Owing to the Duke's illness, and to some secret difficulty which he never enlightened me upon, I was given to understand, after a short, but anxious delay, that any purchase must be carried out by private resources; but all sorts of moral support would be at our service. What good was moral support in providing a million and a half? What was to be done? There were only two ways: one, to make a list of fifteen persons who would each take a "line" of a hundred thousand pounds for himself and such friends as he chose to associate with him; the other, to hand the proposed purchase over to the just founded International Financial Association, who were looking out for some important project to lay before the public.
Leaving out Mr. Baring and Mr. Glyn (senr.) we had a strong body of earnest friends, substantial men, and we could, no doubt, have underwritten the amount. My proportion was got ready; and my personal friends would have doubled that proportion, or more, if I had wanted it. I strongly recommended this course. But the Hudson's Bay Company would give no credit. We must take up the shares as presented and pay for them over the counter. Thus, the latter alternative was, after some anxious days, adopted. Mr. Richard Potter was the able negociator in completing this great transaction, began and carried on as above. The shares were taken over and paid for by the International Financial Society, who issued new stock to the public to an amount which covered a large provision of new capital for extension of business by the Company, and a profit to themselves and their friends who had taken the risk of so new and onerous an engagement.
I may finish this section by stating that, as respects the new Hudson's Bay shareholders, their 20_l_. shares have been reduced by returns of capital to 13_l_., and having, nevertheless, in the "boom" of lands in the West, been sold at 37_l_. as the price of the 13_l_.; they are now about 24_l_. Thus, every one who has held his property, and will continue to hold it, has, and will have, a safe and unusually profitable investment. These shareholders, besides the large reserves near their posts, which I shall enumerate later on, have a claim to one-twentieth of the land where settlements are surveyed and made. This gives a great future to the investor. On the other hand, Canada—in place of the Mother Country, to whom the whole ought to have belonged, for the purposes previously set forth—has obtained this vast and priceless dominion for a payment of only 300,000_l_., on the award of Earl Granville; and the Pacific Railway, by reason of that great possession, has been completed and opened.
But there is much to record between the period of purchase and the sale to Canada.
I here give to the reader some letters of the Duke's relating to these negotiations generally:—
"DOWNING STREET,"14Augt.1862.
"I am glad to tell you that since I received your letter of Saturday last, the Hudson's Bay Company has replied to my communication, and has promised tograntland to a company formed under such auspices as those with whom I placed them in communication. The question now is—whatbreadthof land they will give, for of course they propose to include the wholelengthof the line through their territory. A copy of the reply shall be sent to Mr. Baring, and I hope you and he will be able to bring this concession to some practical issue.
"I was quite aware of the willingness of the Company toselltheirwholerights for some such sum as 1,500,000_l_. I ascertained the fact two months ago, and alluded to it in the House of Lords in my reply to a motion by Lord Donoughmore. I cannot, however, view the proposal in so favourable a light as you do. There would be no immediate ordirectreturn to show for this large outlay, for of course the trade monopoly must cease, and the sale of land would for some time bring in little or nothing—certainly not enough to pay for the government of the country.
"I do not think Canadacan, or if she canoughtto, take any large share in such a payment. Some of her politicians would no doubt support the proposal with views of their own,—but it would be a serious, and for some time unremunerative, addition to their very embarrassing debt.
"I certainly should not like tosellany portion of the territory to the United States—exchange(if the territory were once acquired) would be a different thing,—but that would not help towards the liquidation of the purchase-money.
"I admire yourlarger views, and have some tolerably large ones in this matter of my own, but I fear purchase of this great territory is just now impracticable.
"I am, yours sincerely,"NEWCASTLE."Edwd. Watkin, Esq."
This letter was written in the educational period. The doubts came from the officials of the Colonial Office. I removed them.
"Downing Street,"17Novr. 1862.
"My dear Mr. Watkin,
"I send you the 'route' from the Pacific to Canada, which I promised.
"I cannot vouch for it; but it comes from an unusually well-informed quarter, and I incline to think it is much nearer accuracy than such information as represents the obstacles to be almost insuperable.
"I am, yours very truly,"NEWCASTLE."
"Memorandum of a Route from Vancouver Island toCanada.
StationsConveyanceTime
"Victoria, Vancouver Island Yale, on Fraser River, or Douglas, on Harrison Lake Steamer 2 days Lytton, on Fraser River, or Lillovet Stage coach 2 days Alexander, on Fraser River Do. 4 days Fort George, on Fraser River Steamer 2 days Tete Jaune Cache do. Do. 5 days between 53 degrees and 54 degrees N L ———- 15 days =======
The stage road from Douglas to Lillovet is described as complete, and that from Lillovet to Alexandria as in progress, as also the machinery of a stern-wheel steamboat for the water communication between Alexandria and Tete Jaune Cache.
The last-named place [Sidenote: Tete Jaune Cache.] is situated between 53 degrees and 54 degrees N.L., and is at the western extremity of the most practicable pass of the Rocky Mountains. The distance from this to Jasper House, [Sidenote: Jasper House, between 53 degrees and 54 degrees N.L., and distant 120 miles from Tete Jaune Cache.] at the eastern extremity of the pass, is 120 miles by trail, admitting, it is said, of conversion at small cost into an easy carriage road.
The distance from Jasper House to the next post, Edmonton, [Sidenote: Edmonton, 200 miles by road from Jasper House, and 90 miles by road from Assiniboin.] on the Saskatchewan, is 200 miles by road through a level wooded country, or the Elk and Athabasca Rivers may be descended by water to Fort Assiniboin, whence to Edmonton is only 90 miles.
The road communication between Tete Jaune Cache and Edmonton is represented as the only necessary work beyond Alexandria, and may be opened for 50,000_l_.
Two courses are suggested from Edmonton to the Red River, one by water along the Saskatchewan and Lake Winnipeg, another by road from Carleton, on the Saskatchewan, through the Prairie.
No remarks are offered upon the character of the route between the Red River and Lake Superior, except that it is said to present no serious difficulties.
"13_th Nov_. 1862.R.E."
"DOWNING STREET,"18Novr. 1862.
"I have had a long interview of two hours today with Mr. Berens, Mr. Colville, and Mr. Maynard; but I am sorry to find that matters have by no means progressed so far as I was led to expect.
"I think I ought now to see Mr. Baring, Mr. Glyn, and yourself as soon as possible.
"Can they and you come here on Thursday at any hour not earlier than 2.30 nor later than 4? If that will interrupt other business, I could propose 11.30 on Friday at Thomas' Hotel.
"Yours sincerely,"NEWCASTLE."
"CLUMBER,"7April, 1863.
"I have received from Sir F. Rogers the draft print of your Bill, and his remarks upon it.
"I still think it quite possible to meet your views respecting the lower portion of the Athabasca territory; but themodeof doing it does not appear to me so simple or clear.
"I should much desire to consult the Land Commissioners before the matter is settled; and I do not see that the delay of ten days or a fortnight from this date could endanger the measure, for Lord Monck wrote to me by last mail that the Parliament had as yet not begun business.
"If you agree to this, I will send the papers and my remarks to theLand Commissioners at once, and see you (after getting their report) onWednesday next, or any day after it, except Friday.
"Pray let me hear by return.
"Yours very sincerely,"NEWCASTLE."
"DOWNING STREET,"6May, 1863.
"I hope and believe that the despatches in their final shape, as they went out to N. Columbia on Friday last, and to Canada on Saturday, were quite what you and the proposed 'N. W. Transit Company' would wish.
"I added words which (without dictation) will be understood as implying'No Intercolonial, no Transit.'
"If you happen to be in this neighbourhood any day between 3 and 4.30, I shall be glad to see you, though I have nothing at all pressing to say.
"Yours very sincerely,"NEWCASTLE."
The Right Honorable Edward Ellice, M.P.
I have alluded to this remarkable man under the soubriquet attached to him for a generation—"the old Bear." I assume that when his son, who for many years represented the Scotch constituency of the St. Andrews Burghs, grew up, the father became the "old" and the son the "young" Bear. Mr. Ellice was the son of Mr. Alexander Ellice, an eminent merchant in the City of London. Born, if the "Annual Register" be accurate, in 1789, he died at the end of 1863. It is strange that he began life by uniting the Canadian fur trade with that of the Hudson's Bay Company, and just lived long enough to witness the sale and transfer of the interests he had, by a bold and masterly policy, combined in 1820. Leaving Canada, Mr. Ellice joined the Whig party, and was returned to Parliament for Coventry in 1818; and, with the exception of the period from 1826 to 1830, he retained his seat till the day of his death. Marrying the youngest sister of Earl Grey, of the Reform Bill—the widow of Captain Bettesworth, R.N.—who died in 1832, leaving him an only son; and, in 1843, the widow of Mr. Coke, of Norfolk, he became intimately connected with the Whig aristocracy.
In Mr. Ellice's evidence before the Parliamentary Committee of 1857, on the Hudson's Bay Company, I find that, in answer to a question put by Mr. Christy, M.P., as to the probability of a "settlement being made within what you consider to be the Southern territories of the Hudson's Bay Company?"—he replied, "None, in the lifetime of the youngest man now alive." Events have proved his error. Mr. Ellice was a man of commanding stature and presence, but, to my mind, had always the demeanour of a colonist who had had to wrestle with the hardships of nature, and his cast of countenance was Jewish. According to his own account, he went out to Canada in 1803, when he must have been a mere youth, and then personally associated himself with the fur trade, a trade which attracted the attention of almost the whole Canadian society. It was, in fact, at that time, the great trade of the country. The traders had inherited the skill and organization of the old French voyageurs, who, working from Quebec and Montreal as bases of their operations, were the doughty competitors of the Hudson's Bay Company, many of whose posts were only separated by distances of a hundred miles from those of the French. When Canada became the possession of our country, in the last century, Scotch and English capital and energy reinforced the trade; and, as time went on, a powerful organization, called the "North-West Company," arose, and extended its operations right across to the Pacific.
At the end of the last century, or the beginning of this, Mr. Ellice's father, as Mr. Ellice stated, "had supplied a great part of the capital by which the whole north-west trade was conducted." Profitable trading brought division of interests; and, in addition to smaller swarms from the parent hive, a new organization, called the "X. Y. Company," or "Sir Alexander Mackenzie and Company," carried on trade in competition with the original "North-West Company of Canada." Mr. Ellice became connected with this "X. Y. Company" in 1805. The leading spirit of the North-West Company was Mr. McGillivray: and Mr. McGillivray and Mr. Ellice were, as a rule, cordial allies. Two leading firms engaged in the fur trade were McTavish, Fraser & Co., and Inglis, Ellice & Co.
Competition raged amongst these Canadian interests, and between them and the Hudson's Bay Company, whose affairs were administered from England. The business was carried on, therefore, with great extravagance. The Indians were tempted and corrupted by strong drink. Frequent collisions took place between the Indians and the whites, and everything grew worse till 1811. In 1811 Lord Selkirk joined the Hudson's Bay Company. He became not only a stockholder in the Company, but took great interest in the trade; and he was the proprietor of a large tract of territory on the Red River, acquired from the Hudson's Bay Company under a deed dated 12th June, 1811. In this territory, he made settlements for the purposes of agriculture.
The conflict of interests between the Canadian fur traders and the Hudson's Bay Company became more and more violent, and ended in bloodshed. Finally Lord Selkirk, in virtue of his assumed powers as a magistrate, seized Mr. McGillivray, of the North-West Company, at Fort William, at the head of Lake Superior, and the whole of his property. The confusion and outrage became so great that Canada became alarmed, and a Mr. Coltman was sent up as Commissioner. Mr. Coltman reported, and made a recommendation that, to restore peace and order, some attempt should be made to unite the interests of the various fur traders in the country. In the meantime the Hudson's Bay Company ceased to pay dividends, and the other companies were almost bankrupt. At this moment Mr. Ellice, by great tact, and force of will, succeeded in uniting all the conflicting combinations; and from that time onwards the fur trade has been carried on under the Charter of the Hudson's Bay Company, extended by licenses, from time to time renewed, of exclusive trade in the North-West and in the Pacific States, including Vancouver's Island. Out of these fusions arose the Puget Sound Company, created to utilise, cultivate, and colonise the Pacific territories, over which licenses to trade had been given to the Hudson's Bay Company.
The vigorous action of the united interests soon told upon the trade and discipline of the vast area hunted and traded over. The Indians were brought back to tea and water in place of rum and brandy; and peace was restored, everywhere, between the white man and the red. The epidemics of small pox, which had at times decimated whole tribes of Indians, were got rid of by the introduction of vaccination. Settlement, if only on a small scale, was encouraged by the security of life and property. The enlargement of their action, as issuers of notes and as bankers aided the trade and the colonists; and so good was a Hudson's Bay Company's note that it was taken everywhere over the northern continent, when the "Shin Plasters" of banks in the United States and Canada were refused. When, for a short time, in 1865 and 1866, I held the office of shareholders' auditor of the Hudson's Bay Company, I cancelled many of these notes, which had become defaced, mainly owing to the fingering of Indians and others, who left behind on the thick yellow paper coatings of "Pemmican,"—the pounded flesh and fat of the buffalo, done up in skins like sausages—a food eminently nutritious and lasting long, but fearfully odorous and nasty.
Mr. Ellice supplied much of the political energy inside the old Reform party, displayed in the Reform Bill struggle of 1830-1832. He became one of the Secretaries of the Treasury; and, in 1831, had to organize the eventful election of that year. His great powers and never-failing energy, devoted in early life to the fur trade and its conflicts, became of infinite value to the country, in many momentous struggles, at home, for liberty and progress. It amused me much when, by chance, meeting Mr. Ellice, after we had bought and paid for his Hudson's Bay property, to see the kind of astonished stare with which he regarded me. I think the purchase of the Hudson's Bay Company was a mystery to him. I remember meeting him at the Royal Academy a few months before his death. He stopped opposite to me, as if to study my features. He did not speak a word, nor did I. He seemed in a state of abstraction, like that of a man endeavouring to recollect a long history of difficulty, and to realize how strangely it had all ended,—by the negociation I had brought to a head.
The Select Committee, on Hudson's Bay Affairs, of1857.
This Committee was appointed "to consider the state of those British possessions in North America which are under the administration of the Hudson's Bay Company, or over which they possess a licence to trade." Lord John Russell, Mr. Gladstone, the present Lord Derby, Mr. Roebuck, Mr. Labouchere, Mr. Lowe, and Mr. Edward Ellice, were of the nineteen members of which the Committee originally consisted. Later on, the names of Mr. Alexander Matheson and Viscount Goderich were substituted for those of Mr. Adderley and Mr. Bell; and Mr. Christy was added to the Committee. The evidence before the Committee much resembled that taken by the Committee of 1749. There were the same disaffected, and discharged, officials; the same disappointed merchants and rivals; the same desire, in varied quarters, as before, to depreciate and despoil a somewhat prosperous undertaking. The rival views were those of the majority of the Committee, on the one hand, and of Mr. Gladstone, on the other. The claims of Canada to annex territory useful, in her opinion, to her inhabitants, was solidly urged. But the Honorable John Ross, then President of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, who was the first witness examined, said, "It is complained that the Hudson's Bay Company occupy that territory and prevent the extension of settlement and civilization in that part of the Continent of America. I do not think they ought to be permitted to do that; but I think it would be a very great calamity if their control and power in that part of America were entirely to cease. My reason for forming that opinion is this: during all the time that I have been able to observe their proceedings there, there has been peace within the whole territory. The operations of the Company seem to have been carried on, at all events, in such a way as to prevent the Indian tribes within their borders from molesting the Canadian frontier; while, on the other hand, those who have turned their attention to that quarter of the world must have seen that, from Oregon to Florida, for these last thirty years or more, there has been a constant Indian war going on between the natives of American territory, on the one side, and the Indian tribes on the other. Now, I fear very much that if the occupation of the Hudson's Bay Company, in what is called the Hudson's Bay territory, were to cease, our fate in Canada might be just as it is with Americans in the border settlements of their territory."
Mr. Ross advocated a railway to the Pacific, and he showed good practical reasons for it. Failing a railway, he claimed a "good, broad open road." On the question of renewed competition in the fur trade, he added, "I believe there are certain gentlemen at Toronto very anxious to get up a second North-West Company, and I dare say it would result in something like the same difficulties which the last North-West Company created. I should be sorry to see them succeed. I think it would do a great deal of harm, creating further difficulties in Canada, which I do not desire to see created."
"Certain gentlemen at Toronto" have ever been ready to despoil any old and successful undertaking.
Mr. Gladstone's resolutions, as proposed at the end of the evidence, were negatived by the casting vote of the chairman, Mr. Labouchere, the numbers being 7 and 7. Mr. Gladstone proposed that the country capable of colonization should be withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the Hudson's Bay Company; while the country incapable of colonization should remain under that jurisdiction. And, having thus disposed of any chartered, or other, rights of the Company, his last, or 10th, resolution, said, "That inasmuch as the Company has tendered concessions which may prove sufficient to meet the necessities of the case, the Committee has come to no decision upon the question how far it may be, as some think, just and even necessary, or on the other hand, unwise or even unjust, to raise any judicial issue with the view of ascertaining the legal rights of the Company."
The Committee's report recommended that the Red River and Saskatchewan districts of the Hudson's Bay Company might be "ceded to Canada on equitable principles," the details being left to her Majesty's Government. The Committee advised the termination of the government of Vancouver's Island by the Hudson's Bay Company; a recommendation followed, a year later, by the establishment of a Crown Colony. But they strongly advised, in the interests of law and order, and of the Indian population, as well as for the preservation of the fur trade, that the Hudson's Bay Company "should continue to enjoy the privileges of exclusive trade which they now possess."
Re-organization of Hudson's Bay Company.
Thus, after a long and continuous period of inquiry and investigation— a grave game of chess with the Hudson's Bay Company—many anxieties and a great pecuniary risk, surmounted without the expected help of our Government, the battle was won. What now remained was to take care that the Imperial objects, for which some of us had struggled, were not sacrificed, to indifference in high places at home, or to possible conflicts between the two Provinces in Canada; and to secure an energetic management of the business of the fur trade and of land development by the executive of the Company, whose 144 posts covered the continent from Labrador to Sitka, Vancouver's Island, and San Francisco.
It seemed to me that this latter business was of vital and pressing importance. The Hudson's Bay factors, and traders were, in various grades and degrees, partners in the annual trade or "outfit," under the provisions of the "deed poll." This "deed poll" was the charter under which the hardy officials worked and saved. Their charter had been altered or varied over the long period since the date of the Royal concession, in the twenty-second year of the reign of Charles the Second. The deed poll in existence in 1863 provided that the profits of the fur trade (less interest on capital employed in the trade, which belonged to the stockholders who provided it) were to be divided into 100 parts, of which 60 parts belonged to the stockholders, and 40 to the "wintering partners." The "wintering partners" were the "chief factors" and the "chief traders." These 40 parts were again subdivided into 85 shares; and each "chief factor" was entitled to two of such shares, and each "chief trader" to one share. The clerks were paid by salary, and only a person who had served as a clerk could be promoted to a "chief tradership," and only a "chief trader" to a "chief factorship." Thus all had a direct or remote partnership interest. On retirement, an officer held his full interest for one year and half his interest for the succeeding six years.
I had much apprehension that if the unexpected sale and transfer of the share property, under terms and conditions in every sense unique, were not frankly and explicitly explained, and under authority, alarm and misconception would arise; while the news of the transfer would find its way to distant regions in a distorted fashion, and through unfriendly sources, long before the explanation and answer could arrive. My fear, owing to bad management in London, was somewhat realized, and I found that I had not rushed across the Atlantic, to perform every service in my power to the undertaking, in June, 1863, one moment too soon.
Then, having studied the "deed poll," I felt that, unless we made the factors and traders partners in the whole enterprise—fur trade, banking, telegraphs, lands, navigation of rivers—on generous terms, we could not expect to elicit either their energies or their adhesion to a new order of things.
Further, I saw no way to secure supervision and control over the Fertile belt, and all around it, except by the construction, to begin with, of a main line of telegraph from St. Paul to the Hudson's Bay territory, and thence by Fort Garry to the extreme western post on the east side of the Rocky Mountains. Such main line to be supplemented by other subsidiary lines as rapidly as possible. The "wire," to my mind, was the best "master's eye" under the circumstances. But, apart from business re-organization, it was most essential to explain everything to the Government of Canada; and to ascertain the views of political parties, and of industrial interests, as, also, of religious bodies, as to future government. In dealing with these questions, I had to assume an authority which was to have been confided to a delegation, to consist of Captain Henry Glyn, Colonel Synge, and myself.
On leaving England promptly—the main work being done—Mr. Richard Potter undertook for me all the details which, if at home, I should have managed, and he especially took up the discussions at the Colonial Office, which I had personally carried on, with the Duke, for the previous period.
Thus it was that the new Board was constituted, and the arrangements for taking over were made in England without my taking any, further, part. Sir Edmund Head was appointed Governor at the suggestion—almost the personal request—of the Duke of Newcastle: some members of the old Board were retained for the, expected, value of their experience, and amongst the new members were Mr. Richard Potter and Sir Curtis Miranda Lampson, a rival fur trader of eminence and knowledge, and an American. A seat at the Board was left vacant for me.
It may be interesting here to quote what the Duke of Newcastle said, in explaining, in the House of Lords, the recent transactions with the Hudson's Bay Company.
TIMES,July3, 1863. [HOUSE OF LORDS.]
"The DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, in moving the second reading of the British Columbia Boundaries Bill, said that he should give some further information as to an extension of the means of communication across that great interval of country between British Columbia and Canada. After referring to the system of government which then existed both in Vancouver's Island and British Columbia, and to the revenues of both colonies for the previous few years—that of British Columbia being most remarkable, having nearly doubled itself in two years (the imports in 1861 being $1,400,000, and in 1862 $2,200,000)—the noble Duke proceeded to say, that the greatest impediment to the future prosperity of the Colony was a want of communication with the outer world. He had stated on a previous occasion that he hoped to be able to state this year to the House that arrangements had been made to complete the communications between the Colony and the east of British North America, and he thought he could now inform their Lordships that such arrangements would be carried out. He had desired a gentleman of great experience, knowledge, and energy, who was constantly travelling between Canada and this country, to inquire whether it would be possible to effect a communication across the Continent. This gentleman—Mr. Watkin—had returned with considerable information, and he had suggested to him to place himself in communication with persons in the commercial world who might be willing to undertake the carrying out of such a communication. He had put himself in communication with Mr. Baring and others, and he believed they had arrived at the conclusion that if arrangements could be made with the Hudson Bay Company the undertaking should have their best attention. In order that these important communications might be made certain, guarantees were to be given by Canada on the one hand, and British Columbia and Vancouver Island on the other. A complete Intercolonial railway system had long been looked forward to by those interested in our North American Provinces, and it would be impossible to overrate the importance to this country of an inter-oceanic railway between the Atlantic and Pacific. By such a communication, and the electric telegraph, so great a revolution would be effected in the commerce of the world as had been brought about by the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. It was unnecessary to point out to their Lordships of what importance it would be in the case of war on the other side of the Atlantic. There was another matter on which he wished to say a few words. Some eight or nine days ago it was stated in a portion of the press that the Hudson Bay Company had sold their property. That statement was not altogether accurate, and certainly it was premature, for he had been informed within two hours before he came down to the House that the whole arrangement had only been completed that afternoon. He had not received any official communication on the subject, but some of the gentlemen concerned had been kind enough to inform him of the facts. He had stated on a former occasion that the Hudson Bay Company had wished to sell. Certain parties in the City had, in the first instance, entered into communication with them for the purpose either of purchasing or obtaining permission for a transit through the Company's possessions. After some negociation the alternative of permission for a transit was agreed upon. That conclusion having been arrived at he did not know what it was that raised the whole question of sale again, but some fortnight or three weeks ago fresh negociations were opened. Parties in the City proposed to the Hudson Bay Company to give them by way of purchase a sum of 1,500,000_l_. What had taken place was this: The Hudson Bay Company very prudently required that the money should be paid down, and that the whole sum of 1,500,000_l_. should be ready on a given day, which he believed was yesterday. Of course the intending purchasers could not carry out that transaction in the course of a week, and they, therefore, applied to the International Financial Association to assist them. The Association agreed to do so, and the money either had been paid or would be on a day arranged upon. A prospectus would be issued tomorrow morning, and the shares would be thrown upon the market, to be taken up in the ordinary way upon the formation of companies. These shares would not remain in the hands of the Association, but would pass to the Proprietors, as if they had bought their shares direct from the Hudson Bay Company. Of course the Company would only enjoy the rights which those shares carried, and no more. They would, in fact, be a continuation of the Company; but their efforts would be directed to the promotion of the settlement of the country: the development of the postal and transit communication being one of the objects to which they would apply themselves. Of course, the old Governor and his colleagues, having sold their shares, ceased to be the governing body, and a new council, consisting of most respectable persons, had been formed that afternoon. Among them were two of the Committee of the old Company, with one of whom, Mr. Colville, he had had much personal communication, and could speak in the highest terms as a man of business and good sense. There were, also, seven or eight most influential and responsible people, and the name of the Governor, Sir Edmund Head, who had been elected to-day, would be a guarantee of the intentions of the new Company, for no one would believe that he had entered into this undertaking for mere speculative purposes, or that the Company would be conducted solely with a view to screw the last penny out of this territory. While the council, as practical men of business, would be bound to promote the prosperity of their shareholders, he was sure they would be actuated by statesmanlike views. No negociation with the Colonial Office had taken place; and as this was a mere ordinary transfer, no leave on their part was necessary. But arrangements must be entered into with the Colonial Office for the settlement of the country; and at some future time it would be, no doubt, his duty to inform their Lordships what these arrangements were."
The Prospectus, as issued in London, for the new organization, at the end of June, 1863, contained this paragraph:—
"With the view of providing the means of telegraphic and postal communication between Canada and British Columbia, across the Company's territory, and thereby of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by an exclusively British route, negociations have been pending for some time past between certain parties and Her Majesty's Government and the representatives of the Government of Canada, and preliminary arrangements for the accomplishment of these objects have been made through Her Majesty's Government (subject to the final sanction of the Colonies), based upon a 5 per cent. guarantee from the Governments of Canada, British Columbia, and Vancouver Island. In further aid of these Imperial objects, Her Majesty's Government have signified their intention to make grants of land in portions of the Crown territory traversed by the proposed telegraphic line.
"One of the first objects of the Company will be to examine the facilities and consider the best means for carrying out this most important work; and there can be little doubt that it will be successfully executed either by the Hudson's Bay Company itself, or with their aid and sanction.
"For this, as well as for the other proposed objects, Mr. Edward Watkin, who is now in Canada, will be commissioned, with other gentlemen specially qualified for the duty, to visit the Red River and southern districts, to consult the officers of the Company there, and to report as to the best and safest means of giving effect to the contemplated operations."
A letter of instructions, from the new Governor, dated London, 6th July, 1863, received by me about the 22nd July, after I had made no small advance in the real business, stated:—
"I am authorized by the Committee of the Hudson's Bay Company to request you to proceed on their behalf to the Red River Settlement, for the purpose of reporting to them on the state and condition of this Settlement, the condition of the adjoining territory, the prospect of settlement therein, and the possibility of commencing operations for an electric telegraph line across the southern district of Rupert's Land.
"The Committee have full confidence in your discretion and judgment, but they have deemed it right to associate with you in this inquiry Governor Dallas, of the Red River Settlement, with whom they request you to communicate at once.
"The Committee are aware that it is now so late in the season as to preclude you from doing more than procure such information as may enable them to commence fresh inquiries at the opening of next season.
"I have the honour to be, Sir,"Your obedient Servant,"EDMUND HEAD, Governor."EDWARD WATKIN, Esq."
I found soon after my arrival in Canada that Governor Dallas was coming down from Red River, and would meet me at Montreal. He was a very able man; cool, clear, cautious, but when once he had had time to calculate all the consequences, firm and decided. He had been for years on the Pacific coast; and, thanks to his prudence, the landing, in 1859, of General Harney, and a detachment of United States troops on the Island of St. Juan, between Vancouver's Island and the mainland, on the Pacific, had been controlled and checkmated, by the proposal of a joint occupation until negotiations had settled the question of right. This right was, afterwards, given away by our Government under the form of an arbitration before the Emperor of Germany. Governor Dallas' opinion of the transaction will be gathered from his letters to me of the 29th and 30th October, 1872, hereafter copied.
The Governor and I became fast friends, and our friendship, cordial on both sides, continued until his death, a very few years ago. The only fault of Governor Dallas was a want of self-assertion. Brought out by the Mathesons—hardy Scots of the North—as he was, he made a reasonable fortune in China: and coming home, intending to retire, he was persuaded to accept the Governorship of the Hudson's Bay Company on the death of Sir George Simpson. Meeting at Montreal, our first act of "business" was to voyage in the Governor's canoe from Lachine through the rapids to Montreal; a voyage, to me, as almost a novice, save for my New Brunswick canoeing, of rather startling adventure; but the eleven stalwart Indians, almost all six feet high, who manned the boat, made the trip interesting, as it was to me in the nature of a new experience. These men had been with Governor Dallas nearly 4,000 miles by river, lake, and portage; and he told me he never knew them to be late, however early the start had to be made; never unready; always cheerful and obliging; and that a cross word had never, in his hearing, been uttered by any one of them. These men made Caughna Wauga, opposite Lachine, their home, and there were their families.
After the most careful study and discussion of the questions above alluded to, and others, the discussion extending over a month, we agreed to various memoranda. The one affecting the re-organization of management was as follows:—
"The first measure necessary towards the re-organization of the Hudson's Bay service, will be the abolition, or modification of the deed poll, under which the fur trade is at present carried on. The difficulty involved in this proceeding is, an interference in the vested rights of the wintering partners (chief factors and chief traders). That might be overcome by some equitable scheme for the extinction of those rights, which would serve the double purpose of rendering practicable a reorganization of the service, and a reduction in the number of superior officers, at present too large. This reduction would give the opportunity of dispensing with such men as are inefficient, and of retaining those only likely to be useful. The Company are under no covenants in reference to the clerks.
"The arrangements of the deed poll are, in outline, as follows:—The profits of the fur trade (less the interest charge, which goes exclusively to the stockholders) are divided into one hundred parts; of those, sixty are appropriated to the stockholders, and forty to the wintering partners. These last are subdivided into eighty-five shares, of which two are held by each chief factor, and one by each chief trader.
"Clerks are paid by salary. Only a clerk can be promoted to a chief tradership (1-1/85 share), and only a trader to a chief factorship (2- 1/85 shares). The promotions are made by the Company on the nomination of the chief factors, though this rule has not always been adhered to. On retirement an officer holds his full interest for the first year, and half this interest for the succeeding six years. The deed poll authorizes the Company to put an officer on the retired list, without reasons assigned, after he has served four years, but they cannot deprive him of his retired interest except for proved misconduct; but neither of these regulations has ever been put in force. It is possible the wintering partners might raise a question whether, under the existing deed poll, the Company could make any great changes in their business, or embark in new undertakings, if likely to affect injuriously the incomes of the officers on the active list, or the interests of those on retirement.
"One mode of removing this obstacle would be to ascertain the value of a retired interest, and to give a money compensation to each officer on his entering into an agreement to consent to the abrogation of the deed poll. This would involve an outlay of money, but would also be productive of a considerable subsequent annual saving.
"The eighty-five shares belonging to the wintering partners are, at this date, held as follows:—
15 chief factors 30 shares37 " traders 37 "10 retired chief factors 13 "10 " " traders 5 "—-85 "===
"As regards the shares held on retirement, some of the interests have nearly run out, and none of the parties have any voice in the business.
"The value of a 1-85th share has been, on the average of the last thirteen outfits, which have been wound up (1846-1858), about 408_l_. At that rate a chief factor's retired interest would amount to 3,264_l_., and a chief trader's to 1,632_l_., less discount, supposing payment to be made at once, instead of its being spread over nine or ten years. On the other hand, the invariable custom of the service has been to allow every officer one or more year's furlough on retiring, which has come to be considered almost a right; when more than one year has been granted, it has been by special favour. Adding one year's furlough, a factor's retired allowance would be 4,080_l_., and a trader's 2,040_l_. The discount being taken off, to render them equal to cash, would make a factor's allowance about 3,000_l_., and a trader's 1,500_l_.
"The cost of commutation, on the above scale, would be—
15 chief factors, at 3,000_l_ L45,00037 " traders, at 1,500_l_ 55,50018 shares held on retirement, about 14,000————L114,500========
"Without allowing a year's furlough, the above amount would be reduced about one-sixth.
"The outlay would only be called for in the case of such officers as are already retired, and of such as under a new agreement might not be re-engaged. The retired interest of the officers who might enter into a new engagement would be provided for in the revised deed poll.
"As a set-off for the outlay on commutations would be a large reduction in the pay of officers, to be hereafter noticed, and the Company would also receive actual value for their money; and on buying out the wintering partners they would become possessed of their 4/10th share of the profits of the trade.
"Under the present organization the pay of officers in the service is about as follows:—
Governor-in-Chief L 2,00016 chief factors 12,00035 chief traders 14,000Clerks, about 10,000———-L38,000=======
"The following would probably prove a more efficient staff:—
Governor-in-Chief L 2,000Lieutenant-Governor 1,2504 councillors, at 800_l_ 3,20025 chief traders, at 300_l_ 7,500100 clerks, at various salaries, about 10,000———-L23,950=======
"The saving of 14,000_l_. per annum would soon reimburse the Company's outlay in buying up the present interests of the factors and traders.
"The system of making the pay of officers (of the upper grade) dependent on the success of the business, has worked well, and might be advantageously continued, in a modified form, to be hereafter noticed.
"The duties of the officers of the proposed reduced staff would be adapted to the existing distribution of the territory into departments and districts, which are as follows:—
"There are four main divisions—the Northern, Southern, Western, and Montreal Departments, roughly bounded as follows:—the 'Western' embraces all the country west of the Rocky Mountains; the 'Northern' is composed of the country east of the mountains, as far as Lake Winnipeg and Lac la Pluie, and from the American frontier to the Arctic Sea; the 'Southern' embraces the southern and eastern shores of Hudson's Bay; and the 'Montreal' extends from Lake Superior down the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Labrador. These departments are divided into districts, and in each district are several posts. The limits of districts are fixed by local peculiarities; but commonly embrace some large river, on which the various stations are planted—such, for example, as the McKenzie and the Saskatchewan. There are twenty-three districts on the east side of the mountains; to the west such subdivision of the business is now scarcely practicable, and is being abandoned. To proceed to the duties of the officers.
"The Governor-in-Chief would fulfil his present large functions, and be the medium of communication between the Company and their officers in the country.
"Under the present system the Governor is supposed to maintain a personal supervision of the whole service. This is practically impossible, the country being too large to enable him to travel over more than a limited section of it in each season. To relieve him of that heavy duty, and at the same time to maintain a real and close personal inspection, one of the four councillors might be stationed in each department, of which, in the absence of the Governor, he would be the chief officer, and held responsible for all local details, and the various posts in which he should periodically inspect and report upon. Once, or oftener, in each year, a meeting of the Governor and the four councillors should be held, at any time or place most convenient—say, Fort Garry, Montreal, or elsewhere. Aided by such a council, the Governor would be accurately informed as to details in every part of the country, and able to deal satisfactorily with all local questions.
"The duty of the Lieutenant-Governor would be to relieve the Governor- in-Chief of some share of his labours, and to act in his absence as President of Council.
"The chief traders would, as a general rule, be placed at the head of districts, and the clerks in charge of posts.
"The very efficient class of officers known as 'postmasters' would remain as at present. They are usually men who have risen from the ranks from merit; and, being good interpreters, and Indian traders, are commonly placed in charge of small posts. Their scale of pay is rather less than that of clerks, and they are rarely advanced to any higher rank; indeed, their ambition is satisfied when they are made postmasters.
"Reverting to the mode of paying officers, and making their incomes to some extent dependent on the success of the business, it might answer to give them an interest as stockholders. Instead of paying a chief trader 300_l_. per annum, he might have 250_l_., and a sum of 1,000_l_. of stock placed to his credit, of which he would receive the dividends only, the stock itself reverting to the Company when his connection with them terminated.
"A councillor might have 700_l_. pay and the dividends on 2,000_l_. stock. It would also be a great encouragement to the officers, and secure prolonged service, to give them an annual increase of stock—say, 200_l_. to be added for every year's service. Thus, if a man did not get as early promotion as he expected, he would still benefit by length of service.
"The principle of retired interests might be maintained, by allowing the officers to receive the dividends on the stock they held at retirement for—say, seven or ten years, before it reverted to the Company.
"To carry out these arrangements, it would be necessary to set aside in trust about 150,000_l_. stock. But the Company would lose nothing by it, as they would save in salaries what they gave in dividends.
"At the outset only 35,000_l_. of the stock would be called for, with an increase of 5,400_l_. per annum. Even allowing for a considerable retired list, it is doubtful if the whole 150,000_l_. would ever be appropriated; and of course the dividends on whatever portion was not appropriated would revert to the Company.
"In the revision of the deed poll, it would be essential to retain the clauses which secure to the Company the right to place officers on the retired list, and to dismiss them for misconduct.
"The mode of keeping the accounts, both in London and in the country, is one of much importance, requiring early consideration. At present there are no accounts, properly speaking, kept at the posts; and very great delay occurs in ascertaining the results of the business from London. It is essential to introduce some system of analysed post accounts, which should keep the Governor and his Council fully informed of the state of the business at every post, and by which they might judge of the management of the officers in charge. There is now no practical check on extravagance or dishonesty, except that arising from the upright principles of the officers in the service. The adoption of a system of local audit appears the best remedy for many of the existing evils.
"The Company's agent at New York (Mr. Wm. McNaughton), who is a valuable officer, has not at present sufficient employment to make his position worth occupying. As there is a valuable market in New York to which it would, at certain times, be advantageous to send buffalo robes, wolves' and some other furs, which could be done without interference with the market in England, it is important to render the New York agency more efficient.
"(Signed) A. G. DALLAS."(Signed) EDWARD W. WATKIN.
"7th August, 1863."
This memorandum was sent home to Governor Sir Edmund Head, with other papers.
On the serious questions of the future relations of the vast territory to Canada and the Mother Country; how it could best be settled; how it should be governed; what arrangement as to boundaries, and so on—I had many and serious conferences with public men. And in answer to many questions as to my own views, I drew up the following memorandum, as aresumeof the whole subject. It is now nearly twenty-four years old. I have read it again and again. I am not ashamed of it. I see nothing to retract; little to alter:—
"The present state of government in the Red River Settlement is attributable alike to the habitual attempt, encouraged, perhaps very naturally, in England and in Canada, to discredit the traditions, and question the title of the Hudson's Bay Company, and to the false economy which has stripped the Governor of a military force, with which, in the last resort, to support the decisions of the legal tribunals. No other organized Government of white men in the world, since William Penn, has endeavoured to rule any population, still less a promiscuous people composed of whites, half-breeds. Indians, and borderers, without a soldiery of some sort, and the inevitable result of the experiment has, in this case, been an unpunished case of prison- breaking, not sympathised in, it is true, by the majority of the settlers, but still tending to bring law and government into contempt, and greatly to discourage the governing body held responsible for keeping order in the territory.
"At the same time it must be conceded, that, while government by a merchant organization has eminently succeeded, up to an obvious point of time and circumstances, in the cases both of the East India and Hudson's Bay Companies, and is still applicable to the control and management of distant districts, it contains within itself the seeds of its own ultimate dissolution. In fact, the self-interest, however enlightened, which brings a dividend to stockholders, is opposed to the high impartiality and absence of individualism which should characterize a true Government. Individuals and corporations may trade and grow rich,—Government may not; they may embark in constant speculation, while it cannot; they must either insensibly measure their dealings by consequences, as affectinggain, or be suspected of doing so, while the interest of Government is not individual, but collective; its duty being, to give facility to the acquirer, security to the possessor, and justice and equal protection to all.
"Therefore, although the Government of Red River has had few faults and many excellences, and has been marked by a generous policy, in many instances it has been, and is, open to suspicion; because the commercial power which buys furs, trades with Indians and whites alike, and is, in fact, the great merchant, storekeeper, and forwarder of the country; appoints a Governor and assistants, places judges upon the bench, selects magistrates, and administers the law, even amongst its possible rivals and trade competitors. Such a state of things is unsound in principle, and ought only to be continued until a stronger and permanent Government can be organized; at the same time it can only be continued in safety, on the opening up of the country, by arming the Governor with a military force of reasonable amount.
"That the Hudson's Bay Companycangovern the country efficiently, on this obvious condition of all other Governments, is clear enough; and the peaceable relations between the Indians and the whites, and between the various tribes themselves, throughout the whole of this enormous territory, as well as the general state of health and occupation of the aborigines, prove how perfect and wise has been the management of the country. But government of Indians, who can be employed and traded with, and who at last become more or less dependent upon the Company's organization, as in this case, is one thing,— government of a large and expanding colony of free white men is quite another.
"It is a question whether the government of the Indians can or ought to be changed, for a long period to come, so completely is the Indian life now associated with the operations of the Company. Of course, the settlement of a new or an extended colony, involves the extinguishment of Indian rights within the area proposed; and while the outside district not set apart, would still be roamed over by the Indians, and be valuable for the fur trade, its limits must, from time to time, be narrowed by further additions to the circle of civilization and free government. Thus, the Hudson's Bay Company, if dispossessed of the government of Red River, and the proposed new Colony, would still manage and govern where it traded, and would still preserve sobriety, order, and peace amongst the Indian tribes of its territory thus limited.
"It may happen that the Hudson's Bay Company may be compelled to govern everywhere, by the refusal of the Home or Canadian Government to encounter the responsibility and expense, which at first might be serious, and which, as regards cost, must be greater in their hands than in those of a Company using portions, of its business organization for purposes of administration. It is well to look these probabilities fairly in the face.
"Such a necessity may arise from the indisposition of certain schools of politicians at home to incur Colonial expense, and the responsibility of defending a new nation flanking the United States; it may happen, owing to the refusal of Lower Canada to widen out the borders, and thus increase the political power of Upper Canada; or it may be objected in Canada generally, that the finances of the country will not, at present, prudently authorize the maintenance of a new Canadian military force; and again, the Indian war in Minnesota, which may spread itself, may raise up fears of Indian wars in the new country to be settled.
"Should the Hudson's Bay Company be compelled, then, to continue to govern the whole territory, the first essential, as before said, is a military force. That force may consist partly of regular troops, partly of mounted irregulars or militia, and it need not, in their hands, be large. The population is suited to military pursuits, and the half- breeds mounted would make an excellent irregular cavalry. And the next essential would be a convention and treaty with the United States, as to boundary and transit through the United States and Hudson's Bay territory respectively, for purposes of travel, and commerce, and of postage, and the telegraph.
"Then the limits of colonization must be defined, and it must be maturely considered at the outset, and decided as to how far, and in what form, and how soon, the principle of self-government shall be introduced. It is assumed that a thriving and expanding colony of white men neither can nor ought to be taxed and governed without their own consent, obtained in some form or other; and that it would be both unwise and unjust to attempt a permanently autocratic government. This is a most serious question, and the Act 31st George III., under which Canada was governed until 1841, would appear to solve the difficulty. The general scheme of government of that Act might operate so soon as the new Colony had a population of (say) 50,000, and its provisions might be elaborated into a constitution, to be voted by the Colony in general assembly, so soon as the population reached (say) 300,000.
"The grand basis of all successful settlement—the land—presents fewer difficulties than might have been imagined, because the admirable model of the land system of the United States is before us, and no better can be devised to enable a country to grow up side by side with the Republic. Reliable surveys and plans, cheap and unclogged titles to the land in fee, a limited upset price of not exceeding $1-25/100 an acre; division of the land saleable into regular sections; the issue of land warrants and regulations as to location, which will prevent, as far as may be, monopolies of land in the hands of speculators—are all essential conditions, and whatever power governs, they must be equally observed.
"Again,—reserves of land, on a liberal scale, must be made to support schools and churches, and to assist roads and other public works conducted by the Government.
"But let it be hoped that this necessity of continued government by the Hudson's Bay Company may be avoided by the wise and far-sighted action of the Home Government and of Canada. No beneficial decision can be arrived at without the concurrence of both powers, for each have rights and ideas in some respects differing, and Canada especially has the deepest concern in the future organization of the North-west. In selecting a governing power for such a country, the strength and influence of that power are the grand essentials. Even with equal enlightenment, these essentials could not be overlooked. A weak Government would invite attack, deter investment, and check general confidence.
"Apart from the government by the Hudson's Bay Company, there appear to be these alternatives:—
"1. Government by Canada annexing to her territory a tract of country extending to the limits of British Columbia, under some reasonable arrangement with the Hudson's Bay Company, fairly protective of their rights, and which arrangement ought not to be difficult to draw out, when once the principle of the settlement of the country, and the land system, and extent of land reserves, are agreed upon.
"2. Government by the Crown, as a separate Crown Colony, totally independent of Canada.
"3. Government by the Crown as a separate Crown Colony, with federation, more or less extensive, with Canada, and the establishment of a customs union between the new and old communities.
"It must always be observed that a decision as to the fate of this territory must be immediately made. It cannot wait political necessities elsewhere, or be postponed to suit individual wishes. The fertile country between Lake Winnipeg and the Rocky Mountains will be now settled, since that is now a fixed policy, and its plan of government must be in advance of, and not lag behind, that settlement. The electric wire, the letter post, and the steamboat, which two years more will see at work, will totally change the face of things; and as Minnesota has now 250,000 inhabitants, where, in 1850 there was hardly a white man, so this vast district may, when once it can be communicated with from without, with reasonable facility, be flooded with emigrants, not forgetting a very probable rush of English, Irish, and Scotch farmers, and settlers from the United States, who here will find a refuge from conscription and civil war.
"The discoveries of gold, and the disturbed state of the border Indians in Minnesota, are both unanswerable reasons of necessity for the immediate establishment of a permanent form of Government, and fixed laws and arrangements for the settlement and development of the country.
"1. The government of the North-west, as an 'annexe' to Canada, possesses advantages of contiguity and similarity of ideas on the part of Canadians and the probable settlers. Canada, it will be said, has a good and responsible Government, and why not now extend its machinery to the 1,300 miles between the height of land and the Rocky Mountains?
"But will Canada accept the expense and responsibility, and, more especially, is it just now politically possible? Were Canada politically and practically one united country, the answer would be perhaps not difficult. But Canada, for the present, is really two countries, or two halves of one country, united under the same form of government, each half jealous of the mutual balance, and neither half disposed to aggrandize the power or exaggerate the size of the other.
"Would Lower Canada, then, submit to see Upper Canada become, at one bound, so immensely her superior? And would Upper Canadian statesmen, however personally anxious to absorb the North-west, risk the consequences of such a discussion as would arise? Would it be possible, in fact, to found a Government based upon the platform of accepting the responsibility of settling, defending, and governing the North-west? If not, then, however desirable, the next best alternative must be chosen.
"Assuming that at some period, near or distant, the British North American Provinces, between the Atlantic and the Pacific, unite in a federal or legislative union, and thus become too great and too strong for attack, that next best alternative would point to such arrangements, as respects the North-west, as would lead on to and promote this union, and not stand in its way. Thus, disputes about race and customs should, if possible, be avoided by anticipation, and the constitution and power of the new Colony should foreshadow its connection with the countries to the east and to the west. Future isolation should be forbidden, while present independence should be accorded.
"2. The above assumption tends to throw doubt upon the desirability of establishing a Crown Colony, separate in all respects from Canada, and able to shut out or let in Canadian produce and manufactures at its pleasure. This is a danger to be foreseen and avoided.
"The new Colony, placed between Canada and the Pacific, must be essentially British, in the sense of its forming one secure link in a chain of British nations, or, in the interests of Canada, it had better never be organized. The power andprestigeof the Crown is essential to this end, and a separate Colony, even, would have many advantagesper se. It would also save Canada the cost of a new Government at a time when financial pressure and political majorities would be in the way. A Crown Colony could not be looked upon with jealousy in Canada, while government by the Hudson's Bay Company would be so regarded.
"3. But a Crown Colony with such a federation as would not alter the political balance of Upper and Lower Canada, and with a system of free trade with Canada, would appear to solve the whole difficulty; and if so, the scope of the federative principle would be matter to be settled between Canadian statesmen and the Colonial Office. The interchange between the North-west and Canada appears to be an absolute necessity in the interest of the latter. As Government, however, would require taxation, the new Colony must, in all probability, have its Custom- house; and it should be considered whether the Custom-house of Canada would not serve, as far as the eastern frontier is concerned, for the new Colony. If so, why should not duties, on a scale to be agreed upon under constitutional powers to agree, be levied on imported foreign goods, by Canada, and the duties be divided between the two powers in agreed proportions? Were this done, at least in the beginning, expense would be saved to the new Colony, a revenue would be easily collected for it, through existing machinery, and Canada would obtain the revenue and trade. Of course the scale of duties must be moderate, so as not to excite dissatisfaction, by establishing dear prices, and it would be the interest of Canada to make them so, for the more she stimulated the growth of the new customer, the better for the trade. On the other hand, the new Colony would be insured a market and an outlet for its own productions, and would be content, therefore, to accept a reasonably high scale of duties, levied for revenue purposes only, on its articles of foreign consumption."
I discussed the question involved at length with the Honorable George Brown and with his brother Gordon, at Toronto. I felt the importance of having the views, and, if possible, the concurrence of the leader of the "Grit" party. He led me to think that he concurred with me; and I sent him a copy of this document. He kept it some time, and then re- directed it to me without remark. Afterwards, I received a verbal message to the effect that "It would not do at all." I became convinced that nothing "would do at all" with a small band of men—who, at that time, had objects of their own—in Upper Canada. Some of them—few in number, I am happy to know, and impecunious—appeared to consider the old corporation of the Hudson's Bay in the light of Blucher, when driving through the streets of London, "Mein Gott! what a plunder." Some of them tried their best to confiscate the property; and once or twice, by weakness and vacillation in London, they almost gained the day.
Governor Dallas and I also carefully considered the telegraph question; the route, the cost, and the best agencies to complete its very early construction.
The two agreements, which, as matter of history, I here copy, were intended to bring about the complete connection of the Hudson's Bay territories direct with England and with the United States.
"Memorandum of Agreement between Mr. Edward W. Watkin and Mr. O. S. Wood (subject to the approval of the Montreal Telegraph Company and the United States Telegraph Companies, affected by this Agreement, and also by the Governor and Committee of the Hudson's Bay Company) for completing telegraphic communication between the Atlantic and Pacific.
"1. The Montreal Telegraph Company to construct a new line of telegraph between Father Point and Halifax,viaDalhousie and Mirimichi, to be completed on or before the 1st October, 1865; and also a line from the telegraph at Arnprior to the Hudson's Bay post at the Sault St. Marie, to be completed on or before the 1st October, 1865, with all necessary instruments, stations, staff, and appliances for a first- class through and local telegraph line.
"2. The Hudson's Bay Company (directly or through parties to be appointed by them, as they may elect) to construct a telegraph line from Fort Langley to Jasper House, thence to Fort Garry, and on to the United States boundary, near Pembina, to be completed on or before the 15th October, 1865; and also a telegraph from Fort Garry to the Hudson's Bay post at Fort William, at the head of Lake Superior; and also to make arrangements with other parties to erect a telegraph from Fort William to the Sault St. Marie, with all necessary instruments, stations, staff, and appliances for a first-class through and local telegraph line: provided always that the construction of the telegraph between Fort Garry and Sault St. Marie is dependent upon arrangements with the Canadian Government, and that it is understood that, failing or pending these arrangements, the route to be adopted shall beviaDetroit, St. Paul, and Pembina to Fort Garry.