Famine is often a forerunner of political disturbance in a country. During the spring of 1869 a universal feeling of dissatisfaction and of uneasiness prevailed in the colony, when it became known, through the public press, that transactions were being carried on between Her Majesty's Government, that of the Dominion, and the Hudson's Bay Company, for the transfer of the Red River country to Canada, while the authorities of Assiniboia and the population of the colony were entirely ignored by the negotiating parties. This wounded the susceptibilities of the inhabitants, among whom a spirit of sullenness and disaffection began to appear. The surveyors sent from Canada to lay out the land were not allowed to prosecute their work, and when the newspapers of Ontario and Quebec brought intelligence to Fort Garry that a Commission under the Great Seal of Canada had been issued on the 29th of September, 1869, appointing the Hon. William McDougall to be Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories, and that the Honourable gentleman was _en route_ with a party, and taking with him three hundred and fifty breech-loading rifles with thirty thousand rounds of ammunition, the dissatisfaction became exasperation. The French Half-Breeds took up arms and sent a party to the frontier to meet Mr. McDougall and order him back. Such was the beginning of the outbreak. Bishop Taché was at this time absent in Europe, attending the sitting of the [OE]cumenical Council at Rome. When the troubles in the North-West became known to the Canadian Government at Ottawa, it was thought desirable to secure His Lordship's services. His influence over the French Half-Breeds was known to be all-powerful, and he was regarded as the one man for the crisis. He was communicated with by cablegram, and, recognizing the urgency of the case, he at once set out for Canada. Upon reaching Ottawa he had a conference with the Government, and received instructions authorizing him to proceed at once to the North-West, and to offer the rebels an amnesty for all past offences. He lost no time in repairing to Fort Garry, but five days before his arrival there the murder of Thomas Scott--"the dark crime of the rebellion"--had been committed. Bishop Taché, while deploring that ruthless piece of butchery, did not conceive that his instructions were affected thereby. He recognized the Provisional Government, entered into negotiations with Riel, and was instrumental in restoring peace. He unconsciously exceeded his powers, and made promises to the rebels in the name of the Canadian Government which, in the absence of express Imperial authority, the Canadian Government itself had no power to make. All this, however, was done from the best of motives, for the purpose of preventing further bloodshed, and without any idea that he was exceeding the authority with which he had been invested. A great deal has been said and written against Bishop Taché in connection with this troublesome episode in the