THE RED EIVER EXPEDITION. 207 



The Hudson Bay Company officials residing in the 

 territory were loud-spoken in denouncing the bargain 

 entered into by their Directors in London : they said 

 it injured them materially, Avithout providing any 

 compensation for the loss they were about to sustain ; 

 that they, the working-bees of the hive, were to re- 

 ceive nothing, whilst the drones of stockholders in 

 England were to get all the honey in the shape of 

 the 300,000. 



The English-speaking farmers, although thoroughly 

 loyal, and anxious for annexation to Canada, so as to 

 be delivered from what many called the " thraldom 

 of the Hudson Bay Company," regarded the terms of 

 the transfer in no favourable light. They thought 

 they should have been consulted ; and the injudicious 

 silence of the Canadian Ministry with reference to 

 the form of government to be established, caused 

 many divisions amongst this party. Although they 

 would have scorned to take part in any actual resis- 

 tance against the establishment of the new order of 

 things, yet they were by no means sorry to see the 

 Ottawa Ministry in difficulties. They considered 

 themselves slighted, and were sulky in consequence. 

 They had no intention of giving themselves any 

 trouble to aid a Government that had not only failed 

 to consult or consider their interests, but had ignored 

 their existence altogether. 



With the exception, therefore, of the small hand- 

 ful of Canadian adventurers already alluded to, no 



