134 EXPLORATION OF THE PRAIRIES, 1879 



him. This suited the Minister of Education, but he said he would 

 have to go by the result of the advertisement. My friends 

 thought that there was no chance for me, as I was a Conservative , 

 and the "Globe" advocated one of their own men and he was 

 appointed. This man was the late Dr. Baptie. Next, I was 

 offered the position of teacher at Sheboygen, in the State 

 of Michigan. They offered to double my salary, but I 

 declined as that would take me away from Canada. Next, I was 

 offered the Bursarship at Queen's College, Kingston, but my 

 friends were over-ruled and Mr. Ireland, was appointed in his 

 father's place. (Mr. Ireland, who was appointed, was my eldest 

 son's wife's uncle, which I found out later). I began to consider 

 myself of more importance now than I had before and took my 

 place in the city accordingly. I still retained my work in the 

 College, however. 



Time passed and, in 1876, Mr. Mackenzie asked me to write 

 a full report on the whole country between Port Arthur and the 

 Pacific. I did this and it was published in the Railway Report 

 of 1877. It raised my stock above par and opened the eyes of a 

 great many politicians and other people. It was now observed 

 that Mr. Mackenzie himself was awake, as he began to see the 

 value of the western country. My report opposed the fixed idea 

 of cold, barren land in the north, but, as I had never seen the 

 south, I could say nothing about the prairie. The surveys were 

 still going on, in the same old way, and no parties were satisfied, 

 but many people were immigrating to Manitoba and, since I 

 crossed in 1875, they began to go on the prairie itself. Up to 

 that time, no settler had passed from Manitoba on to what was 

 called the "Second Prairie Steppe." 



During the summer of 1877, I took my son, James, with me 

 for his first trip, which was to Toronto and Niagara, and he will 

 remember that we met Seton Thompson's father and Dr. Codray. 

 Things were now approaching a crisis and, in 1878, an election 

 was held and Mr. Mackenzie was badly defeated and Sir John A. 

 Macdonald came into power. Immediately on Sir John's ac- 

 cession to power, an effort was made to get some real knowledge 

 about the prairie country both north and south. Sir Charles 



