A STUDY IN LEGAL ADMINISTRATION AND RECORDS SHARON ...

lack of a police force seriously hampered maintenance of law and order."
These and other challenges complicated Archibald's primary task Hidi was to
establish a govemment for the new province.
Letters patent issued at Ottawa and recorded July 28 and 29, 1870,
appointed Archibald as Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba and the North-West
Territories and authorized him to organize "part of the said Territories into a
Province, and for the establishment of a Govemment ...."12 He amved at the
nascent settlement of Winnipeg and proclaimed the new govemment September
6, 1870. '3 Archibald forrned a small executive council by appointing a provincial
treasurer and a provincial secretary. He then toak preliminary steps towards
holding an election. The first essential, a census of the population, was
completed in December. Archibald oversaw drawing of the electoral division
boundaries and then called the province's first election. Twenty-four members
were retumed, equally divided between French and ~nglish." The first
parliament opened Mar& 15 and remained in session until May 3.
Organization of elections continued to be part of the duties of lieutenant-
governors. A.G. Archibald and his successor, Alexander Morris, in addition to
their neutral participation in implementing elections, played prominent roles as
administrators of provincial affairs. Later lieutenant-govemors had less
responsibility as administrators, particularly when premiers began to undertake
more of the duties attendant upon ninning the province. Seven lieutenant-
governors represented the Queen from 1 870 to 1 895: A. G. Archibald, F. G.