contract, however in itself inconvenient, may be more than com-
pensated by ensuring that the surrender is finally affected with the
full consent and agreement of both parties interested.

While still at Fort Garry Mr. Smith had learnt that Sir
S. Northcote was contemplating a visit to Canada, in
company with Bishop Taché. Northcote had written to his
friend, Lord Granville, "What should you say to my going
as Joint Commissioner with Bishop Taché to the Red
River?" Granville replied that he could not say how
public-spirited he thought Sir Stafford's conduct in deciding
to go out and scatter oil on the troubled waters.

The Company, writes Lord Iddesleigh's biographer,
"was nervous about its, £300,000, which ought to have been
paid by December 1st, but had not been paid. His reasons
for going out were to see the Canadian Government and to
take care of the Company's interests during the transfer." ¹

Sir S. Northcote duly embarked in the spring and,
reaching New York, travelled westward until he met Mr.
Smith returning from his mission to Red River. Northcote
decided that the Company's interests were already in safe
hands, and that any further efforts in pouring oil on the
troubled waters might result in setting the stream on
fire."

It was a wise decision.

* * * * * *

On his way back from Fort Garry, which he quitted on
March 19th, 1870, Mr. Smith for the first time encountered
a personage with whom he was afterwards to be closely
associated. This was Mr. James Jerome Hill, then travel-
ling by dog-sledge to Winnipeg from St. Paul. Hill was
Canadian born, in his thirty-second year, and at that time
closely interested in the transportation business between the
two centres.

On reaching Fort Garry, Hill had interviews with Riel,
Bishop Taché, Governor Mactavish and others. They told

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