212 



RED RIVER EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 



dren entrusted to his charge, and of securing, by aid judi- 

 ciously applied, the respect and affection of those he is 

 endeavouring to christianise and educate, or seeking to 

 draw from their faith in strange and imaginary gods. 



The Indian generally, from his habits and precarious 

 mode of subsistence, requires something tangible in the 

 first instance to arrest his attention, and practical encou- 

 ragement, often repeated, to secure his good-will, before 

 an impression can be made on his heart. If the mission- 

 ary be cut off from his supplies in the infancy of a Mission, 

 much of his work has to be done over again. Indian 

 wants are few and simple, but they must be supplied 

 without fail at new stations ; hence the importance, if 

 success is to be secured, of effecting and sustaining a 

 tolerably regular communication once or twice a year 

 with the settlements at Eed Eiver. 



It has sometimes happened that this is not convenient, 

 or perhaps quite impossible ; it is natural to suppose that 

 when, from missing a season or from other causes, the 

 supplies for the service of the different posts of the Com- 

 pany are in arrears, and the brigade of boats can take 

 only a certain quantity of goods, those for the purposes of 

 the trade will first receive attention. It has happened two 

 or three times that one year's supplies for the whole 

 population, of tea, sugar, articles of clothing and other 

 important necessaries, have been unavoidably left at 

 York Factory, causing no little inconvenience and trouble 

 to the settlers as well as the missionaries. At Eed Eiver 

 their wants can be in part supplied from the stores at 

 Fort Garry, but at the missionary outposts such relief 

 cannot be looked for. 



Now that rapid communication may be said to be esta- 

 blished between Fort Garry and St. Paul by steamboat 



