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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 ' « ' 6 ■*;^^ r 1^ ^^■.#f>^ ..-ff .>y Ifft,,*'. %r ,4m L> *. \,r " '"^M"^' I .. ii M^i i n'l , mmm "1^ SE Tig NMniHIIfEOT TOrHrfOMH +' ■■ -AND— -'. ■* <: iBTBIR?giunMiH:) > %:'' .,^>,i -fT' •^*k ■ '•■■«., '^1^^ i"- REV. JENEAiafeM D A^VSGp, Ax,.iiiiar of ♦' Po|)i« IX; Atnd Hia Tima^" <' Our StMngtli Ty "- Sta'angth." eto., ieto. | ^ . --.^i' . OTTAWA: Ji, • ' Prin««id toy O. W. MITCHELL, Oflio« of the (^'rWPxwpiit Elgin %)v««|. ^ 188Jv -J*ftf^;;^'^'- irw;<**)^'':Hi.: ^1*"' .i85.*^i-^»-i*<''. Sj- ''^^.^^'k -fc I / CLASSICAL AITD C02C2CSECZAL. as9i» d) COLLEGE OTTAWA^J OHTABIC^^fCMJADA. This chartered College possesses many educational advantages which recommend it in a special manner to parents and students. The UNIVERSITY DEGREES it confers entitle those who study Medicine or Law to exemption from preliminary examination, and surround their after-career with greater distinction and success. i ITS COlfflCEZ&CL^L COURSE > Is such as to form successful Business Men, familiar with History, Literature, Music, Drawing, and the several Natural Sciences. English is the medium of instruction ; French is also carefully attended to. N.B. — For particulars send for Prospectus. I VERY REV. J. H. TABARET, O.M.I., D.D., President. / ^J^ t — 1^' ^•p- \^ > « — fc. «*»,. tg,^ BDVOATZOSTAL 8STASU3SMBXTT FOB TOVXTa LAfiZSS. — """••••♦IM"""'— GLOUCESTER STREET, OTTAWA, ONT. — UH^IH""" In point of situation and salubrity this Institution offers many advantaj^es. The course of study is complete ; and the Gold Medal and Di{^oma of the Institution are conferred on the young lady who graduates. N. B. A Silver Medal presented by His Excellency the Governor-General of the Dominion of Canada will be awarded at the dose of the Scholastic ynar to the young lady who excels in general proficiency. The English and French Languages being equally used in familiar conversation, and the best literature of each carefully studied, a dassic and idiomatic knowledge of both is thereby ensured. A special course of Plain Sewing, Dress Cutting, Dress-making and House-keeping is successfully taught. The Scholastic year is divided into two sessions, bcgitming respectively with September and February. Term* per Sessiim.— Board, Tuition, Bed and Laundress, $64. Entrance fee, $4. Music, Drawing and Painting form extra charges, as do also Latin, German and Italian and the Course of Calis**ienic8. The Costume consists of a black and a white dress. Each pupil should be provided with a sufficient supply of Linen, a Dressing Case, 2 pairs of sheets, 2 pillow cases, 1 black veil 2 yards long, 1 white veil 2^ yards long. A day school is attached to the Institution, the Terms are- Senior Course (per quarter) $7 00 Intermediate Course " 6 00 Junior Course " 5 50 Elementary Course " , 4 00 Mu8ic--Piano " 7 60 It Scholars tuke dinner in the Establishment, an extra charge of $2 00 per month. NOTRE DAME DTJ SAORE 0(EUR YODDg UM Wsm Mi^ RIDEAU STREET, OTTAWA, CANADA. Board, Tuition in English and French, Bed, Bedding, Washing, and Entrance Fee, $125 per annum. French a specialty. Extras moderate. Address THE LADY SUPERIOR. . Pr / THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES AND. British Columbia, BY — REV. ^NEAS McDONELL DAW^SON, Author of "Pope Pius IX. and His Time." "Our Strength «nd Their Strength," etc., etc. OTTAWA: printed by C. W. MITCHELL, OiTice of the Free Press. Elgin Stroet 188J. 1 ■i- Entered acrordi»,j to Art of Par!!am.„t of Canada, In the year ISSl, hy Hev. ^nea. McDonell Dmrxon, in the office of the MinlMer of A,j>'kuUure. 1 Ae foi bo( of am , ♦* '// liev. PREFACE. '^^HE more that is known concerning the great North-West, the more will the intelligent pubji^r desire to know! As regards British Columbia, so mu<:h misapprehension un- fortunately prevails, that not only this work, but many more books must be written and widely tirculated before the people of the Canadian Dominion learn the true value of this rich and interesting I'rovince. ti 'Vf J- THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES — ANI»- BRITISH COLUMBIA, IIY THE REV. /E. McDONELL DAWSON. CHAPTER J. General Remarks— Climate — Luxuriant vegetation — Isotliermal Hues— Wheat cul- tivated at GO' north latitude- Oats, barley, potatoes, &c. — The McKenzie river navigable 1,200 miles- Whale tisheries- Salmon and herrings — Minerals, suit, coal — Sarsaparilla— Cranberries - The Labrador tea plant. C' I r AFTER TI. South of Peace river — Great rivers —The Saskatchewan — Buffalo— Great fertility — I'ark-like appearance- Sources of tiie Saskatchewan — Branches .300 miles apart — Whole courae 1,515 (including both branches, 2,287 miles) —Extent of country it traverses — Adaptability to new destiny -Cereals and vegetables— Wheat — Advantages of railway— Objection answered— Mountain pasturage— Remarkable richness of soil— Cultivation of wheat — All obstacles to settlement removed — Encouragement allorded — The railway — A rinal objection met. CHAPTER HI. A river 2,287 miles in length -Pew rapids — Impediments easily removed — Extent of navigable waters — Route by the Saskatchewan country. CHAPTER TV. Regions South -east of the Saskatchewan — The Souris and Qu'appelle rivers — 1,000,000 fertile acres — A countrj' as large as all England — Fine woods — Beauty and fer- tility—Fishing lakes — ^'ariety of soil — Herds of buffalo — How the country is situated — Wheat growing — Undulating prairie land — Alluvial soil — Immense fertile prairie —Fine scenery and rich pasturage — Destiny of the country indi- cated — Already sought by enterprising Colonists. 1 11. CHAPTER V. The countries bordering on lakes Manitoba, Winnipeg, &c — Reference to authori- ties- Magnificent country — Beautiful lakes — Level country — Kich woods— Ex- tent — Fertility — All kinds of wood — Soil of uncommon richness — Dense woods — Alluvial soil— Hill and dale — Prairie and woodland— Great fertility — Finely wooded level — Alluvial and deep soil — Level plain — Alternate wood and prairie — Woodland and prairie — Growtli >.i mapla-Oak, elm and poplar — Indian corn and melons— Indian farmers— Agnatic fowl -Fish abounding— Sturgeon — Do- mestic cattle — Wood abundant— Coal— Oak, elm, maple, &c. — Mineral Springs and medicinal waters — Salt — Singing birds, CHAPTER VI . Winnipegoos and Manitoba, country further cc-.isidered— Travelling and trade — Rail- ways — Coal — Journeyings of the Aborigines — Access to other lands — Character of the Aborigines— How th^y cultivate wheat, Indian cnn, &c — Native Chris- tians— -Loyalty of the Red Men in a'l the North- West — They claim the Canadians ah their cousins — Men of superior type — The tribes diminishing. CHART KR Vll. British Columbia— Vancouver I-laud — Importance of British Columbia— Disposition of the inhabitants— Dest'ny in connection with Canada -Brit-sh (Jolumbia, how constituted — Its boundaries— Vancouver Island — Extent— Climate — Fei'tility — Beauty — Coal— Coal trade impeded --Iron — Fisheries- History. CHAPTER \ni. British Columbia— Tin >''ai I'and— Elements of wealth— Fertile spots— Varieties of trees— \Vild Howers— " The Priest's Rock '" — Columbian Todmorden— The divid- ing ridge— Opinion discussed— Mountain ranges— Immense plain— The Fraser — Fertile valley— The Thompson— (i rain and root crops — All kinds of wood — Fertile and aral)le land— Wheat- Splendid vegetables— Wheat crops — Miners supplied— Millions of arable acres— Excellent grazing — The "iron horse" wanted — Tiie great railway advancing. CHAPTER IX. British Columbia— Climate, &c.— Climate of the Islands —Climate of the mainland — Salubrity — Agricultural product'oiis— Timber— Flowers-Fruit — Wild animals, CHAPTER X. The mainland of British Columbia— Rivers— The Fraser— The Columbia — The Thomas— The Chilcotin— The Quesnel—Lillooet— Harrison— Bear— Salmon — 7 la 1 Almost all ine rivers auriferous — Skeena-Siinpion — Frances -Dease— Mountain river — Peace river — A very l)eautiful country — A magnificent and navigable river—Ocean to ocean by railway — Peace river exceptional, beiog auriferous. CHAPTER XI. Abundance of Fish — Endless sup]>liei) of salmon— Cannot be perceptibly lessened by the natives — Peculiarity of the Quianat salmnn — Excellent angling — The Cha- cha-lool— Greatly pr'zed by the Indians — H )oked snout — Successful fishing — A very fine fish — Salmo proteus very abundant — A delightful angling excursion — The dog salmon — Salmon, the Ked Men's only winter food — Trade in salmon. CHAPTPJR XII. Food of the natives — Wonderful provision — Harvesting salmon — Remarkable way of fishing — Fishing at the "Kettle Falls" — An end of feuds — Diversions — Incan- tations-Great 3ucce?s — Curing — Spcil equally divided— Sanded fish for chewing - Salmon superabundant in all the rivers. CHAPTER XIII. Indian way of spearing salmon — Ano+her mode of speaiing— Sabnon trout (Salmo Spectabilis) -Abounds in all the rivers— Modes of capturing sahnon trout— Tin- sportsmanliiie fishing — Oregon brook trout — Angling experience — P]njoyable anglinc; — The candlefish or p'llachon — Afiords both food and light— How it is trapped — Extraordinary abundance — A curious instrument— Interesting spectacle — Process of curing — An excellent caudle— Supplies of oil — Stored in bottles of sea-wrack. CHAPTER XIV. Cod, abundant — Not much fishod for— Flat fish — Halibut of enornnus size — Spear- ing the monster halibut — Greater part preserved —Smaller flat fish — Pleuronectes bdiniatus — Pleuronectes digraninnis— Pleuronectes gullatus — How the smaller flounder is caught — Great fah'^. CHAPTER XV. Herring — Facilities for trade in herring — A sea-crop of the Aborigines — How they harvest — Several ways of fishing — Herring fishing in Puget'a Sound — Collecting and curinp barring roe — How iierrings are used — An ocean swell— A pugnacious fish — Thres species of stickleback in British Columbia — It swarms on the Sa^i ka^cbewan and otuer rivers of the North-West;, I IV. CHAPTER XVI. Earliest discovery of the Nortli-West land— Darke at 40° north latitade-New Albion —An adventurous (J reek -A wonderful solution— Tlie North- West passage supposed to be discovered— Cook —The meta incognita vainly sought— Knglish gold avails not— Cook led astray by a scientitic error— The first Englishman in de Fuca Strait— N'ancouver at last— A great discovery. CHArTER XVII. Vancouver's description —Sustained by Colonists and travellera— A striking contrast Less rainy than England— Autumn longer— Interesting table — Climate favorable to invalids- High winds rare— Spring and early summer— Very early harvest- South sea winds— Arctic currents — Snow-capped mountains — Absence of sult- riness — The China current. CHAPTER XVIII. The case stated — The same unfairly argued — Facts — Great fertility — Improvement only commencing — Exportation and importation — Produce per acre — Splendid vegetables — ^Extensive arable tracts — Seed grain and cattle imported — Fxcellent grazing lands — Harbovi, iron, coa', gold, &c. — Quantities of Hour exported — Quantity of coal raised — Taxada Island— Salmon largely exported — Abundance of p'ne--Furs and hides — Enormous export of gold— Lord Dufferin bears witoess — Expanse of pastoral lands — Vistas of fertile valleys — General aspect — Pine tree 250 feet high — A more recent writer — Climate — ^Thermometor — Influence of tht American desert— Scenery- -General view — A " sea of mountains " — Plateaus of fertility — Harbors — Roadsteads — Salubrity — Verdant valleys. STATISTICS \ ^'^""'^ railways ( Snice railways began. Provincial exports fro-n Victoria, ( Mines $467 261 B.C. for one Quarter in 1880. . ■' Fisheviex 101 820 ( Animals and their products. . . 139 795 Total of exports for said quarter. .$703 576 A roEJi. T/ A-ITElSrXJIXj ./'- Ji. V '1 ' 1 ■'- THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES -AND- BE/ITISEC OOXjTJIiy^BIJL. CHAPTER I. General Remarks. — Climate. — Luxuriant Vegeta^n. — Isothermal Lines. — Wheat Cultivated at 60° N. Latitude. — Oats, Barley, Potatoes, • "•"^■stx-.'UfKrvfmvtuiT^ IS i ^¥^ can "be done, it must be possible to raise hay. The Hudson Bay Company find it more economical, however, to bring the hay necessary for their stock in winter, 150 miles down the river. Not being agriculturists, they must find it more easy to reap the produce of natural meadows at some distance, than to cultivate the "better" land around their post- In these northern latitudes of the North-West Territory, the subsoil is permanently frozen. But this does not hinder the raising of grain, the summer thaw extending to the depth of eleven feet. Siberia, in the same latitude, produces excel- lent wheat. Such facts as these admirably sustain the theory, otherwise apparently well founded, that the climate of the North-AVest Territory improves towards the west. "What could be more conclusive, for instance, than the circumstance that, whilst the summer thaw at York factory, on Hudson's Bay, towards the eastern limit of the Territory, penetrates to the depth of three feet only, it softens and w^arms the ground, as far as eleven feet below the surface, at Forts Liard i nd Simpson^ These places, it must be observed, are no more to the south than the less hospitable lands along the shores of Hudson's Bay- Still farther north, at Fort Norman, (64°-65°) oats, barley, and valley." Plateau ei<;^i9r dead level or slopes away from river. Travcllel nine miles north and found whole country covered with luxuriant vegetatiun. tSril must be exceedini^'ly rich to support such gi-owtli year after year ; and early sumuaar temper- atiare high for vegetation to be so far .■idvaiiced at this period." All the cultiv-ated land .it St. John is immediately above spring fii)od level. There is no reason why cereals should f lil on plateau above, as the soil is, if any- thing, better ; the ripening, liowever, would ba one week later, as also the same difference in the disappearance of snow. Potatoes were dug at St. .John in quantity, large and dry, on 2nd August. Barley and oats ripen about 12tli August. The flora of this region is almost identical with that of Ontario. These remarks apply to the southern end of this section. Sehoi/n's Geol. Report, lS7o-76, p.p. 45 to oG. Hudson Hope to St. John hij river .38 miles. • . > The general character of valley is uniform j on south side, hills are thickly Oats, barley, potatoes, &c. .'«►-» The MoKt'ii- /io navijj'a- ble 1 ,200 oiiley. Whale fish- fries. Salmon and jierrings. c potatoes have been raised. Such crops as can be cultivated, although they could never be such a source of wealth as to eiicourag-e purely agricultural settlements in those northern regions, would, nevertheless, afford valuable resources to the trading population that may, one day, come to be established along the banks of the McKenzie River. This fine river is navigable for ships of large tonage, with only a slight obstruc- tion near Fort Simpson, as flir as Great Slave Lake — a distance of nearly 1,200 miles. This facility of navigating one of the greatest rivers in the world will, at some future time, be of the highest A'alue if only on account of the whale fisheries in the neighboring sea. These fisheries have been already opened by the enterprising citizens of the United States, and it is known on the best authority, that of an official report by the Secretary of the United States Navy to the Senate, that in two years there was added from this source alone more than 8,000,000 of dollars to the national wealth of America. The fisheries of the McKenzie River itself are capable of being developed in connection with the sea fisheries. There is already a A^aluable salmon fishery, and herrings are in the greatest abundanc;e. The lakes and rivers, tributaries of the McKenzie, are well stored with fine fish; and as salt is wooded, on north side alternately patches of prairie and coppice of aspen and poplar; they rise abruptly in broken slopes, and steps 600 to 800 feet above the river. On 7th August barley was ripe, with large grain and full ; vegetables also in advanced state. LITTLE LAKE. One of the sources of Pine lliver North, seven miles to the N. West of St John. "After rising I'li foot above river, we came upon a fine level of slightly undu* lating country, covered with richest herbage of astonishing luxuriance. I have seen nothing iu the Saskatchewan region that at all equals it. The soil and climate are Jiere better, the former a rich loam resting on gravel and sand, underlaid the dark shales of the cretaceous formation ; a similiar country extends for many miles both up and down the river." ft Macoun, Geol. Report, 187,1-76, p, 152. Peace River at Hudson Hope. '• In valley 700 feet below p'ateau, has from this a general easterly course for- •# '■+ "%^ •# *« i^L. abundant, they may yet become an important resource of trade. The whole valley of the McKenzie Eiver is described by men of science, who have traversed it, as being a mass of minerals. Minerals. The banks of the river are composed of deep beds cf bituminous shale, associated with alum and beds of iron clay. The soil is said to be actually plastic in many places with the transfusion of mineral tar Near G-reat Slave Lake, there are sait. immense quantities of salt in a pure state, and not very remote from the mouth of the McKenzie, at Barry Island, there are inexhaustible seams of excellent coal. Some rare vegetable coai. productions, also, abound in those northern wilds. Sarsaparilla of superior quality grows spontaneously all sarsapariiia; over the territory. G-reat Britain imports 180,000lbs. of it yearly from Russia, the Honduras and other countries. May it not become, some day, an article of trade with the North- West ? Russia supplies the Britis? with 40,000 gallons of cranbernea; cranberries every year. What would they think of employin g some of the hands for which they have so little to do at home, in gathering a few bushels for ihem, along the shores of Hud son's Bay, where this fruit grows in abundance ? The Labra-The ubra^ dor tea plant might also be found to be a not unacceptable luxury. It grows in such quantities that, in one year, the 200 miles, slopes of right bank clothed with thick forest of tall spruce, ascending give place to aspen forefcts which, either cover the country or pass insensibly into prairie. Left bank destitute of trees except in holluArs, always aspen." *' On !2nd July, 1875, vegetation very rank, aixliongh little rain at this season and had been all spring Wild peas and vetches grow to amazing height ; vetches, roB»8, willows, herbs and grasses of Genera, Poa, Triticum and Bromus, have almost tropical luxuriance. Potatoes onions, turnips, cari'ots, cabbage and other vegetables grow in the gardens, and at this date, potatoes planted 28th April, were of very fair size and fit for use." " Growth extremely rapid owing partly to lengtl^of day, cloudless sky and heavy dews, also, possibly to great range of temperature during the 24 hours from about 45° at sunrise, to 80° Fahr., at noon. Was informed that in 1874 there was no frost from 1st May until 15th September. In 1875 sowing commenced in last week of April, and first frost came on 8th September. ■•'i^ 8 r^ HndBon's Bay Company sent to the London market, end sold there, no less than eight hogsheads of this North-Western tea. Bnt the painted teas of China must be preferred to the pro- ductions of any country that we can call our own. a f port byS. J. Dav^non, Ekj. C.E. Mr. S.J. D. having alluded to the now celebrated " fertile helt," ita bl-oad DftTigable rivcra, cuttibg throagh great coal fields near their Bourcea, winding through grasny prairies of unsurpassed fertility, passes from thia fertiU belt ** to view still another belt as vast, farther to the north, but farther also to the west, and under the climatic inSuence of a lower lovei— where another river, the great Unjiga (Mc- Kcnzie River), taking its rise in the plains of Hritish Columbia, cuts through the Uocky Mountains, in its course of a thous.ind miles, and winds eastward through woodland a^il prairie, acroa.s ten degrees of longitude. This is the region which bo impressed Sir Alexander McKenzie, the first civilized man who had ever beheld it. Early in May, he saw the country green with exuberant verdure, its gently undu- lating hills and valleys covered, as far as the eye could reach, with vast herds of buffalo and elk, with their young frisking about them. He speaks of its soft and beautiful scenery, its trees in full blossom, and, indeed, to judge from his account, as well as from the narratives of other travellers, it would seem as if this remote country of the Unjiga, with its winding streams, its clumps of trees and beautiful green sward, and its herds of untamed cattle, rivals, if it does not surpass, in many ])laces, all the groves, lawns and plantations with which genius and art seek to adorn the habitations of civilized life." The most Ret'd. Archhixhop Tarli'', " Et'iuhse sur Ic No7'd-oncH de VAynAriiiue" Archbisliop Tachc, altliough far from })eing an enthusiast as regards the North- West Territories, says, nevertlieiess, "La.vallee de la rivi»-re ;i lapaix fait une belle oxceptiou a eette triste ariditi- (celle de la region Athabaska). Sur les deux rives de cette ru-icre il y a des terres inar;nili(iiins ; de.s prairies d'une grande fertilitti y sont par8eun(jes d'lipaisses touffes de beau boiy de construction. Quelques points .sur la riviere Athaba.^kaotfrent aussi des avantagcs reels pour ia colonization. La nature est inagnifitjue dans ce district, la vallee de la petite riviire de I'eau chire a des beautes saisissantes et exceptionelles. Les rives du grand fieuve reportent par leur aspect, vos pensees sur Je? plus beaux tlcnves du moude." H y a aussi " d'abondantes richesaes mint rales. Le .souiVre, le sel, le fer, ie bitumc, la plombagine abondent (lans tout ce district, .le crois (pi'il y exisste aussi da puits des uetrole." La riviire a la la paix i)(>.s#le des carriercs de platre, des di'-pOts carboniferes supposc'^s etre d'une grande valeur. Ses Hots rapides descendent des montagnes Rocheuses des masses de sabl^; ijui recelent de la poudre d'or. Toutes ses richeases jointes a celles des fourrures douneut au district d'Athabaska une bien gra.ule im- portance." r^ <'*'iki er CHAPTER II. South of Pence River, — Great Rivera. — The Saskatchewan. — Buffalo. — Great Fertlliti/, — Vark-like appearance. — Sources 0/ the Satkatchewan. — Branch46 MO mileii apart. — Whole course lolo miles, inclndinij both branches Q287 miles. — Extent of coantri/ it troverses. — Adupt- ahility to new destiny. — Cereals and veif tables. — Whuat. — Advaidayes of Railway. — Objection answered. — Mountain past nra ye. — Remarkable richness of soil. — Cnltivation of ic/ieat. — All obatacbis to settlement removed. — Eivcouray^menl afforded. — Tin' Railu'ay. — x\ final objection met. Having dwelt at .some length in our lirst chapter on the more northerly regions of the North-West and their immense south of . -. . Police Riv resources as regards agriculture, fisheries, mineral wealth and <>••> ■ I, '**^ %♦ mss SI 1 ♦,<"•' branches, 228*7 miles. The countries which this river traverses are more extensive that the vast reprions of British India Kxtont of . the coinilry which border on the Gan2;es. Their total area accordinq- to it traverao*, tht calcnlntion of Mr. Alexr. Russell, of Ottawa, is 500,000 square miles. The countries of the Saskat«lie\van are at length thrown open to colonization. They have been until our time among the waste places ol the earth. They now belong to those portions of the earth's surface hitherto untenimted save by the denizens of the forest and the wild prairie land, which man- kind, in obedience to a hi^h command, are destined to occupy Adaptability - , , , . to Dew «le>»- and fill. In support of this position the weight ol authority istixy. on our sidt^. With the exception of some tracts on the south fork of the Saskatchewan, which, by reason of the poverty of the soil, must erer continue to be as they are at present, inhos- pitable deserts, the whole Territory, from Lak(^ Winnipt^g- west- ward to the Rocky Mountains, and along the eastern declivity of those mountains for 300 miles from the United States boun- dary line as far north as the head waters of the Athabaska, can be made available, and without any extraordinary difficulty, for the uses and wants of civilized man. What although according to the coiyectures of travellers whose evidence has been given on oath before a select committee of the British House of Commons, there are many parts of the North-West Territory where, on account of the shortness of the summer, it would be difficult to raise wheat vegS)i«? crops, there is no portion of the countries bordering on the Saskatchewan and its tributaries, where the more hardy cereals could not be produced. It is generally agreed, also, that all the more useful garden vegetables can be successfully culti- yated, Much farther north, even, Sir Alexander McKenzie and 12 VfhoRt. A(haiitajj;t of raihvax'. testifies to having seen a garden as richly stocked with choice vegetables as any in the world. It has been shewn already that in regions far to the north of the North Saskatchewan, wheat easily grows. It is not difficult to understand that the sunshine and warmth, so necessary for this kind of grain, are not want- ing in those northern latitudes, where, during the compar- atively short summer, the soil thaws to a depth of eleven feet. This is no slight effort for the rays of the returning summer sun, esnecially when it is considered that the winter's frost penetrates as far as seventeen feet, and during the whole period of the cold season, holds the earth as if rock bound. We have all heard of Siberian Avheat. And who is there that is at all conversant with a^Ticulturc who does not know that it is an excellent kind of g'rain and admirably adapted to our Canadian soil and climate ^ As its name shews, it is the produce of Siberia, where the soil is never wholly unfrozen, and where the winter is more scA'cre and summer shorter than in the couuHries of the Saskatchewan. The day may yet come when the Canadian people will ])e glad to import the wheat of these countries, in order to vary and renew their crops, thus deriving new le.sources and new viuor to their ao-riciiltural life from lands ^^ hich they can call their own, and which are within travelling distances that are comparatively easy, and which will ))e more easy still when the trans-continental railway, now in course oi' construction, is in full operation. How preferable would not this ])e to u'oing all the way to remote Siberia or to rest satislied with Siberian wheat, which may boast, indeed Siberian Ancestry, but which, for many successive year-., must have derived its vitality from Canadian soil. It has been said, however, that the countries in question do not enjoy a genial climate or a soil sufficiently rich ) to produce, except, perhaps, in some favored spots, crops JJ»i«c««j» of any kind, eyen the most hardy cereals, or the most common garden roots. The most competent and learned travellers give the reply to this objection. As has been already stated in this chapter, the extensive regions of the Saskatchewan abound in rich and nutritious grasses, on' which, until quite recently, were sustained immense herds of wild cattle. "Where these natural productions flourish, and the country is suffi- ciently level and unbroken, there can be no difficulty in raising all the cereals, as well as all the vegetables and root crops that are considered essential to an agricultural population. Such is the character of the^country, according to the best authorities with which we are as yet acquainted, in every portion of the Saskatchewan territory, with the exception of some arid soil bordering on parts of the south branch or Bow River. In this exception also, must be included so far, the eastern declivity of the Rocky Mountains, where the land is rugged and covered with brushwood, and may be described as being better adapted for grazing and the fattening of cattle than for the labors of the husbandman. On these mountain slopes the climate is mode- rate, and it is said that, even in winter, herbiverous animals^an easily subsist, the low growing wood which abounds every- where throughout those regions, preventing the snow from packing, and becoming an obstacle to the animals which seek their food in the inexhaustible sujiply of grass. We are indebted to Dr. Hector for an account of the advan- Mountain paaturatfc. tages presented by these less arable lands on the skirts of the mountains, which extend southward from Fort Pitt to Bow Fort. Speaking of the winter pasturage aflbrded there, the Doctor says ; " This winter pasturage consists of tracts of country partially wooded with poplar and willow clumps, and bearing a most luxuriant growth of vetches and nutritious ^ i • 14 , grasses. The clumps of wood aflford shelter to animals, while the scrubby bush keeps the snow in such a loose state, that they find no difficulty in feeding. The large tracts of swampy country, when frozen, also afford admirable feeding grounds ; and it is only towards spring, in very severe winters, that horses and cattle cannot be left to feed in well chosen localities throughout this region of country. Remarkable It may Hkewisc be stated, on the authority of the most "oiL"*^^ ° emii-ent travellers and explorers, that over all the Saskatchewan territory, wherever there is grass in abundance, all the cereals as well as wheat crcps, can be successfully cultivated. Around Cumberland House, which is situated at Some distance below the confluence of the tvv^o branches, and a good way further worth, " the soil," says one of the exploring parties, " is a stiff clay, but iiji general, it consists of a gravelly loam, a few feet in thickness, covering a bed of white limestone." Not over thirty miles farther up, " the general character of the country," says Mr. Fleming, "is excellent, the soil being rich and the timber of a fair quality." On the followiiig day the same distinguished traveller proceeded about* fifty miles, ascending the course of the river. Of this day's journey he says that " he passed through an excellent tract of country all day, the soil on both sides of the river consisting of a very rich alluvial deposit ten feet in thickness above the water, well wooded with large poplar, balsam, spruce and birch. Some of the poplars measuring two and a half feet in diameter ; and, as far as I was enabled to ascertain, the land continues '^ood for a great distance on either side, but, more especially, on the south side of the river." Next day's journey over fifty miles revealed a country '' well adapted for agricultural purposes and settlement, the soil being a rich alluvial loam, of considerable xieptli, well watered and drained by many fine creeks, and -1 <^ K ;. 15 ■clothed with abundance of timber for fuel, fencing and build- ing." In the neighbourhood of the spot where occurs the confluence of the two forks, there is greater variety of soil. "But," says the same writer, the general character of the country is highly favorable for agriculture, the soil deep and uniformly rich, rivalling the low level prairies of Red River and the Assiniboine." Such, generally, with the exceptions already alluded to, is as accurate a description of the Saskatchewan territory as it is as yet possible to obtain. It need not now be enquired whether such lands, as have been described, be capable of producing the more hardy cereals with the most useful vegetables and root crops. It will be more to the purpose to consider to what extent they may be cultivated in order to produce the finer kinds of grain. The summer may be too short for the maturing of maize or Indian corn, which is so easily raised in Canada. P-ut it can be satis- factorily shown that wheat may be profitably cultivated throughout the arable lands of the Saskatchewan. Colonel Lefroy on being examined before a select committee cultivation of the House of Commons, said in reply to the question (No, 172), "Do you know what crops arise there?" — (the most northern part of the Saskatchewan territory) — " They grow wheat, barley, potatoes and various vegetables." In answer to another question Colonel Lefroy observed — "Wheat will grow where the mean summer temperature gets up to 59*, and Fort Cumberland (the northern locality of which there is question), is pretty near the limit of that." " So you mean that it will ripen ? " "Yes."=H= *Mr. Sandforcl Fleming, — journey of 1872, says, at 64" N. Latitude ami HI W. Longitude, and within 100 miles of Edmontou, " the country became more hilly, and the hill sides wtre covtred with heavy wood. The flora continued thu same as on the eastern prairies, hut it was here somewhat more luxuriant." , t" i. - 16 R. King, Esq., M .D., who has written so ably on the- North-West, may svirely be relied on when he says, that the traders, generally, informed him that it (the Saskatchewan region) was precisely the same kind of land as that which he had passed through, namely, a rich soil interspersed with well wooded country, there being growth of every kind and the whole vegetable kingdom alive." (Question 5646). On being asked by the chairman of the committee, " "What is the nature of the soil ? " (564t) Dr. King replied : " It was a black mould which ran through that country, evidently alluvial soil." The whole of that country at Cumberland House is entirely alluvial. It has been described by nearly all the travellers. Franklin has been very rich in his description ; and particularly Ross Cox and many others. They speak of the richness of that part of the country. I have here the quotations. There are a few observations of Ross Cox. There are also those of Franklin." It would be strange, indeed, if such countries were less capable of producing wheat than several European lands, which are situated in still higher latitudes, and which do not enjoy any superior advantages in point of soil or shelter.'^ *0n this sam« locality Mr. Marcus Smith remarks ; "passed a small lake — then entered on a level plateau, clothed with a luxuriant growth of grass and vetchea, with occasional clumps of poplar and spruce, but a scarcity of water." A little far- ther on " the grass and vetches reached the saddle girths of horses. A rich grassy plain extended far four miles further, and then crossing a valley of 200 feet wide by 20 feet deep, entered poplar bush for two miles, and emerged at foot of hill, ascend- ing which, reached its summit at 1680 feet, and passing some lakes, came upon a beautiful park like country covered with richest grass, pea-vine and vetches, with occasional clumps of poplar and spruce." At Beaver River, " crossed below junction of the two streams, 90 feet wide, 2 ft. deep — subject to rapid rises. The banks were 12 ft. high, and the meadows along them produced the most luxuriant grass of various descriptions, with vetches three to four feet high." 54° X. l^t. 112 W. Long. Mr. Marcus Smith found 40 families settled at Lac La Bichf , principally half-breeds, and French Canadians. Catholic mission on Lake shore. Met Bishop Faraud, from whom much valuable information on country north and west. "Barley and wheat thrive well h«re, as well as vegetablee. There is z grist mill near the mission. Abundance of white fish in this, and neigh- bouriog lakes. the upon a ■leB, with at Lac on Lake country getables. id neijjh- .)■! ■ Dr. King also, in speaking of those countries (the more- northern regions of the Saskatchewan territory) says : " I came away certainly with the impression that it w^as a very magni- ficent country in many parts of it. Of course there were barren portions. But, upon the whole up to Athabaska I-uke, it appeared to me to be capable of any extent of cultivation. Governor Williams had opened Cumberland House. I found implements in the fields and capacious barns. It evidently had been placed under culture, and I w^as told at the time, that Grovernor Williams had been ordered away for his parti- ality in this respect." The learned Doctor, on being pressed by the committee, (question 5t06) proceeded to say that at the place just referred to, there was a little new colony of about thirty persons. He bought a calf of them for 7/, and a fat bullock for 12/. As he w^ent over their farms they appeared to him to be highly cultivated. " There w^as corn (maize, it is presumed, commonly called Indian corn or simply corn) wheat and barley growing. These colonists were ordered off, because it was incompatible with the interests of the Hudson's Bay Company that they should continue to cultivate. The penchant of Grovernor Williams for farming caused him also to be removed to some other station. The colony in question had under cultivation from 1000 to 1500 acres. Their industry was quite successful ; the wheat was looking luxuriant. '' (5Y28). There were also other kinds of crops, such as barley and potatoes, as well as live stock — pigs, cows and horses. This forbidden attempt to colonize the w^ilderness was made about 40 miles from Cumberland House, towards the northern limit of the Saskatchewan territory, on a line of latitude a degree and a-half north of Montreal. Many obstacles to the colonization of the fertile countries bordering on the Saskatchewan have been removed. The Id AH o'lstiules i(> settle- ment re- moved. monopoly of the Hudson's Bay Company no longer exists. There are none by whom the husbandman who ploughs the land and rejoices in the abundanc^e of his crops, can be iwtkred off. Nor is there anything to be apprehended from hostility on the part oi" the Indian tribes. Governor Morris succeeded in negotiating arrangements with which they are perfectly satis- fied. They have sold their exhausted hunting grounds and are pleased with the price, and well they may, for, not only is it duly paid, but in addition, the children of the forest have been sustained ever since the failure of their game supplies, at great cost to Canada. The Canadian people, with truly cosmo- politan benevolence, are thus purchasing a country not for themselves only, but, also, for all who may choose to live in peace under the Canadian roof tree. A powerful police force has been successfully established, and it not only ensures security to settlers, many of whom must as yet be partially isolated, but is also a protection to all, especially to those who need it most — the unwary red men, against foreign contamination. The denizens of the United States could not, indeed, even before the days of the Mounted Police, attack our Indians with gunpowder as they do their own, but they maintained against them, nevertheless, an exterminating guerilla warfare, in which the chief material of war was that iatal '7'Ve-w'«^ end, nature has done much. Art, such is the destiny of the new land, will complete the work which nature has so well prepared. If there were no other ways of travelling and of trading extensively, than such as are presented by the various ' "• water courses, the Saskatchewan country would be privileged as regards traffic and travel, beyond any country in the world. 22 Its rivers flow tlirouah regions that ^1 are almost wholly level. Few miuiis. There are few rapids, and still fewer water-falls ; so that the great river may be considered navigable by both branches, all the way from the Atlantic shore on Hudson's Buy, through « Lake Winnipeg to the base of the liocky Mountains. Sir Greorge Simpson, an unwilling witness, whilst maintaining that early in the spring, the water of the river is exceedingly low, and that th(» voyagers are obliged to get out of their boats and haul them over shoal water, bears testimony to the impor- tant fact, that from the lime that the Saskatchewan is swollen by the meeting and the coming down of the mountain snow, which occurs on the 1st of June, navigation is perfectly practi- cable until the month of September. "It is best" Sir George Simpson observes, "while the freshet continues at its height, i.e. until the middle of July, when the water begins to fall of!*." But "from that time till September" he admits, "it is tolerably good." (Miiudea of evidence select committee of lite House of Com' mom. Question 7SM)). Impcdi- ■nents eiisily ronioveil. There is a chain of rapids below the confluence of the two branches of the Saskatchewan which it is believed, could easily be surmounted by canals, or a moderate amount of road making. Two miles from Lake Winnipeg commence the "Grrand Eapids," about three miles in length, with a descent of 48^ feet. The country in the neighborhood of these rai^ids is very favorable for a road, sa3^s Professor Hind, and even for a settlement. The banks of the river are high, and there is a considerable dejith of good soil. A road, Mr. Alex. Russell not inaptly observes, would be more suitable than any kind of canal, as larger vessels are required for the navigation of Lake Winnipeg than for that of the Saskatchewan. The next rapid is one mile in length and the fall 7^ feet. It is calculated that in the 20 miles from Lake Winnipeg to Cedar Lake, there- -I, 28 rr that the t^htvs, all through ns. Sir ^ fining '^^' hoats swoJJeu 1 .s'How, practi- (Icorge M, i.e. \\ oil!" ' Com- e two easily Jvilig. >ids," TJie Gilt. ibJe . •tJy ^ as ►eg ' lie ac re is a descent of more thuii 60 feet. These rapids once sur- mounted, the river is navigable by steamers through Cedar Lake to Tobern's rapids, a distance of 180 miles. It may be crathered from the evidence g-iven by Sir George Simpson, before a select committee of the House of Common;*, that the rapids just n^fcn-rcd to are the only impediments between Lake Winni])(>g and Edmonton House, at the Rocky Mountains. There are smaller rapids, l)ut they could be surmounted with- out any outlay,whilst the former could not be obviated without exi)ense. The South Saskatchewan presents still fewer obsta- cles to navigation. Many of the tributaries could be navigated by the smaller kinds of floating craft ; and, considering the level nature of the country, canals could be made in every direction. Not only could this admirable water system be made avail- able for all internal purposes of trade and travel, it would also in the event of the country being colonizjd, become subservient to the means of communication with foreign countries. The South Saskatchewan in its mighty bend southwards, extiuids to a point within 40 miles of the United States, and it is navigable as far and farther than that point in its long course. Stretching northward, the wide territory reaches Lake Atha- baska, and by means of its waters commands the navigation of the great McKenzie Iliver for more than 1,200 miies, as far as the Arctic Ocean. Two oceans moj'e are easily accessible, and the civilization which it is the obvious destiny of this new country to attain will, one day, render them all tributary to its wants or to its luxury. As has been already pointed out, the Saskatchewan after the junction of its north and south waters, traverses the north {]o"t°J^y^_ end of Lake AYinnipeg, and flows in augmented volume to the ''^*'''''"' ^®' Atlantic Ocean, whilst by means of the great Lake (Winnipeg) riton. f '■■■ 24 to which it lends itspjff tion with the whole oiuImZ"'' '' '"''"'"'"«« -""mumca- «' Manitoba and the oxtcLive ,!'^*'*^°"»'V- ''"' n«w Proving ««»' and «outh by Ontario ^ IT''; ""■' "« bounded on h^ jinxr; I ^^® ^^<^r^^i '>raneh oFihc q , "^*- -ft is also well rangements can be made, or the country is in a condition directly to meet the cost, the imi^ortaut and useful work will bo completed. Such a railway once made, colonization will advance vvitli giant strides, and comniunicatioa with the remote east will he opened hy the shortest route. The distance from London to .fapan will be abridged by 5,218 miles, and all other distances to eastern lands in like proportion. The distance from London to Canton via Panama, is 15.580 miles, r/« Canada, the plains of the Saskatchewan and the Pacific Ocean, 10,850 miles. The Sandwich Islands, the Fejee Islands, the Island of Labuan, &c., will bo found to be convenient resting places in the Pacific, where steamboats couUl lay in supplies of fresh water, coal and other necessary things. Labuan, a British possession adjacent to Borneo, and in the line of navigation to the fertile regions of Oceanica, is rich in coal, which has beon available for some time, -the mines being worked by a company. in 26 CHAPTER lY. REGIONS SOUTH EAST OF THE SASKATCHEWAN. Th' Sovris and Qit'Apj^fe Bivcrs.— 1,000,000 Fertile Acres.— A Conntrij as large as all Eiujlaud. — Fine Woods. — Beavttf and Fertility. — The FisJtin'j Lakes. — Varieties oj Soil. — Herds of Buffalo. — How the Couvtrij is ^Situated. — Wheat Groioing. — Undulating Prairie Land. — Alliu'icd Soil. — luimense Fertile Prairie. — Pine Sceneri/ and Rich Pasturage. — Desiiug of the Countrg Indicated. — Already sovght hy Enterprising Colonists. Passing south-eastwards from the magnificent prairies of the Saskatchewan, we arrive at a less fertih\ but not unpro- ductive tract of country, situated on a river which may as yet SdSAp- b^ s^^i^^ ^^ ^^<-' nameless— the " Quappelle,'' or ivhat d'ye call it? i.eiie rivers rpj^jg ^iyer is a tributary of the Assiniboine. It flows from a lake which also shares its waters with the South Saskatchewan, and is fed by several other lakes situated at some distance to the south. Their name resembles that of the river. They are called the Qiiappelle Lakes. To the south of them the landscape is diversilied by hills, some of which are three hundred feet above the plain. Prairies almost entirely level extend from these hills to the '' Soiim " or Mouse Kiver, near the 49th para! 'el of N. latitude, which divides our British territory from the United States of America. This river flows some distance in a south easterly direction, and, passing the boundary line^ lends its waters, for a moment, to the United States, and, then, returning, continues in a north-easterly course, till it loses itself in the Assiniboine, which is wholly within British 27 les of iipro- s yet II it ? om a lew an, ce to y are scape feet from 49tli from stance line, then, loses ritish. territory. The countries situated on the Souris and Qu'appelle Rivers not beins? within the " fertile belt," might be set down, 1,000,000 o . fertile acre* perhaps, as possessing no value in an agricultural point of view. Recent explorations however have shewn that they are not without value as arable lands. A million acres of fertile land that can be cultivated is not to be despised. This is, indeed, a small proportion of the whole territory. But it is hardly to be supposed that there is not more land on the Souris and Qu'appelle, that could be made available, if not for the cultivation of all kinds of crops, at least for the ec[ually profitable purpose of raising cattle. If immense herds of btiffalo can be sustained " on the grasses and herbs which grow spontaneously, it is not surely hard to believe that when the arts of the husbandman are applied, as great a number, at least, of domestic animals may be maintained. But, as so many fertile spots fit for the country as plough,, have been found by the passing explorer, in a country England. ' as extensive as the whole of England, more ground that can be cultivated, may yet be discovered. The growth of miserable aspens which prevails so much, may convey the impression that the land is generally poor and unproductive. It must be borne in mind, however, that the Indian tribes, with incon- ceivable want of foresight, set fire to the woods, as they pass, on occasion of their hunting excursions, and so succeed, at length, in destroying the noblest forests. "VYhere the primeval Fine woods. woods still exist, "they are of a large growth," writes Professor Hind, " and very thickly set." Continuing to ascend the River Qu'appelle, the same exjilorer says that he traversed " very beautiful and fertile prairies." He speaks of travelling Beauty rand /ill, n ' certility. a wnoie day through a "magnmcient prairie," just before reaching the Qu'appelle Lakes. Mentioning a large tract of . country in the same neighborhood, a little to the west of the Indian head and Chalk Hill ranges, he says that it is " truly beautiful," and is destined to become highly important." 28 The country arouud the Qu'appelle mission is spoken of by Professor Hind as being particularly beautiful. "There the Qu'appelle valley is 1^ miles broad, and 250 feet deep. Both north and south, a vast prairie extends, fertile, inviting, but treeless on the south, and dotted with groves of aspen over a light and somewhat gravelly soil on the north. "The fish; The lakes, four in number, are most beautiful and attrac- ng lakes. ' ' tive, and from the rich store of fish which they contain are appropriately named fisldng lakes. A belt of timber fringes their sides at the f«ot of the steep hills which they wash, for they fill the entire breadth of the valley. Ancient elm trees with ] ong and drooping branches, bend over the water. The ash-lea red maple acquires dimensions such as we have not seen since leaving Eed Eivcx , and the Misaska- tomina is no longer a bush, but a tree from 18 to 20 feet high, and loaded with most luscious fruit." So much for a country which is generally reputed to be sterile. If, however, there be any truth in the accounts given by several exploring expedi- tions — and who can doubt the words of so many honorable and learned gentlemen? — this wilderness of the North-West will yet be made to blossom like the rose. , Its capabilities, surely, cannot be questioned ; for, we read at every step, of larg^e tracts luatered by fine streams ; of good clay \^ietie3 otsoil; level plain, dark, rich loam ; rolling prairie; open, level prairies of light sandy loam, with clumps of willows ; rich black soil ; and again, prairies, some undulating and with sandy clay, or light clay loam, others level and open, and full of marshy ponds.. Passing from the Qu'appelle to the Souris, the same descriptions are applicable. For instance, we are told tliat on this river aLo tracts are met with as much as 20 miles in length, and ten in breadth, the soil of which is a rich sandy loatr and which, thanks soil. lofby re the Both viting, aspen north, attrac- contain timber , which valley, nd over such as . ^isaska- let high, country there be expedi- ible and lest will I we read rood clay si prairies bi7 ; and light clap Passing tions are Iver aloO Id ten in L thanks 29 to the improvident burning of the stately old forests, are even ^ now ready for the plough. Only think of this, Canadians, who must pay twenty times the price of your land in money or in labor, before you can raise one single blade of grass ! The extensive lands, chiefly prairie lands, which lie be- Herds ef •^ -^ Buffalo, tween the two rivers, according to the most distinguished explorers, are frequented by very numerous herds of Buffalo. The country of which we have endeavored to convey an idea extends along the United States frontier, from the how the country is broken hilly region which forms the western boundary of the situated. alluvial valley of Red River, as far west as the sources of the Assiniboine and its tributaries, to the point where the most important of these tributaries, the Qu'appelle, is said to flow from a lake which is also a feeder of the South Saskatchewan. Theories which appear to be somewhat premature, have been built on this remarkable fact. It has been supposed that, by means of this lake, communication might be established be- tween the water system of Red River and that of the great Saskatchewan. Be this as it may, it will be time to think of such things when works of greater and more pressing utility have been accomplished. It now remains, before concluding this chapter, to offer some remarks on the countries bordering on the main stream of the Assiniboine which flows through the region which we have just been considering. It may be generally observed, in the words of Mr. S. J. Dawson, M.P., for Algoma, who con- ducted the Canadian exploring expedition of 1858, "The great wheat alluvial valley drained by the Assiniboine and its tributaries ^™^ ^' above the Souris River, will, no doubt, become, at some period, one of the finest wheat growing countries in the world. No 30 one in this part of the country (the report is dated, Red River, 4th July, 1858) even pretends that in point of soil or climate, it is unfavorable to the growth of agricultural produce." The course of the Assiniboine from its junction with the Souris, upwards, is exceedingly tortuous. It not unfrequently crosses the valley through which it flows, as much as three times in the direct distance of a mile. This does not lessen the beauty of its scenery. There are "ne woods on either bank, often extending the whole breadth of the valley, which is generally, from one to two miles wide. From the heights at Undulating Port ElHcc, — about 250 feet above the surface of the stream, a praine land, ' ^ ' fine view is obtained of the most beautiful undulating i^rairie lands, stretching out to a great distance on both banks of the river. The whole of the vast region bordering on the Upper Assinibome, is described by Mr. S. J. Dawson in the report of his exploration (1858) as almost a level plateau, the greater height of the banks at Fort Ell ice nicely indicating the descent of ''7 e river in its tortuous course. It is very satisfactory t© Alluvial soil, leia 11 from the same report that, to a considerable distance inland, from the banks, "'the soil was found to be of an alluvial character, differing in no respect, from the soil in the prairie lands of Red River.'" Stretching far inland are seen, as you glide along the waters of the Assiniboine, beautiful valleys with winding banks, covered, in some places, with green herbage, and in others, with forests which ascend to the level of the plain above. A little above Fort Ellice, the River Qu'appelle joins , the Assiniboine. It forms the southern limit of an immense fertile prairie, which is bounded on the north by White Mud River, another important tributary of the Assiniboine, and, on the west, by the Touchwood HilJs. This prairie cannot be less than one hundred miles in breadth between the two streams which form its southern and northern boundaries. It is Immense fertile prai rie. 31 traversed by the great highway which leads from Red River to Carlton House, and is well known to travellers, who speak admiringly of its great fertility. To the north of Mud River, which is believed to be the main stream of the Assiniboine, there are also extensive alluvial plains. These fertile lands also are celebrated by travellers. They extend to the immedi- ate vicinity of the sources of the Assiniboine. Fort Felly, a post of the Hudson's Bay Company, is situated on a l^ranch of this river, somewhat to the north of White Mud. This place Fine scenery is much admired for its rich and picturesque scenery. Travel- pasturage. lers speak of beautiful valleys diversified with alternate slopes of w^oodland and prairie. When the exploring" party of 1858 passed there, numbers of horses were feeding quietly on the abundant pasturage, " and what" they add, " with clumps of trees on the rising grounds, and the stream winding among green meadows, it seemed as if it wanted only the presence of human habitations to give it the appearance of a highly culti- vated country." This upper portion of the Assiniboine country is separated from the lower Assiniboine and Red River territory by a com- paratively barren tract, from 40 to 50 miles in breadth, known as The Sand Hills. This region, although not so inviting as those which have been described, is not altogether barren. There are beautiful and not infertile valleys, whilst both hill and dale are capable of affording excellent pasturage. The section of the North-West territory which borders on Destiny of ITT *••!• • t • 1 11 1 '""^ country the Upper AsBinibome, is destined, no doubt, to become one of indicated. the richest agricultural countries in the world. At the same time it must be observed that by reason of its great facility of communication with the rest of the territory, as well as with foreign countries, its future populations must enjoy great com- mercial resources. These resources will be all the greater, that t I w 82 the soil, in addition to its agricultural capabilities, abounds in some of those things which minister so largely to the wants and the h xuries of life. Coal, so essential to domestic comfort, and so great an element of material progress, is found in abun- dance on the Upper Assiniboine. (Evidence, H. of Com. Qr. 2,*715, &c.) There are indications also, of iron, w^hich is one of the greatest gifts that have be»n given to man, and which, as a source of national wealth is more precious than gold. The most common, but most useful of all things, salt, abounds, if not in the alluvial valleys, at least in several places which border on the Assiniboine country. Finally, let it be said, for the gratification of all who love what is truly agreeable, and abhor the putrescent exhalations of swamps and the croaking of bvill frogs, the birds are musical and the flowers fragrant. A country in many respects so highly favored, cannot fail to attract settlers. "We learn, as we write, that a colony from Cobourg, Ontario, has just been established on the banks of the Souris, at a point where two smaller tributary streams. Oak r Creek and Spring Brook enter this river from the south. The land at this point is peculiarly adapted for the growth of wheat the soil being a rich sandy loam, with a clay subsoil. Mr. Rogers, who appears to be the leader of the enterprising colonists, brought with him the machinery necessary for setting up a steam saw mill with a 20 horse-power engine. Thus, as the country is well wooded, the colonists, who number 150, will be at once supplied with prepared timber for building, &c. There is a blacksmith's shop, also, a general goods store and the land office. Ere long there will be a post-office, and Mr. Sogers intends to avail himself of the water-power at the con- Snence of '^ak Creek and the Souris, for the erection of a grist mill. The 150 settlers have already large clearings ol T5 acres to each settler, which will be ready for crops next year. Sup- ii 88 posing each colonist to be the head of a family, we behold a population of over 600 souls established in a lone nook of the great "lone land," and by miracles of industry, changing the wilderness to a garden. Milford, such is the name given to the new colony, is in the direct line of route from Winnipeg to Turtl'3 Mountain settlement. 1 * 1 'I II ■^. 84 CHArXER V. THE COUNTRIES BOBDERING ON LAKES MANITOBA, WINNIPEGOOS, &C. Reference to Autliorifles. — Maijnificnit Country. — Beai'flfttl Luh's. — Uvel Co'imtrij. — Jiicli Woods. — Extent. — Fertility. — All kinds of icood. — tSoil of lUicommon richness. — Vensii woods. — Alhivlal soil. — ///// rind dale. — Frairie and voodland. — Great fertility. — Finely vooded level. — Alluvial and deep soil. — Level plain. — Alteriiute n'ood and prairie. — \Voodia)iil and prairie.— -Crowtli of Majde, Oak, Ehn and Poplar. — Indian Corn and J/efoiift. — Indian Farmers. — Aqiaitii; Fowl. — Fish abounds. — Sturtjeon. — Domestic Cattle. — Wood abun- dant. — Coal. — 0! nomad aboriginal tribes. The breadth of this region is no less than 100 miles at the points wher(> it is v^^idest, — between Lake Winnipeg' and Lakes Winnipegoos and Manitoba. Its entire length may be set down at 2o0 miles. The soil is alluvial and so high, in many idaces, above tlii^ surface of the neighboring waters, as to ])e quite All kinds of l)oyon(l (he rearli of inundations. Tliere can be no doubt as to its fertility, when it is considered that the rock which underlies it, is limeston(\ and that there is, everywhere, a luxuriant growth of all kinds of wood. Along tlie course of the Little Saskatchewan, the river b)^ which the waters of Lakes Dauphin, Manitoba and AVinnipegoos, are conveyed to Lake AVinnipeg, tlie ground is lower, more marshy, and more apt to be Hooded. But the valley of this river forms only a small portion of the country of which we are endtnivoring to give an idea. For a circuit of oO miles round the south end of Lake Manitoba, the soil is spoken of, by the settlers there, as being exceedingly rich. They pro- nounce it even superior to the line alluvial lands of Red River. This tract is richly wooded. But, there are also extensive meadows or prairie lands. The White Mud River, ab..at SO miles in length, belongs to this region. It has its sources in the southerrj skirts of the Riding Mountains, and flows, in an easterly direction, to the south end of Lake Manitoba. It passes through a very beauti- Soil of nil common riehneijs. entirely ills, and I thoro a country >r recent liut they s of the •ibes. ^'< at the id Lukes et down i places, e quite 3ubt as which 'here, u irer by ")egoos, more f this oh we miles on ol^ Y pro- River. nsive longs )fthe the auti- ^ 87 ful and fertile country, consisting chiefly of open prairie lands, thickly interspersed with woods. The soil is a rich sandy loam. This portion of the territory whit^h bears so favorable a description, extends southwards, all the way to the sand hills on the Assiniboine, and eastwards, as far as lied River. Passing' to the north-eastern shore of the same lake, we lind a low, ilat country, the surface of which presents very little variety. Here, boulders of granite are strewn among the water worn fragments of limestone which appears to ))e ihe prevailing rock of the locality. The Canadian t^xj^loring !)..«., (expedition of 1858 reported a defuse growth of wood on a high range of land pretty close to the north-eastern shore of this lake. Between this ridge and the mainland there is an opiui marsh, which varies from half p, mile to two miles in width. It extends along the whole coast, and is broken only here and there, by points of higher land which run down to the lake. When the exi)edition passed, '' the marsh was covered with withered bulrushes and long grass, which, although ol last year's growth, still evinced the rankness of the Acigetation peculiar to this region. The stems of some of the bulrushes, on being measured, were found to })e an inch and three-quarters in diameter. From the marsh, the mainland — a rich alluvial j^,"""'*' soil — generally rises to a moderate elevation, and is not subject to being inundated.'' To the west of the inland 1 kes, there is the X)leasing variety of hill and dale. Some of the hills, such, for instan<-e, Ji^J^a"* 1 lie whole western shore ol this lak«', the land is reported hy exi)lorers, as remarka])ly fertile, and ol' siillieiont eh'vation to he quite heyond the reai'h of inundations. Between the two rivers Just named, a hnel and well wooded re^'ion extends as far as the base of the l*ori'upine Hills. The country around Swan Lake, about six miles from theirouth of the river of this name, is described as hi^^hly interestinu". The lake itself, is dotted with islands. The country extends northward from this lake — an unbroken and finely wooded level all the Avay to the Porcupine* range, whilst towards the south, no hi'inhl or undulation intercepts the view of the Duck Mountains, the blue crest of w^hich is seen tow^er- erinu" above the horizon. The river w^as explored as far as twH'uty miles from the lake, near w^hich its banks are low, although, rising gradually, they attain the height of one hundred feet above the river. At this point, the river is im- peded considera})ly by granite boulders and iragments of lime- stone, which is the prevailing rock of the district. The land slips that have occurred in many places w'here the banks are AiiuviHi and high, rcvcal the nature of the soil " wdiich is alluvial" say the explorers, " and of great dei)th, resting ux)on drift clay or shale of a bituminous appearance." Ten miles farther the stream follows a rather tortuous course, in "a fine valley." The banks here rise to the height of eighty or one hundred feet. Leyci ri.aiii. ]5^»yoncl tliem, in a northerly direction, towards Porcupine Hill, extends an almost level plain from fifteen to twenty miles, and the same distance sou.thward, as far as the Table land of Duck Mountain. This plain is bounded on the south-west by Thun- der Mountain. It presents, say the explorers of 1858, " one of the finest countries which they have ever seen in a state of 89 hore thps(» \u;o()s, and, tlio land Nullicient IN. Jind well I'ori'iipiiu* lilos irom IS hi^'hJy country id iinojy ^N whilst the view 1 tower- is far as ire low, of one r is im- of lime- he land inks are say the >r shale stream The d feet. e Hill, 's, and Duck Thun- one of ate of ludure. The prospect is bounded by the hills jnsi named, while J|<;«™»t^ in the pliiin, alternate wood and piairie i)re8ent an appearance p"^'''" nitre pleasinp^ than if either prevailed. On the 10th of Junt, the time at which we passed, the kees were in full foliajj^e, and the prairie openings showed a vast expanses of i>reeu sward." Travellinu^ amoni»' the hills they met with wide valleys which bear the same di'scription. The expedition passed from the (ountry which wo are endeavoring to describe by a tributary of Swan Uiver. Thii stream also ilows in " a beautiful valley, ^'7 [>';Ji^ vrith alterniit(^ slopes of woodland and prairie." ' Red Deer Kiver, althoug'h it traverses a mort* northerly % portion ofthe\Vinnipegooaregiou,isnolessfamed for the fertility of the land whith it irrigates. The iirst and most renowned of travellers in the North-Wcst, Sir Alexander McKenzie, bears ■witness, as many have done since his time, to the fact that the Growth of . __ , maple. maple tre(; grows to perltMtion. No belter prootean be required of the excellence of the climate and the capabilities of the soil. This stream, like Swau Kiver, has a course of about two hun- dred miles. ' On Dauphin Iliver, no inconsiderable stream, for it is forty yards broad and live feet deep in its shallowest jmrts, the lands are admirably productive. The banks are of a strong gray clay covered with black Hiould. Oak, elm and poplar grow luxu-oiv, ci?ii au.l !)o|)!ar. riantly, and it is stated on the authority of the Canadian expedition of 1858, that there are Indians settled at several places on this river, who raise potatoes, Indian corn andi"j'^"J^' melons. In drawing this chapter, now becoming tediously long, to a conclusion, it will not be superfluous to make special, though brief allusion to the productions of a country so beautiful, so well irrigated, and so fertile as the regions bordering on Lakes oriv Ullii. M 40 Indian armei't. Aquatic fowl. Fioh aboundii. Stui-g-CDii. Domestii cnUlu. Winncpegoos and Manitoba. From what has just been stated in regard to the valley of Dauphin River, it will not be hard to believe that, in addition to the melon, which requires no slight degree of summer heat and unbroken sunshine, the most valuable kinds of g-rain can easily be cultivated. At Manitoba and Partridge Crop, as well as at Lake Dauphin, there are settlements of Indians and people of mixed origin who cultivate wheat and Indian corn, as well as many other kinds cf crops. Wheat, Indian corn, melons, no less than all the cereals and vegetable crops, may be set down among the productions of the country, ; The negligence of the sparse settlers in regard to thcuu prB- cioiis. fruits of the soil only proves the abundance of other RcuxCv^t. c. absistence. Comparatively, they pay little attention to husbandry, the noblest industrial i^ursuit of civilized man, and betake themselves to the more congenial occupations of huniing and fishing. This is highly remunerative employ- ment. Ducks, geese and aquatic birds of all kinds frequent the waters of this magniiicent lake country, whilst the lakes and rivers s^^ arm with llsh of every description. At rich fishinj grounds, not more distant than the G-rand Rapids of the Sas- katchewan, many iamilies go to lish every year for stur- geon. Not very long ago, there wereiifteen families who thun made (heir livelihood. i Tli." Ijuilalo heixls, ere while so numerous, are diminish- ing, disappearing rapidly. But, it is not to be doubted, that domestic cattle — oxen, sheep, liorses, &c., as civilization advances, Avill take their place, so easy is it to rear such animals on the rich meadow Jands where Wv: wild Deer and Buiiiilo were formerly sustained in such numbers. Now that colonization is fairly and successfully commenced, the facilities for maintaining such valuable farm stock are every day multiplied, as population sen stated t be hard quires no tiine, the ited. At dauphin, d origin er lands ' cereals 'tions of e^« prii- »i' other tention d man, ions of mpJoy- ?quent es and ishiii'T e- iSas- stur» ) thufi I { 1 inish- , thatj neos, ! rich j lorly I iirly ">'uch tion increases, in fertile regions where all kinds of agricultnral pro- TVo«d &\,m- duce are so easily raised. According to the descriptions which ' have been referred to, more than once in this chapter, there is no want of wood for building and other necessary purposes. It grows luxuriantly throughout the whole extent of this im- mense lake region. It thrives on the hill tops, even as high as the summit plateau of Duck Mountain. Coal is found incoai. this mountain group as well as in the Porcupine Hills. The passing explorer has not yet, however, been able to say with certainty, whether it can be found in sutFicient quantity to become available. Ee this as it niuy, the precious mineral abounds in the neighboring countries of the Asainiboine and its tributaries. Meanwhile, as far as fuel is concerned, the oak, oak. eiM. the elm and the maple of the land may well supply its i^lace Lest anything should be omitted that is calculated to give an idea of the many productions of this lake territory, it may be mentioned that it po.ssesses mineral sprinu^s and medicinal M'"<^'-'ii waters. Salt is found in many places alon"- the western shores '"^tii"*! of Lake Winnipegoos and Swan Eiver. The salt springs are utilized by the fludson's Iiay Company, who manufacture salt sait. for their own use. The Ked River settlement is also supplied with salt iTom the sam'^ source, a person of the name of Monk- man having (established works by means of which he provides solt for the whole population. The explorers of 1858 mention having been serenaded at early dawn, as they passed through the territory, by innumer- able singing' birds. The woods, they state, v/ere positively iiindug alive with them. This was nothing new. The explorer of an "''' earlier day. Sir Alexander McK(.'nzie, alludes to the same pleasing circumstance. He was often checn-ed in his jourjiey- ings through the wilderness by the merry tones of the melodi- ^ ous songsters who find their home in the forests of the North- West. 42 I ! I ,! V Travel liiv; and trade. CHArXER VI. WINNIPKOOOS A:fD MANITOBA COUNTRY FARTHER CONSIDIRED. I'ravellinf/ and trade. — Eailimi/s.—Coal. — JaurnryivysoftheAhorlgines. — Access to ofJier lau,ds. — Character of the Aborit/ines. — How they culti- vate Wheat, Jndifij) t-urn, dc.—Xot'tve Christ'taiis. — Loialt;/ of the red me)t in a.l' the North- West. — Thpi/cfahn the Canadians as their cousins. — J fen of n sitprrlor type — The Tribes diininiHliimj, The regions bordering on Lakes AVinnipegoos and Manitoba are admirably adapted for colonization, not only on account of the fertility of the soil and the excellence of the climate, but also be(,'ause of the g'reat facilities which they possess for the purposes of travelling' and commerce. It is scarcely possible to imagine a country, Avhere, even in its unreclaimed state, there are fewer impediments to locomotion, whether by land or water. The gentlemen of the several exploring* expeditions found no difhculty in traversing the country in all directions, on the lakes and rivers over the prairie lands, in the woods and through the more hilly regions. Throughout the level tract, about loO miles in length, l>ounded on the east by Lake "Winnipeg, and extending, in breadth, 100 miles, to Lakes "VVinnipegoos and Manitoba, roads of all kinds could easily be made. This fertile plain is particularly well adapted for railways. They could be constructed without tunnels, viaducts, costly excavations, and the still more expensive filling up of almost bottomless swamps. The more hilly regions to the west of the inland lakes, present almost equally great facilities ibr railway making. The iron way could be made to wind through the valleys with only a few bridges here and there for crossing. They could even be ";iii fi "i i iii i r ~ i 43 made to ascend the highest mountains of the country without any serious engineering difficulties, the ascent being gradual, and the greatest height only from a thousand to fifteen hundred feet above the neighboring plain. That railway enterprise will prevail extensively at no very distant date, there can be little doubt, especially as thp advance westward, of population must cause to be developed the coal seams that have been obserA'ed in the Porcupine and Duck Mountains. Meanwhile, the ex- tensive lakes and numerous streams, so manv of which can be navigated by the smaller kinds of floating craft, will do duty in the absence of the iron horse, and render easy and inexpen- sive the conveyance of men and merchandise. Should coal not be found in sufficient quantity at the ]:>oints referred to, this important element in the working of railways, could be brought from the neighboring country of the Assiniboine. Already, without railways, or made roads of any kind, access can be had to all parts of the country, even to the highest plateau summits from which flow the more important streams. The few nomad Aborigines who, at present chiefly occupy the land, travel in all directions, without any difficulty in search of game. They find their way also to the best fishing grounds, however distant, partly on foot, and partly in their light canoes. 7t was shown in the last chax)ter that no fewer than fifteen families of natives proceed, qxqyy year, as far as the Grand Rapids of the Saskatchewan, in order to fish for sturgeon. This fact alone suffices to show how abundant this rare and valuable fish must be in the waters of the Great Saskatchewan. The tracks of these Aboriginal occupants of the soil have paved the way to several exjiloring parties ; and these in their turn have opened the country and pointed out available roads to all who may, at some future day, seek their home under the new order which is in course of being established, along the western r.ailwnvs. C )ul. Journevinjt* of the ' Aboriyrines. 44 shores of Lake ■Winnipeg^ and aronnd the more inland waters of Lakes Manitoba and Winnipegoos. A«cM«to No country could enjoy greater facilities of communication with other lands. The inland chain ol waters can be navigated to within a very short distance of the Assiniboine and Red Eiver. The Province on the latter river may also be reached by sailing craft through Lake Winnipeg and the lower part of Red River. The Saskatchewan Territory can also be approached by navigable waters. The Little Saskatchewan, a River of great breadth, although not very deep, connects the system of inland waters with Lake Winnipeg, whence the Saskatchewan is accessible to suitable sailing craft. From the western shores of the lakes, large canoes and even mon^ capacious vessels can ascend to the base of the hills. Such facilities for inland navigation as well as easy access by lakes and water-courses to other lands, are hardly to be met with in any other country. The Aborigines are now so greatly reduced in numbers, that it will hardly be thought worth while to take into Character. f account thm habits, character or disposition as regards gi«e». '" ' new settlers. As the actual occupants of the land, however, they are deserving of attention; and as their position and rights will be scrupulously r(;spected under the new order which is designed to promote their prosperity and hap- piiK^ss, no less than the well being, in days to come of many million.'^, besides, it may not be a useless task to give an idea in this chapter, of their character and present state. Throughout the country of which we are endeavoring to con- vey an idea, there are only some inconsiderable settlements, H..» tiuv co.;^uSiing for the most part of Indians and people of mi ed wheat. Jn- origin. Thcv are dcscribcd by the various exploring expedi- clian com, ~ •' •' x o f ^ *•-• tions ;is beiii^" rather inclined to habits of industry, although they subsist, chiefly, by fishing and the chase. Since the «i Buffalo decreased so much as no longer to affoid. thiese sparse inhabitants a sufficient supply of Pemmican, they have learned to cultivate the soil, and around some of their habitations may be seen fields of wheat, Indian corn and various other crop.s. They are slow, however, in adopting the more laborious occu- pations of civilized life, and rely in a great measure, on the extraordinary abundance of fish which their lakes and rivers present, together with the endless variety of water fowl and other game in which the country is so rich. They are spoken of by travellers as a peaceable and order-loving people. This admirable trait in their character is ascribable, no doubt, in a great degree, if not wholly, to their close relatioss and even blood relationship with the well organized and highly civilized settlers at Red Kiver (now the Province of Manitoba). Their frequent dealings with the Hudson's Bay Company have also tended to improve their social condition, imparting to them ideas oi honesty and honor, in matters of barter and trade. Nor can the j^leasing circumstance be overlooked that many of them have been gained bv the zeal of missionaries to the mild usages of the Christian Faith. Not unaware of the equitable Native and gentle rule exercised over their fellow Indians in Canada, under the auspices of the British Government, they would pre- fer, if we may rely as we surely can, on information derived Loyalty ..f from officers of the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company, the British in aii the n Canadian Government to any of which they have yet heard. Such, we believe, and on the same authority, is the disposition, generally, of the Aboriginal and mixed races at Red River (Manitoba), and throughout the other vast regions of the North West. It cannot be considered inopportune to insist on such facts and the authoritv which bears them out, when it is remembered that there are now, as there have always been, pretentious individuals who, having no faith themselves in the ' ie ^:' tlie Ciiiia (lians an their cou- sins. future of the North-West, indulge in the grofisest misrepresen- tation, and retard, although they cannot seriously check the progress and development of its interesting countries. The people in whose praise we have been able to say so much, claim relationship with Canada. " I thought I could detect in their countenances." says Mr. S. J. Dawson, (see report of his expedition), " that they were not wholly of Indian origin ; and, on enquiring as to this i')oint, some of them were Tiiey c'aini proud to boast of their descent from the Canadian fur traders who had occupied this country many years ago." Not only have such circumstances contributed to soften the manners of the Aborigines, and prepare them for the greater material well- being and happiness of civilization, intermarriage with people of European origin has introduced among them men of a_ superior type. The mixed races are invariably found to be 11. r"'^ strongly built and more comely than either the pure br-d Indians or the French Canadians from whom they are descended. Unfortunately these races, whose presence would be so desirable in colonizing the country are pass- ing away. The gentlemen of the exploring expedition of 1858, met Avitli only one family at the upper end of Lake Winnipe^oos, aiid none at all in a journey of 500 miles by the valleys of Swan Kiver and the Assiniboine. The Aboriginal tribes, however, are not extinct; and it is pleasing to reflect that their character and disposition in regard to new comers is such as to offer no impediment to the occupation by civilized man, of the extensive and fertile regions around Lakes Mani- toba, Dauphin and Winnipegoos. 4 Men of a superior typf. T 10 ti'iii(>ci ^iminiahing. I ««■■• ■Ml 4f CHArTER VII. NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES AND 15RITISH COLUMBIA. BRITISH COLUMBIA — VANCOUVER ISLAND. Iinportajice of British Cohimhia. — Dittpontion of the inltahiiants. — Destiny in conne.cfion iiith Canada. — Jh'itwli Cohinilna how constituted. — Itn boundaries. — Vancouver Ishmd. — Extent. — Climate. — Fertility. — Beauty. — Coal. — Coal trade impeded. — Iron. — Fis/ieries. — History. Now that British Columbia, to the groat satisfaction of its inhabitants, is incorporated with the Dominion of Canada, this portion of British America is more than ever an object of in- terest to the Canadian peoph^ It flourished as a separate colony. It is equally flourishing and enjoys still brighter prospects, as importance a Province, — the Pacific I*rovince of the Dominion. Independ. coiumwa. ently of the mineral wealth of British Columbia, its fertile A^alleys, stately forests, safe natural harbours, and inexhaustible fisheries, it would be an invaluable, nay an essential addition to the Dominion, even if there were never to be a British or Canadian Pacific Hailway, or, indeed, anything beyond the ordinary ways of communication between Canada and the great South Sea, by means of waggon-ioads, canals, lakes and rivers. If Canadians would not liaA^e the approaches to the Disposition . -11 T o* theinh* Pacific Ocean barred agamrt them, they will do everything inbitants. their power to maintain the union, Avith their now powerful confederation, of the frie idly and faA^ored Province of British Columbia. No murdero is ruffians have attempted to establish there, a reign of terror. On the contrary, if we except such political discussion, as is incident to all free states, and a De.«tiiiy in onnection with Can- ada. 48 . . reasonable amount of grumbling, =^ tho privilegi^ of all British subjocis — becaus<», the railway cannot bo niado so last as they desir(>, all is order, peace and harmony. The only thing which appears really to disquiet the minds of the inhabitants is the dread lest they should not be allowed to remain in close alliance — political union, witli the new Dominion. They set a high value on the i)ossession of Ik^o communication with the Atlantic siM-board, through Canadian and British territory ; and they fully understand how greatly it will add to their importance and prosperity, increasing immensely the wealth of a land ^vhich already teems with every earthly treasure, that their harbors should become the emporium of the trade of the Canadian Provinces, of Great Brituin, of all Eurojx', perhaps, with China and Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, even, t^ucli i.s majiifestly the destiny of British Columbia, provided that this x)rovince continue to be united with the ever-growing Dominion of Canada. Let it become isolated, or let it be annexed to the neighbouring Eepublic, the bright prospect vanishes, aud the line Province v/ould be nothing better than a mere appendnge of frozen Alaska, or a back settlement of the American Union. This is no exaggeration ; for, does not the great Union already possess Pacilic harbours and Pacific rail- ways, gold iields and coal fields, fertile plains and rich forests, *Jt iH triio tii'it some of the Islanrd rt", w,tU th''ir following, gave venb to their excited fceliiiys in lnimii.;g; that must; bo coiisulcTcd inte'Tiperate and disloyal. They went .so liir ns to thrt-ateii, ''n occasion of Lard Duti'erin's visit, wit'ndraval from the Canadian conl'edciation. Tiiev must li:ivo known tliat they had not itiflaencc to acuompUHh any .such t^i':g. His Excellencv Lord Duifdrin, expressed very decidedly . his dtsappruhatiuu of the l)ravado sr,yle of the would be pupnlar leaders, and did not, thereby, in the sJigiitest degree, lose the favor of the Columbian people. The rough apoken Lsbi dery were al-o very severely condemued by the citizens of New Worttminstcr who said, in ttieir loyal addr< ss to the Govcrnor-Genofal, " We desire to express to your J'lxceiiency, our t/l.-iapproval of antf threat helnff held out of separation jfrom the Dnmiuion, as we feel that such i co'iri^c w unworthtj oj an intelligent «?/7rto ad impossible tenetur. n^MtUi 40 aloii^- the racili(; coast, as well as in its more inland scttle- mont^ ? It would have no interest, therefore, in improving- Ikitish Columbia, at least, to any great extent. Canada, on the other hand, will necessarily labor incessantly to develop the liTcat resources of the Paciiic Province. She will be dependent on it for many thinu's, for safe har})orK on the Paciiic Coast, for coal, lor gold, and above all, for the command which it will give to her of the trade of the vast eastern world, — her own trade therewith, England's trade, an«l that, no doubt, also, oF other EnrDpean nations, which must, as soon as Canada has com})](^tcd her inter-oceanic railway, take its course through Caniulian soil and over the Pacific Ocean. It livilish Colum})ia became an isolated province or colony, it would siill be one of the most important f)ortions of the habitable world. When viewed in relation to the Dominion of Canada and the extensive regions of North-western America, which arc now in closest union with this Dominion, it possesses a degree of importance \vhich it is impossible to over-estimate. The two-fold Province, as it may not inaptly be termed, '^"''.'•''Coi •' J. J ' umbia how consists of A'^ancouver Island, which was formerly a separate '^''"**'*"'*^'- colony, and that port ion of the neighbouring mainland anciently known as Neio Caledonia, which also had its own colonial Grov- ernment. The ProA'ince, thus constituted, extends along the its bound- whole portion of the Pacific Coast which belongs to Gn^at Bri- tain, about 450 miles from the frontier line of the United States, on the south; to Alaska, formerly Rvissian America, on the north. It is bounded on the east by the summits of the Rocky Mountains, or rather by a line drawni from south to north, through the centre of those mountains. The coast line does not indicate the length of the territory from south to north, the boundary of Alaska, a little inland, being much far- ther north than on the Pacific shore. The northern limit of aries. i Vancimver J^4lalul. Extent. Climate. FertiHty. 50 British Columbia, where it doos not bound with Alaska is the GOth parallel of north latitude. Vancouver Island, which may l-e considered in the lirat • place, occupies u position of great unportance on the Pacific Coast. Nearly as extensive as England pvoper, it almost touches at one end, the colder regions oi" the North racific Ocean, whilst, at the other, it l)asks in the sunshine and warmth oi" the south. Ikit, whilst, at its southern extremity, the climate is not unph'asantly warm, at the north, it is not / disagreeably cold. Cienerally, the ishuul enj^'s th" moderate temperature of the south of England. It is not sul)jected at any time, to the trying heat of the Canadian summer; nor does its winter, if winter can be said to exist w^here frost and snow are almost unknown, render necessary, as in Canada, the use of costly furs. Mr. lUanshard, in his evidence belbre the British House of Commons, says that, some snow w^hich he beheld there in mid winter, lasted only a few days. On being- asked more particularly Avhat sort of weather there was there during w^inter, he replied " The winters are com- comparatively mild ; th'M-e are, occasionally, heavy falls of snow% but it seldom li^s for any lesigth of time." " On the whole," he adds, "the climate is milder than that of England." Mr. C. Miles, the lion. C. AV. AV. Fitzwilliam and Mr. J. Cooper, bear witness to the same ellect. The last named gentleman w^ho resided six years in the Island, as an agriculturist, says decidedly that, '"in every sense of the word, the climate is superior to that of Cheat Britain, and that its agricultural capabilities are of considerable extent." And all w^ho have any knowledge of Vancouver Island ai)i^ear to agree in stating that winter, there, is miider than that in England, and summer considerably warmer. Neither is there any differcMice of opinion as to the ex(^el- lence and fertility of the soil. It produces all kinds of : i t ij'! V ^ t^it'' 'a:-i*-i . \?>i I -tm » I i iU ii iiM;> -;>««**«? «*«»i wM « i .| i> i «i»i> ii r«i. «r*iy t'- 51 / lany Ithat Imer of vej^etables and cereal crops, whilst both soil and climate are highly favorable to the growth of Irnit trees. The interior of the Island has not been much explored as yet, and the extent of land that may be cultivated, which it contains, is not consequently ascertained. But it is well known that the val- leys are exceedingly fertile, as are, also, the lands along the Eastern Coast. One of its valleys, the Cowi(;han, which extends along the bay of the same name, is one of the richest and most l)eautiful in the world. The mild and moderately humid no mty, climate gives to the island, even in its wild ^Uite, a very pleasing appearance. It enjoys the advantage of perpetual verdure ; and the rich meadows, stretching in park-like form, far into the luxuriant forests, convey the idea of a peopled and highly cultivated country. Both soil and <'limate must be good when the most valuable ^und of grain — wheat — is easily raised in the proportion of 25 to 40 bushels per acre. There is wonderful concurrence of testimony as regards the^ fertility of the soil. "The Island is the most valuable British possession in the Pacific," says the Hon. C. \V. W. Fitzwilliam. "The soil is, in general, productive, although in some places rocky," "Wheat, oats, barley and potatoes are easily raised." "The soil of the country," says Mr. J. Cooper, (Evid. bef. H. of Coms.) is peculiarly well adapted to the production of corn and vegetables." "The valleys are very fertile." Mr. T. Miles, also (Evid. bef. H. of Coms.) considers that "in soil, climate, minerals, etc., the IslaR*^. possesses every- thing essential for the fornnation of a great colony." "The soil is very good and rich." Mr. Blanshard and the right Hon. Ed. Ellice concur in bearing the like testimony, the latter iidding that Vancouver Island is a most interesting position and possession," that "there is every kind oi timber fit for naval purposes." "It is the only good harbor, ?,nd it is an excellent s\ V S! ■ I( CduI. Coivl trade ini|)t'(leil. 62 harbor, to tho northwnrd of iSan Francisco, as far north as- Sitka, formerly the KuHsian settlement." "There in coal enouirh," continues the liighl hon. gentleman, "for the whole Hritish navy; the ' a SIX feet seam of co;d at a depth of about 40 feet. It was (•lose on the shore, within 1^0 yards of it — (the Eastern kShore.)" This was the now celebrated Nanaimo coal mine, situated about eiii'hty miles to the north of Victoria, the chief town of the Island. The coal is of " very line quality, suitabh^ for ail purposes, genernling' steam. &c."' The absence of an iivaiiable market for this valuable commodity has prevented^ hjtherlo, any extensive working' of the mines, any remunerative trude in coal. The rich coal mines of the Island can never be a source of v^ealth until the North-AVest Territory is fairly settled, or. at least, until the gold mines of British Columlna are more completely developed. Coal is wanted at San Francisco, no doubt, and California has gold (^nough to pay for it. But the United States Government, imposes prohibitory duties, and the trade in this kind of export is consequently nnproiitable. It may not always be so. Who knows what a resource the coal of Vancouver Island may be at some future day, may it be a distant one ! when the coal fields of Great Britain shall have been exhausted. Already have political economists of foreign and somewhat jealous lands speculated on this possible and not improbable contin^^ency. They have i^iHilii 63 \ -even rejoioed in the idoa of our decline as a maritime and naval power, not reflecting that the British Colonial Empire poKsesses inoxliaustible supplies of excellent coal. Iron, also, all travellers are agreed, forms anot her source i,.„„. of the mineral wealth of Vancouver Island. This Island possesses the richest fisheries in the world, i ixiieiio«. Its waters literally swarm with all those varieties of lish that are most useful. The finest kinds of salmon are j)artioularly abundant, the numerous rivers of British Columbia atFording" to this lish the facility of disporting itself in Iresh waters, at stated seasons, whilst it enjoys safe and undisturbed sea quart- ers in the straics, sounds, bays and inlets around the Island. The only trade in lish hitherto, and not a very extensive one, has been with the Sandwich Islands, and between the Abori- gines, who mostly subsist by iishing, and the European settlers of the Hudson's Bay C^ompany and some others. So far back as 1843, the work of colonization may be said ?jistory. to have fairly commenced in Vancouver Island. In 1S58. the settlement looked so promising that it was constituted a British colony with Fort Victoria for its capital. Incorporated with the colony on the neighboring mainland, formerly New Caledonia, it now forms, together with this territory, the im- portant Province of British Columbia, with the seat of Govern- ment, at New Westminster. Victoria is still the chief town, or, more truly, the only town in the Island. Its population is supposed to be over 10,000, whilst the A])origines on the Island number 17,000 souls. Vancouver Island occupies the most commanding position on the whole Pacific Coast. Whoever holds it, may be said to hold also British Columbia — the whole North- West. The key to liiis position is a small island which geographers do not ihink it worth while to describe on their maps. Two great 1 V u powers have contended, one side ?.i least, employing, with ir atch- less skill, all the weapons of diplomacy for the possession of thi& little island — San Juan. One would say that the contention was fo* British Columbia, even for the Empire of North-western America. It is now known to whom the island has fallen. It is no longer British. Nevertheless, British Columbia and the North-West Territories remain. They will not be so easily abandoned. 65 CHAPTER. YIII. BRITISH COLUMBIA — THE MAINLAND. Efeinents of WeaWi. — The Mainland. — Fertile Spots. — Varieties of 'frees. — . Wild Flowers. — " The Priests Bock." — Columbian Todmorde)i. — llie Dividing Ridije. — Opinion Discussed. — Mountain Ra.mjes. — Immensi'. Plain. — The Fraser. — Fertile Valle//. — The Thomso)i. — Grain aiid Hoot Crops. — All kinds of Wood. — Fertile and Arable Lund. — Wheat. — Splendid Vegetables. — Wheat Crops. — Miners Supplied. — Millions of Arable Acres. — Excellent Grazing. — The ^^ Iron Ilorse^' Wanted. — llie Great Railway Adva)icing. Much interest attaches and will long attach to British Columbia. It is, without exception, the richest British posses- sion on the continent of America. It would not be too much Element? of wealth. even to say that there is no dependency of the Empire which abounds so much in all the elements of national wealth. Neither Australia nor Caliibrnia surpass or even equal it in the production of gold. Its unrivalled timber, its safe harbors and inexhaustible fisheries, give it an additional claim to our atten- tion. The desire of the inhabitants of this great Pacific Pro- vince to maintain their union with the Dominion of Canada, the admirab e fitness of the country for such union and the prospect of its long continuance, must also tend to awaken the ^ most lively interest in the minds of all patriotic Canadians. The insular portion of the Province has been already par- The mam- ticularly described. (Chap YII.) A few words will now be devoted to the mainland of British Columbia. As is admitted, on all hands, it is a mountainous and rugged land. It is not, however, without its fairer aspects. The western slope of the I ;o Fertile sspots. Viirictifs trees. ol Wild flow- era. Rocky Mountains is moro precipitous than the eastern declivity. The descent, consequently, to the shores of the Pacific Ocean is more steep and rapid than the approaches from the great moun- tain chain to the alluvial valleys of the Saskatchewan. It is not difficult, therefore, to suppose, and indeed all travellers bear witness to the fact, that the rivers rush with all the fury of mounteiin torrt^iits from their Alpine "-lacier sources to the Pacific Ocean, leaving but little room along their rocky beds, or in the deep ravines which they have excavated, for such rich alluvial deposits as distinu-uish the plains extending eastwards' from the Rocky Mountain range. There are, however, many favored localities — fertile spots — if extensive areas of rich acres may be so dT'signated. where the industrious husbandman fould very profitably divide his time between the labors ol the l)lougli and the care of his Hocks. There must, indeed, be every advantage of soil and climate generally, throughout the Province, since it produces in the utmost profusion, and with- out any appliance at the hand of man, all conceivable varieties of trees, shrubs, ^vild plants and llowers of every destription. When Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle were on their pilgrimage through the Rocky Mountains, and had reached Jasper House, within a short distance of the highest land in the Athal)aska or Leather Head Pass, they speak of them- selves as standing in a i^erfect garden of wild ilowers, which form a rich sheet of varied and brilliant colors, backed })y dark green pines which cluster thickly round the bases of the hills. Al)ove a zone of light green shrubs and herbage still retaining their vernal freshness, contrasted with the more sombre trees below and the terraced rocks abo^^^^vith their snow clad summits. In ihe nei«2'hl)orliood of Jasper llousft', the ilowers u'cre very beautiful dud various. '' Here grew cinerarias in the greatest i^rofusion, of e^ery shade of \ 67 ty. blue, an immense variety of composites, and a llower like the lyc^hnis, with sepals of brilliant scarlet, roses, tiger liliee, •orchids and vetches." (Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle, TJie North- West passage, 7th ed. p. 228.) Still nearer the height of land, and nearly on the same lerel, these gentlemen following tlie Athabaska, reached a beautiful little prairie, surrounded by fine hills, green almost to their summits, and over-topped by lofty snow-clad peaks. One of these which has received the name of the "Priest's Rock,' was of curious shape, its apex'Ji'e resembling the top of a pyramid and covered with snow. The ""'-■'<•" in'airie was richly carpeted with flowers andti rugged excres^'ciKii upon it, marked the site of the old llocky Mountain I'ort, Henry's House, (id. il). p. 241.) Having passed the Myettis,y;;[j';|»'^.J Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle pursued their way along the base of the i>ine (.'lad hills, now beginning to diverge more widely, and through scenery which bore a strong likeness to the beautiful vale of Todmorden in Yorkshire. One of the snowy peaks closely resembled the pyramidal Priest's Rock, ajid white-topped mountains rose up more thickly around them. At one of the sources of the Myette, a small stream, called Pipe-stone River, the place for camping was very pretty, a tiny plain, covered with ilowers and surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in all their grandeur. They may not yet have been, strictly speaking, in British Columbia. But, it cannot l)e affirmed that they were not. 1^'or, after a few hours' travel at anything but railway speed, my Lord and the Doctor had un- consciously passed the Height of Land and gained the water- shed of the Pacific. The ascent had been so gradual and imperceptible, that until they had the evidence of the wati^-- ilow, they had no suspicion that they were near the dividing J'j'f;!^^^^^ ridge, l^rocet ding downwards towards tlu^ Pacilic Ocean, luey ■ came ^-'.pon a lake well stocked with trout, where some Indians in den. 58 of the Shuswap Tribe subsist chiefly by fishing-. The learned travellers proceed to say that on the northern side of this lake commenced "verdant and swelling hills," the bases of loftier heights, which rose up farther back in many a naked, rugged Opinion dis rock or ice-crowned peak. Notwithstanding all these fine descriptions, the same travellers express the opinion that British Columbia is not adapted for being an agricultural country.. Making due allowance for the circumstance that Milton and Cheadle traversed the Province from the beautiful, verdant, fertile and flowery places, near and aroand the spot, — the highest in the mountain pass, where they first noticed the flowing of the waters westwards, — by the rocky, and rugged and com- paratively barren valley of the Eraser, it may be admitted that they speak truly when they say that, generally, the country is not suited for iigricniltural purposes. All that can be said is that th(n*e are many favorc^d and exceptional regions where there are tracts of fertile land, rejoicing in a genial climate, and Mountain wliich could bc profitably cultivated. Three great mountain ranges fill the land, — the Rocky Mountains, the Cascade and the Blue Mountains. 8ome among the first named of these ranges raise their icy peaks to the height of 16,000 feet, whilst to use the language of Moore, as regards the valleys which they overlook : " Summer iu a vale of flowers, Is aleepiug ros> at their feet." It is not mere poetr}^ however, but undoubted matter of fact, that the immense vale or plain over w^liich tower the Rockv Mountains near their northern termination, could all be made available for agricultural jiurposes. It is said to extend TOO miles in length, whilst it varies from 250 to 400 miles in The Fraser. breadth. The Fraser itself is not all rock and barrenness. From Yale, where, in descending, it becomes navigable to the ocean, ranges. Immense t^lain. f I it presents a very fertile valley, some fifty miles in length. Its fertile vai- tipper regions produce grain crops, yielding 26 to 36 bushels per acre. If Lord Milton and his learned companion had seen more of the Thomson, they would have been inclined to give a more favorable opinion of the agricultural capabilities of British Columbia. It was ffiven in evidence before the British tiic Thom- House of Commons (1857), that that fine river, the Thomson, "flows through one of the mrt:t beautiful countries in the world." Farther north, the undulating plateau which is situated between the llocky and the Cascade Mountains, descending to a much lower level than at its southern extremity, Grain and the climate is milder, less variable and more favorable to the cultivation of grain and root crops. If the distinguished tra- vellers had made their way into British Columbia by the northerly pass, so highly recommended by Mr. Alfred Wad- dington, as the best and safest and most practicable at all times, ascending Peace River, &c., they would not have failed to express a more favorable view as the result of their observa- tions. Those gentlemen appear, also, to consider such parts of the country as are covered with dense forests as irreclaimably wild. Tte presence of those fine forests where all kinds ofAiikiu wood. wood are to be found, and the best pine in the world, proves the opposite position. In Canada, where every kind of wood grows in its wildest luxuriance, are found the best and most productive farans, as soon as the serious operation of hewing down the forest has been accomplished. Let us examine com- petent witnesses, and so learn whether the like results may not be looked for in the valleys and mountain slopes, undulating- plains and more or less elevated plateau lands of British Col- umbia. A careful examination of the evidence given before the British House of Commons in 1857, mnst satisfy every Feitiie attentive reader that fertile and arable land abounds in the m 60 I i.^ Wheat, ■. (.'-I'talili.' Wheat crops . Miners Bup- plied. Millions of urabieiifits- mainland portion of the the Province, and not in detached patches here and there, among" the mountains and by the riAer banks, but in far extending tracts which temptingly invite the art and labor of the husbandman. The extensive region, just referred to, am (extending from the Pacilic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, tov^^ards their northern extremity is, as has been shewn, calculated to become productive. This very fertile country enjoys an excellent climate and, according to the Hon. Mr. Holbrooke, who delivered a lecture on the subject before the House of Commons, at Ottawa, has been found to be (capa- ble of producing wheat in the proportion of sixty bushels to the acre. Its root crops are also of extraordiiiary size and fine quality, li must surprise even Canadians to hear of cauli- Jiowers in those regions weiiJ^hing 20 pounds ; cabbages, 41 pounds ; mangel wur/el, 86 pounds ; sugar beet, 18 pounds : car- rots 9 pounds ; parsnips, 10| pounds ; turnips, 30 pounds ; vege- table marrows, 36 pounds ; squash, T»> pounds. True, this won- derful fertility is found in the A^alley of the Lower Fraser, where there are 6,000 acres at present under cultivation, and 20,000,000 more equally capable of being cultivated. l)ut the country cannot be so despicable as regards its agricultural resources, when, on lands that are nearer the mountain ranges, above New Westminster, many wheat crops in succession have yielded 85 bushels per acre. In this region no less than 20,000 acres are occupied as farms. More inland still, and where the great rivers have ]iot yet escaped from their mountain tastnesses, there are extensive tracts of arable land. Already the numerous miners are suj^plied by this land, instead of importing their provisions as formerly, i'rom Oregon and California. This region, extend- ing along the Upper Fraser, Thomson River and Lake La I[ach'\ Y>i't'sents many millions of acres that may be profit a])ly cultivated. Sixty thousand acres are already occupied, and lI CI there arc twenty thousand under cultivation. Grain crops are by no means precarious in these more elevated levels. Wheat yields from twenty-six to thirty bushels per acre, and vegetables of great size and excellent quality are easily raised. Mr. Alfred Waddington gives a very favorable view of the great plain which lies between the Eocky Mountains and the Cascade liange. It is easy to conceive that the climate of this extensive region must be much milder and more promotive of veu^etation towards its northern extreinitv, where the level i'''. The only thing now wanting, insists the lion. Mr. T'eir-.n •<■ J r> o' horse \va IIoll)rooke, to develop the great agricultural resources oi^"^- British Columbia, is the presence of the Iron Home. Why should this animal be absent V Why should not the Province have railways, even now ? Ah ! they must wait until a great railway system extendi over the British American Continent. If so, they will not have long to wait. Many The great ; and very considerable portions of tlie great inter-oceanic ^iVancinx. i railway are actually under contract, some, even, in working order. Let the British Columbians, therefore, bestir them- selves and build branch lines of railway, alibrding access to the more fertile and arable parts of the Pacific Province. n i. . ivatit- i 1 ■VT p^ w\ i f Ir i '1 t m iC'limate of the isliimis Climixlt' of the niaiii- 62 CIUrTEE IX imiTISH CO' ' V ., '.— CLIMATE — ETC. C'Hmnfc of ih". Isfftmls. — CUiiirti' Mainland. — Suluhritij. — . l(jri^iif- tural product ions. — Titnln^r. -Flowf'' ..■■ -Fruit.— -Wild Anitnals. Allusion hiis already been made to the climate of the insular portion oi' British Colum])ia. It can only convey an imperfect idea to compare it to that of the south and south-west of Eng-Umd. Although there occur at rare and irregular intervals, excejotionally severe seasons, the climate of the islands may be described as exhibitina', generally, in the words of Mr. Harvey, of the Finance Department, Ottawa, "A dry, w^arm summer ; a brin'ht and beautiful autumn ; an open, wet winter and spring." The average number of clear, line days throughout the \ (\ar, is two hundred, whilst there are only fifty on;) positively rainy days. This is more than can be said of any part of England. , The same description, as regards climate, will not apply to any two portions of the mainland. Although it be all pretty much in the same latitudes as the Islands, it varies so much in altitude, if the elevation above the sea-level mav be so expressed, that in the very height of summer, it shows the extreme of winter cold, with abundance of ice and snow, w^hilst at the same time rejoicing in delightful summer warmth. Like Europe, it has its elevated Alpine regions, rising in places to the height of sixteen thousand feet, where winter holds unbro- ken sway ; whilst from the summits of the Rocky Mountains to the fine valley of the lower Eraser, which is almost on a s :v 68 d- level with the ocean, as there is the greatest variety of elevation, so is there, also, a correspondingly great variety of climate. Towards the sea, and to the westward of some of the less elevated mountain ranges, the climate is all that can be desired, somewhat humid, but not disagreeably so. The spring is a very rainy season. But, who would complain of this, when throughout a beautiful summer, there are only some rainy days, and scarcely any in the bright autumn months. In this region, also, winter is generally very mild, commencing in Derember and ending in March, i^rost occurs sometimes ii> November, but does not continue. It is lar from being intens.>l} old, a# any time, throughout the winter season, and , 'vt. tiig like severe weather never lasts more than a few da^ ,. In the more elevated country of the Lillroet, a tributary of the Fraser, winter is sometimes severe, but . 1 generally so. Even when worst, snow does not fall to a greater depth than two feet, and the weather is always clear and sunny. In such exceptionally severe seasons, even, cattle require no other shelter and sustenance than can be found in the open fields. It is mentioned, as a remarkable circumstance, that in one of these unusually severe winters, there were actually ten weeks of continued frost. This extraordinary duration of frost might well be remarked, when in the same region, (Lillooet country), there are seldom more than fourteen days or so of severe cold. Penetrating into the interior, and ascending towards the higher mountain ranges, we find the winter more severe and of longer duration. Thus, at Cariboo, winter lasts from November till the end of April, and is attended with intense frosts and heavy falls of snow. Lest gold seekers should be too much discouraged, it is proper to say that the weather is generally clear and calm, whilst, on the other hand, it may cool their ardour, somewhat, to understand that the snow is often from seven to ten feet ■#■;: 64 (l(^e[). and must ho waded through, in ilio hoHt way poKt^ibU', on snow yhoos. The vast eh'vatcd phiin, on tho contrary, v.'hich extends between the Roeky Mountains and the Cascade Kange. isdistinguislied by its moderate and genial climate. In this plain, or rather succession of plains, there is already ex- cellent grazing- for any number of cattl(». Cattle grazers of the- United iStates admit that they have nothing to compare with ii. In fact, the climate and capabilities of this immense plateau improve, towards the north, })eyond what would be conceivable, if we did not take into account the (.'ircumstance that its ele- vation is livss by several thousand i'eet, ^it its northern than at its rumthern extremities. Not very long ago, it sustained only •20.000 horned cattle and as many sheej), whilst, ac'cording to the Hon. Mr. IIol))rook, who knows the country well, it is -lapable .of maintaining many millions. In no part of British CoiUia))ia is the climate disagreeabl.', whilst in many sections of t!h' Prorince it is delightful and highly favorable to the ])nrsaits of agriculture. Above all, it is conducive to health. sahii.iit.v. Its snliibrity, whether in the Islands or on the mainland is unstn'passed. No endemi<.' is known in the country, and imported disease has never been able to take root. The more important productions of a country are those Agnciiituiiii which crown the labors of the husbandman as well as those oductioiiK. which mother earth spontaneously affords. British Columbia is ric]i in both. Throughout the lowlands all the cereals grow in the utmost luxuriance. In the valley of the Lower Fraser which contains twenty million acres of arable land, wheat yields sixty, and in choice localities eighty bushels to the acre. The land here also produces vegetables of the finest quality and enormous size, such as cabbages, cauliliowers, mangel wurzel, turnips, carrots, parsnips, sugar beets, squashes,vegetable marrows, &c. Equally large and fine vegetables are raised ; C5 ; l)y tlK> lai'iniug ])opulatiou who occupy nixty thousand aiivs •of the many millions that are availahlo lor a^'riculturo on th«'* . Upper Frasor,th(' Thomson and Lake La ILiche. hi those lii^her regions wheat is not so productive, yii'ldinii' only iVoni twenty- six to thirty bushels X)er acre. The produce of tluvse lands now supplies ihe whole ol' the mining poi)ulation, wliii-h formerly imported the necessaries of lii'e from Oregon and other i)arts of the United States. Eminent men had expressed the opinion that Britisli Columbia would never 1)0, to any extent, an ag-ri- •cultural country. The contrary was now demonstrated. A much greater portion of its extensive area than any could .belie \'e, now olfers an abundant recompense to the lal>ors ot the husbandman. This wealth of the soil was not apparent some time ago to the passing traveller. Grold only, it was said, would form the treasure of the racilic Province. The same libel was .also pronounced on California. B(jth countries, notwithstand- ing, present fair iields and rich harvests. Wheat does not yield so largely in the country above New "Westminster, as in the valley of the Lower Fraser. Agriculturists have f(5und it profitable, iievertheless, to oci'upy twenty ihou^^and acres in this district. They rely greatly on lives stock, having twelve hundred head of cattle. Their husbandry, menu while, is far from being unremunerative, wheat producing regularly, year •after year, thirty-five bushels to the acre. Among all the productions of British Columbia which owe not their existence to culture, and which no human industry can t improve, wood is, perhaps, the most valuable. The most enthu- siastic admirers of gold will not dispute its value. There is no timber that can compare with it in any other part of the known world. The celebrated Douglas pine varies fiom 150 to 300 feet in height, and is from five to ten feet diameter at the base. It grows quite straight, is free from knots and sap- i utter. ' u, |i SL 00 wood and possi'sses extraordinary strongth and .'*xibiUty. It is niiu'li prized in the Kn'^'lish merchant service fo the manu- facture of spars and masts, which are found to l)o very durable. It has also been larg'cly supplied to the 8i)anish, Fn»nch, Dutch and Italian Clovernments. The excellence of this pine has been tested })y c(nnparisons instituted l)y comix'tent engineers, actinn' under th(; instructions of their Crovernments, between it and tlie best kiiuls of timber of which masts are manufactured from Uiua, the British Islands, Canada and the Himalaya Moun- tains. The experiments haA'e invariably resulted in favor of the Douii'las pine of British Columbia, so that it may })e truly described in the words of M. Sylvester du Ilerron, chief enuineer at Toulon : .'"The masts and spars of this wood are rare and exceptional for dimensions and superior qualities, strength, liglitness, absence of knots and other grave vices." There was a splendid sample of this Douglas fir at the Inter- national Exhil)ition. It consisted of ten horizontal sections of a tree oOO feet high. This magnificent sample is now, it may be presumed, to be seen in the court of British Columbia, and cannot fail to shew what an ornament, no less than a source of wealth that line timber is to the new Province, as well as to the Canadian Confederation, of which this exceptionally rich country is destined ere long to form so great, so flourishing- and so powerful a portion. The white pine {Pinus Strohus), the yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa), and all the other kinds of fir, the most useful of w^hich are the spruce, balsam and hemlock, grow luxuriantly ill the Pacific Province. The cedar {cypress or thuia gigantea) is of very great dimensions, measuring from twenty-five to thirty-five feet of circumference near the roots. Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle saw one that measured thirty-nine feet. Oak and maple, well known to be so valuable attain a great size,. «. G7 and MO very abundant. Loss important kinds of wood, such aH nld»»r, dog'vvood, arbutus, cotton wood, etc. arc also very bcautii'ul. Not only to the countries already mentioned, is timber exported by the Province, but also to Australia, tho Sandwich Islands, China and South America. There is no end to the variety of wild flowers which adorn all those parts of the country that are not overgrown Fioworg* with dense forests. In the higher mountain regions, even, as has been shown (Chap. VIII) Lord Milton and Dr. Cin'adle were charmed with the surpassing beauty. .Iasi)er House, which, not lar from the bouiulary, and on the line of route by the Leather head Pass, although somewhat on the eastern side, may be mentioned as exemplifying the productions of the whole region, is represented as standing in a perfect garden of irild Jltnrers, that form a rich sheet of varied and brilliant colors, bav'ked by dark green pines, which cluster thickly aroirnd the bases of the hills. Descending the western slope, the distiui'uished travellers passed through prairies rich/// mrjieled with flowers. They speak also of a p-ettt/ little plain covered ivilh wild flowers and surrounded by, the Kocky Moun- tains in all thiir grandeur. Farther on, they came to a place which w^as rick in grass and vetches. As they proceeded down the western declivity, vegetation appeared, at every step more vigorous. The cedar, silver pine and several other varieties were theii seen, for the first time, and became more and more frequent. A species of azalea, a tall, prickly trailer, manv kinds < >f Rosacea and new deciduous shrubs shewed strangely to the travellers eyes. The timber was altogether of a large growth, and the huge trunks w^hich barred the path, rendered it ve'ry laborious to advance. In addilion to tht flowers, already mentioned, which enlivened, by tlieii gay- colours, the soHtudes of the Rocky Mountains, Lord Milton and r 68 Dr. Cheadlo onnmerato, at tho most conspicuous, liu'"r lilies, roses, the galhmfia pida, the })lu(> borage, white purple vetches the red orchis and tlie marsh violet. As our ohject is chielly to convc^}" an idea of the capabilities of the racific I'rovince, and not to give a minute description of its iloral treasures, no special mention ikhhI ])e made here, of the flowers which vary the landscape on the numerous strimms and livers as they approach their or-can terminus. If nature has strewn her ilora! heaiities in such rich profusion, through out tlie more mou7\tainous regions, how bounteous must she not have been, also, in thosy localities where both soil and climate favor so niiich more cA'ery species of vegetation ? Travellers, as far as ^ve arc aware, make no mention of any Fruits. of the larger fruits, in t.licir wild state, flaws, billvcrries, strawberries, so common in Canada, and the \\^ild pear appear to be tolerably abundant. The Aboriiri'.K^s rely mufli on this last named frnit. Lord Milton and his party were glad to regale themselves with them, when, Irom the accidents of travel more solid and satislying kinds of food had failed tliem. When in the A'ery heart of the itocky Mountains soon after having passed the height of land by the Yellow Head (Leather Head) Pass, they purchased li'om the Indians a plentiful supply of iho wild pear for some needles and thread. This fruit grows on a shrub two or three feet iu height, with leaves resembling that of a pear tree, ])ut smaller, and ^ it is said by the Hudson's Bay peoi)le that wherever it flourishes wheat will also grow to perfection. Tne berry is about the size of a black currant, pear shaped and of delicious sweetness and flavor. They are much used by the Indians on both sides of the mountains, who dry them for winter use. ;Several patches of raspberries, as large as English garden fruit, were met with, and two species of bilberry, the size of sloes. G9 f growing on bushes two feet high. In descending the solitudes of the Upper Fraser, Lord Milton and his companions found large quantities of small bilberries, not yet ripe, on wliich, so complete was the loss of their stores, they were glad to dine. Potatoes and wild onions are also used by the natives in those dism;d regions. The "tea muskeg" affords a tolerably refresh- ing I > 'verage in the absence of the cup "which cheers but not inebriates." This tea is made from the leaves and ilower^i of a small white azalea which is found, in considerable ([uanti- ties, growing in boggy grounds. " The decoction "' say Lord .. Milton and Dr. Cheadie, "is nearly a good substitute for tea, and we became A'ery fond of it. The taste is like that ol' ordinary black tea with a dash of senna in it." There is also a berry, the fruit of a kind of lily. This lily berry tastes lik<^ the fruit of the yew^ tree, and is exceedingly luscious, but not particu- larlv wholesome. Lower down the Fraser, there are bili^erries as large as English grapes, and of delicious ihivor. There are also hirge black haws and wild i-herries in abundance. Ijritish Columl)ia does not appear to have been visited with the curse of venomous insects or poisonous repiiles of any kind. There are beasts of pr^^y, indeed, but none of the more ferocious sorts which frecjuent the countrit\s bordering on the torrid zone. The bears, even of this favored land appear to be less akin to their kind — less savage than those of other countries. Lord Milton and Dr. Chendle give a remarkable instance of the Wiet7.v/e^>' of tlie«e animuls. Their attendunt, a red man of Assiniboine, came suddenly, one day, u])on three of these grim denizens of the forest. Believing that there was no chance of escape except by killing the brntes, the courageous Assiniboine boldly determined on the immediate use of powder and shot. But his piece missing lire, his only remaining hope was in stratagem, and, finally, in flight. This would not have wn' iii- i!.i ii !il 'J'. 70 .availed had not the three grisly bears returned, after the first surprise, to their occupation of tearing to pieces the trunk of a decayed tree in search of insects. The Assiniboine, meanwhile, having got to a safe distance from the enemy, primed the nipples of his gun with fresh gunpowder and bravely returned to the charge. His arm again missing fire, he succeeded only in giving" the animals another surprise, and in directing their attention to his unprotected person. "Wonderful to relate, the bears recovered their ecpianimity after a hasty show of their .anger and their teeth, and declining to resent the insult, applied their energies, on(!e more to the rotten trunk, in search of less noble prey. This swarthy son of the forest was. on another occasion, still more fortunate. Not far from the fork of the North Thomson, he not only escaped being killed himself, but succeeded in killincr a small black bear, which he carried into camp on his shoulders. Tliis game of the wilderness afforded a rich feast to the way-\vorn party who had been so long ■\^•illlout an adequate supp]y of provisions. They had not tasted any fresh meat siu.'e thin' partook of the ilesh of a mountain sheep at Jasper House. They had neither bread nor salt to eat with it, tea to drink with it, nor tobacco to smoke after it. It was, nevertheless, they declare, a great treat. The elk, or moose deer, abounds in British Colum])ia. It is so active and wary that only the most experienced hunters succeed in killing or capturing it. Cariboo is also plentiiul. The isothermal line denotinii' the northerly limits of tlie musk ox, passes iive degrees beyond the extreme north of tlm Province. The buiialo is not unknown, if we may judge from th(^ circum- stance that there is a lake named after this animal. It does not, however, appear in such immense herds, as on the eastern side of the Ilo(.'ky Mountains. The absence of wild cattle, even of the most useful kind, can, by no means, affect the f ' t ^ ^!i I U W I W t «^ 71 prosperity of the Province, now that sheep and oxen have been so extensively introduced. Beaver is abundant, as are also wild sheep and wild goats, in the mountains. Less important animals, such as martens, wolverines and mountain marmots, chiefly prized tor their furs, are also met with. The fastnesses of the Rocky Mountains are frequented by a species of sheep, known to travellers as the monton gris or big horn, and by the moKton Mam: or white sheep, which, however, more resembles a goat than a sheep. But, its soft white hair is different from that of the mountain goat, being more like the fleece of a sheep. Of that hair or ^vool, the Aborigines of British Columbia weave excellent blankets. Both these animals are akin to the goat, in as much as they seek their food in the least accessible rocky places, and are active in their liabits, like the chamois of the European Alps. The flesh of these goats supplies a delicious repast to travellers in the wilderness who are skilled in the Nimrodic Art, and are, at the same time, sufficiently courageous and active to climb the lofty crags where this remarka])le goat, for the most part, has its a])idiiig place. The wood partridge famishes a no less acceptable treat, and it is very numerous in the Alpine regions of British Columbia. The Porcupine of those places, it would appear, forms a dish scarcely less savory than the li(^shofthe partridge. There is a thick laycn* of fat under the skin which is almost equal to that of the turtle. Lord Milton and iJr. Cheadle dined one day on this very fat pork. They found it '* delicious, although rather strong flavored." A good opinion in such matters of gastronomic science arises, not unfrequently, from a good appetite ; and this excellent sauce is seldom wanting to the adventurous travellers who visit the solitary passes of the liocky Mountains. I 72 The Friisuv. CPIAriEPt X. THE -MAINLAXI) OF DRITISII CQLU^.IllIA — KIVElis. Thr Fifu^cr.— 'l'hr Cohrmhm. -Tlu- Thomson. — The Chikoii.i.-^The,- (JiiesiK.'/, — Liiluo!'t, lliii')'l>ion. — ]]i'nr. — Salmon. — Almost oJ! fhese Jtirerii di' r'tferon.-i. — ,"<'.<(■ na-Siitijjmn.^ Frv.nce.s. — Decide. — Monn- f(tln Jiiri'i-- — J'e'irii Jlu-p.r. — .1 br.antlfid conniri/. — A i.in'/nijicent ii<(c!'. Tlio only great river whieh ])elongs exclusively to it is tln^ Frasc^r. AVhatever ought to have been or might have l)een the case, tlie grandest river of all, is only in part, British Cohimhian. The great Columbia, ai't^riingiM-ing for a while among the Rocky Mountains and valleys of the Canadian Province, hastens away to th(» territory of the United States, but still flowing through the rich possessions of British subjects, loses itself, at length, in th(> Pacific Ocean, at Astoria. Many of the less considerable rivers are tributaries of the Columbia, the Fraser, the Thomson or Peace River. The Thomson itself with its ibie volume of waters and smiling^ valleys /s only a greater alliuent of tin* Fraser which bears the Avealth oi se ;m,ny tributary streams in its impetuous course,. to the ocean. The Chilcotin, so celebrated for the rich and beauti^.i;! ;:h.n ib 's^hich it trav<^ises, is also a tributary of the Theciiiico- Fraser. Tue iir-faniud Chilcotin plain extends from the vicinity ol tVe "Blue Mountains, as far to the westward as the- The Cnhii! Jiia. Tlie Thnni BOU. tin. -■ |P>'" t r J^ •i * 73 racific Range, or Cascade Monntains. ArraiigemeniS of the most liberal kind have been made in order to encourage settle" ment on these fertile plains. A right ol' pre-emption is established, in virtue of -which one hundred and sixty acres c^ the best land can be purchased for two dollars. There is, also, a homestead law, which pi'otects the settler to the extent of two thousand five hundred dollars. The Quesnel, Lillooet, Harrison, Bear and Salmon Kivers are among the more impor- tant Irihutaries of the Fraser. They are almost all auriferous. T;.e quo'^ The Quesnel niid and fifty miles, within the Province. It traverses the Kocky Mountains, which it will be remembered, are the boundarv of British Columbia, nearlv four hundred miles from the sources of its iw branches and b'^A'enty miles below their confluence. In or< r to convey an idea of the fertility which exists at the nort;i< m limits of the I'rovince, it may be mentioned that at Fort J trd, a post of the lUiitaiii tr. X, es Hudson's Bay Company, and where Mouv lin KIa"' r ' the sixteenth x'>i^i'J^lhd of north latitude, a: i.inds oti. '^j'S. vtiA. ^excepting wheat, are easily raised. Sir John Kichardsoi. -\..y- that "although this post is more elevated th.m Fort Simpson, where Mountain Kiver joins the McKenzie, })v at least one hun- dred and fifty feet, and is only two degrees of latitude to the south of Fort Simpson, its climate is said to be very superior, and its vegetable productions of better growth and quality. M 4 s fi 74 Tlie Peace river. A very beauiifiil country. "Barley and oats yield good crop?, and, in favorable seasons wheat ripens well." Mr. Isbister also testifies that large crops are raised on Mountain River. Farther north, the cultivation ol' wheat would not be sufficiently remunerative to encourage agricultural settlement. These facts are of great importance, in as much as they show the ground on which Government had determined to fix the sixtieth parallel of north latitude as the northern boundary of the recently constituted Province of British Columbia. Peace Eiver, which is the principal ])ran('h of the great U//jig-a, now known as (he BIcKcnzie, belongs to British Columbia, in so i'ar as it has its source in this Province, about two hundred miles only from the Pacific Ocean, in latitude 5(3'-' uO' north, and longitude 126*^ west. Its longest branch, called the lindiaif River, is, thus, 300 miles m length, from ^^lis point to its junctio]! with the soutli branc^h, a little eastward of the Pass, where the united stream pierces the Kocky Mountains and laives leave of British Columbia. The course of the south branch is nearly 200 miles, thus giving 500 miles of this beautiful and interesting iiiver to the Pacific Province. Sir Alexander McKenzi", the first great explorer w^ho traversed the Ixocky Mountair.s by the valley of Peace Eiver, writing from Port Dunv^egan, not far from the Columbian boundary, Sciys : " Opposite our present situation are beautiful meadows, with various animals grazinp' on them, and groves of poplar irre- gularly scattered over them." Higher up the country and still nearer the Columbian frontier.the same celebrated explorer beheld a richer and more beautiful country. Writing under the date of 10th May, 1793, he says : " From the place 'vhich we quitted this morning, the west side of the river displayed a succession of the most beautiful scenery I had ever beheld. The ground rises at intervals to a considerable height, and stretches in- 7« of "wards to a considerble distance. At every interval or pause in the rise, there is a gently ascending space, or lawn, which is alternate with abrupt precipices, to the summit of the whole, or, at least, as far as the eye could distinguish. This magni- licent theatre of nature has all the decorations which the tives and animals of the country can afford it ; groves of poplars in every shape, enliven the scene ; and their intervals are enliven- ed by vast herds of elks and bullaloes, the former choosing the steep uplands and the latter preferring tl:^e plains. At this time the butialoes were attended by their young ones, and it appear(^d that the elks would soon exhibit the same enlivening circum- stance. The whole couiitry exhi})ited an exuberant verdure ; the trees that bear a Ijlossom were advancing last to that delight J'u) appearance." If this Vviry elevated land on the ea;:i.oi'n declivity of the mountains, olfered such pleasing appearances so early as the 10th of May, how early must not spring put forth its powers of vegetation on the western side, — in British Columbia, — where climatic iniiuences are so much more in its favor. Over 100 miles farther up the count y was equally beau- tiful and enliven«Hl also by the presenile of elk nnd buIFalo. Proceeding onwards. Sir A. McKen;:ie found the ronnlry so crowded irilh animals as lo have the appearance, in some places, of a stall yard, from the stale of the s:round and the quantity of dunii: that is scattered over it- The soil there was black and light. The country still improved as the traveller proceeded westw^ard, in other w^ords, as he advanced into British Columbia. Hither<^o, he had described only grov(\s of iwplar. He now s})eaks of travelling throug-h heavy looods of sjiruce, red pine, cypress, poplar, white birch and ivillow. In the same neighbourhood he traversed tall pine woods. The mountains were, indeed, bare of w^ood towards their summits, but well wooded at the base. Near the i 7G B/; cent ii;i\i. ble river. Ocesui tci ocean liy mil way. ooiithioiK^o of the north and south brniiches of Poace Rivor, which is qiiiti; in tlio iiitorior of British Columbia, ho speaks of the moNNfdins being covered ivith ivood. In the valleys of this mount ainous reivion, so early as the 2tth of JNIay, the frees were jmftinjx forth their leaves. tSprinu,' is earlier, thercibre, in those elevated lands, than it generally is in central Canada. The journey '' Sir Alexander MeKenzie, aloiiu' Peace Uiver, towards its Cohimbian source, shews that the climate is more p,'enial oil the western or Picilic declivities oi the g\-eat mountain ranges than on the eastern slopes, down which flow through such finely varied landscapes, the augmenttMl waters of Peace liiver, the Atliabaska and the lamed Saskatchewan. This circumstance, so favorable to British Columbia, has been remarked also by other eminent travellers wlien trav.;rsiHg the Rocky Mountain range by the more southei-n i)asses. ]\'ace River, ^vhich may be navigated by tolerably large steamboats alomr the whole of its course through the Rocky ]\Iouniains. presents an admirable highway connecting the new Province with tla fr.r extendinir plains of the Saskatchewan and the MeKenzie, even as tiie Fraser and the Columbia allbrd communication with the feriile plains of British C^olumbia and Oregon, as well as with Vancouver Island and the I'aciHc Ocean. Such means ot communication, it the country Avere extensively colonized, would greatly facilitate every kind of trade. But, by the time there is anything of a trading or agri- cultural population, railways will have been introduced, an incalculable number of local lines following in the wake of the great arterial trax'k which will be seen, ore long, to extend from ocean to ocean. We may, indeed, look forward hopefully ta such a time, and contemplate by anticipation the coming pros- perity of British Columbia and the great North-AVest. In the meantime, we must be satisfied to consider the immense rivera 77 ^of the Eocky Mountains as obj(?cts of admiration. Not the least amonn- them all is Peace liiver. This chiei" branch oi" the The ivace great ufi/i»fti. it commingles willi the mighty system of waters, which in their course of 2,500 miles, spread over liaU' a continent, at one time, rushing with all the impetuosity of moujitain torn'iits, now expanding into immense lakes, and iinally, llowiii;:' with the calm majesty of a noJde and navigable river till they lose ^„,if^.,, themselves, after having traversed lifteen deu'rees of latitude in the vast Arctic, Ocean. In another point of vi-nv, also, it is only propLM- to observe, Peace liiver is great and exceptional. It Hows from its tramontane ])irth-place chfiixerl with !;vl(f. It is the only river descending eastwards from the Rocky Moun- tains, whi(^h bears the precious metal, a cin-umstance which ;seems to denote that the western or British Columbian side of those mountains onlv is auriferous. 0U3, I I 78 CHAPTER XI. Endless fn'ppfy vfanlmon. — Cannot be perceptibly lessoned bij the natives. — Peciiluu'ity of the Qithiiint taihnon. — Excellent CDn/linrf. — 7V/e C/ia- cha-lool. — Greathf prized by the Indlaus. — Hooked snout. — Snccess/'ul Jxshing.- — A very Ji)iejin}i. — Salnio proteas very abundaiU. — A delight' j'al anyliui/ e.>cnrsio)i. — y/te do// mdiuoa.- -ISidmon the Indiana' only winter food. — 2 rade in salmon. One of the chief sources of the wealth of British Columbia consists in its fisheries. The neighbouring seas literally swarm with all conceivable varieties of fish and send, periodically, Endless sup- immense shoals of salmon, through the numerous streams, into ply of sill- . , ' o »»o"- the interior of the country. One small river, the Chilukweyuk, a tributary of the Eraser, may be mentioned, as it shows in what extrordinary numbers, a fish so useful, — essential, even, to man Iti an uncivilized state, distributes itself over the length and breadth of the land, by means of the smallest, as well as the largest streams. In June and July, salmon ascend the Chilukweyuk, in such vast numbers, that, although they file off into every rivulet as they toil up stream, and fill even the pools left by the receding Hoods on the prairies and flat lands, they find their way when their progress is not stayed by impassable cataracts, to the remotest affluents. In a very shallow stream, scarcely of sufficient depth to cover an ordinary sized salmon, Mr. Lord, the naturalist, saw the fish crowding so much that they pushed one another out of the water, high and dry, upon the pebbly banks. Each, with it;; head up stream, struggled and fought hard for precedence ; so that 79 with one's hands, only, or by moans of a gafT or crook-stick, tons ol' salmon could have been pro(nired by the simple process of hooking them out. The native population doiss not seem to be sufriciontlyp"«.Hiwy numerous to diminish perceptibly the quantiti<'sof'lish asi-end-tuTlmuvcs. inp^ the rivers. Their instinct prompting them lo keep svimniing up stream, salmon are often found with their noses quite worn off, their heads bruised and battered, their fins and tail ragged and torn, their bodies emaciated, thin and Uabby. The Indians say that all the salmon that come up to spawn, die, and naturalists admit that very few ever again reach the salt water after the spawning season. This fearful mortality Pomiiarity II- 1 r> 1 1 If 01 the Qvin- cannot arise trom the distance the nsh have to travel from the n^it »ftimon, sea up stream, or any obstacles that impede their progress. They die in thousands at the Chilukweyuk River, which is only two hundred miles distant from the sea. In the Columbia they ascend as high as the Kettle Falls — 100 miles, — and have been caught many hundred miles farther up. But, they die there, too, as well as in those streams, the course of whit;h is much shorter. They work their way up Snake River as far as the great Shoshonee Falls, more than a thousand miles against a rocky stream, and they perish there, just at they do in the rivers that are close to the ocean. Accord- ing to the opinion of Mr. Lord, the common salmon called Quinnat, at the mouth of the Columbia, see-met-Ieek, at the Kettle falls, and salsuss by the Nesquallys, does not return to the sea after having ascended the streams for the spawning season. It cannot, or at least, does not feed in fresh water, and so dies of starvation. Corroborative of this fact is the circum- stance that this kind of fish can never be tempted to take any kind of bait in fresh water above the tide mark. The Indians declare that it never eats when in the rivers and they have no 1 I ,.^.. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (iyiT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■am |2.5 III 1.8 Mi. im U 1 1.6 I s V] <^ /^ ^;. 7 /# ^ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 a\ •^ ^^v\ V <* %. "% c^ ^# 4^ k\ c^ > I Excellent nui^Iiiijj:. The Chtt- cllU-lvui. Greatly prized by the Iqdiaiis 80 tradition of a salmon having' been taken with bait. European ang'lers have been alike unsucci^sslul. The hau<2:hty tish were above temptation. So tcstifie-s the naturalist of the ^?an Juan ])()undary commission. "The most killing- salmon ilies of Seotrl), Irish and English ties, thrown in th(.' most a])proved fashion, were trailed elose to their noses, such Hies as would have coaxed nny old experinnccHl salmon, in the civilized world of wnteis, to lov'i'et its cauliiwi. Hooks cunninu'ly baited ^vith live (ish, aii m silvery white ; th(^ tail is A'cry forked, and, like the fins, with- out any siiot.s. It abounds in the torrents which descend from the Cascade Mountains and in the lakes that are connected with them. The PaMciclais is called by the Indians Stzot7i, and is also known as the Red Charr, although the red is not distinc- tive, every fish of the species acquiring this color after being a short time in the rivers. The hump-backed salmon, iath, down a cIKf which is almost vertical, leads from the fiills to the rock at their l)ase. The s([uaws, who, for such partie.s are the " hewers of wood and drawers of wat(»r," immediately busy tliems«>lves in tho work which belong-s to camping'. The men, meanwhile, who are all under one chief, who is styled the "Salmon Chief," commMK.'e tho labors whicli fall to their share. Some- r(^pair the drying sheds, which are placed, as well as many ol the lodj^'cs, at the foot of the zig-zag path ; others make or mend huge wi<"ker baskets, which are a])out 80 feet in circumference and tvv'elve feet in depth ; others in groups, drag down large trees, which have already been lopped clear of their branches. These branchless trunks they roll and twist and tumble over the rocks, iixing them, at last, by means of massive lioulders, while the ends hang over the foaming waters, not unlike so many i>ihbets. The trees having been secured in their right places, it remains to suspend from them the great wicker traps. This last work is very risky and difhcult. Numerous willing hands, however, and long experience accom- plish the necessary task. The baskets are at length iirmly suspended with strong ropes made of twisted bark. The river now begins to rise rapidly and soon overliows the rocks where the trees are fastened, and rushes also into the basket Vf hich is speedily in the midst of the w^aterfall, and is so con- trived as to be easily accessible from the rocks that are now An end of covercd by the flood. Everything is now ready for the finny visitors. On such occasions all feuds are laid aside, or as the feuis.' 4- 4- 89 funs. 4- Indians themselves beautifully term it, "the hatchet is buried," and there Jbmmences among these sinc^ular people, a series ot* diversions which it would be quite in vain to attempt to DhorBioiw, describe, horse racing, gambling, love making, diuuiing, etc. ; revelling is the order oi' the day. The medicine men or con- jurors, meanwhile, are more seriouly engaged. Some ol' these i' in every tribe, g>3 i-^ealously to work and ply their charms and incantations in order to ensure an abundant run of iisli. Certain members of the tribes are appointed to kee]) watch and as soon as they announcu) the welcome tidings that the salmon are come, the onslaught begins. The iirst few that arrive are oi'L(m speared from the rocks. iJut soon they are in such great numbers, that oin' could not well throw a stone into the water at the base of the falls, without hitting a iisli. More than lirty may now be seen in the air, at once, leaping over tlie wicker baskets, which experience has tauglit the Indians to place, so cunningly, that the adventurous fish, failing to clear " the salmon leap," fall back and are trapped. Two naked Indians are stationed in each basket all day long. This is accomplished by means of frequent relays, as there is always a heavy fall of water. Salmon, three or four at a time, fall, in quick succession into the basket. They are no sooner ()sitioii thi\v iiw Lcnidiudly dried by mni'aiis of kIow lin's, which aiv koptsiiioulderiuj*' on the iloors. Flies aro kept away by tlie sinoke, which no doubt, also aids in ])re,s»'r- riuLT (he lis!i. The wlioh^ i^alinon is cured in this way, with the exception oi' the head, ))ackbone, roe and liver. Tht-se portions are cooked and consumed duriiifj; the iishing season. As soon as the dryini,' process is completed, the lish are y)acked in balcH made of rush mats. These bales are tii^htly bound gpnii ,r,nM-'yvitli bark ropes. Vy.u-h bale wei'^hs a])out TjOibs. The oliject in thus packing- the traj^ped salmon is to I'acilitate an equal division of the spoil, as well as to render more easy its con- veyan(,'o to winter cpiarters. For the latter purpose, the numerous horses broui^dit by tho tribes, are eniidoyed, the lucky lishermen packiiiii' two bales on each horse. The llsliinij lasts about two months, and when it is done, its welcome iruittj are divided, and the ground abandoned to its wonted quic'tude, luitil another season of revelry and lish harvesting comes round. An extraordinary way of jireparing the salmon for comfortable chewing prevails among the Indians, like many wonderful things, no doubt, it is more to be admired than imitated. But " de (j^uKiihua mm est disputdwlum.'" During the process of drying, silicious sand is blown over the iish, and, as may be supposed, adheres to it. By virtue of his lictitious jau :e 1 fish, ti^y^p rhe poor Indian chews this sanded iish, with inhnite relish. We cannot envy him. But, is there nothing lictitious in civilized society? Nothing in itself noxious and disgu.sting, which fashion renders delightful ? Mr. Lord had in his possession the nnderjaw of an Indian, the teeth in which were w^orn down by the flinty sand to a level ^^ ith the bony sockets. t t '91 H- Th« Buncossful fishinpf iit the Keiths Falls shows how plentiful salmon an* in khf Cohimhia Jtivor. They arccqually so in all thti streams that lh)\v to Piii^ft'g Sound, as \v,']l as in tho FraHor Jtivcr, and all the rivers north of it, as far as the Arctic Ocean. In the Frascr there are no impediments to the ascent of salmon all the way to Fort Hope. Hence, the Indians do not iish as in the Colun.'-'a. J!]a'-h vilhiire or family, on the <;ontrary, do hueiness on their own a<'count. Near the mouth of the river, snlmon are hooked into canoes with hirj^c iron paff hooks. A very ingenious kind of net, which is worked between two canoi's, is also used, higher n[) the river, at the mouths of the Siunass, the Chilukweyuk, and other tributaries. Great numbers of lalnion are caught in these nets. Round nets, likewise, are employed, and stages are suspended over the eddies from the rocks. .Silinoii 'tiiiierubiiu' limit in All tl)u rivun. ■A t !t ^"^ Indian wny of speui'ir.; jsaliuon. Another ■ mode of upearin^'. 92 CHAriER XIIL Ind'mn tray of Sp^nrinj Salmon. — Another inoile ff Spearxnj. — Salmon Tiout, (Sal/no Spedah'din.) — Abounds in all the Rivers. — Modes of caphirhyj Salmon I rout — Un.'^'portnmn)i-like Flaking. — Oregon Brook Tro}'t.—A>vi\ing F.rperis'uce. — I'^njoiitdda Augllnj. — The Cmulle Fish or Fulc.cJion. — Ajfords loth Food and Light. — Hoxo it is Trapped. — Fxtraurdinari/ A hnndana\ — ^l Curious Instrument. — Intcrestirt// Spectacle. — Proce,-i,-i of iJuriii;/. — An e.cceUe.nt Candle. — Supplies of oil. — Store;! in hottliM of Sea iv rack. The Indians as bocomes them, in their uncivilized state, are well skilled in the l)ar])aroas art of spearing salmon. At the River Nanaimo, they have a most ingenious way of prac- ticing this art, and so destroy the iinny tribes in a wholesale fashion. Their 'irst operation is the construction of a weir. This done, they place on the lower side of this obstruction to the ascent of salmon, a stone pavement, about six feet wide and fourteen long. This pavement which is made of white or light-colored stones, leads to an opening in the weir. Between two such paved ways the Indians erect a scaflblding or stage, on which these murderous lishermen, lying with their faces downwards, observe at once, any salmon that dares to attempt passing over the w^hite stones. It is no sooner seen than a long barbed spear, which is held in readiness, descends on its luckless person. A still more ingenious mode of spearing is resorted to in the seas of British Columbia. The salmon of this country^ although so fastidious in the rivers, readily takes a bait when in salt water. The Indian sets sail in a light canoe armed with "musBSttKk^ ■ 98 two spears, one of which is about sevtnty feet in length, the other twenty, and with a barbed end. As soon as good fishing ground is reached, in some well sheltered strait or inlet, a small cone of wood which has been previously hollowed and trimmed * round its large end with small feathers so as to resemble a shuttle cock, is placed on the point of the longer spear, which is then thrust down its full length in the water. The Indian now cleverly jerks off the small cone, which immediately wriggles up through the water, like a struggling fish. Such a tempting bait can scarcely fail. The wily savage, who holds the short sp3ar, keeps his eye upon it, and as soon as a salmon rushes at it, the unwary fish is sure to become his prey. The most beautiful of this kind of fish is the salmon trout, saiaion , ' trout. Sal' or red spotted salmon trout {Sahiio Spectabllls). One of its ll^^Jf^"*"" names is derived from the number of bright red spots along its sides. These are interspersed with spots of a yellow colour on a ground of light green which, on the back is darker, in- clining to gray. The head is rather more than a fourth of the whole length. This kind of trout is seldom above 31bs. in weight. Its habits are pretty much the same as those of the larffcr salmon. Like them it ascends the rivers from the sea, AK^"i' '" ° ^ _ 'all the nv*» at certain periods of the year, for the purpose of spawning. In«"- October, when it seeks the fresh water, it is seen in vast num- bers, pouring into all the rivers which flow into Puget's Sound. The Fraser and its tributaries become alive with this pretty little fish. It swarms alike in all the streams, creeks and inlets about Vancouver Island. The Indians as may be supposed, *do not spare it. In the neighbourhood of all the waters which it is known to frequent, they erect tempoi'ary lodges. This is quite a necessary precaution, as all the members of « family engage in the sport, or rather business, for such it is with the red men. They have two ways of fishing. They \ d4 Modes i)f capturiti'.' ealnioii trort»- TiianiikL' fisliintr. use a rod with hook and lint*, in true sportsman fashion. They are not very nice, however, in their choice of bait. But, they know what is best. They fasten some rather high-flavored salmon roe to their hook, which is made of bone or hardwood. They never use the roe fresh, but only after it has become tough by drying, and has acquired a rank, oily smell. The iish seize it greedily, and, so are captured in great numbers. They succeed equally well Avith another kind of bait. This consists in a strip cut from the belly of a trout, which they wind tightly round the hook keeping the shiny part outermost from the })arb to about an inch up the line. It is secured by twistino' white horse hair closely round it, about a foot from the hook, thus baited, a smfill pebble is slung, and the line is fastened to the canoe paddle close to the head. The Indian now paddles slowly along, trauling the bait after the canoe. This is. at least, as c'ood an imitation,, of a small fish as the minnow or spoon bait which is so much used in Canadian waters. The Indian's contriA'ance is eminently successful. He secures by it immense numbers of the large trout. They can be taken also by means of any show^y kind of fly, affording admirable sport. The other way in which the Indians tvd\y the salmon trout is not quite so sportmanlike, and, in any other waters than those of British Columbia where the supply of fish appears to be inexhaustible, would have the effect of exterminating this beautiful variety of the Salmonidoe. Basket^ of various dimen- sions, some of them fifteen feet in length, and six in circumference . are woven -^^ split vine-max)le and strips of cedar bark. These are placed in the centre of the stream, with dams of lattice work extending, on each side, to the banks, so that it is impos- sible for any fish to ascejid the river except through the trap. Instead of lattice work for forcing the fish into the fatal basket, ■M MntfifrMUXilMB 95 ' \ ) a wall of boulders, rising about a foot above the surface of the water, is otten erected. The two ends of this wall, passing obliquely from the banks of the stream, where they meet in the centre, form an acute angle, on which the basket is placed. It is only in the shallow waters that such a wall can be built. It has the effect of forcing the greater part of the stream through the basket, in u stronger and deeper current than it naturally possesses, thus affording a tempting, but false pass to the unwary trout. When the hshing party consider the basket sutticiently well filled, they carry it to the bank and supply its place, with an empty one. No sooner are the con-curin-. tents of the well replenished basket spread upon the sward, than squaws of all ages squat round, knife in hand. As tln^ hapless captives lie flapping on the ground, each squaw seizes a trout, rips him up, ajid having removed the inside, skewers him open with two sticks. Poles, forked at the end, are now placed in the ground, about fifteen feet apart. Other poles^ from which the bark has been removed, and have' been rubbed quite smooth, are placed on the forks. Along these, the trout, when split, are strung, and, below them small smouldering fires are kept up. When thoroughly dried by this process, the fish are packed in small bales which are bound with the bark of the cedar tree. Another less useful, although not quite so beautiful a fish of oiugou the Salmonidtt' is the Oregon Brook Trout, Fario Ste/latus. It is "^°" about the same size as the Salnio Spedabilis and varies in weight, from eight ounces to three pounds. Its whole length is four and a half times that of the head. The back is of a bright olive green colour, the sides are yellow, tinged with pink, the belly white and speckled all over with small black spots. There is no river or lake of British Columbia where thi« trout is not found. It abounds in the waters of Vancouver Island. It [i H pencil ce. is met with in the rivers which flow westward from the Cascade Mountains, as well as in the waters of the Eeistern declivities. It is a denizen of all the rivers descending from the Rocky- Mountains, to the Pacific Ocean, delighting, even, in the waters that are no less than seven thousand feet above the level of the sea. It is very voracious, and so affords excellent sport. Butterflies, dragon flies, mock flies, sand insects of the least artistic description prove a sufliciently tempting lure to this .greedy little fish. Mr. Lord relates an incident of his angling- experience which is abundantly illustrative of this statement. When enjoying the pleasures of woodland life, one day, sitting on the bank of a stream that rippled gaily on its rocky course, dovn the western slope of tlie Eocky Mountains, he was sud- den ! ;.' .^jeized with the deterir inalioa to become possessor of one of tliowe fine speckled trout, and, indeed, the creature, by its proceedings in the water near him, awakened more and more his cupidity. First of all, by a sudden splash, it disturbed the solemn stillness of the scene, and broke his reverie. "With no less celerity, it devoured a large grey fly upon which it had pounced under the very bank on which the learned naturalist sate, as the insect, unconscious of danger, had touched the water with its gauzy wrings. "Very well, master trout, you may, perhaps, be as easily duped as your more cautious confreres ; so, setting to work, I overhauled my possible sack, found a few coarse hooks, a bit of gut and some thread. Among other materials wherewith to make a fly, feathers were indispensable. Shouldering my gun, I strode off to look for 'a white feather,' alias ruffled grouse, soon stirred one up, bagged him, hauled out his glossy bottle-green frill, selected some feathers which I thought w^ould turn a decent hackle, picked out a couple of brighter ones for wings, some red wool from my blanket for cribbing, and with these materials I tied a fly. \m ■«r were for 'a igged some kicked from. ally. €7 Not the slightest resemblance, fancied or real did it bear to anything ever created, but still it was a ily, and, as 1 ilattered myself, a great achievement. A line was made from some ends oi cord ; then cutting a young larch, I made my tackle fast to the end, and, thus equipped, sallied to the stream. My first attempt in the swift current was a lamentable failure. "Wearily, I threw my newly created monster well across the stream, and according to the most approA'ed method, let it slowly wash towards me, conveying to the rod and line a delicate and tempting tremble. Not arise, not anilible. My hopes wavered, and I began to think these trout wiser than I had given them credit for. I tried the pool as my last chance, so, lean- ing over the rock, I let my tempter drop into the water. 1 made a splash like throwing in a stone. liat, imagine my deliu-ht, ye lovers of the gentle art, when a tremendous jerk told me I had one hooked and struggling to get free ! Dependini» on the strength of my tackle, I Hung him out on the bank ; and admitting all that may be said against me, as being barbarous and cruel, I confess to standing over the dying fish and admiring his brilliant colour, handsome shape, fair proportion, and, last though not least, contemplated eating him ! I pitied him not, as Happing and struggling on the grass, his life ebbed away, but t bought only of the skill I had displayed in duping him, and the feast in store for me on returning to camp." Our naturalist turned the secret he had discovered, to good account. That very day, he played havoc among the trout, returning to quarters with as many as he could carry, strung on branches cut with a crook at the end. These trout are, bv no means fas- tidious, they can be tempted and taken with almost every con- ceivable kind of bait, grasshoppers, fragments of grasshoppers, pieces of white meat from the tail of the river crayfish they Kcize quite ravenously. F^l I! i i Tlie cantlle- Ht-li or eula- Afftorestin,' must not a whole Ueetofsuch vessels present, whilst the dusky forms of the savages ae'e seen in the moonlight, bending over the water, and with their brawny arms, sweeping their toothed sickles through the silvery shoals. Stroke rapidly follows stroke till the canoes are completely loaded. They are then paddled to land, drawn upon the shelving beach and over- turned, (this being the quickest mode of discharging), and, at once, relaunched for the purpose of raking uj) another cargo. This work is continued until the moon sets behind the moun- tain peaks, when the fish disappear. It appears to be the peculiar habit of this fish to come to the surface only in the night. The squaws now commence their labours. Their Process oi business is to cure, dry the fish and make oil. They do not clean the fish or remove the entrails, but, at once, pass through their eyes, long smooth twigs, or sticks, skewering on each curi 1^ An CN<'i;'- lullt (.'lUllllO. 100 stick as many as it will hold. Next comes the process of dry- in*^. This is soon accomplished by suspcndini»- the skewered lish in the thick smoke at the top of the sheds. lu drying they acquire a llavour of wood smoke, which also aids in preserving them. They are tlien pack.'d in bales for winter use. No salt is used in curing these lish any more than in any of the other Indian, systems of fish-i-iiving. These fat Hi tl(^ members of the tribe of Sahnonida* thus pre- served, constitute the l>est of Arctic wintc^r ibcd. They are also used in lighting th(» lodges of the niitives. A piece of rush pith or strip from the inner bark of the Cypress tree {Thnia gigantea) is drawn through the lish, when dri(Hb by means of a long, round needle made of the hardest wood. When liuhted, it burns, like the most artistically manufactured candle, till consumed. One can read <'omfortably by its light, with no other candlestick thtm a piece of w^ood, split at one end. and, thus simply adapted to receive and hold the light-giving lish. By the ai)plication oi a little heat and pressure (his admirable taper may be (^hanged to a liquid state. The Indian then drinks it, and, so, throughout the long, cold and dreary winter of the more elevated regions, feeds abundantly the ilame of life, which, but for this wonderful resource whi<'h Nature sup- plies in such bounteous profusion, would be utterly extin- guished. All the lish that are not required for food and light, suvi'iiesof the Indians convert into oil, immediately after they are taken. They who wish to learn the process by which that oil is made, have only to consult the writings of learned naturalists. Let it suffice to observe that nature has supplied the place of art in providing a ready made bottle in which this valuable oil is Ktoitd in preserved. The hollow stock of the sea wrack, which, on the bottles of 1 -VT 1 T-i • P dca wraci:, coast of the North Paciiic, growS to an immense size, forming- submarine forests, expands at the root end, so as to constitute 'in 'ti mtr • ■ ■-''**" ■" ^^^ 101 a romplote flask. These hollow stalks arc cut about three feet from the root, and with the bulb at the end, are preserved, in a moist state, until required for use. Each of these vessels contains about three pints, and the oil, as soon as it is manu- factured, is stored in them. # • 102 CHArTEK XIV. Cod (ihundant, — Not much Jifilied for, — F/at Fish — llalibiit oj' pwn'inoaa siy. — Spearing the monster IlaUhut. — Greater jmrt preserced.. — • IS mailer flat fisli. — rieanniectes Inliniatns.— J^h'.nronc^tfs diyramimui. —Plenronectes gnllatn^. — Jfom t/ie smaller Flounder is canylit. — (jlreat Tal^es. Coil iibiin- il.iiit. Nut llilicll tislicil lor. I ! 1-^ . Cod has not been, as vet, mueh iished for in the seas to the westward ol' British Coluin])ia. tSalnion and other excellent lish are so ph^ntiful along the shores and in all the straits, Iniys, inlets, and rivers of the country, and are so much more easily caught, tliat th(» Al)original trilies have neglected deep sea iish- ing. This neglect may be ascribed, not only to the great abun- dance oi" fish which offer a rich harvest in the midst of their abodes, ))ut also to the fragile nature of their sailing cral't, and the manv diilii-ulties and dangers of the seas, when once the iishermoi of the woods pass beyond ttie shelter of their inland bays, gulfs and (\stuaries. Cod, however, is not unknown in British Columbian waters. Although seldom exposed lor sale in the markets of Victoria, it is found in al)undance. both at the northern and southern extremities of Vancouver Island. The Indians lish lor cod, to some extent, along the coast. But no regular system of deep sea fishing has as yet been inaugu- rated either by them or European colonists. Naturalists are agreed, nevertheless, that this fish which delights in deep waters, is very abundant at some distance from the shores, and some of them have expressed the opinion that, when once the deep sea line is applied by experienced hands, treasures will K^- 108 !1IZ0. be derived from vast and rich ocean mines, that will provts more truly valuable than the furs ol' Hudson's Bay or the gold •of California and Cariboo. There are several species of Hat lish. The smaller kinds ii^» „^h, are found in shallow and muddy waters, near the shores, in Puget's Sound and at the mouth of the Fraser and C^olumbia Rivers, although, indeed, the latter river ought not to ])e men- ' tioned in this connection, as at the places where it swarms with Hat lish, in does not belong* to British Columbia. Of these fish the Halibut is the chief It frequents deep sea sand banks on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It grows to an na!ii,„t ..r enormous si/e, weighing, not unfrequently, -jOO pounds. It ^""'■'"""* has a monstrous mouth — not too large, ])erhaps, for so great a iish, and appears to be omnivorous, devouring everything that comes within its reach. The Indians show great skill in capturing this gigantic; iiounder. Some four of then embark in a " tiny crartinto the depths, now causing it to spin suddenly round, with tlu^ velocity of a whipi^ed top. In such circumstances, nothing less than the admii'abh^ dexterity of the Indian paddlers could prevent sliip- wreck and th(> drowning of the whole crow. What exciting sport 1 Who would not desire to see the.se untutored denizens of th<' forest displaying such extraordinary skill and t'.u't in their conllict with a great monster of the deep, ten times their strength ^ In ai)proaching the shore, they cautiously ])roceed, stern foremost, least the fisli recovering his exhausted strength, should suddenly make for his d(»ep sea realms, when it would be necessary to put out line and follow him. When ho can strugu'le no more, the Indians haul the duped and defeated giant to the beach, where, powerless and spent, he perishes under the knife and club of his captors. This magniticont lish is suppos(^d to be the P/euroneetes Hippoglassus of Linnteus. Specimens weighing 3001bs. have been captured by the In- dians on the coasts of British Columbia. When these people succeed in bringing a halibut to land, they cut it in pieces, and. at once, devour some portions of it after a ha.sty roasting. The remainder they pack up and reserve for future use. ThCiiSril-IT'' Smullcr llnl riciiroiici- li H liiliiiiii- tllN. rU'iiroiu'c- \¥ 106 Toe which in bright red, they consider quite a dainty. This wonderful Ihit iish, as they relate, spawns in the middle of February. The smaller kinds of ihit Iish, or flounder, are very plenti- i'ul in th(; bays and inlets of the mainland as well as the island j)ortions of IJritish Columbia. The species that are most com- monly siH^n, may be mentioned here. The two-lined flat Iish {/j/ctmmnies hilmidtiis), called also {i)hdessa bUiniala) is about half JIN hii^li as it is long, and its head is one-fourth of its entire b'ngtli. The nose projects a little. The eyes are large and scparaied by a strong prominent ridge, which is partly covered with scales. In each jaw Uiere is a single even row of strong bhml tcelh, wh.'li are less developed on the uppermost and t'olourcd side, liian on the oth(^r. The lower jaw is prominent, ;nul llie scales arc very cou'^picuous. This iish is of a li<_>ht grayisli brown colour, with lighter marks or blotches. Tlie next species is the two-lined Flounder {Pienm)iectes (//iir' the mainland, in the straits of Juan de Fuca, or amidst the islands in the Grulf ot Greoraia, they would prove hii^hly remunerative. This kind of business has, indeed, been tried, but on a very limited scale. In this as in every other undertaking", from which it is hoped to derive profit and wealth, capital must be applied, and skilful hands must bi^ employed in conducting- the important process of drying, curing" and packing.. There is no want of salt. The country provides it in abundance. "Wood also is plentiful and of the best description for making" casks, building houses, boats, and even ships. British Columbia itself, now so prosperous and steadily advancing, would afford a ready market for home consumption. The whole Pacific Coast to California, and^from San Francisco to Mexico, would atibrd willing purchasers of unlimited sup- plies of preserved iish, whilst trade in such desirable merchaii- f ■ - 109 •dize might be snccessiully established with China, Japan and the Sandwich Islands. » However, this may be in days to come, herrings, in the aneantime, constitute the best .sm crop of the Aboriiiinal tribes. ^ •"fow In the month of April, chieily, this rich crop is harvested. •-'"'-'*• Herrings arrive in Fel^jruary and March, but at this time of the year, they are small and lean. The April lish are finer, full of spawn and in high condition. TViey are eagerly souuht. ac- cordingly, by the Indian lishermen. All through the summer, fiow niey small shoals are occasionally seen, but the herring is never so good as in April. Towards the middle ol this month, the coast Indians' lodges spring up like mushrooms, along the edges of the bays and har]>ours. J^arge ileets oi canoes dot the water in every direction, their swarthy crews continually loading them with glittering lish. Paddling ashore, they hand the cargo to the female part of the community, and then start again lor another freight. They have various modes of fishing, sovl^i Small hand nets are iii common use. "With th^ :se, they literally \u^'. " dip the herrings out of the water into thr-ir canoes. The rtike with which the Indians so sm.'cessfuliy assail the candleHsh, is also had recourse to. One Indian paddles, another holds the rake in both hands, by the rounded part or handle, and as soon as he arrives in the midst of a herring shoal, sweeps it through • the water and never fails to brinu' it up with a herring, and sometimes three or four impaled on each tooth. A simple but etH'ctive system of herring fishing is followed.Hcnn).' in Puget's Sound, Point Discovery and Port Townsend. The i'n-< fs large mud Hats which, at these phi'X^s, run out into the sea, ari^ left quite dry at ebbtide. Across these Hats the dusky fisher- men construct long dams of lattice work, with openings .here and there, resembling salmon traps. Into these dams "s 110 herrings easily pass, but cannot return. Shoal upon shoal are- thus entrapped, fron two or three tons at one tide, frequently becoming" the prize of the lucky red skins. ^ There is a still more curious process. When the Hat places just alluded to are covered with water, the Indians plant in the mud immense quantities of Hr branches, lay others on the ground, and distribute them over the ilats in various ways coiiectinji w^ithiu the river dain. The herring spawn gets entangled on herrinj loc. thosc bvunchos, whicli are immediately taken to the lodges, in order that th(^ fish eggs may be dried in the sun. As soon as dried, they are brushed into baskets, in which they present the appearanceof coarse brown sand. In this state the herring roe is stored up for future use, and a dainty morsel it is, in the estimation of Red Skin epicures, when well mixed with odorous fish oil. It is to them what atviare is to a more civilized people, the Russians. But, mvem. polite reader, neither of these table dainties may appear to you a proof of superior eiTilization. Of the immense number of herrings caught by the Indians,^ a few are consumed at once, but many more are cured and re- served for the wants of winter. From great numbers also the oil is extracted, and this appears to be the chief object of the Indian iierring fishing. This part of the business is carried on by the squaws. The oil-making process is simple enough, and tolerably nasty. But, to those primitive people it is food and fortune, and so is cheerfully borne with. The oil is stored in bottles made of a kind of sea-weed peculiar to the British Columbian coasts. A fish, scarcely less useful than the herring, — theChirus, — is often seen in the markets of Victoria and San Francisco. It is a finely shaped, beautifitl hsh, about eighteen inches in length. Its sides are, indeed rough, but rival in brilliancy many a How lici- used. An tc'iii aieeU. Ill a tropical flower. It is covered with scales which are conspicuous- by the variety and brightness of their colours. " They grouped and blended," says Mr. Lord, " in a manner one sees only repre- sented in the plumage bird, the wangs of a butterfly, or the petals of an orchid." This shewy denizen of the dee]3, which may well be styled "an ocean swell" is not only known as the Chirus, but is named also by the Indians Tei'pugh (a file) ; by the Aleutian Islanders, Dijajuk, and by the inhabitants of Van- couver Isla?id Tathlege^t. This fish is not only pleasing to the eye, it is also delicious to the palate. It frequents places where long ledges of rock, which become dry at low water, shelter it from the waves of the sea in rough weather. In such plat^es, it disports its gay person amidst gardens ^: sea- plants and rich beds of jelly iish, crustaceans of various kinds chitons, shrimps and juicy annalides. AVhile feasting on such dainty fare, th(^ pretty chirus often lingers till the tide recedes and leaves him in secluded pools to become the prey of gulls, herons, shags, — which prowl over the rocks, or of the no less vigilant red men of the coast. Naturalists have likened this fish to a floating flower bed, so rich and varied on its shiny per- son, is the blending of so many colours, — red, blue, orange and green. Three species are common around thc^ islands and along the mainland coasts. The one most in demand, and most frequently exposed for sale, is the Chirm Hexagrammus, or six-lined chirus. A fish belonging to the genus cottokhr {i.e. fish with mailed ^ cheeks), is very common in the seas and rivers of British Col umbia. It is called the stickleback. It is of a very pugna- cious temper, and, being provided wdth arms both oflensive and defensive, it is a formidable combatant in the frequent wars which it wages. On the least provocation it joins battle with its neighbours of the finny tribes, and 112 'Tlivee ■Hliecies < f stinkloliiu. in liritis'.i Oiluml/iii. looks like a little fury, as it ore^'ts its sharp spines, like so many spear points, and the colours of its scaly armour g-listt'U and Hash with something- like phosi)hor- oscent Ijrightness. Its small keen eyes, at the same time, all on fire with rage. This warlike disposition is manifested chielly in defence of the little cr<'ature's nest, his wives and numerous family, lie ouilds among the stems of aquatic plants, where ihe water ilows slug'gishly. Having nicely constructed his house, and glued it all limply together by A'iscous secretions' from his body, he invites the female iish. in great numbers, to dep»sitinit their ova, which are exposed only to the gentle curi'iL The little polygamist keeps strict watch for six weeks, and, sometuues a few days more, over his treasured hoard. And, not without cause. Enemies of several kinds assail him. He is under the necessity of doing l)attle with fish of his own species, even with the females of the tribe. 80 devoted is he to his charge, that he l)ecomes strong and couraii'eous against these hosts of foes and defies them all. The horny armoured water beetles, even, are warded oif by the fatal spear wounds which, in his warlike fury, he inflicts upon them. lie has also to perform the duty oi' turning over the eggs, so that they ma5^be all in their turn, exposed to the action of the stream. Nor do his duties end when the i)rogeny comes to liii'lit. It is related that when a Youthful stickleback, in the time of its minority, A'entures beyond the family circle, he goes in pursuit of it, and seizing it in his mouth, brings it back to the nest. There are three species of this iish which seek the fresh k waters oi British Columbia, in order to build their nests and hatch their yotmg. 1st, the saw-finned sticklebaoJv {gasterostevs serrat?/s). In this species, the body is entirely plated. 2nd, the Puget Sound sticklebijck, {gasterosteus Pugctii). It diliers ii:; from \ho formor in several "ways. The body is only in pjirt. plated, the pedicle of the tail is not keeled, and the three dorsiil s])ines are without serrations. Theeolour is pretty inueh tlie same. It is more distinctly purple on the sides. In both si>e(ies the eyes are briii'ht red when IVesh from the water. -Ird. the tiny stickleback, {gaderosleus ronrumtfs). This pretty lish has nine dorsal spines, none of which are serrated. Th<' .seventh and eiuhth are smaller than the precedinj^' ones, and Ihe uiiith is lonu'er than any of the rest. It is l)rig'ht sea- j;ipeen o)i the back, something- between purple and pink on the sides. The belly is silvery wliite, and the whole ixxly is speckled with miniite black spots. It is more al)undaut liiun the other two species. It swarms iii the iSaskatchewan audit *.war...9 other rivers of the North-Wes', as far north astheGr)th parallel, u-aa-hewwi The yiatives of Ibitish C^olurulna net>leet the stickleback, b,'tter rivers iiitiia and larirer llsh bein^' so ]dentiful. Unt, inth(» countries east of the Itocky ^^dountains. slediie loads are often h.shed up with ^ wooden bovs'ls. The same mode ol' lisbing" mig-ht bei)ra<'ticed and with the like success, in the prairie pools and rivers of the Western Slope. Travellers have often taken great numbers of the spe-ics awc/w7/?/s in J^'S(|uimalt harbour durinii' the winter raonths. There is a kind ot stickleback (^-(lisierosieioi obolanus) much U!«edijiKamtsehatka. The )iativ»'s there make soup of it Jbr ihemsclres, and a.lso use it m L»-reat quantities for feedinj^ their sjcd'j'c dogs. The iifteen s{)iue stickleback, (grisferosfeNS s/*itHir,'i/)i). well known in the waters of Great Britain, is very much iikiti to its c(. hi peers of tin' Ibitish Columbia mainland, Oreg(»i ;(}id A ajicoin'er Isla)ul. lU CHAPTER XVI. Fiarliest discovery of the Nurth Vest land. Earlit'Mt (liHCoroiry of the North- West Land. — Drake at 4S^^ Snrth Latitvde. iV>'/' Alhi<))i.'~ An Advo/iduroiiH Greek. — A Wonderful Solution. — The North- Wetft Passatje Snpposed to be Discovered. — Cook. — The ^' nieta inciKjnitci'^ vainly soatjlit. — EiKjlish y old avails not. — Cook led astray by II Scientific Error. — The Firnt Emjlishnian in De Fuca Strait. — Van- eom'i'r at last. — A Great Discovery. It was only in 1513, that the Pacific Ocean itself became known through the enterpriseof Spanish navigation, to the civi- lized world. In that year, Yasco Nunez de Balboa sailed along, certain portions ol the western coast of North America. Later navigators proceeded further north, and in 1582, an expedition under the command of Crrijalva and Becerra, discovered the l*eninsula of Lov/er Californi?.. Three years afterwards the celebrated Cortez took possession of this peninsula, in the name of his sovereign, the King of Spain. In 1542, two vessels under Juan Cabrillo, ascended as far north as latitudes 37'"' 10'. He was then driven back by stress of weather to the Island of San Bernardo, where he died. His pilot, Ferreto, assuming the command, pursued the voyage northwards, and is believed by Humboldt and others to have discovered Cape Blanco in lati- tu^ Ihe distinction ol hav- inj^' been the firnt who discovered th(^ country extendini;- from tiie 4:lrd to the 48th parallel. Voundiuij;' on tht^ riirht of orii^nal discovery, he claimed this ])()rtion of the coast in the Kiw .v!1m.i.. name of liis sovereiirn and called it "New Albion." The Sj)aniards had never penetrated so far north. Later, under 8]>ani8h auspices, a voyatre is sjiid to have been jicrformed, and important di6covu\'cr. the de Fiii-a Strait was known and was called by the Spanish name of its allctivd di.scoverer, J/mn tie Fuva. Tiiis mariner was a (ireek, his real name Apoxt.o/o^i Vdlerianos which, on entering' the Spanish service. In' <-hang«Kl to that ofafavorite saint. This (J reek of Cephalonia was employed as pilot on })oaivi a Sp.mish uallcon which was caj)tured by Cavendish, in loST. On his return to Mexico, after the capture of the vessel, as Mr. Locke, an iMiiilishmnn who saw him at Venice in laDO, relates, he was placed by the Mexican Viceroy, in command of three ships, with a view '7f> dbrovpr (heSfraU of Aninri^aloni:^ f/ie rotiM, of the South Sea, and to forlifi/ thai Strait to resist the passa^^'c mui procee/liniii's of the English nation which were feared to pass through that Strait into the South Sea.'' As reii'arded tindini;' communication by water with the Strait of Anian (Hudson's Straits), the voyage proved a failure. Tln^ intrepid marim^r believed, nevertheless, that he made his way to the, Atlantii* Ocean. It w^as not his faiilt if it was understood, in his day, that this i^-reat ocean was not so distant from the Pacific, as it is now known to be. The persevering Viceroy, insisting on his idea, which was according to the science of the time, induced the brave Juan An ;iihcn- tu rolls iiri'uk. 117 ■ii to rpiiew his otforts. So, coastiiiji' along Nortli-TVost(»rii Amovi<'a, in a iiortln'i'ly din'ction, he camo to the 47th deoroe of north liititu(l<\ and thon* finding* that " the hind trended east and north-east, with a broad inh't of the sea between 47'' and 48*^ norlli latitude, he entered therein, and saih'd therein, more than » tvventv days, and found that land tn'nding still, sometimes, north-vvewt and north-east and north, and also east and south- eastwards, and very mueh broader sea than was at the said entrance, and that he passed by divers islands in that sainiig; and that at the entrance' of this said strait, there is, on the north-west roast thereof a great headland." It is evident, if there ])e any truth, as must be believed that there if, in De Fuea's narrative, ms i)res<»rved to us by Mr. Locke, the veteran juariner must have traversed the sea which sei)arates Vancou- ver Island from the mainland, entering by the Juan de Fuca Strait, and coming out into the North Pacific, by Queen Char- lotte's Sound. It is no ari2'ument against the fact that the good man himself believed, as he came into Queen Charlotte's Sound, that he was sailing into the Atlantic by Utuhoni^ Strait, or, as it was called in those times, the Strait of Anian. If this enormous mror does not impair the narrative, neither does tln^ lesser one whi<'h places the De Fuca Strait between the 47th and 48th degrees of north latitude. The latter as well as the former mistake must be charged to the imperfect science of I he time. De Fuca never imagined that he had discovered an Is- land, so. he could not claim to be its discoverer. H<» returned ,^,«'0'"*«r- lul :njj;lit. rest, failed to find tho passa|L»:o, or rather, the strait which was mistaken lor it. Their I'ailuri' is ascribed to Do Fuca's second and minor error, — that which placed the strait which took his name, between the 47th and 48th decrees N. Lat. Tho reader will observe from a glance at a modern nnip, that the strait in question, is situated a little to the north of 4S'-'. Cook explored A'ery carefully, the coast betwi*en 47^^ and 48*^. Findinir no inlet or strait, he sailed direct north, from 48*-', or a little nortk of 48'\ from Cai)e Flattery, which is almost at the oi)eninii" of ])e Fuca Strait, and so proceeded on his explorations, along the Nortli-West Coast, without noticinii" the entrance to the North' West Passu *>e, th(^ wdn Inrof^nita of the time, which this renowned navigator also was in search of Still more elforts were made in order to fiiul the North- West rassau'c where it did not exist. In 1774, the 8))anish Government dispatched an expedition uiuler Juan Perci^ with instructions to s«'arch for it nlonu' the North-Western Coast of America. This Ca])tain discovered (^ueen Charlotte's Island in Ijit. 54*^ North. Ihit, as may be .supj^osed, he did not succeed in accouiplishiuii" the principal object of his voyage. Soon after this unsuccessful enterprise, tv\ ., A'essels were sent by the Viceroy oi' Mexii^j on tlie samt^ en-and. They commenced by a mistake, into which thev were led bv the charts of the time, which placcnl th(^ Strait of Fuca between the 47th and 48th parallels. Starting from SH*-' 20,' they sailed south ward. and so, in vain sought for the opening of the sivait. Some of their crew hav- ing been massacred by Indians, they ceased to sail away from the object of their search, and returned to Mexico. One of the vessels, however, which was <'ommanded by Francesco de la Bodega, continued to sail northward for some time, made land in latitude 56^, and discovered a portion of King Creorge Third's Archipelago. He took possession, likewise, of a large bay, in 110 ^lich was 's Hecond took his ho reader Mrait in ''xplored y the <;t'd by time, d 48th 1 so, in /v' hav- )in the ossels, Ddega, . nd in hird's ly, in latitude 60'' 30. To this bay he gave the name of his patron, the Viceroy, lalling it Port BucardL About '10 yeaib ]>«'lore the time of J)e la Bodejjii'8 expedition, the British Parliament olfered^'Kiihgni*! a reward of .€20,000 for the discovery of a prarticable paw saofe, by sea, between the two o«'eans. Somewhat later, in 177(), the celebrated navijirator and explorer, Captain Cook, received commission to undertake an expinlition, in pursuance of the same object, lie was instructed to seart:h lor rivers or inlets pointini^ towards Hudson's or Baltin's Hay. from tlie 4.5th to the Goth degree of north latitude. The Greek pilot, Apostolos Valerianos, who also bore the Spanish name o I" Juan de Kuca, had stated that the passau^e which he was held to have discovered, opened betwemi the 47th aiul 48th deyrees. ^Coh the pilot's '••e()'4T:i])hy was at I'aidt, luid Cook came very near ].)e luica Strait, when he was at th(» Promontory which he complimented with the name of 6V//>e i'7^///m/, on account of the fairer weather with which he was larored there. Sailing nortliward from this sover- eign, lie sailed up the strait about thirty leagues in m V)oat. it was found impos,si])le, however, to proceed farther in such a craft, the natives assailiut>- him from the northern slior*'. Vanoouver To Captain Vancouver, an olhcer who had served under Captain Cook, belongs and will ever belong, the distin- guished honour or having discovered the island which bears his name. The Spanish (rovernment having seized a section of country, which, of right, belonged to Great Britain, and having,, also, laid certain restrictions on British commer(.*e in the Paciiic, which our government could not allow. Captain Vancouver was sent to confer with a Spanish oilicer at Nootka Sound, with a vievv" to a formal adjustment of a difficulty which might have put an end to the amicable relations exist- iiiii' between the two Powers. The North-Wed Pai^save was not to bo lost sight of. Ca])tain Vancouver, nfcordingly, was in- structed to add to hi.« diplomatic mission, the duty of searching for the much-desn'ed passage, along the coast from tln^ 35th to the <>Oth degree of north latitude. The Spanish Commissioner not having arrived when A'ancouver reached Nootka, this oilicer determined, meanwhile, to employ his time in examining the ' VBm M«vM««aia«««MM«^ iMh ~"|1l' "ITTiPW •MM 121 De Fuca Strait and Admiralty Inlet. Not only did he siKX'eed, ;,\5';''f„ after difficult and fatiguing" navigation, in a.scending- the Strait of De l^^uca to a considerable distance, ho was able also to guide his vessels along the Gulf of Georgia, the Strait to which he gave the name of Johnstone Strait, and the whole channel which leads to the main sea, gaining, finally, the North Taciflc Ocean, about 100 miks north of Nootka. Thus was CaptaiiV Vancouver the first who discovered, in the year 1700, that the Island with which his name remains inseparably connected, is, indeed, an Island, and not, as had been so long believed, a por- tion of the North American Cbntinent. lie failed to find, like the Grreek pilot, Juan De Fuca, a channel commimicating with the North Atlantic, but, as all must admit, he made a discovery more valuable to science, more benelicial to commerce, and more cal^;ulated to advance th(^ interests and the happiness of mankind, than if he halc temperature of 72^. This is eight or ten degrees l^elow the urcatest sui imcr heat which prevails for a few days, in the south of liligland, comparison with which is not inappropriate, as the latitude of Victoria, thc! capital of the island, is prettv much the same. There are i.c^s rainy Icwer rainy days througliout the year than m the tormer iii'i- country, and, if the spring be a little later, autumn is much Autumn longer, and winter is thus robbed of its length, whilst other causes tend to render it milder than that of the most southerly parts of South Britain. It has been observed that at Victoria, V. I., in the yeai* 1800-61, there were fewer than 118 rainy days, whilst the average number in England is 178. Dr. Battray, I?. N , in a re^^ort to the Admiralty, shows the state ' i ■ i 124 of the wcnithor from tho l.st April, 1860, to tho end of Marcli^ 1861. Ilin in terestiug' table is as follows : Nunil»«;r of tine (lays 187 " wet days 17 " sliowery dnys 101 " f' *??»>' dnys 17 " day« svitli strong wind 35 " days with tlajmioineter below freezing . , 11 " days on vvliicli snow fell 1:2 Dr. IvattrayVs baroK. trical ol)servatioiis clearly prove how very' favourable the state ol" the atmosj^hore is to persons that are liable t* pulnioMary eouipluints. These observations give the indi(;atious ol thf barometer for the same j'ear to which the preceding tjibie relcrs. They are as follows : Inteiesti:,' ^laxiniuni ."^O.fi'.t *""'• Mifiiminn 29.10 Me.iiuin 30.07 Mf'Utldy lauii;*; l.-')0 UreaU'^t ilaily range - l.Ul Climate Contrast the wontlerl'ul dry atmosphere of ()<.'tober, — their favorable to , j y i • p 3 invalids. wettest mouUi 111 Vancouver Island, wliich may be interred from this table, with the more humid, positively damp, raw, cutting weather vvhi<'h i^revails throughout Englaud iu the beginning of winter. The wind blows so moderately that its mean strength distributed throughout the year, would hardly Hii?h winds amount to a light breeze. High winds are rare, and 0(!cur ^^^' mostly in April, blowing from the south and south-west. The * rainy winds ar*^ from the South Pacific Ocean Dr. Rattray has also taken ar-count of tho^e winds or '/I'phyrs, rather, which fan the Island. From the learned doctor's statement it appears that there were onlv eiijhtv three davs oT the year on which the wind was, in any degree perceptible. Southerly, mostly 12;^ south-westerly breezes prevaiL'd on filVy-six of ihesf eii:-"aty three days, which represents ♦)T.47 p^'r mit : nortVii rly. olcvcn days, 13.25 per i^ent ; easterly, six days, 7. -8 p'reenr : wesh-rly, six days, 7.23 pt^r cent ; variable, ibur days. Another table shows the state of the thernionioter Irom 1st April, ISOO, to the end of March, 1801. Hiuhes'it tlieriiioineter dui'in;' tho vear Vancouver iHlaml. 7i'' Can.'ulii 102' London .SO' AnTiUiil run^e Lowest do. ^.ti t.(Mnp(.iratur<' liar 4?ond('roiis snow drifts, the expanding- foliage of the trees, in all tlic variety of forest hues, iind the bright verdure of the fields, present a . truly cheering- appearance. Add \o this the sheltered valleys, the borders of lakes and the banks of streams richly enamelled with innum.'rable wild llowers, luxuriating- in the brightr^st, and, at the same time, the most delicnto colors. — r-ollinsias. erythoniums, trilliums and scarlet lilies. — whilst the tender grasses, the humble fern and the lordly oak, together with a rich growth of indigenous fruit trees, put lorth their leaves and buds of promise, — ail hastening to their sumTn»'r glorv, — and you have an idea of the early and powerlul advance vt spring, in the temperate, but li'enial climate oi Van<'uuvcr Island. Later, in the month of May, nature assumes a still more delightful aspect. New varieties oi' flovvers enliven the scenery — wild roses in boundless prolusion. bvUteicups and daisies of bright and endless hues, cover the jdains. The warbling of birds, meanwhile, the fresh, balmy air, the riear Ulll- Very early harvest. South sea winds. Arctic our- rentB. Snow ciip- jted moun- tains. m 126 azure sky, the glorious prospect of seas and islands, with the grand snow peaked mountains in the distance, gladden the mind and impart sensations that no language can describe^ By the end of June all the fruits of the earth have attained maturity, and the harvest is ready for the sickle. The remarkable serenity and equability of climate peculiar to Vancouver Island may be ascribed to several causes. First of all, its position on the coast of the Pacific Ocean places it within those extensive regions, the atmosphere of which m tempered by the warmer winds which blow from the great South Sea. Such is the power of these winds that the rigours of winter are softened by them even to the extreme north of the western coasts. This cannot be better illustrated than by observing that the climate of Fort Simpson is equally mild with that of New York, the isothermal line which passes through the Atkuitiij Ocean at 40' north latitude, intersecting the PaciJic a*^ 55' north. Being an island, Vancouver derives more benellt, as regards climate, from the surrounding seas than the neighbouring mainland. The coast exactly opposite, on the Grulf of (leorgia, is well known to be subject to somewhat more rigoroui cxtreuies oi w eather ; and yet it is not beyond the moderating inlluences of the South Seas. In accounting for the extraordinaril)^ moderate summer heat of Vancouver Island, we must have recourse to the doctrine of meteorologists who insist upon the action of cold under currents which flow from the Arctic Ocean. In the height of summer there currents rush against the rocky foundations of the island, and cause their tempering influence to be felt in ihe waters of tln^ locality, and above the surface of the waters in the atmosphere of the Vancouver region. The high movintaia ranges on the mainland also exercise a moderating power. !*"!■ mmim ■MM 127 particularly the lofty Olympian range in the Territory of Washington. These mountains stretch out to a great extent, both in an easterly and westerly direction, presenting to the eye one of the grandest spectacles of mountain scenery. Their snow-capped summits, peering through the bright summer sunshine, modify the heat which, otherwise, must be intense. The warm winds froin +1^« «outh, that prevail throughout the summer season charged with humidity and heat, coming in contact with their i^erpetual snows, lose both their heat and moisture, the former, being absorbed and the latter condensed, Abseiire of so that the inhabitants of the neighbouring plains and islands are exempt from that sultriness which is found to be so oppressive in more eastern longitudes. The rigours of winter arc moderated by an influence similar to that which modifies so much the climate of the British Isles, and which is felt as far as the extreme north of Scotland, the climate of which is more temperate than that of ' the more southern parts of continental Europe. A warm The chiiw stream, supposed to originate at the equator, rushes northward, with great impetuosity, and produces climatical effects of the same nature as those resulting from the action of the gulf cur- rent in the Atlantic. It is called the China current, because it first strikes against the coasts of the Celestial l!]mj)ire. Re- ceding from thence, it follows a curvilinear route aci'oss the Pacific Ocean, and, finally, breaks upon the shores of Vancouver Island, thus moderating the winter cold in that region, as the Borean inlluences, already alluded to, are believed to affect the summer heat, and to produce that agreeable temperature ■which renders the climate of Vancouver Island so deliahtful. 128 »■ The ci-c ■\ CHAlTEli XVII I. Thf. C'ffsr' Sfttft'tl. — 77/« Sanif. Unfair/i/ An/ui'//. — Fiirtn. ■ (I'vi-ai Fi:i'tili,iy. — I iiiprorcinciit ( hih/ Coiiiiiit'nr.iny. — J'J.rjtortndoir arri I fiijxirlafiou. - J'l'oil'ici' }'(')• Acif. - -Splctidiil VciirtnhlM.-- Ki-fi-nnity Arahle Tracts.-- Serf/ (I'ndii cud ('(ttl.lc. I iiiimried. —I'Jxccllcri (•'nir.irui L(i/fdj<.- ~ L'H''.d. — <^>'iii rtitii <)/ Cofi/ h'aised. — Taraild Island. — S(dnniii Licriji Ip Njpvrtc.il. - .. 'iiiMiinup of Pine. — /^//,s- (did //idvs. hJn()nn<>>i.'< E.iintri of' (ii.lil.---L<)rdDio of ijie. A Nii-ricnii Desf'i't. — Sccrifi'ij, —(/ent-nd ]'^U'ir. -'•.! N. are w^ith it. A two year old bullock, weighing 500 lbs., in these excellent pastures, excites no surprise. But little has been done as yet * "In the north-western portion (of the great plain) the rainfall is greater, and the bunch grass gives way to the blue joint, timothy and kindred grasses. 'I he soil in the valleys is rirh and produces, without irrigation, all kinds of the more hardy cereals and Vegetables." (Colonel Dennis, formerly Surveyor General.) 188 towards colonizing this valuable portion of the earth's surface. More settlers must arrive and more cattle must be imported before it can be said that the vast prairie is occupied by civi- lized man, 20,000 horned cattle and as many 8heep,~the probable amount, at present, as far as can be ascertained, of Hocks and herds, — is but small stock for so groat a farm. The rucific Province, so interesting in many respects, if only on account of its excellent harbours on the Paciiic Coast '''^'•»'0"'. and its immense mining resources, — its iron, coal and gold, ''"'''• *'• must be considered a most valuable addition to the Dominion of Canada. Its agricultural capabilities are not its least recommendation. Instead of being so unproductive as to , render it necessary to import sui)plies of every kind for the use of its inhabitaiiis, Eiitish Columbia exports largely the produce of its farms. Not A'ery long ago, it exported, in one year, as <;uantitu>H much as 2,020 barrels of flour, w^hich realized to the exporters, 'c'\|.<.'i tea.'' twelve thousand one hundred and twenty dollars. Oatmeal, potatoes, rice, sugar, wines, ale and porter, spirits, tobacco, cigars, soap, butter, pork and beef are also fairly exported. Coal, in consequence of the prohibitory duties imposed by the United States, is not as yet, very largely exported. Neverthe- less, the export of coal in one year, realized as much as ^119,820, and there were raised from the Nniiaihio mines, in 1874, 81,397 tons, in 187o, 113,000 tons, and in 1876, 140,087 tons. Silver and copper, no less than gold, abound in the favoured Province, Iron has been found in several places, and, latterly, and apparently inexhaustible deposits of this most useful of all ores has been discovered on the Island of Taxada in the Gulf g^||J* of Georgia. It has already been shown, at some length, that British Columbia possesses an extraordinary variety of fish, and in such quantities, as to all appearance, cannot be perceptibly suhnon.&c, diminished. This kind of wealth the Provincials also export ^^'^. "" 4>f pine. 134 from their considerable canning and curing establishmente on the Rivers Fraser and Skeena. Lumber is a lucrative article Abundance of export. Scveral great nations purchase the Douglas pine, the finest in the world, very extensively, for spars and masts, and so abundant is this material that the forests of British Columbia could, for many an age, supply all the navies of the world. Furs and hides are also a source of wealth and are profitably exported, realizing yearly, over |233,68^. Grold is the principal source, as yet, of the riches of the Province. It is impossible however, to say how much is exported, as it escapes the Registrar, one-fourth, it is estimated being carried away by private hands. In 1868, |l,780,58t were shipped by the banks. Between this yeui 1868 and 1876 e mines were known to yield $40,000,000 worth of gold. In each year there were 3171 miners. Their average earnings were $663 to each man, vearlv. Furs and Enormous export of gold. Lord Duf ferin bears witness. All that has been stated regarding the varied resources of British Columbia is amply borne witness to by the most emi- nent travellers and professional explorers. The value of Lord Dutferin's testimony is beyond all price. His Excellency, in his " great British Columbia speech" at Victoria, said : — < " I have had opportunities of inspecting some of the spots where your mineral wealth is stored, and here again the ocean stands your friend, the mouths of the coal pits I have visited opening into the hills of the vessels that are to convey their contents across the Ocean. When it is further remembered that inexhaustible supplies of iron ore are found in juxtaposi- tion with your coal, no one can blame you lor regarding the beautiful Island on which you live, as having been especially favoured by Providence in the distribution of these natural gifts. But, still more precious minerals than either coal or iron enhance the value of your possessions. As we skirted the banks of the Fraser, we were met at every turn by evidences if L , K\ nvm 185 -of its extraordinary supplies of fish ; but scarcely less frequent were the signs afforded us of the golden treasurers it rolls down, nor need any traveller think it strange to see the Indian fisher- man hauling out a salmon on to the sands from whence the miner beside him is sifting the sparkling ore. But the signs of mineral wealth which may happen to have attracted my personal attention are as nothing, I understand, to what is ex- hibited in Cariboo, Cassiar, and along the valley of theStickeen, and most grieved am I to think that I have not had time to testify by my presence amongst them, to the sympathy I feel with the adventurous prospector, and the miner in their ar- duous enterprises. I had also the satisfaction of having pointed out to me where various lodes of silver only await greater facilities of access, to be worked with profit and ad- vantage. But perhaps the greatest surprise in store for us was the discovery, on our exit from the pass through the Cascade range, of the whole expanse of pastoral lands and [J.X!-af "' the long vistas of fertile valleys which opened upon '^}?^^«^ ^j every side, as we advanced through the country, and fertile vat. which as I could see with my own eyes, from ''^'*' various heights we traversed, extended, in rounded upland slopes, or in gentle depressions, for hundreds of miles, to the foot of the Rocky Mountains, proving, after all, that the mount- ain ranges which frown along your coast, no more accurately indicate the nature of the territory they guard than the wall of breaking surf that roars along a tropic beach, presages the softly undulating sea that glitters in the sun beyond." The general aspect of the country made a very pleasing '^^^^^'^\^ on the mind of Lord DufFerin. He speaks of it'^^'j^nto- impression on the mind of Lord DufFerin. He in glowing terms : " I may frankly tell you that I think British Columbia a glorious Province — 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 ; such a spectacle as its coast line presents is not to be parelleled by any country in the world. Day after day, for a whole week, 'in a vessel of nearly 2,000 tons, we threaded an interminable labyrinth of watery lanes and reaches, that wound i i i m iU -:i I J Pine tree 250 feet high. i A more re- cent writer. I , 1 Climate. 136 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 mountains of unrivalled grandeur and beauty. "When it is remembered that this wonderful system of naviga- tion, equally well adapted to the largest line of battle ship and the frailest canoe, fringes the entire sea-board of your ProAdnce, and communicates at points, sometimes more than a hundred miles from the coast, with a multitude of valleys stretching eastward into the interior, at the same time that it is furnished with innumerable harbours on either hand, one is lost in admira- tion at the facilities for intercommunication which are thus provided for the future inhabitants of this wonderful region. The day will surely come when the rapidly diminishing stores of pine on this Continent Avili be still further exhausted, and when the nations of Europe as well as America, will be obliged to recur to British Columbia for a material, of which you will, by that time, be the principal depository. Already from an adjoining post on the mainland a large trade is being done in lumber, with G-reat Britain, Europe and South America, and I venture to think, that ere long, the ports of the United States will, perforce, be thrown open to your traffic. I had the pleasure of witnessing the overthrow, by the axes of your woodmen, of one of your forest giants, that towered to the height of 250 feet above our heads, and whose rings bore wit- ness that it* dated its birth from the reign of the fourth Edward, and where this tree grew, and for thousands of miles aloiig the coast, beyond it, millions of its contemporaries are awaiting the same fate." As so much has been already said concerning the stately Douglas pine, it would be superfluoui, to continue the interesting quotation. A very recent writer who had no other object in view than to lay before the public a fair and unbiassed account of Lord Dufi'erin's administration in Canada, having taken evidence regarding the climate of British Columbia, sums up and gives judgment as follows : " The climate is one of the most delight- M 187 ful and healthy in the world. British Columbia may properly be called " the land of health." The nights are always cool. Malaria and ague are almost unknown. The climate over the greater part of the Province is similar to that of England, without the cold moist east winds. In the other portions the climate resembles that of France. The large lakes never freeze, and the larger rivers are never completely closed by ice. What are known ns. 'severe" winters in Eastern Canada and the Northern United States, are unknown in British Columbia. Near the Ocean, in that portion lying west of the Cascades, and ia Vancouver Island the thermometer hardly ever indicates state of the more than 80" Farhenheit, in the shade, on the hottest summer fSr""""'^" day, and it rarely falls to 20' in the winter. The air is genial though a little humid, and the humidity increases as we go north. The summer is exceptionally beautiful ; the autumn « bright and fine ; the winter frosty and rainy by turns; the spring rather wet. Snow rarely falls to the depth of a foot, and it melts quickly. When the atmosphere is clear, there are heavy dews at night, and fogs are common in October and November. Vr.e summer mists are rare, partial and transitory. Tornadoes, such as sweep over Illinois and other States of the Union, are unknown. In winter the weather is brilliant and clear; east of the Cascade Range, the heat and cold are greater, — warm in summer, but not so warm as to injure vegetation. The winter is changeable. November is frosty, December, January and February are cold and wintry, but, generally clear and sunny. There is little ice, and the snow is never found more than a foot in depth on the level. In March and April, spring opens. As the Rocky Range is approached the atmos- phere is sensibly affected by the heat of the great American influence of desert which stretches south to Mexico. About the head desert."^ waters of the Columbia, the climate is simply delightful, extremes are rare, snow melts as it falls. The scenery is grand beyond description. Travellers tell us that the beauty of the Sierra Nevada sinks into insignificance when com- pared with the magnifience of British Columbian scenery, and the grandeur of the Alps bears no comparison with the incom- parable views in British Columbia." (The History of the Administration of the Rt. hon. F. Temple, Earl of DufFerin &c., &c., &c., by William Leggo, p. 4Y6.) ' ' ■'' 1 -J 1 General view. i'\ " A sea of I- If ' - \ .. .. u 188 Speaking generally of the resources and capabilities of the Pacific Province, the same author, following the example of the illustrious hero of his history, indulges in a strain of eloquence which admirably shews how completely he under- stands and appreciates his noble theme. The parties who cry down the rich and magnificent Province, as an unprofitable wilderness, are not without a following in Canada, and are looked upon as oracles by those who do not take the trouble to read and enquire for themselves. It is not, therefore, out of place to quote a lucid recapitulation of what is so well known to those who have given their serious attention to the subject of British Columbia. " This is the noble country which Mr. Blake disparagingly spoke of as a ' sea of mountains,' but, a riper mouiiuins." experience will no doubt teach him that the mountains are filled with a wealth compared with which the discoveries of Aladdin's Lamp are dross. It is now known that the splendid country which desired to throw her riches into the lap of the Dominion, is a country filled with all the materials necessary to build up a community as rich and prosperous as any in the world. Nature, as if unsatisfied with piling up mountains of gold and silver and copper and iron and coal in this magnifi- cent country has in a spirit of lavishness, clothed them in a leafy mantle which for a moment, hides from our view the sfjlendid timber, in itself sufficient to enrich an Empire. Not content with raising mountains of gold, in her unbounded generosity, she surmounts them all with the splendid forests which, from the lofty mountain tops proclaim to the w'orld, her wonderful gifts to this wonderful land. In the varied gradations of elevation, she has, with a skill, all her owa, framed for man's use and delight, plateaus of fertility which supply, with a startling profusion, the most valuable produc- tions of the tropic, the temperate and the frigid zones. She has provided the most nutritious food for untold millions of cattle, which may wander through the immense grazing tracts and without labour to the owner, pour into his hands untold wealth. She has filled the country with streams of pure and Plateaus of lertilitv. 1S9 ever cool water, and these she has filled with food which grows without man's care, and in superabundant quantities, and asks him merely to put forth his hand and gather. She has dug out u^rbors and for him noble harbours and roadsteads where all the roadstods. navies of the world may ride in safety. She has spread over these invaluable gifts,? pure health inspiring atmos- ^aiu^^^ty. phere, to drink which is to live. She, by the great Rocky Eange, has barred the advance of the American deserts, where no animal life is known, and where vegetable life is barely visible, as if jealous that her beautiful British Columbia should, like a precious jewel, lie in its casket, unsullied by the touch of less favoured regions. She has guarded her precious tr'^as- ure from the burning winds of the west by the lofty pinnacles of the Rocky Mountains, and these she has conducted, cooled into health inspiring draughts, to the verdant valleys which verciant lie at their feet. She has guarded her favourite from the surf "'"®^* of the Pacific by a fringe of Islands of unparalleled beauty, and has filled them with riches of illimitable count. And she has placed this marvel of her handiwork on the bosom of the gentle Pacific, whose soft breezes and sweet air bring bloom to the cheek and elasticity to the step, and strength to the arm of the fair women and stalwart men whom she has invited to dig and delve and flourish, and be hapjiy in this her beautiful Province." — (Administration, &c., as above, p. 478.) 140 CONCLUSION. It is manifestly appointed that the vast territories of the- North- West shall no longer be among the waste places of the earth. Colonization has fairly commenced, and like the tide which has begun to flow, it must, in due course, reach the full. Grreat impediments have been swept away. Great facilities and much encouragement are now afforded. Settlements are arising every day, from Lake Superior to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. On the lakes and by the great rivers, chief of all, by the grand Saskatchewan, the industrious husbandman plants his homestead and lays the foundations of rich provinces that will rejoice, ere long, in their busy towns as well as in the extent of their beautiful fields, teeming with plenty. Two important Provinces have already sprung into existence, the one comparatively small, the other twice the extent of Ontario. The latter with its illimitable resources, has begun to march with giant strides in the path of progress. The work of the great railway, which is now so vigorously prosecuted, gives a new impetus to the energies of the people, and by the essential tendency of all considerable improvements, attracts new colonists, and must speedily fill the land. "We need not thus to speak prophetically, of the former Province, — Manitoba ; it is already so highly developed as to prove the future development of its sister Province, and of all the immense countries of the North-West. It commenced its career, indeed, at an earlier date, — the days of Lord Selkirk, in the year 1811. But many causes contributed to retard the- 141 progress of the infant colony, and it remained stationary for many a long year. A glance at our census tables will suffice to show that not even the acquisition of this Province by Canada, and the encouragement given to its colonization could materially quicken its detern^ined slow pace. It rejoiced in the exuberance of its vegetation and produced abundant crops. But, it w^as isolated and had no market and no trade. With the advance of railways beyond the great lakes, the condition of Manitoba has advanced ; and it may be gathered from the amazing increase in the population of this Province wuthin the last year or two, how powerful railways ^ are in forward" ing the true material interests of a country, and, especially, of such a country as is still without a sufficient population to render available its capabilities and resources. Such is the condition, it may be truly said, of all the countries of the North-West M'^hich only await the hand of man's industry to lay their treasurers at his feet. As the railway proceeds across the continent, it will, no doubt attract, as in Manitoba, a numerous population along its course, and a career of pros- perity will have commenced, the height of which, and its wide extent and its glory no man living shall behold. *Before E ail ways 'Populit on of all the c; uniry called Assiniboia. In 1831 2,390 do 1838 .3.9G6 do 1840..." 4,704 do 1846 4,871 do 1841) 5 391 do 1S5() C,(i91 .ManitoVa iu 1370 12,228 .v^'jiit>k3jk Sinco Railways began 142 MANITOBA TN 1880. Municipalities. French. Westbourne Norfolk Lome 200 Louise DuflFerin Sud . . . . , Duflferin-Nord 500 Portage Woodlands 600 Belcourt. 1,000 St. F'-ancois Xavier 1,800 Morris 1,500 Emerson 300 Youvillc 1,000 ,Ste. Anne 1,500 Tache 1,000 St. Norbert 1,000 Cartier 1,200 Asainiboia 1,100 Springfield Kildonan St. Paul 50 Rockwood St. Boniface 2,000 St. Andrew's 50 Town of Emerson 100 tTown of Winnipeg 600 15,400 English. 1,000 750 750 500 750 1,000 2,000 1,000 500 100 750 750 250 500 50 160 500 1,000 1,000 700 700 1,000 200 1,1300 1,000 4,500 22,900 15,400 Total 38,300 -tLuter Statistics ahew that tlie Pupulatiu.'i of Winnipeg has riser, to no less than ten thousaiul (10,000) • I i. I 1 1 1 ^ *. i 1 , ts i-l 14» .A^i^iPEisrDix:. The North- West Territory a Field for the redundant Population of the British Isles. Speech of J. B. PLUMB, Esq.,M.P. in House of Commons, 5th April, 1880. Suppose it were possible, by some great convulsion of nature, suggests Sir Julius Vogel, that a continent should be upheaved on the west coast of Ireland, containing all the elements for the best development of society ; that the climate would require labour, as the first necessity and the great- est boon, that can be given to man; a climate that would not enervate but strengthen the system, and best develop the physical as well as the moral condition of the inhabitants ; suppose it were a virgin soil, offered broad- cast, and ahnast free of cost, to the whole peoide of the United Kingdom, how long would it be before the new land would be covered ))y an indus- trious population, bi'inging with them all the appliances and improvements of agriculture, manufactures, art and science. Wealth would flow into it and would build cities, and cultivate farms, and construct railways, and supply means of education, and furnish luxuries of all kinds, and every- thing that denotes progress in the better state of civilization — all these, the result of labour and capital, would spring up like Aladdin's palace, like a dream, or an exhalation of the morning, but not like them to fade suddenly away. Yet, such a continent is practically what is offered to England to-day by the great North-West, which has been, as it were, dis- covered but yersterday — a country which now offers the solution of the difficulty in which England is soo.u to be place . That great country Il 144 which was unknown five years ago, except to the Hudson's Lay employ^ or the Indian trai)per, oj* tiie |)ioneer who ventured at the hazard of his life across the iliiuitable p»airies, is now, as one nmy say, a continent risen ;'p beside the Green Isle which needs it to redeem its starving millions. That country is practically as near to England today, by the great improvements in navigation, by the telegraph cable which flashes news beneath the Atlantic, as Lands End was to Inverness thirty years ago; as near, almost, as London was to Edinburgh forty years ago. It is offered to England. She will, within a few years, need to choose whether she will allow her festering masses to live or in squalid poverty in her great manufaci.uring ci-ntres, or say to them, I will give you homes in our own territory, under our own meteor flag where you can be safe beneath its protecting a^gis. liet me re\d. Sir, the eloquent words of Mr. Bourne, to whom I am largely indeitted for tlie statements I have now made, which were listened to with approval and applause, at a late meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute, presided over by the Right Hon. W. E. Forster, in til' absence of the Chaii-raan, the Duke of Manchester, and attended by a very large number of distinguished persons : — Dn/i/ of Great Britain as rcjard her waste lands. "One other motive which should induce the Mother country to foster the fur- ther colonization of her ;lependencies remains to be noticed — it is the sense of respon- aibility arising from the relationship in which she stands towards them. It is not only that her own soil fails to provide sufficient for the wants of her growing p)pula> tion ; that there seems little likelihood of greater or improved cultivation increas- ing her produce to the necessary extent ; that our maiiufa:!turing and trading opera- tions wh'ch have hitherto procured supplies from abroad, now fail to keeij pace with the growth of those whom they have tosuopjrt, and our produ'iing powers sesm to be overtaking the demands of our customers, Tlieae are urgent reasons why we should send forth a large number of our people. It is not only that the conditions of existence which have grown up amongst us, the modes of Ife festered altirnately by inflated pros- perity and seisons of depression, require the breaking up of many connections, the changing of many habits, the infusion of new life into the several classes of society ; these oflfc;r many indacementg to pla^e our people in altered circumstances, and to surround them with new inflaences. Neither is it solely because by the diffusion of our people, the fr?sh start they may make, and the development o' multiplied life, there is much wealth to be gained. These .are encouragements to the occupation of new land2 and the enlargement of our intercourse with the natives occupying many of our possessions. It is that, above all these, there should be the conviction that we have solemn duties to perform and sacred trusts to execute. " If we trj^ee the various means by which England has become lord of the vast territories which already own our Sovereign's eway, and those which it seems we cannot avoid acquiring— at one time by right of discovery, and another by that of ■ . iff'' 'I ->, 145 »:on(iiie9t ; at otliera for tli« purnoso of reatorinj; order or lircserving peace ; at one period in purHuancH of Hf-ltisli policy dictated by thu fjreed of gain ; at another from motivea of tli« purest philanthropy and the mo)st eariiuHt dcsiru to btiticfit thosu whom we have brouglit under cnntrol— wo cannot fail to see that it is neither by accident Dor for uaeluHH ends that we have tiius been led to appropriate so vast u portion of the earth's surface. Whatever our past policy may liavo been, wo cannot ignore our present obligations, nor refuse to admit our re«ponHil)ilitie8 in the future. Whether tor good or exil the burden rests upon us, and w« cannot cast it ofT, The dustioies of many nations are in our keeping and the people of many crtuntriea at our disposal. If we have been enabled to nettle our own freedom on a firm foundation, wo have to siecure the same liberty and give the same relief to those wh'» are ai yet unable to 4^1aim, or unfit to exercise the full privilej^ea of British subjects If we have drawn to our shore the wealth created in our Colonies, or obtained by trade from other natiims, we have to employ our capital in fostering commertje and manufactures for their benefit. If we have arrived at so great a knowlud^'o of, aud obtained so great •A mastery over the powers by, which the earth's produ'-t . may be utilised, we have to impart these gifts to those who are yet in ignora-ue, and therefore in poverty. If we have joined the enda of the earth together for our own convenience, we have to unite the whole of our po8Hession=i together, and to ourselves, by yet closer links, and more enduring tics. If we are in the enjoyment of all the comforts and benefits which a high state of civilization confers, we have to train our dependents to secure the same advantages. If the principles and the practices of morality are to prevail, we must introduce them w iiere they are unknown, and fill our lands with those who will aid in ther. propagatioa. If we ourselves are blessed with the light of religious truth, we must strive to cist the retlection of that light over the dark places of the earth, and seek to raise up a seed to serve Him by whom it has been bestowed. These are solemn duties we dare not decline ; glorious privileges we would not lose. ♦ ♦ • ♦ I have spoken of the necessity imposed upon the Mother Country, that xhe should extend and perfect the colonization of her numerous possessions, but is it not equally a necessity to those possession.^ that they should be fully colonized ? She has more than an abundance ; they, with few exceptions, a paucity of population. She is unable to raise her own food ; they can raise more than they can consume. She has a plethora of wealth which seeks employment in foreign lands ; they have need of more than she can give to develop their untold resources. She has the knowledge, the refinement, the treasures of art and sc.ence, accumulated in the course of the years that have past; they have yet to obtain these invaluable possessions in the years that are to come. The necessity is mutual ; let both be gainers by its being met and supplied. These are considerations which can no longer be neglected or evaded. They force them- selves upon us in our homes and our ottices, in solitude and sociDty, in the palace and the hovel ; they tax our intellects and should lie near our hearts. When these sen- timents prevail, and — presumjjtuous though it may be in me to say so — not till then, will there be any solid return of national prosperity. Whensoever they are he'd by the leaders of public opinion, and responded to alike by the voice of those at home and those in our colonies, the work will be received as the most important that can occupy public attention, and all together will join in its performance — then the most important and influential member will not be the Minister, who sits in the Home Office, not the one who presides over war — not even he wlio rules the Exchequer, but the honoured individual into whose hands Her Most (jtracious Majesty comnits the aflfairs of the Colonial Office." That, Sir, is the line of argument pursued and accepted by representative men in England, and I claim that it bears directly upon the question of J HO tlio scttlfnioiit of flift groat North-Wost. This ih lnrp;('Iy a solution of tlio • liu'stioii timt must pross itsf'lf upon tho attontion of parties in IJiiglaiul, no nuitttn- which may he iu power, IMPOnTAXCi: OF COLOXIHS. Tho coh)nieH and appannges of Great Britain arc now conHiderodI among the true Hour((>s of her greatness. Kvery diHpassionate nian in the House and eoiuitry helitH-es that no greater and truer source of power lies in tho grasp of l-^ngland to-day, than the siittlement of tiu» great Nortli- W(^3t. I helieve that, under the ])ro\idenee of (Jod, the ifreat North- West is dostined to play a most important part in tlu; history of civilizati(jn, an, in support of uiy ar«»uni(Mit and of tho conclusions which, [ trust, are wan-anted hy it, to rend extracts from a, letter written and puldished l.y Mr. J. W. Taylor, the (>)iisul of tho Uiuted States at Wiuuipe;,', who is considered an indisputable authority : JAm' mlunhlp information hi/ Mr. J. II'. Tdi/fnr, flu' Cnn !>;r Of) Winnipeg 4U 50 % UO Battleford )2.30 lOUOO " It will be convenient to refer to latitudes as Toronto, 44 deyree-s : St. P.anl, 45 degrees ; Wiiuiipeij, 50 degrees ; Battleford, 5.S degrees. The place last named is situated on the Saskatchewaiu River, and is the capital of the North West Territory of Canada, as the vast district west of Manitoba (longitude 9'J degrees) to the l!ocky Mountains is now known geographically and politically, TAHLE OF MEAN TEMrERATrUKS. Toronto. St. Paul, Winnipeg. Battleford. August 66 .S8 72 00 67.34 ()7.7'.) September.... 58.18 60.06 52.18 47.10 October 45.84 46 0.3 .35.84 .34.52 November.... .36.06 .38 03 30.66 28 66 December.... 25 78 19.03 11.07 7.43 •Fanuary 22.80 16.03 6 10 0.45 February 22 74 15 02 —12 32 —10 25 March..' 28.93 .3.3.01 14.14 16.84 April 40.72 50.04 .39.10 46 70 iMay 51.74 58.07 63.13 .5.3.. 35 June 61.85 67. 09 63.20 60.35 July 67.49 73 05 68.19 63.95 Yearly means 44.04 45.61 36.67 36.46 " A statement of mean temperature during the agricultural season from April t« August inclusive, exhibits the following proportions :— Toronto, 57 degrees, 65 minutes ; St. Paul, 65 degrees, 5 minutes ; Winnipeg, 58 degrees, 19 minatts^ Battleford, 58 degrees, 53 minutes. Thus it will be seen that the climate, in iia 5 ■ V \ 3 f 148 rcl»tioQ to agricultur- , is warmer in Manitoba and over territory seven hundred •nibs north west, than m the most central districts of Ontario ; while St. Paul, in I^*itufle 45 degrees, is 7 degrees, 40 minutes warmer than the vicinity of Toronto, in latitude 44 degrees. •* I hope soon to be in poasossion of similar statistics at Fort McMurray on the Athabasca River, and Fort Vermillion on Ptuce River, respectively 1,000 and 1,200 miles due north-west of Winnipeg, and I have full confidence that the climate at these points will not be materially different from Battleford. The altitude of the Athabasca and Peace River district is leaf, and the trend of the Pacific winds through the Rooky Mountains ia more marked than at Battleford. It was on the banks of the Peace River, well up in latitude 60 degrees, that Sir Alexander Machf^nzie records, on the 10th of Maj , the grass so well grown that buffalo, attended by their young, were cropping tlie uplands. " But I find my best illustration that the climate is not materially difTerent west of Lake Athabasca, in latitude 60 degrees, from what we experience west of Lake Superior in latitude 46 degrees, in some personal observation of the north- wes crn extension of wheat cultivation In 1871, Mr. Archibald, the well-known proprietor of the Dundis mills, in southern Minnesiti, visited Manitoba. He remarked that the spring wheat in his vicinity was deteriorating — softening, and he sought a change of seed, to restore its tlinty texture. He timed his visit to Winnipeg with the harvest and found the quality of grain he desired, but the yield astonished him. ' Look,' 8iid he, with a head of wheat in his hand, * We have had an excellent harvest in Minnesota, but I never saw more than two well-formed grains m each group or cluster, forming a row, but here the rule is three grains in each cluster. That is the difTerence between twenty and thirty bushels per acre." More recently. Prof. MacGun, the botanist of the Canadian Pacific Railway survey, has shown me two hearts of wheat, one from Prince Albert, a settlement near the forks of the Sas- katchewan, latitude TjS degrees, longitude 106 degrees ; and another from Fort V^ermillioi), on Ptace Rivei-, latitude 59 degrees, longitude 116 degrees, and from each cluster of the two I sepavateil five Mell formed grains, with a corresponding length of the head. Here was the perfection of the wheat plant, attained according to the well-known physical law, near the most northern limit of its successful growth. ISOTHERMAL LINES. " The line of equal mean temperatures, especially for the season of vegetation betweeu March and October, instead of following lines of latitude, bends from the Missi-ssippi valley far to the north, carrying the zone of wheat from Minnesota away to the 6i)th parallel in the valley of the Peace River, and reproducing the summer heats of New Jersey and southern Pennsylvania in Minnesota and Dakota, and those of northern Pennsylvania and Ohio in the valley of the Saskatchewan. * ♦ ♦ * Within the isothermal lines that inclose the zone west and north-west of Minnesota, which is being or is soon to be opened to cultivation, lies a vast area of fertile lands from wliich might easily be cut out a dozen new States of the size of New York. CORN AND WHEAT ZONES. " I assigned Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and even southern Minnesota to the Kone specially adapted to corn, as the more southern states constitute a cotton zone ; and observing the imperative natural restrictions in the Mississippi valley upon the successful production of wheat, I hazarded the statement that three-fourths of the Mrheat pi .»duoing belt of North America would be north of the international boundary, TLis arithmetical division has bince been questioned by the Pioneer Press. 149 en hundred St. Paul, in of Toronto, irray on the i) and 1,200 climate at tude of the nds through e banks of Mac'lionzie ed by their ly different ^est of Lake *th-wes eru proprietor arked that ht a change the harvest • Look,' harvest in group or That is the 'tly, Prof, 'n me two ' the Saa- from Fort and from •esponding according successful I'egetation from the sota away 2 summer and those * ♦ ♦ rinnesota, tile lands i^ork. )ta to the ton zone ; upoB the 18 of the oundary. tl i1 " I will venture to illustrate the climatic influences which control the problem under consideration, by some fitations from ' Minnesota : Its place among th« States. By J. A. Wheelock, Commissioner of Statistics,' which, though published in 1860, is all the more an authority for the confirmation of twenty years. Tlie general law of limitation to the profitable cultivation of wheat is thus luminously stated : 'The wheat pr«ducing district of the United States is confined to about tea degrees of latitude and lix degrees of longitude, terminating on the west at the 98th parallel. But the zone of its profitable culture occupies a comparatively rarrow belt aloiig the cool borders of the district defined for inland positidns by the mi;an temperature ol fifty five degrees on the north and seventy-one degrees on the south, for the two months of July and August. This definition excludes all the country lying south of latitude forty degrees, except western Virginia, and north of that it excludes the southern districts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiiina, Illinois and Iowa, while it in- cludes the northern part of these states, Canada, New York, Western Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Bed River and Saskatchewan valleys. In general terms, it may be stated that the belt of maximum wheat production lies immediately north of the districts where the maximum of Indian corn is attained.' "Will the great interior of the continpnt contribute to our exportation? of wheat and its flour? I refer to the territorial organizations of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. Let us take the most favoured of all, Montana. Grand as are its resources, I am constrained to believe that only one- thirteenth of its surface is within reach of the unavoidable condition of irrigation, and that the mountains, with their mineral wealth, and the uplands as graiinaf grounds for cattle and sheep, will be the chief theatres of industrial activity. After careful enquiry in 18(58, as United States Coinmissinner of minius; stat'stics, I com- mitted myself to the following statement : 'The area of the territory (Montana) is 146 689 35 100 square miles, ecpial to 93,881, 184 acres — nearly the same as California, three times the area of New York, two and a-half that of New England, and yet no greater proportion is c'aimed by local authorities as susceptible of cultivation thaa one acre in thirty, or a total of 3,346,400 acres. Of course a far greater surface will afford sustenance to domestic animals. The limit to agriculture, jis in Colorado and New Mexico, ia the possibility of ifrigation.' * ♦ » » ♦ It is the crowning feature of the 'fertile belt' which broadens with reiluced altitudes and constant air currents from the Pacific (^)fist, that the immense trapezoid, whose apex is bounded on the Mackenzie, has a sufficient (|uantity of summer rains for all the purposes of agriculture as organized in the Atlantic and Mississippi States. " I have no pride of opinion as to the accuracy of an impromptu estimate of propor'.ions north or south of the boundary. I wouUl cheerfully waive it, confess ng to an arithmetical inaccuracy, if assured of a general acceptance of the opinion with which the article of the /*^1, '200 miles beyond its present bourne on Ued lliver. " WHEAT ZONES. Now, Sir, let us hear what was said by Mr. James Biggar, a delegate of the tenant farmers from the Stewartry of Kircudhright, )Scotland, upon his return from Canada, at a meeting in the Town Hall, Castle Douglas, on the 22nd December last : I I: > 150 " As a field for wheat raising 1 would much prefer Manitoba to Dakota. The first cost of land is less ; the soil ia deeper and will stand more cropping ; the sample of wheat is better, and the produce five to ten bushels per acre more, all of which is profit ; and as soon as the new railway is opened the cost of delivering it at the seaboard will be the same or less. The average crop of the United States is sur- prisingly low, the returns for a good many states being as low as twelve to fourteen bushtls per acre ; tliis evidently does not pay the grower, and many are therefore giving up wheat, and going in more for other branches of farming. Much of the wheat producing land in the east being thus, for a time at least, exhausted, supplies will have to come from the virgin soils of the west ; and as these are rapidly under- going the same prooess, the farmers of the United States will, before very many years, be very much on a level with the farmers of this country. The virgin soils of Canada are, however, mucli more extensive, and will probably be able to send us wheat wlien the United .Statt^s have ceased to be an exportmg country. We saw land wliich had been in wheat from thirty-five to fifty years, and took, samples of the wheat soil and «ubsoil. We also saw some first-rate turnips. We did not see any signs of manure beirg applied, though we saw manure heaps, the accumulation of twenty years. As there is no decrease of crops natives do not tiiink it necessary to u>e manure as yet. On the whole, I was favorably impressed with Manitoba, nnd the other delegates whom I met ex-pressed the same opinion. No one who si(M tiic i'>imetis» extent of fertile sdiI and the excellence of its products can doubt for a moment that there is a great future before that country." Mr. JJiggar states that wheat in Manitoba was selling at 70c. a bushel, leaving good [)rolit to the grower, and, at that price, would cost, delivered in England, about -Is. Gd. a bu«hel, a price which would not pay the English farmer for raising wheat at home. '' As a field for money-making and enterprise we consider the North-W"e8t decidedly the best part of the Dominion ; and those who are willing to fact, che diiliculties and disadvantages of pioneer life — ditfioulties and disadvantages which will be rapidly overcome, and which are nothing to those which the early settlers in Ontario had to contend Avith— have every pn spect uf success and independence. It would be a great mistake to suppose that I rec( inmend Manitoba to all who think of emigrating. 'J'he propriety of going there dt-pends very much on the means and habits of th(! emigrant ; but young people with health, energy, and some means, aecustcmed to work, would certainly improve their position and do well. There are many families, too, who may I e working as hard here, without making things any better, aa they would have to do there, for whom th^ 'Jtrated by various examples, a))}»irently satisfactory to the audience, that the same number of stalks to the acre in the North-West would produce double the quantity of ^rain as that of the best cultivated land in Ontario. After a lucid explanation of the grasses and their mode of growth as found in the North-West, he brought a lengthy lecture to a close by referring to the raising of s^^ock, and ehowed the great ]ilains which supported the enormous herds of buflalo in the i)ast would yet be the home of countless herds of cattle ; t 155 and it was a well known fact that the buffalo never wintered in the forest, but always in the broken country where the hiyh hills and deep valleys gave them pastures and better siielter. I'rof. Macoun was accorded a hearty vote of thanks at the close. — Daily Citizen, Ottawa, March 12, 1881. or MANITOBA. EXTENT. The Province of Manitoba contains about 9,000,000 acres, Of this the Hudson Bay Company's one-twentieth ownership, and scliool reserves amount to 707,080 acres, h>a\-ing available 8,300,000 acres (including Jialf-breed reserves now nearly all allotted) within the present boundary of the Province, being about 120 miles from east to we.st, and 100 miles North and South. The Province lying between the parallels of 4!J^ and ^)0^, "2" of North latitude, and 00" and 90" of West longitude, occupies nearly the actual centre of the North American continent, is nearly equally distant between the pole and the equator, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. CLIMATE. The climate of the Province gives conditions of decided heat in sum- mer and decided cold in winter. The snow goes away and ploughing l)egins in April, which is about the same as in the older Provinces of Canada, and the Northern United States on the Atlantic Seaboard, and the North-western States, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The crops are harvested in August and Septeudjer. The long sunny days of summer bring vegetation of all sorts to rapid raatuinty. The days are warm and the nights cool. Autunui begins about the 20th Septeml:)er, and lasts till November, when the regular frosts set in. Ths winter j)roi)er comprises the months of December, January, February, and March. Spring comes in April. The summer months are part of May, June, July, August and part of September. In winter the thermometer sinks to thirty and forty below zero ; but this degree of cold in the dry atmosphere of the North- West does not produce any unpleasant sensations. The weather is not felt to be colder than that in the Province of Quebec, nor so cold as milder winters in climates where the frost, or even a less degree of cold than frost, :| 156 ia accompanied with dampness. In times of wind storms, however, the cold is found to be specially seaichint?. The testimony of settlers is universal as to the fact that the winter, on the whole, is both pleasant and healthy ; an ;row fat upon it. Horned cattle graze out of doors part of the wint out 'r some states of the weather they require to be brought in. Instances are, ho vever, stated in which horned cattle have gi-azed out all winter. The following table will serve for comparison between the summer tem])orature of the Red River and the countries south : June. July. Amjuxt, Summer Mi'dii. Red River 69.10 71.16 63.03 G7.76 Chicago 62 07 70.08 68.05 67.0.'i Iowa 66.04 70 05 68.09 68.06 Wisconsin 61.07 68.06 65.07 65.0!) New York 64.02 68.05 66.07 66 05 Toronto 64.02 67.95 65.00 66.98 It will thus be seen that the summer is warmer than Northern Illinois, Western Wisconsin, Northern New York, or Toronto, Ontario. In relation to agriculture, the intensity of winter cold is not injurious^ and its effect upon physical comfort is mitigated by the clear dry winter atmosphere. It has been stated that the climate of Manitoba is pleasant and healthy. It may be added, the dryness of the air, the character of the soil, which retains no stagnant pools to send forth poisonous exhalations, and the most total absence of fog or mist, the brilliancy of its sunlight, the pleasing succession of its seasons, all conspire to make Manitoba a climate of unrivalled salubrity, and the future home of a healthy, prosper- ous people, strong in physical, intellectual and moral capabilities. Fevers and consumptions are almost unknown, and diseases of an epidemical character have been never known to prevail. The average fall of snow is about six inches per month. The snow falls in small quantities at difierent times, and is rarely blown into drift*, so as to impede travelling. 157 At the present time the population may be rouglily estimated a' aerenty-tive thousand. HOMESTEAD LAW. A liberal Homestead Law is in force in Manitoba, which exempts from seizure the debtor's ordinary furniture, tools and farm implements in use, also " one cow, two oxen, one horse, four sheep, two pigs, and the food for the same for thirty days," and " the land cultivated by the debtor, provided the extent of the same be not more than o)ie hundred and sixfij acres, in which case the surplus may be sold with privileges to first mortgages. The house, stables, barns, fences on he delitoi's farm, are, by this act, declared free from seizure, by virtue oV • wiits of execution issued by any court of this Province." No lim is ^ ed on the value of the farm or home thus secured to the fam' , % ':atever its value may become. It may be safely asserted that tlis j vV will greatly advance immigration to this Province, and prove a b' sin" to thousands of worthy and honest men, women and children for eve.y uue unwoi'thily shielded by its provisions. SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS. The soil of Manitoba, which is mostly prairie, and covered with grass, is a deep alluvial deposit of unsurpassed richness. It produces Vxjauti- f ul crops of cereals, grasses, roots and vegetables. So rich and inexhaustible is the soil that wheat has been cropped off the same place for fifty years without manure, and without showing signs of exhaustion. It is especially a wheat-growing soil, and is believed to contain the most favourable conditions for the growth of this grain on the continent. Oats, barley, rye, potatoes, etc., are less restricted in their range, growing five degrees beyond wheat in the Mackenzie River Valley to the Arctic Circle. Barley is a favourite alternate crop for wheav in ^Manitoba, and yields very lax'ge returns — with a weight per bushel of from .50 to 55 pounds. Oats also thrive well. It has not yet been demonstrated by experiment whether fruit trees, such as apples, will fiourish on the open prairie. But it appears from experience in Minnesota that thej'- will in connection with shelter and forest tree planting. There is, howe\rning an important business centre, having a large number of good stoics, several hotels, &c., and will shortly have a branch bank. Has * post offi( '! with daily mail, and there is a branch of the Dominion Lands Office here. There are several churches and schools of tlie Episcopal, Presbyterit\n and Methodist Episcopal denominations. Thu town will be incorporated as a city shortly, and the corporation will immediately bridge the river at this point. * it ■ I '^11 m 162 SELKIRK, A flourisliing town 24: miles from Winnipeg, the present terminus of the- Canada Pacific Railway, promises to become the future rival of Winnipeg. It has some fine buildings, is well laid out, and boasts some excellent hotels and stores, as well as a weekly newspaper, the Interocean. Two- lines of steamers run daily to Winnipeg; and the completion of th& Pembina Branch to this point, and extension of the main line of the Canada Pacific eastvtard to Rat Portage, make Selkirk an important point. ST. BONIFACE, A large and flourishing town at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, opposite the City of Winnijteg, has a population of about one thousand, and is rapidly growing in importance. The parish wa^' founded in 1818 by the Rev. J. N. Provencher, who was sent from Quebec, at the request of the Earl of Selkirk, to establish a mission at Red River. The first chapel was built in 1819, and a large stone cathedral in 1833. This- was destroyed by fire in 1860, and the present edifice erected in 1862 by His Grace Archljishop Tache. St. Boniface is the Metropolitan See of the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of St. Boniface, and has a college, a ladies' boarding school, a large hospital and an orphan asylum, the three last being under the Sisters of Charity. The town is well laid out with straight, wide streets, and contains some handsome buildings, several mills, good hotels, stores, &c. It is the present terminus of the Pembina Branch of the Canada Pacific Railway, and is connected with Winnipeg by ferry. The connection will, however, shortly be by a bridge over the Red River, across which the railway will run to connect with the continu. ation of the Pacific Railway west of Winnipeg. St. Boniface boasts the first organ that was ever used in the North-West, a fine instrument, having: been presented to the Cathedral in hSTf). Le Metis, the organ of the French population in JManitoba, is printed here. WINNIPEG, The Capital of Manitoba, and the conimerciiil and political centre of the North- West, is a city whose rapifl growth is one of the most substantial proofs of the increasing] development of Manitoba and the North-West 163 IS of the- 'innipeg. 3xcelleni til. Two of the Canada liniboine out one founded c, at the r. The ;. This. 862 by Se of the . college, he three tut with several Pembina ''innipeg )ver the continii- asts the , having: I of the « of the stantial h-West jrenerally. When th<> territory was transferred from the Hudson'^s Bay Company to the Dominion Government, in 1870, the population of Winnipeg was scarcely 700, it had but one street, there were no buildingis of any size, except those of the Hudson's Bay Oom})any, and its trade was next to nothing ; to-day it is a well laid out handsome city, with good wide streets lined with brick and stone buildings which would do no discredit to any city in Canada or the United States, and has a population of 11,000, while its trade has so increased that it carries off the palm of being the briskest city in the Dominion, doing more business in proportion to its size than any other. Situated at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, the site early attracted the attention of the Hudson's Bay Company as a favourable one for the establishment of a trading post for their transactions with the Indians, and, accordingly they built Fort Garry, around which in course of time a small settlement grew up which was called Winnipeg, and which has grown in the last seven years from a mere hamlet to the proportions of a tine city. It was incorporated in 1873 and divided into four wards, in each of which there is a sciiool. There are three branch banks here, as well as a branch of the (Government Savings Bank, and Post Office Savings Bank. The city is well supplied with hotels, and a new one to cost $100,000 is now in course of erection. The city is well supplied with churches, Catholic, Protestant, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other denominations ; while the higher oi-der of education is amply provided for by the Manitoba College, under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church ; St. Boniface College, under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church, and St. John's College, under the auspices of the Church of England ; there is also a Young INlen's Christian Association. The city boasts of an excellent Fire Brigade and two steam tire engines ; and it is expected that it will shortly be lighted with gas and possess water-works, the present supply being derived from tanks and wells. There are a number of National Societies ; Orange, Odd Fellows and Masonic Lodges ; an Agricultural Association ; a Rille Association and an excellent Club, the Manitoba. The press is represented by the Times, morning daily, and the Free Press and Trihnne, afternoon daily ; and Nor^ West Era. weekly. The determination of the Dominion Govern- ~F^fiSfS i 164 uicnt to contimie the main line of the Canadii Pacific Railway along the fourth base line westward from Winnipeg, the bridging of the lied River at Winnipeg together with tlie bnikling of the Southern Colonization Hail way from Winnipeg to Rock Lake, cannot fail to give an immense impetus to the gi-owtli of the city ; and we may fairly expect that in the CO \Yse of a few years tlte Winnipeg of the future will as far surpass that of the present, as tlu; Winni[>eg of the present does that of the past.-- {^MaDongalVs Guide ia Manituha, cOc, payes ;?J, -?^/, ,.^i), rIO, SI, o.J.) H i 1 i .■ MANITOBA AND THE NORTH-WP^ST TERRITORY. The following is a report of the speech delivered by Mr. J. S. O'Brien at the mass meeting of workingmen on the 24th instant :— "The speaker fominenced by referring to the early history of Winnipeg, which prior ^o 1870 was only a chief fcradiner post of the Hudson Bay Company, and at tViat da'p the population waa only 300 aools, and the greater part were half-bneds an I ludians.. On tVie let of January, 1874, the population did not exceed 2,000 souls, whereas now it numbers over 10,000. The aiisessnieut of real estate, which a*- that time was about $2,000,000. has in 1880, less than six years, increased over 85.000,000, making;; a total of §7. 000,000. Four hundred buiMincs were erec ed last summer at a cost of over ^1,000,000. The Parliament Buildings, Li' u'Pi ant-Governor's residence, Manitoba Club, Merchants' Bank, freight ;uid iia'if'e'iger depots of the Canada P.ici{ic Railway, freight and passenger depots r>f the M nit^ba and Great Western Railway and the workdiops of the aboTe railway-. In ad 'i'ion to these buildings it is estimated that at least 350 build ngs, oonsia'ing of H«-orei3 and dwellings will be erected the coming summer. The e'^Hnnied cost of these buildings will amount to about $2,000,000. The aite of Mte Ci'y of Winnipeg is favorably chosen at the confluence of two great navi ahl.^ s'reRtns, the Red and Assinihoine Rivers, into which smaller a^reams How. The l{ed River is navigable to Lake Winnipeg and Manitoba, and all rivers having an i'det in*o that body of fresh water, these riveni and laki^s give Winnipea a complete system of inland navigation, A line of .steamers r ins oa these r ver= durit.g the summer, and a daily line of steamers run.s V ctween Emerson and Winnipeg. In addition to the facbties offered for inland navigation, the railwav ronnpction with the Canadian Pacific Railwny, Manitoba and Great Western and o her b-anch lines, will tend to make Winnipeg a great railway centre. !■» 'he couraf^ of three yeai's Winnipeg will have free access by ra'l to the coal fielils of the Souris and Saskatchewan, and thus reduce the price of fuel ."lO per cent. The )>rairie land in Winnipeg and vicinity 13 now under a ■ys em of dr I'liaue which vvill greatly improve the city. The Norquay Government has constructed seventy seven miles of drains in the city and vicinity, and fifty- five miles of drains now under contract in other sections, which will be com- ple»^ed next ye^tr. Several bridges have been erected along the highways and other >niprovemen*(> wh ch have greatly facilitated the travel for settlers going west to procure farma. In addition to these improvements, I would say that St, I 165 iiloiig tlie u'd River >i<)nizatioa 1 immense liiit in the I'pa.ss that lie past.-- ;,/) RY. N. O'Brien Winnipeg, Company, part were •n did not eynn, tlipid ' ity, Morris, Odanah, and several other new towns now sprii'i^inu; up in the west, together with Poit Portage, get their supplies from Winnipcv/. The railway supplies are also taken from Winnipeg, and the fine ferti'e prairie land f-urr und- iug that city and extending one thousand miles west, cannot fiii to maks Winnipeg a second Chicago, and the Queen City of the great North-West. W'tb regard to the climate of this North-West country, I would t>ay that it compare* favorably with the climate of Ontario. The atmosphere is quite dry and no ra>n falls during the winter. Last winter, which was considered by some of the oldest inhabitarts to b« the most severe of any winter for the last twenty years, was not in my esti- mation a very cold one. The winter set in on the 20th of Kovt^mber, ai d the thermometer ranges from 5 to 18 degrees below zero, and at Chrstmas aid New Year it fell as low aa 48 degrees below zero. This weather only listed a we-k, and from that t'me to the latter part of February the thermomet* r range! fmra 10 to 12 degrees below zero. The weather was calm and clear and the workmen on the (Canadian Pacific Railway only lost one day durng the wirter. There were only four heavy snow storms, but this did not j-ircvent the men tiom working. The snow was about two feet deep in the woods. A jierson can sta d the cold in this country about .35 degrees below zero, as well as 10 helow in Ontario. The days are ne hour longer in summer than they ar*- in Ontario, a' d the climate in the spri.ig and lall is as fine as any on the continei t of Hrit sb North America. There are thousands and tenp of thousands of acr^a of fine fertile prairie land in Manitoba. The soil will avt rage about three feet deep, and coisi^ts of a dark rich loam and a hard blue clay botloni. There are several small s' reams and rivers runniou through different sections >i the Province. There are luge l>elt« of woodland along the rivers and other portions of the Province. Thf Nortli West Territory extends from the boundary of the Province to Kdmoii*'iin and to th>t Rocky Mountains, a distance oi 1,000 miles. Tin re is a vast amount of fevile pra re land in this territory, and room for millions of settlers to make cmtoi table homes for themsehes and f similes. Settlers cjining to this cmintry should have at Ica* six or seven hundred dollars to start them for the first year. Ten acres of tilled land will sujjport a family of six for a year. A farmer ean commence to phtU;4h in September, and the laud will be ready for seeding in the latter part oi Ayril. 1G6 I. t I I ^ / Twenty-tive bushels of wheat per acre can be raised the first crop, and about 30 bushels per acre will be raised the second year. Old farmers have raised as high aa 35 bushels to the acre. Oats, barley, potatoes and all kinds of vegetables are raised in abundance. Hay has no limit ; a farmer may cut as much as he recjuires upon any portion of the prairie. A settler can get a homestead of UJO acres on payment of .!?10, and a pre-emption of 1(10 acres for $1 per acre, payable in seven years. If tlie homestead is situated near woodland the settler can get 20 acres by applying to the land agent. The grain is threshed m the fields by threshing machines and the s^raw is burnt in the fields, there being no use for manure the land is so rich. Settlers having the means ta start them for the first year will become inrle[)eiulent in three years. There is no doubt that farmers can do better here than in any other country on the continent. lam well pleased with the country and I intend to make this North- West country my future home. • Laboring men get $2 per day, and mechanics will average from .^3 50 to $-1 per day. Tliere is a line of railway from V\'innii)eg to Emerson, a distance of (55 miles, and passenger and freight trains run on this route daily. The Railway from Winnipeg to Kat Portage is now completed, a distance of 140 miles, and trains are now running on this route daily. The railway from Winnipeg to Portage La Praii'e is completed, and the track is laid 1(X) miles. Daily trains run from Winnipeg on this railway. It is expected that the Canadian Pacific Railway will be completed to the Ilocky Mountains in three years, and the route from Thunder Bay to Rat Portage, a distance of about 300 miles, will he ready for the passage of trains about the latter part of next summer. The Thunder Bay route will shorten the distance from Ontario to Winnipeg nearly five hundred milei!. Now, Sir, all these vadways coming in to the Norr,h-VVest together, with the system of inland navigation, cannot fait ti. make the North- West country one of the most important colonies of the British Empire." Continuing, Mr. O'Brien said, "The Lake of the Woods is in Keewatin Territory. This lake is 100 miles iQng and 50 miles wide. There are thousands of islands in this lake, and mostly all well timbered. The scenery in summer is beautiful, and trout, pike and other kinds of fish are in abundance, (iold and silver have been discovered on these islands, and there are several companies now exploring for the precious metal. A number of these islands have not yet been explored, and may become vt ry valuable. The fine scenery, together with the discovery of gold and silver in the Lake of the Woods, cannot fail toafiraot the attention of capitalists and tourists. The town of Rat Portage is situated on the main land, on tlie bank of the Lake of the Woods. When I arrived at this place two years ago there were only a few shanties and three or four tents. There are now about 200 houses, eight or nine stores, ten boarding houses, a large hotel, a jail, carpenter and blacksmith shops, and a weekly newspaper. A depot for the Canadian Pacific Railway will be erected here, and other freight buildings, and (Jatholic and Protestant churches are lender construction. The scenery is very fine in this place in summer, and the pure air coming from the mountains makes it very healthy. I would recommend invalids to spend the summer at Rat Portage. In the course of a few yea-^s Rat Portage will become quite a large town. There is another section tluit is worthy of notice— the I-'QJuy River. The land on the banks of this river is well timbered, consisting of I ak, spruce, pine aiiil poplar. The river is navigable for about forty miles, and j;.rfT.»r i-i^jsj of wood land extend back two miles from the banks of the river. A line cf -ii'.iaU Mteai'i '"s are running occasionally from Rat Portige to the Rainy River. The ra,il\'ay now being completed to Rat Portage will give free acctss l)y steamers across tb^ T^ake of tlie Woods. This route will tend to develop the Rainy tliver aecciun , '.fhere are abundance uf fish in this river and the scenery is very fine. Thq H i ' j-d*i!m^tiiK.>wBiMe^iimf».-M 167 about 30 as high aa are raised recjuires ' acres on in seven ) acres by threshing i;»iure the year will tlo bettor le cduntry g men get ■i line of nger and it Portage til is route the track expected lutains in of about t summer. eg nearly )rr,h-VVest )rth-We8t rerritory. slauds in 'iful, and uve been tj for the and may ■ of gold apit&lists the bank ere were es, eight icksmith will be ohes are the pure invalids ai^e will ice -the sting of les, and A line River. team era r iliver s. The timber along the river will become vcy valuable, ami settlors comini^ into this sectioQ will lind the lansl very fertile. Miners report having fouud some valuable .specimens of gold and .silver in the vicinity of this river. Settlers coming to this place can » ,f get their supplies from Rat Portage. I have heard a great deal said about Dakota. Well, 1 liave been iliere and .seen the land, and consider it good, but the soil is far ligliter than the soil in Manitoba. The farmers that settled m Manitoba and the North- West Territory are getting rich, and they like the country. Parties who A'ere born and brouyht up under the British flag do not wish to go to Dakota when they can get better inducements under their own flag, and the Government in Canada is as free as any upon the face ot the earth." After referring to the prosperous future in store for the North-West, Mr. O'Brien continued : — " The land between Emerson and Winni})eg, Selkirk and Portage La Prairie has increased in value from §)2 to .$5 per acre. Lots were pu»hased in Winnipeg, on Main street, seven years ago, for .SITjO, and they are now selling at .^8.000 to. ■< 12,000. The increase in the value of property in the North-Wcst when the Canadian Pacific Railroad and other branch lines are completed will more tlian pay the expenses of the whole cost of the railways. There are now about .3,000 men working on the Canada Pacific Railway at .$1. Toper day, and last September 1,000 were wanted to chop wood and mike radwiy ties during the winter. All the floating population now out of emjdoyment in cities in Ontario and Quebec can all be employed in the North- West." At the conclusion of his remarks Mr. O'Brien introduced the Hon. Mr. Clark, ex-Attorrey-Ofneral of Manitoba, who delivered an able speech on the advantages of the North-West. A report of the speech has already appeared in The Citizkx.'' — The Daili/ Citizen, Ottawa, Monday, Jan. 31, 1881. AVINNIPEG. "The r/m^.v this moi-riing has ovpr a column reviewing the progre?" of the •city. Upwards of 400 tenements and stores have been erected this season at a cost ■i-eased I'rom $'2,000,000 tu Amn six years ; Sl..ioO,000 Olliee this year, an avei-ia'i' ■nue is estimated this year supposed to be within the list which there are assets uDiuit. Tri'i' ' and commerce iicreasedr" .: c ■.;.;'. 000 in 1872 of nearly $1,000,000. The service assessment has $5,000,000, and the population from '2,000 to 10,000 in I in real estate is reputed as passing through the Regi>i of nearly $2,'j,000 in weekly transactions. The city i at $80,000, and tlie exjiendiLure is, for the lirst lim income. The indebtedness is slated at $400,000, - and permanent improvi-menls far in e.xcess of Ih.il haveincn;ased immenselv. Canadian imports ha\ to over $;j, 500, 000 in bSSO, and the Ibrcign impi The exports have increased from §l'25,()06 to ov' . increased from nearly $47,000 to net rly $208,001). IVom $4,000 in 1873 to over $0,700 in 1880. The carrying trade by raii 'v.i .teamer is placed at about .'jO.OOO tons, comprising gen- -a! merchandise, ag.'icultural implcmenLS, stocks, farm ])roduce, furs, fuel and lumber. Induslrial eslablishnionts are represented as in their infancy, yet inanuraclures evince a tendency to grow with larger railway facililies."— The" Z>a//i/ VUizen, Ottawa, Monday, Nov. :. 1880. IVom $000 OOO to ■no .■?.')02,000. Tt. ' The iuLei'nal rev \;st0;.; 25.000. duties i-eased 168 IMPRESSION OF WIISNIPEG. }■ '{ "It (loos not ro(|uir(' a very lon^' residonci' in llie Cipital of tho Provincf oC Manitoba to lind out lliat it isoiK'oriiin in()>t prusp'roiisiunl inoucy-niakinj? cilios of th(i Dominion of Canada. Thoso who liavt? siMth'd liore aro men of enoi-gy and ambition, and many of them aitpcar to hr rfalisinf,' the pxix'ctations they had in view in roinoving to the Nortii-West. The a[ipeai'an(;<' of the country which surrounds Winnipeg, as wr-li as the climate, has a most in\ igorating eil'ect upon both body and mind. Sanguine hopes of liie future lill the minds of the people as they view tiie rich soil whicli meets their gaxe in every direction; they fe*;! that Winnipeg, encompassed by the richest land in the woi-ld, must grow rapidly in size and importance, and hence tliey are stitnulaled to i)u{ Ibrth tlmii' greatest energies in onler to lieep pace wiiii tin.' giowlh of everything around them. When/ Manitoba became a Province of the Dominion, about ten years ago, Winnipeg had then only a population of about GOO souls, and was a prairie village with but one street, containing a lew houses, but to-day it has a population exceeding 10,000, and possesses churches, colhiges, hotels, shops, publie buildings and private residences as handsome and substantial as aie seen in many of the principal older cities of the Eastern Provinces. Winnijieg will compare most favorably with any of the AmerioMi towns, in regard to its growth, and slan ])('fi('slfi.in can niaki? .tiiy li(>adway. But without doiilitall lln' incon- veninnccs and diM'Ouil'nils with which the iwoplc have now In contend, will in a few y(iars he dissipali'd, csiiccially as th(^ coni|)osition ol" tho city are nu-n I'lilly alivt^ to tin.' impoi'tancc of iiroinoling all the im])rov('inonts which ai'i' essential to com- fort and 'iijovinent. C. V. Strekt/'—TIio Ikiili/ Cilizrii, Ottawa, Saturday, Nov. i;{, I88U. THE PROGRESS OF ^VTXyTPEG. '•TIiP (Capital of tho North West is, unlike most Western towns peculiar to tlic Unite(i States, of no mushroom growth. It has had to slriiggh; against the samo disadvantages that have been common to other remote setllemeiils, wilh the additional (lisad\antage whicii all extremely cold climates ha^t; to conlend with. If v/e may Judge of the opinion of a writer, who is now residing there, all these ohi^lacles h.ave been overcome, and Winnipeg* to-day stands on the linn hasis of permanent success. IJuildings are being erected with wonderful rapidity; new stores are taking tho place of old ones; masons and car] enters lind plenty of work ; and thi^ town is full nf active contentment. Many persons think that by the close of tin' present season the city Will J)e increased by one-fourth. Fror" Uie very lirst part of its history rents have been liigli, and yield upon an avo •.■■.>■ twenty per crni. to tin' investor. Ann the demand is always e(pial to the supjils. It is generally supposed that a building in Winnipeg pays for its(.^lf at the I'lid of llv years. Among other large edifices now in course of eri'clion, the Hudson Bay Com- jiany's new store lakes ]irecedence. It is 100 feet siiuare, and 5(j I'eet high. Thft foundation is stone, into which heavy iron ])illars are C(imenled. The walls are of American brick of a dark red color, with grey sandstone trimmings. It is located near the old fort, at the southern end of Main street. Its total cost will l)e about $'> Church of England in Canaila, and through the Bishop of the Diocese their inll'uence upon the Indians has been ol the most cheering character. Of course, as in all new towns, there is a certain amount of vice, but we areconlident in believing that the mora! influence of tiie community is so strong as to be able to check materially its inlluence. Take it all together, the new city of the West has a brilliant anil useful prospect before \l."—Scollislt American Journal, New York, Thursday, October 21, !H«0. ff; ■' '^ 170 THE BULL'S EYE OF THE NORTH-WEST. Tu llw Editor ollhr Fire l>ress. "Sin, — 1 \)i"^ loiivo to roifuesl a spuco in llio columns ol' your widely circulalntl journal, respecting llio progniss ol tlieCily u\' WinMi|)eg, tlie Province of Manil()l)a aufi llie Nurlli-West Terrilory. Prior to IS7(), Winnipeg was only a eiiier trailing ])osl of the Iluilson Bay (lomiiany. At thai dale llio jtoimlalion was estimaled. at ;j()0 souls, and of these the greater pai't were hall-breeds and Indians. On the l^t olManuary, 187i, th(> population did not exceed 2,000 souls, whereas, now it numbers ovei' 1(1,000. The assessment of real estate which at that lime was about $2,,.i. 1,000, has in 18S0, lesslhan six yeai's, increased to over $5,000,000. l-'oiu- hundred dwellings and stores weriMU'ecled last sununerata costoral)out $1,000,000. Tiie Parliament liuildings, Maniioi)a Club, Morchants'Hank, Lieutenant-Governor's I'ositieiice and several i)llii'r handsome dwellings, which will Ijo erected next year will amount to o\ er tiiree humlriHl thousand dollars. In addition lo these buildings it is estimated thai at least 350 buildings of various kinds will be erected at a cost of about 81,000,000. The work-shons, tViMght and passenger depots ol" the C. P. R., and the Manitoba and (ireat West(3rri Kail,way will also be erected the coming year, which will cost about seventy-live thousand dollars, making a total ol' $1,300, 000. The site of the city is favourably chosen at t'le conlIuenc(! of two great navigable streams, the lied and Assiniboiiie Rivers, into which several smaller streams How. The Red River is navigable to lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba, and all the rivers liaving an inlet into thosebodie'sol'lresh water, these rivers and lakes, give Winnijieg a system ol' Inland Na\igation. A line of steamers runs on these rivers during the sumnK.T, and a daily line of steamers runs between Emerson and Winnipeg. In addition to the facilities ollered for Inland Navigalioi., the Railway connection with the G. P. R., Manitoba and Great West(;rn and otlur branch linos, will tend to make Winnipeg a great railway centre. In th(( cour-e often years Winnipeg will have free a(;c(-';>> by rail to the Coal mines of the Souris and Saskatchewan, aad thus reduce lhi>;i 'iceof fuel 50 per cent. The]ii'airie land in Wiiuiipegand vicinity is now under a system ol' drainage which will greatly impi'ove the city. The Noniuay Government has constructed twenty-sincn mil'vs of drains in the city and vicinity and twenty-live mih^s of drains now under contnict in other sections will be completed next year. Several bridges hiv(» betMi enn'ted along the highways and other improvements made which have greatly facililat<>d the travel for settlers going ■West to [»rocure farms. In addition lo these imiirovements, I would say that St. Boniface should luA be lorgolliMi. This is a nourishing village situated opposite Winnipeg on the banks of the Red River. Archbishop Tache has made groat improvements in this place during the past y(\ar, A line colh^go has been erected .among th(^ tine shade lrei>s near his Palace at a (;ost of $38,000. TIk! building is built wiih brick, stone foutuialion, cut stone basi>, stone sills and cut stone facing. The architectural design is veiy line, and the building can be seen from Wmnipc'g looming U]) over the tops of the trei^s which surround it. There are stneral line buildings in St. Boniface, among which is the Bishop's Palace, the. Cathedral. Convents and Schools. The beaulifut walks, and pleasure grounds connected with these buildings command a line appearance frou\ Ihe i)anks of the river, A large convent has been erected at Winnipeg at a cost of $17,000, and St. Mary's Church wi'.ich is built of while brick, stone foundation, slone facmg and belting crossing ol stone, the architectural design of this church is second lo none in the 171 roulatofj l-'iiiiioha I fading |i''il''(l at On 111,, now it |s alioiK 300,000. ,'able iS Province, (ukI tlie cost of the biiildiiif,' wlicri ready I'oi occupalion will aiiiounl to uhuul .'?;{(), 000. Tho town orEiiierjon, I'orlayo la Prairie, West iiVnn, O'Dana^'li, I{a|)iii (lily, atid si'vei'al oilier towns now s|irinf;iii;,' n\\ west, ti)j,!"i'ilit'r with Hat Turlage and lln^ CI. I'. U. and oilier Hailwa>s, all Dlwlneli get their supplies iVoin ■Winiiipei,', and tiio lino fertile prairio lands surrounding,' that eily and I'xtendin^,' one tliousand miles west, cannot fail to make Wiiini|)e|,' a >fi;(]nd Chiea^,'o, IIk! Queen of the Great North-West. Willi re;,'ard to the elimale of ihis Norlh-West ■country, I wonh.l say that it compares favourably with the climile of Onlario, The atin(is|ilier(; isijuitedry and no rain falls dinin;,' lln; winter. Lastwinlei' which ■was considered Ly souk? of tlii! oldest inhabitants lo be. the most sevei'e of any winter for the las' twenty years, was not in my esliiii'ilion a very cold one. The ■wilder si3l in on 11 e '..'Olh of November and the Iheiinomi'ler rauj,'ed from y to 18^ below zero, and oi, Christmas and New Year's it ftsll as low as 'tS*^ bolow zero, this weather only lasted a week, and iroiii thai time to the latter part of Kebniary the tliermoini'ter ran^'ed from Kt^ lo \'l^ below and some times lo zi-ro. The wejither was calm and (dear and the workmen on the C. P. H. only lost om.' day and that day was (Ihristmas eve. Then! were ordy lour heavy snow storms during' the winter and Ihe snow was only two f(!et dee]) in the woods. A person can stand the cold in Maiuloba '.ib'^ dei,'rees below zero in prefcrisnce lo ten below in Onlario. The highest degriM! of lieat last summer w.ts s'l'' an avera;,'e from 10 to 20 degre(!s. The days are an hour louL'^er in summer than they are in Onlario. Tlie climate in the spring and fall is as line as any on the conlineiit of British North Am(>ri(;a. The Province of Manitoba is 150 miles long and 1(10 miles wide. There •are thousands and tens of thousands of acres of linn fertile prairie land in this Province. The soil will averaj.ce IVom two to three feet deep and consists of a dark rich loam with a hard l)lu(! (day bottom. From '20 to 2") bushels of wheat per acre ■can be raisetl the lirsl yi'ar, and some of thi; old I'armei's will raise as liiLrii as 30 Jbusluds to the acre. Oats, barley, potatoes, and all kinds ol' vegetables are raised in al)undance. Tlie hay lias no limit, a farmer caa cut as much as h(; may rp(|uire on any portion of tlu^ prairie'. The houudary of the Provini'i; of .Maiiituba will be extendi'd after the jjresent season, which will ti'iid lo di'velo|i a large portion of 4he Norlh-VVest Territory. The Territory extends from Ihi' boundary of the Province of Manitoba to Kdmouton and to the Hocky Mounlaius a distance of ■one thousand miles. Then^ are millions of acres of the linesl prairie land ujion the <]ontinerd of America in this vast territory, and room for millions of S'-ttlers to make for themselves and families comfortable liomes, and the late discoveries of g'old and silver ill the Lake of the Woods, the Saskatchewan and li]ilmoiilou, and the large extent of the coal lields at the Souris and otln'r secii(jns of tin; North-West Territory will tend to make this new country the mainstay of the whole Dominion of Canada. A few days previous to my d(>parture from Winnipeg, the latter part of November, one thousand num were wanted lo work, m.ikin^r railway ties and to chop cord wood at >! 1. 75 per ilay, during the winter, and boar.l at ;;?'». 00 per W(!ek. The wages during the summer for labouring men were $2.00 per day, bricklayer* and masons, I'l.OO to S't.50 per day: carpenters, $.100 to.'?.!.")!' p"r day; plasteivTs, $:3.50 to $4.00 per day: and soim' buildings had to remain unimislKMl for want of m-'chanics. Plasterers'are now in good demand at $'i per day. Farmers coming to settle in the North-West country should remember that tht-y must have from six to sevi^n hundred dollars to start on for the first year, iind ai'ter the lirst crop is in they can I'aise enough upon ten aci-es of tilled land to kcp their family i'or one year, and in the course of three years they become indeiiend-'iit. A home- 172 sledd of 1(10 (ici'is rnn bo had for ten ilullars, and KiO at'n>s of |iri'-omption can ho jiui'fliasrd I'dnini' dollar |mm' iicn' iiayahlo in m'vi'm annual inslnlnp'Mis willi inlorfst. Al'li'i' inakin},' lln' nnci'ssary iin|irovt'inonl upon Iho lionii'sli-ad rci|nifod by the (lo\ I'rnnii'iit for Un>M' yi'ais, ii />o/;r? //V/r di-cd will ho ^'raiiti'd lo llii' soiHcr. Tlio (loMrnmoiit land a^ionis al Enioi'son, Morris, Winnipo},' and olliorlowus will givo oniif,'ranls who wish lo lociitc on lands, all Hit- iid'orinalion llioy niny n'(|uh'o, und ilci'oni|iany llr'in willi oxporicnci'd -l I'l-rliN! soctions of theNorlh-Wpst Torrilory. 'I'lioi'o nro si'vrral lar^r'' liclls of woodland alon^; the riviTs and small streams whicii run lhron;^di ilioso scclious, aufi a winxl lot of 'iO aci'fs will lie i^'ivi'ii lo llio scllli'rs, in addilinu lo till' liomi'stcad and pi'r-i niplion, on application lo llio goMTiiiin'iil land ni-'onls. (iordwood is now solliiifj; al Winnipog al from $5.00 lo $().()() por cord. Tli« (]. P. H. aj-'onts ha\o lowered llio I'alos of coi'dwoud on lln- Hallway in accord- ani'o Willi Sir (Iliarlcs Tuppor's iiislrnclions wiiicli will lower llio prioe ot eonlwood (lurint: llie winter to ahoiil l^'i.OO pereord. The C. I'. H. I'onto from Thunder Bay 1.0 Si'Ikirk, a distance uf l')0 niilos, is a linihei'e'; country, and the railway is now open for traihe as far as Mat I'orla.ije.and Iho'isandsof cords of wood can I to hi-ought o\('i' this pari of the line to Winiiipeii- diiriiif. winter. The ('onstiMiclioii uf llio gn.'al Iransconlineiilal railway llirou;j;hC,inadian Tori-ilory will sfumro Ilii! carrying of trade through Iht; Doiiiinicjii, and lend to ojien u|i a vast fertile |)rairie country, The format l(m of a syndicate in England, composed of capita lisls represonliiiy llie four leailing nations of lln world, for the complelion of this ^i-eat railway project, cannot fail to make (Canada one of the most im|)orlant Colonies of the British Empire. Thankiu},' yon, Mr. Editor, for tin; space you have j,'ivon mo, I havo the honor lo 1)0, Sir, yours oliediontly, WiniNIi-kc;." — The Ollawa Daih/ Free PrcsSy January 8, 1881. BRITISH COLUMBIA. GOLD AND COAL, " Fyles of British (^oliunbia iia|)ers lo February Oth are to hand. The Ghinoso Merchants' Shipping Co. aro having conslruclc'd on llio Clyde four '2,500 Ion stoamshijis. Il i^ said in Chinatown that a steamship belonging to this com|)an\ will sail Irom Hong Kong for Victoria, with 400 laborers onboard, early in April. The goid producl for 1880 is ostimated at $880,630. The gold exports by the bank aro slated to aggregate $i4,8.j5.i4, to which thft Minister of Mines adds one-lifth as taken away in private hands, giving an actual yield for lh(3 year of §1.013,827. It is claimed ilial Cariboo shows no signs of "cxhauslion. Allontion is called lo the auriferous benches and the jirogress in hydraulic mining. Omineca is said to bo inci-oasing in importanci^ Yalo silver lead is devohjping some line ore. The flaltering prospects of lln^ Kokesalia miae, in Cowich(in district, and Uie assays (which have gone as high as $()0.43 to lht> Ion) are commented iijion. In coal exports, despile the nnfa\(irable duty at San Francisco, there has been a steady increase. The ex(>rlions of Mr. Bunster, M.P., have procured a drawback of one-half tlu^ duty ])ayable on powdei-, which proved a great boon to the miners. The workings are reported in excellent condition. There- 173 ha Naiiiiiiiio ('(illit'iMrs (|)liiiil Miliird ill, SI K), (1(1(1) VM iiiliili> jiri.l I". Ihpv;. nf iMii|ili>\i'il at wall's varying rioiu $-1 U> $3.7.") lor wliilfs, ami rnmi SI lo ^l.'id loi- lixliatis and <]|iim'si'. At llii' VVrlliii)jl(iii I'oljit'i'ii's .")'?.■) Iiaiids ai'i- <'iiipl()Vi'd iit, wa^-'i's raii^'iiii,' from SI In S3.7r» por da\ . The iiiiiii-r.s vnvn per day IViiiu $3 In .S4.")ii. Tin' valin- Ol'tlie plant is $;'i^"),(KM).' Abstract ol'i'diirns ol'tln^ (Isherii's of BrillHli Cohiiidtia for the year IH80: — Tota' value of rtturns, ISSO )?7 1;{ ;{:?-» fi'2 do do l»7i» 0 Skouna Itiver. " lOCOH Total, 1871) CnseiH. «)1,09» In 1880 — Fraser River v.'asfcs. 4'J,1 ')') SUuena River , " MI,(iD4 Total, 1880 Cases. Ol.SI'J Increase " 750 ICmployed, 1880 -4 steamers, 3 to HO tona ; 10 schoou'.rs, 15 to 75 tonn; 315 fishing boatd ; 1,813 tishurmun, sailors, etc. Work is proret'dint!' on tlin railwav .lint; vi-ry favoraldy considcrini,' llio wentlicr. As a ruio the Chinamen turn oul prrtly well. Jnit they cannuf stand liie cold wind llial is su prtnalenl. A busy lime is cxpeclod in tin* aprinj^ witii a ^'ivai jnllux of itotli wiiile and Chinese lai)or. There is |)lenly to be done and a lair show lor any mimln'r of men who want work." — Tlio Fire Press, Ottawa, Tuesday. Februai-y 'I'i, IXMl. VICTORIA, BIUTISH COLUMBIA, OCT. If), 1880. Provincial e.xpoi'ls for last (piarli'r ap^rrffj-ateS7rKS,.')7C>. The miriesconlribuled $467,261 ; the lisheries, SlUl,820; minerals and their products, !pl31i,7(l">. mtmsHKonmmmmmm ^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) WJ.x 1.0 I.I ■"IS IhUi. ill 1.8 1 25 1.4 1 1.6 ^= ^= II ^ ■• 6" ► V] <^ o '¥ /a ^/). '■^i ^0 ^ ;>> '/ >(^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 yj k 174 liJlITISII COLUMBIA. RELATIONS OF HHITISH COLUMUIA TO THE R KST OF TilK LOMINION. Stat IkUcs from a xpccrh of the lIoN. Wm. DeCosmos, M.P., April ICdk, ISSO, ' ^^ [ do not repent thr. fhjures (/iven hi/ t/if hon. inemher for Victoria (Mr. J)r.('osni<)s) in thr sjiner/i he has tiddrfsscd to thin J/ot/se. llo '-s irhirh, I think, irill have a rerij conftideralde infhu'ncp. in edu- cating the pnblic sentiment of this countrij in re/at ion to JJritish C'olumlna." — (Mu. T. Whitk, i\I.P., in the House of Commons.) 1 will first dmw attention to some fifi;ures in ref^ard to the imports and export« of ]*>i-itish Columbia, as compared with the other Pi-ovinces. I will not go into all my tigur,SWi,4!»l^ Nov.a Scotia 1 7,()(i-.',(>14! 7,:«).iilH New Hruiiswiek. . .1 .'■),-J!!(>,-fr,4j r),:i71,471 Miinitoba | l,IJ(i..s7l | r,\-l.>--:\ liritish Colnniiiia. . 1 2,44i).ry.ti zJ'M.'.tTL' I'rince E. Island...! ,sH.-,,riti!>l l,8;:i,:ifn(),(Hi(i 20 1)1 2<)a.404j 400,000 17 (i."". 7r.,017! auO,00(i'l7 Nil. ! .')0,ooo 22 so ;Ur>,]8'V .M),000 48 81 99.5,820 100,000^ 8 :<.") 12 aw ^. cts. 10 8') 19 2.". 18 01 17 90 10 2.) h'> 12 18 ;n 71 -.. -. y % 'n o i? cts. (i 14 1 ;i() Nil. Nil. 12 ;-)« Nil. Nil. * cts. Nil. Nil. 08 2.'> Nil. c m 9 9,''i From this table, it will be observed that British Columbia, although only twenty-two years old as a Province, stands next to New Brunswick, and fifth in rank among the Provinces as an importer and exporter of merchan- dise. Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba imported more than they exj)orted ; i 175 'VIOX. Nova Scotia, New I>iun.s\vick, Trinco Kdward Island, and HritiHb Colunihia exported more Mian tliey imimrted ; and Ihitisli Tohnnbia's excess over imports was n«'arly aR inucli as the acfi^iogate excess of Nova Scotia and New Hruuswii-k. Thii ptr ca/tita \u\\H)rtH of British Cohiinliia were six times more ;)rr mpitd. than Prince Edward Island, nenrly thie(> times more per rajntd than eitlier < )ntario, Nova Sr-otia or New IJiunswick ; and more than double pn' ra/nta imports of Quebec and 3Ianitoba. Her exports pn' ntpifd were tive times mon^ than the p^r capita exports of either Ontario or Manitoba, and three times more than eitlier Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or J'rince Edward Island. These are in- controvertible tacts that I submit to this House, and press upon the attention of the hon. gentleman who has moved a repmliation resohition. I will now draw vour attention. Sir, to a sunin\arv statement showinj; the exports of each Province under their respective heads. It is as follows : Statement showing Kxports of the difrercit Provinces under tlnir ixspfictive lieada- —1878-9. • Provinces. Mine. Fishery, j Korest. Ontario 82r),761» •S Aniniiils Airruul- ; >, ... , I *i ;„ * I i> I A art'- .Miscel- ;unl tlitir tiiral I ro- I'roduce. ducts. ifacturca. iaueous I .■i! I , .._.. {(."i,.').*?! S.'JiVi.TiM r).7'2(),4r):M0.41O.17-4l SS."),74(I2'2!).2I0 Queliec | '.'.S(i,44S' 7!)7.4'2| y.3,«4'J ]S; ova Scotia.. I :a-),98r) 4,4<.>8,!l«.».^) 7!l(i,70:< .•^-'.272 rjO'.t.'J-Jo 47.M,7r)S| 87(1 N. Hrunawick.j ir).S,44!t (581,124 3,(i22,.M4 121,1(;.S Is'., 071 120 (Ki2| 12,9.')2 Manitoba ;V.)!i 2,r.:{r. Nil. 474,071 ;{:{,7.V.> 8i)2 Nil. p. E. hland..: 4ri Brit. Columbia! 1,530,812 Total. 2I!>,4;{1 40,252, (;4;i,4».i3i 27;i,3(>(ii 74,r)4r. 1 2;{4,(i8.") 2.")(; r)ii2 2()8,()71 2,.-)0r) Nil. ;{,082,y00 10.1)28.87 113. 2(1 1 ,4r>«l 1 4, 1 0().(i04 I !),(;28,4()4 2.700,281 Nil. Nil. .38().281 TTiis stat<^ment shows that IJritish Columbia exported one-hall" of the total exports of tlie produce of the mir.es of the Dominion ; and in that class of exports takes the tirst rank. She standi* fourth in rank as an exjiorter of the produce of the Fisheries, and exports three times more than Prince Edward Island that is so urgently asking for a share of the Fishery Award. As an exporter of the [irodiice of the forest, she stands tilth in rank ; and lifth also in rank as an exporter of animals and their produce. 176 |J In agi'ienltui-iil [)rodiict.s she is the smallest exporter of any of th«^ Provinces; but I jtiedict that after the Pacific Railway shall have been completed, she will export more than any other Province. Besides her exports, the value of her a<^ricultural products, farming and stock-raising cannot be less than $1,000,000, and her productive industries of other kinds, $750,000, making the total ralue of products for domestic use, $1,750,000 in 1878-9, or the total aggregate vahie, in that year, of exports and productions for domestic use, $4,500,000. Need it be wondered ac, then, if British Columbia, with half her population Indians, has confidence in her own magnificent resources, and content, if need be, to stand alone, that she is proud of her jjosition and poiver, and that she treats with disdain those who would violate their })ledges, and trample under foot the most solemn obligations 1 I will now. Sir, bring under the notice of the House a statement of the trade between British Columbia and the other Provinces. It is as follows : — Statement of Inter-Provincial Trade, between British Columbia and the Eastern Provinces, since 1871. Goods imported into British Columbia from Eastern Provinces, since 1871. July, 1871, to June 30, 1872 $ 22,214 52 " 1872, " " 187H 7r>,G04 08 " 1873, " " 1874 6(),104 17 " 1874, " " 1875 117,054 16 " 187/), " •• 187») 129,735 l:{ " 1870, •' " 1877 I(i0,814 00 •• 1877, to Dec. 31, 1877 57,lt)2 00 Year " 1878 169,753 00 1879 184.5{>4 00 Total Imports by B. C. from other Provinces $983,005 50 Total Exports of B. C. to ottier Provinces in gold drafts to pay for Imports 983,005 50 • In round numbers, British Columbia has purchased in eight years and a-half a million dollars' worth of merchandise of Ontario and Quebec, principally the former, and paid for it in gold. The 50,000 Columbians — whites, Chinese and Indians — have, within eight years and a-half paid Ontario and Quebec $20 each for goods produced in this country. That $1,000,000, when passed from hand to hand in trade, has added $5,000,000 to the aggregate volume of their domestic trade, and has contributed to 177 the support of hundreds of operatives and hundreds of families, — and yet that is but the dawninf^ of the inter provincial trade with the Pacific Province. Wlien there are one or two hundred thousand of a white population on our western coasts, when the Pacific Railway, completed, shall carry cheaply across the continfnt, the domestic market olFercd to eastern manufacturers in Uritish Cohinibia, will be worth its $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 or more a year. Probably neither the Government nor Opposition have noted tliis inter-i)rovincial ti-ade in the past, or fore- cast its volume in the future. It is, nevertheless, a growin<^ domestic trade that will be swollen into greater dimensions as the Pacific Kailway proj,'resses towards completion ; and jifter its comi)letion, our merchants aljd manuf.icturers of Old Ciinada and tin; Maritimt^ Provinces will not merely supply manufactures for domestic consumjttion on our western coast and qreat North-West, but will enter into earnest competition with the advancefl nations of the world to sujtply our domestic mantifactures to a thousand foreif,Mi maikets around the Pacific Ocean. ]VJr. >Sj)eaker, I will now draw your attention to the taxes paid by British Columbia and o^her Provinces into the Federal Treasury. I will first <,'ive a statement of what each Province i)aid in Customs in 1878-9. It is as follows : — Statkmknt shnwinc: wlial v!iv\{ Proviiire pair] in Cuplnms into GonsDlidated Fuml in IS7S-0, and wlial llicy Wfjiild lia\e imid at the rate per cafiild \ 'at Brit. Columljiu,cah:uiatiii}.'British Estimnlcii per capita, $10.42iCokunbia |ic|iiila- Population on 50,000 poi)U-jlion at 25,000, at |$20. 84 /)rr cajx/a. iatiori. 2,000,000 1,500.000 i 400.000 , 300,000 ! 100,000 { 50,000 I 50,000 4,400,000 20,840,000 15,630,000 4,168,0(0 .3,126,000 1,042.000 521,000 521,433 45.848,433 41.680,000 31,260,000 8,336,000 6,252,000 2,084,000 1,042,000 521,443 91,175,443 178 This statement sliows tliat the entire Customs paid by all the Provin- ces into the Consolidated Fund in 1878-9, was .$13, 040, .'^31. That if Ontario, Quchcc, Nova Scotia, New JJrunswick, ]\Ianitoba, and Piince Edward Island, had paid in Customs into the Consolidated Fund, at the same rate 2^*'*' ''"jnto as I'ritish Cohnuhia, the total amount that it would have reached, is ^-IT), 848, 433 ; and if at the same rate per copUn as British Cohiiuhijv really ]iiud, assuming Uiat lir),000 Indians are only ecjual to r),000 white consumers, the an)ount paid l)y all of the I'l-ovinccs into the Consolidated Fund would have reaciitd the enormous sum of $'Jl,17r»,443. From this statement hon. gentlemen, Sir, will perceive the astounding disproportion between the Customs taxes paid l)y UrltisJi Columbia, and Avhat w;i,s [)aid 1)V the other Provinces. If they had paid in (^ust'.)ms dues at §10.12, the Hritish Columbia jun' capita rate on a population of 50.000, they would have [)a:d more tha.i three times the amounc th»'y did ; and if on tlw. reduced basis o." pojtulation for British Columbia, they would have ])aid six .es tlu^ amount in Customs that they did. But, Sii', I will not weary the Hous(^ with further exj)lanations under this head, but I will draw your attention to another statement comparing the ^X3rcentage of Customs collected in British Coluinbin with that of. other Provinces, and the proportio i that tlie po))ulati()n of that Province bears to the other Provinces. I will read it. It is as follows : Statkmk.ni ort^ustdiiis cdllccti'i! ill Hrilisli (inliiml)!;! during: tin" liscal yrar. 1S7S-9, conipari'd wiih I lie Cnstniiis ciillccli'd ill tli(i saiiiH pcridil in Oiilafio. (,)U('l»('c, Nova Scotia, NfW lininswick. Pritn-r Kdward Island and Maiiiinliii ; -liiiwinj^s also, till' |iri)poi'lioii of | in jm la I ion in llio.-c t-ru\ iiices to that ol'ljiilish (Inluinbia : ONTARIO. "Cdlnniitia paid in (aisloms an aiuniml cpinl to 10.\ piM- cpiiI dl' tli^' sum jiaid by Onlario— thai is, .•'lO.OOO Colunitiiaiis paid .•i-T)'Jl,44;i, and '2,000,0(10 Ontarians paid .ij;4,l»7'"».;"» 14. 1 hi' iiropoi'tion of population bfini,'' 1 to 40, or 5 (idininbians to liOO C)ntaiian>. QUEIJIX'. " Colnmliia paid in (aistnins an aninnnl iniual to 10 7-8 per rent, ol' the sum paid Jty (,)ui'l)oo— that is. 50.0i:0 Colunihians juild Sr)21,44;!, and 1,.V10,000 um paid iiy Nova Scolia -thai, is, r)0,();)0 CiiliiiTil)iaiis paiil $r)-2|.44;{, ami 40(K0()() \n\ii Sooliaiispaid !S:|,'J04,280, the jirojiortion of iinpulalioii Jieing 1 lo 8, or 5Co iimliiaiis to 40 Nova Scotians. NKW RRrXSWK.'K. " (lolinnbia paid in Ciisioins an anuini'l inual to 1!) .'MOO prr ccni. nl'iii • sitiri paid hv Ni'W hnmswick- that is, oO.OOO (:olmiilaari> paid .S").SI, 14:!, and ;J0 '.000 Nt'W IJriuiswicki'fs p:id .■? 1 ,0( >,'*.. 447. lli'' piMpiiiliuii ir|' popiilalidii lieini: 1 lo (j, (ir ,"> CoiuiiilMans to oO xNew Brnnswioki.rs. I'RINCE KDWAKD ISLAND. " ridnmliia paid in Cuslouis nn .'ininniil equal to i.'O l-(i per I'i'iii. nion' tliaii the sum paid by I'rinco Edward I>laiid- (iial is, ;iO,(H)U CMlumJiians paid .•sr»-J1.44.S. and 100,000 I'riiifi' I-^dward Isiandfrs ]»aid .^■i'i,s.4:iS, or (iDluinipia paid .->_'.")0 )-ii lo .•ijlOO ]iaid ii> I'riiH'c Hdward I-laii I, or .';;;> K{,"0.-) iii'ii" lliaa i'i'iii Ivlward ["^laiid, llic piii|iiiriioii of pnpu;al'on being 1 lo 2, or 5 Culiuabians lo 10 Princ I'^dward Islanders. MAXITOBA. " Ciijiiiiiliia paid in Cuslnnis an ain.'iiiit (>qr,a,i In S7S-!1 jn-r ci'iil. mop.' lli.i;i Mauitnlia - lliat is, assiiminir lln' pnpii alimi tub ]iia!). (^nluiiiliia paid .^^hST S-l I lo ."^bfO iiv Man'loba, or3')2I.14.'} li» ::?275,4S4 bv .Manilnba, an exeess over Maiiildba of .^2 45.0,30. '■ This statement is Si full and clei'j-, Sir, tliat it is now unnecessary for uie to enter upon an explanation. I will, therefore, come now to tho Inland llevenue paid by the diileivnt ['rovince.s, an 1 1 siibinit the follow- ing statement : Inland Kknkmi:.— Excise, Sonr('!'.s of Rrvcnui': Snirils. Mall. Liquor, Mall, Toliai'co, P('trol('Uiii Inspeclio!!, Maiuifaf'lui-es, t(uzuri'> and olhor liceeijits, 1878-9. I'rovince. K8*;imated| Total Per jMnrethai f >ss than P(ipnbitoii| Excise Capital ('olumbi.i !J>luml)ia Ontario , 2 roO.COO I:>,..SS.S.;!]ri; 1 10 | .^u Quebec 1,500,00 > il,47:>,.Sr.O OS \ ;ii Nova Scotia i 4ii0,0i)0 ! 222 01 1 ■ w i Nil. New BrmisMick- ■ .SOO.OOO i L':-;4.:!<)0; 74 ' 10 Priii-e Edward Islaud Manitoba British ( Oliiinbia 100 OOO ' ,50,.S7i: .W oO.OOO i 54,2281 1 08 50.000 I :v2.8i»i «;4 Nil. 44 Nil. Nd. Nd. (-;«) Nil. 14 Nil. Nil. 180 In this statoniout tho estimatnd pojuiliition of each Province is given, the amount paid hy euoh Province, tho rate per ra])ita in Kxcise in each, and the amount jicr oipiUi more or h'ss than in I'ritish Coluuibia. It shows that tho Kxcise paid in < )ntario is f)") ci-nts uiore per rapifit than in British. Cohimhia ; iU c<'ntH more in Quohoc, 10 cents more in New iJrunswick and 4k'. more in Manitoba; and that it is Dc. h;ss in Nova Scotia, and 14c. h'ss in Princ:! Iv.lsvard [slauil. This sliows that iJritish T'ohimbia pays more p'T c, ;i diseussioii on the Tarilf. 'J'hi- wh()h> eT\er,i,'y of the Opposition and whole strenjL^th nf tlie (fovernment was directed to ono point — the Customs Jtovenue and how it was h'vied. No one, so far as I reecllect, touehed upon Kxcise and Stami>s, amountin;^ to over §1-'),. 100,000^ nor n I'dst-oHice and Public ^^ol•ks, and otiier receipts amounting in all I over !?!4 ,000,(J()0. My hon. fiiend fiom North Norfolk (Mr. Charlton; did disi-uss the sale of Crown Lands : but not with resjject to Revenue. His ar£(uments were directed solely to tlie best mode of nianai^'iniL,' our North-West laiuls, with a view to j-ettlement. Cut of $22,") I 7, 3S1, tho total Consolidated Kevonue bn- 187S-79, the Customs only yielded $1 2, be, if it Customs, a state of Tariir by hey were bligationa enco some people, if enue and Province nt^ibuto^^ also to show the payments reijuired of each Province, and to show what British Columbia is entitled to pay as the ordinary per capita of the Dominion, as her share to the Consolidated Fund, and her share for J'ublic Expenditure. I have in my hand a smnmary detail, from the Public Accounts, of tli(! Consolidated Fund and Hxpendituro for 1878-9, which I will give to the //nnsnrd reporter for insertion, and not enter upon the full details now. Tiie summary is as follows : SCMM-VRV OK CONSOLinATEl) KLNP. Customs $J2,n()0,()'>n Kxciee ij,.St>l),7(i3 Bill Stainpa iSn, l'.t<> Total Ci8,47(!,()l.'i Of/icr Uecelph. Pofl^ OfTioe l'nt)lic Works, 'iKhidiug ila hvays intercuts on Iiivostmcnts (itcrtnauun':). . . Int«re.st.s on liivtstineiita (temporary)... Ordnance Laml.'i ( "asuivl : . rremiuMi and T).S30iint Bank Imposts Fines, Ki rfeiture.s and Seizures Tonnage DiU'S (River Polie<-l do (.Manners' Fund) S 'earn boat Inspection Fisheries Cullers Militia I'eni^ent.irio-i Mist'ellaneons Receipts Superannuation jfoniinion Land-s (Manitoba) l)(iininion Steamers {2,()41 Oriliiiiiiy Kxi,t;iiihtnre ♦! '.»4I,."»77 t'hargcH on llcveuuc 'y,M\, i(!2 Tutul Exi>cml tiuf ... .l;p'Jl,4.')r),.'{8(» Now, Sir, I Imvo fiunmtl a tiilmlai- stiitetnout tlj;it sliows in tlu^ most con- cise fonii poHsiblo whnt (iach rroviiico in 1S7S-0 on^lit to have ooutiihutod U^ .lib Consolidatotl Fund, and wli:it oiii,'ht to liavit Ix cu ilicir n^spoctivo contril)utions to tho Public l^xix-mlituro. [ will read it. It is as follows : — Coxsoi,ii>ATi;ii Rkvkkvk wo ExrKNidTi'UK |.iilati.iii, 4,40i»,()(K) ; AvcTaL,'o K ^vnmo, prr r((jii'ii, .%">.!•_'. Tntal l'"x[)tii(litiu'(t, Im7S-'.> .-?2l,4.'»r>,;»al oil; Total po|>ulat oil 4,4(H),0()0 ; Averagi! J:^X) fiKliluro, /k r vniiitu, >yo oO, rruvincii. iSliuroof (>iiiso',i-i Aiiproxi- | I'ruimrtioiiato Ainnixi- ' il.iti'il lUrVLiiii'.' iiniu.i! nver-i sliarij of l>tim;it''(l iliiaiuAvul- roijlliriil of t;ii;li ^rucxpcli- Kx|H^M(iiOiro rc- l'y|iui.ai 111, iiLii' iti'V- ,l'nivi:ici! ;is ;ic;' tiiru |)ur| iiiiiifd i>f uiicli eiiiii) |n!r iioiniliitiiiii. Ciijiita. I'mxi'ice as Cai'itii I I l)'.Lse(l(iiil'(ipu'li. On ♦ ario ! i!, OOO.OfiO Qael.c- ' 1. :)((() 0:)0 r\' .VI Sl- it^ia ' 4' 0.t;.)() >iHvv llniriMwioli :T)o.(i(K) Trinci? Kdwanl Island. . i 1()'»,(;() . Maui oWa oiM) K) Bntitih (;olunil)a , .")'.), (430 4.4()l),()0:> r. \'2 ! 10. -2)0. con I 5 {){'} .") I-J 7,()'N(>,ll':0 I .').;"(•) ,".1-2 I "J.OI.S.OlfO ' O. .")(.' r..)-j 1, ;").•;;> o^o ' 5 oc ri.i-j I oi-'.ouo I ").,•)() r>.i-2 ' L'.'.(i.(iOi> j •).."(; o.vi \ 2:)(),0''J0 i :>.:^^ 11 oJS.OOO ii.rjo.ono S..'!40,0(li) •J.-2-.'4.0()0 i,().;,s ooo *").")! ;, 000 L'TS.OiO *27vS 000 24.41)4,000 Sir, no statements can be submitted to this House that show more cor- rectly the just chariL;es for llevenue and Exjienditure laid on each Province than the one that I have just read to this House. It shows that the rate per capita for Revenue is ■•^5.12. and tlio Yix.i!l' ilS lloll I'litHl'll. 1 1,1 -JO, 000 .s.:5R),()(ii> •J.-2J4.0U0 ItJnS OOO ."),")!:, 000 L'TS.OiO •27S 000 2 1, 4 "it, 000 iioro cor- Province t the rate )eii(liture lurclen of f. When iliture of loes, that npossible e. Some- 183 Hfction.s of our country anutes far more jx-r rapitd than any other I'ro- vinci'. She contributed in IS78-'J, an excoss, over iu-r just share to the Consoliilatetl Fuiul, of !?"J!)7,7()2 ; and an excess, over hfr It';^itiniate eojitri- l)ution to tJie IvxiwiHlitiirc, of .S'-7"'>,7(i2. The fornier and following; state- ments j)i"o\-f this ilrarly and iiifjisiiutiilily to thi^ House : r.EVr.NTK. ruS.SOLIDATKO KCM). Total sam r^inn'nd of IJritish Colimi'iia, to pay her sharo of ConHoliiliitfd Kuik', n Ij.is's (if n.u^xilitii.ii, IsTS-O ig.TifJ.GOO Total ^uhl actually nniil hy i'.ritisii ( ".ilmnliia, into t^onsoliiIat«!il I'^nid, in CustiiiiH and Kxci o. lS7'S-i» .")").'{, 7n2 Total siuii 'icUia.ly paid into Coiiaolid it( d Fund l)y MritiMJi Ciduiuhii, in excosi of sum reipiued as her ihuro on lias s ot pmnilation, 187S-0. . . -97,702 EXrENI>ITri:K. — eOKSOI.IDATKD HTNIt. Total snui VKinirod of Urit'sli rnluinhia, to ineot her share of expi.-nditure on l),i.Ma oi pnpulaTtoti, 1,*>7S-!I 'J78,00O Tolal s-nm afually pvd hy Mriti'li Coluinlna, in (■'uatonis ai.d lOxoise, toward i > >tTi ni' II i'x'iunditnro r)o,'),7<)2 To'al Biiin iiutua'ly piid l)y r.ntish Co'uini.i;!, in ('uH'onis and Kxc so, towaid I'oinii.ion I'lxyeiidiluro, in cxcchs (.f amount recpiirod, on basis (A iinpaliuicu, 187S-0 27.',7G'2 For a ]»('opl(' nmni'rically so small in fompai'ison with the populations of oldor ami lar^'cr i'reople. \V(^ have only asked the JJomini)u to meet her just obligations to the Province ; and yet np to the jtresent, the greatest of the Dominion's obligations has not been met; and an hon. gentleman opposite proposes to repudiate that. The hon. memljer for West Durham spoke to-day as if his own Province, i 184 Ontario, paid noarly evorything. TTe gaid kIio was wilHiip; to Hpoiid her luouoy througiiuiit the Dominion. Tho Huuho uuj^ht to undcrHtaiul that we liave ceased to be provincial, and that we meet hero as repreHcntatives of the Dominion ; that we ])ay taxes as the citizens of (.'anaihi ; and no niatt(?r what the revMiuo may ho no matter what the expeniiitme — whether outside, for our a;^t'iiey in I'iiighmd, or for purposes inside, the ex- l)enditure is so much for Hiitish ('olumhia, Nova Scjtia, and other Pro. vinces as widl as for Ontario. The hon. gtinth'man kee|tK his Itottks in 8in«,'U', douhhi and tivbhi entry — ho kcH'ps his books for the Dominion, tho Provinces, the counties, the townsliips, and so on nU injinitinn, and took oeo ision to reiid frou\ tln^m to diy to sliow how mucii tho oth(jr Provinces received fiom Ontario. Nothin;,' could l>o more Hubversivo of <^ood feeling under our Federal form of Crovernuujnt than parading what each Province contril»utes to tho Federal ICxduMpUM* nuirely in laudation of Ontario, and thus raising invidious distinctions between tins Provinces of this Dominion None but a |)ari.sh statesman couM do such a thing. 'I'he stiiteuicnt often made in the press, that Ontario i>ays all tho Kovenue, is not correct. True she has a large po|iulation, but the citizens of t^ueb(;c might as well say they ]>ay all, Ixhmu.sc! their number is also very large. Later on I will deal with this issue. I wish now, Sir, to sul»mit to the House a taljular statemcMit showing the total api>roximat<^ amount of llovenue paid by P>ritish Columltia in ei''lit years into the Federal Treasury. I will read certain portions, and hand the table to the //'(usard reporter for insi'rtion. It is as follow.s : TuT.M. Ai'i'iioxiMA r:-: \mo 'n \>;\\i\ \>\ Brilisli (loiuinhin, betwtu'u .July "JO. 1S71, and .liuK! liO, 1879, into Gousulidalod ImukI. ■ 4 .k 1871-'i. lH7:i-;{. Customs. S ctS.I !? OtS. sr)4,8(i4 CO 3():i,ss:. •^■.> i,i:>7 14| r),72:{ ".t;i Total taxej.... ;r.(i.:{-21 74 no'.t.fll!) •>■> 1S73-4. 1S74-5. :? ftS. i? CtH. $ CtH. «r.,7S7 2!) 414, ;«i 8.'> 4.s7,oi:j :u 10,071 84j 11,181 Oil 14,0.3 71 1875-6. 1877-8. 1878-0. $ cts.i Jj tts. 8 ctB. 404, SO,') 42 42r.,:Wl ,'U ,'.14,854 91 2U,201-«0; 24,035 ;« 31.0<)0 20 i.Snl.!fi7 or> 4'>''i.l5-» 0'M:(>..T2t! «7 '^.Ki.KL'i U Total fo.- Eight Years— $3,392,152.80. r 185 Casual and Tkiuiitoiual Rp.vrnub. 77T UMtlSfW 9,&UI 'HIV^.-ziA ll|14,i)74 t)7]lU,4:jl UH OecMi Hcrvlce Tul('Kr»|ili. . HarlxirtiuM Mincol- litiifiiiii Hliiip* liitur imtlTuiui'liin 7, lint Oil C,3IU 0>) Murine fuiiii Sti:aiiilMiiit liiM|it'c'iiiiri Kint'!*, etc.. Cl»iU:il .... Militia. ... ba|>eratiiiu- aiiuii. ... |24.7:i2 7'2 l'.»,44U W 2,1)75 Vi\\2,iM Hi M.ID'i IW I4.;»li) 48 10,120 72 l,48tf 11. U,4:.U le l.n.i 42 :t,U»5 l>7 2.157 2«j. l.H'ib \fi 7,W7U »4 75,720 81 h.4if. ou!ii,o;4 00 i:j,(i:ii h2 I2,8si i.-^ 10,044 Al 1A,7U1 03 I I.Ofti 2.1 l.flI2 (to 8,&UU 67 ll.OfW H'i b.lTj 7"» 44,73U 40 2,:i4'j wi, l,s;a t;'j 2,«)12 2.'. 4U5 87 1 44» 831 :I42 M :iJl ', , ,271 72 4*W 76' 2,140 (W) 72.^ (H) 47(1 00 u:u 7:< n:io no 07(1 Oti 'M/Mt 70 &:i,-i;>& UU 4:(,ts04> 74 t-id on 40,180 27 11, "('.2 tXt 2,^«0 00 02»» 1)4 7.'.s 14 Oil M J7U 04 0H8 0) 11.107 «a :i.M.;i44 17 TuUl . *1.74:i,f,iHl '.17 This stattMiieiit show.s tlijit from .Inly iJii, L**7I, to tlif .'50tli .Jiiuc. 1>^7'.>, Hi'itiHli ( '()liiinl)ia ptid to tlw I 'uiuiiiinii. in ('u.stoin.s mid lOjcci.sr, tlM> l:ii'<.;e Hiiin of $.*5,."t!>2, ir)2.S0. hi udiitiou slu! paid ••^li")!.:}! 1. 17 in t;isuii! and T».'rritorial Kisvt'imi', lllalan^' a ;,'ross total of Iut (;ontril)ntions, from L'ntli July, 1S71, to ;'(»tli .Inn*'. IS7'.). of $:},74;5,6Ilt;.I)7. It nin.si apitcar to lion. ^^(MitltMncM .somewhat .siii'jfnlar, if th'- .statt'intMits of thf In in. nn'mlior for \V().«t J)ur!.ain 1)1' tr;i('. th it if our .small p;)|>Mlation i.s only lli.dOO whites, — it must appear sin;;idar how they could liavo paid in tho.se years, nearly 8 I, 'M)!),!)!)!' into the liominion TrejisMry. 'I'ln; peopN- who contri- bute thns, withont ••vo;iI, |iaiil ill (;ii>t(iMis and Exrisi; into Cunsnlid.ile.l Fund .*;.3.'5(»2,152 80 British (Icjlnniliiii cmtribnted to Consohdali'd Kurid from (Casual and Tcniloiiai Hi'venues, from .luly 20, 1871, to June 30, 1879 lunder estimated) 351,344 17 $3,743,496 97 ii a 186 Pi'Oiinrtinnnto slinr."' of f^onsnliilatnd Fiiml n'([uirP(l of Rritisli(;nIiimlM;i ill ri;:lit vfjirs. .Iiily 20. 1S71. lo .luin' M), 1871», at ,it»-2r)H,00() por (iiiimni, i.ikiiijr llii' liiiiincial yrur 1S78-9 as tin; basis fur Hit.' wIimIc porlod .". 2,048,Ono 00 Total aniMiiiii contril)ul»Ml hy Bi-ilisii Coluinhia from all sources to (Joiisiiliilati'il l''iiiiil ill cxci'ss ol ln'r prDporlioiiali' coiilrihiitioii, liascil (111 Hi'tunis of l{(noiiui> for isyy-y. in I'ii-'lil yc.irs, cndiii;^; .IiUK' ;} •, IST'J , ..Sl,(59?,t9G 97 Lot inc ropoat that the rovonuc wo liaw-o paid in excess of our legitimate share, a^isumiiig that eacii citizen .should pny at the same rate, apj)roxi- mately, throughout tho Dominion, nearly $l,7;')(),()(lO, and at tin; same tiint\ we have not received that return we ought to ha\e received from tlie Dominion. Sii! AL15]':RT J. SMITH : How mucli have you received ? VxK. J^i:tH).SMOS : It IS quite immaterial h.ow niucli we have reoeiv'd, so Ion:,' as wo, have paid oui- pro[ter share of taxation. Wo are not dc.diui^- ill proviuciiil policies; we are not here as Provincials, liut we ar(^ here as Kederali.sts. 'i^iie sooner the hon. member for Westmoreland takes th,d lar^'.- view of the matter t)i(,^ soon(H' lie v/ill cease to look at his ovrn sin';'.ll Provitict^ solely, or ti) condiMiin a rising Province, but twcmty- two \ears old, that, pays hair as niucIi revenue as his docs into the Con- soliilated i'\nid. In respect to Dominion i'jxpeudilure made in or for British ('olundiia, allosv me to mention tliet there aj'e cert liu sums of money that arc^ to be ))aid frovision the IIou.se takes the responsibility for, ;ind not JU'itiish Columbia ])ei' .vr. Now, Sir, I have another statement .showing the amount Jiritish Columl)ia would have paid in Customs duties iu 1878-'.) at the per capita paid by each of the other Provinces, and also the amount she would have paid ab the average per capita rate of the Dominion, and also the amount British Columbia paid in excess of each of the other Provinces and Dominion at their respective pei' capita taxation rates. I will read it. It is &» follows: 187 Statement showiiii: the amo-nt thai British CDliunbia would have paid in Cuslnms Duties ill 1878-J>, at the rate ppr capita, paid by each ol' Die other Provinct's; and, also, the amount sh- would !iav>' paid al tin' avera^'o per aipila rate o' Customs of the Doniiaion ; also the anioinit Hritisli Coloinliia paid ia oxress of 'jach of the other Proviii''."^ and llie D.miiiiion al their respeetiyr per capita Customs 'i'ux I'.al(!. E«tinmtoil riipulalioii, Imlians ami White-. liritisli I Ool'iiiUa Oust'msl CuHt'iaH Cust'iiis Ontario,! ijueboc, ]ii'r I per I per capita, 1 capita, I capita $10 42 I #a (Mi ! $:J (57 CUKt'uis Ciiit'uiS Nova 1 Nov/ bcotia,' liriiii-;- per ,wit;k per capita, I capit:i, *! Ci 50,000 • 13alai:;"i tliRt won:(l not liave been pai.i ?>y liriLish Culiiiu- l)ia if (JiistoiiH hml liucn col- let;! oil at llu; rcs])OLfiv(! rales of Taxatiiii) for otlier Pro- viiicus ;;kiI tl'.c Uuiiiiiiiuii... f^s e; ( 'u.st 1I1^ .' VIl V- .1, |;5 50 4 17f>,CtiO 368,443' ;;;-2,943 ?;r,s,94;; r, 17,943 r.4,44:!; 411,943 340,443 52M« ' 521 .4431521,443 5:!l,443! a.U 44.; ..21, US f.n .4 131 521,443 I have prepared these figures in order that this House may understand the true litiancial position of the Province of British Coknubia. 1, have ])repared it with the view that hereafter the croaking against that Province, mav cease. To illustrate my oliject, I will tell a story: I once heard of a jiersoii wlio lived in HoutU Carolina, on the edge of a swaini>. The frogs were very numerous, and great'y annoyed this man, and pre- vented hiin froni slefc[)ing at night. lie tried every expedient he could tliirdc of to stop tlie fro:^s from croaking, and linally he hit u[h)ii the plan of constnicting a huge haitern, and whenever the frogs Itcgan to croak, ho opened the door o! the lantern, throwing a flood of light npon the denizens of tlie swainp, and reducing them to silence at once. I sineeicly hope the statements I have made here to-night, to throw light upon tlie linances of British Columbia, will havii the effect of sto[)ping this eternal croaking that we have head in this Parliament from time to time, up to the |M'esent day. 188 i \ l! m r I SPEECH OF MR. BUNSTER, M.P„ ON THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY, 24th JANUARY, 1881. This speech finds place in oar Appendix, not as shewiwj any political predilection in this work, but solely on account of its vigorous expression of the claims and loishes of the British Columbians. Mr. BUNSTER. It lias been stated in this House that British Columbia has not been heard from. True, she has not been heard from much ; she has been smartin;^ under the injustice done her. The lion, member for West Durham and his party came into the Government in deadly hostility to British Columbia. He has both sneerinrevaricate and gloss over his position and his record with all the soj)liistry of a si)ecial pleader, and all the dishonesty of an inordinate seldsh politician, yet he will fail to convince even his most cringing follower that during the five years of Mr. Mackenzie's administra- tion he was not acting towards Mr. Mackenzie and ^Ir. Brown the same part in politics that was acted religiously by a person whose name, Mr. Speaker, it might not be parliamentary to mention, who supped with his master, received his wages and wsnt out and hanged himself afterwards. It is in vain for Mr. Blake to deny, with a record staring him in the face, that he did not recognize those treaty obligations when he became responsible as a member of the Government for the appeal to Lord Car- narvon. It was fully the intention of the Ministry for which he was acting to accept and bind the country to Lord Carnarvon's decision. 189 ADIAN ' political xpression t British ard from ^lie hon. meut in ' to show ch it was endorsed oi-ced to :- of it he he scan- differing iiiin*,' in rnnient, and his nesty of lis most linistra- le same ne, Mr. nth his wards. I in the became rd Car- he was 1# If he had not acquiesced, liowever antagonistic his personal opinions might have been, his duty as an honest man was to withdraw from th» Government, and the pul)lic woukl have had a right to know the reasons of his withdrawal ; but it is characteristic of that hon. gentleman never to strike an open blow and never to forgive an offence against his self esteem. He, on his entrance into public life, found Mr. Mackenzie well es- tablislioil in the confidence of his party, and upheld by an influence stronger than any other in th(! party — that of the personal suppo,.t of Mr. Brown and of the (jHoIw newspaper. Mr. Blake's jealousy and hatred of his rival has now become a matter of history, but whenever he ventured to sliow it lie was promptly cowed and silenced by a menace or actual cnsti- gation from Air. Brown himself, and political valor has never been a charactpristic of the hon. member for West Durham, although he has the patient " hate of tlu; vigilance of one who treasures up a wrong." One can scarcely envy the hon. gentleman during the long years in ■whicli he was lying in wait iov his opportunity. During those years he was besmirched by the corruptions and jobbery that flowed through the Councils of which he was a member, like the nauseous discharge of a cess- pool. He was forced to sit jear after year with Laflamine, Cauchon and Huntington, cJteek bij jmrl, as his companions. Evil communications corru[»t good maimers, and no man, whatever may be his loud professions, can esca[)e being judged by the company he keeps. Largely endowed with the discretion wliicli, in his case, is the better part of valor, he fled from the vengeance of the outraged people at the first muttering of the storms which culminated in the election of 1878, and put the wide Atlantic between himself and the constituency of South LIruce, by which he was riipudiated. With a keen instinct he assumed that a Cabal was threatening the supremacy of his rival, and negotiations were began which terminated in the withdrawal of Mr. Burke from West Durham, and the return of the hon. gentlenmn (Mr. Blake). The lamented death of the Nestor of the House, the Hon. Mr. Holton, and the mortal wounding of the great head of the Reform party, Mr. Brown, by the hand of an assassin, emboldened the hon. member for i r 11 M m ! I 190 West Durham to place himself at the head of the conspirators who were plotting luH rival's downfall. In a memorable speecli, occupj'ing six hours in the delivery, he reviewed and condemned the policy of his own pai'ty, and of his Clovernmfnt, in terms more severe, more sarcastic, and more hostile than any that have been used by his opponents. It was then that he throw ofl" the mask and exhibicod himself in his true colore, as the ropudiator of a solemn treaty, as the breaker of national (mgagements, as a man l)Ound l)y no ties, and intent only upon compassing his own scllish designs. It was then that he olfered to this House those resolutions which would have cast dishonour upon the good faith of this Dominion- cast upon Jiis leader and himself the imputation of a deliberate fraud perpetrated upon IJritish Columbia and iipon the electors at large — and virtually charged with falsehood the late Governor- Geneial, whose only fault was, if fault it bo, a generous defence of his jNIinisters on the occasion of his visit to that Province. His speech, although artfully intended to break the Conservative ranks, was only elfectual in causing a disruption in his own. But its resi'k was the dismissal of the hon. member for Lambton from his position as leader, in a manner that reflects little credit upon those who had been his followers ; and the eager acceptance of the leadership of the hon. member for West Durham, iinder circumstances that retlect less credit upon him. 'oaeked by a small contingent Avhich luas no i-ight to claim that it possesses in the smallest degree the confidence of the countr^^ The hon. gentleman is assiduously engaged in playing the ro/e of an obstructionist and an agitator. He has uublushingly declared upon the floor of tJiis House, that he holds himself bound to no party principles, however strongly he may have jireviously upheld tliem, and he forced his followers, undei' the i)enalty of utter disintegration, to follow liim in a. course which involves an utter abandonment of party morality, in a struggle as shameless as it is hopeless too, for the power which he and his colleagues flagrantly abused for a period long enough to work disaster to the interest of the Dominion. Obstruction is the watchword of the hon. gentleman, and a subservient faction who f jllow his sinuous course ; and he now stands openly com- 191 who were ; six hours vvn [)ai'ty, and more elf in his I'faker of nly upon (1 to this . the good (iputation upon the Tuvprnor- 30 of his servative But its i position lad been the lion. « credit lim that The hon. Lictionist ' of tliis strongly s, undei' involves ss as it agrantly of the servient ly com- mitted and fully committed to the policy of preventing the great trans- continental highway, and is the vociferous advocate of a line which will carry our trade through A\nerican territory, and give our intending innnigrants into the hands of the land sharks and railway touters of the United States. This is the hon. gentleniiin's measure of patriotism. Sir Charles Tu[)per, in an exhaustivn speiicii, up(ni introducing the resolutions now under discussion, has giv(>n authenticated extracts from public records which fully establish the obligutions of the Dominion to British ColumV)i;i, and the good faitli of the present Government. The terms of the contract have been shown to be far more favorabh? to the country than those authori2;ed by the Act of 1871, undi-r which Mr. Mackenzie endeavored by every means in his power to ])ut the road under contract. It i.-s a signihcant fact, that while the so-caHed llefoi'Ui Government had so crushed out the j)rosperity of Canada that capitulists could not be persuadi^d to embark in the great enterjirise under tlii'ir aus[>ic"s. no sooner had the light lion, the j)n'sent rrcniier as.sumed the direction of public afi'iirs, than a body of gcutleincu, whose Jiououi' and ability even the ^/7/>/^(,' has never ventured to rjU(5Stion, have shown their readiness Ui assume the building of the railway, and to maintain and operate it for I'vcr, for less than half tlie sudsidy, according to Cirit figures, than they theiu.selves had ineffectually offered. That hou. gentlemen who have preceded me havn furnished ])roof of this that cannot be disputed. The opposition to this Government scheme is designed to defeat the policy of IniiMing a national highway across the continent. But, reversing the case, would not tlie Opposition be right glad to lay such a pro|)osition before the Hor.se were they again in power, and take pride and pleasure from the act ? I venture to think they would. They have; had seven years to bring in a si?uilar pro])Ositi(m, during which time the country suffered and the peo[)le were dissatisfied, not knowing \\hether to remain in it or not. Many only remained because they could not di..pose of their jiroperty. To-day, however, they are b'-jginning to feel a. sort of confidiMice that Canada will yet come out all right from the benefits of the National 192 Policy, and the prosjject of this Canadian Pacific Railway through the Syndicate that has been formed. However, I do not fully endorse the present scheme, because, in my opinion, it does not go far enough. A great injustice has been done British Columbia and Canada in not including Vancouver Jsland in the scheme. Why the leader ot the Government and INIiuister of Railways should have left out thai Island is more than I can account for, when they have paid so much attention to Manitoba, not one of the jNIinisters visiting it last season, though four visited Manitoba. The al)use that has been so lavishly heaped on British Columbia has done it and Canada no good. Emigrants reading the praises of Kansas and other States, in the speeches of Oi)position member.s, have their thoughts directed towards the States. You never hear Americans saying the lands of tli(! United States are good for nothing, and praising the lands of their neighl)ouis. It has been stated that British Columbia has not been heard from in this matter, but she has taken an active interest in the Syndicate, and at a nu>eting held in one of the principal cities in Vancouver Island, Kanaimo, this motion was ])assed : "That this meeting accords the highest praise for the energetic manner in whijli they hav(^ commenced the con- struction of the Canadian Pacific Railway on the mainland, and would respectfully urge upon the Dominion Government the obligation and ex- pediency of immediately proceeding with the Island Railway from Nanaimo to Ks([uimalt, in fulfilment of the Carnarvon Terms of 1874, that construction should not, in justice to this Province, be deferred beyond the spring of 1S81 : further, that the said railway should be built as a Dominion work, and the public lauds should not be given into the possession of a private railway company."' The object of this petition is the retention by the Government of the lands which are valuable enough to pay for three Island railways. The American Government capitalists or speculatoi-s would build a road all around and through it for the sake of the beds of coal on it. While we talk about building a raih'oad, the Americans would go in and build it. Though it was agreed ten years ago when we entered the Confederation, that the railroad should be com- menced immediately, it has scarcely yet begun in good faith, according to the terms. How much would the Americans give for British Columbia^ 193 for which the Canadians had only given a paltry promise 1 The Opposition would try to break this bargain for political purposes, but I do not believe that an honest Canadian who cares for his word would do so. If we have men in our Province smart enough to make a fair bargain, and you have not men in the other Provinces honourable enough to carry out that bar- gain, where does the blame lie 1 I claim it lies in Canada, where political tricksters who would like to ascend to the Treasury Benches, and hood- wink the people at the expense of British Columbia, are to be found. I was proud enough to hear the leader of the Government state that that party respected the country's obligation, but what have we been told in and out of the House ? In Montreal, not many weeks ago, I went to a meeting which I suppose was held on consecrated ground, because we were only admitted by tickets, and they ro}u/e or bleu. The intention was to have hole and corner meetings and hoodwink the peoi>le. It was there said that British Columbia was an incumbus on the Dominion. I was astonished that the member for West Durham should have stated that, but I think that before the Dominion gets through with him, it will find him a greater incumbus, because he is deceiving it. He is not using his solid judgment, his great learning and statesmanship, in the right way. He has been doing not only the Dominion a great injustice, but British Columbia, by keeping people out of the country that would have made happy homes in it. Now, I desire to say that British Columbia has suffered more by joining Canada than would be paid for by all that she has ever received from it. Of course her lands have been locked up from settlement, and actual settlers turned away, but when our lands are locked up for want of settlement, when settlers are driven from our shores, when we are branded in the newspapers of the world as being an incumbus on the Dominion, as being an inhospitable country and "a sea of mountains," have we not a right to complain. Like Othello, we in British Columbia value our good name, and are entitled to compensation for the aspersions cast on us. Some few evenings ago I was addressing this House, the hon. member for West Durham (Mr. Blake) denied that he had made state- ments which I charged him with making. I will read an extract from that hon. gentleman's celebrated Aurora speech to prove my assertion, as I do not say anything in this House which I cannot substantiate. Hero is what the hon. gentleman said : 194 i } •' You will have observed thivt wlien the (Jovornmont of which I was then in memher undortook to tloal with that ((iiostion, their j)o!i(!y was enHiiniateil in distinct terms to the eUctors before the late appeil, and that policy wis most unequivocally approved, first at tlie polls and subs('(jU( ntly in I'.ulianifiit. I see that a d- puiation has been sent to JOngland ; that the people of British Columbia — do, nut the people of British C'ohinibia, for I do not believe tliey as a l)ody svmpath'zo with the-ie ex- treme views- that the (iMvernmejit of British ("olunibia has sent a deputation to England ur^inu that some measurt! sliould be takt n to force the Ctovernnient and people of thus country to dn more th in has been propo-ed with reference to that rail- way. We, las-t srssion, torik tlie urij)l< asant step of very 1 irgelv increas ng the rate of your taxation in order to provide funds towards the fultilint nt, as far as pra<;ticable of this and other olilii^ations imposfd on you l»y the late (Jovernment. * » * ^ think the chief advantage the British C'dlumbians will derive from the enterprise, will consist ill the circnlati"n "f mouthy, and the j»rofits of me- can tile operations at- tendant on the construction, and that Canada will be a frightful 'o-er by the affair. Now, even under t'^esc circiiiii>t;iiices, tlie fact tiiat the population of Bnt sh C(dum- bia is only some lO.dOO ai'ogether, re[)'esenting, ) erhaps, uot so many househidders ns the audience 1 now see befi re me, ought not to disentitle them t^o say — ' Y<>u shall fulfil your bargain or release us from our homls.' It is their right to take such a course, if they tliiiik fit, l)ut I deny that this is any reason w hy we should plunge this country iiitn ruin by the at^^emjit. I have some reason to believe that thcHO people are siitii^i ntly seut'iblc and reason;il)!e to recoj.'niz<.! an act on the truth of the matter, un'ess, indeed, tluy are sustained by agitators in this country, who are willing for the sake of creating an embarrassment to the (J ivernment, to excite false and (It lusive hope* among them. The temper of Parliament you niav judi^e from the fact that dining last se.s-ion an amendmint was moved by one of the British ' olumbia memlt rs insisting ujnm an early ])rosecuti(>ii of the work in that Province, hut he was sus' a ni'd by tiv(! members only — two or three from his own F'rovince, and a couple of those whommy triei d Mr. M«',vat delights to cnU Ontario Fcries. If,, under all the crcums'aiiccs, the Columbians were to say, 'You must go on and finish Miis railway ace 'rding 'o the terms or take the alternative of releasing ua from the Conledera ion, I would — take the al'ernative." I think, Sir, that tliat jtroves the .statement I made on the Hoor of this House, and if the hon. gentleman lia.s no move respect for treaty obli- gations tlian to say : " Let us break our soleniidy-made comjiaot and let British Columbia go ; the treaty iu not worth the paper it is written upon," he may expect the people of British Columbia to be surprised and grieved at the treatment she receives from the jtublic men of Canada. If that should be the feeling of our public men generally, with regard to the Province of British Columbia, the people of that Province would feel that they would rather be out of the Union ; but I have confidence that the present Dominion Government will carry out their pledges to the Pacific Province. It has been .stated in this House, but stated erroneously, that the country is going to give $50,000,000 to the Syndicate. Is there any gentleman in this Chamber or in this country who would pay even $1 pei' I I I I was then u I in distinct ne(|uivocally a <1' {xuatioa t till! people til tlic^o ex- pputation to III men t and to tliat rail- ng tlio rate I ])ra(;tiual)le » » «- I enterprise, 3ratioiia at- y tlie affair, t sli Colum- lou^elidlders V<'U shalJ :ake such a ul«l phinge i that thc^e le truth of ■y, who are excite false judue from the British it Province, I Province, • Fcries. If^ go on and iing U8 from ^r of this? 'caty obli- t and let s written >rised and nada. If I'd to the I feel that tliat the le Pacific II sly, that here any ;n |1 per I 196 aero for the lands if the railway was not to be built I It is the railway which will j^ive value to the lands and by the enhanced value of the l;inds and the increase of settlement will be more than recouped for the ex- penditure they are called upon to make. An Hon. MKMHKll : Settle the lands with Ciiinese. Mu. BITNSTKR: 1 think I know more of the Chines'," than the hon. gentleman, and I can assure him that the Chinese (juestion will be the next great <(Uostion to be eonsidereu in this country. The lands will be enhanced in value, so that tiio Government will in the long nm be the gainers ; for instead of the lands lying dormant and inhabited only by tlie butbilo, the elk and the savage they will be populat(;d with settlers. We should endeavor to develop our country as the Americans have, for their railway has crossed a desert country wliicli has been settled and develo|)ed, while our lands are of a f\ir better character. But here is the policy of the leader of the Oj)position as proposed in an amendment last Session : " That all the words after ' That,' to the fnd of the ((uostion, Vio lo'^t out, and the words ' the public interest requ'res that the wwrk of ionstructing the Pacific Railway in British Columbia should be postiioned,' inserted instead thereof." Mr. BLAKE : Hear, hear. Mr. BUNSIER : That shows the good feeling which the lion, gentle- man bears towards British Columbia, and I am not surprised that he now says " hear, hear." I have frecpiently invitod the hon. gentleman to come to our Province and see for him.self, instead of keei)ing up a hostile feeling towards it. The hon. Minister of Railways stated at Montreal that the hon. member for West Durham had offered a bait, i^TnO.OOO to British Columbia, and I was astonished that the hon. gentleman has not denied it. It seems to rae that the American pe0|)le have too much to say in the management of our affairs. If we would manage our own affairs instead of letting them get the start of us, as they did with regard to the Northern Pacific Railway, it would be much better for us. I wish to point out, however, the effect of the report that the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway was to kill off the Northern Pacific for a time. When the Pre.sident and Directors of the latter road went to London to float their bonds, the capitalists said : " No ; the road will not pay and we are going M 196 to support our own." The resiilt was at that time that they wore not uWe to float a doUar of their bonds. But in 1873, wlien the present Govern- ment was thrown from power, then, throiigli hostility toward the Canadian Pacitic Railway by the Government which succeeded them, the Northern Pacific began to pick uj) again, and they are now prosecuting work vigorously. If our road had been gone on with in 1873, the Northern Pacific would not have been built for twenty years, and we would have had all the carrying trade from the Pacific to the east. The advantage we have in the carrying trade between Asia and Liverpool is sometliing like two days and nine hours, and by reason of this advantage British merch- ants would patronize our roads rather than the American roads. I will now exhibit to the Mouse a small globe for the pui'pose of explaining the advantage I have referred to. Hon. gentlemen may laugh as much as they please, but I want to demonstrate to them the advantage British Columbia holds over the other parts of the world. Here we are right in the middle of the world, as far as commerce is concerned. You can start here from Vancouver Island and go to any part of the world you })lease. You go to England, and you go to one side of the world ; you go to Asia, and you go to another side of che world, but at Vancouver Island you are just in the centre of the world. Now the hon. member for West Durham (Mr. Blake) never took the trouble to inform himself upon the geography of Vancouver Island, otherwise he wotild not be so severe towards it. The hon. gentleman thinks that country is very inhospitable. I want to show him one of our little cities that does not look very inhosjntable. [The hon. gentleman exhibits a plan of the city of Victoria.] You will find just as happy homes in that city as in any other place in the civilized world. I deny that it is an inhospitable country. On the contraiy, it is a. country of great and varied resources — and a perfect paradise so far as regards the beauty of its scenery and the salubrity and healthfulness of its climate. Now, Mr. Speaker, it is a serious matter for us on Vancouver Island to be left out of the scheme under consideration. I have a resolution on the paper which I intend to move as a substantive motion ; I do not intend to move it as an amendment because I would have the Government against it. But I hope when the proper time comes the Government will L 197 ). re not aUe it Goveru- li Canadian Northern ting work Nortlitrn 1 Jiave had aiitage we ething like sh nierch- I will aining the i much as tge British •e right in I can start »^ou i)lease. a[o to Asia, nd you are st Durham geography owards it. I want to hospitable. You will le civilized trary, it is so far as Iness of its Vancouver resolution I do not )vernment ment will i •^ see fit to rcfmody tho injuHtico thoy have done to Vancouvpr THJund. I cannot see why t\u) Government should have left out that Island in their arrangptnent with thn Syndicate. They evidently do not know the value of the land of that Island, where the most people live, where the hiPTest amount of enpital is invested, and where there is the greatest Mmount of industry of any part of the l'rovincst harbors on the Paeilic Coast north of Sau Francisco, and wlu^n; Her Majesty's naval authorities have seen fit to make it their head station. It is certainly noc to be despised on that account. No place is to be despised where the flag of Uritain floats. Her Majesty's scpiadrun anchors in Es(piinialt harl)or bt.'cause it is the best harbor on the coast. Tiie hon. member for Victoria (Mr. DeCosmos) has exlul>ited a map corroltorating the contention that the Government is bound to respect the route laid down on thiit map, and bound t(» res[)oct the Carnarvon Award which makt;s Escjuimalt the terminus. Tlu; late Government, I believe, intended to carry out the Carnarvon Award for the first year or two, until they were badly advised. The hon. member for Lambton transported 5,000 tons of steel rails to our siior(>s with th(! in- tention of having that road built. He sent his Finance Minister to England to dispose of Canadian bonds, and mortgagcMl our country, and mortfrajjed the mainland of British Columbia too. And what is the conse- quence ? Some Sj.'i"), 000,000 of bonds were sold at 92 cents on tlu^ dollar, and to-day the}' are worth 104 cents, making a loss to the Dominion of 85,000,000, which would have built two railroads from Nanaimo to Esquimalt, and which would have mn.de up all the diflereuce between the new Syndicate and the old Syndiciite. Biitish Columbia wouM be bad en^.igh oti' under either Syndicate, but a great deal worse under the new one. If some enteri)ris- ing and enlightened individual propositi a Syndicate to build a road on Vancouver Island, and if I believed it genuine, I should be inclined ta favor it, but there is nothing said about Vancouver Ishuul. Neither have the Government said what they intend to do with the lands on Vancouver Island, which they have reserved and kei)t in their possession for railway . purposes for the last ten years. They have kejit back that Province when Manitoba has been going ahead, and hereafter some person may rise in 198 .W t.liiH House iind a.sk how it \h tliat Manitoba i.s goin^' ahead ho fast when Jtritish Cohuuhia is t'alliiij^ iHihimL My answer would 1)«' that it was bocaua • tho hinds in our l*iovinco had heen reserved hy the Ciovernintuit- They h;ive made iio provision f\)r the disposal of the huid. Tliey havo hind ai^ents there, l)ut if a settler applies to the land olUco ho can gcft no satisfaction whatever. It has hetui stated erroneously that we have no «;ood land in liritish Colunihia. I deny it — we hav(; niorts land in liritisli (Jolunihia than would he itMjuinul tohuihl the railway. But let them huild it wIku'c they phsase, and eventually they will huild the railway wiiero the good lands are. Kioni the luiture of our eliniati; innnigrants will |)our into British ()olunil»ia. Our cattle wint(jr out without shelter, as they cannot do iiL Ontai'io, and that will \nt a great induceuuMit to the iininii^'rants to go there and raise cattle. Last season wt; cxporteil luoro, hnuhcu" than in any previous year. There; are two mills at Burrard Inlet capalije of cuttini; 500, ()()() feet a day ; there is oni; largo mill at Victoria, besides oth(!r mills throu^dlout the Province. Tluni last, but not least, we have our own coal uiiues, which produce about a thousand tons of coal pcir day, and we tuko into consid(*ration that you iiav(; not provideil for the con- struction of the Island railway and thus connecting the Manilaud with the Jslaml, wesee that you have done a great injustice to the road as regards sup- plying the iron horse with fuel. Allow me to tell the (jrovcninient that they cannot ignoj-e the Carnarvon terms. The (^^irnarvon terms nvit in black and white, and wlien the Local F.egislators meet 1 shall be surprised if they do not pass a resolution and send a delegate to England to see that the terms are carried out in their entirety. The Carnarvon terujs andthe Island Railway are not to be trilled with or sn<;ered at. We know that we have a treaty o'ligation, and we are bound to stick to it. I will read a little oi' what Lord IvUUerin statcid about our country when he visited our shores. I believe three Canadiiiu statesmen have visited British Columbia, and reported upon it, but always adversely to British Columbia ; thinking that British Columbia had the best of the bargain, they never took into consideration the fact that the Dominion never paid one dollar for Briti.sh Columbia. We know that the senior member for Victoria bought British Columbia with the promise to build the railway. I would ask him if he has built / 1 - titst wllL'll It it WU.S \<'rnint'ut' !•'>' Jiavo m i,'rt no liav«) no in |{iiti,sh M'ln l)uikl U/K'IV tlio pour into 'y cannot ,'raiitH to than in i|':il»lc? of Ix'sidoH vv(! Jjave \H)r day, tlic con- witli the ii'ds sup- tiiat they in Idack d if they ■lie terms Railway a treaty lat Lord believe •eported British leration lumbia, jlumbia IS built i ■■ 1110 "iliat railway? I beliovcd if he had remained in power in lS73, through the fertility of liis brain he would have Hucccedcfj in biiildjn;,' the railway; and siiKH! tin; ri;,'lit hon. ycntlfnian has ascended the tlirone »;,'ain, I wouKI like liiin to explain why he Ins so ne;,'leeted his eonstitueney as to leave Vancouver Island out of this contract. When the hoininion left him without his seat, Victoria [)aid him the handsomest ti-ibute it could by eleetiiii; him. lias he paid Victoria a handsome tril»ute by buildinj; the road to the Island? I claim that he has not done us justic«% but I live in hopes that he will do us justice still. I would like him to explain why the Vancouver Island road was left out of the contract, when the Syndi- <;ato peophi wouM have? the best of the bari,Min by undertaking,' it, as tln'y would have ;,'ot to the coal beds and the good lands, as well as secured a good harbour ( Suppo.se we adopted the doctrine of the hon. member for West Durham, and built the road to the Rocky Mountains, of what use would it b(!'? What national commerce would it command? What < 'anadian would feel juoud for haviui,' broken a solemn contract with IJritish Columliia ? On the contrary, every patriotic (,'aniidian will feel proud whvn the statesmen of our country will vindicate the credit of the country by providing for the construction of the Canadian I'acilic Railway from Winnipeg to Esquimalt. A great deal of the hard feeling in IJriti.sh Columl)ia was owing to what is called the " I'acitic Scandal." We resented the bad faith exhibited by the late Government and the abu.se we r«;ceived from some mcnnbers of that (Jovernment, wlio called our country an inhospitable country, a sea of mountains, and an incubus on this great Dominion. We sent to England and got the Carnarvon Award in 1874. But the late Government did not carry it out. Hence they sent the Governor-General out there. To do what? To hoodwink and S(jft-soap us ; but they could not do that. Of the sjjeech delivered by Lord DuHeriu at Victoria 1 will read a few extracts : *' Hia Excellency has intimated, before prooeeiling on his voyage to the North from \'ictoria, that on Ins return he would meet the various committees who had attended him with addre-ses, and convey the impressions formed in his nimd by the tour throHgh th.' I'rovince. As it was generally expected he would epeuk fully on the radway matter, and would perhaps announce some specitic policy of the iJoniinion Crovernment, the leading men of the country made it a point to attend atdovtrnment House on the morning of the 20th September. He then delivered before them what •is known as his ' Great British Columbia Speech.' It occupied two hours and a /]uarter in the delivery. He said : 1 * J i 1 V ', I ji ^l-i■ i «• 1 1 l._ : = *^.«.^i4'l 200 •' ' (tENTlemen, — I am indeed very glad to have an opportnnitj' before quitting- British Cuinmba of thanking you, and through you, the citizens of Victoria, not only for the generil kindness aud courtesy I have mot with during my residence among you, > ut espesially for the invitation to the banquet with which you proposed fo have honored me. I regret that my engagements did not permit me to accept this addit'onal proof of your hospitality ; but my desire to see as much as possible of the country and my otner engagements forced me most reluctantly to decline it I shall, how- ever, have a final opportunity of mingling with your citizens at the entertainment arrange! for meat Beacon Hill, this afternoon, to which I am loiking fi rvvard with the greatest pleasure. Perhaps, gentlemen, I may be permitted to take advantage of this occasion to express to you the satisfaction and enjoyment I have der ved from my recent progress through such portions of the Province as I have been able to reach within the short period left at my disposal. I am well aware I have visited but a small portion of your domains, and that there are important centres of popu- lation from which 1 have been kejtt aloof. More especially have I to regret my inability to rr 'ch Cariboo, the chief theatre of the young mining industry, and the home of a community with whose feeling-", wishes and sentiments it would have been very aiivantageous for me to have become personally acquainted. Still, by dint of considerable exertion, I have traversed the entire coast of British Colum- bia from its southern extremity to Alaska. I have penetrated to the head of Bute Inlet. I have examined the Seymour Narrows, and the other channels which intervene between the head of Bute Inlet and Vancomer Island." I will not detain the House by reading the whole of the speech- I merely want to show the hon. member for West Durham that our country is not so inhospitable as it is reported to be : " Of course, I well understand that the gravamen of the charge against the- Canadian Government is that it has failed to fulfil its treaty engagements. Those engagement-t were em'iodied in a solemn agreement which was ratified by the re- spective legislatures of the contracting parties, who were at the time perfectly in- dependent of each other, and I admit they thus acquired all th^ (characteristics of. an international treaty. The terms of that treaty were (to omit the minor items) that Canada undertook to secure, within two years from the date of Union, the simultaneous commencement at either end of a railway which was to connect the seaboard of British Columbia with the railway system of the Dominion, and that such railway should be completed within ten years from the date of Union in 1871. We are now in 1876, five years have elapsed, and the work of construction even at one end can be said to have only just begun. Undoubtedly, under these cirmm- stances, every one must allow that Canada has faded to fulfil her treaty obligations towards this Province, but unfortunately Canada has been accused not only of failing to accomplish her undertakings, but of what is a Very diii'ereut thing — a wilful breach of faith in having neglected to do so." He th^n goes on to describe the treatment we have received at the hands of Canada : " Il is quite true, in what I must admit to be a most genurous spirit, you in- timated in various ways that you did not tlesire to hold Canada too strictly to the letter of her engagements as to time. Your expectations in this respect were expressed by your late Lieutenant-Governor, Mr. Trutch, very fairly and explicitly, though ft ... 201 ore quitting- ria, not only lenee among 'osad fo have is addit'onal the country sliall, how- tertainment rward with p advantage er ved from ocn able to lave visited es of popu- 3gret my y, and the d have been Still, by ish Colum- he head of nnels which I merely try is not igainsf; the- s. Those by the re. rfectiy in- ■teristics of inor items) Union, the- >nnect the » and that >n in 1871. n even at 'e cir>;um- 'hligations ' of failing —a wilful le hands ', you in. tly t-i the sxpresaed though a very unfair use has been made of his words, and I have no doubt that if unforeseen circumstances had not intervened you wnuld [lave exhibittd as much patience as could have been expected of you. But a serious crisis supervened in the political career of Canada. Sir John A. Macdonald resigned office, and Mr. Mackenzie ac- ceded to power, and to all the responsibilities incurred by Canada in respect to you and your Province. Now i' is asserted, and 1 imagine with truth, that Mr. Mackenzie and his p >litical friends had always been opposed to many portions of Canada's bargain with British Columbia, l^ therefore came to be considered in this Province that the new Govtsrnment was an enemy to the Pacific Railway But I believe this to have been, and to be, a complete misapprehension. I believe the Pac fie Railway has no better friend in Canada than Mr. Mackenzie, and that he was only opposed to the time terms in the bargain, because he believed them im- possib'e of accomplishment, and that a concientious endeavour to fulfil them would necessarily ruinously increase the financial expenditure of the country, and in both these opinions Mr, Mackenzie was undoubtMlly right. With the experience we now posesa. and of course it is ea^sy to be wise after the event, no one would dream of saying that the railway could have been surveyed, located and built within the period named, or that a company who might undertake to build the line withm that period would not have re(juired double and treble the bonus that would have been sufficient had construction been arranged *or at a more leisurely rate ; but surely it would be both ungenerous and unreasonable for British Col- umbia to entertain any hostile feelings towards Mr. Mackenzie on this account, nor is he to be blamed, in my opinion, if on entering office in so unexpected a manner he took time to consider the course which lie would pursue in regard to his mode o£ dealing with a question of such enormous importance." These hon. gentlemen sent out Mr. Edgar to buy us off for $750,000. We do not make contracts to compromise them afterwards. Home of our aiiners have taken that much gold out of some of the " seas of mountains" that have been spoken of and canied it back to Ontario. Lord Dufferin continued : "The Province agreed to the Pacific Railway being completed in sixteen years from 1874, and to iis being begun ' as soon a« the surveys shall have been completed instead of a fixed date, while the Dominion Government undertook to construct at once a railway from Esquimalt to Nanaimo, to hurry forward the surveys with the utmost possible despatch and as soon as construction should have begun, to spend two millions a year in the prosecution of the work. I find that in this part of the world these arrangements have come to be known as the 'Carnarvon Terms." It is a very convenient designation, and 1 am (juite content to adopt it on con. dition, namely, that Lord Carnarvon is not to be saddled with any original res- ponsibility." Was Lord Carnarvon not to be saddled with the original res])onsibility ? He certainly undertook it, and was very glad to try and adjust the differ- ences, which were carried to the foot of the Throne. He saw plainly we had a good case, or he would not have undertaken the arbitration. 202 Our people and the Canadian (Jovernment accepted his award, but the latter did not carry it out. They said : " Let British Columbia go, rather tlian we shall carry it out." That was not treating British Columbia ))roperly. If British Columbia, as I said before, was not in the Union, what would Canada be to-day ? She would be nothing. There is a future before her now. Seven or eight years ago Manitoba was not thought mucli of, but last year I find that four Ministers were only too glad to visit that Province on a tour of inspection and observation. They never thought, however, of coming to British Columbia. I am satisfied if they had they would have quite a diifereut impression of the country from what they have to-day. We have only had the pleasure of receiving one Minister, the Minister of Public Works — that was in 1871, I think — but he is slow about returning. There are several public works there that require his attention ; and if he were to pay us a visit, I am satisfied the Vancouver Island Railway would receive more attention than it does at present. If the Leader of the Government had forced this matter through the House instead of waiting for weeks, hon. members would have been able to have returned home much sooner. Sill JOHN MACDONALD : I am afraid I would have been so hospitably treated I would never have got back again. Mr. BUNSTER : If the riaht hon. gentleman thinks he would be inhospitably treated, he is laboring under a great error. Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD : I did not say inhospitably, I said hospitably. Mr. BUNSTER ; I apologize ; the word " inhospitable " is so often sounded in my ears that I cannot forget it. If the leader of the Op- position does justice to Vancouver Island I am satisfied he will be hospitably received. There are other petitions from Vancouver Island, principally from my constituents, endorsing the resolutions passed in Victoria. These were passed because the people felt an injustice had been done to the Island ; and for fear that I might be accused of not having done justice to the whole of the resolutions, I will read the resolutions passed at a public meeting at Victoria : 203 award, Columbia 8" British lot in the There is was not too glad Tiiey itisfied if try from '^ing one rik~but ere that 'hed the fioes at through vo been been so 3uld be , I said often le Op- 'ill be [sland, sed in 1 been aving itions "That while several of the eastern Provinces of the Dominion have obtained better terms than those under which they confederated, the western Province of British Columbia, under the Carnarvon) ' will receive considerably lets than was promised to her as the cond tion of entering the Dominion.' "The first conditions of the said settlement, made in 1874, ■was tlie construction of the railway from E>quimalt to Nanaimo. '* That altiiough the people of this Province were just'tied in expecting the com- mencement of the Eaquimalt-Nanaimo Railway in 187r>, their generous recognition of the embarrassed condit on of the Doniitjion induced them fur years to n f rain from emphatically insisting upon the im-mdiate construction of the railway. '•The L )rd Dutferin, in his otHcial capacity of Governor-General of thf Dominion of Canada, in his speech delivered at the (Government House, Victoria, September 20, 187(5, pleilged liis word for the good faith of the Dominion to British c;(n of British Columbia. So far from inducing settlement it has prevented it. From the 7th June. 1873 until n'>w a belt of land alnng the east coast of Vancouver Island, over 18C miles in length by 20 miles in breadth, has been kept locked up by the Dominion, BO th »t thousands who intended to settle in this valua'de portion of the Province have bi-en forced across the b )undary into Washington Territory which, i i con- sequence, has largely increased in pt)pulation since last census greatly at the expense of British Columbia. " That although under the terms of Union British Columbia was allowed to retain her own tariff until the date fixed for the completion of the Canadian Pacifio Railway, she believing in the good faith of the Dominion as regards its railway obligations, af'cepted the Dominion Tariff. By this generous act the amount of revenue paid by British Columbia to the Dominion since Confederation has exceeded the expenditure out of revenue of the Dominion in British Columbia (much of which has been of no benefit to this Province), so that British Columbia has been a financial aid and not a burden to the Dom-nion. " That in 187-4, when the Carnarvon settlement was made, the customs duties collected in British Columbia amounted to ■$:iO(),436, whilst in 1879 §517,261 were collected, although the railway construction had not been commenced in this Province. " That since Confederation over ^50,000,000 have been borrowed by the Do- minion for public works and other purposes, and although British Columbia has been made to pay more in proportion than ht-r fair share of interest thereon, no port'<»iv of the $50,000,000 has been expended by the Dominion in British Columbia in carrying out the Carnarvon terms. " That the Dominion Tariff, however beneficial it may be to the Eastern Prov nees, is an injury to British Columbia, as it weighs heavily on the great pro- ducing interests of the Province and has destroyed the large trade previously done by Victoria in British goods w th the adjoining states and territories of the United States, and has failed to create or encourage any new industry, "That the only compensation possible for the many drawbacks of Confederation is, railway construction by the Dominion under the conditions of the Carnarvon settlement, and unless the Dominion is prepared to carry out the railway obligations with British Columbia, the Province would benefit largely by being placed in the same position to the British Crown as Newfoundland now occupies, basing full control of her own resources and developments." The whole position has been reversed. The road from Esquimalt t» Nanaimo, which was to be built first, is not even included in the Pacific Railway contract. Some verv bad ad vice has been given to the Govern- ment about the Esquimalt and Nanaimo road. If the Government had announced they were not going to build it, and had adopted the declaration of the hon. member for W(^3t Durham (Mr. Blake) : " Let Vancouver i pth British Dominion I'y opening Irati'on has of British " the 7th I'lnd, over iDiiminion, Province I i I con- le expense Ilowed to ian Pacifio '9 railway imount of ! exceeded 1 of which a financiaJ ms duties 2(31 were i in this the Do- * has been portou of I carrying Eastern reat pro- sly done 3 United (deration »rnarvon ligations iu the ing full fialfc to Pacific Tovern- iit had iration 30uver 205 Island go," and had said they would repay damage done, our people would probably have taken it into consideration. But we have such faith in the Government that we believe they will do us justice. These resolu- tions I have read were adopted l»y the people of that section, because they believed injustice had been done them. Both Victoria and Nanaimo, the two principal cities of the Island, had adopted them, and they had also been passed by Sandwich and Cowichan, all of which were entrusted to nie to I'epresent to the Government. And I hope the Government will give their favorable consideration, and place the road in such a shape that it can be pushed to completion. I have seen a statement of fiicts and figures from a responsible engineer in the Dominion, showin^^ the difference between the proposition made by the late Government to build the road — I mean the road across the continent — and that of the present Government. The proposal of the Mackenzie Government was for $104,000,000, that of the present Government for $78,000,000, show ing a saving of $26,000,000, a very small portion of which wotild build the Esquimau and Nanaimo Railway. I have some opinions here of the press, copied into our own papers, and setting forth the injustice done to Vancouver Island. Far diflerent is the tone of the Montreal Gazette and the Toronto Mail. The first-named journal says : "The reaolutions (of the Vistori* meeting) undoubtedly make out a very strong case and they appeal therefore, with much force to the honour and good faith of the Dominion at large. They afford another illustration of the unfortunate legacy which Mr. Mackenzie's bunding has broujiht upon the country. The Car- narvcn terms are what are in^isted upon, Ttiese terms were agreed to by Mr. I^ackenzie, and when, owing to the vote in the Senate, he was unable to carry out that portion of tht-m involving the c( nstrurtion cf the Esquimalt and iSauaimo Kailwav, he oflTered three-quarters cf a mill'on dollars as compensation to the Island for its disappointment, thus acknowledgi'g, in the mos* formal manner, the claim which the Island had to the construction of the railway." My hon. friend beside me asks what the Island is good for 1 The Island is good for a great deal more than he has any idea of; but we have treaty obligations with the Government to appeal to. But taking it for granted that the Island is good for nothing, and that the i-ailroad would not pay, is that any reason the railroad should not be btiilt 1 No. Why is it that British statesmen have always got on so, much better than any others, and that England is to-day the "pawn-shop" of the world? Because she has 206 always carried out her oV.ligationa. That in why she commands the com- merce of tl\e world. There is no reason why Canada shouhl not similarly carry out lier obligations with British Columbia. I will reaent to British Columbia : " (ConfulenLial— Copy 3, 494.) Ottawa, February 19th, 1874, i 'f" '• Mr. Mar.lcpnzh to Mr. Edijar." •' Mv T)rak Sru, — la ymir conversations wifch leading men in and out of tlie Givernment, in Oi)latnbia, it will be well to let them ntiderataiui that in proposing to take longer time tlian is provided in constructing the railway, we are actuated solely by tin urgent necessity. 'I'hnt we are as anxious as possible to reach the objeoC sought by all — the early construction of the road. * * * "It will be well not to confine yourself to the vicinity of the Government otiices at Victoria, but to cross to the mainland to meet with the ])eople at West- minster and othciv towns and villatres on the lower reaches of the Fraser *' It may be that you will find there is a dispisition manifested to nesrotiate at Ottawa, in whicli case you will advise us of the existence of such a desire. " You will take speciil care not to admit in any way that we are Ixmnd to bu Id the railway to Esijiiim lit, or any other pUioe on the Island ; and while you do not at all tlir aten not to budd there, to let them understand that this is wholly and purely a concession, and that its construction must be contingent on a reason- able course beng pursued regarding other parts of the scheme," I question very much if he should have given any such instruction to that agent, or have otiered $750,000 to that Province for the surrender of her rights. He had no authority fnnn Parliament to tamper with treaty ob- ligations and oiler tliat amount to escape them. I will read some remarks upon the Union Pacitic Railroad from Crofatt's " New Overland Tourist," i^i follows : — • " Th'iugh but little faith was at first felt in the successful completion of this great rail *ay, no one, at the present day, can fail to appreciate the enterprise which characterized the projjress and frnal completion of this road, its immense value to the (lovernm >nt, our own people, and the world at large. "By the Act of 1S()'2, the time for the completion of the road was specified. The utmost limit was July 1, 1876. "The fir^tcon'ract for construction was made in August, 1863, but various con- flicting interests connected with the location of the line dt#ayed its progress, and it Mas not until the oth day of Novernber, 1865, that the oeremony of breajting ground was enacted at a point OQ the Missouri River, near Omaha, Neb. 207 the com- xiniilarly » instruc- ageiit to 1874. lit of tJio actuated each the t^ernment at West- negotiate Jsire. )onncl to hile you s wholly t reason- to that of hor aty ob- ^inarka mrist," of this ! which, due to ?cified. 18 con- s, and -J " The enthusiast, Mr. Train, in his spnech on the occaeion of breakirg grounii, said the road woiikl be comuieted in five yiars. Old Ktgy could not y t understand Young America, and, as usml lie was ridiculed for the remark, classed as a dreamer and visionary OTitluisiaHt ; the ^-reater purtidii of the people l)e!ieving that the limited time would tind tiie road untlnibhed, Jiut it was completed in three years, six months and ten days." Now let us hope tlie stime emiriiy and spiiit of progress will he manifested by the i)eni[)any's works at Omaha, was conveyed in waggons from Des Moines, Iowa, that being the only available means of transportation at the time. '• For fivf hundred miles west of Omaha, the country was bare of lumber save a linrted supply of Cottonwood on the i.shu d.s in and along the Pl;itte Ri\er, wholly unfit for railroad purposes. East of the river, the same ;> pect was presented, so that the company were compelled to purchase ties cut in Alichigan, Pennsylvania and New York, which cost, delivered at Omaha, $2.50 per tie." Now the ties upon our road, instead of costing 82. oO per tie will cost not more than 25 cents a tie — 12^, cents as the original cost, and the balance for transportation. This, I maintain, is a most important element in the construction of a i*oad through a "sea of mountains"' as it has been called. When you consider the great natural advantages which our road will have oyer the American road in this and other respects, I think you will come to the conclusion, that instead of our road bunh-ning the country, it will be the means of making it the great country it is destined to be. Already an imj)etu;', has been given to the trade in this country by the construction of the road, and in the long run the increase in trade will more than pay for building it. The Govarnment will never feel that they have ])aid out a dollar, for the $25, Quo, 000 will roll into the Custom House over and over again, in the sha})e of duties, before the road is completed. Under the National Policy which the hon. Finance Minister l»as brought down, every man who buys a barrel of sugar will have to pay so much into the Puldic Treasury, so with every man who buy.s a blanket, so with every man who buys a gallon of spirits, notwithst«inding the pi-edelictions of the 208 ' i IH lion. Finance Minister. All this wliich we have hoard about the $25,000,000 and the 25,000,000 acres of land is mere political buncombe, contrary to the si)irit of the statesman and the young Canadians of the day. Every young Canadian will feel proud of what the right hon. meiribcr for Victoria (Sir John A. Macdonald) has done for the country. Of course he left Victoria out in the cold, but if he is not going to bring her in the people have their remedy, and they will make tlnur appeal with success if their wants are not attended to on the floor of this House. They will say to their representatives : " Unless you do your duty in this matter, you cannot come back." There is another matter to which I shall advert briefly. Some years ago I brought up a resolution before this House to debar Chinamen from participating in the benefits of constructing this road across the continent. If we had known when we joined the Union that these people were to receive such benefits from the building of this railway we would have had a clause inserted in the articles of Confedera- tion excluding them from any benefits arising from the construction of the road and that for more reasons than one. The principal I'eason is that they are not settlers on the soil ; that they do not populate our country, and that white labour deteriorates by working alongside China- men. I hope therefore the Government will see to it that they will be prohibited from working on the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. They will thus be able to sell the lands for a great deal more money. The question of the Chinese ever getting hold of portions of our domain will yet he a serious one, if the evil is not promptly repressed at its inception, and one may yet contemplate the sight of Chinamen work- ing as servants for whitemen. I see that a new treaty has been made between the United States and China, by which China, gives to the American Government the right to exclude these people from the United States territory, and I think our Government should imitate the example of their neighbours in that respect, and thus do justice to British Colum- bia and the Dominion. Having a rather friendly feeling towards my co- representative from British Columbia, the member for Victoria (Sir John A. Macdonald) I would hope that that hon. gentleman would do us justice in respect to to the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Branch, If he docs not I fear I shall have to tell his constituents when I return to British Columbia. 1 i 'i j w ■ nf;^ - ;, : f' ■■ 1 . vt l\ ' about the buncombe, ^ans of the ri<,'ht lion, le country, g to bring ppoal with )use. They y in this , lich I shall his House cting this the Union ig of this Jonfedera- uction of reason is iilate our le China- T will be n Pacific eal more ns of our •essed at n work- en made to the United example Oolum- niy co- ir John justice )t I fear ibia. 209 WRITER QUOTED BY SIR CHARLES TUPPER. The facts he stales are also horn f witness to hy uV r. Dairsoi of the ijeo/ofji. cal survey of IH77, as well as other a^^thonties. •' The Eraser River doen not oint, say be- yond whei'e Cherry Creek joins it, there is between that pointand the head of the Okanagun Lake a district of open prairie and spurs«'ly timl>erod land, ab<)undiiig in rich pa.sturagt,' and dotted with a few farming settle- in(>nts. " From the head of Okanagan Lake to the Thomjison River (South braiv'h) is about IT) miles north-wt'st. Leaving the open, rolling, bunch- grass \alleys of Okanagan, you first ascend for about 20 miles through timber land ; reach (fraud Prairie — tine soil, luxuriant luinch-grass, dotted with cuttle ; the prairie Hi miles by two miles, bounded by hills, a liver between; elevation (1,450 feet) causes some danger from night frost. Grand Prairie to Thompson liiver — glittering stream through valley, bordered by alders and willows, green meadows, clum[)s of tnies, small lakes ; good soil ready for cultivation. " There is an oi)en, or lightly tiinbered l)unch grass country along the banks of tln^ North Thompson liiver, and north of Kamloops Lake for 130 miles. " Several English gentlemen, from the 'American side, have taken a prairie of 200U acres on tlu! North Thompson, a short di.«»tance from Kam. loops, and are making a long ditch for ii-rigation. "In 1871, the yield of grain on the Tramp' il and north and south branches of tlur Thompson River was a million and a quarter pounds. " The whole Kandoops-Siiuswap district is a district of table land, ■with considerable depressions — abundant, pasture, generally free from forests, and only intei'sper.sod with timl>er ; summer clinnite dry, great heat; winter frequently very cold for a day or two, but on the whole Jiot very shar]) ; snow generally lies a short time only ; cattle are driven here to winter, in severe sea.sons ; Hudson's Buy Company used to ' winter out' 500 horses here, including brood mares and young horses. This district will doubtless become known again as a mineral district. The first gcdd found in quantity by the natives was found in this district, and fair wages are still made on the Thompson River. The Thompson, near its inouth, is too full, rapid, and rocky for mining." 214 . i I NICOLA COUNTRY. " Directly south from Kamloops, 30 miles, is Nicola Lake. The road at present from Kamloops is a sort of natural trail over gently undu- lating but high open country, with fine grass. First few miles no herbage; many ravines. At the first height, turn and survey the magnificent scenery of the Thompson River valleys ; will give some idea of the grazing resources of the Province. Can bring a waggon with light load across from Kamloops to Nicola Lake, if you take a guide, an axe, and a spade,'* LILLOET-CLINTON DISTRICT. " This district includes Cache Creek, Bonaparte, also Williams Lake, and up to Quesnel Mouth. " The whole district is a very fine one, and at present shows what can. be done by applying capital to the soil. It is farther to the north, and generally more elevated than some sections already described. The risks, of crops from summer night frosts may be said to be very considerable in the entire country on the waggon-road north of Pavilion Mountain, unless farms have a south aspect or are protected from north blasts. The remark applies more particularly to farms farther north than Alexandria. " The surface in so large a section of country is, of course, varied. It embraces within its area fertile river-benches (terraces), table lands, large open valleys, immense plains and great rolling hills. ** The country near the Thompson, Bonaparte and Hat Rivers is very attractive to the eye ; miles of green hills, crowning slopes, and level meadows ; hardly a bush or a tree ; fine grass almost to the hill-tops. The climate very healthy and enjoyable ; rather a want of timber in parts, also of rain generally, but there are many streams. " For grazing, the country cannot be surpa?.3od, and its agricultural capabilities, so far as the soil is concerned, are in many parts very good. At Cai.lio Creek and on the Bonaparte there is excellent arable land. The countrj'^ through which the waggon-road passes to Williams Lake has some very good soil, with no more timber than is needed for farming purposes. The farming land is bounded by low hills, beyond which there are prairien- and valleys. These hills are undulating and brightly green, and their grassy carpet is daisied over with countless wild flowers." u J, \ 215 Lake. The r gently undu- les no herbage* le magnificent I of the grazing ^ht load across , and a spade," Williams Lake, hows what can. ihe north, and d. The risks, onsiderable in mntain, unless I. The remark idria. rse, varied. It )le lands, large Rivers is very pes, and level hill-tops. The ir in parts, also is agricultural ['ts very good, ble land. The Lake has some ling purposes, re are prairies 3en, and their THE " GLOBE " ON THE RESOURCES of BRITISH COLUMBIA. " It is admitted by everyone that the plains of the Kortli-West Territories are exceedingly fertile, and capable of sustaining, by agriculture a population twice as numerous as the present population of the United States. It is also admitted that a railway from Selkirk to the Rocky Mountains will open up the country so rai)idly that in a very few yeais the line will pay, as a commercial enterprise. There is nothing to be gained by constructing it much faster than a continuous westward settle- ment can be made on the adjacent belt of land. But no one can doubt that it will pay the Dominion well to build that piece of road. It will be 900 miles long, or over one-third of the whole Pacific Railway. * * * We find, then, that no less than 1,924 miles of the proposed Pacific Road may be fairly considered as a commercial enterprise. That it is also a national enterprise, is a very poor argument against the project. When the road has been carried from the Eastern terminus to the Rocky Mountains, it is safe to say that the population of the North-West will be great enough to contribute to the Dominion Treasury a larger sum than will pay the interest on the loan, for which the older Provinces must first pledge their credit. We have taken no account of the land sales, which must, if well managed, put, every year, a large and continually increasing sum into the hands of the Government. * * * ^^t there is a political side to the question. British Columbia will feel aggrieved unless some attempt is made to keep faith with her. To develop the resources of the Province in advance of the completion of the Pacific road is not an un- reasonable wish. There is a considerable tract of good territory along the lakes and rivers of the proposed Yale-Kamloops section. That piece of road will cost perhaps $12,000,000 when equipped, and it is proposed to finish it during the next five year's. Canada is asked to spend .^2,400,000 a year for the purpose of colonizing and contenting British Columbia. The interest on the money will be $96,000 the first year, and $480,000 in the last and each year thereafter. Now, it may l)e thought that this is not a lai'ge annual sum to pay for a piece of road, which, though not necessary to the older Provinces, must be built some time, and in the meantime will materially. 216 INCREASE THE WEALTH AND POPULATION OF THE PACIFIC PROVINCE. If 100,000 people settle in British Columbia during the construction of the road — and there is every reason why that number should go there in the course of a few years — the Dominion will receive from them a revenue sufficient to pay the interest on the expenditure. It is no unimportant consideration that the people of the Pacific Province would rebel against the total abandonment of the line, and by clamoring for secession endanger the permanence of Confederation." %:■ !(' I PROVINCE. 217 construction 'uld go there lem a revenue unimportant rebel against don endanger BRITISH COLUMBIA Becomes a Province of the Canadian Confederation. All hail Columbia ! not least though last, Of treasures rare that nobly come to grace, A glorious diadem ! of anions past Most welcome thine I cordial we give thee place. Thou, the most potent centre, honored heart, Of Canada's Dominion ! Tliine the fate, An Empire to complete. Our destined part Unplayed as yet, thou comest a new born state ! 'Mid the twin oceans' foum we're grandly set Like to a diamond pure of price untold, In primal brightness sparkling, ere as yet, By contact foul bedimmed, to kindred gold Wedded alone, refulgent it displays A common glory. Tlius on th}^ fair brow, Fair Sister of the west, thy worth poui'trays That spotless maiden crown, thou hast till now, Exclusive borne. In destined time thoti'rt wed, Or, like the priceless diamond, set in gold. Be thine tlie lot, in after years, when read Thy tale of v,'edded life, that aye be told, High honor's scroll, no con(piest thine to boast That wades to glory through a sea of blood, Climbing to power and wealth at the sad cost Of orphan's tears and death in direst mood. The victories already thine shall tell, Full many an age to come, how sweetly won Thy famous battles, hardly fought and well, f UNKau^sB^ta 218 ti ;i l> \ I By honored toil and counsel sage all done Thy deeds of high I'enown. Thou niad'st a state. Will future ages say. The mainland thine, The Islands came, and thou, at once wert great ! In union strong, now earnest, all combine. Stretch out their arms of power the land of gold Peaceful to hold, the foaming torrent span. Wild mountains piei'ce, the forest hoar and old Strenuous subdue, and to the use of man. Vast fertile plains and valleys j^ and unfold ! What strength in union's found, and what thy gain, In days to come, to latest hour of time, Let thine achievement tell, that casts thy chain Through continent and isle, o'er all the clime, On mountains' necks, like pearly necklace thrown. O'er lakes unfathomed, dashing torrents borne, Till oceans meet, and wedded are thine own, — Thine own to dawning of the Atlantic morn ! Extend'st thine arm of might where sets the sun, Thy magic wand out o'er the western sea, And lo ! ere yet, thy work is well begun, Vast continents and islands come to thee ! Cashmere and Thibet welcome tribute pay. Her pent up treasures China willing pours ; Japan, from rest of earth no more astray, And India come, their wealth changing with yours. How blest thy favored people in their store ! Earth's richest theirs ! Her pearls Arabia sends. Her diamonds rare Golconda ! Thine, even more ; With these shall vie each eager clime that blends Its lot with thine, and on thy ocean throne, When greater than thyself, bright land, are gone> Thou'lt reign Columbia, o'er the sea, Hope, refuge, stronghold of the Free ! • '^v -^mmm IHiMI 219 p: THE » BOOK ^OFiMOSES R TlH E I e I PlEiNTlAlTlEOiClHl > 'i^l"l -IN IT8 AUTHORSHIP, CREDIBILITY AND CIVILIZATION, — BY THE — REV. W. SMITH, Ph. D.,D.D. And Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. LONDON : LoNGSiAS, Green & Co., 1868. Large 8vo.; pages, 577. "A Most Learned Work."— ARCHBISHOP STRAIN. So highly approved by the late venerable and very learned Pontiff, Pius IX., that he at once conferred on the author the honor of D.D. Orders for the Dominion of Canada and the United States may be addressed to the printing house of the "FREE PRESS," Ottawa, Ont. r V 220 THE DOMINION ANNUAL \imU AND t^EVM FOR THE — Thirteenth Year of the Canadian Union, 1879 E3DITEID BIT HENRY J* MORCAK, (Keeper of the Records, Canada,) ASSISTED BY J. GEOEGE HODGINS, L.L.D. ALEX. MacKinnon, Burgess. ROBERT BELL, M.D., CM., F.G.S., C.E. JOHN GEORGE BOURINOT, B.A. JOHN McLEAN. FREDERICK A. DIXON. OTTAWA : McLEAN, ROGER & CO., 1880. _8vo.; pages 467. Highly Commended by the Canadian Press. "The 'Dominion Annual Register,' the last issue of which we had the pleasure not long since of reviewing, will prove of exceediag value to the fut ure historian. It is a repe tory of all th%t is really important in the history of the year, and is the only sc -ce to which we can gi, with the canfideace that we shall not be disappointed, for political or general information. "-i/ow^/'ett^ Gazette, 17th Jan,,18Sl. ' '^.. 221 mm, >n,1879 Canada,) Press. ve had the the flit ure )f the year, ihall not be Jan.,lS81. POPE PIUS IX. AND HIS TIME RY THE- KEV. ^^NEAS McDONELL DAWSON, OTTAWA. 1 vol., 8vo., 448 pages. PIUCE $1.50. OlsT SA.XiE! -A.T l^Tl- X)TJI2,IE'S. OTTA.'W-A. Copies, ivhen ordered, mailed by the author, 31.3 Maria St., Ottawa, loithout additional charge. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ETC. I "A moat interesting work, lb has only to be known, and it is sure to be well received." Archbishop Strain. "Beginning with the student life of Pius IX., he (the author) traces his carper through its various grades in a few pages, wisely reserving his strength for an exhaustive history of his Pontiticate, the most eventful, perhaps, of any, and certainly the most interesting reign in modern times." — Toronto Globe. "A mine of information, and a monument of industry." — Ottawa Citizen. "The volume is more ambitious than any we have noticed .... Written in a singularly clear and lucid style. . . .The mark of consummate industry is on every page .... Published in England, such a book as this would infallibly attract attention." — Toronto Mail. " Mr. Dawson's work is written in a lucid scholarly style, and bears abundant internal evidence of literary skill, command of language and a loving desire to do justice, from a Roman Catholic point of view, to a subject of dignified and absorbing interest." — Ottawa Free Press. " One of the latest lives of Pius IX. that we have read, is from the pen of the accomplished Canadian writer, the Re\'. ^N EAS McDONELL DAW80N, of Ottawa, who has for a long time been a close student of the Epoch of Pius IX. This biography (history) will be valuable for the attention he has paid to the interesting question concerning the church in the British Empire and its colonies, and in Ireland. Father Dawson is not only a brilliant writer, that is slender prais*.' to give him in an age when every one who can write grammatical or ungrammatical English, lays claim to brilliancy, but he is solid, judicious and thoughtful." — The Catholic lievitw, New York, April 2nd, 1881. 222 1 t OUB STRENGTH AND THEIR STRENGTH Together with an Essay on the both English and French, an Ode for Dominion Day as well as other Poems and Essays. 1 vol., 8vo., 326 pages. BY THE REV. ^^NEAS McDONELL DAWSON, OTTAWA. 9 La Eevue Canadienne says : '* Saus cesse en dcrivant varlez ^los discoui's." — Boileau. This cannot fail vO strike the reader as he peruses the elegant and substantial pages of the Rev. Mr. Dawson'a volume. His modus dkendi is perspicuous, often brilliant and always subdued. Our strength, &c., is a series of political letters which were published in the Ottawa Times, in reply to the arguments of the Manchester School on the British Colonial question The Rev. Mr. Dawson has made a defence of the colonial policy of Great Baitain as full of weighty considerp^ious as it is ably written. He fully demonstrates that the mother country could not now abandon its numerous possessions without dealinc; a terrible blow to its commerce, its prosperity and its power, without yielding up the prominent role which has devolved upon it in the direction of European aflfairs We have noticed also a very interesting study on the poets of Canada. It is of great length, and is enriched with quo- tations. It contains also most valuable information on the state of Canadian literature. It consits of two parts, in the first of which Mr. Dawson, himself a poet, speaks of the English writers who have left po«mi deserving of mention. In the second he treats in detail of the Canadian poets who have written in French. As may be supposfd, the list of English literary characters is longer than ours. It is easily observed that the poetieal effusions of our authors are well known to Mr. Dawson. He has read their longest compositions as well as their shortest sonnets. And so he generally speaks of them with as much in- telligence as sympathy. Of the poems which the volume contains, the Ottawa Union says: — "The style, as may be supposed, is chaste, Hnish«sd and delicately worded. Imagin- ation, the true charm of verse, and th« poetic tire, giving life, spirit and force, are, by no n^eans of the smouldering kind." J 228 Jl as other TAWA. id substantial ?icuou8, often ished in the the British ifence of the bly written. ts numerous rity and its on it in the interesting with quo- Canadian . himself a of mention. written in is longer luthors are as well as s much in- :~" The Imagin- and force. COUNT DE MAISTRE'S CELEBRATED WORK THE™PO PE TRANSLATED BY THE REV. yENEAS McDONELL DAWSON, LONDON, Bolman. 1 Vol., 369 Pages. "The original is too well known, and too highly esteemed iocall for a word of commendation at our hands. Fortunately, too, the translation is of such a character as not to call for a word of criticism. It is easj, simple, and natural ; and while it fully conreya the meaning of every nicety ofjthe original, it is free from that severity and stiffness which are too often the price of accuracy. Its appearance is singularly opportune ; and it may well serve as a supi)len]ent to the work of Mr. Allies, with which we have ventured to couple it." — Dnhlin lievieii\ THE NORTH-WEST TERRITORY — AND — BRITISH COLUMBIA. BY THE REV. .ENEAS McDONELL DAWSON, OTTAWA, 1881. T V- ! \\ ' •*» 224 Some very Popular Weekly Journals. THE CATHOLIC RBCOBD, THOMAS COFFEY, LOITSOIT, Ontario, Canada. THE CATHOLIC REVIEW, P. V. HIOKEY, ITEW TOSS, TTnited States. THE NEW YORK TABLET, Messrs. SADLIER & Co., ITSrW TOBE and lEOITTBEAL: THE CATHOLIC HERALD, MICHAEL WALSH, SrS'W YOBS, TTnited States. M'- --=^^^ 225 98 A lOO Sparks Street, KEARNS & RYAN, :ew, Ited States. Direct Importers of ^BT COO^S » DEPARTMENTS : DZtSSS aOODS, CLOTHS^ HZLLIITEBY, iroTzoiTs; CABFETS, HABEBDASEEBT, DBESS ICAEZira. I( I ^1 ^1 226 H. r. MacCAETHY Wholesale & Retail \J J 1ST 290 Wellington Street, EstaUished 1859. OTT-^^Wj^. — f i 227 37 rwjiL,. ji. IMPORTER OF FR&NCH AND ENGLISH BOOT TOPS, DKALER m BOOTS, SHOES AND RUBBERS, FANCY, AND STAPLE HIa.nd.-lv4:ad-e Boots gl Specialt37", SZaiT OF THE.aBESN ^ITD QOLS BOOT, . WEST SIDE SUSSEX STREET, OTTAWA. f^e £mm Bi TEMPLE OF FASHION Corner of Sussex & Rideau Sts., THIS HOUSE has dons the kr^ssrCasli'ana ^sst' Custom T^aAe in tho Tailoring and Outfitting line in tho City ' for tlio last 15 yoars. Mr. P. J. EG-LESOK", long and favpura*bly known ^& a Cutter, is in ehazg'o of tlio Tailoring Department. !! t : ^ I [ I i 228 THOS. 8T0ET, MERCHANT TAILOR 22 RIDEAU ST., OTTAWA. , fi«-LATEST P^ASHIIOIiTS.^ Best ^^'■^^t of England Tweeds, Broadcloths and Scotch T'weeds &e. GO AI. Oil* DEPOT, 92 RIDEAU St., M. J. CHATFIELD. IMPORTER OF cniii, CROCiEm, mmw m imps. Always on hand the Bast Bran&a of Canadian and American Coal Oil WATCHMAKER and JEWELLER, %% Bideau Strvo^ Ottebwor. 229 ESTA-BLTSECED 1859. TA. adclo.hs AU St., IIMPS. lean Ooal Oil- LLER, R. E. O'CONNOR & CO., Railroad) Steamboat & Steamship ■i^a-ElSTTS, FIRE, LIFE AND MARINE INSURANCE AGENTS, BROmS AID GOIMISSIOlf MIEOHASTS. Tickets Issued to all Parts of Canada, United States and Europe. staterooms on Steamships and. Stoamlaoats and Sections and Parlors and Pullman Palace Cars secured in Advance. KF" lasuraacos effected on evary description of Property, at Low Bates of Premium in £rst-class English and Canadian Companies. 230 B 41 y iifeMAilyiiHMS \m iFicTomm; immm, SQQIBIIDIEB I PRIlflES, COENER OP SPARKS & ELGIN STREETS, n i&i. Larg^est Circulation. Best Advertisings Kedinm. f jgC, — ■•■■iiUll^ninnii— ~ The Ottawa Daily and Weekly ^ STREETS, Nos. 6, 8 and lO Elgin Street, Otta>Ara, Ontario, C. W. MITCHELL, FBOPZIIETOB. This is the aclmowleclged L':'acling Paper in the Ottawa Valley, publishing thuee editions daily, o-vl is therefore the Best Advertising Medium. The Weekly Fiiee Press contains CI columns of reading matter. «s' TERMS -.-WEEKLY, $1.50; DAILY, $6.00 -IN ADVANCE. -^ t.^- ■^^^ JOB€PRINTING. I»^ The Jobbing Deiiartmont is supplied with all the Latest Designs from the English and American Type Foundries ; and is prepared to execute all kinds of Plain and Fancy Job Printing with despatch. TO SHOW AGENTS. i^ Agents of Companies should make note of the fact, that this is "The Canadia!?. Show Printing House," and the only one that can turn out a Mammoth 16 Sheet Poster, Sheet and Half Sheet Streamers, etc. » ih ! i t 1 232 FASHIONABLE HOTEL AND RESTAURANT THE aUEEI, Wellington Street, OPPOSITETHEPARLIAMENTBUILDINGS MICHAEL KAVANAGH, PROPRIETOR, ' *y ^ <. ]TEL m, ILDINGS l^pi^aiSKffiSi^( SuBKpSi ••♦■•;o:— ^ '^jj^ffq-.o-.'^/'yr-' 8JH5auP*>"*3s^ — •:— ■as^^ msi fi/^r RIETOR. -^^^o^.-.^^- ll^iEiiit ill