dy mentioned, it may be well here to indicate the terms of
office occupied by the several Commissioners who have directed the
destinies of the famous corps. With all of these, except Colonel French,
who was the first in order, I have had some personal contact. The office
of Commissioner has been held by Colonel G. A. (later Sir George) French
from 1873 to 1876, by Colonel James F. McLeod from 1876 to 1880, by
Lieut.-Colonel A. G. Irvine from 1880 to 1886, by Colonel Lawrence W.
Herchmer from 1886 to 1900, and from 1900 up to date by the present
Officer Commanding in the person of Colonel A. Bowen Perry, C.M.G. These
all had their distinctive traits of character and each had his own
speciality--foundation building, discipline, organization and so on--but
they all meet on a common plane as soldiers and gentlemen without fear
and without reproach. Of Colonel French we have already written--he was
the layer of the corner-stone--and the after-history of the Police as a
spirit level proves that it was well and truly laid. Colonel McLeod came
into the command when the Indians, under changing conditions at home and
amidst perplexing problems born of the Indian situation south of the
boundary, had to be handled with unusual discreetness and care. And
MacLeod was distinctly the man for such a period, of wide human
sympathies, absolutely impartial and even-handed in his magisterial
decisions and inflexibly courageous, he became to Indian and white man
alike a sort of embodiment of the highest ideals of British
administration.

Colonel Irvine had served with credit under Wolseley and was highly
esteemed by his men. His commissionership fell within the stormy time of
the second Riel rebellion, and despite the fact that he was not
generously treated by the Commander of the Militia forces during that
period, he emerged from it with an enhanced reputation and with the
respect not only of his own men, but of all who knew how difficult and
important his task had been.

Colonel Lawrence W. Herchmer, besides some service with Imperial forces,
had been through some especially important work in connection with the
Frontier Boundary Commission. This experience proved of much value to
the Force and the country when he became Commissioner. Coming in the
restless period succeeding the rebellion, Colonel Herchmer's
contribution to Police history was his extension of the patrol system
all over the vast territory under his oversight. A man of fine