12 



panioii than Donald Gunu, of Little 

 Britain. He was a nerfect treasury 

 of knowledge as to the history, topog- 

 rajihy and natural history of the 

 country. He was boru in the parish 

 of Halkirk, in. Caithnesshire, Scotland, 

 in 1797„ At the age of sixteen, being 





DON.Vl.l) i;l NN 



of adventurous disposition, ho engaged 

 to g'o to Hudson Bay iu tlie servie<^ of 

 the g'i'eat fur couipan\'. Six year^j 

 after his arrival on tlie Bay the young 

 Highlander was married to Margaret 

 Swain, daughter of the officer iu 

 charge of York district, a lady on her 

 uiother's nide related to the natives of 



the country. After the union of the 

 fur companies in 1821, Gunn and his 

 wife joined the Selkirk colony a,nd set- 

 tled near Lower Fort Garry. Some 

 years after the young settler became 

 master of the parish school, which 

 I)osition he held for eighteen years. 

 Donald Gunn wap a great reader, and 

 it was fitting that he should l>ei ap- 

 pointed librarian of a part of the Red 

 River library, which wa^s kept in his 

 house. Mr. Gunn also took part in 

 p\iblic affairs, and was one of 

 the leading men by petition 

 and otherwise in having the country 

 opened up for settlement. Tlie Little 

 Britain school ma,ster took careful 

 observaitlon dn meteorology, and was 

 in constant communication with the 

 Smitlisonian Institution. His collection 

 of eggs land skins of our northern birds 

 was vailnable. Donald Gunn was the 

 founder of the PreiSibyteriian oliurch of 

 Little Britain, and was an elder in the 

 sa,me. After tlie creation of Manitoba 

 Mr. Gunn was aajioointed a member of 

 the legislation council, and on its ab- 

 oiition was made a stipendiary mag- 

 istrate foT t!;e i)rovince. His useful 

 life came to an end on St. Andrew's 

 day, 1878, and his ]>lace as the Nestor 

 of the Sv^ttlenient can never Ik? filled 

 again. 



CONCLUSION. 



These fiive Init a few of the notaliles 

 of the old Red River. On some other 

 occaisiion it miy l>c suitable to relate 

 tlie defHls of more of them, especially 

 of the faithful cleirgymen who, from 

 Priest Provencher downward, laid 

 good foundations iu Red River. Now 

 tliiat very few of the original Red 

 River settlers remain, it wo\ild be well 

 foT the Historical society to open a 

 i-egister to b? a record oif the date of 

 birth, birthplace, work and date of 

 death of the notable persons of old 

 RiPd River. 



