es Mrs. Mills
had a class for girls who were beyond school age. She also gave
assistance in Sunday school work.

The pianos used in these schools had to be brought by sea, river and
portage by way of Hudson Bay; one of them is still in possession of Miss
Lewis, St. James. The teachers from England had to traverse the same
somewhat discouraging route in coming into the Settlement. Miss Mills,
who came alone a little later than her mother and sister, traveled from
York Factory under the care of Mr. Thomas Sinclair. She always
manifested the highest appreciation of his kindness to her during the
way, making his men cut down and pile up branches around her to protect
her from the cold when his party had to camp out for the night.

CHAPTER XXV.

EDEN INVADED.

The conception of Red River Settlement being an Idyllic Paradise was not
confined to the writer, whose picture we have described as "Apples of
Gold." It was a self-contained spot, distant from St. Anthony Falls (now
Minneapolis) some four or five hundred miles, and this was its nearest
neighbor of importance. Our astronomers thus describe it as an orb in
space, and the celebrated Milton and Cheadle Expedition of 1862 looked
upon it as an "oasis." It was often represented as being enclosed behind
the Chinese wall of Hudson's Bay Company exclusiveness, and thus as
hopelessly retired. The writer remembers well, when entering Manitoba,
in the year after it ceased to be Red River Settlement, as he called
upon the pioneer of his faith, who, for twenty years, had held his post,
the old man said, when youthful plans of progress were being advanced to
him, oh, rest! rest! there are creatures that prefer lying quietly at
the bottom of the pool rather than to be always plunging through the
troublous waters. Certainly, to the old people, there was a feeling of
freedom from care, as of its being a lotus-eater's land--an Utopia; an
Eden, before sin entered, and before "man's disobedience brought death
into the world and all our woe."

We are not disposed to press Milton's metaphor any further in regard to
the disturbers who came in upon Frank Larned's peaceful scene.

The time for opening up Rupert's Land was approaching. The agitation of
the people themselves, the constant petitions to Great Britain and
Canada called for it. The set time had come; 1857 was a red letter year
in this advance. In that year the British Parliament appointed a large
and powerful committee