Читать книгу First Furrows - Rev. Alfred Campbell Garrioch - Страница 9

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The history of the Red River Settlement during that period when Lord Selkirk was connected with the Hudson’s Bay Company is sometimes rather puzzling, for the reason that while his colonizing scheme was his personal undertaking and paid its own way with his assistance, it was being carried on in the same place, side by side with the fur trade and with an equipment common to both, a condition of things accounted for by Lord Selkirk’s large ownership of Hudson’s Bay stock, and the resulting influence that he could bring to bear on their policy. The connection was that of two arms belonging to the same body, and whichever part of the body the Nor’-Westers might hit, an arm was pretty sure to retaliate, but which one it was difficult to say. For instance, when Lord Selkirk returned to England in 1817, suffering no doubt from the effects of the “moral squint” of the Canadian law courts, it was not the colonizing arm of the body that in the following year reached out and hit the Nor’-Westers a staggering blow. The arm that did that was the one that attended to the fur trade—the one that religiously carried out the cutem per cutem policy of the company. It struck the blow; which like most other blows—probably had not much behind it of the spirit that quickeneth.

It was in 1818 that Mr. William Williams came from England to take charge of the fur trade in Rupert’s Land, and after spending a winter at Cumberland House, in the Saskatchewan district, proceeded in the spring to the Red River Settlement. He was a naval captain, who had been in the service of the East India Company; and he was now prepared to give the Hudson’s Bay Company the benefit of his training and experience. He undertook an expedition against the Nor’-Westers for which very likely preparations had been made during the winter, for when he arrived in the Settlement, among the boats found in readiness was one so constructed that it could be equipped with small cannon. The boats were manned by De Meurons and Hudson’s Bay Company employees, and left the Colony in time to reach the Grand Rapids of the Saskatchewan River near its outlet into Lake Winnipeg before the Nor’-Westers could do so, in order that when they arrived in their boats loaded with furs collected at their northern outposts, he and his De Meurons would be in readiness to intercept them. He had certainly selected a place well suited to his purpose, and there he landed two field pieces, placing them at points of vantage, where they could be trained either on the river or the path leading across the portage. The little fleet was safely tied up behind an island, and the various crews assigned places of concealment where they were to remain in perfect silence. But before they dispersed Governor Williams read the Hudson’s Bay Charter to them, and impressed upon them the great advantages that would accrue to the company if its provisions were loyally carried out. He told them that it was easily noticeable from the Imperial document just read, that the North-West Company were intruding upon the rights of the Hudson’s Bay Company in carrying on a fur trading business in Rupert’s Land, and that the present expedition was undertaken for the purpose of putting a stop to their nefarious traffic. Their leaders were to be arrested and sent to England or to Eastern Canada for trial, and if they offered resistance it would be so much the worse for themselves. He had not long finished the reading of the Hudson’s Bay Charter, and given the exposition when the Nor’-Wester brigades commenced to arrive, and the officers in charge commenced to walk over the portage, but they had not gone far when suddenly they discovered that they had walked into a trap, the formidable character of which they soon realized when they recognized the De Meurons and saw the cannon. Quickly realizing that the odds were against them, and that resistance would be rash, they surrendered unconditionally. Governor Williams then ordered the arrest of the officials and a number of the others, and they were sent to York Factory, there to be held as prisoners awaiting the sailing of the Hudson’s Bay vessels. Among those arrested were Messrs. Angus Shaw and John George McTavish, who were sent to England; and Mr. John Duncan, who with some others, was sent to Montreal via Fort Moose and the Ottawa River; and the others, among whom was a Mr. Frobisher, while being detained indefinitely at York Factory, succeeded in making their escape in the month of October, and made off in a canoe in the direction of the Red River Settlement. While skirting the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg in the month of November, the ice formed on the lake compelling them to abandon their canoe and to continue their journey afoot. While journeying along slowly and painfully in this manner, a terrible storm occurred which compelled them to remain in their miserable hut for several days. While there Mr. Frobisher died, and the others, leaving his body unburied, saved themselves by dragging along a few days more till they reached a trading post of the North-West Company situated on Moose Lake.

How utterly absurd it does seem that two great companies, whose leaders were men of ability and education, should have conducted their business in such a spirit of hostility one against the other year after year for several decades, until at length they found themselves both on the verge of financial ruin. One would think that they might sooner have discovered that there is more gold in the observance of the golden rule than in the undermining of one’s neighbour. The writer believes that they made that valuable discovery at last, not only because they united but more especially because their union led the way to moral and material advancement throughout the length and breadth of the land.

In the same summer that Governor Williams with his De Meurons gained a bloodless victory over the Nor’-Westers, an army more formidable than his invaded the Selkirk Colony on the 18th day of July, in the form of a vast swarm of grasshoppers that fell on the little fields of the settlers, and in a short time did very serious damage. Later in the season they deposited their ova, which in the spring of 1819 developed into a crop of sturdy young hoppers that devoured the grain and vegetable crops while they were nice and tender. As soon as these country bred grasshoppers had grown their wings, they spread them and sailed away from the country; but not long had they been gone when another army took their place in the field, and, so to speak, entrenched themselves, and deposited ova in readiness for 1820. These eggs after undergoing the usual eight months cold storage developed during the warmth of the spring into living creatures whose leaps and bounds showed that they were true to type and ready for another crop—but the crop was not there—the Colonists had not been able to procure seed, so the little bounders got a set-back, and just as if they were capable of taking the welfare of their progeny into consideration, no ova were deposited in the Red River soil that season. The Colonists, we may be sure, noted the omission with pleasure, and felt sufficiently encouraged once more to look out for seed; so a party was organized for the purpose under the leadership of a Mr. Laidlaw. This party left the Colony for the United States in February, 1821. They travelled on snow-shoes to Prairie de Chien, where they succeeded in buying two hundred and fifty bushels of wheat at ten shillings a bushel. Placing their purchase in flat-boats they floated down the Red River to the Colony, arriving there after an absence of three months. As two hundred and fifty bushels would hardly be sufficient to sow one quarter section, and as a passing swarm of grasshoppers took toll out of the crops, the grain threshed out in the fall was not much more than sufficient for seed in the following spring, therefore the Colonists once more had to spend a winter at Pembina. But happier days were now come, and they began to get more pleasure out of life, and soon the happy and prosperous conditions prevailing in the Colony furnished pleasing evidence of what they were capable of accomplishing when free from the menace of ill-disposed men and voracious grasshoppers.

This happy change took place too late to gladden the heart of Lord Selkirk, for he had died two years before. His health had commenced to fail following his return to England after the litigation in the Canadian law courts. To him possibly it sometimes looked as if his great personal undertaking had been a colossal failure, but to those who have studied his life free from prejudice, it is conceivable that as the end approached he calmly looked into the future, drawing comfort from the reflection that he had loved his fellow-countrymen, and that the finest investment he had made, and the grandest success in life was in connection with the one million dollars he had spent on their account. He died at Pau, in the south of France, April 8th, 1820, surrounded by the members of his family.

Some great change often follows the removal by death of a great man of strong personality. Thus the death of Simon McTavish was shortly followed by the union of the N. W. and X Y Companies, and now the death of Lord Selkirk was soon followed by the union of the North-West and Hudson’s Bay Companies, which amalgamated on the 26th March, 1821.