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•PRIZE

ESSAY AlND POEM

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OF THE

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YICTORIA, y. I.,^

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On the Beauties of the Scenery
^ Surveyed from Beacon Hill*

,:i«i^'

VICTORIA, V. I.

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••J^v Ek McMillan, Printet, Morning News Office^

1868; *

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PRIZE ESSAY.

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The influence of scenery on the mind is acknow-
ledged by all. Not only are those of cultivated in-
tellect affected by it, but even the ignorant and de-
praved feel unconsciously its power. The external
world is indeed a reflex of the moral world, and has
been termed " the visible living garment of God."
There are phases iu nature which correspond to
every emotion that agitates the breast, from the first
tender blossoming of hope, to the last scowling
blackness of despair. Thus "Wordsworth, the great
poet of nature, says :

"How exquisitely the individual Mind

(And the progressive powers perhaps no less,
Of the whole species) to the external World

Is fitted : — and how exquisitely, too —
Theme this but little heard of among men —

The external World is fitted to the Mind;
And the Creation (by no lower name

Can it be called) which they with blended might
Accomplish."

The love of Nature is one of the most refining
and elevating emotions of which man is capable,
and has been a redeeming point in the characters of
many. It is a strong characteristic of Byron and
Rousseau, and, like charity, covers a multitude of
other faults. Without running into Pantheism —
the worshipping of Nature as God — it is not only a
natural but an exalting exercise of miiKJ, to worship
God in nature. And although some nave been led
to regard researches into the constitution of the uni-
verse as a substitute for all religion, yet a deep
love of the beautilul, as expressed iu the works of
creation, will, in a well regulated mind, ever lead
"from Nature up to Nature's God."

'# •

It is the office of the Beautiful, in art as well as
nature, to purify and refine, to wean man from sor-
did influences ; and he who has the misfortune to
be wanting in an appreciation of it, is dead to a
thousand sources of interest and loveliness which
everywhere present themselves. We live in an at-
mosphere of grandeur and beauty; earth, air, water
and sky are redolent of it, and offer a never failing
source of enjoyment to him who sympathises with
nature. The presence of the beautiful in our
homes, gives a grace to daily life, and sheds a lustre
on the humblest objects. Without some attention to
it home ceases to be attractive — neatness, order,
fitness, all are elements of the beautiful. This fair
world, these flowers with their lainbow hues, these
forms of beauty and grace, tell us in unmistakable
language that their Creator had something more in
their design than a merely utilitarian purpose, and
proclaim that they were made to adorn the earth,
minister to man's delight, and satisfy his cravings
for the grand and beautiful.

Whilst ordinary scenery, the woodland and the
dale, the gentle elope and the winding river, con-
vey soothing and agreeable images, it is reserved for
mountain scenery to touch those deeper chords, and
awaken those grander sensations, which it is one of
the highest privileges of our nature to feel. The
many allusions to mountains in Scripture, show
the powerful influence they exercised on the old
Hebrew writers. Thus we find in the Psalms: "I will
lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh
my help;" "Thy righteousness is like the great
mountains ;" and again, "The mountains shall bring
peace unto the people, and the little hills, righteous-
ness." The influence and attributes of mountain
scenery have been analysed with wonderful subtlety
and expressed with great elegance of diction, by John
Ruskin, one of the most accomplished critics of this
or of any age.

The love of mountain scenery is a striking mani-
festation of the spirit of the age in modern times.
In the classical era, and in the middle ages, moun-
tains were looked on as objects of terror, places only
fit to be " inhabited by the beasts." Even so late bh
the times of Addison and Gray, these poets could fir.d
no better epithets to apply to them than "horrid,"
" rugged," etc. ; but when the "ideas of the mi<Mle
ages decayed, and classical traditions lost their pow-
er," as well as improved means of travel had made
mountains more accessible, it was suddenly discover-
ed that nature possessed transcendent charms, and
first Rousseau, and then Goethe and Wordsworth
paved the way for its intcpretation, and iu the
exposition of its beauties, shewed the close analogy
that exists between the material and the moral
world, t

These considerations suggest themselves on sur-
veying the view from Beacon Hill, in which
mountains form the most prominent and attractive
feature. The panorama commanded from this site,
is probably not excelled at any other city in the
world, and may be said to be an epitome of the
Universe. It embraces hill and dale, the rugged
clifi' and the gentle slope, the woodland and the
forest, the smiling city and the mighty ocean— on
the one hand civilization, on the other barbarism,
and the howling wilderness. Above all, it displays
those towering masses, ever marked features of the
earth, but pre-eminently conspicuous on this coast.
These have their culminating point in Mt Baker,
one of the great peaks of the Pacific. Looking at
this mountain, which stands up as a lonely sentinel
of the silent land, with its hoary head far above the
adjacent ridges, and its breast covered with the soft
and shining snow, we are all the more interested re-
membering that from that summit, now smooth and

t " Love of the Alps," Cornhill Magazine, July, 1867.

peaceful, have belched forth volcanic flames and
burning stones, and that beneath that breast of un-
sullied white lie the scoriae and lava thrown out from
the earth by forces that may shake a continent. This
fact has caused it to occupy the attention of those
who have considered the causes of the shocks of
earthquake which from time to time agitate the coast.

Following a park-like glade on the outskirts <;vf the
city, the visitor from Victoria enters a broad, open
space about a mile and a half in circumference, dot-
ted with clumps of dwarf oak and fern, and bordered
with stately pines mingled with oaks. It is open on
one side to the sea, with its sheltered bays and nooks,
where grassy slopes kiss the water's edge, and where
the tender green of the copsps, filled with the alder,
willow and cotton-wood, forms a pleasing contrast
to the dark foliage of the pines. Ascending the
risiiig knoll, we stand upon Beacon Hill, and find
ourselves at once in the centre of a charmed circle,
as if someProspero had waved his magic wand and
evoked a scene of enchantment. Beneath our feet
is the greensward strewn with flowers of every hue;
immediately around, is a magnificent combination of
the park and the foreit; whilst beyond, is the old and
hoary sea rolling against the base of yonder snow-
capped mountains that encircle the horizon.

On a fine day, looking towards the north, Victoria
is seen from this spot to great advantage. The upper
portion of the city beingon an elevated plateau, reveals
its white walls and houses sparkling in the sun. and
glimpses of its churches and public buildings are
seen at intervals through the dark masses of foliage.
The cathedral, standing by itself, is prominent in the
view of the city, and in the distance rises Cedar Hill,
whose jagged outline is dotted with firs. The summit
of Beacon Hill appears to have been formerly
used as an Indian burial ground, and bears some re-
semblance to an Anglo-Saxon tunmlus, or barrow.
AVe may suppose that here there were formerly dis-

played flags, painted images of wood, and the
picturesque accompaniments still to be seen in other
portions of the island. Imagination cannot help
picturing the solemn spectacle that must have
taken place at the burial of the chiefs who were
here laid, amid the sad chanting of the waves and the
wailinff of the winds, in a temple not made with hands,
its wdls the everlasting mountains, its roof the
blue dome of heaven, whilst the moaning sea has
repeated their dirge throughout the rolling centuries.

In the spring season of the year the flowers
cover the ground. The slopes round Beacon Hill are
one blaze of yellow and gold, " you can scarce see
the grass for flowers." The variety and beauty of
the flora of this island have been often described.
Every fortnight brings a succession. There are the
crocus, the lily, the yellow pansy, the purple violet, the
blue lupin, the tiger lily, the campanula and lark-
spur, the columbine pendent like a fuchsia, the wild
currant with ita crimson flowers, and chief among
others a kind of hyacinth, named the " camass" by
the Indians, who often go forth in droves to dig out its
roots. There are also the sweet briar and the wild rose,
the perfume of which, wafted on the cool sea breeze
and mingled with the odorous scent of the pines,
converts the wilderness into a garden. In the
cultivated lands the most gorgeous combinations
and vivid contrasts present themselves, the lupin
being seen in vast sheets ot bluish purple, together
with the crimson red of the wild sorrel and the
bright yellow of the buttercup.

Looking towards the west, the scenery, although
of a more sombre character, is not unmixed
with pleasing elements, particularly when seen at
eunset. There are the Goldstreara mountains
clothed with pines from base to summit, their
graceful and undulating outline extends towards
the promontory of Sooke, opposite Race Rocks, and
contrasts well with the stern and rugged peaks of

«■

the Olympian range in Washington Territory be-
yond. A feature of interest to the stranger, is the
entrance to Victoria harbor, and a little beyond it that
of Esquimau. It was in this neighborhood, on the
spot now known as Macaulay's plains, that on May-
day, 1792, Captain George Vancouver touched these
shores. His description as follows, may be read with
interest : " On landing on the westward of the sup-
posed island, and ascending its eminence which was
nearly a perpendicular clift, our attention was imme-
diately called to a landscape, almost as enchantingly
beautiful as the most elegantly finished pleasure
grounds in Europe. The summit of this island pre-
sented a nearly horizontal surface, interspersed with
some inequalities of ground, which produced a
beautiful variety on an extensive lawn covered with
luxuriant grass, and diversified with an abundance
of flowers. To the northv/estward was a coppice of
pine trees and shrubs of various sorts, that seemed
as if it had been planted for the sole purpose of pro-
tecting from the N. "W. winds this delightful
meadow, over which were promiscuously scattered
a few clumps of trees, that would have puzzled the
most ingenious designer of pleasure grounds to have
arranged more agreeably. Whilst we stopped to
contemplate these several beauties of nature in a
prospect no less pleasing than unexpected, we
gathered some gooseberries and roses in a state of
considerable forwardness." X

A striking object in this wild scene is the Race
Rocks lighthouse, that " friendly beacon " to the
storm-tossed mariner, and sign to the weary emigrant
of near approach to his promised land. Nor must we
omit to mention that extraordinary and beautiful
spectacle the Mirage which is often to be seen here
in the summer time, in bright calm weather.

On looking toward the south, the view presents

X Vancouver's Voyage of Discovery, vol. 1, ch. 4, bk. 3.

the Olympian range, a grand chain of snow-capped
mountains, from 8000 to 9000 feet hi,i?h. They
generally appear like a vast wall rising sheer froiu
the water's edge, but in certain states of the atmos-
phere they are more clearly defined, and are then
found to consist of several distinct ranges. The
grandest effects are seen in stormy weather when
the mists and vapours wreathe and wind about, dis-
closing peak after peak, range beyond range —
an endless, ever-shifting panorama. About the
centre of the chain is a large gap opening up into the
valley of the Elkwha, to which may be applied
that beautiful phrase in the language of old, '-The
Gates of the Hills." At the upper extremity
of the valley is Mount Olympus, the loftiest
mountain in the rM)^-^', conspicuous in the warmest
summer by its snow covered peaks. Toward the
eastern termination of these mountains, in the dii>
formed by the two last may be seen the summit of
Mt. Rainier supposed to be the loftiest on this coast.
It takes its name from Rear Admiral Rainier, a friend
of Vancouver, and is distant 150 miles. In contrast
with these eternal snows, as yet unsullied by the foot
of man, are the blue waters which separate us
from the American shore, bearing on their bosom
yonder stately ship freighted for a distant port, and
yonder small canoe creeping along the shore, whicli,
with its squalid occupants, harmonizes well with the
desolate grandeur of the scenery. We behold man,
who has bent the powers of nature to his easy mo-
tion, side by side with the savage, who, in his rudo
craft, still struggles against them. This contrast is
rendered all the more striking by the appearance
of the mail steamer, which links this green isle of
the sea to the big world beyond and brings to its
exiled denizens tidings of those that are far away.
The most imposing portion of the panorama is
toward the East, where, across the Gulf oi" Geor-
gia, the great snow-covered peaks of the Cascade

range rear their jagged crests on the far hori-
zen. Some of them are qmte isolated and when
viewed in the clear and crisp atmosphere, appear to
rise out of the sea, '* mountains that like giants
stand to sentinel enchanted land"; their reflections
mirrored in the still and glassy waters, and prolong-
ed from time to time by gentle undulations produc-
ing a magical effect. Here may also be seen the
entrance to Puget Sound, a magnificent sheet of
water, along whose shores grow the epars which have
found such favor with the navies of the world. In
all probability the terminus of the Railway that
crosses the Northern portion of the American con-
tinent, will be on some point on these shores, so that
the fleets 'of Ormus or of Ind" will in future track
its surface.

But the culminating point of the view is unqaes-
tionably Mt. Baker, whose great peak, clad in pure
white, rises in solitary majesty to a height estimated
at between 12,000 and 13,000 feet. It is remarkable
for its beauty of outline, and bears a considerable
resemblance in this respect to the Jungfrau, the
Queen of the Bernese range of the Alps. It was
observed by the third lieutenant of Vancouver, and
received his name. However deserved the compli-
ment, one cannot but wish he had possessed a name
more euphonious. For, to those ignorant of its ori-
gin, it is apt to suggest a very common process
of domestic life, in connection with one of
nature's grandest objects. The great height of
this mountain is rendered the more apparent from
the circumstance of there being no other peaks in
the immediate neighbourhood to dwarf it, and also
trom the comparatively low height of the hills in-
tervening between the spectator and its base. A
group of pines in the foreground with their dark
foliage also enhances the brilliant effect of the
Biiow. Looking at this mountain, which stands up
as a lonely sentinel of the silent land, with its hoary

head far above the adjacent ridges, and its breast
covered with the soft and shining snow, we are all
the more interested remembering that from that sum-
mit, now smooth and peaceful, have, within the
memory of man, belched forth volcanic flames and
burning stones, and that beneath that breast of vir-
gin white repose the forces that may shake a conti-
nent. This fact has caused it to occupy the attention
of those who have considered the causes of the shocks
of earthquake which from time to time agitate the
coast. To the left of Mt. Baker are some distant
peaks ; these are the Fort Hope mountains, on Fraser
river, in British Columbia. Coming nearer, in the
middle distance a feature of historical interest pre-
sents itself. For there lies the upper portion of the
famous island of San Juan, the circumstances con-
nected with the occupation of which by joint Bri-
tish and American Garrisons are too well known to
need recapitulation. Nearer still is the residence of
the Governor, a ca^eilated structure imposingly
situated on a ridge of rocks, with villas, gardens, and
homesteads scattered around. All these give that
human element to the landscape without which
wild and uncultivated nature soon ceases to be at-
tractive, and to leave those agreeable impressions
which form so great a charm in the scenery of more
civilized countries.

'No one can survey these magnificent peaks, array-
ed in virgin white, that have stood from all time
with their foundations deeply laid in the earth, em-
blems of stability and power, without some emotion
of awe and wonder, and without being for a while
spell bound and exalted. "As the spirit of the low-
lands is repose, so that of the hills is action" ; and
these sharp peaks lifting their crests to heaven seem
to cry out as it were, and realize to us the convulsive
throes that brought thorn forth with anguish into
the world, an everlasting monument of the Creator'.^
power. In their presence, — in the presence as it

were of the Eternal, how insignificant becomes
man with his hopes, his fears ! — the creature of a
day, a flower blooming iu the morning faded at
eve.

At all times is this scenery grand and beautiful,
whether seen in the early morning when the rising
sun tinges Mt. Baker wfth a tender rose color, at
noon, when the snow fields gleam like polished
f<i I ver, or at eventide, when Mt. Baker glows like
fire, and the western mountains are bathed in pur-
ple, while the glassy waters reflect tints of green
and gold changing into rose and lilac till the sun
sinks behind the hills, and leaves the snowy peaks
faintly defined on the sky, blanched and ghastly —
all color — all life fled. Atter the torpor and gloom
of the winter, nothing can be more inspiriting than
a walk to Beacon Hill. Freed from the din of the
city, its gnawing cares, its feverish excitement, we
breathe a while the purer atmosphere and revel
in the sense of space. lieposing upon the green-
sward, we yield ourselves up to the contemplation
of the scene. Its grandeur and beauty sink into the
heart, — the clear sky, the balm}' air, the plash of the
waves, the warble of birds, the voices of happy
childhood, give a tone to the jaded nerves, — all
sterner passions yic'd to quieter emotions of tran-
quility, of tenderness and peace. Lulled into a
reverie the present fades away. Fancy weaves her
spell and takes possession — she sees a smiling land,
a great city crowded with stately edifices, its broad
streets resounding with "the hum, the shock of men,"
its wharves crowded with merchandize, its gar-
ners filled with the wealth of the Indies, its ports
sheltering the fiags of all nations, its ships covering
ever}^ sea — she sees a cathedral with tapering spire
and fretted pinacle of enduring stone, rivalling Eng-
land's proudest structures, while mansion after man-
sion, homestead after homestead greets the eye — she
sees through the length and breadth of the laud

those barren rocks yielding up their ore, the^solitary
places resounding with the stroke of the anvil and
the forge-, the desert blossoming as the rose,— -Vic-
toria no longer wan and drooping, no longer dejected
and cast down upon the earth, but risen like a Pha3-
nix from its ashes, exulting in the fulness of
strength, and pressing on in her mission, her brow-
radiant with hope, and her future bright with pro-
mise — she sees this the youngest born of the colonies
taking her place as the brightest pearl in England's
diadem— the Paradise of the Pacific— the Queen of
the West.

And Reason, Faith whisper, "Arise ! no longer
give way to vain regrets, be up and doing; "What-
soever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy
might, for the night cometh wherein no man can
work." — That as the chill and gloom of winter pass
away, and with returning spring nature bursts into
life, so should we wake up to a new life, to a second
spring.— That as yonder Mirage fades away, and ob-
jects are revealed in their true proportions, we
bhould no longer be the sport of visionary projects,
and buoyed up by cruel hopes, but pursue realities
instead of phantoms. That as yonder Beacon shines
on the darkest night to guide the storm-tossed mari-
ner to a haven of refuge, so amidst the clouds of ad-
versity the unerring light of Truth should point out
the path we ought to tread, and shed a lustre on
our way : — that our aims should be lofty as those
mountains, our resolves steadfast as those hills, our
desires pure as those snows, so that our daily life
may be encompassed with wisdom and beauty, har-
mony and peace, and that amid these flowers that
cover the earth, our thoughts may be lifted to the
land where flowers forever bloom.

E. T, COLEMAN.

R!^s^^smnRP«ip^9n*inH

'ti. .^

PRIZE POEM.

Refreshed by bathing in the icy sea,

Whose crystal wavelets wash the Beacon Hill,
I sat reposing ; a delightful thrill

Of health renewed made life an ecstacy.

The scene around me was in full sympathy ;
A bright sun shining in a cloudless blue,
The green grass starred with azure flowerets too,

Sweetly combined in natural harmony.

Beneath the eye, the clear wave feeling round
The massive rocks or on the pebbly shore

Lazily breaking with a pleasing sound.

Gave out a soothiug murmur and no more :

The snowy mountains cut their outlines h'gh,

Up from their cloudy basis, on the sky.

The Sound between us lay a glassy lake,

Adorned with islets here and there ;

And, musically, through the summer air.
Did distant waterfowl the silence break
With playful bickerings ; their voices make

A far off melody that on the ear

Falls with a pleasing echo, still and clear.
Air, earth, sea, creatures seem to doze and wake,

Then lie asleep in perfect summer calm ;
Enough of life to bask in such a sky —

The earth so fragrant and the air so balm ;
And let the world and all its cares go by.
To lie in rapture through the sunny hours
Drinking in warmth and glory with the flowers.

Vancouver I Nature with a liberal hand
Has thee, the most remote of Britain's isles.
Dowered with her richest gifts and brightest smiles.

Thy features bring to mind our native land ;

And those who wander hither from her strand
Behold another England in the west.
With sweeter air and rival scenery drest.

Overlooking which a barrier vast and grand
Of snowy mountains on the neighboring shore,

W^hose rocky pinnacles, on high sublime,

Search all thy coast, and view the landscape o'er.

How Nature has adorned thy healthful clime,

':K'^

^ 15

And Beacon Hill, a cluster of her best,

Has placed, a blooming chaplet, on tby crest.

Yet o'er the waters let me look abroad,

And ere I rise to quit this lovely scene,

Those wild rose bowers and flow'r dappled green,
Let thought advance from Nature to her God.
As those dark mountains, from the level clod

Still growing op, are ever growing less ;

So may my life through trials upward press, ^
Losing throughout its course some earthly load.
As, in obscurity and gloom begun

They rise to light, clothed with unsullied snow ;
So may my life's last days the cheering sua

Shine o'er, and purity adorn me so.
Till godly wisdom from the hoary crown,
Like fruitful streams from snowy peaks, flow down,

W. H. PARSONS.

■m.

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