The National Register. — London, England, 1817-08-11 00:00:00

AU6VST 11. REVIEW OF LITERATURE. sPa!enteni respecting the Earl of k's Settlement upon the Red R..ver,in North America; its Destruction in 1813, and 181 ; and the Massacre of Governor Semple and his I'ariy. It is now several years since Lord Selkirk first re aommended to Government the adoption of some plan by which the vast numbers of families that annually emigrate from the highlands and isles of Scotland, and the north of Ireland might he preserved to the parent country instead of being allowed to transport them selves to the United States of America, where few ever realize the expectations they firm, and where immense numbers are doomed to a life of wretchedness and mise ry of which few persons can have an adequate idea who have not witnessed the actual situation of these deluded people. The plan recommended by Lord Selkirk was, that the Government should afford facilities of convey ance to all persons disposed to emigrate, who would set tle in our North American Colonies, where there are immense tracts of country every way favourable to co lonization, sad that settlers should, in the outset, be assisted with agricultural and other instruments. — This recommendation, it is to be regretted, has not been adopted to the extent practicable. Lord Selkirk, however, relying on the correctness of his views on the subjeot, resolved upon founding one or more colonies himself; and accordingly engaged a number of families in the parish of Kildonan in the county of Sutherland to embark in the enterprise. This attempt of his Lordship, it is now generally known, has been attended with dis appointment, and difficulties, arising, however, not from natural causes, or any erroneous calculations on the subject, but from the opposition of interested indivi duals, which was not to be expected, and couiti not there five be guarded against. It is the object of the volume whose title is given above, to present to the public a detail of this opposition, and to rescue Lord Selkirk's character from the obloquy cast upon it by misstatements anti misrepresentations made in this country relating, to his plans of colonization. On the accuracy of the state ments in the volume we have the most entire reliance, and we lament to say, that they derelope a series of atrocities, which had they been perpetrated by any of the Indian trigs, would have excited pity anti regret ; but originating as they did with Britons, or the descen-, dants of Britons, with men living under the laws and in the territories of his Majesty, tey inspire feelings of the utmost detestation and horror. It is onr object to present to our readers such a ge neral view of the contents of this volume, as will en able them to form a tolerable estimate of these trans actions. The tract of country fixed upon by Lord Selkirk for the establislunent of' his colony, lies in the district of Ossiniboia, on the banks of the Red River, in 50 de grees of north latitude, and 97 degrees of longitude west% of London ; but as this is comprehended in the territory held by Charter by the Hudson's Bay Company, it was indispensably requisite that a grant of the saute should be previously obtained from that Company ; this grant was made with little opposition, by a Court of Proprie tors in 1811, and being laid befinv Council was pro nounced to be every way a valid and legal instrument. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1812, the first party of settlers arrived at the predetermined spot, named from their native parish Kildowan, where houses had been previously erected for them, and by the end of Septem ber, 1814, the number of settlers and labourers, had increased to about two hundred persons, whilst nearly a hundred more were on their way thither. At this time every thing looked promising, on the part of the colony ; a mill had been built, cattle and sheep bud ar rived ; the soil was fertile, and easily cultivated, being unincumbered with woods, and offering no obstructions to the plough, though there was no want of timber at h convenient distance ; the climate was as mild as that of Canada ; the river abounded in fish, the woods with deer and game ; and the neighbouring Indian tribes evinced the most friendly disposition towards the set tlers. Indeed so great an earnest of success did the Co lony present, that it soon became an object of jealousy, and this presently ripened into those acts of open hos tility against it which led to its destruction. When the grant of land was made to Lord Selkirk by the Hud son's Bay Company, six of the Proprietors delivered in protest against it ; one striking passage in this protest was, that "colonizatio.7 is at oil hares uldarmirable 11u' fur trade." This trade is in the hands of a body of • men named the North West Continue: of Fur Trailers; it is not a chartered body, but is very powerful. The moment it was perceived, that success would crown the efforts of the new settlers, this Company, it appears, had resolved upon the destruction of the Colony : the first methods devised were testis up the Indians to hostility ; but failing in this they next had recourse, by weans of their agents, to induce the settlers to desert, by offer ing them bounties, and alarming them by tithe rumours of intended attacks upon them by the Indians: in this they succeeded so fir that many persons quitted the settlement : but a great part remained proof against all the temptations. The settlers had been provided by THE NATIONAL REG: Lord Selkirk, with fire-arms and ammunition, and the Government had also tUrnished them with muskets and a few small field-pieces, for their better protection ; these the agents of the Company foecibly seized and carried off, the better to insure the success of their pre meditated attack upon the Colony. Having completely failed iu their endeavours to rouse the Indians against the settlers, these agents called to their aid, what are termed I(4i-breeds, a species of lawless banditti; the ilk git imate offspring of Canadian traders, and Indian wo men; they are a numerous race, and numbers of them are employed in different ways by thu Fur Company, but chiefly in hunting, in which they are very expert ; to these they joined another class called Canadian free traders, being retired servants or traders of the Com pany. When their plan of operations was matured the hostile party, with the settlers whom they had tempted to desert, encamped at a short distance from Kiltionan, mounted some of the guns, and bel;at to annoy the Co lonists, in every possible way, till on the I I th of June, Sunday, they commenced a regular fire upon all who were withoutsidu the buildings, in the course of which four persons were wounded, one of whom died. The ostensible plea for this atrocious attack, was the serving of a warrant upon Mr. Mae& nnell, the chief of the set tlement, for an alleged robbery in having detained some provision boats belonging to the North West Company with a view to prevent a want of food among the set tlers, but for which he had tendered payment. — Cameron, the leader of the party, having declared that all hostility should cease, if Mr. 'Mcdonnell were given up, that gentleman immediately surrendered hiinself.— This, however was mere deception, for . shortly after,. Cameron issued positive orders to , the settlers to quit the banks of the Red River. " These orders were followed up by the most wanton acts of ag gression, under the direction of Mr. Alexamli r M Donnell, who, after Cameron's departure with his prisoner, succeeded to the com mand on the Forks. The remaining settlers were frequently fired at by h people ; the farm-home belonging to the settlement was broken open and pillaged; several of the servants and labourers,. quietly em ployed in tillage were forcibly seized, and detained as prisoners; the horses were stolen, the cattle driven away, and the bull belonging to the settlement was killed and ent up in. the !immix of Alesiuider 31' Donnell himself. In consequence of these and similar outrages, and violence, subsequently committed, the remaining settlers, about sixty in number, resolved on abandoning the colony, as the only course left them of preserving their lives, and, in this perhaps, they would not have succeeded, but for the friendly aid of a party of Indians, who, having failed in attempting to negociate for their stay with the Fur Company's agents, escorted them with the remains of their property, down the river to its mouth, whence they proceeded to a post of the Fludscm's Ray Company, called Jack River House, at the northern extremity of Lake Winipic. On the day following that on which they quitted Kilddonan, the houses, mill, and every other building, were burnt to the ground by their enemies. During these transactions, Lord Selkirk was on kis way to Canada to support the settlers ; when he reached New York, he heard of the fate of the colony ; its destruction and dispersion being attributed .to the Indians. His Lordship immediately departed for Montreal, where he learnt the contrary to be the fact, and instautly set on fin►t an investigation of the whole proceeding, the result of which, too plainly sheweil who were the real perpetrators of the atrocities above related. Inlst employed in this investigation, intelligence reached Lord Selkitk, that the party of settlers who had withdrawn to Lake Winipic, had returned and re established the colony on the Red River. His Lord ship in consequence dispatched a messenger to infamy them of his arrival, and that he would be shortly with them; but his dispatch never reached them', the bearer of it having been waylaid, and robbed. Lord Selkirk being also apprehensive from the rumours he had heard, that another attack would shortly be made upon the renewed settlement, applied to the governor of Canada for military aid ; this he failed to °both. ; but some foreign regiments being disbanded, in consequienee of the peace with America, his Lordship engaged several of the men, whom he furnished with arms, and promised allotments of land on the lied River. This proceeding furnished Ld. Selkitk's opponents with matter of charge against him, but with what justice ? When these men were disbanded, all such as chose to settle in the country, were ofli•red landsby Government ; Lord Sel kirk theretirre appears to have merely seconded those views, in carrying with him such as chose to accept lands on the Red River. With this reiolweement of settlers and soldiers, Lord Selkirk set oft' for the co lony ; but be had advanced but a short way, when he met with a party of his people that Lad been sent from Montreal, who informed him that the settlement was again destroyed, and a great number of the settlers killed, together with Major t. 4 eMple, the Clovcruor of the lltulson's Bay Company's territories, who happened to be on the spot. This attack, as atierwards appeared, was made Iv the same description of per Fens as the first, but was m:wked with acts of deeper atre:•ity ; and •which can be considered in no other light, than as the deliberate murder of an unoffemling hotly of people, attended with eirettia.tunces of cruelty, which could hardly Le expected from savages. Qf th e p a rty at tacked, .28 in Luaibei, were killed, of the ti.uiaitt- • ing 7, some were wounded, and carried off prisner,.., others escaped. It is worthy of remark here, that a party of Indians encamped near the spot where the massacre took place, so tar from participating in it. CN• pressed their deepest sorrow at it, and as , isted in carrying off and burying the dead bodies. So much fot the alledged hostility of the Indians ! The remain ing settlers having with difficuity obtained leave to embark in their ds with the little property left them, departed for Hudson's Hay, but on their way down the river they were stopped on the second day, disembark ed, their trunks searched, papers seized, and many of them examined by. a Magistrate of the name Mecleod. as to the !ate attack ; warrants were next issued against some of the parties, who were seized, and sent to Fort William, the trading station of the North West C o a t pany ; after these proceedings, the remainder of the people were again embarked, and allowed to pursue, their dreary voyage to Hudson's Bay. Of their floe. nothing yet has reached this country ; but serious ap .prehensions, it seems, are entertained respecting them. As soon as Lord Selkirk learnt• that a- part of the .settlers.were threibly detained ,in Fort William, he pro c.eeded with his people to that place, and demanded to know the ground for such detention ; upon this some of. the settlers were released, and sent to his LorilAtip ; who, in emrequence of their inthrmation, and in his - peaty of Magistrate, immediately issued warrants tau the apprehension of the North West Company's part ners in the Fort ; these were, after some opposition, all served; a warrant was also issued to search for, and secure all the papers in the Fort ; these were sealed, mat though a part was subsequently destroyed, yet sufficient remained to prove the sources wheitee the destruction. of the new colonies had sprung, and the means re sorted to tin effecting it.. All the partners apprehended were after due examination committed, and sent to Montreal, where they were admitted to bail. We shall, close this article by leaving Lord Selkirk at Fort William, as we believe that no authentic information has yet been received of his ulterior proceedings, as. respects the re-establishment of his colony. An attempt has been made on the part of the North West Comrany, in this country, to refute the statements. of Lord Sel kirk's friends ; but these, we think, have been satis factorily answered. The Aiir will probably come before a high tribunal ;. and we sincerely hope that the most ex.miplary punishment will he inflicted on the instigators and- abettors of the cruelties which. have been perpetrated. It is well observed in the ad vertisement of this volume, that, " The suk...ct is of higher consequence than the Bender may at first iniagine. It includes the important question, whether exten sive and fertile rceiions in with Arncriea, ate ever to becon.c inhabited by civilized society ; or whether Britidi subjects, who fmm the increase of population in their native land, or from other causes of a public nature, arc induced to emigrate to various parts et our fo— reign pm:sessions in that quarter, are to be totally deprived at the pie. section of the rnoCier country, and excluded hum the benefit of the lfiriti.li late s." TILE LAMENT OF TASSO.. RY LORD 13%1401%. The few stanzas composing this publication were written, it should seem, by his Lordship, on seeing the cell in the Hospital of St.::nnu, for lunatics in licrrara, in which 'l'asso was confined. It has been asserted by some, that the Poet was immured in con sequence of his having► cuneeivea en affection fin. Leonora, sister of Alfiinso,. Duke of Ferrara, and which s overpowered his discretion, that he one day approached and kissed her, in the presence of the Dole and kis courtiers. For this offence Alfonso ordered hint td he confined as a madnum ; it is on this state ment that Lord 13yroo's " Lament" is founded. Tim boschi, however, aud Serassi the biographer of Tas.vo,, deny its accuracy anti assert, that the Poet was seat to the lunatic hospital in cunsequeaceofa fit of melancholy which had seized him. We select the fourth stanza as one of the most im pressive ill the poem. " I have been patient, let me be so yet ; had forgotten half I would forget, But it revives—oh ! would it were my lot To be fo•getfiul as I am forgot Feel I nut wroth with those who back me dwelt lu this vast larar•bouse of many woes? Where laughter is not mirth, nor thought the mind, Nor words a language, our e'en men moot ; Where cries reply to curses, shticks to blows, And each is tortured in his separate WU For we are crowded in oar solitudes— Many, but each divided by the wall, At Inch echoes Nladness in her babbling moods:-- \t bile all can hear, none heed his neighbour, ea u_ None ! save that One, the veriest wretch of all, ho was not made to be the mate of these, Nor bound between distraction and disease, • Feel I sot w roth with those that placed me here ? Who have debased me in the minds of men, Debarring me the nsuage of my own, Blighting my life in best of its career, Branding my thought& as things to shun and fear! 11 meld 1 not pay them hack these paegs again, And teach them inward sorrow's stilled groan? he struggle to be calm, and cold distress, Which undermines our storictil success j~o! still too proud to be vindictive—l have pardoo'd princes' insults, and world die. 1.-, sister of my sovereign! for thy sake all bitterness from out my breast, It with no lousiness where thou art a guest; 'lll , brother hates—but I can not detest ; pitit.t net-- but I call Out forsake "