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the erection of a stately and handsome monument, bearing on 

 its face some record of his life's work. 



Chas. N. Bell, 

 Corresponding Secretary. 



THE governor's SPEECH. 



The Lieutenant-Governor was then asked to address the 

 assembly and unveil the monument. He said : — 



Mr. President and Members of the Historical Society, 

 Ladies and Gentlemen : 



You have heard from authoritative sources to-day all that 

 relates to the monument before us, and upon that subject I 

 need not touch ; but the present seems to me to be an occasion 

 when we should all acknowledge the value of the services 

 which have been rendered to the people of this province and 

 and of the Dominion by the Historical Society of Manitoba 

 and it is to their great credit that what we see to-day is only 

 one of the many instances I might refer to, where their aid 

 has been of the greatest value in giving permanency to those 

 portions of the history of this country which, already dimmed 

 by time in the memories of living men, are in danger of pass- 

 ing into the realm of vague tradition, or of being wholly lost. 



I have been requested by the President and Council of 

 this Society, on the anniversary of the event, to unveil thti 

 monument which commemorates it ; and while there may be 

 differences of opinion as to the causes which led to the combat 

 and loss of life these stones record, yet everyone present who 

 is familiar with the early history of this country will agree 

 with me that, even apart entirely from these events^ this 

 monument stands upon historic ground, and the Society, in 

 determining the site to mark the battle of Seven Oaks, which 

 extended from the gi'ove which gave it its name to near Fort 

 Douglas, was wise, I think^ in placing it near this great high- 

 way, which traversing as it does this province from north to 

 south and east to west, is but the enlargement of the trail 

 which connected the great northern waters and woods, the 

 home of the Chippewyan and Cree, with the vast prairies of 



