And now Colville wrote to Alexander Macdonell, the Governor of the Settlement:  “Mr. West goes out and takes with him persons acquainted with making bricks and pottery.”  Macdonell was a Roman Catholic, but Colville wrote:  “I trust also that by your example and advice you will encourage all the Protestants, Presbyterians as well as others to attend divine service as performed by Mr. West.  He will also open schools.”  As to Mr. West’s support a curiosity occurs in one of Mr. West’s letters written in the following year from York Factory.  He speaks of an agreement between Lord Selkirk and the Selkirk Settlers.

“That the Settlers will use their endeavours for the benefit and support of the clergyman and shall be chargeable therewith as follows (that is to say):  each settler shall employ himself, his servants, his horses, cattle, carts, carriages and other things necessary to the purpose on every day and at every place to be appointed by the clergyman to whom, or whose flock he shall belong, not exceeding at and after the rate of three days in the spring and three days in the autumn of each year.”

This is a gem of ecclesiasticism.

Mr. West says:  “I find that it is impracticable to carry the same into effect.  This is attributable to the distance of most of the settlers and the reluctance of the Scotch Settlers.”

Mr. West had made mention of this to Governor Garry.

CHAPTER XIV.

Satrap rule.

“Woe to the Nation,” says a high authority, “whose King is a child,” but far worse than even having a child-ruler is the fate of a Kingdom or Principality whose ruler is a hireling.  The Roman Empire was ruled in the different provinces by selfish and dishonest adventurers, who tyrannized over the people, farmed out the revenues, bribed their favorites and defrauded their masters.  Turkish Government or Persian Rule is to-day an organized system of extortion and oppression by unscrupulous Satraps.  Lord Selkirk’s two governors, Miles Macdonell and Robert Semple, had been removed, the former by capture, the latter by death.  Alexander Macdonell in 1816 became acting governor and was confirmed in office for five or six years afterward.  In his regime the Grasshoppers came and did their destructive work, but the French people nicknamed him “Governor Sauterelle,” Grasshopper Governor, for, says the historian of this decade he was so called, “because he proved as great a destroyer within doors as the grasshoppers in the fields.”

Lord Selkirk had been a most generous and sympathetic founder to his Scottish Colony.  He was not only proprietor of the whole Red River Valley, but he felt himself responsible for the support and comfort of his Colonists.  He had to begin with supplying food, clothing, implements, arms and ammunition to his settlers.  He had erected buildings for shelter and a store house and fort for the protection of them and their goods.  He had supplied, in a Colony shop, provisions and all requisites to be purchased by his settlers and on account of their poverty to be charged to their individual accounts.