In the township of West
Gwillinbury, north of Toronto, near London, and in the Talbot
settlement, near St. Thomas--all in Upper Canada--they received their
lands. Half a century later, in one of the townships north of Toronto,
the writer had pointed out to him a man named MacBeth weighing two
hundred and fifty pounds, of whom it was humourously told that he had
been carried all the way from Red River. The explanation of course was,
that he had been brought as an infant on this famous Hegira of the
Selkirk Colonists.
The finishing of Cameron's work on the Red River, was handed over to
Alexander Macdonell. The plan was nothing less than that the settlers
remaining should be driven by force from the banks of Red River. The
party led by Macdonell was made up of Bois-Brules, under dashing young
Cuthbert Grant. On their agile ponies they appeared like scourging Huns,
to drive out the discouraged remnant of Colonists.
Each remaining settler was on the 25th of June served with a notice
signed by four Nor'-Westers, thus:
"All settlers to retire immediately from Red River, and no trace of a
settlement to remain." (Signed) Cuthbert Grant, etc.
Two days after the notice was served the beleaguered settlers, made up
of some thirteen families--in all from forty to sixty persons, who had
remained true to Lord Selkirk and the Colony--went forth from their
homes as sadly as the Acadian refugees from Grand Pre.
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