Chapter M: C. Baillairgé, Quebec (61)

=Strange, Thomas Bland=, Kingston, Major-General, retired, Royal Artillery, has been so conspicuous a figure on the Canadian scene and filled so large and honorable a place in Canadian history for the last seventeen or eighteen years that a work of this kind would be incomplete without a memoir of his gallant and distinguished career in both hemispheres. Major-General Strange comes of a race that has done good service to the Empire. Said the Weekly _Globe_ (Toronto), of 24th April, 1885:—“In ‘The Scot in British America’ is an allusion to Robert Strange, afterwards Sir Robert, the father of English engraving, an art which he developed while in exile in Italy following the broken fortunes of the house of Stuart.[10] Having previously fought at the battle of Culloden, in the body-guard of the prince, he was attainted and sought refuge in the house of Miss Lumsden, his affianced bride. While with her, the ‘Seider Roy’ (red soldiers) appeared in the court yard, and the officer entered to seize the body of the ‘traitor Strange,’ as he was termed by proclamation. His fair _fiancée_, with womanly simplicity, lifted the enormous hoops which extended the dresses of the period, and placed her lover in safety beneath them, while she resumed her former occupation of playing loyal airs on the spinette. The direct descendants of Sir Robert Strange and Miss Lumsden have been gallant and distinguished sailors, soldiers, men of science and law, including Colonel Strange, Madras Cavalry, subsequently employed on the survey in India and inspector of scientific instruments; Admiral Strange, whose son, Lieutenant Vernon Strange, went down in the ill-fated _Eurydice_; Major Charles John Strange, R.A., distinguished in the Crimea, all sons and grandsons of Sir Thomas Strange (son of Sir Robert), judge in the Hon. East India Company’s service. This branch of the family remained in the mother country; but two collateral branches settled in Canada. Of one of these, the late Colonel M. W. Strange, who served in the Kingston Volunteer Rifles during the rebellion of 1837-38, and who was representative of that city in the Ontario parliament, police magistrate and district paymaster, as well as a brother-in-law of Sir A. Campbell, the present lieutenant-governor of Ontario, and Dr. O. S. Strange, ex-mayor, and now penitentiary surgeon, were the descendants. The last branch to settle in Canada has done so in the person of Major-General Strange. * * * * * He represents an old military family of Scotch origin, and, in the maternal line descent can be traced from Charles Martel and Charlemagne through a long line of warriors. * * * * Major-General Strange has in his possession an old Bible (1679) which contains the records of the birth of Sir R. Strange and of his father and others in the islands of Orkney. To this sketch, the following details of interest may be added respecting our subject and his family. Major-General Strange was born on the 15th September, 1831, in the cantonments of the 26th Cameronian regiment at Merut, East Indies. His father, the late Colonel Harry Francis Strange, served in the Cameronian regiment during the India and China wars, and subsequently commanded the 25th King’s Own Borderers. His mother, Maria Letitia Bland, was a daughter of Major Bland, of Lake View, Killarney, county Kerry, Ireland, and connected with the Herberts and other well known county Kerry families. His paternal grandfather, Captain Alexander Strange, served in the 13th Light Dragoons in India and at Waterloo, and his father’s brother, Captain Alexander Strange, 42nd Highlanders, carried the colors of the “Black Watch” through the battles of the Pyrenees, and died of wound, received at Toulouse; and Captain Thomas Strange served and died in the Royal Navy, leaving three sons, Captain Thomas Strange, who was killed in the Maori war in New Zealand, Colonel H. F. Strange, C.B., Knight of the French Legion of Honor, who served with distinction in the Crimea; and Captain Alexander Strange, of the Osmanli cavalry. Major-General Strange’s only brother, Major Alexander Strange, served in India in his father’s regiment, the King’s Own Borderers, and also with distinction during the war in New Zealand, but died on the homeward passage. Lastly, Major-General Strange’s own sons have been trained to the profession of arms. The eldest boy, Lieutenant Harry Bland Strange, is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Kingston, and after serving as _aide-de-camp_ to his father during the campaign in the Canadian North-West, obtained a commission in the Royal Artillery. The second son, Alexander Wilmot Strange, a graduate of the Ontario Agricultural College, was in the North-West on the Military Colonization Ranche near Calgary with which his father is connected, when the rebellion broke out, and true to the loyal and military instincts of his race, and like a lad of spirit, at once enrolled himself in the Alberta Mounted Rifles, with a detachment of which he served until the revolt was suppressed. So that it may be said that for five generations every male of this family has served in the army or navy, and the majority of them have died in the service. Major-General Strange’s own military record has been as stirring and eventful as any in the history of the family. As an artillery officer, he takes rank among the ablest in that arm of the profession, and, as a soldier maintaining the honor of his country’s flag on the field of battle, his personal gallantry and skill were so conspicuous as to be mentioned four times in despatches. Indeed, few officers in the British service seem to have served their Sovereign with greater loyalty and ardor, or to have taken greater pains to perfect themselves in their profession. A real love for that profession appears to have been the mainspring of his whole action from the moment when, on the 17th December, 1851, as a young man of barely twenty years, he received his commission as a second lieutenant of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Previous to this, he had been educated at the Edinburgh Academy and the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich—at the former classically, and at the latter in mathematical and military science. With his entry into the service, however, came no cessation of his studies. On the contrary, his life thenceforward for many years seems to have been one of unceasing application and downright hard work to perfect himself in all the details of his profession, and especially of that important branch of it with which he was more directly associated. Thus we find that between 1852 and 1865, when his opportunities from foreign or active service in the field permitted, he successfully passed through the following courses, for three of which he was specially recommended by the deputy adjutant-general, Royal Artillery, by the director of artillery studies, and by General F. C. Wilmot, commandant, and Colonel Fisher, R.A., chief instructor of the Shoeburyness School of Gunnery: Astronomical Observatory, Woolwich; Musketry Instruction, Department of Artillery Studies, Chemistry of War Stores, Royal Laboratory, Royal Gun Factories, Royal Carriage Department, Royal Waltham Powder Mills, Enfield Small Arms Factory, and Long Course School of Gunnery, Shoeburyness. The official record of his qualifications shows further that he carried off the prize at the Royal Military Academy for military topography and landscape painting; that he mastered the French, Spanish and Hindostani languages; and that he acquired the practice as well as the theory of his profession by serving as district adjutant and quartermaster at Sheerness from 1856 to 1857; as quartermaster to the artillery division on service, and as acting commissary of ordnance and acting adjutant and orderly officer in action from Benares to Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny, in 1857-8; as Hindostani interpreter at Moultan, from 1859 to 1860; and as superintendent and gunnery instructor of the Repository branch of the Woolwich School of Gunnery from 1866 to 1871. His record of foreign service covers two years and a half in garrison at Gibraltar, nearly two years in the West Indies, and about six and a half years in India, and a little over ten years in Canada, or a period of twenty-one years and eight months in all, making, with his home service of close upon ten years, a total of thirty-two years in the military employ of his Sovereign, during which his promotions took place as follows:—First lieutenant, 1853; second captain, 1858; first captain, 1866; lieutenant-colonel, inspector of Canadian artillery, with rank of deputy adjutant-general, 1871; major R.A., 1872; lieutenant-colonel in the army (local), 1875; lieutenant-colonel R.A., 1877; colonel, July, and major-general, retired, December, 1881. The breaking out of the terrible Sepoy rebellion in 1857 furnished to our subject his first experience of active service in the field, and though he was then only a lieutenant, his skill, daring and presence of mind were conspicuous. According to the “Army List,” he was present at the actions of Chanda, Sultanpore, Dhowrarah, and Moonshejunge, the siege and capture of Lucknow, under Sir Colin Campbell, the actions of Korsee, Nawab-gunge, Seraigunge, the affairs of the 22nd and 29th July, the passage of the Gumtee, Oude, including the engagements of the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th August, and at Doudpoor on the 28th October. In all he served in thirteen engagements, was mentioned four times in despatches, and wears the medal and clasp for Lucknow. During the mutiny he also received his captaincy, and among the complimentary references to his gallant services in the field we note the following in official despatches:—“1st, at Moonshejunge, March 4th, 1858, Lieutenant Strange, R.A., assisted by Captain Middleton, 29th regiment, and other officers, enabled the commanding officer to carry off two captured guns under a heavy matchlock fire from the loopholes (_vide_ despatch No. 3, as above). On the same day, after the engineer officer, Captain Innes, Bengal Engineers (now V.C.), was severely wounded in the attempt, Lieutenant Strange carried the powder-bag to the gate of the interior entrenchment, and with the assistance of Captain Middleton, 29th regiment, fired it. 2nd, on March 26th, 1858, at the capture of the Kaiser Bagh, Lucknow, Colonel Napier (now Lord Napier of Magdala), Bengal Engineers, being engineer directing the attack, Lieutenant Strange, with assistance, endeavored to empty a powder magazine in the great square while the adjacent buildings were on fire. An explosion left that officer the sole survivor (_vide_ the death of Bombardier S. S. Lever, No. 3 company, 14th battalion, forwarded by General Dupuis, R.A., to adjutant-general, Horse Guards). 3rd, on 2nd October, 1858, at Doudpoor, Oude, while in command of right division Q field battery, R.A., and two guns R.H.A., under Lieutenant Lyon, Captain Strange captured two guns and sixteen horses, Brigadier-General Horsford commanding the force. Capture reported.”[11] To these may be added the testimony, of Lieutenant-General Sir Hope Grant, K.C.B., who wrote;—“Lieutenant Strange (now captain) was under my command in Oude, in 1858, during the mutiny, and rendered very efficient service at the crossing of the Goomtee in driving the enemy back and covering the crossing of the force. His two guns, which I sent on in advance, had to be taken in pieces across on rafts, and the horses had to swim the river. His duty was performed to my entire satisfaction. He was also staff officer to the artillery division under Colonel Carleton, at the battle of Nawab-gunge, when he made himself very useful.” Proofs of the same kind might be multiplied, but these suffice to show that our subject is not only an officer of skill and experience, but that he distinguished himself as much by his gallantry in the field as by his decision and coolness in the hour of danger. The removal of the Imperial garrisons from Canada in 1871, and the desire of the Canadian Government, in pursuance of a plan for the defence of the Dominion, to raise some batteries of artillery and to organise a scheme of artillery instruction, introduced him to a new sphere of honorable usefulness. Endorsed by the highest military authorities in England, including H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, commander-in-chief; Sir Hugh Rose, commanding the forces in Ireland; General Sir Hope Grant; General Adye, director-general of artillery, and others too numerous to mention, he came to Canada in that year as lieutenant-colonel and inspector of Canadian artillery, with rank as deputy adjutant-general, and a commission to form and command the 1st garrison of Canadian artillery at Quebec. How successful he was in this task is well known to all acquainted with the soldierly qualities and discipline of those fine corps, A and B batteries,[12] and especially to the people of the ancient capital, who had the best opportunity to witness the difficulties he had to contend with and overcome, and to appreciate, during his nine years’ residence in their midst as commandant of their historic citadel, his admirable qualities as a soldier and a gentleman. Referring to this phase of his Canadian career, the Toronto _Globe_ of the 24th April, 1885, during the height of the rebellion in the Canadian North-West, remarked:—“He established upon enduring foundations the schools of gunnery in which so many have been trained for service in different capacities, and especially as artillerists, and the efficiency of the batteries now at the front is largely owing to the fact that the Government has adopted the more important recommendations which, as inspector of artillery, he has seen fit to make.[13] He is a man of marked will-power, a disciplinarian, and yet one whose commands are not unkindly enforced. But once, while in command of B battery, was he called upon to act the soldier’s part in earnest, and that was during the labor and bread riots in Quebec, in 1878. He acted with a courage and coolness then which showed how well fitted he was for action in an emergency.” To this might be with justice added that on this occasion Colonel Strange also acted with an amount of self-control and humanity as honorable to him as a soldier as it was creditable to him as a man. To his firmness the ancient capital owed the prompt suppression of the trouble, and to his humanity that this stern but needful duty in the interests of law and order was discharged with the least possible effusion of blood. The local press, headed by the Quebec _Morning Chronicle_, were not slow to acknowledge this indebtedness in the handsomest terms, and the lieutenant-general commanding the Canadian militia, Sir Selby Smith, recognized it in flattering terms in his general order of 18th June, 1878. But it is pleasant to know that the citizens of Quebec have more agreeable recollections of Colonel Strange than those connected with him as the exponent of military force. During his residence of nine years amongst them, he and his officers and men intimately associated themselves with their daily life, and contributed largely to their entertainment and to the gaiety of the city.[14] It would require more space than could be afforded within the scope of this work to do justice to this phase of Colonel Strange’s career in Quebec, but an idea of it can be gathered from the celebration of the Montgomery centennial in 1875, which will ever remain an enduring memory with the Quebecers. On that occasion Colonel Strange thought it his duty to cement Canadian patriotism by reminding Canadians of both nationalities of their forefathers’ struggle to repel invasion. For this purpose, in addition to the valuable historical paper which, as vice-president of the Quebec Literary and Historical Society, he read before the society (on the defence of Quebec in 1775 against the attempt made by the Americans, under Generals Montgomery and Arnold, to capture the fortress), at the _fête_ in commemoration of the centenary of Montgomery’s defeat and death, held in the society’s rooms at the Morrin College, he organized one of the most unique balls imaginable, which came off with the greatest success at the citadel on the very centennial itself, the night of the 31st December, 1875. Of this _fête_ the following graphic account was published at the time:—

The celebration of the centenary at the Literary and Historical
Society was followed by a similar demonstration at the Institut
Canadien of Quebec, on the 30th, which passed off with great
_éclat_, and by a ball at the citadel on the 31st, given by the
commandant, Colonel Strange, R.A., and Mrs. Strange, who
entertained a large number of guests dressed in the costume of
1775. The following verses, contributed by “E. L. M.,” a
Montreal lady, and dedicated to Colonel Strange, were made an
appropriate introduction to the festivities:—

Hark! hark! the iron tongue of time
Clangs forth a hundred years,
And Stadacona on her heights
Sits shedding mournful tears!

Oh! spirits fled, oh! heroes dead,
Oh! ye were slain for me,
And I shall never cease to weep,
Ah! Wolfe, brave soul for thee.

Again the foe are made to know
The force of British steel;
Montgomery and his comrades brave
Fall ’neath the cannon’s peal.

Sudden she sprang upon her feet,
With wild dishevelled hair—
“What are those sounds I hear so sweet
Upon the trembling air?

“The frowning Citadel afar
Is all ablaze with light,
And martial notes, but not of war,
Awake the slumbering night.”

Then on she sped, with airy flight,
Across the historic Plains,
And there beheld a splendid sight—
Valor with beauty reigns.

Where fearless Carleton stood at bay
A hundred years ago,
Under the gallant Strange’s sway
They still defy the foe.

“My sons! my sons! I see ye now,
Filled with the ancient fires,
Your manly features flashing forth
The spirit of your sires!

“Yet here, surrounded by the flower
Of Canada’s fair dames,
Ye are as gentle in these bowers
As brave amidst war’s flames.

“Long may ye live to tell the tale
Transmitted to your mind,
And should again your country call
Like valor she will find.”

One hundred years have passed away, and again soldiers and
civilians in the costume of 1775 move about in the old fortress,
some in the identical uniforms worn by their ancestors at the
time of the memorable repulse.

The Commandant, in the uniform of his corps in 1775, and the
ladies in the costume of the same period, received their guests
as they entered the ball-room—the approaches to which were
tastefully decorated. Half-way between the dressing and
receiving rooms is a noble double staircase, the sides of which
are draped with Royal standards intermingled with the white and
golden lilies of France, our Dominion ensign, and the stars and
stripes of the neighboring republic. On either hand of the broad
steps are stands of arms and warlike implements. Here, too,
facing one when ascending the steps, is the trophy designed by
Captain Larue of the B battery. The huge banners fell in
graceful folds about the stacks of musketry piled on the right
and left above the drums and trumpets; from the centre was a red
and black pennant (the American colors of 1775), immediately
underneath was the escutcheon of the United States, on which,
heavily craped, was hung the hero’s sword—the weapon with
which, one hundred years before this night, Montgomery had
beckoned on his men. Underneath this kindly tribute to the
memory of the dead general were the solemn prayerful initials of
the _Requiescat in Pace_. At the foot of the trophy were two
sets of old flint muskets, and accoutrements, piled, and in the
centre a brass cannon captured from the Americans in 1775, which
bears the lone star and figure of an Indian—the arms of the
State of Massachusetts. On either side of this historical
tableau, recalling as it did so vividly the troublous times of
long ago, telling the lesson so speakingly of the patience and
pluck, the sturdy manhood and bravery of a century gone by, were
stationed as sentries two splendid specimens of the human race,
stalwart giants, considerably over six feet in height, who
belonged formerly to the famous Cent Garde of Napoleon III., but
now in the ranks of B battery.[15] The stern impassiveness of
their faces and the immobility of their figures were quite in
keeping with the solemn trust they had to guard.

Dancing commenced; dance succeeded dance, and the happy hours
flew past till the midnight hour, which would add another year
to our earthly existence. About that time there were mysterious
signs and evidences that something unusual was going to happen.
There was a hurrying to and fro of the _cognoscenti_ to their
respective places, but so noiselessly and carefully were the
preparations made for a _coup de théatre_ that the gay throng
who perpetually circulated through the rooms took little heed,
when all of a sudden the clear clarion notes of a trumpet
sounding thrilled the hearts of all present. A panel in the
wainscoting of the lower dancing room opened as if by magic, and
out jumped a jaunty little trumpeter with the slashed and
decorated jacket and busby of a Hussar. The blast he blew rang
in tingling echoes far and wide, and a second later the weird
piping and drumming, in a music now strange to us, was heard in
a remote part of the barracks. Nearer and nearer every moment
came the sharp shrill notes of the fifes and the quick
detonation of the drum stick taps. A silence grew over the
bright _cortege_, the notes of the band died away, the company
clustered in picturesque groups around the stairs where was
placed the thin steel blade whose hilt one century gone by was
warmed by the hand of Montgomery. The rattle of the drums came
closer and closer, two folding doors opened suddenly, and
through them stalked in grim solemnity the “Phantom Guard,” led
by the intrepid Sergeant Hugh McQuarters. Neither regarding the
festive decorations nor the bright faces around them, the guard
passed through the assemblage as if they were not, on through
saloon and passage, past ball-room and conversation parlor, they
glided with measured step, and halted in front of the Montgomery
trophy, and paid military honors to the memento of a hero’s
valiant, if unsuccessful, act. Upon their taking close order,
the bombardier, Mr. Dunn, who impersonated the dead sergeant,
and actually wore the sword and blood-stained belts of a man who
was killed in action in 1775, addressed Col. Strange, who stood
at the bottom of the staircase already mentioned, as follows:—

Commandant! we rise from our graves to-night,
On the Centennial of the glorious fight.
At midnight, just one hundred years ago,
We soldiers fought and beat the daring foe;
And kept our dear old flag aloft, unfurled,
Against the armies of the Western world.
Although our bodies now should be decayed,
At this, our visit, be not sore dismayed;
Glad are we to see our fortress still defended,
By Canadians, French and British blended,
But Colonel, now I’ll tell you, why we’ve risen,
From out of the bosom of the earth’s cold prison——
We ask of you to pay us one tribute,
By firing from these heights, one last salute.

The grave, sonorous words of the martial request were hardly
uttered ere through the darkness of the night, the great cannon
boomed out a soldier’s welcome and a brave man’s
requiem—causing women’s hearts to throb, and men’s to exult at
the warlike sound. While the whole air was trembling with the
sullen reverberation and the sky was illuminated with rockets
and Roman candles, Colonel Strange responded to his ghostly
visitant, in the following original composition:—

’Tis Hugh McQuarters, and his comrades brave,
To-night have risen from their glorious grave——
To you we owe our standard still unfurled,
Yet flaunts aloft defiance to the world:
God grant in danger’s hour we prove as true,
In duty’s path, as nobly brave as you.
This night we pass, in revel, dance and song,
The weary hours you watched so well and long.
’Mid storm and tempest met the battle shock,
Beneath the shadow of the beetling rock;
When foemen found their winding sheet of snow,
Where broad St. Lawrence wintry waters flow.

Yes! once again those echoes shall awake,
In thunders, for our ancient comrades’ sake;
The midnight clouds by battle bolts be riven,
Response like Frontenac’s may yet be given
If foeman’s foot our sacred soil shall tread.
We seek not history’s bloody page to turn,
For us no boastful words aggressive burn,
Forgotten, few, but undismayed we stand,
The guardians of this young Canadian land.
Oh, blessed peace! thy gentle pinions spread,
Until all our battle flags be furl’d,
In the poet’s federation of the world.

For us will dawn no new centennial day——
Our very memories will have passed away,
Our beating hearts be still, our bodies dust;
Our joys and sorrows o’er, our swords but rust.
Your gallant deeds will live in history’s page,
In fire side stories, told to youth by age;
But sacred writ still warns us yet again,
How soldier’s science and his valour’s vain
Unless the Lord of Hosts the city keep:
The mighty tremble and the watchmen sleep,
Return grim soldiers to your silent home
Where we, when duty’s done, will also come.

It will not be easy for any of those fortunate enough to have
witnessed the impressive and natural way in which this _coup de
théatre_ was arranged ever to forget it. Taken either as a
_tableau vivant_ of a possible historic event, or as an example
of truthful spirited eloquence, on both sides, it was a perfect
success. At the suggestion of the resident American consul, Hon.
W. C. Howells, the old house in St. Louis street, in which the
body of General Montgomery was laid out on the 1st January,
1776, was decorated with the American flag, and brilliantly
illuminated that night.

In June, 1880, Colonel Strange went to Kingston with his command on the transfer of the batteries; and, in December, 1881, having received his promotion to the rank of major-general, he not long afterwards retired from the service and became the chief factor in the organization of the Military Colonization Company, whose ranche is about thirty-five miles from Calgary, in the Canadian North-West. His two sons, already mentioned, accompanied him to enter upon pioneer life in the North-West and to help him to found the new home there, to which he has given the Indian name of “Namaka.” The breaking out of the Riel rebellion found them engaged in these peaceful pursuits; but the first note of alarm aroused the old warrior, and before the Canadian authorities had time to grasp all the danger that threatened from the Indians, or to take measures for the protection of the exposed settlements, he was heading his neighbors in an organization for defence and giving the country all the benefit of his great military experience and skill. Our space will not permit our following the history of this organization or of the campaign in which it played so important a part. It may, however, be stated that it became the nucleus of the field force of the Alberta district, which was placed under command of Major-General Strange, and that it not only distinguished itself in the actions at Loon Lake, Frenchman’s Butte and elsewhere, but contributed in no small degree to the suppression of the insurrection by driving Riel’s ally, Big Bear, to bay, and preventing a general and bloody uprising of the other Indian tribes and bands throughout the North-West. Of Major-General Strange’s rôle as its commander in that memorable campaign, it is enough to say that it was in keeping with his high reputation as an organizer, a leader and a soldier; and the Dominion owes him a deep debt of gratitude for the valuable and, it may be added, disinterested services he rendered on the occasion. Professional jealousy may seek to deprive him of his full share of credit in the connection, but an intelligent public will not be slow to apportion to him, as to all the other leading actors in the North-West campaign, his rightful merit. The following is a _résumé_ of the operations of the Alberta field force, as it appeared at the time in the columns of the _Calgary Tribune_:—

The work done by the force under my command, and the results,
may be briefly stated as follows:

The cattle districts in the heart of the Indian reserves were
secured, the frontier patrolled, and Indian and Fenian
incursions prevented, and telegraph communication established.

These results were mainly obtained by the raising of ranche
cavalry and home guards, supplemented by the presence of
companies of infantry at forts McLeod, Crowfoot, Gleichan and
Calgary. These detachments secured the country against the
rising of Blackfeet, Bloods, Peigans, Sarcees, etc., protected
the railroad, and prevented its abandonment by the C. P. R.
officials during the strike and alarm.

No doubt the feeling of alarm was much exaggerated, but could
not be otherwise, owing to the utter absence of arms among the
settlers, and the impossibility of getting any from the
Government.

The transport and supply were extemporized without even the
embryo of the establishments considered necessary in a civilized
country, while our difficulties were increased by the complete
absence of any supplies in the wilderness country through which
we passed, and the want of road, telegraph, or even mail
communication.

Nevertheless, the rapid march of the three successive columns of
the Alberta Field Force stamped out the incipient seeds of
active rebellion among the turbulent tribes who had already
commenced depredations, more of whom would have joined the
Eastern outbreak, but for the timely appearance and location of
troops on their reserves; while a famine was prevented in the
districts north of Edmonton by the convoys of provisions brought
along the protected line of communication.

A flotilla was built at Edmonton, a further supply of provisions
collected, and the hazardous and delicate operation of moving
troops simultaneously by land and river, in open boats (touch
being maintained throughout), and a final successful junction
effected within striking distance of the enemy.

Not a day’s delay occurred from start to finish, though our base
of supply was more than 500 miles from our objective. The
excellence and carefulness of the scouting almost precluded any
chance of disaster, and quickly discovered the position of Big
Bear, who was immediately attacked, the result being that,
although the numerical inferiority of our force prevented the
capture of his position, his band was broken up and demoralized,
the majority of the prisoners released, and the subsequent
pursuit by the cavalry of this force, under major Steele,
completed the surrender of the remainder of the prisoners, the
total dispersion of his band, and his ultimate surrender. Not a
shot was fired in connection with these results, except by the
Alberta Field Force, with only a loss of six wounded. Plainly
drawing attention to these results is a duty I conceive due to
the officers and men I feel it an honor to have commanded. By
their patient endurance, sense of duty and steadiness under
fire, these results were produced. Your obedient servant,

(Signed) T. B. STRANGE,
Major-General, Late Com., Alberta Field Force.

On the suppression of the rebellion, he received the Saskatchewan medal and clasp, and once more, like a modern Cincinnatus, beat his sword into a ploughshare and resumed the cultivation of the arts of peace at his home at “Namaka,” near Calgary, where he continued to reside until a broken leg, by a kick from a horse, followed by a second fracture, obliged him to resign the active management of the Military Colonization Ranche. Before leaving the phase of his eventful career connected with the Canadian North-West, it should be stated that in January, 1887, he offered as an Independent candidate for the seat for Alberta in the Dominion parliament, but withdrew before going to the polls, the time having evidently not yet come for the election of representatives unpledged to either political party. He is a member of no society except temperance societies, of whose principles he has always been a warm and consistent advocate, though never a Prohibitionist. He has travelled over the greater part of Europe, visited North and South Africa, the United States, Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the East and West Indies, and crossed the Himalaya mountains into Thibet and Central Asia. He has also been a prolific writer, especially on military questions. Besides editing the _Canadian Military Review_, he has published an “Artillery Retrospect of the last Great War, 1870-71,” “Military Aspect of Canada,” and a work on “Field Artillery,” besides his reports on militia matters, defence of British Columbia, etc., which have been printed in the Canadian Militia Reports, and for the most part acted upon. His wife, who has been a true helpmate to him and followed his fortunes with loving devotion from India to Canada, was a Miss Eleanor Taylor, daughter of Captain R. Taylor, of the East India Company’s service, and to her he was united at Simla, East Indies, in October, 1862. By her, he has had issue, seven children, five of whom, including the two sons already mentioned, survive.

-----

[10] Another member of the family, Strange of Burn House, raised a company of militia for the Hanoverian cause.

[11] As the capture of an enemy’s guns by artillery unsupported by cavalry or infantry is perhaps without precedent in the annals of war, it may be explained that a rapid advance left the infantry in rear, and a thick wood prevented the action of cavalry. On the road (the only open space through the wood) the enemy’s guns were suddenly overtaken and captured by the charge of the mounted gunners, who sabred the Sepoy gunners before they had time to fire. A moment’s hesitation would have been fatal. Had the British guns halted to unlimber, the enemy, who were already unlimbered, would have had first fire, with inevitably annihilating effect.

[12] “A” battery was first organized by Lieutenant-Colonel French, who subsequently commanded N.-W.M. Police force.

[13] Among others the establishment of a Canadian cartridge factory, without which the suppression of the North-West rebellion would have been indefinitely prolonged had it been necessary to supply cartridges from England, as the manufacture of the Snider cartridge had ceased there on the change of rifle to Martini.

[14] As military equitation is of little value without practical application in the field, a pack of foxhounds was kept at the Citadel, Colonel Strange being M.F.H., Captain Short, huntsman.

[15] One of them, Gunner de Manoli, was killed in action at Fish Creek during the late North-West campaign. He was shot through the head.

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=Pipes, Hon. William Thomas=, Barrister, Amherst, Nova Scotia, was born at Amherst on the 15th April, 1850. His paternal ancestors came from England, and his maternal ancestors were U. E. loyalists. The family has resided in Cumberland county, N.S., for over a hundred years, and have been chiefly engaged in farming and shipbuilding. His parents were Jonathan and Caroline Pipes. The subject of this sketch received his educational training in the Amherst Academy and Acadia College. He adopted law as a profession, and was called to the bar of Nova Scotia in 1878. Since then he has successfully practised his profession in Amherst. At the general election held in 1878, he unsuccessfully opposed Sir Charles Tupper, in Cumberland county, for a seat in the House of Commons at Ottawa, but shortly afterwards he was returned for the same county to the Legislative Assembly of his native province. On the 3rd of August, 1882, he became president of the executive council and premier of the government. He declined the office of attorney-general. On the 15th July, 1884, he retired from the ministry, and finally, two years afterwards, from political life. In politics Mr. Pipes is a Liberal, and in religion an adherent of the Church of England. He has travelled a good deal, and has visited England, Ireland, France, and the United States of America. On the 23rd November, 1876, he was married to Ruth Eliza, daughter of David McElmon. Mr. Pipes has spent an active and useful life, and is greatly respected by his friends and acquaintances.

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=Smith, George Byron=, Wholesale Dry Goods Merchant, Toronto, M.P.P. for East York, is one of those whom nature has designed to become a leader of men. His paternal grandfather came from the state of Connecticut, United States, and settled near Cobourg, Ontario, many years ago. His maternal grandfather was a United Empire loyalist, and emigrated from Massachusetts to Canada shortly after the revolutionary war. George Byron Smith, the subject of our sketch, first saw the light on the 7th March, 1839, at Newtonville, Durham county, and received his education in the public schools of his native place. Having secured a good commercial education, he removed to St. Mary’s, and began business as a merchant in that then thriving town. Here he was very successful, and having accumulated considerable wealth, resolved to seek a larger field for his operations, and some years ago he removed to Toronto, where as a merchant he has been equally successful. While in St. Mary’s he served two years in the town council, and in Toronto he served as alderman for one year. Having aspirations of a higher order than that of alderman, he began to take an active interest in politics, and at the last general election for the Ontario legislature was returned to represent the East Riding of York in that body, defeating his opponent, H. P. Crosby, by 765 votes. In politics Mr. Smith is a staunch Reformer, and in religion he belongs to the Presbyterian church. He has already made his mark in the legislature, and we predict for him a brilliant future. He is married to Maria, daughter of William H. Allen, of the township of Hope, and has a family of two daughters, one of whom is married to a son of James Trow, M.P. for South Perth, Ontario.

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=Gould, George=, Walkerton, Ontario, was born in Enniskillen, Ireland, on the 5th November, 1827, and came to Canada with his parents in 1829. His father, William Gould, was a lieutenant of the 86th regiment of the line. His grandfather, who died in India, was also in the Imperial service and was killed in one of the battles of the Mahratta war. Mr. Gould was an only son and was educated at Nashville, Tennessee, University, where he received a classical and engineering education. After his college course he entered the service of the United States government as chief clerk in the post office in Nashville, which position he occupied for four years. The insalubrity of the climate, however, compelled him to return to Canada in 1845, where he followed up his profession as a surveyor and engineer. Mr. Gould was one of the first settlers in the town of Arran, and facts connected with his active and energetic participation in the early development of that wealthy municipality are fully on record. Three townships of Bruce were originally surveyed by him, namely, Amabel, Albemarle and Arran, and in Grey county he also surveyed five townships. In 1860, Mr. Gould was appointed second provisional clerk of the provisional county of Bruce, and held the position until Bruce became an independent county, when he was appointed in 1867 the first county clerk, and has performed the duties of that office uninterruptedly ever since. He continued for a few years to follow his profession of engineering till the duties of his office became such as to require his whole time. In 1857, Mr. Gould was made a justice of the peace; he is also a notary public and a commissioner in the Queen’s Bench, and has held a number of other important official positions. In politics, Mr. Gould is a staunch Conservative, and in religion, an earnest member of the Methodist body. On the 19th of January, 1855, Mr. Gould became a benedict, marrying Elizabeth Snowden, of Owen Sound. He has had by this marriage six children, four sons and two daughters. Two of his sons, one a lawyer and the other a doctor, both died early in life. Had they been spared, they would, no doubt, have been an ornament and credit to their professions. His daughter, Minnie, married Dr. John Gardner, who, at one time, held the position of court physician to the king of the Fiji Islands. Mr. Gould is a courteous, talented and obliging man, thoroughly conversant with all the details of his business, while in private life he is one of the most popular and highly esteemed citizens of Walkerton.

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=Moore, Dennis=, Hamilton. By the death of Mr. Moore, on the 20th November, 1887, the city of Hamilton lost one of its most prominent, staunch and active citizens. He was born at Grimsby, on the 20th of August, 1817, and hence was in his 71st year at the time of his demise. He came to Hamilton in 1831, and had resided here ever since. Not long after coming he was apprenticed to Edward Jackson, with whom he remained until he was promoted to a partnership in the business. On the retirement of Mr. Jackson, Mr. Moore became senior of the firm of D. Moore & Co., which position he held until his death. His thorough business habits and consequent success generally drew him into a number of other enterprises in addition to his own business. Although never very strong physically, he led a very active life. He was stockholder and director in several manufactories, banks and insurance companies, the principal ones being the Canada Life Assurance Company, the Hamilton Provident and Loan Society, the Bank of Hamilton, the Traders Bank, the Canada Landed Banking and Loan Company, the Ontario Cotton Company, the Hamilton Bridge and Tool Company and the Burn-Robinson Manufacturing Company. He was never neutral or silent on social, religious or educational questions, but always threw himself into movements that tended to the upbuilding of society. He was a member of the Centenary Methodist Church, a class-leader, trustee and treasurer, and it is no exaggeration to say that his death caused a greater blank there than could be made by the death of any other man since the days of Edward Jackson. The whole congregation was bereaved in his death, for every interest of the church had his hearty assistance and cordial sympathy. He became a member of the church in his boyhood; and it was one of the pleasantest recollections of his life, as well as an earnest [missing text] of what was to come, that the first sovereign he ever earned was given to a benevolent object. Many kind memories gather round his name, not simply because he was an honorable and successful business man, nor because of his numerous and liberal contributions to the various benevolent associations, nor because of his long continued official standing in his church, nor because of the prominent part that he took in the political welfare of Canada, but rather because that as a man he always showed a practical sympathy with every movement for the relief and elevation of his fellow-men. To secure his co-operation in any movement one had only to show him that it was likely to do good. He was eminently catholic in his religious convictions, and had a creed broad enough to take in all that loved the Saviour of the world. It is not claimed for him that he was a theologian, but such a life as his proclaims the gospel that this world needs most. He had a profound conviction of the truth of Christianity, and what it had proved to him he desired all others to share. Hence he was a very liberal contributor to missionary objects. To that cause he gave thousands, and his contributions were not of the spasmodic or fitful kind, but steady and on principle. It was so with educational matters also. When Canada had not a college for the education and graduation of young ladies, he united with others in the establishment of the Wesleyan Ladies’ College. He was one of its largest stockholders, and had been president of its board for several years. In his death, Victoria College lost one of its most liberal friends. For several years he supported the chair of Natural Science, and it is understood that he made permanent provision for that chair. He seems to have enjoyed the luxury of giving—hence his work will go on and continue to bless the generations yet to come. But, wiser than many successful men, he did not leave for his will his largest donations. For years he had been scattering his bounty, and he enjoyed the rare pleasure of seeing the results of his givings. Many a man much richer than he has passed away “unwept, unhonored and unsung.” But Dennis Moore, in the unselfish out-goings of his life, touched the city of his adoption in so many ways that he left a blank that few, very few, men could possibly fill. In politics Mr. Moore was a life-long Reformer. He was extensively engaged in manufactures, and at a time when many of his old political and business associates were leaving the fold with the hope of making money faster, pressure was put upon him to do likewise. But Dennis Moore never wavered. He did not think that a business man ought to look to the legislature for his profits. He let everybody know where he stood, and he worked harder and subscribed more liberally than ever to obtain Reform success. In 1882 he was a Reform candidate, along with Mr. Irving, for the House of Commons, but was defeated. Mr. Moore died in the bosom of his family. His wife and children were present. He had four daughters and one son: Mrs. W. A. Robinson, Mrs. Charles Black, Mrs. W. H. Glassco, Mary Moore, and Edward J. Moore.

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=Rolland, Hon. Jean Baptiste=, Montreal, was born at Vercheres, Quebec, on the 2nd January, 1815. His grandfather came from France over a century ago, and his father, Pierre Rolland, was born at Vercheres, so that it can be seen that the family come of an old and honored ancestry. His mother, Euphrasine Donais, of the parish of Contrecœur, was also a member of an old French-Canadian family. The subject of this sketch was educated in the parish school of St. Hyacinthe, but when seventeen years of age he determined to seek his fortune elsewhere, and possessed of indomitable pluck and energy, and with only twenty-five cents ready cash in his pocket, he set out for Montreal. Although he was friendless and alone, he soon made some headway, entering the office of _La Minerve_ as an apprentice to the printing trade, and afterwards worked for some years on the _Courrier_. In 1842, Mr. Rolland started in the book, paper and fancy goods trades, and the firm of J. B. Rolland & Fils, has for many years past been favorably known to the trade of the entire Dominion as extensive dealers in home manufactures, as well as large importers of French, German and English fancy goods, with a very large paper mill at St. Jerome. Leaving the active management of the mercantile business in the hands of his sons, Mr. Rolland entered extensively into the real estate business, buying valuable properties in the city of Montreal, besides acquiring extensive tracts of land in the adjoining village of Hochelaga. He built largely on his lands, both in Montreal and Hochelaga, acting as his own architect as well as contractor; and his success is an excellent illustration of the fact that money can always be made through judicious investments in real estate. In politics Mr. Rolland was always a pronounced Conservative, rendering valuable aid to his party, and his services in this respect were recognised by his being called to the Dominion Senate in 1887, in succession to the late Senator Senecal. In March of this year (1888), the honorable gentleman was taken suddenly ill at his residence in Montreal, and despite prompt and skilful medical attendance, died on the 22nd March, deeply regretted by a large circle of public and private friends. Mr. Rolland took an active interest in municipal affairs, having been alderman for East Montreal ward for nine years, and a magistrate since 1855. He was always prompt in identifying himself with any movement likely to build up the city of his adoption, and was at various times president of the Board of Trade and Manufactures, and of the St. Jean Baptiste Society; a director of the Citizens’ Insurance Company, and one of the harbor commissioners. Although himself a Roman Catholic, Mr. Rolland was one of these gentle, conciliatory spirits, who was on the most cordial terms with all classes—not only in politics, but in religion. He was married in 1839, to Esther Dufresne, of St. Laurent, and had issue twelve children, six sons and six daughters, four of each still living.

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=Drysdale, William=, Bookseller, Montreal, was born in the city of Montreal on the 17th of April, 1847. His father, Adam Drysdale, was a native of Dunfermline, Scotland, settled in Canada many years ago, and for a long time held a position in the civil service of Canada, conferred upon him by the late Lord Elgin. His grandfather was one of the first persons to engage in the shipping trade between Scotland and Canada, especially to the port of Montreal. William Drysdale, the subject of our sketch, was educated at Montreal, in the school conducted by Mr. Hicks, who afterwards became the first principal of the Normal School in that city. Here he received a thorough commercial training, but owing to the serious illness of his father at the time, he was prevented from taking a classical course. After leaving school he entered the office of the late John Dougall, who was then publishing the _Weekly Witness_, and also carrying on a book business. Young Drysdale was given almost the entire charge of the book branch, which he conducted to the satisfaction of his employer. After a short time he entered the service of another bookseller, Mr. Grafton, with whom he remained for ten years, and was the confidential manager of the firm. In 1874 he commenced business on his own account, and owing to his early training and urbanity of manner soon acquired a business that is now second to none in the Dominion. His business relations extend from Gaspé to British Columbia. He has already published a number of important Canadian works that are of great value, in a historical sense, to the country at large. Mr. Drysdale, having strictly confined himself to business, has not had much time to devote to political affairs. He is in no sense a party man, but he takes a broad view of things generally. As a private citizen he, however, always takes an active part in whatever tends to improve his native city and help his fellow-citizens. He is on the executive of the following:—Society for the Protection of Women and Children, the Dominion Temperance Alliance, Boys’ Home (of which he is treasurer), Numismatic and Antiquarian Society, a life member of the Mechanics’ Institute, governor of the Montreal Dispensary, and is one of the most active promoters of the Protestant Hospital for the Insane. Mr. Drysdale is a member of the Presbyterian church, and is a superintendent of one of the Sunday schools. He was married in 1888 to Mary Mathie Wales, daughter of the late Charles Wales, merchant, of St. Andrews East. Duncan MacGregor Crerar, a New York poet, sums up Mr. Drysdale’s character in the following lines:—

Some are while careful of their own affairs,
And when successfully amassing wealth,
Who oft times will withdraw as if by stealth,
To render good to others unawares.
Well known to them the haunts of poverty,
Clothed are the naked, and the hungry fed,
Oft take they place beside the patient’s bed,
To cheer sad hours; to soothe keen agony.
These are earth’s salt—they labor with a mind,
Distress relieving, lessening human woe;
In all their actions earnest, gentle, kind,
Leaving sweet impress whereso’er they go.
Theirs Heaven’s reward; a crown upon each brow,
Warm hearted DRYSDALE! such a man art thou!

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