Middletown transcript., 1869-11-27
RE winnipse 4'err,tory TroaDies.

There is a curious condition of affairs
on the Red River of the North. For two
hundred years the Hudson's Bay Com
pany have held territorial rights aud priv
ileges over all the lands that poured water
in Hudson's Bay or Hndson's Strait. This
grant was subsequently extended through
seventy-fve degrees of longitude-froA.
Davis Strait to monut ST.. Elias land
through twenty FIVE tdegreesof iatitude--
from the mouth of Mackenzie river to the
borders of California. Throughout this
immense region the Company was given
the exclusive right to traffic, but the right
was contested by the NORTHWEST Com
pany Of Montreal. which was organized in
1888, and it was not until after stub
born competition, many conflicts between
parties of trappers belonging to the two
Companies, aud much bloodshed, that the
two Companies were amalgamated in 1921,
and, thus united, exercised supreme rule
froui, Labrador to the Pacific, till the for
nation of the colonly of British Columbia
+ Nearly forty years ago Lord Selkirk
obtained grant of forty thousand acres
of land from the Hudson's Bay Company,
and established thereon at the southern
end of Lake Winnipeg colony of Scotch
men. The offspring of these Scottish set
tiers, together with the French Canadians
and half breeds who clustered about the
trading posts of the Company, now con-
stitute what is popularity known as the
Red River settlement. These hardy colo
nists inhabiting both sides of the Red
river, of the North, and the Southern
shore of Lake Winnepeg, now number in
all some ten or twelve thousand souls.
They are trappers, fishermen, traders and
agriculturists. They have lived for more
than fifty years the free life of the plains
and forests. The only authorities they
have been accustomed to recognize--with
the exception of the Governor who, Of
recent years, has been appointed by the
Crown-wcre those who held commissions
from the Hudson's Bay Company. They
hare been free from taxes and imposts Of
all kinds, except such as were covered up
in the price of the commodities they
bought. Separated by many rivers and
long portages from Western Canada-the
distance from Fort Carey to Thunder Bay,
on Lake Superior, being over five hundred
miles, and to Ottawa, the nearest city o.
any Importance in Canada, some fourteen
hundred miles--they have had but LITTLE
communication and less sympathy with
the Canadians, and have found of late
years their nearest market for peltries al
St. Paul, Minnesota. some five or siz
hundred miles south, across the plains
with steamboat navigation from Grow
Wing, ON the Upper Mississippi. 4s
A few months ago the proprietary
rights of the Hudson's Bay Company
were trasferred, by purchase, to tht
British Government, and the region il
question has since been incorporated witt
the new Dominion of Canada, under thu
title of the Territory of Winnipeg. Al
the wishes of the settlers were not CON
suited in the matter, they strenuously OBJ
ject to being brought under Canadian
jurisdiction, and they have taken up arms
to defend their rights. They desire t.
continue in their old condition, as an in
dependent British Colony, subject only tt
such rules and regulations as they ma,
make for themselves, under the sanction
of Governor appointed by the Crown
But they refuse to become a mere ap
pendage to Canada, to be put under tn
jurisdiction of Canadian officials, to b
taxed by a Canadian Parliament, to ren
der obedience to Canadian laws. The,
want neither courts nor judges, unless O
their own making and of kind to whicl
they have been accustomed. 1t thus hap
pened that Mr.. McDougall, who has bee
made Governor of the new Territory @
Winnipeg found ON his arrival at For
Carey, no less than FIVE hundred men i
arms, with the avowed determination G
expelling him from the Territory. Littl
dreaming of resistance, he had left Can
ada with his family only and the sta
which composed his escort. r-mi
The only persons who rallied to hi
support were the old Hudson's Bay off
cials and few Scotch and English sci
tiers; but they were too few in numbe
to cope with the French Canadians an
half Breeds, who constituted the mai
body of the insurgents. An officer sci
forward to parley with them was seize
and held q prisoner. McDougall and h
followers were beleaguered in the for
Finding his position uutenable, McDol
gall placed himself in the hands of til
malcontents and was escorted by the
across the United States frontier. At IL
last advices be was at Pembina, in d.
Gotta Territory, from whence he had callt
upon the Canadian Government for trool
to support him in asserting his authorit
1t is quite probable, however, that an a
3 tempt will be made to adjust matters,
the recall of McDougall aud the appoin
ment of more popular man. McDo'
gall is obnoxious to the settlers, and g
peeially to the Indians and Half Bre,
: population, from the course he had pr
viously taken in supporting propositi'
! to divest the former of portion Of Il
e lands whcih had been set apart for the
: exclusive use. But the objections of Il
main body Of the settlers lie deeper th
this. They do not want to belong to t
i. Dominion of Canada. They prefer
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