Catholic Bishop Taché, the Anglican bishop of Rupert's land Robert Machray, and the HBC governor of Assiniboia William Mactavish all warned the federal government that such surveys would precipitate unrest. Headed by Colonel John Stoughton Dennis, the survey party arrived at Fort Garry on August 20, 1869. The Métis were anxious about it, as they did not possess clear title to their lands but held a tenuous right of occupancy. In addition, the lots had been laid out according to the French seigneurial colonial system, with long, narrow lots fronting the river, rather than the square lots preferred by the English. The Métis considered the survey to be a forerunner of increased Canadian migration to the territory, which they perceived as a threat to their way of life — more specifically, they feared to lose their farms. The larger fear was for losing their language and Catholic religion, and facing marginalization and discrimination in their homeland. The Canadian government appointed the notoriously anti-French McDougall as the Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories-designate on September 28, 1869, in anticipation of a formal transfer to take effect on December 1. This increased tensions among the Métis. In July 1869, the Metis suspicions had increased when McDougall ordered a survey of the settlement. Emerging as a leader, Louis Riel, who had been formally educated in European-style schools, denounced the survey in a speech delivered in late August from the steps of Saint Boniface Cathedral. His lifestyle was very different from those of buffalo-hunting Metis. When Riel returned to the west, it was apparent that MacDonald fearing the United States was negotiating with HBC for the transfer Rupert’s land without consulting the Red River population and the Council of Assiniboia. On October 11, 1869, Riel and other Métis disrupted the survey's work. On October 16 this group organized the "Métis National Committee" to represent Métis interests. Riel was elected secretary, John Bruce as president, and two representatives were elected from each parish. There were originally two resistance groups in Red River. One was led by Riel, while the other was led by a Metis named William Dease. Dease expressed the Metis values in his oppositions. For a long time, they were locked in a power struggle. The struggle was on a symbolic level, in while the two sides offered different perspectives on Metis unity.