@prefix ns0: . @prefix edm: . @prefix dcterms: . @prefix dc: . @prefix skos: . ns0:identifierAIP "06236322-b472-4e6f-aad6-8dbcc56ebb45"@en ; edm:dataProvider "CONTENTdm"@en ; dcterms:isReferencedBy "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1591882"@en ; dcterms:isPartOf "British Columbia Historical Books Collection"@en ; dcterms:creator "Macdonald, Duncan George Forbes, 1823?-1884"@en ; dcterms:issued "2015-09-10"@en, "1863"@en ; dcterms:description "\"A comment written on the lining paper of the copy examined reads: 'This man was a gross fabricator, ignorant of his subject and malignant, yet a cunning distorter of the truth about B.C. and V.I.'\" -- Lowther, B. J., & Laing, M. (1968). A bibliography of British Columbia: Laying the foundations, 1849-1899. Victoria, BC: University of Victoria, p. 24."@en, ""@en ; edm:aggregatedCHO "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcbooks/items/1.0222594/source.json"@en ; dcterms:extent "59 pages : tables ; 22 cm"@en ; dc:format "application/pdf"@en ; skos:note """ LECTURE ON BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND DELIVERED AT THE ROYAL UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION On March 27, 1863 BY D. G. F. MACDONALD, C.E., F.E.G.S., M.E.S.L., J.P., Ac. (Late of the Government Survey Staff of British Columbia, and of the International Boundary Line of North America) Author of' What the Farmers may do with the Land,' s The Paris Exhibition,'' Decimal Coinage,' &c. LONDON: LONGMAN, GEEEN, LONGMAN, EOBEETS, & GEEEN 1863. Price One Shilling. The following Lecture originated in the desire of the O CD gentlemen forming the Council of the Eoyal United Sekvice Institution to lay before its members trustworthy information regarding the capabilities of British Columbia and Vancouver's Island as a field of emigration for Englishmen. A few corroborative statements have since been introduced ; and some, which from their nature could not be interwoven in the text, have been appended as foot-notes. LONDON PRINTED BT SPOTTISWOODE AND CO. SBW-STKBET SQUABS BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. —ooi^po- Mr. Pkesident, Ladies, and Gentlemen, Ageeeablt to the wishes of the Council of the Eoyal United Service Institution, I have the honour of appearing before you to say a few words respecting the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver's Island. I may be permitted to mention, however, that, whilst I consider the request a high compliment, I should nevertheless have declined the task, from a consciousness of my inability to render a Lecture sufficiently interesting to such an audience as invariably assembles in this theatre, had I not deemed it a positive fluty to raise my voice, however feeble, at a time when all Europe is perplexed by the conflicting statements which have appeared in books, pamphlets, and newspapers, relative to these dependencies. In lecturing I am utterly inexperienced, as I fear you will soon discover; but I am urged forward by the desire of spreading opinions which I have already explained more extensively elsewhere, and thus, by giving the essence of what I have there written, enabling those A 2 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND Wi 0 who have never seen, and may never see, my book to judge for themselves. It is surely no light matter for any person to advance opinions on the resources and capabilities of our colonial possessions, unless qualified by education, knowledge, ^nd experience. There is, to my apprehension, but little difference between the man who willfully deceives and him who through ignorance deters our poor, who exist in misery and wretchedness at home, from emigrating to a place in which they may secure comparative independence and comfort, or induces young Englishmen to throw up comfortable, if not lucrative, posts in their native country to become penniless wanderers in a strange land. What value would the leader of an army attach to my views as to the position to be taken up for a battle, or as to the modes of attack and defence ? What value would the commander of a fleet attach to my report or opinions on a. naval engagement, or on the construction and management of a man of war? None whatever. And justly — because I have not been educated in either of those noble professions. But if the question be the resources and capabilities of a country, — of land and pasture — of hill and dale, — I venture to believe I possess the qualifications which alone can enable a man to discern these important characteristics, and to arrive at a just estimate of them, since the subject has formed the education of my youth and the study of my maturer years. I apprehend, therefore, that, before any weight can with propriety be attached to the report, statements, or opinions of an author or lecturer, it behoves him to show that he is qualified by education, profession, and experience, to write or lecture on the subject which he undertakes; and, moreover, that his opinions are VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 5 shaken by no wind of self-interest, or gust of blinded passion,—that his views are obscured by no mist of prejudice or error. I therefore trust that you will not attribute my giving some account of myself to any less creditable motive than a desire to satisfy you that you are not listening to a man who has never seen a blade of grass grow, or slept under the impervious shades of the eternal forests. Erom my youth upwards, I have been occupied in the study and practice of agriculture. I have, since 1848, prosecuted my calling as a civil and agricultural engineer with perfect success; and under my immediate direction upwards of a million sterling has been expended on the drainage and improvement of agricultural lands alone. I have been taught every branch of farming, experimentally, practically, and scientifically ; and I have farmed extensively on my own account for many years. I have received, in short, a first class agricultural education, without which no one is in a condition to form a just opinion of the pastoral and agricultural capabilities of any country, whether new or old. And I may also add that I have been employed professionally by the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works of British Columbia, and by the British North- American Boundary Commission, as well as by private •individuals in both colonies. In conclusion, I can safely affirm that I have no possible inducement to advance statements unwarranted by facts, or opinions which are not well grounded. What I assert I have seen wij;h my own eyes, or know of my own knowledge, and I have no interests to promote save those of truth, and the prosperity of intending emigrants. 6 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND Although details of the discovery and early history of British Columbia and Vancouver's Island are interesting, they are unnecessary on the present occasion. I shall therefore proceed at once to give accurate information as to the nature of these countries, the cha- -racter of their chmate, and the extent of their resources and capabilities; and I shall also advert to some of the drawbacks of British Columbia as a colony for settlement. British Columbia lies on the western side of North America, between the 49th and 55th parallels of north latitude. The Eussian territory forms its northern boundary, the Eocky Mountains close it in on the east, the territory of the United States forms its southern limit, whilst the North Pacific on the west washes 450 miles of its coast. Its area, including Queen Charlotte's Island; is computed to be 225,250 square miles, or nearly three times that of Great Britain. It was previously known as New Caledonia, but has formed a colony under its present name since August 1858. The general appearance of the country is very picturesque, but gloomy in its grandeur, awful in its solitude. No bubbling brooks, no soothing shades, no softly swelling hills, as in pleasant England: but in their stead streams white with foam, rushing alone- 7 DO between cliffs, down ravines, and over waterfalls, in deafening thunder; tremendous precipices, yawning gulfs, and naked towering rocks splintered with the storms of countless years ; boundless forests, fearful in their gloom, and fearful in their howling beasts of prey. Yet, when the vast masses of foliage glitter in the sunlight ; and above the overhanging cliffs and mountains, VANCOUVER S ISLAND. far up in the sky, glow pyramids of snow and ice; these wilds furnish views of intense splendour. Inaccessible mountain ranges traverse the land, many of their peaks clothed with perpetual snow; and its general surface is rocky and barren, except where covered with forest trees and brushwood. The territory's literally studded with long narrow lakes, some of them of great depth, and varying from five to fifty miles in length, in breadth from two to seven, with water extremely cold and clear. However, there is one exception to this clearness in the Liloost water, which is of a dirty green. On the other hand, I never beheld anything • more lovely than the Lake of Chilukeneyuke, as I once looked down upon it by moonlight. Every star, in all its brightness, was mirrored in the translucent waters. The magnificent glacier of the lake resembled a mass of gigantic emeralds partially covered by a mantle of snowy whiteness; the green ice at every crevice shining clearly in the sun, which year after year vainly strives to melt it away. The river Fraser is the great artery of the country, and the only river affording any extensive facilities for navigation. It takes its rise in the Eocky Mountains, and after a course of 700 miles flows into the Gulf of Georgia, six miles north of the boundary line. Its current is broad and extremely rapid, and the melting snows of summer raise it some fifty feet, at which season it sweeps along with fearful velocity. During this period the navigation is very dangerous, owing to the great quantity of trees, stumps, roots, and logs which float down upon its surface ; and at other times the shallows and shifting sands, in which it abounds, render voyaging on its waters, except for flat-bottomed steamers, peculiarly hazardous. The river is also diffi- ^ 8 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND cult of entrance for large vessels, on account of its tortuous channel, and the numerous banks and shoals at its mouth, which change continually. It is navigable for vessels of considerable draught for thirty-two miles from its mouth, and flat-bottomed steamers have reached sixty miles farther^ but the lower portion only can be considered adapted for navigation, the upper portion being broken by falls and rapids. The forests are of vast extent, and sufficient to supply the whole world with valuable timber for ages to come. To the spectator, indeed, the whole territory appears to be one mass of wood ; and as Commander Mayne writes, page 50 of his book, ' some idea may be formed of it if I state that I have travelled for days in this country, where we scarcely advanced at the rate of one mile an hour.' At times these forests are set on fire by some straggling miner or packer; and those who have not witnessed such a conflagration can scarcely conceive an idea of the fury with which it rages in the dry summer season, when the underwood, fallen branches, bark, and withered leaves are all so inflammable, the rarefied air all the while howling through the trees like a hurricane. The coast is bold and rocky, exhibiting continuous chains of mountains broken only by the Eraser, and numerous and deep inlets, which drain the region stretching eastward from the coast range to the Eocky Mountains. No harbour exists north of the 49th parallel, with the exception of Berrard's Inlet, which lies about twelve miles up- the coast from the mouth of the Eraser. This inlet is difficult of access, but is well sheltered from the open sea, so as to afford ample safety for vessels. Warm springs are found in British Columbia, one of Vancouver's island. 9 which, about twenty-four miles northward from Douglas, discharges a stream of three square inches in volume. The -water is soft and agreeable to wash in, is perfectly clear and colourless, and its temperature 132° Fahr. A cursory examination into its composition detected chloride and sulphate of sodium. The Indians resort to this hot spring under the persuasion that it possesses miraculous healing powers. They believe that in the night a spirit comes down to impregnate its waters with remedial properties; and it is to them a holy spring, whilst to the white man who goes thither to slake his thirst it is all but fatal. Such, then, is the general appearance of British Columbia. Let us now see what manner of men are the aboriginal inhabitants.—what their nature and characteristics. The cradle of the red man will perhaps never be discovered; philology alone could hope to do this, and the chances are slender: but his present con- * dition is fully before us. The pubhc mind has long been disabused of the pleasant fiction of the noble savage, a being who only existed in the imagination of dreamers, and who has received his most recent embodiment at the hands of American story-tellers. He has been drawn out of the if haze of the novelist, and examined in the light of day, and he turns out to be a compound of sensuality, treachery, and cruelty the most revolting. Civilisation may have much to answer for, but there is nothing it has introduced at all to be compared to what it has driven away. It would be more just to say that there are evils which civilisation cannot eradicate, and which still remain amongst us, the residuum of the primal savage. J 10 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND The greater portion of British Columbia is occupied by the Takalli, or Carrier Indians, who are divided into eleven tribes, each numbering from 50 to 350 individuals, and all speaking the Athapascan language, with a few dialectical differences. They are, like all the savages of these regions, filthy in their habits, and extremely debauched and sensual. They feed chiefly on salmon, and the flesh of bears and other wild animals, some of them burrowing in the earth and living like badgers or ground-hogs. They are, moreover, very superstitious. To the southward of the Takalh are the Atnahs. who live, in the region of the Eraser and Thompson rivers; and below these are the Flat-heads, numbering from 4,000 to 5,000, and occupying the country on the Columbia and about Eort Colville, between the Cascade and Eocky Mountains. These are the chief tribes of the interior. Of the Coast tribes the most northern known to Enghsh fur-traders is the Tun Ghaare, a small tribe of expert hunters inhabiting the south-east corner of the Prince of Wales's Archipelago. The Haidah, or natives of Queen Charlotte's Island, contrast favourably with the southern tribes; I have seen some as fair as the people of the South of Europe; and they are very warlike, strong, and dangerous. The women invariably wear as an ornament a piece of wood about half an inch long, fixed in the lower lip by means of an incision made parallel to its length ; they refrain, however, from flattening the heads of their children. These Indians are remarkable for their ingenuity. They fabricate most of the curiosities met with on the coast, and they raise potatoes for sale to the inland tribes ; but they are a most treacherous race. The Nootka Columbian group includes a greater VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 11 number of tribes than the Northern or Haidah family. The flattening of the head is universal amongst them, and prevails along the north-west coast from the 53rd to the 46th degree of latitude. There are several other tribes, but they need not be enumerated, as the same description applies to all. The wild man of British Columbia is as savage as the scenes which surround him. The trunk of a tree forms his canoe ; strings of shells and teeth of animals form his ornaments, his record, and his coin 5. fern and forest leaves furnish his couch ; bulrushes, lichens, and moss, his protection against the blasts of winter ; and wolves and bears his rivals for the lordship of the soil. They five chiefly upon salmon, deer, bears, dogs, and such animals ; and prefer their meat putrid, which may account for their abominable odour. Murder is no crime amongst these ferocious beings, who stab, shoot, and scalp, without pity, and are known to eat their enemies with the voracity of their companion wolves. They are revengeful, deceitful, and unrestrained liars, and, to crown all, get rid of their sick and aged by cruel and willful neglect. They are by no means stupid, but as inquisitive and observant as they are heartless. Their dress in winter consists of the skins of wild animals; in summer of a strip of bearskin or deerskin round their loins, and in some districts even this is dispensed with. They paint their bodies hideously with every pigment they can lay their hands on, blood colour being their favourite hue. When deeply stained with vermilion it is a sign that war rages among them, and it is then dangerous to approach them. In general the different tribes entertain a bitter hatred against each other, evinced by frequent feuds, which often end in death. 12 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND They have some idea of a Supreme Being, whom they fancy good-looking, always naked, well painted, and having pieces of fur round each leg and arm, and dogskin round his shoulders; but they have no religious rites. Yet they are very superstitious, and are terrified by every unusual occurrence. I have seen them fall upon their knees, or throw themselves down upon the ground, and roil about, uttering the most frantic yells, upon seeing an eagle hover over their wigwam. • I have also seen an old Indian look pensively at the track of some wild animal, and then return hastily to his cabin, where he would remain for the rest of the day, and for the following night, and would not stir out if the whole world were offered to him. Polygamy, stealing, lying, and gambling prevail to a fearful extent, and female chastity is unknown. Yet they seem very fond of each other and of their children; and sometimes women may be seen sitting by the skull of a child, a husband, or a brother, pouring forth the anguish of their souls, and talking to it in the most endearing tones. In matrimonial matters the squaws propose to the men, and girls are contracted and paid for years before the marriageable age. Their slaves are horribly treated: they are made to do all the filthy work, and are cruelly lashed. Doubtless these slaves will one day rise against their masters, and avenge themselves for the atrocious barbarities inflicted on them. They seldom bury their dead, but either burn the bodies or place them in ornamented wooden boxes raised beyond the reacli of wolves and dogs, and leave them to decay. When a married man is burned his widow is placed on the pile beside the corpse, and VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 13 not suffered to remove till her flesh is one mass of blisters. After the body has been consumed she collects the ashes into a small basket, which she constantly carries about with her ; and when three years have been spent in drudgery for her husband's relations she is permitted to marry again. The Indians hate the whites, because the whites hate them. They invariably take hfe for life; and if a white man has been the aggressor, they will kill the first white man they meet, utterly regardless as to whether he knew anything about the murder or not; and many a poor wanderer in British Columbia has thus fallen. Such is their thirst for blood, that I have been shown thirty scalps in one wigwam. Their modes of torture are numerous and horrible : some prisoners they scourge to death, others they roast at slow fires ; and I have seen four fiends seize a wretched captive, and, each taking a hmb, swing him with all their force against the ground till they left him a mangled corpse. Contempt of pain is confined to the males ; the females are timid, and meet their torture in paroxysms of terror. Their villages are generally built upon natural slopes on the banks of rivers, or in sheltered nooks by the sea-side, with a precipitous bank in front to preserve them from the attacks of hostile tribes, while the outskirts are overspread with piles of fish, fish bones, and the accumulated .filth of years. The wigwams vary from 100 to 300 feet in length, by from 50 to 100 in breadth, and are constructed of thick plank boarding and heavy logs; one wigwam generally contains twenty or thirty families. . The smaller wigwams or huts are formed of bark cut in lengths of from seven to ten feet, on which stones are laid to prevent their warping 14 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND in drying. These are fastened with twisted twigs to a framework of stakes driven into the ground; and the roof is covered in the same manner, a hole being left to let out the smoke. The fire is in the centre, and tree stumps and large stones are placed round it to serve as tables and seats, on which men, women, and children sit, generally as naked as they were born, and not un- frequently covered with a moving mass of vermin. The fur-skins worn by day form their covering at night, while their bed consists of a layer of deer- or bear-skins, or a rush mat. The whole family, and sometimes two or three families, live and sleep in this one unpartitioned apartment. I should be sorry to chill a single earnest feeling in favour of these poor barbarians, but it is to be feared that if any impression is ever to be made on them, it can only be done by going into their midst, living their life, and feeding on the flesh of wild animals, on grubs, roots, and grasses, like themselves. Their condition is the most deplorable that can be imagined ; many of them are* puny and stunted, while they are rapidly decreasing in number, and must soon disappear altogether. The Indian, will recede before the white man, as his fathers have done. The lovely valley in which the warriors stood forth in their triumphant glory, in which the young and sprightly listened with throbbing hearts to the chants of other days, in which the mothers fondly played with their tender offspring, will soon know him no more. But, as he turns to take a last look on the tombs of his race, he will shed no tear, he will heave no groan; for there is in his heart that which stifles such indications of emotion. It is savage courage absorbed in despair. There is in the fate of these unfortunate beings VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 15 much to awaken our sympathy. What can be more melancholy than their history ? They fade away at our approach, and mournfully pass by us never to return. We hear the rusthng of their footsteps, hke that of the withered leaves of autumn, and they are gone for ever. In a few years the smoke will cease to rise from their wigwams, and the ashes will be cold on their native hearths. Poor human beings! if they have the vices of savage life, they have the virtues likewise. If their revenge and insatiable thirst for blood are terrible, their fidelity to their kinsmen is unconquerable also. Their love, like their hate, goes with them to the grave. Although there are some handsome women to be met with amongst the northern Indians of America, there are none comparable to the tropical belles. In the native beauty of Panama, the grace which pervades the whole figure is wonderfully brought out. There the female form is full of ease, delicacy, and beauty. The day was sultry as I turned into one of those snug retreats so frequent in the isthmus, and scarcely visible through the luxuriant verdure, to get a mouthful of cold water. The heads of the family had doubtless gone to the trackless woods to gather the wild fruits so pleasing to the eye and so grateful to the taste, for no one was visible but a young Indian maiden, who, fawn-hke, startled at my approach, and would have fled into the thicket* had I not made signs of peace and friendship. Eaising my hands in the form of a cup, the woodland beauty was instantly reassured, and led the way to a shady grotto where a crystal mountain spring flowed gently from the rifted rock, whilst I followed in speechless admiration of the vision of loveliness which floated onward in such bashful coyness. This charming nymph was attired in a loose covering of the purest white, down 16 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND which her plenteous black hair hung to an almost incredible length. Her complexion was soft-tinted olive, so dehcate that the slightest emotion gave a crimson hue to her tender and simple cheeks. Her forehead was exquisitely chiselled, and her features Grecian in their contour; but how shall I describe those glorious dreamy eyes, or those long drooping lashes which ever and anon came gently down like silken curtains I Could an artist place on canvas the picture there presented,— the shady dell, the tropical fruits and flowers, the limpid spring and mossy rocks, the emerald skies and purple mountain peaks, that sweet sad face and faultless form,—he might lay down his pencil and live upon his fame for ever. As she stepped on the slippery rock, with a quaintly fashioned gourd, to dip up the clear water, there was disclosed a foot whose polished outline had never been warped by the rough shoe of civilisation, and which her native innocence had never been taught to hide. She was indeed exquisitely beautiful, and recalled the lines of a great poet : Art thou a thing of mortal birth, Whose happy home is on the earth ? Or art thou, what thy form would seem — The phantom of a fairy dream ? But I must leave these sunny lands and their pleasant memories, and return to the snows and storms of British Columbia. Unquestionably a suitable climate is a consideration of the greatest importance to the emigrant, as it has a marked influence on production. A hot climate enervates the body and enfeebles the mind; and, by rendering houses and clothing less necessary, removes one ' Vancouver's island. 17 great spur to industry and invention. In a very cold one, on the other hand, the powers of nature are benumbed, and the difficulty of preserving life leaves but little time for rendering it comfortable. Chmate exercises, also, a direct influence on the durability of buildings, and on everything connected with agricultural operations. Its vicissitudes are so variously estimated by different persons, that it is difficult to describe the atmospheric condition of any country so as to avoid the imputation of undue praise or unwarranted reprobation. Doubtless, however, the most eligible climate is that under which one can hve the longest, work the hardest, be least dependent on artificial comforts, and have the fewest ailments. To anyone seeking a home at all approaching this standard, the climate of British Columbia would not be alluring. The winters are long and cold, the summers short and hot, the spring sudden ; and the powers of animal and vegetable nature seem to compensate themselves by extraordinary vigour and activity in the short respite allowed them from the long torpor of winter. Exaggerated accounts have been spread in Europe regarding the chmate of British Columbia. It has not the clear skies and fine bracing atmosphere of Canada, as snow, sleet, rain, and fog visit the settler in rapid succession, and the winter takes up eight months out of the twelve, commencing in September and lasting till May, while the temperature is severe, the thermometer at times falling 30° below zero. The summer heat much resembles that of Canada, averaging, according to report, 80° at mid-day; but all well-informed travellers agree in representing the weather as extremely variable at this season, and the transitions as remarkably sudden —the common characteristics of an Alpine country. At B J 18 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND Stewart's Lake, in the month of July, every possible change of weather was experienced within twelve hours,— frost in the morning, scorching heat at noon, and then rain, hail, and snow. The winter season is subject to the same vicissitudes, though not in such extremes. Mr. Anderson, late chief trader in the Hudson's Bay Company's service, a gentleman personally known to me, and on whose evidence I would rely, states that snow begins to fall in the mountains early in October ; that the summer climate about the forks of the Thompson river is dry, and the heat great; that during winter the thermometer indicates occasionally from 20° to 30° below zero of Fahrenheit, but that such severe cold seldom lasts on the upper parts of the Eraser river for more than three days. The thermometer will then continue to -fluctuate between zero and the freezing point, until, possibly, another interval of severe cold arrives. During winter, a traveller in the highlands of British Columbia must envelope himself in furs to a most inconvenient degree. Horses have been suffocated from ice forming in their nostrils, and their hoofs have burst from the effects of the cold, while the raven is the only bird on the wing. Inanimate nature yields to the same mighty power. Masses of rock are torn from their ancient sites, and huge trees are rent asunder, becoming ice-bound to the very heart, and splintering the axe of the woodman like glass. The cold is something incredible northwards along the lofty mountain chains. The sunless forests, too, shelter masses of snow, which render the currents of air excessively cold and damp. In these dreary lands, consumption and inflammatory complaints are very common, and few escape rheumatism. A long sickness in the backwoods brines VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 19 famine and utter ruin. In the winters of 1860, 1861, and 1862, the Fraser was frozen over, and many persons perished from starvation and exposure. Early in the September of 1859, we on the Boundary Commission were visited by a heavy snow-storm, the thermometer ranging from 82° in the day to 26° at night. Even at Victoria in Vancouver's Island, in the vicinity of the ocean," the snow fell several feet in depth, when sledging became the only mode of out-door locomotion. At New Westminster, which is only 54 feet above the sea level and well sheltered, the thermometer stood in January 1862 at 15° below zero ; and at Eort Hope, a little way up the country, at 18°. In confirmation of my statements as to the severity of the climate of British Columbia, I shall give a few extracts from the Weekly British Colonist, .published in Victoria, Vancouver's Island ; and we may rest assured, as the prosperity of the editor of the paper depends on the peopling of both colonies, that the true state of the weather has at least not been exaggerated:— DO British Columbia: September 16, 1862.— The weather is execrable, raining or hailing daily. One hailstone, measured by Mr. Phillips on the 22nd of July, was an inch and a half in circumference. Ice formed every night through summer in the open air. September 8.— There was a very heavy fall of snow. October 21.— Snow fell sixteen inches deep two weeks ago, and the cold has been intense. October 28.— A heavy snow-storm had fallen, covering the ground to a depth of three feet. Ice had formed in the sluices, stopping all mining work. The snow-storm fell three weeks earlier this year than last, which accounts for the heavy loss of pack animals. It is estimated that upwards of 400 animals, valued at about 50,000 dollars (10,000£.) have perished in tbe recent storms. B 2 20 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND November 4.— Pack animals are perishing by whole trains at once. One packer, who went in with thirty-seven horses, has only saved seven out of the lot, being also obliged to leave his goods along the trail in various places. Another with fourteen animals lost every one of them. Dead and dying horses were met with at almost every step, some of them standing upright in the snow, just as they had been left by their owners. On the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Jcmuary last, it was so intensely cold that the mercury was frozen like a rock in the bulb of the thermometer: but that was a common test of temperature. Jack Frost gave another illustration of his freezing qualities. One day a blazing fire was doing its best to neutralise the cold, when a tea-kettle filled with water was put on to boil; but, before the fire could exercise any effect on the bottom of the water, the top of it was frozen over with a skin of ice. In the Blue Book Papers on British Columbia, Part HI. p. 37, Lieut. Mayne, now Commander, Eoyal Navy, reports:— The changes of temperature are very remarkable in British Columbia. I have seen the thermometer at 31° at daylight, in the shade at noon the same day 85°, and 40° again in the evening. Again, p. 105 of his book, he says :— However hot the day may have been, the night in British Columbia, even in the months of summer, is always fresh and cold. And at p. 423 :— At Cariboo, the winter of 1860-1 was even more severely felt. On the night of the 1st December, the mercury of the thermometer congealed, and on the 25th and 26th of January it is said to have stiffened before sun-down, with the sun shining full upon it. Two thermometers at William Lake are reported in the Victoria papers to have burst from the effects of VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 21 the cold, and many instances of severe frost-bites, &c, are given. The meteorological observations taken at Lilloost by Dr. Eeatherstone, and printed in the British Colonist of January 20, 1863, prove beyond dispute the sudden and remarkable changes of chmate in British Columbia.* * The following are the observations referred to in the text:— January 1862. — Average temperature for 22 days, 14° above zero. Average temperature,- 9th . . 9° below zero Coldest day, 29th . . .22° „ Second coldest day, 30th . . 20° „ Hottest day, 22nd . . . 26° above zero. Ten cold windy days, wind from NW. and NE. Amount of snow fell during the month, 28 inches: 18th, 10 inches fell; 22nd, 11 inches fell. February 1862. — Average temperature for 18 days, 25° above zero. Average temperature, 10th . . 4° below zero Coldest day, 1st . . 6° „ Hottest day, 11th, heavy rain and thaw . 45° above zero. Amount of snow fell during the month, 14 inches. Four days' heavy rain and thaw. Three cold, windy days. March 1862. — Average temperature for 31 days, 37°. Coldest day, 10th, sharp frost . . .20° Second coldest day, 11th .... 20° Hottest day, 31st . . . . .50° Three cold windy days in November, wind NW. Amount ot snow fell, 10 inches. Two rainy days, 14th and 23rd. April 1862. — Average temperature for the month, 54°. Coldest day, 4th . . . • .31° Second coldest, 9th . . . . . 32c Hottest day, 30th . . . . .84° Seven cold, windy days; 14th, gale of wind from SE. May 1862. — Average temperature for the month, 78°. Coldest day, 6th . . . • • 64° Hottest day, 11th . . • • .100° Two windy days, 7th and 11th. Four rainy days; 5th, eight hours heavy rain. 1° |0 In further irrefragable proof that the chmate of British Columbia is variable, cold, and inclement, I need only refer to the meteorological observations taken at the Mihtary Camp, New Westminster, during 1862 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND 60° 104° 80° 106° June 1862. — Average temperature for the month, 81° Coldest day .... Hottest day .... Three^ windy days. Eain fell on four days. July 1862. — Average temperature for 12 days, 97°. Coldest day, 2nd Hottest day, 5th . Left for Cariboo. September 1862. — Average temperature for the month, 11°. Coldest day, 30th . . . . .60° Hottest day, 2nd . . . . .98° Rain fell on six days; 25th, rain and snow. Five windy days; 30th, cold SE. wind. October 1862. — Average temperature for the month, 71°. Coldest day . . . . . .50° Hottest day . . . . .81° Eain fell on six days. Six windy days. November 1862. Average temperature for the month, 48°. Coldest day . . . 30° Hottest day . . .56° Eain fell on two days — 1st and 3rd. December 1862. Average temperature for the month, 38°. Coldest day, 6th . . 25° Hottest day, 25th . . 50° Eain fell on four days;. 9th, eight hours' rain; 5 inches of snow fell during the month. November 1861. Average temperature for 23 days, 36°. Coldest day, 28th, 20° below zero. Five coldest days, average temperature 13° below zero. Eain fell on the 23rd for 24 hours, therm. 40; 40 inches of snow fell during the month. December 1861. Average temperature for the month, 26°. Coldest day, 29th, 14° below zero. Eain fell on the 5th, with sun and thaw, therm. 42; 32 inches of snow fell during the month. VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 23 under the directions of Colonel E. C. Moody, E.E., and the immediate supervision of Captain E. M. Parsons, E.E., an officer of remarkable scientific attainments, on whose calculations I can, from actual personal experience, place imphcit reliance. The spot selected for taking these observations is greatly sheltered by military buildings and by nature, and picturesquely embosomed in the forest; moreover the cistern of the barometer is only about 54 ft. above the level of the sea. Nevertheless we find that, notwithstanding these favourable conditions, the thermometer has indicated • 15° below zero! * * The following are the observations referred to in the text:— ' Latitude 49° 12' 47"-5 N; Longitude 122° 53' 19" W. inches The highest reading of the barometer, rected for temperature, was . Mean height at 9.30 a.m. | at 3.30 p.m. The lowest , cor- 30-517 Feb. 9 29-983 29-963 29-071 Jan. 22 degrees Maximum temperature in sun's rays (black bulb) • 104-0 Aug. 29 Maximum temperature of air in shade . 88-5 „ | I 9.30 a.m. 73-9 July 23 | „ 3.30 p.m. 86-0 Aug. 28 Mean temperature of air irj shade—9.30 a.m. 46*8 | 3.30 p.m. 51-5 Minimum temperature of air in shade— 9.30 a.m. 2-0 b.z. Jan. 15 1 3.30. p.m. 6-0 Jan. 15 Minimum temperature on the grass . . 15*0 b.z. Jan. 16 Greatest amount of humidity . . • 1*000 Mean 1 9.30 a.m. -842 I 3.30 p.m. -772 Lelst 1 ... -320 Jan. 3 24 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND Such is the climate of British Columbia. Of course, in a region so extensive, variations are found; that is to say, in some parts it is worse than in others, but in no part is it like that of England. Yet an anonymous writer in Blackwood's Magazine of last December, has stigmatised my book on the Colonies as | thoroughly Table showing the Depth of Rain, the Number of Days on which it fell; the Mean Humidity (9.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m.) / Mean Temperature of the Air in shade, and the Lowest Temperature on the Grass in each month. Inches Days Humidity Thermometer 9.30 a.m. 3.30 P.M. Min. on Grass January . . 3-480 9 855 19-0 23-0 15-0-, February- 5-727 8 815 30-3 34-2 2-0 March . . 5*830 17 862 38-0 41-7 23.0 April . . . 2-345 14 767 45-5 51-3 26-0 May . . . 3-415 13 718 57-1 62-1 31-5 d F-l June . 2-760 10 712 62-7 67-1 40-0 N July . . . 2-709 12 718 63-2 67-7 44-0 P August . . 2-930 8 787 63*5 69-8 43-0 'S September . 1-625 9 751 58-4 62-7 335 |g October . . 4-605 10 869 49-3 52-9 23-0 November . 4-050 8 938 37-9 41-7 22-0 December . 7-990 17 948 36-7 39-7 18-5J Total . . 47-466 135 — — — 1 Comparison of Mean Results for three years. Years Rain Mean Temperature Minimum on Grass Humidity Mean height of Barometer 1860 1861 1862 inches 54*420 60-485 47-466 days 151 164 135 9.30 a.m. 49*9 48-8 46-8 3.30 p.m. 54-0 52-2 51-2 15*5 10-0 15:0b.zer. 9.30 a.m. •847 •764 •842 3.30 p.m. •766 •854 •772 9.30 a.m. 20-942 29-943 29-983 3.30 p.m. 29-919 29-889 29-963 Means 54-124 150 48-5 • 52-5 — •818 •797 29-956 29-924 E ain was more equally distributed throughout all the months this year, than in 1860 or 1861. In the winter months, January to March, and October to December : 31,682 inches of rain fell in 1862; 41,230 in 1861; and VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 25 unreliable,' because I have declared that snow, sleet, and rain fall in British Columbia, and that the chmate is not Italian! The clever critic overlooked the important fact that Dr. Eattray's j statistics' do not apply to British Columbia at all, but to the southern section of Vancouver's Island, situated considerably to the south of any part of British Columbia; whilst my observations on chmate apply to British Columbia farther north. I would also remark that it is most unfair and absurd to contrast the annual and monthly barometric range at London for the years 1806-16 and Esquimault for the years 1860-61, with the object of proving that the salubrity of the chmate of Vancouver's Island comes near to that of England; since in those years the temperature ranged extremely low in this country. One might with equal justness contrast our unusually mild winter of this year, with the most rigid ever known in Vancouver's Island, and so prove the great superiority of the Enghsh chmate. Tn the lapse of ages the forests may be cleared, and the swamps may be drained, and the rainfall and the 40,586 inches in 1860. In the remaining months: 15,785 inches fell in 1862; 19,255 in 1861; and 13,834 in 1860. The prevailing direction of the wind during rain in each year was E and SE. The absolute limiting nights of frost in the three years were nearly the same. On the 9th of January, 1862, the river Fraser was completely frozen over, and the ice attained a thickness of 13 inches on the 12th of February. Sleighs were running from Langley to several miles below New Westminster, and persons walked from Hope to the latter place, a distance of eighty miles, on the ice, at the end of January. Lake Harrison and the other lakes were all frozen over.' And this is the report of our Royal Engineers on this delightful territory of j? Italian magnificence, of Italian temperature !' 26 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND fogs thus lessened; but a new Andes must cross its northern frontier to beat back the Arctic blasts, and a new gulf-stream must set in from the Tropics, to warm its gehd shores, ere British Columbia can become a fit habitation for Enghshmen. Again we find Dr. Eattray making the bold fallacious statement at p. 53 of his book, that \\ Epidemics, such as smallpox, scarlet-fever, and other infectious diseases, are rare in these colonies, even among the natives;' whilst recent files of the local Weekly Colonist inform us that4 sore throats, coughs, and colds are quite epidemic in Victoria this season, and smallpox rages with unabated fury, committing great ravages among the white population, but especially amongst the Indians. The terrible and loathsome disease is daily seizing upon new victims. Indeed, whole tribes are fast disappearing before this most fearful of epidemics.' And in the Inverness Courier of March 26, this year, the following appears: ' In Victoria, Vancouver's Island, there was last spring an Indian population of 2,500. This number has been reduced to about 50 by the ravages of smallpox.' Again, British Colonist, February 2, 1863 :—':Our advices from British Columbia are to the effect that wherever the native population are found, there the smallpox is fearfully prevalent, and already many white men have died of the disease.' So much for a work which Blackwood considers g thoroughly reliable.' . Prairies are few, swampy, and of small extent, and are overhung in summer by clouds of insects; while pestilence exhales from the decaying vegetation, and reptiles sport in the stagnant pools, or crawl over piles VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 27 of mouldering logs, brush, and rushes. These low grounds, which indeed are little else than extended marshes, are also infested by legions of vicious mosquitoes, which destroy comfort by day and sleep by night, biting alike through socks and sheets, or settling upon the nose or forehead; and woe betide the sleeper who has a rent in his curtains. They have subjected cow;s and horses to the torture of a lingering death, and forced whole families to leave their homes for months together. At the mouth of the Fraser are extensive tracts, which have been termed prairie-land ; but they are mere salt marshes, filled with cold stagnant water, and perfectly unproductive. Swampy lands are met with along all the rivers, which are not only unfit for cultivation, but prejudicial to health. I have more than once been nearly thrown into a fever by the pestilential vapours which the summer heat had caused to float from the slimy sediment of these flats. Such lands would, doubtless, be abundantly fertile, were they drained and embanked from the sea and river floods ; but these operations belong to engineering, and require more skill and capital than are usually possessed by the early settlers. From the annual inundations many of the prairie-like patches will always be unfit for husbandry. Even embankments would not prevent the inroads of the water, as there are quicksands in these flats through which it percolates ; and, owing to its low temperature, it would chill and destroy the grain. Commander Mayne states in his work on these colonies, p. Ill:—' There are no prairies in British Columbia, but it consists of what is called rolling country; that is, long valleys from one to three or four miles wide, divided one from the other by moun- 28 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND tain ridges. Through the centre of these runs usually a river, and in some cases may be seen a chain of small lakes. In summer, when the water is high, streams and lakes meet, and the valleys become sheets of water, dotted with large islands.' And again, p. 109 : j There is very little land fit for cultivation, except on some of those benches which are found on all the rivers. . . . The shores of the coast are fined with dense, almost impenetrable, forests.' Good land may yet be discovered in the unexplored regions of British Columbia ; still it is hard to believe that this dependency will ever be fully peopled, or that its natural capabilities will render it a desirable home for natives of Great Britain. Farming can never pay, because of the abundance of agricultural produce and its consequent cheapness in California and Oregon, which enjoy a rich soil and fine climate, and are only a few hundred miles distant; and because agricultural industry in the British possessions would have no protection. The Hon. Malcolm Cameron, delegate from this colony, gave it as his opinion, at the meeting in January last in the London Tavern, that i British Columbia, not being an alluvial flat, was not so good an agricultural and cereal country as Canada;' and my friend Captain Campbell of St. Andrews, now present, can, from an intimate acquaintance with the honourable gentleman, bear testimony to his thorough competency to form a correct opinion. When the intending emigrant hears of the mellow Italian softness of the chmate, the balmy fragrance of the atmosphere, the serenity of the sky, and that the mere- upturning of the plough is all that is wanted to convert the whole territory into a fruitful garden, let him not beheve one word of it—it is all untrue. The country is in reality a miserable one, adapted neither for grazing Vancouver's- island. 29 nor for corn. The larger portion is an inhospitable wilderness, difficult of access, and inhabited only by Indians, a few factors, and, with rare exceptions, the rudest outcasts of society. The Attorney-General of British Columbia, now of Vancouver's Island, has characterised it as ' a barren and desolate land;' and it cannot be said that he is wrong. The mountains and hills in the interior are bold and rugged, with many benches or terraces on their sides, on which are found large boulders and fragments of coarse-grained granite. The geological constitution of the Eocky Mountains is very imperfectly known, but granite and gneiss appear nearly throughout the entire range. The Cascade Mountains are also chiefly composed of igneous rocks, and offer many indications of recent eruptions, and much to lead to the supposition that volcanoes still smoulder beneath. On one or two occasions I have felt rather severe shocks while traversing this range. Gold is not the only valuable metal in the country. Specimens of silver, copper, and lead have been obtained, and also of iron, zinc, and quicksilver. I have picked up several pieces of almost pure copper. There are also various kinds of stone, with coal, salt, and other minerals. In British Columbia gold is usually found in mountain streams and rivers, and more abundantly towards their sources, leading to the inference that vast wealth is concealed in the bowels of the Eocky Mountains. On the Fraser the river-claims are considered the most valuable, because the gold-seeker looks to the holes and crevices in the rocky bed of the stream for the chief reward of his labour. To work dry diggings successfully is expensive and toilsome, and none but capitalists can venture to operate on an extensive scale. 30 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND Few of the discontented miners who return from the Fraser Eiver mines deny that there is gold ; but in many instances more money and labour are expended to get it than it is worth, because of the want of means of communication with, the diggings. All the passes to these regions have been rendered extremely dangerous by the Indians, who plunder wayfarers with impunity. Arrest is impossible, and the government is unwilling to use force, fearing that it would lead to a bloody and expensive war. As may be supposed, the state of society at the mines is low in the extreme, and life and property far from secure. Night and day bands of murderous- looking ruffians prowl about and commit the most atrocious robberies. Indeed, no accounts of the discomfort and crime encountered at the gold-fields, however exaggerated, can come near the reality. No man thinks of moving from his tent, by night or by day, without every barrel of his revolver charged and ready for use. He dare not lie down at night without a deadly weapon at his side, and a companion on the watch to guard him from murder and robbery; and some have attached to their treasure-box dogs of the fiercest description, to whom human blood is more than palatable. Thus they work and watch, sleep and hve, in constant dread of death. The miner's employment is notoriously demoralising much less certain than agriculture, and far less profit able to the community at large. His day's earnings are spent- as soon as got, and his recklessness is as great as his cupidity. Many instances are narrated of his folly. This no doubt arises from the precarious tenure of his life, and the unexpected chances of his occupation. Two parties of men may work with equal energy S> VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 31 within a few yards of each other, and go through the same hardships and privations, and the one may get twenty or thirty ounces a day, while the other may not find a speck. It is in too many instances hke seeking for silver spoons in a dusthole; there is nothing to indicate where to work or when to leave off. I myself knew a case in which a man, having dug for six weeks in vain, and spent all his money in food, yielded in despair, disheartened and penniless. A few hours afterwards a stranger tried the luckless hole, and, having continued the excavation for a couple of days, was rewarded with 90/. worth of gold. Yet these sums lose their importance when we learn that the following was. the price of provisions at the mines in the beginning of this year:—Flour 90c. per lb. (nearly 4s.). Bacon $1 25c. per lb. (5s.). Beans 90c. (nearly 4s.). Butter $3 25c. per lb. (or 13s.). Sugar $1 50c. per lb. (Qs.). Cheese #3 25c. per lb. (13s.). Vegetables not to be had at any price. Candles $2 25c. per lb. (9s.). Tobacco $4 per lb. (or 16s.). Truly at such prices one would need to be a millionaire to keep skin and bone together. The waste of life, too, is extreme. The greater number die prematurely through overtaxing their powers ; and those who survive, if they, have acquired wealth, have generally lost their health, and with it the capability of enjoyment. The gold-seeker is subject to numberless maladies. Many a poor miner dies of consumption, contracted through incessant toil and exposure. For months does he painfully, but uncomplainingly, hnger on, working at intervals, until his sufferings become too great and he sinks into the grave. Most begin in the full flush of youthful health and hope : few harbour a thought that 32 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND I their home is to be there, or that they will even make a lengthened stay—none, perhaps, that they will there find a last resting-place. Yet in the quiet little spot on the hill, where no sound of hammer or pick is heard through the long day, gradually and surely the weary wanderers from many lands are gathered, their struggle with the world and fortune terminated for ever; their hard luck, their rich strikes, the pulsations of hope or the gloom of despair, which each in turn animated their souls, ahke forgotten. The following statistics of the produce of the mines in British Columbia may be interesting: — Produce of gold in 1858 . $2,120,000 „ | 1859 . . 1,375,000 I I 1860 . . 950,000 (There are no authentic returns for 1861.) It should be mentioned that the foregoing statement has been made up from actual returns made by Wells, Fargo, and Co., Freeman and Co., Ballow and Co., Macdonald and Co., local Bankers and Express Companies, and from the best information that could be gained from miners and others. Shipments of Californian Gold. 1851 . $34,492,000 1856 . $50,697,434 1852 . 45,779,000 1857 . 47,215,398 1853 . 54,935,000 1858 . 46,503,632 1854 . 50,973,968 1859 . 45,989,890 1855 . 45,182,631 The yield of the Californian mines is now about #50,000,000 annually *— upwards of 10,000,000/. It is therefore a manifest exaggeration to say that the British Columbian mines produce as much as those of California : and if we look to Australia we find that the VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 33 two colonies of New South Wales and Victoria exported, between May 1851 and June 1861, 25,081,468 ounces of gold, the value being 96,399,844/. To the student of natural history British Columbia affords but a poor field : one may travel for days and not see a living thing. The buffalo, which furnishes food and clothing to the Indian on the east of the Eocky Mountains, has no place in the land. The principal Quadrupeds are the black, brown, and grizzly bears ; the panther, lynx, racoon, wild-cat, wolf, badger, ermine, and marten; foxes of various kinds; bison, red and moose deer; also beavers, otters, and other amphibious animals. The seal is found on the coast, and the ferocious walrus, often eighteen feet long, with tusks three feet in length. Of the smaller animals, there are skunks, mice, squirrels, and a singular kind of bush- tailed rat. The Deer are pursued by the savages with unrelenting barbarity. Even in spring* when starvation has rendered them miserable skeletons, they are uselessly butchered from mere love of bloodshed. The consequence is th&t they are disappearing from the woods with wonderful rapidity, and have already become so rare as to form household pets. The Grizzly Bear is truly a dreadful enemy, and many instances of his ferocity are on record. Three men were out hunting, and unexpectedly roused a grizzly, who instantly charged upon the party. Two of the men were large and powerful, but, instead of using their guns on the enemy, they sought safety in flight. Their companion, though a small man, stood his ground, and as the bear advanced he fired at him, wounding him just enough to add tenfold to his ferocity. The c 34 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND snow being deep, the man was soon buried in it, with the monster, furious and open-mouthed, over him. With great presence of mind he thrust his left hand into the animal's mouth and grasped his tongue, holding it with the determination of despair, while he unsheathed his knife with his right. In making a thrust at the bear, the point of the weapon struck the animal's paw, broke off, and became useless. The tusks of the infuriated monster had now met through the poor man's arm, which fell helplessly from the brute's jaws mangled and bleeding. The hunter then thought that his only hope lay in counterfeiting death, which he did, and fortunately succeeded in inducing the bear to beheve that he had won the victory. After licking the blood from off his victim, the grizzly moved away some distance, when he was attacked by a dog belonging to the party ; but paying no attention to his canine enemy, he again approached the man, who still lay motionless in counterfeited death, and, having licked his face, slowly retired. The two cowardly men, who had run away and viewed the scene from a safe distance, now came up to their half-dead companion, whom they found greatly mutilated, with a part of his scalp torn away. They carried him to a hut at a distance, where, by careful attendance, he in a few weeks all but entirely recovered from the horrible wounds he had received. A strong party, armed to the teeth, went early next morning in search of the grizzly, which, being easily tracked by the spots of blood on the snow, was soon discovered, and riddled with bullets. Shortly before I left the territory, another encounter occurred between a miner and a bear, upon which he came suddenly in a small canon. He had dismounted from his mule, his only chance of escape being to VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 35 chmb a tree, which he lost no time in doing. However, the grizzly soon followed him and seized him by the leg. With the desperate strength only known in danger, the miner had grasped a limb of the tree, and held on with one hand whilst he fired at the bear with the other. This caused the animal to let go the man's leg, but not to give up the pursuit. Having paused for a few moments to examine how matters stood, it made another effort, and seized the rifle, dashing it with violence to the ground. The miner kicked the bear in the snout with his uninjured leg so violently that she fell, turning a complete summersault. She now gave vent to her fury on the man's hat, which lay at the foot of the tree, tore it to shreds, and then coolly retired. But alas! only to return when she could make more sure of her victim. The miner descended, thinking all danger over, when up came the bear behind him, and, seizing him round the middle, pressed him to death. The only witness of this sorrowful scene was an unarmed pioneer, who unfortunately was so panic-stricken that he did not venture in aid of the poor miner. The day following, this homeless and friendless man was committed to the earth in a spot selected for its •quiet beauty and the security from desecration which it promised. Thus departed the stranger miner, who had come to these lands so recently, in the fullness of hope and joy. The scene was beautiful and solemn, the sky without a cloud, and the breeze, as it rustled among the.leaves, brought refreshment to both soul and body. I gazed upon the blue canopy, calm as the unruffled ocean, beyond whose waveless azure lay the beautiful fields of heaven, whither the immortal spirit of the poor miner had gone to wander in eternal hap- c 2 36 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND piness. But the sad narrative ends not here. A troop of famishing wolves, in their midnight wanderings, discovered the newly turned sod, and, like hyenas of the desert, rifled the tomb of its sacred trust, leaving the dead man's bones stripped of the flesh, as a token of their voracity. The Musk Eat abounds, and is strictly aquatic ; its stout tail, and its muscular hind legs provided with broad feet and toes, furnish efficient means of locomotion in the water, while its thick fur protects it from wet. It is a nocturnal animal, though often seen by day; and it constructs its house in the water with much skill. They also burrow in the bank, when driven from their homes by the severity of the winter; and these burrows, hke their houses, have the entrance invariably under water. Their skins once formed a considerable item in the commerce of these territories, but changes of fashion have caused the trapping of them to fall off. The trappers and Indians consider the tail roasted a great dehcacy. The Squirrel also is abundant, and readily domesticated. A foolish prejudice prevents many from eating them ; but I can testify from experience that a young squirrel properly cooked is a delicious morsel, and an old one is very far from unpalatable. The skins are of little or no value. The birds of British Columbia are devoid of song. A species of Grouse, rather larger than the Scottish, is found there. His cry is hke that of an owl, and is heard for three or four miles, guiding the creeping savage to his victim, lie also makes a sort of bumping noise with his wings, which can be heard nearly a mile off, and resembles distant thunder. By imitating this sound in the spring, the sportsman may shoot many a VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 37 fine cock, who flies towards him, thinking it proceeds from another of the same species. At a different season they are hard to find, and one may travel the forest for hours without being able to bag a single bird. One other species of grouse and the drum partridge complete the varieties of feathered game: these frequent the low and most sheltered grounds. There are also a few blue jays, a species of lark, and a small dusky brown bird, besides magpies, and two or three kinds with very pretty plumage, such as the Mexican woodpecker, which somewhat resembles a bullfinch. Varieties of the eagle, falcon, and other ravenous birds are met with ; and the wanderer may sometimes pick up a solitary snipe, but these are migratory, and extremely rare. The surface of the dark mountain pool is, at stated seasons, alive with water-fowl; and some of the solitary marshes are frequented by a large species of crane, which makes excellent soup, but so shy that I have stalked them for hours without success. The coast abounds with aquatic birds in great variety, such as swans, geese, ducks, gulls, and numerous others. The Large-horned Owl may be met with everywhere; all-places are alike to it. At times it ghdes swiftly and silently near the earth, and falls hke a bolt on its prey. At other times it alights on a dead stump, and utters a horrid shriek, which the wood echoes most dismally ; and the traveller turns off his track, fancying from the gurgling noise which follows, that some wretched man is quitting the world with stifled groans. ' I have noticed in the lofty mountains a large species measuring twenty-six inches in length, with broad horns fully three inches long, formed of fourteen feathers. It is when nature is sunk in repose that this Nimrod of the feathered 38 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND tribes may be seen to most advantage, sailing in the moonlight. The White-headed Eagle may at all times be met with on the lowlands by the sea-shore and on the borders of rivers. From its loftiest elevation it perceives very minute objects on the ground, and darts upon them with a loud rustling noise hke that occasioned by a violent gust of wind among the forest trees, and with a rapidity which almost mocks the sight. It is perfectly panic-stricken when surprised by man, and is difficult of approach with a gun. I have seen one of its nests which measured six feet in length, and eventually the same in depth, as it is added to every year. A hissing snore, which may be heard a hundred yards off, accompanies their sleep, and yet the crushing of a twig awakens them. The Bird of Liberty is often met with in the wilds of British Columbia, and in no other country have I seen finer specimens. Two of these magnificent creatures, indisputably the grandest ever captured, were exhibited in Victoria, and I shall never forget the undaunted eye of the noble animals as they looked on the inquisitive bystanders. An enthusiastic mountaineer, who evidently entertained a fond affection for their race, purchased them for two dollars and let them fly. I should have been sorry to see them ignobly tamed and skurrying about some back yard. It was well to set them free to battle for their prey among their native crags. The Condor is met with in the Pacific countries, and is sometimes found to weigh over thirty pounds, and to measure sixteen feet in stretch of wines. The Black Eagle, which inhabits the ocean shores and cliffs, is an extremely rare bird. The plumage is Vancouver's island. 39 jet black, and the wings in some instances measure thirty feet from tip to tip. It is very wild, and difficult to kill, except when gorged with food. Moreover, it has the sense of smell so acute, and the organ of hearing 7 D O so perfect, that it will sniff the air for miles, and detect the approach of man while still far distant. Fish are caught upon the coast in extraordinary variety and great abundance. Sturgeon of enormous size are taken with the net, while salmon are taken with the net and spear. Halibut, cod, bass, mackerel, perch, flounder, skate, sole, carp, herrings, and eels—in short, fish of almost all kinds—abound in incredible numbers ; as do also crabs, oysters, clams, cockles, and other descriptions of shell-fish. The salmon is really delicious, rich, and well flavoured, equal to any we get in England; whilst beautiful spotted trout of several varieties, and of exceUent quahty, are plentiful in every brook and stream in the country, but they are shy of bait. Sardines also abound, and are fully equal in flavour and size to those imported in the well- known tins. In July the Salmon arrive in these regions in immense shoals; and so numerous are they that I have often caught them by hand, or flung them out upon the bank with a walking-stick. There are four varieties, by no means of the same quahty, which arrive in rotation. One kind, the Hump-backed Salmon, deserves notice, though ugly, soft, and flabby, and scarcely fit to eat. The instinctive desire of these fish to reach the upper waters is so strong that nothing can stop them. The impetuous current is breasted, rapids are passed, cascades leaped, the shallow waters are reached, but still they press forward; while myriads are left upon the strand, and die still struggling onwards. The 40 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND fish on entering the river are in tolerably good order, but after travelling up the stream a few hundred miles they become very lean and much injured. None of these poor salmon ever return to the ocean, but, having performed their natural duty, perish by instinctive suicide, striving after they know not what. In the following spring the orphan fry descend to the sea, where they are supposed to remain for four years; after which they return on the track of their forefathers to meet a similar fate. This seems a strange dispensation; but were it not for this onward impulse the country would.be uninhabited, as these fish form almost the only food of the Indians during the long dreary winter season. Thousands upon thousands are dried and stored away for future use. Of Eeptiles and Insects there are but few, except mosquitoes, which are intolerably numerous and virulent. There are a few harmless snakes and a few lizards; but poisonous reptiles do not exist in this cold wet chmate. British Columbia presents but a poor Flora: but. what else could be expected in a region which so early reaches the hne of eternal snow? In forcing a path through the forest several varieties of campanula and lupine may be seen, and two or three kinds of small shrubs bearing dark-blue and light-red berries, which are sweet and wholesome, and much sought after by the natives. The strawberry, gooseberry, raspberry, crab-apple, and cherry are met with on the more sheltered slopes. The wild rose, too, expands for a few months in the blaze of day, but closes and droops in the cold. The potato is universally cultivated; and the camass, a small succulent root about the size of an onion, is found in abundance, and stored for winter food Vancouver's island. 41 by the natives, who consider it a great delicacy. There is also the Oregon grape, which grows on a low prickly shrub, and is so sour as to be uneatable. The indigenous grasses are coarse, scant, and but httle nutritious. There are swamp grasses of different kinds, nettles, and wild clover; and the wild timothy and bunch grasses, which, although of coarse quality, might, if abundant, offer inducements to settlers to raise stock. In winter the cattle have to be fed, as they cannot pick anything during that season. Indeed, even throughout the summer, we had to pack barley for our mules along the 49th parallel, there being scarcely a blade of grass to feed them, which added enormously to the expenses of the Boundary Commission. The long list of furs and feathers, which form so prominent a feature in the commerce of British Columbia, would naturally lead the lover of the chase to fancy that he would find every description of animal and bird in sufficient profusion to satiate his keenest desires; but he would be disappointed. None but the experienced native trapper and hunter can be successful. He, with rifle and deer-skin pouch, penetrates the most forlorn wastes, where httle is heard save the howling, whining, and yelping of starved wolves and other fierce beasts of prey; and alone can survive the hardships of these peregrinations. In the interior of the country elk, deer, and bears of all kinds abound; with wolves, foxes, beaver, otter, marten, and lynx, and also grouse, geese, duck, and snipe. These, however, are found only in places where it would be extremely dangerous for a white man to travel. The bush has been beat up and traversed by me for days, in the vicinity of both Victoria and New Westminster, but never by any chance have I had the good luck to 42 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND lio-ht unon game or animal of any kind; and not until I had penetrated to the Cascade Mountain range did I set eves on a grizzly in his native wilds. Most of the military and naval officers on duty in the colony have perambulated the bush for days together, without seeing a skin or a feather. They are universally ac- knowledged to be crack sportsmen—indeed I happen •to know that several of them are first-rate shots: and yet I have seen them return to camp and ship, again and again, chagrined and disappointed, loudly declaring that they never saw a tract less fruitful in sport, and that they might as well have left their guns and rifles at home. Commander Mayne, p. 368, says: II have travelled 600 miles in British Columbia without seeing anything larger than grouse, or having the chance of more than half a dozen shots at them.' And at p. 407 : \\ The absence of animal life has always appeared to me remarkable.' The haunts of game are only fully known to the aboriginal trapper: but let the stranger beware of hiring one of these savages to guide him, as there are many instances of their having piloted the unsuspecting sportsman for a short distance, and then left him wandering away in the bush, until, wearied and starved, he lay down to die, and be ruthlessly scalped by the first black fiend who tracked him to his last resting-place. I have now given you a faithful picture of British Columbia such as it was when I left it. Since then I have sedulously examined everything regarding it. written or printed, that I could lay my hands upon, and I have seen nothing to modify- my opinions—no- thing to indicate the slightest improvement But how could there be any improvement ? The climate cannot VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 43 change—the soil cannot change; many of the town and suburban lots at New Westminster and elsewhere are in the hands of jobbers, and the days of profitable lumbering in these remote regions have not yet arrived. Of the diggings I make no account. Health and peace are not to be found there, where reckless men go with their lives in their hands, and risk a precarious existence for the slender chance of a speedy fortune. It is only as a resting-place for our agricultural population— a spot where the honest industrious husbandman may hope to raise a happy homestead, and rear his family in health and plenty, instead of vegetating in the penury of an overstocked land—that a colony is worth a thought; and British Columbia is certainly not one of these. Vancouver's Island has the advantage of being swept over by the winds of the west, and of being protected from the cold winds of the north and east by the mainland. The climate is therefore warmer, and in many respects more agreeable, than that of British Columbia. The island extends from 48° 17' to 50° 55' north latitude, and from 123° 10' to 128° 30' west longitude, and has an area of about 1,670 square miles, or nearly one fourth of the size of England and Wales. It is separated from the mainland by the Gulf of Georgia and Queen Charlotte's Sound, and is washed on the remaining sides by the waters of the Pacific. North of Queen Charlotte's Sound he Queen Charlotte's Islands, a group of three, collectively about one hundred and forty-five miles in length by about fifty miles in breadth. There are occasionaUy heavy falls of snow, but it soon melts away. The wild apple-trees are in full blossom in June, and the native berries -are ripe and abundant 44 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND in July. The Flora is scanty, nevertheless. Its surface is chiefly woodland, and it contains valuable coal-fields. The soil, though rather light, is well adapted to such crops as are commonly raised in this country, and many patches of good prairie-land are scattered' over the island. There are no very high mountains; and although dreary precipitous rocks characterise the coast, there are several snug httle harbours indenting the island, and happily, too, penetrating some of the most eligible sites for agricultural settlement. The inland scenery is very fine, and presents many views of surpassing grandeur and loveliness, reminding the Scottish traveller of his native land. The most capacious harbour in the island is Esquimault. Its waters are smooth at all seasons, and its shores form natural wharves. It is well sheltered, and has good holding-ground, and the entrance is so easy that the Great Eastern might go in at night. The entrance to the harbour of Victoria, on the contrary, is small, and contains several sunken rocks; and yet the chief town was founded here, though Esquimault is but three miles distant. What is called the town of Esquimault consists of-half a dozen houses, three or four grog-shops, two retail dealers, and a couple of stores ; and yet there is httle doubt but it will, from its natural advantages, one day supplant Victoria. The inlets from different sides sometimes approach each other very closely, giving great facilities for internal traffic, if such should ever exist. A jagged mountain ridge divides the island from north to south, and indeed the whole centre appears to be a mere mass of rock and mountain, the httle available land lying in patches along the coast, and being, with small exception, densely covered with timber trees. The open iand, however, I- VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 45 though scanty, is in general good; but the forest land would scarcely pay for the clearing. The only town in the island is Victoria, which is beautifully situated on undulating ground overlooking the sea. The dwellings are built of wood ; but there are a few brick stores, and one handsome stone structure, a branch of the Bank of British North America. There are four churches, but they are devoid of architectural pretensions, and are never filled. One or two government buildings, and a prison with the ceUs fully tenanted, complete the cluster. The entire colonial population amounts to about 5,000, and this includes British subjects, Mexicans, Spaniards, French, Italians, citizens of the United States, Chinese, and others. Of this number upwards of 4,000 were concentrated in Victoria, which has broughton appalling distress, owing to the impossibility of obtaining employment of any kind. We learn from the Weekly British Colonist of the 27th of January last that many were absolutely starving from want of food. In the same paper we find Governor Douglas saying at a pubhc meeting called in aid of the Lancashire operatives : c I should not have appealed to your benevolence this day in less urgent circumstances, for I know the many calls that have been made upon you by. the hundreds of distressed persons who are now resident in this colony, and who must still be dependent on your bounty for their support.' The editor again said : ' We regret to state that there are between one and two hundred young men unemployed in the town, and many of them, to our own knowledge, are suffering the keenest privations in consequence.' The following extract from a letter addressed to the editor of the Colonist speaks for itself:— 46 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND Victoria, V. I., November 25, 1862.—I have seen and conversed with at least 20 men per the Silistria, and from them I find that they can get no work, and they likewise inform me that the statement that 160 of their passengers were employed upon public works, as appears in your issue of this morning, is untrue. There are not above 50, if so many. You may see men returning every day from the Cedar Hill and Esquimault roads, who can get there no employment. The contractors will tell you the same tale. I hope you will still keep our case prominently before the public. We would direct the attention of the Immigration Committee to several female passengers by the Silistria, who we understand are in much need of advice and shelter.—Editor, I British Colonist.'' Victoria, Vancouver's Island, January 20, 1863.— This country is an atrocious swindle. We who have arrived from England by the ship Silistria cannot find anything to do, not even the roughest manual labour. Many who have no private means of subsistence are literally starving, and women who left the good old mother country full of hope and confidence have been obliged to adopt the most degrading of lives. A dreadful panic has come, and hundreds of deluded individuals curse Mr. Donald Fraser of the London Times for his entirely false statements. This special correspondent found the country too hot for him. To escape * Lynching,' he hastily left for San Francisco in California, where it is to be hoped for the good of mankind he may reflect on the great evil he has done — on his very perilous position — and keep his cruel wicked pen dry in future. I got the following information from a lady who has just returned to England from Vancouver's Island :— So great was the distress prevailing at Victoria when I left, that numbers of persons were in a state of abject wretchedness and want. Many women, too, who had been assisted to leave England by misdirected philanthropy, have alas ! fallen victims of misplaced confidence, and men may be seen in hundreds patroling every inhabited spot in search of VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 47 food. Work there is none, and bread there is but little without money; and the poor deluded immigrants have long since spent their little means in purchasing this common necessary of life. The British consul at Panama was very constantly applied to by returning emigrants from British Columbia and Vancouver's Island, imploring pecuniary aid to enable them to continue their course to their old homes, and thirty of these miserable disappointed persons arrived at Panama by the last steamer from the Fraser. We find the editor of the British Colonist makinc a o powerful appeal in his paper of tie 2nd of February last, on behalf of whole bands | of young men who are now wandering about idle, and suffering severe privation—who are starving from the fact of not being able to get something to do to earn a living.' There can be no doubt that matters are in an awful state when the ltfcal journal, whose interest it is to conceal such deplorable results, says half this much. The aborigines number about 15,000. These form a source of constant terror to the widely scattered colonists; and no wonder, for they are a truculent and treacherous race, quick in revenge, and caring httle on whom they wreak their vengeance. The butcheries going on among the tribes are increasing. But the other day, two of the Stickeens travelling between Esquimault and Victoria, with their women, were shot down by the Haidahs from the bush ; and this at six o'clock in the evening, and in the presence of a number of white people who were passing at the moment. A short time ago the people of Victoria were in great fear from an expected immigration of vast numbers of the Northern Indians. Several canoes reported that Skedigate, the most powerful chief in the island, was on his way down with a large body of savages. It was also stated that 1,000 canoes full of Indians, num- 48 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND bering perhaps 8,000 or 10,000, were on their way to Victoria. Every man was counselled to arm himself, not because an attack was expected, but because a drunken brawl might terminate in serious consequences. This is the natural result of supplying the Indians with arms, ammunition, and whisky. On several occasions they have committed murders and other desperate out- rao-es, which the government was either too supine or too weak to chastise. The opinion of well- informed men is that they should be taught that they are the weaker party, and that coming into collision with red and blue coats is no trifling affair. No doubt an Indian war is a thing to be dreaded; but it is very evident that the longer the natives are temporised with, the worse they will become. It is therefore better to do now what must be done some day, and make a severe example of them once for all. The tribes which occupy Vancouver's Island are called Nootka-Columbians. Though shorter than the northern tribes, they are more muscular, and their complexion is more of a copper colour. They are lazier and filthier than the Haidah tribes, and the legs of the women are crooked, and of almost uniform thickness from the ankle to the knee. The practice of flattening the head is universal, and the method is very simple. As soon as the child is born it is placed in a trough scooped out of a log, flat at the bottom, and raised where the nape of the neck rests. A flat stone is then placed on the forehead, and is kept in its place by means of twisted bark or other fastening till the child is able to walk. Chiefs and free men alone possess the privilege of thus disfiguring their offspring. Before quitting the subject I may as well mention a touching instance of parental affection which occurred VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 49 here. An old Indian and his wife were seen bitterly weeping in front of the prison at Victoria. When asked the cause of their distress, they said that they were crying for their son who was sick in prison, his ailment being a spitting of blood. On being told that they might see him in the court-house, they instantly arose and went thither. The scene was very affecting. The weather-beaten and worn-out old warrior bent over his unfortunate boy, his breast heaving with sorrow, and streams rolling down his furrowed cheeks. The sight quickly reached the lad's heart; he hid his face and poured out a flood of tears. He was sentenced to twenty days' hard labour. In the afternoon of the same day, the old man, his wife, and a middle- aged Indian stood before the magistrate's house. The father's plea was : ' Our hearts are filled with trouble for our son. We cannot cease to weep continually. We cannot sleep. Our son is spitting blood. He will die in prison. He cannot work.' The old man then petitioned, pointing to his equally anxious friend: ' Let this man take the place of our boy in prison. He is strong. He can work. Our son will die.' The proposed substitute then entreated that he might suffer instead of the boy, asserting his own willingness and power to work, and the boy's inability. It need scarcely be added that the worthy magistrate commuted the sentence to a few days' confinement without hard labour. Victoria is by no means a desirable place of residence ; the population has been gathered from the ends of the earth, and is accordingly of a very heterogeneous character. There is no society for ladies, nor indeed for cultivated persons of any description. Time will doubtless alter all this ; but at present the town, is, like all towns near the gold mines, a perfect Babel. D 50 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND : Building and speculation occupy everybody in Victoria, and very httle attention is bestowed on agriculture — a sufficient proof of which is found in the facts that the whole agricultural produce of the country would not meet the demand of the capital for one month in the year; and that (as Mr. Maclure, delegate from Vancouver's Island, stated at the pubhc meeting convened by the British North-American Association, and held at the London Tavern on the 21st of January last) 'for miles round Victoria the land lay in a primitive condition, in the hands of speculators, and, as far as the eye could range, there was nothing like cultivation discernible.' * There are extensive and valuable coal-fields at Nanaimo, and a company has been formed for working them, with every prospect of success. There are two seams, one of which is in all parts about 6 feet in thickness ; the other averaging 3i to 4 feet. The existence * In proof of this statement I have extracted from the British Colonist of January 13, 1863, the following ' Black List,' which shows that large tracts of land were preempted in 1858 and 1859 by landsharks and speculators who never intended to pay, but simply to get the land allotted to them in the hope of inducing new arrivals to purchase at a price much enhanced. That they have failed to get rid of these lands, and that such extensive ranges are still in the market, speak volumes against the alleged prosperity of a colony, which is, I am sorry to say, kept in existence by borrowed capital, and had on the 31st of December, 1862, a balance in the treasury of but 663Z. 14s. lOd. 'Public Notice. — All persons holding land in any of the surveyed districts are notified that, unless the instalments due by them are paid into the Land Office on or before the 1st day of February next, such lands will on that day be forfeited and resold at pubhc auction on the 2nd day of February, 1863. The sections of land in respect of which instalments are due are stated in the schedule hereto, with the names of the persons who are believed to be the VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 51 of coal on the Pacific coast, of quahty fit for steamers, is of great commercial importance ; and that from owners.—J. Despard Pemberton, Surveyor General, Office of Lands and Works, 2nd January, 1863. Amount of Instalments, exclusive of Interest, due on Lands sold previous to October 31, 1862. District Rauge Section Supposed Owner Amount due £ s. d. Victoria LV, LYI P. Merriman. 64 16 8 xxvn J. aud GK Deans 22 0 0 XXVI Ditto . 41 0 0 XIXV J. W. McKay 210 0 0 Lxxvm, LXXIX Robt. Anderson 90 0 0 ivm P. Merriman. 37 7 0 Esquimault HE W. R. Parson 7 10 0 XXIV, XLIX O. Dutnall . 10 0 0 xxxiy, en D. Cameron . 67 10 0 en J. Grreig 6 0 0 lxvte P. W. Wallace 25 8 0 CXI J. Simpson . 9 10 0 en W. Reid 13 12 6 cv G-. McKenzie 14 10 0 lxyh, Lxvm W. Hunt 12 0 0 LXXI A. Peatt 48 10 0 LXX H. Richards . 24 15 0 lxxiv, lxxv A. Peatt 25 0 0 LXIX M. Cary 4 10 0 Lxvtn Gr. R. Lawrence 18 15 0 Lxxn C. Taylor 51 15 0 Metehosin V J. McGrregor . 75 10 0 XL E. Vine 41 0 0 LVI R. Weir 20 0 0 xxxn R. Weir 68 0 0 LIV, LV A. J. Chambers 90 18 4 Lrx L. Lowenberg 39 10 7 Sooke i, n, m J. Muir. 250 5 0 v, vn Michael Muir 39 12 6 vn Archd. Muir . 75 0 0 xxtii, xxvin, xxrx \\f. W. Hutchingson . 72 7 6± XI D. McTavish 92 2 9 Lake X R. Smith 22 19 2 XX Mason and Balls 30 0 0 XXI R. Porter 8 0 0 c W. Pook 75 0 0 xxn S. Ricketts . 75 0 0 xxra J. Hovie 0 17 3 xxxn, xxxm D. B. Ring . 40 5 0 XXX, XXXI Ditto . 37 10 0 XLIV, XLV, XLVI J. J. Skinner 181 10 0 52 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND Nanaimo is admitted to be the best in the market. "The village of Nanaimo is very picturesquely situated Amount of Instalments, fyc.—continued District Range Section Supposed Owner Amount due Lake CI W. Hillier . £4: 18 3 xxvm D. B. Ring . 26 7 6 LXI, LXXI E. Lewis 93 10 0 LXX S. Franklin . 49 0 0 xcrvi, xcvn J. M. Yates . 188 10 0 en J. Stevens 25 0 0 XLIH, XLVII H. Smith 49 0 0 N. Saanich 1 W 16, 17, 18 A. C. .Anderson 131 3 0 { 2W 3 W 21, 22 21 I John Miles (Executors) 53 5 0 IE 13, 14, 15 Thos. Lowe . 73 10 0 1 W 8 J. M Thain . 24 10 0 IE 3 S. Franklin . 24 15 0 I 2E 3E 3E )5 E. Green 36 10 0 S. Saanich - 4E 2E 11, 12, 5 >D. Fraser . 85 10 0 3E 12 . N. Saanich < 3 E 4E m 1 13, 14 J. Irving 79 10 0 1 W Thos. Lowe . 13 5 0 1 2 3 W 6,7 Mark Coles (Thos. Harris) 128 5 0 S. Saanich 1 W ' 5, 6 W. Thomson 49 0 0 2W 5,6 A. McPhale . 16 17 6 i i IE 11, 12, 13 1 1 W 11, 12, 13 LW. O. Smith 122 11 3 1 2 W 11, 12 J IE ^ D. Lydgate . 12 15 0 IE 14 Mary Rothwell (Trustees) 24 10 0 j 1 W, 2W 3 W 4 4,5 >W. Simson . J i 56 10 0 1 E 9, 10 Geo. Deeks . 98 0 0 4E 9, 10, 11 G. Richardson 73 10 0 3E 6 M. Tuite 24 10 0 IE 4 J. Fronten 24 10 0 IE 3 Ed. Scott 24 10 0 2E 5, 6 W. A. Mouett 49 5 0 2E 9, 10 J. I. A. Chambers. 98 0 0 3E 4, 5 L. Trudell . 49 0 0 8 21 Gough and Baker . 49 0 0 Nanaimo 8 13 0. Sabiston . . 21 15 0 Mountain 8 11 G.Baker 46 0 0 Cedar 3, 4, 5 14 W. Isberter and A. G. Moore 44 15 0 4,5 18 J. Randal and J. Sage . 31 10 0 3 13 E. Gough and J. Biggs . 5 5 0 4 13 E. Gough 50 10 0 Shawnigan 9 12 G. St. George 49 0 0 VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 53 on the north shore of an excellent harbour, on the east coast of the island, backed by a range of hills some 3,000 feet high. It is a well-sheltered port having a good entrance from the Gulf of Georgia, and another from the south, which however is very narrow. The village itself consists of from fifty to sixty houses, with steam-engines, tramways, and piers ; and salmon abound in the river and harbour. Almost all the cattle consumed in Victoria, and shipped thence to the mainland, come from Oregon and Washington territory. Indeed it is doubtful whether the island will ever be able to produce enough for its own consumption. It is questionable whether, with aU its advantages, corn could be grown exten- sively. Potatoes are largely planted by the natives, of whose food they form a very considerable portion; •but here its farming capabilities end. According to Dr. Eattray of the Eoyal Navy, p. 57 of his book, i Neither the geological structure, nor the general topographical features of Vancouver's Island, adapt it for developement as an agricultural or pastoral colony.' Again, p. 162 : S The hilly nature of the island and its scanty soil preclude the possibility of extensive farming ; its available land is hmited, and only adapted for farming on a smaU scale.' The Doctor's statements in reference to British Columbia are worthless, as he never traversed that colony. Then we have the official report of a journey across Vancouver's Island by Lieut. Philip James Hawkins, E.N., to Captain Eichards, as it appears in the Weekly Colonist of December 16, 1862 :—' We saw no perfectly clear land anywhere. . . I observed 300 acres of very good, quite park-like, land, not very thickly wooded, and covered with fern. This was the first m 54 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND and only piece of good land, available for agricultural purposes, I saw.' Three hundred acres! Why, not more than would make an isolated httle farm. Yet the i special correspondent' of the Times assures us that there are thousands upon thousands of arable acres, which Lieut. Hawkins has never seen and does not beheve to exist! From the abundance and variety of fish in the surrounding seas, and from its numerous harbours, extensive and lucrative fisheries might be established; and the export of coals would form an important element of prosperity. Ship-building, too, for which, from its numerous inlets and fine timber, it seems to be especially adapted, might be profitably carried on. But these are matters, not for poor settlers, but for wealthy capitalists, who will hve at home in England and work them by means of agents. Commander Mayne says, p. 408 : ' The great set-off that Vancouver's Island has against the gold of British Columbia is her timber; for, though timber abounds in British Columbia, we came upon no place there where such fine spars were to be found, and with such facilities for shipping, as at Barclay Sound and the neighbourhood of Fort Rupert.' There is no opening for small farmers, the labour market is overstocked, and mechanics are at a discount : for not one of those classes, in short—the amelioration of whose miserable lot is the dearest aim of the philanthropist—is there the slightest chance in Vancouver's Island, any more than in the inhospitable neighbouring region of British Columbia, where the entire white population has dwindled down to 6,000 r 7,000, upwards of 10,000 having already left the o VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 55 country. Indeed, the Hon. Malcolm Cameron, member of the Canadian Parliament, and delegate from British Columbia, while urging, on the 21st of January last, at the pubhc meeting at the London Tavern, the importance of enabling people to reach the colony cheaply, admitted that 'it was not the place for the man who had no money to go to, for without money he could not stay there ;' and that 'it was a melancholy fact that there were a large number of persons unemployed in Victoria, who hardly knew how to pass the winter.' Beheving, as I do, that one fact is worth a thousand unsupported assertions, I give the following official statement of the revenue of Vancouver's Island :— Auditor's Report. Abstract of the Revenue, &c, received during the year 1862. — Real estate tax, 6683/. lis. lid.', Land sales, 3,050/. 7s. lid!.; Land revenue, 92/. 4s. Id.; Liquor licenses, 3,653/. 5s.; Trading licenses, 2,840/. 10s.; Victoria Street tax (arrears), 64/. 13s. 8d.; Harbour dues, 3,428Z. 2s. lOd ; Postages, 448/, 7s. 4d; Fines, forfeitures, and fees of court, 1,6501. 5s.; Fees of office, 5061. 6s. 9c/.; Reimbursements in aid of expenses, 237/. 16s. lid.; Miscellaneous receipts, 35/. 3s. 2d.; Rent, 1151. 7s. 9d.; Deposits, 10/. 2s.; Light-houses, 978/. 8s. 9c/.; Interest, 82/. 3s. lOcZ,: Loans in aid of revenue, 13,060/. 10s. Qd.; Gr. T. Gordon's defalcations, 289/. 14s. 10c/.—Total, 37,087/. 3s. 3c/. Advances accounted for, 8,745/. 14s. Id. From the above it is evident to anyone familiar with the revenues of young colonies, that when the Liquor hcenses exceed in amount the returns from the sale of pubhc lands, the colony must be in a very rotten condition. Moreover, it is certainly most discouraging to gather from this Government Eeport that the entire 56 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND i proceeds of the sale of Crown lands for 1862 aniount to the paltry sum of 3,050/. only, notwithstanding the immigration of that year ; and that the land tax figures at 6,683, more than double the land sales. An important fact should also be noticed, that a loan of 13,000/. has been classed as revenue, which is fallacious ; the net revenue being but 24,000/. So that after paying the meagre salaries of officials, there are not 10,000/. left to meet the cost of the conveyance of mails ; the construction of roads, pubhc buildings, and works; and the usual demands on a colonial treasury. It is therefore quite plain that if the borrowing system be extended the colony must succumb and bankruptcy follow. I have now, Ladies and Gentlemen, endeavoured to give you a just idea of these much vaunted colonies. It is widely different from what you have received from others, but it is nevertheless true. I have no interest to serve but those of humanity: no feelings to gratify, but such as must animate the breast of everyone who sees hard-working men drawn to their ruin with all to lure and none to save. It is hard to attribute dishonest motives to any man, and some have put forth misstatements who ought to be above suspicion : but it requires the experience of a practical farmer to form a correct estimate of the value of soils, and it requires a lengthened residence, and extensive travel through a country, to enable even the farmer, with all his experience, to give an opinion at all. Now, none of the gentlemen who have put forth such glowing statements are possessed of either of these qualifications. They appear to have visited the colonies at the most favourable season, and to have rehed for the rest upon VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. 57 the reports of residents—men, perhaps, who had spent their whole fives in these regions, and had come to think that extreme heat in summer and intense cold in winter, varied by alternations of snow and rain and sleet and fogs for eight months in the year, formed the natural and universal course of the seasons. In no other way can I account for the boldness with which assertions have been made which a few months' residence must scatter to the winds. But there are men who deserve no such merciful consideration—harpies whenever meant to dwell in the colony—who invested their capital in buying up all the best allotments in order to reseU them at advanced prices to the real settlers. They now find they have made a bad speculation, and are eager to dispose of their land; but customers are not there, and they neither stick at any falsehood to induce them to come, nor care what becomes of them after they have fleeced them. These are the parents of the jugghng paragraphs which appear from time to time in the newspapers, and the no less iuggling letters ; these are they who ruin colonies and colonists; and it is in the hope of keeping the emigrant out of their clutches that I have raised my voice, and shall continue to raise it, as long as I think I can be of any service.to the poor fellows who have to fight this world's hard battle with scanty means. , I earnestly trust that no one will suppose that I am adverse to emigration. It is indeed a lesson taught us by nature herself. In the first year of their wonderful existence the young ants are provided with wings, in order to enable them to remove far from their parent nest. The bees throw off their annual swarms, which quit the hive or hollow tree in which they have been 58 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND nurtured to seek for honey in other fields. £hese fields are the Canadas, the Australias, the New Zea- lands, and the Natals of their world—certainly not the Columbias. If I have at all succeeded in conveying a knowledge of the true character of these colonies, you will see the absurdity of wasting a moment on the means of arriving at them. It will be enough to say that the ways are two. One a hazardous and tedious voyage of five or six months round the stormy southern Cape, and thus through the snows and fogs of the south reaching the snows and fogs of the north. The other by the Isthmus of Panama, considerably shorter, but subject to detention in a sickly chmate, with the chances of yeUow fever. There is, indeed, through New York, a third and better way to the shores of the Pacific, but it is more expensive. In any case the cost is too great, and the journey too dangerous to be undertaken by a family. If Eden were at the end of it, it would be another matter; but such a goal I A land in which the only hope that sustains the emigrant is the hope of leaving it! Even my friend, Mr. Fraser, the special correspondent of the Times, has left the country and taken up his residence in California; doubtless regretting the day that he set sail for the inhospitable regions in which he had been so greatly deceived. But why trouble ourselves about these dependencies and their approaches, when other and more accessible and far better invite us? There is Canada with her clear bracing winters, frosty but kindly; long, it is true, but joyous. There are Austraha and New Zealand in the distance, with genial chmate and fruitful soil; and there is Natal nearer home. In all these countries an VANCOUVER S ISLAND. 59 industrious man may arrive at independence, certainly at comfort — enjoying life while he toils ; and, in all, failure is the exception. When South Africa is full, when New Zealand is overstocked, when Australia has not room for another inhabitant, then may Enghshmen turn their eyes to the inhospitable wilds of Northwestern America. And so we bid adieu to British Columbia and Vancouver's Island. THE END. LOUDON PBISTBD BY BPOTIISWOOBE AND CO. NBW-BTRBET SQUAEE THIRD EDITION. One Vol. 8vo. with a Comprehensive Map, price 12*. BRITISH COLUMBIA & VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. By D. G-. F. MACDONALD, C.E., M.R.S.L., F.B GhS., J.P., Ac. (Late of the Government Survey Staff of British Columbia, and of the International Boundary Line of North America), Author of ' What tbe Farmers may Do with the Land, •TheParis Exhibition,'' Decimal Coinage,' &c. ' This work deserves attention. It possesses interesting information, clear arrangement, and occasional warmth of description.' Invergordon Times. ' This is in every respect a most important work, and deserves the serious consideration of the Government and the country.' Observer. 'A very able, praiseworthy, and interesting work—boldly written—tingling of truth throughout—and one that will doubtless be read with much avidity.' Independent. I Mr. Macdonald writes down tbe land as one almost accursed by nature.' AlHENZEUM. ' In short, there is information for all who desire to know anything about the colony, but more especially for those who contemplate emigrating to that district.' Liverpool Mercury. IA most startling book, after the glowing articles which have issued from the press.' Guardian. *» c We have no reason to believe Mr. Macdonald other than an unprejudiced reporter of what he heard and saw in the much-vaunted colony.' Critic. 4 An important and remarkable publication, which warns our countrymen from rushing hoodwinked on their ruin.' Mirror. ■ Whoever may be disposed to go on a venture to British Columbia can never say that they were misled by Mr. Macdonald.' Bell's Weekly Messenger. ' This handsome volume cannot fail to interest all who have friends in the colony. The general account is dreary enough, except for those who are burning with the aura sacra fames.' Era. 'This is an excellent literary production, affording much valuable information. In the face of Mr. Macdonald's statements, it is surely a doubtful benevolence that ship3 off poor governesses and seamstresses to this distant colony.' Albion. ' Of Vancouver's Island the author speaks in more favourable terms, and with California he is in raptures Cannot do better than consult Mr. Macdonald's hook.' Weekly Dispatch. j The statements with which this book abounds are extremely important, inasmuch os they present the strongest possible contrast to the popular belief on the subject in this country. His appreciation of natural scenery is keen, and his descriptions are vigorous and life-like.' London Review. j Mr. Macdonald's practical knowledge of agriculture—his education, profession, and experience—give a weight and importance to his opinions in respect to tne productiveness or sterility of a country which members of other professions cannot expect to command.' Spectator. * This handsome volume will take its place as the best book published on the subject. 11 abounds with information on every topic in connection with the country, and deserves the attention of every one.' Kentish Chronicle. British Columbia and Vancouver's Island. ' This handsome volume, from the pen of a talented and distinguished countryman, awakens interest alike from the importance of the subject and the thorough fidelity with which it is treated. We unhesitatingly aver that no volume on a kindred subject has ever issued from the press presenting a better prima facie claim to implicit reliance. Mr. Macdonald obviously aims at a truthful and unvarnished statement of facts.' Northern Ensign. I Mr. Macdonald furnishes a great deal of interesting information regarding the Indian tribes of British Columbia, the natural history and botany of the country, and has made up altogether a goodly volume of facts, hints, and theories.' Inverness Courier. ' This work demands the serious attention of every one intending to emigrate to British Columbia or Vancouver's Island—of every one who would desire information respecting those regions We are, moreover, disposed to believe Mr. Macdonald writes in perfect good faith, and has no inducement to advance statements unwarranted by facts or opinions not well grounded. We regard the work as a most valuable one.' The Eield. ' The geology, botany, and natural history of British Columbia are interestingly discussed, to which are added numerous sketches of the aboriginal inhabitants, with their habits of life and religious observances. We specially recommend the volume.' Edinburgh Witness. * The fact of this work having reached a second edition in a comparatively short period, indicates its claim to be considered of standard excellence, which it undoubtedly is.' Morning Advertiser. c His book is practical, sensible, and well-informed on local matters.' Examiner. c This book contains ample details concerning the geography, natural history, and productions of British Columbia—and to the author undoubtedly belongs the merit of having written a large and interesting work upon a very important subject.' Star. 'His description of the festive entertainments of the Red Indians are highly amusing, and his hints to emigrants are most valuable. We cordially recommend the volume as the work of an accomplished scholar, and an honest, truth-telling man.' Morning Herald. ' Mr. Macdonald paints the country as a great barren ice-bound hungry waste. No doubt British Columbia is very severe in the winter season. Cox's " Columbia River," Washington Irving's " Astoria," and various other books, go to prove this.' The Englishman—' Atlas? ' The work commands respect, for it is well written and reliable.' Manchester Courier. ' This instructive volume has been most opportunely published by a gentleman worthy of all trust, and whose scientific attainments are varied and profound.' Standard. ' Undoubtedly the best work on the subject—full of interest, pith, and power.' Leader. 'So thorough a handling of the subject is a most valuable contribution to our colonial literature.' Express. ' We earnestly recommend the book, which is full of interest and replete with information.' Illustrated London News. 'We heartily welcome this volume, as hitherto all accounts have been couleur de rose? DlAI" * This is positively a remarkable, able, and truthful work, which should put writers of fiction to the blush. It verifies the old saying—magna est Veritas et pravalebit.' Pioneer. ' The most wretched and miserable country under the sun. What we heard of it in England was a gross fabrication of infamous lies concocted by interested persons.' 6 Star, Nov. 4,1862. British Columbia and Vancouver's Island. ' I have now read your book from end to end, and I can state very frankly, from my personal knowledge of British Columbia, as well as from deductions formed from accounts communicated to me by many persons who have traversed the country since 1853, that I give full confirmation to all you have said respecting the chmate, soil, and physical aspect of the colony.' A Resident eor nearly Ten Tears.—Vide Standard, Nov. 6,1862. ' We cordially commend this volume as a most striking, comprehensive, and powerful work of incalculable value to intending emigrants.' Sentinel. 'But the illusion of a Utopia is roughly destroyed.by Mr. Macdonald, who has written with a bold and vigorous pen and in an agreeable style.' Parthenon and Literary Gazette. ' Lord Bacon saith truly, there are three things which make a nation great and prosperous—a fertile soil, busy workshops, and easy conveyance for man and commodities from one place to another; but these essentials are, according to our author, altogether wanting in British Columbia.' Banner. ' This is a very able and useful work, scholarly and trustworthy, setting forth the truth in a bold and fascinating style, blending information and entertainment agreeably and successfully. The work is altogether most attractive.' Warder. ' The author of this disenchantment tells us that British Columbia is a miserable country—that it wants fine land, prairie, and chmate.' Post. ' These are true statements, and no blame can be strong enough to be applied to those who have ignorantly, carelessly, or wilfully misled, or have furbished up old woodcuts, and dished up glowing paragraphs, to lead many families into misery, famine, and death.' Family Herald. BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. TO THE EDITOR OP TH^ DAILY NEWS. Sir—The Editor of the Times having refused to insert the subjoined correspondence in that journal, perhaps you will do me the favour to publish it in your journal.— I am, &c. D. G. E. Macdonald. 18 Parliament Street, Nov. 5. TO THE EDITOR OE THE TIMES. Sir—At a time when the whole country is perplexed by the contradictory statements which have appeared in books, pamphlets, and newspapers relative to British Columbia and Vancouver's Island, you will not, I hope, hesitate to publish the following correspondence in the Times. Your readers will no doubt peruse Mr. Langford's letter with deep interest, and attach importance to the opinions of a gentleman who has been engaged in extensive farming operations in Vancouver's Island for upwards of nine years, and who had been for many years, and until his departure from the colony in 1861, Chairman of the Bench of Magistrates.—I am, sir, yours obediently, D. G. E. Macdonald. 18 Parliament Street, Nov. 4. London, Oct. 23, 1862. Dear Sir—Seeing that you have returned to England, and that conflicting accounts are disseminated day after day in this country respecting the climate, pastoral and agricultural capabilities of British Columbia and Vancouver's Island, and that my writings relative to these dependencies have been impugned, I am induced to solicit British Columbia and Vancouver's Island. the favour of your kindly giving me your written opinion as to whether the book in question (published by Messrs. Longman & Co., a copy of which I send to you) contains truth or exaggerated statements. It can hardly be doubted that the sentiments of a gentleman so eminently qualified as you are to give an opinion on a subject of such moment to the emigrating population of this country will be received by the pubhc with favour and thankfulness. I am, dear sirx yours faithfully, D. G. E. Macdonald, O.E. Late of the Government Survey Staff of British Columbia. E. E. Langford, Esq., J.P., &c. London, Nov. 4, 1862. Dear Sir—I feel that I cannot well refuse to answer your letter of the 23rd ult., to which I would have replied earlier had I not wished, before doing so, to have perused your work on British Columbia and Vancouver's Island with care and attention. I have now read your book from end to end, and I can state very frankly, from my personal knowledge of British Columbia, as well as from deductions formed from accounts communicated to me by many persons who have traversed the country since 1858, that I give full confirmation to all you have said respecting the climate, soil, and physical aspect of the colony. As true as there is an extensive auriferous tract in British Columbia, equally true is it that that territory can never become either agriculturally or pastorally a rich and great province. It is nothing short of reckless assertion to say that ' prairies' exist in these dependencies, from which winter provender might be easily procured. It is a matter of notoriety on the Pacific coast' that the very pack-trains to the Columbian mines have to carry Californian barley at an enormous cost, to keep skin and bone of horse and mule together. You are correct in stating that British Columbia wants fine land, prairie, and genial climate, and that the country is neither adapted for cattle nor suited to cereals. This is, indeed, the only conclusion that an experienced agriculturist could possibly arrive at. You have very justly drawn a more favourable picture of Vancouver's Island, which possesses natural advantages not common to the sister colony. In chmate and soil— particularly the former—Vancouver's Island is much superior. But its agricultural and pastoral capabilities have also been very greatly exaggerated by interested newspaper correspondents and other writers. There is, indeed, every reason to fear that many of the emigrants of this country, who have been misled by flattering accounts, and who have arrived on those distant shores with slender means at this inclement season will be exposed to severe privation and possibly to actual want. I would venture to draw your attention to what I presume is a typographical error in your book, where you allude to the climate of Vancouver's Island. It should be 27° below freezing point, not zero. This is the only error which I have observed in its many pages. I am quite aware, however, that the cold is very much more severe in British Columbia. You are welcome to make any use you please of this communication. It may probably assist in dispelling the many erroneous impressions which prevail in England as to the nature of the country, climate, and resources of these colonies, and in supporting what you have so clearly and forcibly expressed in your most valuable work. I am, dear sir, faithfully yours, Edward E. Langford, A Resident for nearly Ten Years. D. G. E. Macdonald, Esq., C.E., &c. London: LONGMAN, GREEN, & CO. 14 Ludgate Hill. SECOND EDITION. T or, PRACTICAL HINTS FOR THEIR AND ITS IMPROVEMENT. BY D. G. I MACDONALD, C.E., LONDON. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. ' A sounder, better argued, or more thoroughly sensible practical pamphlet is not often met with. Mr* Macdonald belongs to the go-ahead class of agriculturists, and sees nothing in store for the farmer but prosperity, if he only goes the right way to extract it from the land. The superior economy and efficiency, of the Scottish system of agriculture is practically demonstrated from a variety of details, stated with great clearness and much method of arrangement. Altogether, the pamphlet is one calculated to do good and set the farmers thinking, and we hope that its rural circulation may prove equal to its merits ' Atlas. ' A pamphlet abounding with information, such as cannot fail to recommend itself.' Times. ' This is an excellent practical and well-timed pamphlet, stimulating the English agriculturists to improvement. Mr. Macdonald writes like a man in earnest, and one who is practically acquainted with the subject, and we hope that his pamphlet will be well circulated among the far niente bucolic interest.' Morning Chronicle. 'Mr. Macdonald appeals to the English farmers to apply the most improved Scottish system of cultivation to their lands; reminds them that the barren north produces on an average—thanks to enterprise and skill—more than a third more corn per acre than the genial south ; and reads our sluggishly-moving English friends a sound lecture on their tendencies to retrograde rather than to go a-head—filling his pamphlet with hard-hitting facts and excellent and sensible practical details.' Inverness Courier, 'Of all the pamphlets which have recently been published on agricultural improvements, none of them contain more practical information in such small compass.' Northern Ensign. 'It is a most sensible pamphlet—we would cordially recommend it.' Examiner, ' If one of the greatest elements of success consists in speaking to the times, and speaking in language not tp be mistaken, then we say this pamphlet must obtain a wide circulation, and be the means of doing a vast amount of good.' Observer. ' Its pages convey a vivid and correct picture of the present state of agriculture. The hints are most valuable.' Guardian. ' We recommend this pamphlet to our agricultural friends. It is the work of a practical man, not a mere theorist.' Gloucester Journal. ' This work is clearly and concisely written, and is certainly by a master in farming. It should be perused not only by the landed proprietors and farmers of England but by every one who is in any way connected with the occupancy and cultivation of the soil*' The Weekly Dispatch. 'A very able pamphlet.'—The Right Hon. Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart., M.P. - Lo ndon ADAMS, 9 Parliament Street. """@en, "Bound with I-1460.

Other Copies: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/14771325"@en ; edm:hasType "Addresses"@en, "Books"@en ; dcterms:identifier "FC3817.1 .M327 1863a:1"@en, "I-0205"@en ; edm:isShownAt "10.14288/1.0222594"@en ; dcterms:language "English ; Chinook jargon"@en ; edm:provider "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en ; dcterms:publisher "London : Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green"@en ; dcterms:rights "Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy, or otherwise distribute these images please contact digital.initiatives@ubc.ca."@en ; dcterms:source "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. FC3817.1 .M327 1863a:1"@en ; dcterms:subject "Indians of North America--British Columbia"@en, "Chinook jargon--Glossaries, vocabularies, etc"@en, "British Columbia--Description and travel"@en, "Vancouver Island (B.C.)--Description and travel"@en ; dcterms:title "Lecture on British Columbia and Vancouver's Island delivered at the Royal United Service Institution on March 27, 1863"@en ; dcterms:type "Text"@en .