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Peel 508

MacDougall, William (1822-1905) [info]; Dennis, John Stoughton elder (1820-1885) [info]. The North-West Territories: L.S.: By His Excellency the honorable William Macdougall…To John Stoughton Dennis. [Red River, NWT?: s.n], 1869?.
Physical description: Broadside: 51 lines.; Type-page, 23.2 x 16.5 cm.
Language: English
Signed: "Given under my hand and seal at arms at Red River in the said Territories, this first day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, and in the thirty-third year of our reign. William Macdougall. By command. J.A.N. Provencher, Secretary." Text in triple columns, except postscript of 6 lines signed "J.S. Dennis, Lieutenant and Conservator of the Peace in and for the N.W. Territories." Text over MacDougall's name: "…by virtue of the authority in me vested, I have nominated and appointed, and by these presents do nominate and appoint you, the said John Stoughton Dennis to be my Lieutenant and a conservator of the peace in and for the North-West Territories, and as such to raise, organise, arm equip and provision a sufficient force within the said Territories, and with the said force to attack, arrest, disarm or disperse the said armed men so unlawfully assembled and disturbing the public peace…." Text over Dennis' name: "By virtue of the above commission from the Lieutenant Governor I now hereby call on and order all loyal men in the North-west Territories to assist me by every means in their power to carry out the same and thereby uphold the supremacy of the Queen in this part of Her Majesty's dominions. Given under my hand at the Stone Fort, Lower Settlement, this 6th day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine." The proclamation was printed at Lower Fort Garry by P.G. Laurie, on the same handpress he used for the broadside of December 3. Manitoba Archives has a printing of this commission on oilskin, suggesting that it is Dennis' actual commission. For facsimile see Bruce Peel, Early printing in the Red River Settlement 1859-1870 , page 16.
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