Immediately after this movement, Canadian settlers began to drop by ones
and twos into the Red River Settlement. An important exploration of the
Red River, Assiniboine, and Saskatchewan Valleys took place by Henry
Youle Hind, and the report of this was at the time a mine of interesting
and useful information. The well-known Dr. Schultz arrived in 1859. Two
English-Canadians, Messrs. Buckingham and Coldwell, came to the
settlement at this time with a printing press, and began to publish the
_Nor'-Wester_, the first newspaper of the country. This paper soon
passed into other hands, and had a stormy existence, being regarded by
many, certainly by the Hudson's Bay Company, as a disturber of the
peace. The arrival of a number of aggressive and determined men during
this decade introduced much strife into the hitherto quiet and
easy-going settlement, and the weakness of the Hudson's Bay Company,
which was rather uncertain of its powers, encouraged restless spirits to
insubordination. The formation of what was called a "Canadian party"
during this time certainly did not improve the chances of a peaceful and
speedy union of the country with Canada. Shortly after the transfer the
writer remembers Mr. Black when speaking of the disturbed and clamorous
times through which we were passing, sighing for "the peaceful days of
the old Red River." Oh! but responded the writer, in his youthful
Canadian enthusiasm, "Surely you would not have the broad acres of Red
River locked up from cultivation! Life is hardly worth living without
progress!" "Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle in Cathay." "Well,
perhaps so," said Mr. Black, "but there are animals that like to lie at
the bottom of the pool and bask in peace and quiet."
THE GRASSHOPPERS.
The steady flow of small groups of Canadians to the banks of the Red and
Assiniboine rivers, and the interest taken by a few of the
representatives in the Canadian Parliament led to negotiations of a more
definite kind between the Canadian government, the Imperial government
and the Hudson's Bay Company. In the year 1868 a destructive visitation
of grasshoppers took place in the Red River Settlement. Any one who has
not seen this locust invasion cannot imagine it. The pictures given by
the Prophet Joel were reproduced. Myriads of voracious insects ate up
every green thing, and heaps of their dead, decaying and putrid, filled
the air with disgusting odors.
Sympathy in Britain and America was awakened for the people left without
food in Red River Settlement. The Hudson's Bay Company gave £6,000 stg.
to relieve the distress, and Canada sent her quota. Mr. John Black, as a
member of the Relief Executive, took an active part in relieving the
distress, and was in his element in comforting the discouraged and the
suffering. The Canadian government determined on a plan of assistance
which led to serious complications, though at the time, it seemed
[missing word]
JUDICIOUS CHARITY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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