ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY OF 1LUNOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN PRODUCTION NOTE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Brittle Books Project, 2014.COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION In Public Domain. Published prior to 1923. This digital copy was made from the printed version held by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was made in compliance with copyright law. Prepared for the Brittle Books Project, Main Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by Northern Micrographics Brookhaven Bindery La Crosse, Wisconsin 2014Miners, iriculturists,BETWEEN THE EAST AND BRITISH COLUMBIA THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY HAVE OF Choice Farm Lands For Sale $2.50 PER ACRE AND UPWARDS. THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ALSO OFFER fl FARMS TO mm IN MANITOBA 1ND THE NORTH WEST. Get a copy of " What the Settlers say " and " What tho Women say" about the Canadian North West and other particulars, from any agent of the Canadian Pacific Rail- way, or from J. H. McTAVISH, Land Commissioner,' WINNIPEG, MAN.THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, Its Resources, Commercial Position and Climate AND DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW FIELD OPENED UP BY The Canadian Pacific Railway, WITH INFORMATION FOK INTENDING SETTLERS, Based on the Personal Investigations of the Writer, and upon the Reports of Scientific Explorers and Government Surveyors, * With a Map -and Views of British Columbia. Compiled by HVEOX/^ItTIETJIH: ST. vTOZHCUNT " A Province which Canada should be proud to possess, and whose association with the Dominion she ought to regard as the crowning triumph of Federation." Eakl of Duffekin,an.n a. Cm****£ ^ CONTENTS i .-- Introductory Remarks..................................................... ft (P • ^ Vancouver Island. P General description, size, position, harbours.....,........................ 5 Its lithological character, soil, productiveness........................... 13 if* Timber, climate, markets................................................................................................14 Wholesale prices cut rent..................................................................................................15 Retail prices............................................................16 Rates of wages.........................................................17 Employment lor women.................................................18 Esquimalt. Its harbours, graving dock, town, business, &c.......................... 9 Victoria. Its foundation, growth, present size, business establishments, schools, institutions and societies, public buildings, surrounding neighbour- hood .................................................................. 9 Nanaimo. Position, harbours, coal mines, trade..................................... 11 Saanich, Cowichan, Chemainus, Maple Bay, Somenos, Sookb..........13 Islands of the Straits, Taxada............................................IB The Queen Charlotte Islands. Position, Indians of, fish oil manufacture................................ 10 Mainland of British Columbia............................................. 20 Extent, boundaries......................................................21 ? The Rock.y Mountains, Cascade Mountains, Earl Bufferings description. 21 The harbours, English Bay, Coal Harbour, Port Es«ington, Waddington ^ Harbour..............................................................29 The rivers.—The Fraser, Columbia, Pearl, Thompson, Chilicoten, Lilloet 3**" and Nicola............................................................2ft £ 1 Bur hard Inlet................................................................23

10 BRITISH COfctJlififcL which, while serving feo increase the volume of its trade, will supply localities of a very inviting description forcduntry residences and subsidiary villages. The city's age may properly date from 1808. Before that time it was merely the H. B. Coy's post, with a few surrounding dwellings mainly belonging to the company's employees. But the dis<*6veryof gold on the mainland brought a rush of miners from the south, and at one time, during the winter of 1858, as these men returned from the mountains on their way to California, 80,000 men were camped round the Fort. Thus the city began with wooden shanties, camvas stores and a population that arrived and departed by thousands. The population when the last census was taken, 1881, was 7,000. The Government state that it is now 11,000. For its size it has a very motley collection of inhabitants. The principal residents, and the majority of the Inhabitants are from Great Britain, but there are now a great number of Canadians, besides American#, Indians, Chinese, and that variety of nationalities in seafaring men that appertains to a seaport. The city is well built, the main thoroughfares being rectangular, and though there are still many wooden houses there are many solidly built structures In stone and brick. The two principal streets. Government street and Yates street, contain handsomely 'fitted shops, at which anything and everything may be obtained, from a miner's pick, to a lady's ball dress straight from Londo% or Paris. And everything at fairly Reasonable prices. The residences are mainly villas and semi detached villas, in many cases with surrounding gardens, in which even throughout the winter, flowers bloom luxuriantly. There are a great numbers of hotels, inns, and boarding houses, so that accommodation for strangers is easily obtained. Some indication of the city's business and-prosperity may be derived from the number of Banking houses, Insurance offices and professional men within its limits. Victoria supports three banks, and the Dominion Government Savings Bank, six Insurance agencies, eight physicians and surgeons, and although it would at first sight appear to be a city of much brotherly love, seeing that there is only one solicitor and one attorney mentioned in its directory, there are ten gentlemen of the law who style themselves " barristers and notaries public,* who are equally dangerous to evil doers and others, as the solicitor and the attorney. Victoria has a handsome theatre and one of the most complete clubs in the Dominion. There is a little disproportion in some callings. For instance, there are ten breweries and wholesale liquor establishments and forty-five retail bars, besides twenty-two groceries where liquor can be sold, but there are only two book stores. This plenitude of liquor however speaks well for the climate, for in spite of these establishments and of four stores specially devoted to the sale of firearms, there are only two undertakers. It takes twelve bakeries to supply the city with its daily bread, and four butchers to supplement their efforts. Cigars have one manufactory to themselves, and cigarettes another, and six stores are exclusively devoted to their sale, with the auxiliary distribution-of the hotels and saloons. The women are cared for by two wholesale dry-goods houses, nine retail stores and eight dressmakers, and to meet seasons of difficulty there is one pawnbroker. There is a telephone company, four brass-band asso- ciations, and a lunatic asylum. Three daily newspapers are published in the city, besides which there are other printing establishments, a mechanic's institute with a free library, a theatre and a number of churches of all denominations. Victoria has a public school, a high school for the more advanced scholars, from which teachers for the Province are graduated, and several private semin- aries. The sisterhood of St, Ann have an institution for the education of girls,BRITISH COLUMBIA. 11 *nd In addition to these educational establishments it is in contemplation to •establish a college in connection with the Anglican church. The Provincial 'Government buildings are on the north side of James* Bay, a small arm of the harbour which is crossed by a substantial bridge, and in the immediate vicinity i is Government House, occupying a very pretty and commanding site over-looking the straits.Jfear this is the park at Beacon Hill, where the races, cricket matches .and other sports, are held, and in tfte neighbourhood* of which are some of the principal residences. The city has a good water supply brought from a lake about -seven miles distant. It has an efficient fire brigade, a telegraphic service, and by means of a submarine cable connecting with the mainland, has communication with the continental world. Its mail service, by tri-monthly steamer with San Francisco, and vid Portland several times a week, has been fairly good, but will sow become more perfect and regular by way of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Victoria reveals the nationality to which its people belong in more than one way. There are all the National and Benevolent " Societies" usually found where Britons congregate, and. there are evidences of its being an old country •eolony in the customs and idiosyncracies of its society. The people are hospitable, .and their doors open readily to those accredited to them by their friends, or to those whom they believe deserving of their confidence. From What has been here said it will be seen that Victoria, though a small •city, has all the conveniences of a larger one. It possesses attractions of its own i»hat are rarely met with in towns, so much so that it has acquired a reputation as a place in which strangers may spend a holiday with pleasure and reasonable •economy, and in consequence it is visited by people from many parts of the North Pacific coast. Stretching away from the city for some miles is the district of Victoria, which supports a scattered farming population, and from which the town draws a portion of its supplies, but in comparison with some other districts on the line •of the Canadian Pacific, Vancouver can not be considered a farming country. Near Victoria the eye is charmed rather by the picturesque beauty of the coast line than by the crops or cattle, although those that are to be seen are excellent of their kind. It is, however, a fruit country, and will in the future send large quantities eastward by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is the garden of the Dominion, to which nature has added those wilder surroundings that a culti- vated taste usually demands from artificial resources. # NANAIMO. Seventy miles north of Victoria, on the east coast of Vancouver Island, is the town of Nanaimo. It is built on rising ground overlooking a fine harbour, which is connected by a deep channel with another harbour called Departure Bay, "Capable of taking the largest vessels. Nanaimo ranks next to Victoria in impor- tance, but it is mainly dependent on the coaling interest and the business arising from the ships in harbour loading or waiting to load. There are two companies, the Vancouver Coal Mining and Coke Co,, and the Wellington Co'y, working a number of coal mines in the neighbourhood, the coal from which is shipped either at Nanaimo or in Departure Bay, a few miles farther north. The coal is the best kind of bituminous coal found upon the coast and is very largely shipped to -San Francisco, and also to the Sandwich Islands and China* It is of course the -coaling station of British squadron in the Pacific. San Francisco is the principal market. Within the past few years the coal trade from British Columbia to California lias assumed large proportions. In the twelve years, ending with 1873, the exports12 BRITISH OOL^Mfldb. were 160,000 tons* of 12,5004xwa pernwiunf. inthe last Un years these export* have been l,280,000 fcoiifl» orX07,000 tops per annum. In the lastfive years they have averaged 163,000 tons per annum, or aamuch in one year as was received at San Francisco in the first/ twelve years of the above period. The present indica- tions point to a large increase of the coal trade of the province. In quality, the Vancouver Island bituminous coals are found to be superior for all practical purposes, to any coals on the Pacific coast. Nature has given this- advantage, exclusively, to Canada on the Pacific seabord. These coals are in large demand in the San Francisco market, notwithstanding the high adverse tariff. They rank there with the West Hartley coals. On an average, nearly two-thirds* of the sea-borne Pacific coast coal, received annually at San Francisco, are ,f rom Vancouver Island. A test by the War Department of the United States, in order to find the best steam-raising coal on the Pacific coast, showed that to produce a given quantity of steam, it took 1,800 lbs., of Vancouver coal to 2,400 lbs., of Seattle (Washington Territory) coal, 2,600 lbs. of Coos Bay (Oregon) coal, and 2t600 lbs. of Monte Diablo (California) coal. This proved that, as far as the Pacific coast is concerned, the coal of Vancouver Island has a marked superiority over all the others. Nanaimo wharves, which are connected with the mines of the Vancouver Coal Mining Co'y narrow guage railway, have a capacity of 1000 tons per day. The mine gives employment to about 800 men. The Wellington collieries, which are a few miles from Nanaimo, connect with the wharves in Departure Bay and employ nearly 1000 men. They can ship 1500 tons per day. A little farther north are other largo deposits, and coal has been found at several places in the islands The discovery of coal at Nanaimo is attributed to the present proprietor of the- Wellington mines, Mr. Dunsmuir, having stumbled over the root of a fallen tree which, on closer examination, he discovered had some lumps of coal sticking to- it It has proved a fortunate stumble, both to himself and the island. It is to connect Nanaimo with Victoria that the island railway is being con- structed, though it is projected to run north to a place called Discovery Pass. In its first sections it will pass through several agricultural districts, and will serve^ to develop other interests. It is not however easy to imagine that it can carry coal for ships, as its projectors hoped, since it must be cheaper for vessels to load at Nanaimo, but it may be found possible to supply the city of Victoria, and perhap%Esquimalt, as cheaply by rail as by water. The town, for its size, is well supplied with the requirements of a growing population. There are churches,, schools, hotels and such industries as are adapted to the country. In this respect Nanaimo shows some enterprise, There is a tannery which looks forward to a speedy development into a manufactory of boots and shoes, a saw mill, a brewery, a ship-building yard that has built and launched several vessels, and weekly and semi-weekly newspapers, In the neighbourhood are a few farmers. While on the subject of Nanaimo and its coal field, it may be well to say that it has been determined that the rocks of. the extensive coal areas on the east coast of Vancouver Island are of cretaceous, not tertiary, age. They extend from the vicinity of Cape Mudge to within 15 miles of Victoria, a length of about 130 , miles. Rocks of the coal series also exist on the north-east and north-west coasts at the north end of the island, and there may be similar coal areas in the interior. Tertiary rocks, holding lignite, occur at Sooke and various places on the south- west coast. These three places, Victoria. Nanaimo and Esquimalb, all on the south-eastern corner of Vancouver Island, are the principle centres. There are smaller commu- nities on the island, mainly on the south corner, and no great distances from the>BRITISH COLUMBIA, m three principal places already spoken of. Sqch is Cowichan, a settlement on the east coast, about midway between Victoria and Nanaimo, where the quality pf the soil permits farming to be carried on. to some advantage. Saanich, another farming settlement at the ejptrem^ south-east. Maple Bay, Chemainus, Somenos*. all in the neighbourhood of Cowichan; Comox, some 60 miles north of Nanaimo,, in the vicinity of which are some of principal logging camps ; Sooke, a short distance south-west of Esquimalt, and a few scattered and sparsely inhabited, spots. But they have been settled even to their present lirarii&d extent by very gradual degrees. Distance from Europe has told against them. Of! immigration,., as the word is used in other western parts, there has been none since the gold', fever abated, and these outlying settlements have grown by the intermittent-. acquisitions of single families or solitary individuals. Vancouver was an island- in the far off Pacific, and a railway through the mountains was an enthusiast's- dream. BOCKS OF THE ISLAND The lithological character of V/mcJOuver Island may be described as follows : Amongst the metamorphic and,erupted rocks are gneiss, killas or. clay slate, permeated by quartz veins, quartz and hornblende rocks, compact bituminous slates, serpentine, highly crystalline feldspathic traps and semi-crystalline con- cretionary limestone. Amongst the sedimentary rocks are sandstones and strati- fied limestones, fine and coarse grits, conglomerates and fossiliferous limestones, shales, etc., associated with the seams of coal. The country is strewn with erratic boulders and other marks of the glacial period, granites and trappean rocks of every kind; mica schists with garnets, breccias and conglomerates are to be met with. Some of these afford good building material, the grey granite equalling in beauty arid closeness of crystalline texture the Scotch and English; granites. " THE SOIL OF VANCOUVER ISLAND. The soil of Vancouver Island varies considerably. In some parts are deposits of clay, sand and gravel, sometimes partially mixed, and frequently with a thick topsoil of vegetable mould of varying depth. The soil is evidently of marine origin, as it holds sea shells in quantities at depths frcm six inches to a foot. At other places towards the north of the island on the eastern shore are some rich- loams, due to the decomposition of the limestone rocks, and these are imme- diately available for cultivation. The Boil where it is mainly gravel, being quick- ly drained, produces little but coarse grass and large timber. The mixed soil with' proper treatment bears heavy crops of wheat; the sand and gravelly loams do well for oats, rye, barley, buckwheat, roots, &c», and where the soil is a deep loamy one, fruit grows well. The .following average of the yield of a properly cultivated farm in the Comox district is given by a member of the Canadian- Geological Survey. This is from the best land in Comox, but there are other parts ©f th». island not much inferior ; * Wheat, from 30 to . 45 B.ushels per Acre, Barley, " 40 to 35 . : . Oats, " 50 to C)0 u ■ " Peas, u 40 to 45 '* (i # Potatoes, 150 to 200 *4 ■ " Turnips, u 20 to 25 Tons " In the midst of districts where good, soils are, found, rocky hills are sometimes14 BRITiSH COLUMBIA. interspersed, having little soil upon them, but affording a pasturage for sheep and cattle iU summer. It id on the east coast that the arable land is found; there is little on the west, or in the interior, though when, in the courfte of time, the inland marshes are drained, the land now covered with water will become available. TIMBER. The timber of Vancouver is one of its richest products. Throughout the island, the celebrated "Douglas Fir" is found, and a variety of coniferous trees, of which more precise mention w!li be made in speaking of the mainland, grow on all parts of the island. It is impossible to travel on the island without marvelling at its forest growth* and sometimes stopping to wish that there had been Jest* of it. This exuberance is not confined to the mammoth fir trees, or the enormous cedars; trees of many, of the deciduous varieties abound, so that either for lumber and square timber, or for the settlers*.immediate requirements, for the use of cities, and as arboreous adornments to the hopaes that will now be sought by immigrants from Europe and elsewhere, who prefer the mild climate of the Pacific to the more bracing atmosphere of the mountain regions, the forests of Vancouver Island have a value that every year will become more apparent* CLIMATE OF VANCOUVER ISLAND. The foregoing remarks have been made on subjects peculiar to Vancouver Island; questions of trade, products of the province, and matters generally appertaining to all parts, including the mainland, will presently be spoken of* Concerning Vancouver Island, therefore, it only remains to say that in the impor- tant matter of climate its inhabitants believe, and with some reason, that they enjoy peculiar advantages. They have a mild and even winter, with rain ; the annual rainfall is estimated at 45 inches ; and, occasionally snow ; an early «pring; a dry, warm summer, and a clear, bright and enjoyable autumn. Some- times the frost is sufficiently hard to permit of skating, but this is exceptional. As a rule flowers bloom in the gardens of Victoria throughout the year. It is spoken of as England without its east winds; in reality it is Torquay in the Pacific. Fruits of all kinds indigenous to the temperate climates ripen in the •open air, and amongst them, some that are in Eugland brought to perfection -only under glass. Thunder storms seldom break over Vancouver. They can be heard in the distance but are rarely experienced. Itis this climate, combined with the situation of Victoria, that makes that city such a pleasing contrast to those who visit its shores from the hot valleys of California. The adjoining seas, partially sheltered by islands, would seem to have been intended for yachting; the island itself allures tourists and idlers to wander about its woods and bays, for every mile brings some change of scene, and the summer and autumn days are without suspicion of storms, whether electrical or •of dust. But this condition of things which bids fair to beget as an expression, 41 the glorious climate of Vancouver," applies more particularly to the coast and •to the southern and central portion of it. The island is washed by the Paoiiic, and "the littoral, therefore, is not an exact criterion of the mountainous Ulterior, Tvhere the temperature is varied by local agencies. MARKETS AND PRICES. In & country where the large majority are consumers, prices must necessarily cts 0 lb.; Crabs, 75 cts f doz.; Smoked Herring, 12|cts; Salmon Trout, Sets $ lb. Canned Salmon—1 lb. tins, $ doz., $2. Fruit—Lemons, 62£ cents $ doz.; Oranges (blood), $1 $ doz.; Limes, 40 cents $ doz.; Apples* 4 cents ^ ltf.; Cranberries, 75 cents $ gal., Bananas, 62J cents per doz. ; Cocoanuts, 15 cents each. *iXJU Candied Fruits—Lemon, 50 cents # lb.; Mixed, 50* cents ^ lb. Currants—Zante, 15 @ 16 cents ^ lb. Raisins—English Layers, 33| cents $ lb.; Cala., 25 cents ; Sultana, Valencia* and Eleme, 25 cents. Figs—New, 37^ @ 50 cents ^ lb. Mixed Spices—25 cents $ tin. Starch—$1 # 6 lb. box. v ........ Tea and Coffee—Coffee, ground, 40 cents p lb.; green, 16 @ 20 cents fib. Tea,, from 37^ cents to $1.25 lb. ......... Sugars—Crushed or cube, 7 lbs. for $1; Granulated or No. 1, 9 lbs. for §1; D. or No. 2, 8 lbs. for $1. Nuts—English Walnuts, 20 cents $ lb.; Cocoanuts, 20 cents each ; Almonds- Paper shell, 37£ cents ; Jordan, 75 cents; Brazil, 20 cents ; Chestnuts, 37^ cents. Rolled Spiced Beef—12^ @ 15 cents $ lb. ; Ox tongues, 75 cents each; Smoked tongues, $1 each. Beef—Choice cuts, 12| @ 15cts # lb. ; other cuts, 7 @10 cts; soup meat, 4 @ 6cts. Mutton—Choice joints, 12& cents $ lb.; stewing meat, 6 @ 10 cents. Pork—10 @ 12£ cents # lb. Veal—12 @ 15 cents lb. Suet—10 cents W lb. Sucking Pigs—$2.50 @ $3 each. Ducks—Tame, $1.25 each. Chickens—$1 @ 75 cents each.BRITISH COLUMBIA. 17 Geese—Tame, 25 cents $ lb. Coal Oil—$2 tin ; $ case, $3.75. Oysters—75 cents quart; canned, 374 cents $ can. Hay—$12 @ 15 ton. Oats—1 % cents lb. Middlings—\yA cents # lb. Bran—1 cent $ lb. * Kippered Salmon—124 cents p lb. In this is encouragement to people to go In and ralae the iiriicles, for which, there is so steady a demand. The wages earned at Victoria and other parts of the island are, of course, gov- erned by the demand for labour, and the amounts paid on the mainland, and these have of late been a little out of normal condition on account of the construc- tion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. But although that gigantic employer of men has been finished in all its rougher work, it will still afford employment for many hands, and for some time yet the building of the Island railway will con- tinue. The restrictive laws against Chinese immigration tend to sustain wages, and it is unlikely that they can for many years be reduced even to the level of those paid in the more eastern parts of Canada. The following figures give the rateof wages as ruling at the beginning of the present year Collieries Carpenters and blacksmiths.................$ 2 50 to $ 3 75 per day. Labourers ................................... 1 50 to 2 00 " Miners' earnings (contract work)............ 3 00 to 4 00 u Fisheries:— Fishermen ................................... 50 00 to 60 00 per mo. Other industries Stonecutters, stonemasons and bricklayers.. 4 00 to $ Q0 per day. Their Labourers............................. I '75 to j 00 " Plasterers..........................................4 00 to .4 50 Carpenters and joiners.....................,. 2 5Q to 3 00 " Ship carpenters and caulkers............... 4 00 to 4 50 " Cabinet-makers and upholsterers........... . 3 00 " Painters...................................... 3 50 to 4 00 " Shoemakers.................................. 2 00 to 3 00 " WAGES. Tailors....................................... Tailoresses................................... Bakers (with board and lodging)............. Butchers (cutters).......................... Slaughterers................................. Cigarmakers.................................. Boys, as strippers, &c., from................. Printers..................................... Waggon-makers............................. Tinsmiths, plumbers and gasfitters.......... Machinists, moulders, pattern and boiler- 2 50 to 3 00 " 1 00 to 1 50 65 00 75 00 to 100 00 75 00 per mo, (I it 2 50 to 4 00 per day. 2 00 to 5 00 per wk. 45 cents a 1000 ems. 3 50 to 4 00 per day. 3 50 to 4 00 " Longshoremen Wood-turners. makers, and. blacksmiths 4 00 to 4 60 " 50 cents an hour. 3 00 per day.18 BRITISH COLUMBIA. It of course happens, occasionally, that certain kinds of skilled labour are in full supply, both on the railway works and in the general industries of the country. An ordinary unskilled labourer, such as one would employ to dig or cut fire- wood, receives $1.50 a day; if he can lay claim to skill enough to qualify him to attend to a garden or an orchard, he readily commands $2 a day. Farm servants, engaged by the month, are paid a4 wages from $20 to $40 per month, with board and lodging, according to the kind of work required of them* and the responsibility of their positions. A few Indians are employed in the sea- board districts, at $15 to $20 per month, with board and lodging, by farmers who understand their character. In the interior, Indians are largely employed as herders and for farm work. In the interior, the rate of wages has been a little higher than on the island. EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN. Women servants are well paid, in spite of the fact that much of the work that ordinarily falls to them is here done by Chinamen. Nurse girls receive $10 to $12* per month; general house servants $20 a month with board, if they have some little knowledge of cooking and can wash. Chinawomen are not found in service* but a great many people employ Chinamen as cooks at $15 to $25 a month and board. They cook, cut fire-wood, light the fires and clean the boots. As in all backwoods settlements, the earlier work is done by men exclusively, but, we are told, it is not good for man to be alone, and a pioneer soon finds that Ms new home is not complete without a wife. He leads but a comfortless life without some one to share his anxieties and successes, and to relieve him of some portion of the ever increasing responsibility that grows with the developing homestead. The consequence is that young women coming to the colony, and pre- pared to take their share of the duties of life as the wives of settlers in the back districts, do not long remain as servants or factory girls. They may at first misa some of the attractions of a city life, but in a very few years a settler and his wife, by industry and orderly living, acquire a position in their neighbourhood* and gather about them so much to occupy their time and give an interest to their home, that the more garish life, which may at first have been relinquished with regret, ceases to be delightful even in imagination, and as the years roll on posi- tions of credit and responsibility come to them, sometimes unsought, that in the early days did not even present themselves in the day dreams of their idle moments* THE ISLANDS OF THE STRAITS. . On the east side of Vancouver, in the Straits of Georgia, that is between the island and the mainland, are innumerable islands of smaller size. Generally they are wooded, and some of them have spots well fitted for agriculture. They are not much sought for by white men at present, as there is plenty of land in places nearer the settlements. Here and there, however, will be found the hut of a white man, who for one reason or another prefers an island to the mainland. TAXADA. In the vicinity of Vancouver is the island of Taxada, opposite the settlement at CSotnox. which, from its wealth of iron ore, is destined to be of considerable value,BRITISH COLUMBIA. 19 It is largely owned by speculators. The ore is in a mountainous mass that can be traced for miles, and it can be mined, smelted and shipped without difficulty. It is a coarse granular magnetite, containing a large percentage of iron, with only .003 per cent, of phosphorus. An American company owning a bog iroif area near Port Townsend, in Puget Sounds a short distance south of British Columbia— have recently purchased a portion of the Taxada iron field, and at first mixed the Puget Sound ore with that of Taxada, to produce pig iron for the San Francisco market. This operation, however, was discontinued for want of a sufficient market, which will now be opened. A little to the north of Taxada there is a small group of islands, and then the Island of Vancouver and the mainland approach one another to within two or three miles. Here it was at one time intended to bring the Canadian Pacific Rail- way across by way of Bute Inlet on the mainland, and Valdez Island to Vancou- ver, and down to Victoria with the terminus at Esquimalt, but the project was relinquished by the government, in whose hands the railway then was, and an Inspection of Bute Inlet will satisfy most people that its abandonment was a wise proceding, THE QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS. To the north of Vancouver Island, and close to the coast of the mainland, there is a succession of islands continuing to the extreme limits of British Columbia. Of these the Queen Charlotte Islands are the largest and most important. These are a group of which there are three principal islands, Graham, Moresby and Provost islands, situated between 52° and 54° north longitude, and 131° 25' and 134 west latitude. They are the home of the remnant of the Hydah Indians, numbering about 800 people, who live in villages scattered about the three Islands, their principal place being at Massett and Skidegate, on Graham Island. They are expert canoemen and fishermen, and find occupation in extracting oil from the livers of the dog fish, which abound on that coast. Their usual way of doing this was by filling hollow logs with the fish livers and piling hot stones on them, but the oil thus obtained was dirty and sold for a low price. A company was started a few years ago called the Skidegate Oil Company, which, by intro- ducing proper machinery for extracting the oil, obtains an excellent article, espe- cially for lubricating. It manufactures about 40,000 gallons annually, and gives employment to the Indians during the summer months. These islands are heavily wooded, but not with the largest kinds of fir. The Interior is mountainous, and there are numerous small streams flowing into the bays. Some of these bays afford good anchorage. The soil of the island is not rich, and opinions differ as to the quantity of arable or grazing land in the interior, though there is probably a large quantity now in marsh and wood land. It is believed that there is gold on the islands, and in years past several attempts were made to find it; attempts that sometimes ended disastrously to the gold seekers. The Hydah Indians, in those days, were physically the finest and the most ■warlike on the coast. All others lived in dread of them. They were numerous, brave, and as fond of war as all savages are that know themselves to be more powerful than their neighbours. Manning a fleet of their war canoes, each of which held forty or fifty men, they were accustomed to cross the open sea and unexpectedly descend upon any tribe that had incurred their anger or that offered inducements for plundering. On arriving in an inlet the waters were black with their canoes. An Indian village surprised by them was destroyed, only those inhabitants surviving that had escaped to the woods before the first assault. To20 BRITISH COLUMBIA. resist them, some of the Indians of Vancouver Island lived within stockades, -and even the colony at Victoria were not a little anxious when parties of the Hydahs paid them a visit. The result of these visits was ruinous to the Indians ; the men acquired a taste for spirits, the women became degraded, and in time ;smallpox, a disease to which Indians are peculiarly susceptible, and other maladies, reduced their numbers with startling rapidity. They will probably .soon be extinct. THE MAINLAND OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. If there were no Island of Vancouver, and no harbour at Esquimalt, British -Columbia would still be one of the most important provinces of the Dominion, -as well from a political as from a commercial point of view. With that island it is to a maritime nation invaluable, for the limits of British Columbian coal fields can only be guessed at, while enough coal has already been discovered on Vancouver Island to cover the uses of a century. The harbours of this province -are unrivalled on the Pacific coast, taking number and capacity into calculation, . and are so situated that the Straits of Georgia could, without difficulty, be made impassable at either end to hostile ships. Their possession gives command of the North Pacific, and that in its turn goes far towards dominating the China Sea .and the coasts of Japan. The commercial position Of British Columbia is not less commanding. Besides its coaling facilities, it affords the shortest route between Europe and the East. It will soon be the highway to Australasia. Its principal seaport must attract not only a large portion of the China and Australian rapid transit trade, but must necessarily secure much of the commerce of the Pacific ocean. In itself it will be a large factor in the trade of the Dominion. Its timber is unequalled in quantity, quality or variety; its mines already discovered, and its great extent of unexplored country, of which all that is known is that its geological conditions speak of vast areas of rich mineral wealth ; its waters con- ta ning the breeding places of marvellous quantities of most valuable fish, •combine to give British Columbia a value that has been little understood, and indeed hardly imagined, except by those whose personal investigations had made them acquainted with its resources. The author of " Greater Britain " says: " The position of the various stores of •coal in the Pacific is of extreme importance as an index to the future distribution of power in that portion of the world ; but it is not enough to know where coal is to be found, without looking also to the quantity, quality, cheapness of labour and facility of transport. In China and Borneo there are extensive coal fields,\ but'they lie ' the wrong way1 for trade; on the other hand, the California and Monte Diablo, San Diego and Monterey, coal lies well, but is of bad quality. Tasmania has good coal, but in no great quantity, and the beds nearest the coast are formed of inferior anthracite. The three countries of the Pacific which must for a time at least rise to manufacturing greatness, are Japan, Vancouver Island ^and New South Wales; but which of these will become wealthiest and most powerful depends mainly on the amount of coal which they respectively possess, so situated as to be cheaply raised. The dearness of labour under which Vancou- ver suffers will be removed by the opening of the Pacific Railroad ; but for the present New South Wales has the cheapest labour, and upon her shores at New- castle are abundand stores of coal of good quality for manufacturing purposes, .although for sea use it burns ' dirtily1 and too fast. * * * The future of the Pacific shores is inevitably brilliant, but it is not New Zealand, the centre of the water hemisphere, which will occupy the position that England has taken onBRITISH COLUMBIA. 21 the Atlantic, but some country such as Japan or Vancouver, jutting out into the ocean from Asia or from America, as England juts out from .Europe," ^ The mainland of British Columbia is about 760 milles long and 500 broad, taking the extreme length and breadth of the parallelogram which it forms, and it con- tains a superficial area variously estimated from 230,000 to 350,000 square miles* Of this a large portion is comprised in the mountains which in four ranges traverse the greater length of the mainland of British Columbia. The Rocky Mountains rise abruptly at their eastern base from the plain or prairie region of Central Canada, and present often to the east almost perpen- dicular walls of rock. They are composed not of a single upheaved ridge, but of a number of more or less nearly parallel ranges, which have a general direction a little West of north, and a breadth of over sixty miles. The rivers that flow into Hudson's Bay have their sources farther back among the several ranges of the Rockies as we proceed northward. Between the 51st and 52nd parallels the ranges not only become more diffuse, but decrease rapidly in height. The surface of the country between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean may be divided into two subordinate mountain districts, flanking on either side an irregular belt of high plateau country, which extends, with an average width of about 100 miles, up the interior of the province to about 55.30 N. I., and is, in fact, a northerly continuation of the great basin of Utah and Nevada in the United States. On the eastern side of jhis high irregular plateau are masses of mountains that run generally parallel to the Rocky Mountains, and are not well distinguished from them. This is one of the mountain districts above-mentioned. The other is a mass of mountains on the western side of the plateau. These latter are commonly called the coast range of British Columbia—a range uplifted lat^r than the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, and not of the same formation. The large Islands of Vancouver and Queen Charlotte, which shelter the mainland coast, are above-water portions of a still more westerly range of mountains now half submerged in the Pacific Ocean. The Cascade Mountains of Oregon, though described in some accounts of the province as running longitudinally through it, in fact merely enter the south-west angle of British Columbia and disappear on the east side of the Fraser, about 150 miles up that river. In the extreme north of the province, as above said of the Rocky Mountains, the mountains generally, except those of the coast range, diminish in height, and the surface has a gentle northerly and north-easterly slope. The coast of British Columbia has been well described by the Earl of Dufferin, who, while Governor-General of Canada, visited the Pacific province in 1876, and in a speech at Victoria on his return from the north, said : *'4 Such a spectacle as " its coast line presents is not to be paralleled by any country in the world. Day " after day for a whole week, in a vessel of nearly 2,000 tons, we threaded an u interminable labyrinth of watery lanes and reaches that wound endlessly in #< and out of a network of islands, promontories, and peninsulas for thousands of " miles, unruffled by the slightest swell from the adjoining ocean, and presenting " at every turn an ever shifting combination of rock, verdure, forest, glacier, " and snow-capped mountain of unrivalled grandeur and beauty. When it is *' remembered that this wonderful system of navigation, equally well adapted to <# the largest line of battleship and the frailest canoe, fringes the entire seaboard " of your province and communicates at points, sometimes more than a hundred " miles from the coast, with a multitude 4f valleys stretching eastward into the '•interior, while at the same time it is furnished with innumerable harbours on " either hand, one is lost in admiration at the facilities for inter-communication u which are thus provided for the future inhabitants of this wonderful region.**22 BRITISH COLUMBIA. THE HARBOUBS. Of^he many harbours in this general description of the coast, the principal are .English Bay and Goal Harbour, at the entrance to Burrard Inlet a few miles north of the Fraser River. Vancouver, the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, is situated between these harbours. Port Essington, at the mouth of the Skeena, promises to be much used for the northern gold field traffic, and Waddington Harbour, at the head of Bute Inlet, is said to be the natural outlet for a large tract of valuable country in the interior. For stress of weather there is a harbour anywhere on the coast, but there can be no stress of weather in the placid waters of the Straits of Georgia. But numerous as are the harbours along the coast their respective merits have all been duly weighed, and all haVe been discarded in favor of the harbours in Burrard Inlet, which have been adopted by the railway. For the coast trade the others are all valuable, but tides, islands and other considerations affecting mariners, are against each of them for the ocean trade. THE RIVERS. Of the rivers of British Columbia the principal are the Fraser, the Columbia and the Peace. The Fraser is the great water course of the province. It rises in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains, runs for about 200 miles in two branches, in a westerly direction, and then in one stream runs due south for over. 300 miles before turning to rush through the gorges of the coast range to the Straits of Georgia. On its way it receives the waters of a number of other streams* many of which would be rivers of some magnitude in other countries. Amongst these are the north and south branches of the Thompson, the Chilicoten, the lilloet, the Nicola and numerous others, some of which are not yet named. The Columbia is a large river rising in the southern part of the province, in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains, near the Kootenay Lake. It runs due north beyond the 52nd degree of latitude, when it takes a sudden turn and runs due south into Washington territory. It is this loop made by the abrupt turn of the river that is known as the "great bend of the Columbia." The Kootenay waters fall into the returning branch of this loop. The Peace river rises some distance north of the north bend of the Fraser, and flows eastwardly through the Rocky Mountains, draining the plains oil the other side. It more properly belongs to the district east of the mountains that bears its name. In the far north are the Skeena river and the Stikeen allowing into the Pacific, the latter being in the country of the latest gold mining operations. The Fraser River is navigable for river boats to Yale, a small town 110 miles from the mouth ; and larger vessels, not drawing more than 18 feet, can ascend to New Westminster, situated about 15 miles from the mouth. THE FRASER RIVER DISTRICT. On either side of the river below New Westminster the country lying back from the river is good arable land. It is subject to occasional overflow, but this quickly subsides, and floods the lands only for a short distance from the banks. The whole of the lower Fraser country is much esteemed for farming. The soil is rich and strong, and heavy yields are obtained without much labour. Very large returns of wheat have been got fr&m land in this district—as much as 62 bushels from a measured acre, 75 bushels of oats per acre, and hay that yielded 31 tons to the acre. Good prices are realized for all farm produce. In some places near the river the land requires dyking. This part of British Columbia is fairlyBRITISH COLUMBIA. 28 •well settled, but there is still ample room for new comers. Those having a little money to use, and desirous of obtaining a ready made farm, may find many to extent, but they are at present out of the path of travel, and are not likely to invite muoh settlement while quantities of excellent land nearer the railway remain to be taken up. KAMLOOPS AND THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT. * About 40 miles north of Lytton, the Canadian Pacific "Railway turns due east to Kamloops, a thriving town situated on the South Thompson, a few miles- above its junction with Kamloops Lake. Kamloops was originally a Hudson^ Bay Company's post, and round this a prosperous little town has grown up. It is in a good grazing neighbourhood, and has been used by the H. B. Co. as a horse- breeding district. The country round is well settled, a large number of farmers having established themselves in the neighbourhood of the lake, and on the banks of the Thompson, within the last two or three years. This district has many attractions, but in the lateral valleys, as yet mostly unoccupied, are tracts of land equally advantageous for farming. The lake is 25 miles long, and a* steamer runs from Kamloops town to Savona's ferry at the other end. South of this is a hilly, well-timbered country, in which large numbers of cattle are raised- Jn parts it is well watered with lakes, marshes and small streams, and in the Okanagan and Spallumcheen valleys, the soil is a deep, clayey loam, producing good crops of cereals and roots without irrigation. The climate of this southern part of the province is healthy, with moderate winters and with plenty of timber for the use of settlers. A small steamer runs on the Spallumcheen river through the Shuswap lakes, lying between Kamloops and the mountains, and down the South Thompson to Kamloops. There is room for many settlers in this southern area, aud locations are plenty where good soil, excellent pasturage and an ample supply of timber are to be found. This comprises Pine, Spruce, Cedar, Hemlock, Balsam and other kinds*. On the high lands that back the valleys forest succeeds forest, the trees ef which attain the enormous growth for which this province is so famous. These places like many other desirable localities in British Columbia, have hitherto been, reached only by the adventurous who, facing hardships and difficulties before- which ordinary men shrink, have secured homesteads and founded settlements'"xmumt,.VAI,I,EY OF THE THOMPSON RIVER, KAMI^OOPS, B. C.BRITISH COLUMBIA. 27 that are now witMii a day's journey from the line of railway. In the region that lies between the Shuswap lakes and the coast range, there are two distinct climates, the dry and the humid; the one to the north of the Thompson and Fraser, and the other between the 49° and 50° parallel, each possessing its dis« tinctive attraction to settlers. A short distance east of the Shuswap lakes the Canadian Pacific Railway enters the mountain passes of the Gold or Columbia range. This is another region of magnificent timber. From the foot of the mountains up to a great height the forest growth is remarkable for its luxuriance and tlie size of its trees. The Fir and Cedar attain dimensions far exceeding any- thing known in the east of America, and only equalled by those found on the west side of the coast range. Their value is enhanced by proximity to the prairies where there is an ever growing demand for this species of timber. THE VALLEY OF THE COLUMBIA. Passing east from Shuswap Lake along the line of the road, there is a sudden change of climate from the region where rain is seldom seen to that where it falls frequently through all seasons of the year, except in the depth of winter, when at times it becomes snow. This is in the gold range and in the vaMey of the Columbia and its tributary streams, including Kootenay Lake and river. This south-east corner of the province is remarkable for its pasturage lands. It is a hilly Coin try with rich grass lands and good soil. There is a great deal of prairie land, and about an equal quantity of forest in which Pine, Cypress ai^d Cedar grow luxuriantly, as well as Birch and other deciduous trees. An excellent tract of f a'ming country is a belt along the Kootenay river, varying from two to terf miles in width. Here the soil is light and bunch-grass grows. There is a series of lakes near the river where the valley, which is about fifteen miles wide, has a heavy soil, producing grain and vegetables of the ordinary kind in abundance. Despite the falls that have to be passed, salmon from the Columbia make their way in great numbers into the Kootenay. The ordinary brook trout are plentiful in the mountain streams. The country produces some of the best timber in the province, and is a good district for large game. Considerable placer mining has been done in the Kootenay district, and recent* ly some rich quartz ledges have been discovered. Preparations are being made for working these and for further explorations. Steamers run on the Kootenay( river and lake, and a company has been chartered to construct a railway to connect these with the Columbia river, and so with the Canadian Pacific Rail- way, which crosses that stream in two places, and with the towns in Washington Territory. An English company is engaged in a scheme for widening the outlet of the Kootenay Lake, with a view to reclaiming about 40,000 acres of first-cla$s alluvrl land, on which they intend to form a colony of ex-officers and other selected persons. This colony will have many social charms, but it is not necessary to wait for the reclamation of land to procure a location for such a settlement. This district is very attractive for various reasons. It is well timbered, yet a splendid grazing country; it has a sufficient rainfall, yet is out of the constant rainfall peculiar to the mountains further north ; it is a good game country, produces cereals and roots in abundance, and is within easy reach of rail. Gold and silver have been found and mined in this southern as well as in the northern parts of the province, and within certain defined but very extensive areas, new discoveries may at any moment be made.28 BRITISH COLUMBIA. THE BIG BEND -OF THE COLUMBIA. Between the Gold Bange and the Selkirks is the west side of the Columbia diver's great loop that extends north above the 52nd parallel of latitude, or two hundred miles from its rise. This bend drains a gold region that hitherto has ibeen difficult of access, but which is to be further explored during the present season. The Columbia is reached from the west at what is generally known as the second crossing, and the railway then traverses the Selkirk range and again crosses the Columbia at Donald, about 80 miles from the western branch to the loop. This "Big Bend" country is one of the distinct peculiarities of British Columbia* It is unsurpassed on the continent for its rugged grandeur, its wealth of timber, inestimably valuable to the great prairie region of the East,* its scenery, and its minerals, to which clues have been found in many places and which yield millions of money. It comprises in its reach the two great ranges, the Gold and the Selkirk, and on its eastern side the main chain of the Rocky Mountains. The highest peaks of these chains rise to about 16,000 feet, the lower plateaus^and the jvalleys of the streams that rush from the mountains into the Columbia are filled —ith cedar of enormous size, fir, spruce and white pine, and along the streams^ e cottonwood, birch and aspen. Within sight of the railway, or at least within EBy reach of it, is timber enough to supply "the treeless portions of the Saskat- ewan and Alberta plains with lumber for ages. Gold has been successfully worked to the north of the Bend, and many routes [into the mountains, hitherto practically inaccessible on account of the difficulty of I an sport, have been opened by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Illecillewaet (river, which comes roaring down from the Selkirks to the second crossing of the {Columbia, has been explored and gold indications discovered there, as also on the jneighbouring Beaver Creek. This region is one of frequent rains, and snow in tinter, resulting in a luxuriant growth of vegetation in the valleyg and up the ountain sides. It is, to the traveller, the grandest day's travel between Quebec and Vancouver; (to the company building the road it has offered problems in engineering and construction that only fixed determination to succeed could have overcome. Difficulties that at times have brought 6*000 labourers to one place and entailed a fight with nature in which doubt, hesitation, or parsimony would have pro- duced failure, have been met and successfully overcome. It was an appalling work to undertake, and the people who in the future may listlessly regard the two modest looking lines of steel that run along the sides of the hills, through the valleys and occasionally plunge into one side of a mountain to come out at the other, will not realize the cost in money and energy that has been necessary to place tljem there, THE GOLD FIELDS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. It would be difficult to indicate any defined section of British Columbia in which'gold has not been, or will not be found. The first mines discovered were In the southern part of the Province, the next in the Cariboo district, which is the centre of British Columbia, and at the present time the richest diggings in work are the Cassiar mines in the far north. Before the close of the year new mines will have been opened elsewhere. Gold has been found on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, the summits 4>f which are the eastern limit of the Province ; on Queen Charlotte island, at theBRITISH COLUMBIA. extreme west, and on every range of mountains that intervene between these two extreme points. Thus from Kootenay in the south to Cassiar in the north and from the plains of the Saskatchewan in the east to the last ridge of land on the west coast of America, the existence of the precious metals has been proved. Hitherto the work has been practically placer mining, a mere scratching of the surface, yet nearly fifty millions of dollars have been scraped out of the rivers and creeks. Bars have been washed out and abandoned, without sufficient effort being made to discover the quartz vein from which the streams received their gold. Abandoned diggings have been visited after a lapse of years? and new disco- veries made in the neighbourhood. To the inaccessibleness of the country this superficial working has been due. The Government at great cost built a wagon road from Yale to Lillboet and Cariboo, but this proved to be only of moderate convenience. Along the path of the explbrer no animals could pass ; that which he required he carried on his back. The railway now pierces the auriferous ranges; men and material can be carried Into the heart of the mountains and with each succeeding season fresh gold deposits will be found, or the old one traced to the quartz rock, and capital and adequate machinery be brought to bear upon them. There are hundreds of miles open to the poor prospector, and there are, or shortly will be, numerous openings for the capitalist. To the agricultural settler the existence of gold is of double significance. He is certain of a "market for his produce, he is not debarred from mining a little on his own account, and he is never deprived of the hope that he will one day become the fortunate discoverer of a vein that may place him u beyond the dreams of avarice." * In giving evidence before a committee of the House of Commons, a member of the Government Geological Survey said,—"After having travelled over1,000 miles 41 through British Columbia, I can say with safety that there will yet be taken 41 out of her mines wealth enough to build the Pacific railway." This means many millions. Another gentleman in the same service said that, " it may soon take its place as second to no other country in North America," which is even stronger language than the other. In 18&), Antler Creek (on the Fraser) yielded at one time not less than $10,000 per day. On one claim $1,000 was obtained by a single day's work. In 1862 a more scientific system of working was adopted; sojne companies were formed, shafts were sunk and professional mining engineers employed. "The gold returns for 1870, for which year an official report was made, from the mines of Columbia, Tale, Silionet, Lytton, Cariboo and Lillooet were $1,333,745 in addition to large quantities of gold carried away by individual miners and purchasers of gold dust. Altogether from 1862 to 1871 gold to the value of $16,650/36 was shipped from British Columbia by the Banks, and it is estimated that at least $60,000 more was taken out by miners and others. For the year 1874 the export in gold from the Province was $1,072,422. Stickeen river, rising in the north west of Alaska, has been worked successfully since 1875, and continues to yield well. ♦ It must be clear that a Province from which over fifty million dollars have been taken mainly by scratching in the shallow places of the few rivers which were accessible in the former unopened state of the country, will in the altered con- dition of things yield very much larger amounts. The era of scientific mining in British Columbia is yet to come* , : , - GOLD-WARING mCKB* ■ < ■ • ' yiie deologist ai^e^ay quoted, describes the formations containing tlie gold of British Columbia 4s follows : " I11 British Columbia, a belt of rocks probably corresponding to tlie gold rocks of California, has already been proved to be riehly auriferous, and it may reasonably be expected that the discovery and working of rich metalliferous deposits of other kinds will follow. Promising indications of many are already known. With a general similarity of topographical features in the disturbed belt of the west coast, a great uniformity in the lithological cha- racter of the rocks is found to follow, so, that wtyile, a comparatively short distance from south-west to north-east may show considerable lithological change,, great distances may be traversed* from south-east to north-west and little difference noted. In British Columbia, so far as geological explorations have yet gone, they have, tended to show a general resemblance of the rocks to those of the typical sections of California and the Western States, and though metalliferous veins,, individually, are very inconstant as compared with rock formations, belts charac- terized by metalliferous deposits, and dependent on the continuance of some* set of beds, are apt to be very much more constant." " The general distribution of alluvial gold over the Province may indicate that several'different rock formations produce it in greater or less quantity, though it is only where 1 coarse' or * heavy' gold occurs that the, original auriferous veins ,must be supposed to exist in the immediate vicinity of the deposit. Cplours, as the finer particles of gold are called, travel far along the beds of the rapid rivera of this country before they are reduced by attrition to invisible shreds; and th& northern and other system of distribution of drift material have, no doubt, also assisted in spreading the fine gold. The gold formation proper, however, of the country, consists of a series of talcose and chloritic blackish or greenish-grey slates or schists, which, occasionally hecome micaceous, and generally show evidence of greater metamorphism than the gold bearing slates of California. Their precise geological horizon is not yet determined." Silver has been discovered in one or two places, and its further discovery will probably show that it follows the same rules as in Nevada and Colorado. The best known argentiferous locality is that about six miles from Hope, on the Fraser river. The lodes probably traverse an outlyer of the lower cretaceous formation, which caps the Cascade crystalline rocks of the region. They occur at an elevation of 5,000 feet. Great iron deposits exist on Taxada island, off the east shore of Vancouver, and copper deposits have been found at several points on the coast of the main- land, Howe Sound, Jarvia Inlets, the Queen Charlotte islands, and other points. Mercury, Cinnabar and Platinum have been found in small quantities during the process of washing gold. COAL ON THE MAINLAND. Several seams of bituminous coal have b6en discovered on the mainland and some veins have been worked in the New Westminster and Nicola districts* Although indications of coal have been found in several parts, but little has been done towards development ot further discovery# The large quantities on Van- couver Island 6t such excellent quality and so well situated for shipment have probably discouraged the search for coal?n the interior. But vetfy little doubt exists as to the discovery and working of other beds in future years. The same formations exist on the mainland as on the island, and the New WestminsterBRITISH, COLUMBIA, 81 and Nicola coal-beds are $>robablysma^l portions only of large areas. Nanaimo may ere long find a rival on the mainland. Anthracite coal, comparing favourably with that, of Pennsylvania has been found in seams of six feet and three feet, in Queen Charjotte islands. Fragments of Anthracite have been picked up on several p^rts of Vancouver Inland, and this take*! with the fact that the island except on .its eastern coast is almost a terra incognita, would seem to indicate that in course of time the seams found in Queen Charlotte islands will be traced to Vancouver. : And attention to the significance of British Columbian coal distjpveries cannot be drawn in a better manner ihan by quoting the remarks of Lo?st abundant in British Columbia. It comes In spring in great iiutntyers to thfc Fraser. The black: cod, a superior food flsh about which little has heretofore been known, abounds from Cape Mattery northwards. The fish is very fat and oily, some Of the native tribes catching it for its oil in the place of oolachan. Some experiments in salting the black cod and sending it to eastern markets have been highly successful. Cod banks, yielding fish considered to be the same as the Eastern cod, are regularly fished by Americans off the coast 4f Alaska, and the same fish, pro- bably, is in British Columbian Waters. Halibut ptre abundant, of fine quality, and large size. They are found in the inner waters, oil the banks off the west coast of Vancouver island, and on many banks farther to the north. Sturgeon, up to 1,000 lbs. in weight, are numerous in the Fraser arid some of the larger rivers. The surf smelt is almost as numerous as the oolachan, and about the same size-*-an excellent table fish. The very common smaller smelt is prized at table, but the flesh is softer than that of the surf smelt and oolachan. In 1878 a few shad were planted in the Sacramento river, and now this fine flsh is occasionally caught in the waters of Puget Sound, British Columbia, and Alaska. A fish closely resembling the common herring is very abundant. In the interior, besides the brook and lake trout, the whiteflsh, so justly esteemed in'the Eastern Provinces, is fouM in the central and northern parts of British Columbia. Next, however, to the salmon the most valuable sea product is the fur seal—not found on the Atlantic coast—which has yielded nearly $200,000 a year. The native oysters of the province are small, but the large eastern oyster probably would thrive. The cultivation of the latter has already been undertaken in our waters on a considerable scale. The eastern lobster should be introduced. Its food is much the same as that of the crabs, which are numerous on the coasts of the province, and the lobster, like the oyster, would be of great value com- mercially. The fisheries, however, have been worked only for the salmon and for them only in a Very limited manner. There was no railway to take the cured salmon to the large cities of the East; men would not embark capital in fishing boats and nets to work the waters on the west coast of Vancouver while all that could be sold might be caught from canoes in the Fraser river. But those qualified to form an opinion think that in the deeper waters of the west coast there are banks where cod will be taken in quantities not less than those of the Atlantic. What these fisheries may prove to be it is difficult to say : it may, however, be taken for granted that with the new and speedy way to market now open, such a field for the profitable use of capital will not be left idle. The country is too inviting as a place of residence to fail in attracting men who have the means and the energy to make their own fortunes. The combination of a few men each of small means secures that which in the older East is reserved for millionnaires. There are scores of men in the fishing trade of England and Scotland who struggled year after year for an uncertain percentage, who, in British Columbia, would find competency in a few years* working, and hundreds who are no richer at the end of December than they were at the beginning of January, who would expe- rience a very different condition of life on the coast of British Columbia. This coast is peculiarly a land for Englishmen. The climate of Devonshire and Cornwall, without the excessive rains, is reproduced along the Straits of Georgia, and the west coast of Vancouver; the bolder Climate of Scotland is repeated from/ Queen Charlotte Sound to Alaska. These coasts afford wide fields for occupationRfjpl DOUGLAS FIR—"PRINCESS LOUISE," AT PACIFIC TERMINUS, CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY.BRITISH COLUMBIA. 33 and dispense reward with less niggard hand than in the older home where every loaf has many claimants. There is no rent to pay, no leave to ask to run a boat ashore. The land is his who occupies it. A man who in the British seas toils year in and year out for others may own his own home, his piece of land and his boat, by no man's favour. The chief consumer of British Columbia's salmon is Great Britain, but how small does the quantity taken, some six million pounds per annum, appear to be when the vastness of the market and the demand for cheap food is remembered. With a properly organized system the waters of British Columbia could feed the large cities of England with food that the poorer classes never taste, and a good profit could be made in the business. To the continent of Europe no British Columbian fish yet finds its way. The markets of Europe, which take such enormous quantities of American fish, remain untouched, and though competition with the eastern coasts in the coarser fish might not be possible, in salmon the case would be different. THE FOREST TREES, x It will be gathered from what has been already said that British Columbia is rich in timber. In this respect there is no other province of Canada, no country in Europe and no state in North America, that compares with it. From the edge of the sea to the middle plateaus of the Rocky Mountains the country abounds in timber. There are prairies here and there, valleys free from wood, and many openings in the thickest country, which in the aggregate make many hundred thousand acres of land on which no clearing is required. But near each open spot is a luxuriant growth of wood. A settler may be lavish as he pleases ; there is enough and to spare. The finest growth is on the coast, and in the Gold and Selkirk ranges. Millions of millions of feet of lumber, locked up for centuries past in the heart of the mountains, have now become available for commerce. The Canadian Pacific Railway passes through a part of this, and crosses streams that will bring untold quantities to the mills and railway stations. The Government Department of Agriculture has published a catalogue and authoritative description of the trees of British Columbia, in which the several species are ranked as follows :— Douglas Spruce (otherwise called " Douglas Fir," " Douglas Pine," and com mercially, " Oregon Pine"). A well known tree. It is straight, though coarse- grained, exceedingly tough, rigid, and bears great transverse strain. For lumber of all sizes, and planks, it is in great demand. Few woods equal it for frames, bridges, ties, and strong work generally, and for shipbuilding. Its length, straightness and strength specially fit it for masts and spars. Masts specially ordered have been shipped, 130 feet long and 42 inches in diameter, octagonally hewn. For butter and other boxes that require to be sweet and odourless, it is very useful. There is a large export of the Douglas spruce to Australia, South America, China, etc. Woodmen distinguish this species into two kinds—red and. yellow—but these are not separated in manufacture or in scientific nomenclature. The one has a red, hard, knotty heart; the other is less hard, and with a feeble tinge of yellow—the latter is supposed to be somewhat less lasting, though both are very durable. The Douglas spruce grows best near the coast, close to the w^tjars of the bays and inlets. There it frequently exceeds eight feet ia* diameter* at a considerable height, and reaches ?00 to 2§Q feet in l^^gtfc, fojcmlng.projiigious, forests. Abounds on mainland coast, as far north aioufothe i^rth, $nd yai*couver Island; also in Vancouver Island, but not on Queen Charlotte34 BRITISH COLUMBIA. Islands. In the arid southern interior of the province, it grows on the higher up. lands, and here and there, in groves, on low lands, where the temperature, rain- fall, etc., are suitable. Occurs abundantly On the Columbia, and is scattered irregularly in northern portions of the interior. The Western Hemlock occurs everywhere in the vicinity of coast, and up the IPraser and other rivers to the limit of abundant rainfall ; reappears on the Selkirk and Gold ranges ; on the coast (particularly Queen Charlotte Islands), reaches 200 feet in height. Yields a good wood ; bark has been used in tanning. Is like the eastern hemlock, but larger. Englemanrts Spruce (very like " white spruce"), probably will be of much economic value,—tall, straight, often over three feet in diameter—wood good and durable. Is in the eastern part of province, and interior plateau (except dry southern portion), what the Douglas spruce is on coast. Forms dense forests in the mountains ; believed to be the tree of the dense groves in upper Alpine valleys of Rocky Mountains near 49th parallel. Also borders nearly all the streams and swamps in northern interior, between about 2,500 and 3,500 feet in elevation. Menzies' Spruce chiefly clings to coast—perhaps may exist in humid regions of Gold and Selkirk ranges—a very large tree, wood white and free—useful for general purposes, but not considered equal to Douglas spruce. The Great Silver Fir, so far as known, is specially a coast tree, but may reap- pear in south-east of the province. It grows to a great size, but the wood of the coast growth is said to be soft and liable to decay rapidly. Balsam Spruce appears to take the place of the last-named in the region east of coast range, except in dry southern interior. Abounds on Gold and Selkirk ranges and east of McLeod's Lake. Occurs in scattered groves in northern por- tions of interior plateau. Often exceeds two feet in diameter ; has been used for mining and ordinaay local purposes. Williamson's Alpine Hemlock and scattered trees of the Abies AmabUis need not be mentioned, as probably they are too scarce and grow too high up to be Of use. Among the pines may be mentioned the familiar tree off the eternal dry region -of the mainland (where the Douglas spruce seldom occurs on the low lands.) This is known locally as " red pine," " yellow pine," or " pitch pine," and is gene- rally considered to be a variety of the heavy yellow pine (Pinus Ponderosa) of California and Oregon. It grows in open groves in the valleys, almost to the exclusion of other trees, and on the slopes up to about 3,000 feet, where it is replaced by the Douglas spruce and Western Scrub pine. A very handsome tree; half the shaft branchless ; bark reddish brown; seldom exceeds four feet in -diameter. Is sawn into lumber and used for building and general purposes, locally. The lumber looks well, but is not equal to Douglas spruce lumber, being more brittle and less durable when exposed to the weather. The White Pine (" Mountain Pine"), though loving elevations, and occurring, so far as known, rather in groves than forests, probably will become an article of export. The wood resembles that of the eastern white pine, and may be used for the same purposes. It is found in the Columbia region—the best trees being high up—also on the Gold range and about Shuswap and Adams lakes, and scat- tered in all portions of the southern portion of the coast range where there is sufficient rainfall; also in the interior of Vancouver Island, but not, so far as known, in Queen Charlotte Islands. On the coast, the white pine reaches 60 to 80 feet, and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet. It is said to be larger on the Columbia. The Black Pine (" Bull " or Western Scrub " Pine) occurs everywhere in the province, at varying heights, according to the local climate, but covers great areasBRITISH COLUMBIA. 35 # in the northern part of the interior. There are a coast" variety and an " inte- rior" variety. The interior variety, whieh often' forms dense groves, reaches <60 or even 100 feet in height, but seldom exceeds a diameter of two feet. The wood is white and fairly durable, ihe fcoast variety is much less valuable. The WhUe»barked Pine, so far as observed, grbws in inaccessible situations, ■and is small. ' The Western Cedar, (" Giant Cedar" or " Red Cedar"), is a valuable forest tree. The wddd is of a yellofMsh or reddish color, and very durable ; splits-easily into pflank; has been usfed chiefly for shingles and rails. Abounds in the Columbia xiver region ; on slopes of Selkirk and Gold ranges; at north-eastern part of Shuswap lake, and portion of North Thompson valley ; unknown in dry interior plateau ; reappears abundantly along the coast and lower parts of rivers of Coast range. Occurs sparingly in northern interior. On coast, is often found 100 to 150 feet high and 15 feet thick, but the largest trees are generally hollow. Yellow Cypress (commonly known as 44 Yellow Cedar "). A strong, free, fine- grained wood; pale golden yellow tint; slight resinous smell; very durable; lias been used in boat-building and for ornamental purposes; often exceeds 0 feet in diameter. Occurs chiefly on coast. Generally a few hundred feet above sea level on southern part of coast; farther north, descends. Occurs on mainland •coast, also in interior of Vancouver island, and abounds on west coast of Queen Oharlotte islands. Western Larch (sometimes called " Tamarac "), occurs in Rocky Mountains and -valleys of Selkirk and Gold ranges where there is sufficient rainfall. Stretches westward nearly to head of Okanagan lake. Not found on the coast. A large tree, yielding a strong, coarse, durable wood, probably good for ties, in absence of Douglas spruce. There is another species of larch, in the south-east of the pro- evince, of which little is known. The Maple, a valuable hardwood, sometimes well adapted for cabinet-making. Found on Vancouver and adjacent islands, also sparingly on mainland coast up iM 55°, and on Queen Charlotte islands. Occasionally attains a diameter of 4 feet. The Vine Maple, seldom over a foot thick, yielding a very tough, strong, white -wood, suitable for helves, seems to be%strictly confined to coast, and does not go far north. The Tew is found in Vancouver island and on opposite mainland chores. It goes up the Fraser above if ale. Pew, if any, in Queen Charlotte islands. Very tough, hard wood, of a beautiful rose colour. Crab Apple occurs -along all the coasts as a small tree or shrub. Woocl very hard, but liable to check takes a good polish and withstands great wear in mill machinery. Alder is found two feet thick on the Lower Eraser, and occurs as a small tree along the whole •coasts. A good furniture wood; easily worked and takes a good polish. There are two birches—the Western Birch and the Paper or Canoe Birch, but their range and value are not much known. Both occur in a number of localities. The 41 Western Birch " is a small tree, found in the Columbia region, and belongs generally to the dry interior flora. The ** Canoe Birch" is found sparingly in Vancouver island and on the Lower Fraser, but is common, and larger, on the tipper Fraser, and in the Peace river district. The only Oak in the province, so far as known (except a few trees above Yale), is on Vancouver island—chiefly the *outh-eastern portion of it—and sparingly at places along the east coast; a few -at north end. Reaches a diameter Qf 3 feet, and a height of about 70 feet, and yield a hard wood, but not very tough, which has been used for building purposes .and in making kegs. Many of the trees are scrubby. The Dogwood, on the main* land coast opposite Vancouver island and on Vancouver island, reaches the dimensions of a small tree. The wood is close-grained and hard. Another cIosa*36 BRITISH COLUMBIA. grained wood, heavy and resembling box, is furnished by the handsome ever- green Arbutus, which reaches 60 feet in height, and about 20 inches in diameter, but occurs often as a shrub. It is found, on Vancouver Island and neigbouring islands, never for from the sea. Hot found north of Seymour Narrows^ The Aspm Poplar abounds over the whole interior, and reaches a thickness of two feet. In the dry southern interior, occurs along borders of streams and on the higher plateaux# In the north, grows everywhere, prefering the most fertile soil. There are, it is considered, three other varieties of poplars in the province, all of which are commonly included under the name of u Cottonwood." They attain sometimes a diameter of 4 to 5 feet. The coast " Cottonwood" may not extend above yale on the Fraser. It is the same wood that has been largely used ia Puget Sound to. make staves for sugar barrcfls required in San Francisco. The other kinds occur in the valleys throughout the interior of the province. The Mountain Ash, as a small tree or bush, has been noticed in the interior; and the Juniper, or "Red Cedar," commonly known as "Pencil Cedar," has been observed on the east coast of Vancouver island, and in a tree form, with a diameter of about a foot, along the shores of Kamloops, Francois and other lakes in the interior. The following list comprises a general summary of the trees and shrubs met with. Oak, red or swamp maple, elder, trailing arbutus, crab apple, hazel, red elder, willow, balsam, poplar, various species of pine, balsam fir, cedar, barberry, wild red cherry, wild blackberry, yellow plum, choke cherry, black and red raspberry, white raspberry, prickly purple raspberry, prickly gooseberry, swamp gooseberry, several kinds of currants, bear berries, red elder, mooseberry, snow berry, blue- berry, bilberry, cranberry, whortleberry, red and white mulberry. THE TIMBER REGION. ,T ' . " ' Between the mountains and the sea the Canadian Pacific Railway pass through many forest of these valuable woods, and brings within reach of lumber- ing operations, vast additional quantities growing iii the neigbourhood of those streams that fall into the Columbia, the Thompson, and the Eraser. " The treeless prairies " is a phr&se that loses significance, other, than the facilities it suggests to agriculturists, when describing the plainti in contiguity to British Columbia. Timber on the western plains of Canada will now be obtainable at considerably le&s prices than those paid in the Western States. And such timber will be of a class, and in such variety of kinds, as are unobtainable in any other market of America. What thb Canadian Pacific Railway has done for the Manitoba lumber niarkets, by its construction rotind the north shore of Lake Superior, it will do for the centres west of Manitoba by its passage through the mountains of British Columbia. The distance from the Rocky Mountains to the great farming and cattle rMsing districts of which Calgary, MacLeod, Medicine Hat, Maple Creek, Swift Current, Moosejaw, and Regina, are the centres, is less than that from Winnipeg to Minneapolis, from which market the earlier settlers in Manitoba were supplied before the Canadian Pacific Railway was built eastward to the Lake of the Woods. Cheap lumber, so essential to the settler, is therefore secured by the opening up of British Columbia, for the districts above described comprise so much of the Fertile belt as lies north and south of the South Saskatchewan, as well as the cotintry on the Bo% and Red lifter rivera.BRITISH COLUMBIA. 87 THE tfRADE OF THE PROVINCE. The trade of British Columbia though largely increased since the entry of the province into the Dominion, is still unimportant in comparison with the capabili- ties of the country, or the amount that will within a few years be credited to it in the government tables of Trade and Navigation. Thus the exports of British Columbia for the year 1872, (the year following the union with Canada), were $1,912,107; the returns made in 1885 (for the fiscal year of 1884) shows them to be $3,100,404. For two years preceding that, and probably for this year, the exports have been over three million dollars, and for the eight years before that they were over two millions. A comparison with the exports of tho older provinces for the last fiscal year will give some indication of the small extent to which the capabilities of the province have been worked. EXPORTS FOR 1881. Ontario. Quebec Nova Scotia, $26,891,017. $42,029,878. $9,599,356. Now Brunswick. Prince Edward Island. British Columbia. $7,753,072. $1,310,039. $3,100,404. These figures are slightly misleading so far as Quebec is concerned, because the exports there shown belong partly to Ontario, Manitoba and elsewhere, but appear in Quebec because in that province, Montreal and Quebec, the great ship- ping ports of the Dominion, happen to be situated. The figures show however that if Nova Scotia, which is hardly larger than Vancouver Island, can export over nine million dollars worth annually, and if Prince Edward Island—which is not as large as the Queen Charlotte Islands,^ind whose area might be eliminated from British Columbia, figuratively speaking, without being missed—exports more than one-third as much as the whole of the Canadian Pacific coast, the ine- vitable conclusion is that the coal fields, gold deposits, forests, fisheries, and farm- ing land of the vast and varied country that is comprised in British Columbia can have been worked to a very slight degree, and that innumerable openings for trade are merely waiting the advent of men to fill them. The imports of British Columbia, owing to the lack of population, have been very small. During the past three years the figures have run over two, three and four millions respectively; increase being mainly due to the number of men employed in the construction of that end of the Canadian Pacific Railway; but those amounts are small compared to the figures shown by the other provinces. IMPORTS FOR 1884. Ontario. $41,967,215. Manitoba. $3,734,573. Quebec. $49,122,472 Nova Scotia. $9,653,104. Frinoe Edward Island. $822,766. New Brunswick. $6,467,888. British Columbia. $4,142,286. It being remembered that British Columbia is as large as the combined area of several of these provinces. These figures indicate the sparse population yet in the country and the room there must be for others. Of the duty paid on so much of3d BRITISH COLUMBIA. this $4,142,286 as was collected, 1884,070, the greater part $790,675 was collected at Victoria, on Vancouver Island, and 995,401 at New Westminster, on the Fraser Kiter. The imports for the year were in the proportion following t— From Dutiable Goods. Free, Total Duty. United States............. .......... $2,060,710 $246,902 $2,307,612 $480,181 44 Great Britain.............. 886,601 409,957 1,296,558 277,002 73 China...................... 364,571 36,122 400,693 115,670 42 France.................... ......... 10,493 113 10,606 5,522 ,55 ............ 6,991 152 7,143 1,837 27 Holland................... 77 6,203 6,280 15 40 Central America........... ......... 3,788 3,788 2,235 10 Spanish West Indies...... .......... 2,787 .... 2,787 1,360 80 Australia ................ 1,800 1,800 Sandwich Islands......... ......... 1,570 .... 1,570 235 50 Society Islands........... 54 .... 54 15 00 Japan..................... 1,286 1,286 .... Belgium.................. 158 158 .... Grand Total 3,337,642 702,693 4,040,335 884,076 21 Grand Total............... 3,337,642 702,693 4,040,335 884,076 21 It will be seen from the above that by far the largest amount of imports is from the United States, and the next from Great Britain. The same fact, though not in the same proportion, is noticeable in the exports* These were in the 1885 returns Produce of Not Produce To Canada. of Canada. ..........$1,691,767 + $20,054 Great Britain.............. ......... 878,883 II 1,165 .......... 257,262 U 1,944 Chili........................ ........» 75,044 cc 18 .......r.. 62,413 c< 27 .......... 59,501 CC 1,379 .......... 29,172 ct — British Africa.............. .......... 10,667 u 50 British East Indies......... 10,468 (C — Not Produce Besides coin and bullion. Total $1,711,821 880,048 259,206 75,062 62,440 60,880 29,172 10,717 10,468 3,099,814 590 $3,100,404 It is not uninteresting to examine the composition of this export trade. Salmon (canned) to Great Britain.................... 6,193,968 lbs. " " " United States................... 903,216 " •• " " Australia..................>.... 226.800 " 7,323,984 lbs. The total export value of this was $798,351. Salmon (pickled) to Australia........................ „ 677 %rls. . " " United States..................... 639 " " 14 Sandwich Islands................. 556 11 1,872 brls.BRITISH COLUMBIA. The value of this barreled salmon was $15,804; the export value of salmon there lore for the year was $813,655. Coal followed salmon in the volume of 1884 trade* The shipments of this were To Tons. Yalua United States.................................211,901 $741,675 Sandwich Islands.............................. 6,955 £4,343 Tons................. 218,856 $766,018 Gold is third on the list. The whole of the gold produced was exported to the United States, and amounted to $671,379. The timber trade of British Columbia has in the past found its largest customers in Australia and in the South American States. As purchasers of planks, boards, joists and other sawn timber of the larger dimensions, they ranked in the following order Australia..................................$209,104 Chili..................... ..............................75,044 Peru............................................................................62,413 China..........................................................................40,808 British East Indies..........................10,468 British Africa................................................10,259 Great Britain..................................................4,578 United States..........................................................1,956 $423,630 In addition to the above the export of masts and spars amounted to $13,654 and of laths, staves, etc., to $20,967. The trees which supplied this timber grew on the coast and in the vicinity of the outfall of the rivers. The volume of the trade is not a criterion of the quan- tity of available timber except to those who realize the conditions that have attended the lumbering business of that Province. Furs derived from land animals, the greater part of which are collected and exported by the Hudson's Bay Company, were exported to Great Britain and the United States in the following proportions To Great Britain..........................$106,498 To United States......................... 102,665 $209,163 and furs and skins from marine animals, mainly seal and sea otter, were exported% To Great Britain...........................$61,645 To China................................... 8,283 To United States....,..................... 250 $70,178 Msh oil, the great bulk of which is obtained from the dog fish at the Queen ChMotte islands, amounted to 39,251 gallons, of which 37,168 went to the United States and 2,083 to the Sandwich Islands. The value of this export was $15,017# The easy development of this trade will at once occur to everyone who has realized the practically inexhaustible quantities of fish in these waters^40 BRITISH COLUMBIA. While those industries, the material for which was more or less ready to hanc v were worked only in a superficial manner, or at least within narrow limits, i«> was improbable that others requiring the use of larger capital and greater time for development would be prosecuted to any great extent. Nevertheless a begin- ning has been made in several, despite difficulties of transport, for we find that #9,451 worth of wool was exported, #1,615 was realized (for hops, $4,041 for beef, and #1,150 for spirits. The success which has attended hop-growing in British Columbia is remarkable, and the demand both for export and home use is steadily increasing. The agricultural populations of the southern counties of England will readily understand the valine for farming purposes of* a country where hops can be grown with certainty, and for which the markets of India and Australia, as well as Eastern Canada and the United States, are open. The ship- ments of hops from the neighbouring districts in Washington Territory have already attained large proportions, and they grow as well and better in quality in British Columbia. When trade facilities have been more fully provided, when lines of steamships run between Vancouver and the ports of China and Japan and Australasia, and Canada by means of the Canadian Pacific Railway begins her competition with the United States for the Australian and Asiatic trade, the resources of the Province will be exploited in more systematic manner than heretofore, and with results altogether out of comparison with what has been done in the past. In the past fiscal year the United States shipped at San Francisco over sixty- five million pounds of flour for China, Japan and adjoining, ports; there should be room for Canada in this trade. During the same time San Francisco shipped over eighty-three thousand packages of merchandise for the same places, in- cluding various articles which Canada can produce as well and more cheaply than they are made in the United States; Vancouver's proper share of this business cannot be small, There is cheaper material to Work upon and a shorter distance to travel, and a. trade that has been only partially developed even by the United States. British Columbia has but to stretch forth her hand and it will be fiUed. The fertile belt and the older provinces of Canada provide a market on the east. The United States, Australasia, China, Japan, South America and, as we -see by the " Trade Returns," the East Indies and Africa are her customers on the west. The inexhaustible and unrivalled timber, the wealth of fish, the pasturage lands on which cattle, horses, and wool are raised with so much success, the gold, the coal and other undeveloped minerals combine to make British Columbia the most favored province of the Dominion, the richest territorial division of America. There is no other country on the globe that possesses the various natural sources of wealth in the same number, and to a like extent with British C >lumbia, and they are now open to those who choose to avail themselves of this n .w field for enterprise. THE CLIMATE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA ON THE COAST. The climate of the Pacific Province is spoken of by all who visit that coast as one of its great attractions ; it can hardly fail to please since there are several climates to choose from. The person who cannot stand cold weather and shud- ders at the sight of ice, can find ample space for enterprise or temptation to idle- ness in. a land that might have suggested " The Lotos Eaters." On reaching Vancouver Island or the coast line of the mainland, like them, he need " no longer roam," for there he will find a climate such as he desires, as we have toBRITISH COLUMBIA. 41 some degree explained in speaking of Victoria and its neighbourhood. The man who discovered that Vancouver was an island, and thereupon gave it his name, speaks in his report of the " serenity of the climate," and draws a most pleasing picture of what the island must be when civilization, with its adornments and appliances, reaches so far west. In 1860, H. M. S.