of causing even more trouble. Rather than putting his power as Governor into use, he focused instead on smaller minute details, aud this was the cause for his eventual demise. Being governor of both Assiniboia and Rupert's land, he had a considerable power in both the political sphere and fur trading realm of Canadian society, and this power could have made effective effort to stop the Red River Rebellion. It has been noted that he suspected a political uprising, but chose not to report it to Ottawa. His lack of action and his hatred for politics was a major factor in why the Red River Rebellion continued. Many chief traders, and other high up men in the HBC, mad very public their aversion to how Mactavish handled the political situation that was the Red River Rebellion. At the height of the Rebellion, Mactavish was taken prisoner by Louis Riel. Mactavish was both physically imprisoned, as well as simply bed ridden from his deteriorating health, as he was battling Advanced Tuberculosis at the time. While imprisoned, and before he left for Scotland to die at home, Mactavish still acted with his Métis sympathies, and tried his best to continue to govern the land by authorizing loans to the Métis. He believed that rest would return him to his, "old robustness of constitution." Reception and legacy As a governor, he was viewed by the citizens of Red River as having, "admirable traits," "kind considerations," and "great wishes." Further, his reception is summed in a sense of "general satisfaction - so much so that the Red River [population] would be loathe to exchange him for any other." While he is often criticized for his lack of action in the eminency of the Red River Rebellion, he is also often met with positive reactions. When he died, the flags in Fort Garry and Winnipeg flew at half mast, in mourning of Mactavish. Further, upon his death, he was vastly grieved, and the New Nation Newspaper wrote that his death will, "spread a gloom of sorrow from one end of this country to the other and to many will bring grief and pain." See also Simon McTavish References External links Dictionary of Manitoba Biography Mactavish Red River Rebellion Proclamation/Statement 1815 births 1870 deaths People of Rupert's Land Canadian fur traders Businesspeople from Edinburgh Hudson's Bay Company people Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Canada People of the