Dr. Cowan, the master of the fort,
was arrested, and so was Mr. Bannatyne, the chief merchant, as well as
Charles Nolan, a loyal French delegate.
On the 7th of February the delegates again met, and at this meeting
Commissioner Smith, having the power given him by the Dominion
Government, invited the Convention to send delegates to Canada to meet
the Government at Ottawa. Two English delegates, Messrs. Sutherland and
Fraser, not quite sure on this point, visited Governor McTavish for his
advise. "Form a Government, for God's sake," said the Governor, "and
restore peace and order in the Settlement." Being asked, if in such
case, he would delegate his authority to anyone, he hastily replied, "I
am dying, I will not delegate my authority to anyone."
The Convention then proceeded to elect a provisional government. Most of
the officers were English, they being better educated and more prominent
than the French members. But when it came to the election of a
President, to their disgust Riel was chosen. Immediately after this,
Governor McTavish, Dr. Cowan, and Mr. Bannatyne were released as
prisoners, but Commissioner Smith was a virtual prisoner in his quarters
in the fort, though his influence was still felt at every turn.
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