counselled the people to elect their delegates without loss of time as by this means they might to some extent control the course of events, while otherAvise thoy wore utterly powerless. I entirely concurred i'l Jhis view of tho case and. Archdeacon .McLean having kindly ofiered t) accompany me, we visited the different poj-ts of the settlement, and found that in several parishes, tho people, and those the most loyal to tho British Crown and most desii-ous for union with Canada, had already chosen their Councillors. I explained to all. that the Council was to be Provisional, in the strictest sense of the word, intended expressly for effecting tho trans- ference of the country to Canada, and for ensuring safety of life and property in the mean- time. In some instances, I found they had drawn up petitions to Mr. Riel as "President " 6 r ■•> f SI \ 33 Victoria. Sessional Papers (No. 12.) A. 1870 expiTssing suLinissiori, itc, tlioso I rflquofiteil tlK'm to drstroy, atlvisiiig (hat notliiiig mora slioiild 1)0 iloiio than under tlio fircuni:st;uici>.s wan ahsulutoly necessary, namely, that having niado their election, you should simply iiitimato the fact in formal terms to Mr. Jiunn, who liad hoen namod Secretary of tUo ('ouiieil, and not t.i Mr. Riid. Tho elections in the P^nglish parishes having taken place on tho 2r)tli February I a:;ain saw Jliel, who re-assured me, that all thy prisoners would be released within a day or two after the first meeting of tho Council. On tho 28tli, ho again sent for mo ard in profjcnce of Mr. Frasor, delegate from tho Scotch Parish, KiWonan, rejieated his promise that the lives of the prisoners were secured, and that their leleaso would shortly loUow. I had no further communication with Iviol initil Monday, cho 4th IMarcli, when about 10 o'clock in tho morning. Pore Lestano called on me. He ir formed rno of Bisliop Tach^'a expected arrival, not later certaiidy than the Sth, and probably some days earlier, adding that hiu Lordship had telegiaplied to request that, if about to Icavo for Canada, I should defer my departure till he could communicate personally with mo. ]fo then said that tho conduct o; the prisoners was very unriatisfactory, that they were very unridy, insolent to the " soldiers " and their behaviour altogether so very bad, that ho was afraitl the guards might be forced to retaliate in self dofence. I expressed much surprise at the information lie gave, m the ])risonerG. without exception, liad promir^cd to Archdeacon jMcLean and myself, that seeing their helpless condition, tlisy wouM endeavour to act ko as to avoid giving oU'enci) to their guards, and we encounijed them to look forw;ird to being speedily released in fulillment of the prondso made by Mr. liiel. One man, Parker, was mentioned as having made himself particularly obnoxious by his violent conduct, but not one word was s:ud on this occasion regarding Scott, or the slightest intiniation given, that he or any other person had been condemned to be shut. About 1 1 o'clock Pore Lestanc left me and went up stairs to communicate to Governor MacTavish, as he said, " tho good news that P>ishop Tache was expected so soon." Tlio Poverend Mr. Young, Methodist clergyman, had just entered the house and meeting the Pore in tho hall, conversed with him a few minutes. ]\Ir. Young then camoup to me, and from him, I had the first intimation that it was intended to shoot Thomas Scott, and that the sentence was to be carried into ofl'ect at 12 o'clock, noon, that day. We agreed in believing that the thing v/as too monstrous to be possible, and Mr. Young mentioned that poor Scott himself was equally incredulous on the subject, thinking they merely intended to frighten him. However, even to keep him in suspense was of itself a horrible cruelty, and it was arranged that as Mr. Young had been scnit for to attend t'.ie man, ho should seo I'Jel, ascortain exactly how the matter stood, and, if really serious, to let me know at once. Mr. Young accordingly called on lliel, was iiiformcd that Scott had been condemned, that tho sentence was irrovociiijle, and would not bo delayed one minute beyond noon. Mr. Young beggeris.)ners were secured — hut that he was incorrigihlo, and quite incapalde of ai>preciatingtlie eleiucney with whieli he had been treated; that ho was rough and abusive to the guards, aivd insuUlng to him, i\Ir. Kiel; that his example had been productive of the very worst ellccts on the other prisoners, who had become insub- ordinate to such an extent, that ib was difficult to withhold the guards from i-etaliating. He further said, "T sat down with Scott as we are doing now, and asked liini truthfully to tell nic, as I woidd not use his statement against liiui, what ho and the Portage party intended to have done with me, had they succeeded in capturing me, when they surrounded Coerln''i housv?," to which ho replied, "we intoiuleil to keep you as a hostage for tlio safety of the prisoners," I arguc'd witii lii'd, and eiukavoure.l to show that some of tho circumstances he had mentioned, and especially tlie last, were very strong reasons to urgo why Soti's life should not be sacrillceil, and that, if as he represented, Bcott was a rash, thoughtless man, whom none careil to have anything to do with, uo evil need be appro- hendcd from liis example. I pointed out that tho one great merit claimed for tho insurrection was that, so far, it had been blooilless, except in one sad instiincs, which all were willing to look npon as an accident, and imi)lored him not now to stain it, to burden it with wjiat would be considered a horrible crime. He exclaimed " wo must make Canada respect lis." I replied, " sho has every proper resi)ect for tho people of Pied llivor, and this is shewn in her having sent Commissioners to treat with them." I told him I had seen tho prisoners some time back, when they commissioned me to say to their friends at the Portage, that they desired peace, and I otfered to go to them again and reason with them, should that bo necessary. On this he said, " look here, Mr. Smith, ]Mr. Scott, the represontative, went to see tho jirisonors at my desire, and on asking them whom they woidd vote for as Councillor, if they wero permitted a choice outside of their own bod' ? Thos. Scott came forward and sahl, "my boys have nothing to do with those Americans." And when I remarked "this is really a most trilling aifair, and ought not to have been repeated," he said " do not attempt to prejudice us against the Americans, for although we have not been with them — they are with us, and have been better friends to us than the Canadians." ]\[uch more was said on both sides, but ai-gument, entreaty, and protest alike failed to draw him from his purpose and he closed by saying, " I have done three good things since I have commenced, I have spared Bolton's life at your instance, and I do not regret it, for ho is a fine fellow, I par- doned Gaddy, and he showed his gratitude by escaping out of the bastion, but I don't grudge him his miserable life, and now I shall shoot Scott." Lepine, the Adjutant-General, who v/as president of the Council of Seven, which tried Scott, — and five of whom, Pdel told me, " with the tears streaming from their eyes, condemned him as worthy of death," a sentence which he had confirmed — now entered, and in answer to Hiel, said "he must die." Kiel then requested the liev. Pere Lestanc to put the people on their knees for prayer as it might do good to tho condemned man's soul, lleferring to Pere Lestanc and making a final appeal unncceseary here to repeat I retired. It was now within a few minutes of one o'clock, and on entering the Governor's house Rev. Mr. Young joined me, and said, " It is now considerably })ast the hour, I trust you have succeeded," " No, I said, " for God's sake go back at once to the poor man, for I fear the worst." He left im- mediately, and a few minutes after he entered the room in which tho prisoner was confined, some guards marched in and told Scott his hour was come. Not until then did the reality of his position flash upon pooi Scott. He said good bye to the other prisoners, was led outside the gate of the Port, with a white handkerchief coTering his head, his coffin, having a piece of white cotton thrown over it, was carried out; his eyes Avere bandaged ; he continued in prayer, in which he had been engaged on the way for a few minutes ; ho asked Mr. Young how he should place himself, whether standing or kneeling, then knelt iu the snow, said farewell, and immediately after fell back pierced by three bullets, 8 33 Victoria. Sessional Papcr.i (No. 12.) A. 1S70 wliiuli Iiassorl lliiouuli his body. Tli»* liiijij^ jtarty (^oiisistcvl of six iiUMi, iill of ulioiii ii is said wcio inoiu; or loss into.\iciitd, then went back to the body and again retired for a moment while a man diseharged his revolver at the snflerer, the ball it is said, entering the eye and passing round tJie head. Tlie wounded msiu groaned Itetween the time of receiving the nni.sket .shots and tlie discharge of the revolvi'rs. Mr. Voiuig asked to have the remains for interment in the burying ground of the Presbyteiian clmrch, but this was not acceded t(>, and a siniijar re(|ucst ])referi'ed by the Ijishop of Ilupert's l^and was .ilso refused, lie was bnri(!d within the walls of the fort. On descending the stejts leading from the ]irison, jjoor Scott, addressing ]Mr. ^'oung said '' This is a cold Itlooded nnnder," then cngagt'd in ])i'aycr, and was so occupied until he was shot. Afk'r this date I liehl no connmniicatioii wluitsoever with lliel, t-xcept in n-fercnui.' to getting away from tlie country, which I was not allowed to leave without it pass. I I'clt that under tlie circumstances it was not avour to show in a few words, has been [)roduc(ivo of some good, and that it was not entirely successfid, nuiy fairly be attributed to the circum stances abovo referred to in connectio:i witli ♦he action taken and meetings held in January last. tSucces.s, although in a lesser degree, might also have been gained at a later period but for the rising in February, which, though ra.sh tud })i-oductiv(; (>f results the most unfortunate, I can hardly Vlamc, knowing, as already stated, that those who took part in it were actuated and impelled by generous motives. On reaching lied River iu December last, I fomul the English-speaking portion (^f the inhabitants greatly divided iu oinnion as to the comparative advantages of union with Canada and the ibrmivtion of a Crown colony, while a few, a very small uuml)er, favored annexation to the United States. The explanations offered on tlu; part of Canada they received as .satisfaetoiy, and, with hardly a dissentient voice, they would now vote lor the innncdiate transfer to the Dominion. They earnestly ro(jiiested me to assure lli.s E.Kcellency the Governor Ctcncral of their warm loyalty to the British Crown. The case is difl'orent as regards the French half-lji'ceds. A not inconsidei-al)lp number of thorn remained tnie to their allegiance during all the troubles through which they have had to pass, and with these will now bo found associated many othei s whose minds had for a time been poisoned by gross misrei)resentations made by designing men for their own selfish ends. A knowledge of the true state of the cas(3, and of the advantages they would derive from luiion with Canada, had been carefully kept from thenj, and they wei-e told to judge of Canadians generally, by the acts and bearing of some of the less reflective immigrants, who had denounced them as "cumberors of the ground," who must speedily make way for the " .superior race" about to jwur in upon them. It is also too true that in the unauthorised jtroceedings of some of the recent Canadian arrivals, some plausible ground had been given for the feeling of jealou.sy and alarm Avith which the contemi»lated change of (government was regarded by the native population. In various localities these adventurers had been industriously marking off tor themselves considerable, and in souk; cases very extensive and cxcej»tionally valuable tracts of land, thereby impressing the minds of the i)eople with the belief that the time had come when, in their own country, they were to be entirely supplanted by the strangei , a belief, however, which I have no doubt, might have been completely i>recluded by the pr(!vcntion of all such opeiations, luitil Canada had fully unfolded her policy and shown (he groundlessness of these fears. J^ct us further bear in mind that many of the Catholic clergy in the country are ncf French Canadians but Frcnchmcn.and consequently, it maybe presumed, not very conversant 12*— 2 9 33 Victoria. Sessional Papers (No. 12.) A. 1870 with British laws and institutions and with the liberty and privilogoa enjoyed under then). Wnnnly attached totlieir tlocks, they doomed it necessary to exact some jifuarantoe that in thoir now political condition, they would not be treated with injustice. It is unneces.sary here to j)oint out how tlie breach -widened until at length it attained a magnitude and .significance little dreamt of in the connnencement, even by those who joined nio.st heartily in the movement. It is far nujre pleasing to be able to state, which I do with nnirli confidence, that a large majority of the Ij'rench party have no misgivings as to union witJi Canada, JUid that joined by and uiul'r the guidance of His Loidship, Bishop Taohe, and other members of the clergy who e.ijoy tli(>ir contidence, they will very shortly i>rove themselves to bo staunch siip[K)rtois of t!ie Dominion, firm in their allegiance to England. Jn course of the iusurrcctiou one (li'|)l()ra.bl(^ crime; auus been heaped on the Hudson's .l>ay Company aiul their ({ov(\nior and ofiicers in the North-west, which I consider it quite unnecessary at this moment, cren to attempt to answer or refute, although, not doubting that both could bo readily and satisfactorily done. Kirors, niaiiy autl giave, have, it cannot be denied, bee\) eoni- niiltcd on all sides, but wilful and indntional neglect of duty, cannot, 1 f<'el conviiu^ed, be laid to the charge, either of the Jludson's Bay t'omjtany, or their representatives in the Country. P(>rsonally, T ]ia\e been entirely unconnected with the administration of adairs in that dejiartni(>nt. I would respectfully submit, tJiat it is of the utmost importance, there should bo a strong military force in the North-west as early as ju'acticable. The minds of the Indians, especially the tribes in tlie ya.skatchewan Country have been so perplexed and confused, })y the occurrences of ihe past i^ix months, that it would be very unsafe to trust to their forlirarance ; and indeed, until the question of Indian claims has lioen finally settled, it would not, in my opinion, be prudent to leave the countr}' unprotected by military. Tiie adjustment of those claims will refpiire early attention, and .somo memoranda and evidence in my hands on ihe subject. I shall, if desired, bo prepared to lay before tho (Jovcrnmcnt. 1 h.ivc the honor to lie, Sir, Your obedient servant,' Don. a. Bmiih. APPENDIX. " IJST OF IMCIITS.' " 1. That in view of tlu^ present exceptional position of the North-West, duties upon goods im])orted intt) the country, shall continue as at jtni.sent (e.\cept in the ca.se of spirituous li(]uors) foi- three year. , and for such further tinu) as may ela])se until there be uninterrupted railroad communication between Red lliver Settlement and St. Paul, and also steam connnunication between Ilcd River Settlement and Lake Superior. 2. As long as this country remains a Territory in the Dominion of Caimda, th<>re shall be no direct taxation except siujIi as may be imposed by the Ijocal Legislature for Municipal or other Local purposes. .".. During the tinu> tliis country remains a Territory in the Dominion of Cai-ada, all juilitai-y, civil, and other })ublic expenses in connection with the general government of tjio country,— ov that have hithei'to been borno by the j)ublic funds of the Settlement^ j\ 870 ICIll. at in SHI y nii(l •tily mrii vitJi and ■<)V(> to 33 Victoria. Sessiorical Papers (No. 12.) A. 1870 Itpyond tlio rocolpt of tlio above montionnildntu^a, sliallbe inot by the Dominion of Canada. 4. Tliat wliilo tlio burden of ]ml)lic <'X)»(.'nso in this country is borne by Canada, tho fountry bo j^ovorncd uudrr a liiciiicnanl ( l.tvcrnor from Canada, and a Legishiture, three niouibcrs of wlioni beintioual ]wriod, the country shall be pjoverned, as I'Offards its local afliiirs, as the Provinces of Ontai'io andQuebec are now governed, by a a Legislature elected by the |)eople, and a Ministry rosponsibh^ to it, under a Lieutenant- Covernor appointed by the (iovernor (Jeneral of ('anada. (J. That there shall bo no intei-ferenee by the J)oniinion I'arliamont in the Looal all'airs of this Territory other than is allowed in any of the I'rovinees in tiie Confoderalion ; anil that this Territory shall have and enjoy in all respc^cts, (he same privileges, advantag«« and aids in meeting the pul)lie exp»Mis('s of this Ttirritory as tlie Confederated Provinces have ami enjoy. 7. That wiiilc (he Noth-West remains a Territory, the Legislature have a right lo pass all laws local to the Territoi-y, over the veto of the liieutcMiant-Coveinor, by a two third vote. S. A Homestead and Pre-emption Law. !). That while the North-Wi-st remains a TcrrlLory, the sum of !ij;2r), ()()() (twenty live thousand dollars) a year be appropriated foi- sciiools, roads and bridges. 10. That all pul»lic buihlings be at tlie cost of the Dominion Treasury. 11. That there shall be guaranteed uuinteii-upted steam eommunieation to liake Kjuperior within live years, ami also the estaltlishment by lail of a lounection witli thu .\meriean railway as soon as it i-eaches the International liiu'. 1 L*. That the Knglish and French languages lie eommon in the Legislature and Couits, and that all jtublic documents and Aels of tlie Legislature be i)ublisheil in botli languages. I .'{. That the Judge of the Supi'cnie Couit sjieak the French and Knglish language.s. 11. That treaties be eoncIud(>d between the Dominion and the several Indian tribes of the eoiMitry, as soon as |)ossihle. I r». That until the population of (l;e eounlry oititles us to more, we have four represen- tatives in the Canadian Parliament- onein the Senate and threein the Legislative Assembly. lt». That all pi-operties, rights and priveleges, as hitherto enjoyed by us, be respected anil tlu? recognition and arrangement of local customs, usages and privileges, b(^ made under the control of the JiOcal Legislature. 17. That the Local Legislature of this Terrlt(.ry have full control of all (he ))uhlic laml inside a circumference, having ll|»p( r l'\)rt Carry as the centre, and that the radii of this circumference, be the numl)er of miles that the American line is distant from Kort Carry. 18. That evei'y man in this country (except unciviliz.^d and unsettled Indians) who has attained the age of twenty-one years, and every Uritish suhji-ct, a sli'ang(>i- to (his Territory, Avho has resiihnl thice yeais in the country, and is a householder, shall have a right (o V(jte at the election of a member to serve in the Legislature of the country and in tho Dominion I'arliament ; and every foreign sidyect, other tiiaii a British sybjecl , who has resided the samc^ length of time in the country, and is a householder, shall liavn the lame right to vote, «)ii condition of his taking the o;i(h of allegiance— it l)eing umlei' stood that this article be subject to auuMidieent exclusively by the Local Legislature. 19. That t,he North-VVcxt Territory shall never be held lialtle for any portion of (he X.'J(H), 000 paid to tlu* Hudson J{ay Company, or for any portion of (Ik? public debt of Canada, as it stands at the time of oui- enteiing the Confederation ; ami if, thereafter we be called upon to a.ssume our shai'«! of tlu^ said |>ublic debt, we consent oidy on condition that we first be allowed the amount for which we shall be held liable." u 33 Victoria. Sessional Papers (No. 12.) A. 1870 The foregoing document was put into my liands at 11 a.m., Februaiy 7tli,aiul I was invited to meet the Delegates at 1 p.m., the same day, which I did, and then, as Canadian Commissioner, replied as follows : — 1, " With regard to the first article, the Convention has already had a communi- cation to the eftiect that the Dominion Government had provided by Order in Council for the continuance of the present tai'ift" of duties in the Territory lor at least two years ; and I feel convinced that the Government will he prepared to recommend to Parliament such mea.sures as will meet the views of the Convention, as expressed in this artich^ L'nd & .'Jrd. 1 believe tlie Canadian Government will ask the Dominion Parliament to meet the views of the Convention and tluur Constituents in respect to these articles. 4th. The Canadian Government assured me of their desire to consult the wiiihe.s ol the i)eoplo of the Territory in respect to matters connected with the Comi)ositiou of the Local liegislature, and of their intention to .select at least two-thirds of the Council from among the rt^sidents. This Council would have reported as to the best mode of proceedin<,j in introducing the elective i)rinciple, and Parliament would then have lieen asked to pass an Act on the subject, the Government having no power to settle such a matter without an Act. liearing this in mind, I do not hesitate to give it as my o})iniou that the Dominion Gevernment will ask Parliament to ]>rovide a liberal (government for the countiy while it remains a Territory. .Oth. I have the most ex])licit assurance from the Canadian Government — that sucli will be the ca,se. (Ith. For this the Dominion Government will provide in a liberal spirit. 7th. This article brings up some constitutional considerations, with which it would be presumption on my part, were I to deal summarily. Uut, I will repeat most distinctly, that the Dominion Government will ])ay the utmost deference to the wishes of tlie Convention, as regards this and all other matters in connection with the Government of the country, and t have full confidence that the decision arrived at will be acce)ttab](> to the ]»eople. Hth. I have been instructed by the Canadian Govennnent — to make known to tlie jieople of the Settlement — that all property held by residents in peaceal)le po.ssessioii will bes>cui'ed to them; aiul that a most liberal land policy in regard to the fntnre Settlement of the country will be adopted, — every privilege in this respec^t enjoyed in Ontario or Quebec, being extended to the Territoiy. Dth. I feel certain that an amount even exceeding that here mentioned, will be ap])roj»riatod for the jnirpo.ses referred to. 10th. I can safely promise that the Dominion Government will defiav tlie cost of all the public buildings recpiired for the general business of the Territory. 1 1th. I do not hesitate to give this assurance, as the works on the Lake Su])erior I'oute, which have been progressing actively since the early part of last sumnuu-, will iloiiWtless be completed much within the time specified. As to the railway to Pembina, sihortly after the American line reaches that point, it will certainly be carried out. 12th. This will unquestionably be provided for. l;5tli. The answer given to No. 12, will apply erpially here. 14th. Fully alive to the necessity of this, the Dominion Parliament will not fail to take an early oi»portunity of dealing with the matter, in order to extinguish in an cijuitable manner tla^ claims of the Indians, so that settlers may oljtain clear and indisputable titles. ISth. The Convention will not expect me to speak definitely as to the nundier of re|»resentatives to be alloted to the Territory, but 1 can promise that the circumstances and requirenu'uts of the co»u\try will be fully and liberally considered in dealing with this mattei'. 16th. On the jiart of the Canadian Govei-nnuait, as well as of Her Majesty's lie]»resentati\(< in British North America, ami also as coming innucMliately from tliw Sjv.'reigii, assurances have been given to all that the properties, lights, and jtrivileges hitherto enjoyed by th» peo[»l« of th« Territory vrould be respected, and 1 feel siiiw that 18 33 Victoria. Sessional Papers (No. 12.) A. 1870 llio Dominion Goverinnent will confide to the Locul Lcgislatnio tlio rocognition and arnin^ement of local customs, usages, and privileges. 1 7th. My knowledge of the country and of the extent to which the concession lieie desired might affect public woiks, A'c, is too limited to i)ormit m«' to give any dccidt-d opinion on the subject, further than that full and sul)stantial jiistic(f will lu^ done in Hie matter. 18th. Without entering into the details of the article, T wo\dd say that the fianchi.-i will llegation of two or more of the residents of Ked River to meet and confer with them at Ottawa. This F now do, and on the part of the Government ])romise that the gentlemen sent to Canada will be cordially received." The invitation to .send delegates to Canada was unanimously aceej)led by tliP Con vention, and the following lesolution was handed to me on the 8th (.'"eliniaiy. " FouT Gauiiy, Couist lIoiisK, February 8, 1870. " Resolved unanimously,— that as the Canadian Commissioners have invited a delegation from this country to Canada, to confer with the Canadian Ciovernment as to the atlairs of this country ; and as a cordial i-ece|»tion has been promised to said delegates, be it therefore resolved llliat Hie invitation be acce|)tHd, and that the same be signilied to the (.'ommistiioners. " r.v oi'.ler. (Signed; " W. Coldwem.. " LaU. Sl'IIMlDT. " Seci'etaries to the Convention." P