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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 m mm n it ! ?*':; ij i PRICE ONE SHILLING. ^jO'- .<^" " ' ''"^ '"^'JS^T-'^-' — iinv^ iiii 'i iii n ii jst- siii ; — ^^ i ' ■ /rtw r rofl r; ,f Q.-'^ ,.*^' CARIBOO, THE NEWLY DISCOVERED ;GOLD FIELDS |/i.. OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, THE RICHEST GOLD DEPOSITS IN THE WORLD TfET DISCOVERED, - iILLT DESCRIBED BY A RETURNED DIGGER, WHO HAB MADE HIS OWN FORTUNE. THERE, AND ADVISKS OTHERS TO GO AND DO LIKEWISE. "Men at these diggings get from three to ten ounces per day." — See Times, February 5th, 1862. TO WHICH ASB ADDED, PARTICULARS OF THE COUNTRY, CLIMATE, RIVERS, POPULATION, TRADE, &c. OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND, WITH THE BEST ROUTES FROM ENGLAND. TOGJETUEIi WIXU THB WHOLE OF THE GoYernineiit Information relating to these Colonies. ZSXGIITH SDXTXOZr. bonbon: PUBLISHED BY DARTON & HODGE, 5«, HOLBORir HILL m n jiin I Kjii I II ^ -a ^m ■■■■ J|J > L I *M «»1ftWi'-«"i J ! . I H » ■ ■■ ■ ■ ■ J I W » . 1. JWg.-l—! .**-.. -.-;^.ii'-i.t. L. B^itTK: OP BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. Established in 1836.— Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1840. PAID-UP CAPITAL-ONE MILLION STERLING. XiOn^sTlDOlsr OFiFICE: 7, ST. HELEN'S PLACE, BISHOPSGATE STREET. COURT OF DIRECTORS. h heaRY barnp:wall, esq. T. H. BROOKING, Esq. R015ERT CARTER, Esq. WILLIAM CHAPMAN, Esq. WILLIAM R. CHAPMAN, Esq. JAMES JOHN CUMMINS, Esq. J. B. ELIN, Esq. OLIVER FARRER, Esq. ALEXANDER GILLESPIE, Esq. FRANCIS LE BRETON, Esq. THOMAS HENRY MILNER, Esq. JOHN RANKING, Esq. Bankers— BANK op ENGLAND ; Messrs. GLYN, MILLS, and Co. JIONTREAL, QUEBEC, TORONTO, KINGSTON, HAMILTON, BRANTFORD, LONDON, OTTAWA, DUNDAS, ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE COLONIES. General Manager— IHOilAS PATON, Esq. Canada. HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, ST. JOHN, New Brunswick. VICTORIA, Vancouver's Island. AGENTS IN NEW YORK. ME5SBS, R. C. FEllGUSSON, F. II. GRAIN, and JAMES SMITH, 2!>, WILLIAM STREET. The Bank GRANTS CREDITS on its Branches in all the North American Colonics, and on its Agents in New York, payable on presentation ; similar Credits are granted at all the Branches of the Provincial Bank of Ireland, of the National Bank of Scotland, and by the Royal Bank of Liverpool, the Manchester and Salford Bank, and the Birmingham Town and District Bank. The Bank also purchases or forwards for collection Bills on America, and Coupons for the dividends on American Stocks, and undertakes the purchase and sale of Stock, ajid other money business, in the United States and in the British Provinces. By order of the Court, C. IMoNAB, Secretary. 7, St. Helen's Place, Bishopsgate Street, London. E.G., March, im2. BR WHO I "Men atth( PUBLIS ^ E> , V LIBI rrs^smmmftmrn \i O^R-IBOO, THE NEWLY DISCOVERED •< / /"r 1. .. GOLD FIELDS 4 ''■ ■:■.,. n^^-h^d ^ii:^^^ vf../^u.M.A r.eu.. ^-^ y;^* ^ ' ' ' ■ OP BRITISH COLUMBIA, II I: i tt I / FULLY DESCBIBED BY A EETUENED DIGGER, WHO HAS MADE HIS OWN FORTUNE THERE, AND ADVISES OTHERS TO GO AND DO LIKEWISE. 'Men at these diggings get from three to ten ounces per day."— See Times, February 5th, 1862, EIGmTH EDITION. Inttta: PUBLISHED BY DARTON & HODGE, 58, HOLBORN HILL. A. ^^ I 1862. EX tf-GI-j9f LIBRIS ,v=f.--:., *iriJ*W«»*"-' kiki.: 'A i I > ) ( t [ ■ h *; [k n. \^ 1 ^r I, V 'n) h) M 20 10 M ■:o i.40 120 100 s l l UIIII/ l illlW ^Oi-UMBIA /i *^nif,r\, B!^- ; ^ r. ORIUVON TJNITXr) U: ^ r^3^ ( >^ XX / ^ ^■/- /' /^ / As SAefT/? //y //te D(}^/^i LL/?e4 --mr-.- mr - aiaUiBlillC awiiuifib X40 120 100 ./P-rnper ,',J/'t '" .-".,, ////4?.'V^ ^-z',/'', Lon/^4jn t 1 M' 14<0 120 100 BO J Dr-aper. ZifA'^ :',./,U/^e Jr^'^rS^-, loftoi^n rmsraxaerr: 00 ■,U'i'i„' ,irncL- to TTtr: ^-'^^ B«TuniAi.s Hfttffl Oil O J? * .-'AZORES ^ T Zy-'A N T I ^^"■v^. S' S.iKii.U • ••> •*• ••• Privileges of aliens in British Columbia dimate of British Columbia Climate of Vancouver's Island Gold regulations 1 13 2(3 29 ib. 3( 30 31 33 ib. 35 40 42 43 U 45 49 69 60 OH 62 64 66 ib. 67 68 a. IV Population, revenue, and expenditure of British Columbia and A^ancouvcr's Island Assay office of British Columbia Banking accommodation of British Columbia and "Vancouver's Island Legal and medical practitioners in British Columbi and Van- couver's Island Sale of Avaste lands in the colonies Government emigration officers in the United Kingdom lioutcs, &c., from Quebec to the principal points in Canada and the northern and -western states of America Aliens, naturalization and land-holding rights of, in the United Kingdom and all colonies ... Canada, Vancouver's Island, and British Columbia Remittance of money to assist emigrants on arrival in Canada and New Brunswick iOSicripT/ ••• •! ••. ••• •«• ••« ••• ... ,,, PAGE 69 70 ih. ib. 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 i \ i i A EETUriNED GOLD DIGGER'S NARP.ATIVE. CHAPTER I. . I WHAT I DID AND WHAT I GOT, I HAVE been asked to make a pkiin statement, as a returned gold digger from Caril^oo, in British Columbia, of what I did for myself in that splendid colony, and what 1 got by my stay in that quarter of the world. I shall make a plain story of it, simply because T am a plain man. Mind, I am not a lal)Ourer in the ordinary sense of the word, or the chances are I should not be writing a book — good, bad, or indifferent. I don't care one straw so long as I speak out my mind and just say what I know to In; the truth, and what I think will do good for others, since what I liaAC done seems to have turned up trumps in my o\vn case— or rather, I ought to say, ^vhich I turned up myself. Through this statement I have no doubt the reader will often think that for a gold digger what I know seems to l)e pretty clever, but I may state at once, and without any hesitation, that for three years, and moro^ I have been picking up information here and there, and scraps out of newspapers everywhere, all bearing upon emigra- tion and emigrants, and gold mining. And I have also drawn pretty liberally upon different government books, pamphlets, and papers ; so I do hope 'that altogether I have managed to put together such a mass of notes and hints as for real honest value is not to be found every day in the week. And as people like to know something of the man they are reading about, I may just say a few words at once about " wliat I am," and have done with it ; I was, as a boy, the son of a small farmer who owned some land. As a young man I worked that farm after my fathc^r's death ; and as I worked hard, early and late, I need not say I did not lose money over it. Between you and li 2 me I don't think the man who works early and late, and Avho has anything at all of a chance, does lose money as a rule. Of course there are exceptions, but I don't much care ahout them. Well, I •worked the farm, and made it pay very decently, })ut I had a longing for a brisker life. The seasons came and went, and I Avas gradually making money; but I wanted a change. Now, I don't say for one moment that every man who wants a change does right to take it, jjecause there are some men who never want anything else ; Imt I do say that if a man has kept steady to a trade for many years, as I did at farming, till I was between twenty-five and thirty years of age, that if he then feels he can't do Avithout a change the sooner he takes it the better. I have said I am not an uneducated man, though I know I am far from a learned one, and my knowledg(; told me that when I felt an unconquera])le desire to leave my farm and go out to a colony, the sooner 1 left home the better. I began in fact to get sick of things about me. It was no use trying to shake this feeling off, though I can tell you 1 tried in no small way to do so. It got the better of me, and as I had all through my life managc^d to carry out everything I undertook to do, why 1 felt pretty sure thai if I went out to a colony I should not burn my fingers. I sold the farm — at a good price, for it was in first-rate condition — stopped in London a few weeks, and then "cleared out" fur Australia. Arrived in that splendid though over-done colony, I turned to sheep-farming, and after one or two hard rubs I managed to make it pay ; but banks are banks, and if they break why the hard- workitig men who deposit money in them are as certainly ruined as the richest and laziest losers. A bank broke — I need not nanij it, for that would do no good, and 1 only care to speak of what Avill — a bank broke I say, and in so doing tumbled me off my legs. My friends in England looked on that catastrophe, I believe, as a judgment — I only looked on it as an extra misfortune which called for extra work. I had some money left — but it was not enough to warrant me in carrying on my sheep-farming ])usiness, and selling off what Hocks remained, I came down to ]\lelbourne to look about me. I had not been there long Avhen news came about fresh gold fields in British Columbia. " Gold " news, as it is called in Australia, is so stale a subject, hbA rumours have so frequently turned out to be nothing else, that the statements wliicli went fliying about, were heard and forgotten for a timo by most miners down for a " spend out " ut Melbourne. A few men, however, who 1 3 heard of the gold deposits of British Columbia did not disbelieve those rumours which so soon became certainties. I \vas one of them. I need not say by what means T reached the north-western coast of North America, but after waiting some time, and putting my shoulder to the wheel, so to speak, vigorously, I at last got a shij), and after a long and stormy passage my eyes sighted Vancouver's Island, in the early spring of 1861 — I hope to sight British Colum- bia once more (of which Vancouver's Island does not form a part, though in all probability it some day will) — I hope, I say, to sight British Columbia again ])efore this year, 1862, is ended; for though I may have made enough money to keep me from getting my bread by the sweat of my brow, yet I don't seem to care a])out settling down at home, and indeed I may tell you that after British Colum- bia, I care little for England (this is as regards living, I do not refer to England's people). The truth is, that the climate of that colony is so splendid, so magnificent, that it is Avorth the journey, and (jven the dangers of the journey (and of these there are many beyond the common run of dangers to which emigrants are and must be open), in order to breathe once more its pure air, and again look at that brilliant sky. On my word as a man, I do think one day there seems as long as two in England — the enjoyment of the climate is so great. In fact I don't hesitate to say that, as far as my knowledgt; goes, it must be the finest climate in the kno\vn world ; I never read of such an atmosphere as I found that of British Columbia to be. I started for home just as the winter was setting in, and my experi- ence of it was so pleasant that I hope I shall reach the colony about the same season this year. And now, perhaps, you would like to know what kind of a man T am 1 There is a general notion that your only true and sucecssful gold digger is an immense muscuUir fellow, wlio could almost tMI an ox at a blow. The idea is a ])ad one. As a rule the miner, tliough a strong man, is not a man of extraordinary strength or make. Ib^ must be strong man ; but, perhaps, you don't know what I mean hy that word? 1 am aware that it is not everv man born who is able to dig and go to hard hand labour ; but I am quite sure, also, that nine men out of ten have been well enough used by nature to become strong men, and keep strong men if they like. I was through the main street of London only yesterday, and I am quite sure that nine out of every ten men I saw could become good miners and hard colony workers. They had the ground-work of working men in them, and with this one great qualification they might become as strong men as ever were wanted at diggings in any i ^ part of tlie world, and what is that qualification ? I mean tempe- ranee. Don't suppose I am a teetotal digger. I am nothing of the kind, but 1 tell you plainly there is nothing so pulls a man l)ack at gold digging as spirits. They take all the strength out of him ; they un- man him for a time, and the expense is so great, spirits (especially the good) costing an enormous figure at all gold settlements, that I really think the man who picks up lialf an ounce a day, and doesn't spend a grain of it in drink, makes, in reality, more by the end of the month than tlie miner who picks np four ounces a day, and drinks when it pleases him. As a proof of the truth of what I am saying, I may declare that the owners of spirit stores are always safe to make fortunes. This warning is worth something, for candidly I tell you that the temptation to drink is very great. AVhether it is the excitement natural to a jjold dit^jier's life, or whether it is the desire to be luxurious and dashing, I know not, but this is certain, that an enormous per centage of gold diggers, and this I know from my own observation, and the experience of other soljcr men much older than I am myself, an enormous per centage of gold diggers I say, drink extravagantly of spirits. These diggers Avho " drink th(nr gold," as they say in Australia, never are worth anything, and they generally die in ditches, unless men more temperate than they have been give them hut or tent- room. Again, there is another and still greater argument against spirit drinking as a custom with gold diggers. It is this, that those who take much spirits are unabh^ to bear the rougliing of a miner's life, and the consequence is that they are ready at any moment to take any disease which may be common, and not unfrequently, in fever times, they fall down in scores, and never get up again. Mind, I don't say that a little spirit is a very bad thing, but I do say tills, that the cxcitenu'nt of a miner's life is so great that not one in six who takes a " little drop " will stick tlu^re, and if he goes beyond he becomes just what I warn you against — a fellow who digs for the spirit-store keeper, and who is never worth more than the shirt about him. Nay, I have seen a " drink-miner," as I have heard them called, not even worth a shirt. Take my advice — don't take the " little " except the doctor says " yes," because it's almost sure to lead to the more, and that's remarkably expensive Avork. For my part I drank nothing liut water and tea all the while I was at the diggings, and I was there long enough to feather my nest Avarm. w To return to the requisites of a miner, I say it's all nonsense to suppose that only very strong and hardy men are able to live and gain money at the gold diggings. Nine out of every ten men I meet have strength and health enough with a will and a good spirit, and a good temper, together with temperance in all manner of ways, to get on at the diggings, I guess that in a very short time we shall hear more about the gold fields of British Columbia than we ever heard of Australia or California. Just at present, as I saw it put in the Times a few weeks back, the amount of gold don't " show " from this colony, for the simple reason, that so far there has been no gold-buying system established at Victoria (the capital city of Vancouver's Island), and therefore no gold exports from it. All the metal goes down to California, whence it is exported. If 1 am asked — " would you advise me to go to British Columbia," I would say. "have you got a fair average amount of strength, and have you a stout licart ?" and I tell you that a stout heart is worth quite fis much as a strong arm, for it keeps one up to the mark. If you answer me *' yes," I reply that "strong arms, stout hearts, and good wills, 'can do pretty Avell with some prudence to back them, in any colony in the world ;" and as I do firmly believe that British Columbia (apart from its value as a gold district) is the finest colony in the world, and all who know anything about the matter willingly declare this to l)e the case, why I cannot help n^commending you to go to that colony. For, could all the gold A^anish to-morrow, the land, the clinuite, the natural advantages would still remain, to the great and lasting benefit of the emigrant. Mind, I don't say that apart from the gold-fields any man will get on in British Columbia, With respect to gold-finding I do say that one man, if he has moderate strength, is as good as another at that occupation after very little practice ; but as regards otlier kinds of labour of course I need not say that fanning as much requires an apprenticeship in British Columbia as in the British Isles. Sailing across the Atlantic and up the Pacific will not teach a man how to plough. Kow do understand me aright. I say that Biitish Columbia contains the finest gold-fields in the world ; and tbat any man of ordinary strength, strong will, and temperance will find his account in testing those fields : but apart from that employment the rule which holds good with respect to other colonies holds good here. They don't A\ant any broken-down swells, or printers, or draper's assistants in British Columbia, apart from the gold-fields. The men they Avant are farm labourers, bricklayers, carpenters, m farmers, graziers, gardeners, and blacksmiths. They want no governesses or ladies* companions, but women (the ])ettor educated the lietter for the colony), who can look after families and houses, who can brew, bake, do all other domestic offices, and meet the husliands, brothers, and employers with smiling faces when the men return from the day's work. The first question I feel I am asked is, how about provisions ? I answer that Avhen I left the colony provisions were as plentiful as gold. But I doubt if they are now. I doubt if they are not so dear as to be almost at famine prices ; for when 1 left the news was flying to all quarters of the world to the effect that the fmest gold fields in the world had been discovered. I know the gold digger u'ell. I have seen too much of him in Australia, in California (wliere I stayed a short time to look about me on my way from Australia to British Columbia), and in the new fields — not to know his habits. He is as true to a new gold-field as the loadstone to tli<- pole. The recent and most excitinjj ncAvs of the new fields reached California long before it reached England. Before I arrived at Southampton it had been talked about at every dust-location in Australia, and 1 would bet my life that lodgings at Victoria are not at this moment to be had at any money under a good sum, and that the colony is swarming with Californian rowdies and Australian diggers to the immber of many thousands. So, though provisions were cheap as the gold was plentiful when 1 left the colony, as might Avell be the case, for there was nothing like so great a demand as supply, I have no doubt that brandy is now worth its Aveiglit in silver. But don't forget what I said — that with temperance you can get on let things be ever so ugly. Even if brandy and wine are worth their weight in silver, or beer and ale worth theirs in copper, yet lea and bread are comparatively cheap ; and depend on it, a year or two will bring things to their level, and by that time you will have made enough to snap your fingers at the colony, if you were so disposed, which you will not be, unless you have left relations, children, or mistress at home. Are provisions noiv cheap at the British Columbian gold fields ? They can't be. AVhy, the number of men leaving London every day for this colony is a caution, though the fare to British Columbia from England is the most expensive to any of Her Majesty's colonies. Now, if in spite of that fact emigrants are leaving for it daily, is it not natural to suppose that emigrants from places infinitely nearer than England to British Columbia have been drafting there for w mi months past — especially Chinese coolies ; I have no douht thousands of Chinese such as have inundated Australia for years past have arrived and are daily arriving on the new gold fields. Mind, don't suppose that I say all this to deter you — far from that. Remember I have said over and over again that I believe a hard-working, economical gold digger emigrant can't be off making money in the long run ; but I have determined to give a plain statement of what I know, and this I feel to })e certain, that though provisions in November last were plentiful enough and cheap enough in British Columbia, I am quite sure such is not now the case. Last winter potatoes were selling in the colony at tenpence the hundredweight, while flour and other necessaries were comparatively as cheap ; and there being no duties levied, tea and sugar were as cheap as in England, if not cheaper ; but I doubt whether every- thing has not gone up a dozen times over by this time. Well — and what of that ? Even at those figures you can live upon two or three shillings a day if you live rather for to-morrow than to-day. I say again I warn you that the Times was wrong when some weeks ago it announced that provisions were then cheap in British Columbia. This cannot be the case, I know. But I add that cheap provisions or not, it does not matter. A steady indus- trious man is safe in British Colum1)ia, for this reason, that the colony is not injured by many of the drawbacks which afflict most British colonies. There are no excesses of temperature, no ex- cessive rains, no droughts, and a good and easily reached seaboard. So far I. have not said a word to Avomen emigrants. But if 1 MTote till I was grey, and I am a long way from that condition, I could not sufficiently assert the great advantages which present themselves to women emigrants. The great curse of the colony so far, as it must always be the curse of any colony in which such a want exists, is the absence of women. I doubt if there was one woman to a hundred men twelve months ago. I am quite sure that now, when I am writing, there must be at least two hundred men to every woman. There is no better colony to which women can emigrate than British Columbia, for it is an improvement upon home. It is English^ and the emigrant will no more have to learn American customs than she will have to accustom herself to the horrors of an Australian summer, or the misery of being " helped " by hideous black native and strong-smelling Australians. There never was such a field for matrimony. I never saw diggers so desirous of marrying as those of Britisli Columbia; generally gold diggers are not marrying men. They Avork, spend their money in drink, and work agnin. AVljethcr this arises from, as a rule, gold fields being in hot latitudes, I know not .iny more than I know whether to the real, yet improved, English tempera- ture of British Columbia is owino; the intense desire to be found amongst the emigrants to settle down and l)ring up families. Any decent young woman who reads this may take my word for it that in British Columbia she will find Avork as soon as she steps on the shore, while she may find a hus])and before her foot touches it — character to be risked ; but there Avere not many roughs in British Columbia up to the date avIku, for a time, T quitted it. Mind, I don't say that I recommend families to go out to British Columbia. A family is a burden till a man is established, and I should strongly advise that only one in a family should be sent out as a feeler, a steady hard-Avorkiiig and t('mj)erate man, who Avould feel his Avay and pave it for those Avho should folloAV. Let this man hav'e Avliat funds can be spared, and let him do the best Avith them ; this Avill be infinitely safe'r than exhausting one's means by carrying out an entire family at once, and hampering them and one's self directly the end of the journey is reached. And now some account of Avhat I did Jit the new and most auriferous gold fields in the Avorld, may perhaps be acceptable to the reader. J. Avon't say how much I made in the Avhole, because I don't sec any need to do so ; but this I do assert, that, being very economical Avhile on the Avork, and Avorking hard, I made enough in six months to keep me for life, if I choose, while still a young man (Avhicli I am), to sit down and make; myself easy for life. But this kind of thing I don't care about, and so, as I said before, I shall be off once more to British Columbia almost as soon as you see this book, if you read it immediately it is printed. I suppose you Avill not believe that many men during my time at the diggings made 100 dollars (<3t*20) a day average for Aveeks together. This is a fact, and one easy of comprehension compared with the statement that not a fcAV miners have picked u[) 100 ounces (<£490 Avorth) in the same space of time. Many miners Avere in Victoria Avhen I left it early in September last, Avho had left the city in the spring as penniless as the next pauper, Avho during last summer made from 1,000 to 10,000 dollars (<£200 to ^2,000). Mind, I don't say that every miner made money. There is an old Spanish proverb that says, " While you are likely to gain a fortune in a copper mine, and may in a silver, you are absolutely certain in a gold mine— to lose one. The last three Avords make all the difference. Gold digging is the greatest lottery in the Avorld, and therefore I 9 UN need not say that many miners got claims that were not worth look- ing at, and which did not contain a grain of gold. But for all that, they made money hy hiring themselves out to more fortunate men. I know this, that I paid my helps from 10 to 20 dollars (.£2 to £4^) per day, and then I thought myself lucky to get them, ami 1 give you my word the cheaper helps had no " go " in them. They had been disappointed in their own lots, and allowed their ill-luck to knock them over. I would recommend no man who lets ill-luck knock him over to go to gold diggings, for it is the most risky kind of work in this world, and wants equal courage. This I am quite sure of, that many a clerk I saw yesterday in the city of London was far stronger than many a man wlio was earning his fifteen dollars a day at the British Columbian gold fields last summer. In fact, I don't know but what a little "want "in Briiish Columbia rvill do it good. Starvation makes a man look about him. There's nothing so thoroughly encourages a man in his laziness as an easily filled belly. Up to last September (])eyond which date I shall not speak, for this simple reason, that I personally know nothing at all about the matter), up to last September, I say, want in that colony was unknown. Provisions were as plentiful as the skies were blue, and as there are ahvays so many men in a hundred who will never work more than is enough to give them from hand to mouth, the consequence was that we had out hosts of lazy people. I do hope by this time they have either been turned into hard-working men, or turned out of the colony, for I hate idleness. Hardship — I never saw any hardship in the colony ; but I tell you what I. saw — waste. I do not know whether I am most rejoiced or sorry when I see bread kicking about a place. I am glad to know it is not wanted : I am sorry not to be ignorant of the fact that it is wanted elsewhere, and that God's children in some parts of the world are crying for it. Why, how could hardship exist Avhen there was a beautiful climate, a good seaboard, rich teeming earth, rivers full of splendid fish, and gold as plentiful as hard words in an English workhouse, or dirt in Seven Dials. I heard of cases in which gold was literally taken out of the earth in spadefuls. I remember one case in which a single pan of soil yielded 100 dollars (£20). The man who found it, however, had been drinking for some weeks, he was as poor as any man in the colony, and the excitement at this find was so great that he fell ill of brain fever, and had a narrow escape with his life. The illness not only swallowed up his lucky pan, but his tools were in pawn as well for the expenses incurred ; and this idiot of a miner at the time I left in the Panama boat was working at 20 dollars 10 (£4;) a (lay, and yet Avas no richer at the end of the week than at its commencement. I myself had no marvellous find. But I was always at work ten hours per day, thouvhich I have already referred, but which I cannot Avith decency more strictly define. How is it that these Chinese make money and maintain their health under these circumstances? Why, they are temperate; as a rule, you do not see these diggers drunk, and you certainly do not mark them at the ^aminjj; table. Of course I am speaking generally, because I do not mean to say that I have never seen a Chinese trold di'OTIONS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. My notions of British Columbia are just those of a plain man who has his eyes open, and who knows something about colonizing and colonies. I have, as the reader already knows, had some experience of Australia, a little of California, and I have a very satisfactory \nowledge of British Columbia, u The gold district of British Columbia (and indeed the -whole of that colony) has this enormous advantage over the gold districts of Australia and California, that it is agricultural and splendidly watered. The gold fields of British Columbia not only produce gold, but they are composed of some of the finest agricultural land in the known world, and specially advantageous to the English farmer, as the rules of farming whidi hold good in his own land are equally valualde throughout this colony. The English farmer does not have to unlearn his trade as in Australia, or forget it as in California. He is able to begin at once with mother earth just as though he were in Kent or Devonshire, and under precisely similar, or rather improved, circumstances of climate, seasons, rules of crops, and rotations. Therefore, I may as fairly speak of British Columbia as an agricultural as a gold colony — for then if gold digging fails the plain field is ready for cultivation, a field whicli, with hard work, never can prove unproductive, and for the produce of which there will be a steadily rising demand for many years to come. 1 do not hesitate for one moment to recommend these countries to the labouring man and the rough mechanic. They will, speaking broadly, earn from two to five times as much a day as anywhere in England. Of course I am speaking now apart from the gold mines — at which they may or may not make a fortune, as the case may be. l^ut it must never l)e forgotten that gold digging is just a regular lottery. Why, in the very best California days there were just as many dismal-faced miners coming down frcin the mines and swearing they were not worth the working, as there were happy- faced men going up to the gold district with the belief that a month or so Avould see them millionaires. If I am asked is there any opening for professional men — such ua doctors and lawyers — I answer that titoy want none of the latter in Britislx Columl)ia. The colonists and juiners, \vithout being lovers of lynch law, are given to a kind of equal man-to-man settlement of disputes, which doe.^ away with the want of lawyers. I never saw a " solicitor's letter " in British Columbia. As for doctors — of course there is some call for them ; but not much. Apart from the salubrity of the climate, and the fact that the general employment of the colonists keeps them in heidth, there is a general feeling to knock through ilhiess by more work^ and it is astonishing what a successful medic' ne that kind of thin" is. Certainly there are openings for a fe v doctors, but I should seriously recommend that those of the faculty Avho make tracks to British Columbia should be men who are al)le to turn their hand to other trades than tlieir own. Candidly, all ideas of professional dignity must be «« 15 pitched over hoard before they leave the ship, or tliey will go a good way towards injuring their owner. As to farmers — why, where there is good and cheap land the farmer who has on his shoulders a head worth callino: one cannot starve. In British Coiumbia there is good land, and cheap land, and, as I have said, a rising demand for all farm produce, but still I would not advise a farmer ivith a family if he can make a moderate living at home, to emigrate even to British Columbia. In fact, to speak very plainly, and in all cases it is by far the best way to do so, I would recommend people in England with families to keep them there, and themselves too, unless they can provide at home for the children, and go out as single men and pave the way for the little ones. Children, and even a wife, are millstones rour:d the neck of an emigrant. That which he would venture to do if he wei*e alone he will hesitate to begin if he looks into the eyes of wife and children, and remembers that they depend on iitm. There is an old proverb — nothing venture nothing have. The man with wife and children ought not to be venturesome ; and new colonies require to be peopled by venturesome men. The argument seems pretty clear. Adventurers in British Columbia, whether married or not, and especially the latter, should be free to work by themselves. Mind, don't suppose for a moment that I am arguing against the presence of women in a colony. My experience tells me there can he nothing more damnatory in any colony than the want of women ; but I do say this, that dependent women ought not to be carried into a new colony. The women who arrive to bltjss it should either be destined for the arms of the husband who singly — alone has established himself at the new home; or steer towards old lovers; or be in expectancy of new ones. Do not look upon that sentence as indelicate. It is the duty of women, I do believe, and one they feel is theirs, to marry, and I know no better woman's mission than that of going out to colonies already provided with well-to-do, strong-hearted, and strong-bodied men, who have Avorked in order to support themselves and the wives they long for. I have seen tlie change for the better produced in a small colony by the coming of only a score of women. I do really believe that they suggest to men, who when alone are apt to be lawless and harsh, the memory of their mothers and the honicb, more or less happy, of their youth. And I want to lay it down at once that I iiave no wish for any man avIio reads this book to accept every line in it as bible truth. New colonies, as I know, change so rapidly that what ma)'' be gospel concerning them to-day may, by the end of six months, just as well a2)ply to the other side of the globe. Thus it is that in >'f IG putting this work together, I rather look at the early future than the past of Biitish Columl)ia — that future in Avhieh the intending emigrant will visit the district, and not that past during -which I was a colonist in that part of the world. Tliis future I huild upon my experience of other colonies and gold-mining districts. I say once more, don't take all I say for certain, but judge me on my entire merits. Read the hook through, and form your own belief on it. The agriculturist most wanted in British Columlna at the present moment, is the small farmer, who here at home tills a few acres. The best way of Avorking is in partnership with one or more men of a similar standing. The working in partnership will soon make enough to provide sure homes for wives and little ones ; and Avhen such is the case, wives and children, or sweethearts, can be sent for. I would not advise farming on a large scale, because, as I have said, the circumstances of to-day in a new colony may widely differ from those Avhicli will exist six months hence ; and secondly, for the reason that large farming requires large la1)0ur ; and as in British Columl)ia labour is, and will l^e for some years to come, extremely expensive, a large outlay of capital would be certain, while the chances of an equally large return Avould be doul)tful. The farmer, to make money at once in British Columbia, is he who depends entirely on his own lal)our and common sense. Such a man can buy land on easy terms, land which in a few years will be worth fifty times the present price, and the yearly value of which will steadily rise, so that a sale at any time must be a source of profit. Nor is it necessary to pay the entire purchase money before entering on possession. Instalments are taken, and so although the price per acre . is only four shillings and two-pence, yet an immediate payment of that sum upon the purchase of every acre is not required. This land will be a source of future wealth to the tiller's children, and certainly in the meantime be a maintenance for himself I know of no better way in which the father, or the man who hopes some day to be a husband and a father, can do his duty to the existing or hoped-for children than in working hard himself as an agricultural emigrant for the benefit of those belonging to him, whom, in the course of nature, he will leave behind upon this earth. The emigrant, however, need not purchase land unless he is will- ing. He can " squat " upon unsurveyed lands the title of which he may make sure of getting when they are .mrveyed, up to which time the only expense to which he can be put, will be one small registration fee. Of course good lands in the neighbourhoods of 17 toAvns are pretty well all appropriated l)y this time, aiifl I tell propc^ing settlors at once that they must be prepared to rough it at first, with no other lares to look upon than their own, Avhich will be cheerful enough if they work hard, and are determined to put a good face upon matters. Though the extent of really good land in British Columbia is certainly small compared Avith mountain and forest tracks, yet it is very large in proportion to the numl)er of inhabitants. Tht soil is everywhere fertile, though in many places it is extremely light and sandy. "With respect to the climate of British Columbia I have already said much. That of the sea coast is milder and finer than tluit of England, but it is wet in winter. In the interior the winter is drier and colder than the same season in England, while the summers are proportionally hotter. Some tales of suflPeriiig from the climate have spread to the coast and thence reached home, but th(;se calamities arose from want of food and shelter ; and I know ill some instances the victims were either weak -hearted men, who had to thank themselves for their misfortunes, or drunkards whose miseries lay at their own door, or foolhardy adventurers who liave mistaken rashness for courage (qualities as far apart as the poles), and suffered accordingly. Men fond of sport will not be destitute of it in many shapes wlio go to British Columbia, and it already affords the chi(;f and healtliiest anmsement amongst English settlers. Game is plentiful, and oi no mean sort, consisting as it does of bears, deer, and elk, together with grouse, partridges, and wildfowl. Sport, howevc-r, is not the easy Avork it is in England, owing to the density of the forests and iIk; rank growth of underwood. There is also another drawback to the pleasure of sporting ; I mean the rattlesnake, but, on the other hand, this is the only noxious animal or reptile in the colony, and even the rattlesnake is confifai d to the interior of the mainland. The mosquito seems to be a necessary adjunct to gold digging, for wherever, all the world over, you find the one the other is not far away; it is, in fact, generally a great deal too near to be plea^^iint. Nor is Frazer's River an exception to this rule, though from the lii-h latitude of the district the mosquitoes rre neither so numerous not >-\ formidable as in other gold mining dis riots. However, in Victoiia (the metropolis of British Columbia md Vancouver's Island, us 1 dare say you know) not one of +^ese nuisances is to be seen, .'it least, I never saw, nor felt the sting of, a single specimen. And now I approach a question which I fancy many of my re:. ders C 18 ill wish to ask — what are the chances for hroken-down gentlemen or clerks, and men with soft palms to their hands, generally ? My answer is this, that nature can make those hands as horny as any in the world, and that the outcry against this kind of emigrants is monstrously absurd ami — worse — unjust. Mind, I do not wish to raise any false hopes. Broken-down gentlemen and clerks would take at first the very lowest places in the colonies. But what of that ? The lowest places in a new colony, and especially in healthy British Columl)ia, are worth having, if they are well worked. 1 think a strongish, or rather let me say, I think a healthy, willing, broken-down gentleman or clerk has pretty well as good a chance in British Columbia as any other kind of man if he goes the right way to work. In the first place, he must look upon himself as ceasing to be an outside gentleman (let him keep one at heart by all means), he must regard himself as a common labourer knowing nothing about common labour. He must strive to consider himself as, for a time, below the common labourer in value in the new colony j but I do apprehend that if he does this he will soon rise by virtue of bis education and self-n^spect to something sujierior to that labourer. I do not think the case can be otherwise. I have known very clever sheep and agricultural farmers in Australia rise out of broken -do>Mi gentlemen. For instance, there were the nephe>vs of Lord Brougham. They went out to Australia perfect gentlemen (though not by any means broken-down ones) ; taking kindly to the new life they roughed it with the rest about them, and Avere very soon the equals in real hard-working powers with any of their neighl)Ours. And yet, as there must be a cause for every effect, I dare say there must be a cause for this wide-spread belief, that a " gentleman " is no good in a new colony. I take it this idea is founded on the fact that in all colonies a number of loafing young men are to be found who have clearly done nothing in all their li\ es, and who Avill not work to save themselves from death. They are spoilt sons of good families, or youths who have gone will, and who have been sent out by tiieir families as a last resource. They \vould never do any good for themselves anywhere, and, therefore, do no cohmy burdened with them any benefit ; but so far from the colony not giving them bread, I doubt if half of those unhappy persons, belonging to this kind of emigrants, which have come under my notice, could have hved without resources a quarter the time in the old country they have in the new. Plainly, gentlemen, and all emigrants affectirg a gentlemanly standing, must, in going to British Columbia, or any other colony, look upon their education as a something which must be only for 19 'nt. their " moral, not their social, guidance.* {a) For instance, I do think a man without a trade ought not to hesitate at taking a place as waiter at a restaurant, of which I found plenty kept by enterpris- ing Frenchmen in Victoria and small towns ; or as shopman at any kind of business to which he coald turn his hand, if it should not be strong enough to grasp a spade, which instrument is certainly the most valuable, and the best paying, in British Columbia, as it is that of most young and unsettled colonies. Even a shoe-black's is not a bad trade, since the charge for brush- ing shoes is just one shilling, while the wages men-servants get are from £5 to £8 a month, together with board and lodging ; the latter no inconsiderable item, for house-rent in the colony is exceedingly high. All this news is enough to frighten the professional genleman who wishes to maintain a regard for his profession ; but it is good tidings for washerwomen (who get 12 shillings per dozen in British Columbia), shoe-])lack boys, anrl maids of all work. Of the latter — the maids of all work — I must say that they would be as welcome as flowers in May, and, indeed, th(!y would very soon become wives of all work, for if there is one thing more than another a miner sighs for after a hard day's work, it is to see either his tent, or his log hut, brightened up ])y the smiles of a woman, and tidied up by woman's hand ; for truth to tell, men themselves are but poor hands at keeping a hut or a tent in order. It is one of the misfortunes of British Columbia in general, and of the mining districts in parti- cular, that they possess few women. Especially at the gold fields, men stand up to look at a woman go past, and I have known the arrival of a fresh female face in a gold digging district create such a stir that the miners have knocked off work for the day, and had a kind of here and there meeting over the event. Whence the new arrival has come — what she is going to do — who has sent tor her — has she come of her own accord — and who knows her — these are the questions asked a hundred times over amongst the little groups which assemble on such high days and holidays, as those upon which women arrive at the diggings, {b) {a) I am parti }'■ indebted to a friend for these ob.scrvaTions or the eniicraticu of geutlemeu aud clerks to British Columbia and other English colonies. (6) A correspondent writing in the Times also takes notice of the want of women in British Columbia in the folloiving sentence, so characteristic of the leadhig paper, both in tone and philosophy.— Kd. " f believe there is not 1 to every 1 (JO men at the mines; without them the male population will never settle in the country, and innumerable evils are the consequouce. A largo number of the weaker sex could ol)tain immediate employment as domestic ser^■ants, at high rates of wages, with th(i certainty of marriage in the hack- ground. The minor is not very particular — 'plain, fat. and 5(i,' even, would not be objected to ; while good-looking girls would be the nuggets, and prized HI 'i r\ hi 1 '5 '■ H l.t ) * j M ' 20 And I guess I need not say that the new-comer does not remain long without a Imshand if she is wilHng to take one. Nor Avill she be long unwilling, for to tell tlie truth, slie is so pestered with offers till she is a wife, that she chooses a man if it is only to be well rid of the rest ; and this having been done, the settlers have to wait till the next arrival. But it is weary work Avaiting, and I have known many a miner send money over to England for the passage out of an English girl or Scotch lassie he has known, more or less, in the old country at home, as the quickest mode of getting a wife. Why, I have heard of more than a couple of cases in Avhich miners sent passage money and offers of marriage home to girls to whom they perhaps, had never spoken, but whom they had knoAvn as neighbours friends in England. Nay, I knew an instance in which a miner wrote off to a woman >vhom he had never seen and whom he only knew by r<'ading her name in a pul)lic report in an English paper of an assault case, in which this girl had given a drunken man in charge for assaviUing her. Whether he ever got an answer, or whether liis money was sent back, or this girl " reported " herself at the diggings, I know not ; for 1 left the neighbourhood of Erazer River within a week of the posting of the letter in question. Indeed, I state candidly that I do not think any brisk woman could do better than emigrate to British Columljia. Her chances of gain- ing work are so great that they may be called certainties, and if she be inclined to marry she will not hick for offers ; 1 may say, after ex- perience in the tliree chief mining districts in the world, that gold miners make very good and considerate husbands, let what may be declared to the contrary. The miner, as a rule, may l)e a rough and ready man, and the blow between two of the njining craft may fol- low the word before its echo is dead, but there is a g(;neral kind of broad warm-heartedness shown towards women which gives the lie to the slander that miners look on Avomen as " chattels." It is true that some Avomen are not treated Avell at gold digging districts, but perhaps this is their OAvn fault. Eor my part 1 never saAV a decent Avoman unkindly used. In a Avord, 1 am c[uite sure of this, that a poor Avoman has far better chances in British Columl»ia than in the British Isles, and knowing as I do the almost necessarily evil consequences of men herding together Avith no Avonien to humanize and soften them, I cannot help thinking that a matri- monial office established in London to promote the emigration of "' 'ovdinji'ly. An immigration of such a character Avould be aa great a boon to i,ue colony us I am sure it Avould be to many of the under-paid, uuder-t'ed, and ovc'r-\\orked women Avlio drag out a weary cxiijteiice in the dismal back streets and alleys of tliis mctropoUs." 21 ^ '"OV.y, young and struggling women to Britisli Columbia at the cost of the miners would l)e a glorious boon for all parties ; and if there is any- thing unpleasant in the idea I am sure the amount of indelicacy would he over-balanced by the extreme good such an esta])lish- ment would bestow on the womanless colony located on Frazer's River. After talking so much of the advantages to be obtained by emi- gration to British Columbia it is likel> that the question arises to the reader's lip — " But if I am inclined to go to this colony, how am I to reach it ?" I have no doul)t that by the time this l)Ook is in the hands of its readers the daily papers will be beginning to teem with advertisements of vessels sailing for Vancouver's Island and British Columbia, and that those advertisements will be able to give far more accurate information than I can on liie subject ; still I will devote a page or so to this subject, and the reader will tind what I have to say on it under the heading " Various routes and tariffs to British Columbia." With respect to the food best suited to emigrants arriving in British Columbia I need say very little ; but what I set down is I think worth the reading. The climate being so much like that of England, there does not require that care in taking food which even a visit to a country so short a distance from England as France sometimes requires. For my part I should say, live pretty much as you have lived in England, but taking care not to consume too much fat pork, which I do believe is a great cause of American biliousness and pale looks, nor to take too kindly to the fish, which is so abundant in British Columbia, and of most known English kinds. Salmon, for instance, is very plentiful, but I noticed that last year, and especially in the summer, a large consumption of this fish in the fresh state was followed more or less by illness, diarrhoea, Sec. Mut on and l)eef seem to me the safest food for the eniiorant till he has served his apprenticeship to the new climate, Avhich is so bracing nine months out of the twelve, that I do not think, after the emi- grant has served half his time to British Columbia, that he will pay much attention to any advice as to what he should or should not eat. The food for the vayage out is, however, qni^e nnotlier affair, and in a fitting place I devote a short chapter to this subject. It is all very well to talk about the colony, but it is another thing to get there, and as the journey to the British Columbia by the long route is the longest sailing spell one can have to reach any colony belong- ing to the British crown, and as some portion of the short route is really dangerous if taken in summer or autumn (and I do not desire f" 22 to hide that fact) I think it is well that I should pay very consider- able attention to this portion of my guide hook. It was in May last that miners got to work on Antler's Creek, that plot of the Frazer River district which has so far proved the host gold mining field. Some of the new hands, as raAV to the work as they were raw in reality, after working at their new trade for a few days, took out gold to the value of 200 dollars (,^40) a day each, Avhile every hour brought fresh discoveries as good. One man with a " rocker," about as poor and inefficient a mining implement as can be imagined, made 400 dollars (£80) by ten hours' work, while a couple of men in the day washed 10 ounces (sold for ^£*88 10s.). This work was also done with a rocker. One Mr. Smith earned 3| pounds (worth £l85 6s.) in one day; his claim averaged 20 to 30 ounces a day. What are called " bench claims," terraces situated 100 feet above the water of the creek, were yielding from 4 to 8 ounces to each rocker every day. Few claims yielded less than 50 dollars (c£lO) to 100 dolhirs (£'20) a day to the hand. Confidence in the mineral wealth of the district was inspired from the first. It was seen to exhibit all the characteristics of a rich gold region, and bore a striking resemblance in all its features to the richest regions of California in 1849. In the early part of May, there were five feet of snow on the ground, but this did not prevent several miners from getting to work. A company of five men were getting out 37 ounces a day. Two men had got out 900 dollars (,£180) in two days. As the miners formed " flumes," which lessened hand labour, and ena})led them to chuck up the slow and tedious rocker, the results Avere much hight»r, amounting to all sorts of amounts, from <£l00 to £500 a day, to a company composed of three to five and six men. On Keithley's Creek the yield was not so large; 25 dollars (£5) to 75 dollars (£l5), and in some cases 100 dollars (£20), a day to the hand were the results. I know in June that one man from Fort Yale earned 1,800 dollars (£360) in about » fortnight by the remittance of the dust. Other creeks were now being discovered, and they were worked with varied success, ranging from Is. to the pan of dirt to £lO a day to the hand. But perhaps the best news in connection with this splendid gold- digging work is the fact that the health of the diggers remained so good ; I hardly remember one case of illness which was not brought on by drinking. This healthiness was in good contrast with the sickness so common in the Californian gold regions, and even in those of Australia, in both of which districts fever and ague kept a man's hands still half his time. While writing this chapter I learn i ! i / . ) 23 gaming, has taken that the miner's worst illne^JS — hecause it is fatal hold of the miners at Antler's Creek, I was not located there last year, and I can only speak from hearsay of that rich lot of claims ; hut I am bound to say that the gaming mania, even so late as last November, had not spread throughout the gold district, colony, &c,, to any such extent as I have seen it in California or in Melbourne. I must speak of things as 1 find them, let whatever be the result. There is another thing I would caution emigrants against, and that is, making way at once for the diggings directly they reach the colony, and refusing all work. The fact is, that after the long sea voyage, Tiien are not quite in order for very hard work, and I plainly warn all men, however easy the business of getting gold on Frazer's River hf,s so ftir been, that, as in other gold fields, when what is called the surface " efflorescence " of gold — the metal near the top of the soil — is exhausted, the work of driving tunnels in the quartz and breaking up the rock is no joke. I have no doubt, in my own mind, that the surface gold is already exhausted, or, at all events, very nearly exhausted, and therefore, when the intending emigrant arrives in the ctlony, the real haid work of gold getting will be wanted if the miner is to reap any harvest. I say the digging will l)e very hard, and therefore the emigrant will do veil to season himself after his voyage to work (that will be easy conpared with that at the diggings) before he tries his hand at the mints. I canlidly caution all men not to refuse good icoges on their first arrival n the colony, in their eagerness to reach the gold district ; I may say as arule, that until emigrants become acquainted with the labour of the cttintry, their services are of comparatively small value to their employers. They should, therefore, be careful not to fall into the commor error of refusing reasonable wages on their first arrival. With regard to the expense of a log hut, though we were in tents last sunnier, I do not care to say much. The cost of a log hut, such as the ;ettler is usually contented with, is from about £>5 to £lO; noio I tare say it would come to four times the amount ; but when the bestpart of the work is done by the settler with his own hands, the money aid out for the hut is much less than that I have put down as its c»st. These log huts, mind you, if made in a good workman- like maaner, are not to be despised. They are as warm and comfort- able hoises as men could wish to have over their heads. I coild say a deal more about the Frazer River gold district, how to get there, and how to manage when you foot it amongst the gold ; but thj thing has been well done by Mr. Alexander C. Anderson, late th« chief trader of the Hudson's Bay Company, who has written f 24 a handbook to the gold regions of Frazer's and Thompson's Rivers ; but as this book was published in February, 1859, all it lias to say will not hold good at the present date. However, I shall reprint a bit of his book here, and let it go for what it is worth. The reader will easily see where chang(is have taken place since Mr. Anderson wrote his chapters. " There are two distinct lines of approach to the mines ; one by the direct route through Frazer's River ; the other by way of the Columbia River, l)y Portland and the Dalles, and thenco, with pack animals, through the trails used until recently by the Hudson's Bay Company for their communications. " The gold found in the Couteau country has so far been procured chiefly from dry diggings. It is * coarse ' gold, and its quality stands high in the market. Consideral)le quantities are reported to have been dug by the natives, who appear to have l^een the chief miners. '* The upper and lower Indians have a standing feud, which is kept alive by a treacherous murder every now and then, as occasion pr(!sents. I " The miner visiting these reffions will find no native iBSOurces beyond what the river supplies. Land animals are scarce and so much hunted as to be extren'.ely shy. Salmon can usually hi bought very cheaply ; but as there is no salt, save what may be inported, there is no way of curing the fish but by the Indian mctlod. At Ska-oose, below the Forks, is a good sturgeon fishery, and esewhere in the eddies these fish may be caught. A strong line, wi;h some large cod-hooks, might be a useful addition to the miner's equipment. Set lines are an efficient way of catching these fish, the bait a small fish, or what is better, when procurable, a lamprey eel. Tiere are trout in the streams, and on the Dalles communication g'ouse of various kinds, sage hens, and other fowl, are generally abuniant. *' In ascending Frazer's River mosquitoes are very nimerous during the summer season, and as the sea-breeze is rarely felt the air is extremely sultry. Near the Tehae-tse-sum River, behw Fort Hope, the mosquitoes suddenly cease, and thence upwards tie river is free of these troul)lesome pests. i " The regular freshets begin at the latter end of April, aid last during May and June. About the 15th of June may be rtgarded as the culminating point ; and by the middle of July the wafers are generally greatly subsided. There is rarely a freshet of much con- sequence at any other season, but this sometimes happens, and I have known a sudden freshet, from heavy rains in October, rase the river beyond the summer limit. "Snow beginsfc o fall in the mountains early in October, k July , V '•'- ''..•-•- >• i V 25 , V however deep it there is still snow for a short distance on the summit of the Fort Hope trail, but not to impede the passage of horses. From the middle of October, however, to the mi(Ulle of June, this track is not to be depended upon for transport with pack animals. " The summer climate about the Forks is dry, and the heat is great. During winter the thermometer indicates occasionally from 20 to 30 degrees of cold below zero, of Fahrenheit ; but such severe cold seldom lasts on the upper parts of Frazer's River for more than three days ; the thermometer will then continue to fluctuates l)etween zero and the freezing point, until another interval of cold arrives. " But the winters are extremely capricious throughout these regions, and no two resemble each other very closely. In general the snow does not fall deep enough along the l)unks of the main streams to preclude winter travelling with pack animals. The quality of the pasture is such (a kind of Imnch grass in most places) that animals feed well at all seasons. There are many spots between the Similk-a-meen Valley and O'Kinagan that are specially favourable for winter ranches. In some the snow never lies may be around. " The country, from the mouth of Frazer's River up to the Falls, is thickly wooded, mountainous, and impassable for man or l)east. The river becomes more contracted above Fort Hope. Above the Falls, as far as Tqua-yowm, the character of the country continues to resemble the same distance below. At Tqua-yowm, however, a change takes place, and the evidences of a drier climate begin to appear. These continue to become more marked as we approach the Forks. At Thilk-um-chee-na, or the Little Fork, and upwards, rattle-snakes, wormwood, and the cactus (prickly pear) characterise the scene ; and some of these attributes extend thence downward for some distance, " At this point (Thilk-um-chee-na, the junction of Nicholas River with Thompson's River) the horse region may be said fiirly to commence. Hence, to the frontiers of New^ Caledonia north- ward, and southward to the Pampas of Mexico, this useful animal is the best servant of man. Horses, however, are dear luxuries (com- paratively speaking) in this quarter. At the Dalles and around Walla- Walla they are more numerous, and may be bought at very moderate rates. " Every miner is recommended, by whichever road he may travel to the Couteau mines, to supply himself well beforehand, as he can depend upon little in that region, save what is imported by himself and others." (a) (a) Mr. Anderson, in recommending " every miner to supply himself before- ^-^^ 20 IVfind — once more before concluding the chapter, I say to the miner — no drinking, no ganilding. Do one and you will do both. Do both and you will leave the mines, Avhatever your luck may be, a poorer man than you reached them, not only broken down in pocket, but in health and in temper for life. CHAPTER III. •I i. VARIOUS ROUTES AND TARIFFS TO BRITISH COLUMBIA. I SUPPOSE that many intending emigrants to British Columbia will be men with not too much money in their pockets. I will not say to such — do not go to British Columbia, because candidly the colony is so superior to any other that I have not the heart to say it ; but I cannot help leminding the poor man with a desire to emigrate, that hard work and a good will must pull a man through in any British colony, and that if he has only a little money he had better save it, and try for governmental assistance to any of the colonies to which emigration is aided by the government. The only colonies which at present enjoy this ])rivilege are Victoria (Australia), Queensland, the Cape of Good Hope, and Natal ; you see British Columbia and Vancouver's Island are not in the list ; and as the voyage to these two latter colonies is the most expensive which I know, I say plainly to the poor man who contemplates emigration, that on the whole it is perhaps better that he should apply to government to assist him to reach a colony and keep his few pounds in his pocket, than to sink what money he has in paying his expenses to British Columbia. However, to the man who has a little money, and who desires to make a little more of it, I say I do not think he could carry out a better plan, whatever his calling may be, provided he has good health, moderate strength, and decent will, than start at once for British Columbia. As I have not gone from Er.gland to British Columbia, and as in all probability by the time tliis book reaches the hands of its readers the Times will swarm with advertisements of lines of steam and sail- ing vessels for the new gold grounds, perhaps what I have to say on hand with necessaries " both for food and tools, does not mean to advise the intending emigrant to bring masses of tools and all other necessaries from England. He means to intimate that these things arc to be bought in the towns in the colonies, as they are not to be purchased in the gold districts. He says truly— each miner imports from the town what he wants for his own use or consumption. • 5P'tr;-, .•> 27 this sul)ject is not very important. For my own part my voyage liome, via Panama, the expensive route, cost just <£70, second class. The official government statement of the various routes is as follows : — Routes to British Columbia. .*(.»^V. ■/ There are three routes by which Vancouver's Island and British Ck)lumbia may be reached : — 1st. Round Cape Horn, in sailing vessels, direct to Victoria, in Vancouver's Island. 2nd. By the West India mail steamer to Colon ; thence, across the Isthmus (48 miles) by railway, to Panama ; and thence by the Pacific line of steamers to Victoria, Vancouver's Island. 3rd. Via New York to Colon, by steamers j and thence to Van- couver's Island across the Isthmus, as in the second route. This is the most certain route for letters. From Vancouver's Island to the main land of British Columbia, the distance is about GO miles across the Gulf of Georgia. The time occupied on the first route is about five months. The cost, in the first cabin, from ,£50 to £60 ; and in the second or intermediate cabin, from £30 to <£40 ; and in the steerage, from £25 to £30. By the second route, Vancouver's Island may be reached in about 50 days, if the passengers are not detained at Panama and St. Francisco. There is sometimes a week's detention at the latter place. The cost of a first-class passage is about £l00 ; that of the second class, about £65 ; and that in the steerage, about £45. The cost of passages by the third route is about the same as by the second route. The following are the government tabulated figures extracted from columns giving " the cost of passage in private ships from some of the principal English ports of the United Kingdom to the British Colonies and the United States." British Columbia, via Southampton Cabin. Cost, including Pro- visions. £ 98 Inteemediate. Cost, with Provisions. £ 65 Steerage. Cost, with full allow- ance of Provisions. £ 45 wmgBm 28 i ! \ CiiAUGES FOR Children. — If children are to he taken, and as I said they are mill-stones round the neck of the man, and I say- nothing of the cruelty to the children themselves, it is as Avell that the general practice Avith regard to them should he known. The general practice in charging for children to Noith America is to compute them according to the Passengers' Act ; viz.. Children from 1 to 12 years of ago, half the price of adults; Children under one year of age, no charge. Mr. Dallas has, in the Times, treated the question of the route to British Columhia in a jocular and pleasant style. That gentle- man says : — ' ' Spring is the host season in which to arrive in British Columliia. The pons as'morum is how to gt!t tlier(^, and at ^vhat cost. The shortest route is 1)y the Isthmus of Panama, which can he reached via Ne>v York, or ^;y the West India steamers to St. Thomas's, {a) St. Thomas's has heen much maligned for its heat ''.nd insaluhrity, but I heard a Glasgow skipper say it Avas the finest climate he was ever in, as he was ' aye drinking and aye dry.' The AV"est India steamers book passengers through from Southampton to Victoria for £do , but, whether by St. Thomas's or New York, no emigrant need calculate on reaching his destination under ,£50 or i*60. The voyage round Cape Horn can be m ide for ^30, or even less, but it generally occupies five or six months. As the passer ger is fed and lodged for such a period some may cou^^ider this an advantage, and, in comparing tlie voyage Avith tlie shorter one via Panama, and the cost, be of the same way of thinking as the Highlander, who complained of a professional dentist that he charged him half-a- crown for pulling out a tooth, which Avas done in a second, while a blacksmith, in extracting another grinder, dragged him all round the smithy for a quarter of an hour and charged only Gd'* (a) YclloAv fever in the wn.ters of Panama is dimply a plague. Wintei or .spring is the best time for the Englishman t) be in Pa lama, or near it; and I -nvouUI strongly iidvise any man, rich or poor, )r whether or not lie wants to reach Fra/.er's Kiver in a mighty hurry, l)y ^o moans to laice the Panama route if he finds by calculation that he will be ^t that isthmus in summer or autui in. I 29 CHArXER lY. YOUR OUTFIT. " EiMir.RANTS should Imrden thomsclves with as h'ttle harjgao'e as possibk', aiid busljaiid tlicir ready cash for extremities." These are the ^vor(Is of a geiithjmaii to wliom I have ah-eady referred — tlio Times coiTospoiukait — and tiiat gentleman never made a truer remark. There is no greater mistake than for an emigant to over- load himself ^vith l)aggage. A great chest is almost as much a drag upon the ne^vly arrived emigrant as a child. II(! does not know what to do with it, and it is too valual)le to be throw n a\va3^, M-hile in nine cases out of ten the money it and its contents cost would l)e a great deal better in your pocket. In submitting the folbjwing outfit, recommended by tht govern- ment, I am supposing that you want to save a? much money as you can, and to be hindered with as littJe baggage as you can manaoc with. Ik'lieve me ther<; is no greater mist.ike than an expensive or too extensive outfit for a voyage to a distant colony. The under- printed jry«:^?t ditto for neck, each 4 nightcaps, each - - - 4 sleeping jackets, each - 2 bhick worsted hose, each G I 4 cotton ditto, each - 9 j 1 pair of shoes - - . 1 warm cloak, with a cape G 2 bonnets, each - - - 3 10 1 small shawl - - - - 2 3 1 stuff dress - ■« - - 11 2 print ditto, each _ _ 6 G shifts, each .-.-13 2 flannel petticoats, cicji - 2 1 stutl^" ditto - . - - 3 2 twill cotton ditto - - 2 1 pair of stays - - - - 2 G 3 cap,^, each - - - ■ OK Each person also requires — 1 bowl and can, 2s. 3 ,-\ Tlie cost of an outfit for cliildren varies Avith their size. Generally speaking, three children under 7, or two between that age and 14, may be clothed for about 5l. ; but a well-grown girl or boy of 13 years of age will cost nearly as much as an adult. I say again that the above outfit for men and women seems to me quite sufficient as regards quantity; perhaps if an addition were to be made it should be Guernsey shirts. These articles, which should be got of very fine texture, and of very coarse, are the emigrants' true wear. There is no clothhig like the thick ones for keeping him warm, and not any equal to the thin ones for keeping him cool in hot weather • ana 1 can tell you that you will find many great varieties of weathers, varying between extremely hot, and braf'ingly cold, during your voyage, especially if you take the route round Cape Horn. iiy the way, boots nre not your wear on a sea voyage, they draw your feet, )'0U can't well walk in them, and the sea water makes the leather as hard as wood. Shoes, and better still, slippei's^ are what is wanted on board ship. The following recipe is a capital one for keeping leather in order, and preventing it from being spoilt by sea water. I have tried it too often not to recommentl it. Linseed oil, 1 gill ; spirit of turpentine, 1 oz ; bees-wax, 1 oz ; Bur- gundy pitch, loz. To be well melted together and kept covered in a gallipot. Lay it on the leather, rubbing it in well, and set shoes in a hot sun, or before the fire. : I I ; CHAPTFll V. I THE VOYAGE OUT. As most emigrants from England are men who know little or nothing about ship regulations, perhaps the following abstract of order in council "for promoting order and health, &c., in passenger ships to any of Her Majesty's possessions abroad," will be read with interest : 1. Every passenger to rise at 7 a.m., unless otherwise permitted by the surgeon, or, if no surgeon, by the master. 2. Breakfast from 8 to D a.m., dinner at 1 p.m., supper at G p.m. 3. The passengers to be in their beds at 10 p.m., except under permission of the surgeonj or, if no surgeon, of the master. 4. Fires lu be lighted by the passengers' cook at 7 a.m., and kept alight by him till 7 p.m., then to be extinguishcu, unless otherwise directed by the master, or required for the use of the sick. 32 ' J \:y ' 5. The master to rletormlne the order in Avhidi each passenger, or family of passengers, shall be entitled to the use of the fires. The cook to take care that this order is preserved. 6. On each passenger-deck three safety lamps to he lit at dusk, and kept burning all night, and such further number as shall allow one to he plac(!d at each of the hatchways used by the passengers. 7. No naked light be i ween deck or in the hold to be allowed at any time or on any account. 8. The passengers, when dressed, to roll up their beds, to sweep the decks (including the space under the bottom of the berths), and to throw the dirt overboard. 9. Breakfast not to commence till this is done. 10. The sweepers for the day to be taken in rotation from the males above 14, in the proportion of five for every 100 ])assengers. 11. Duties of the sweepers to be to clean the ladders, hospitals, and roundhousei to sweep the decks after every meal, and to dry, holystone, and sci i em after breakfast. 12. But the occuj', of each berth to see that his own berth is well brushed out ; and single women are to keep their own com- partment clean in ships where a separate compartment is allotted to them. IS. The beds to be well shaken and aired on deck, and the bottom boards, if not fixtures, to be removed, and dry scrubbed, and taken on deck at least twice a week. 14. Two days in the week to be appointed by the master as washing days, Init no clothes on any account to be washed or dried between decks. 15. The coppers and cooking vessels to be cleaned every day, and the cisterns kept filled with water. IG. The scuttles and stern ports, if any, to ])e kept open (Aveather permitting) from 7 ii-m. to 10 p.m., and the hatches at all hours. 17. On Sundays the passengers to be mustered at 10 a.m., when they will be expected to ap])ear in decent and clean apparel. The day to be observed as religiously as circumstances will admit. 18. No sj)irits or gunpowder to be taken on board by any passenger. Any that may be discovered to be taken into custody of the master till the expiration of the voyage. ly. No loose hay or straw to be allowed below. 20. No smoking to be alloAved b(>tween decks. 21. All gambling, fighting, riotous, disorderly, or quarrelsome conduct, swearing, and violent or indecent language, are strictly prohibited. Firearms, swords, and other ofi'ensive weapons, as soon as the passengers embark, to be placed in the custody of the master. J 22. No sailors to remaiu on the passcngcr-dcck among the pas- sengers except on duty. 23. No passenger to go to the ship's cooLhousc "vvitliout special permission from the master, nor to remain in the forecastle among the sailors on any account. OFFENCES AT SEA PUNISHABLE IN THE COLONIES. Formerly offences at sea might, under the Act 11 and 12 AYill. 3, cap. 7, he tried in any colony, and were to he dealt with according to the civil law, and the method and rules of the Admiralty, and suh- sequently (under the 4G Geo. 3, cap. 54-), according to the common course of the laws of this re.dm, applicable to like offences committed on land. But now, hy the 12 & 13 Vict., cap. 06 (1849), these offences, when dealt with in a colony, are to he tried according to the law of the colony, but punished according to the law of England. The Act of Victoria, Avhich was passed in August, 1849, for the prosecution and trial in the colonies of offences committed within the jurisdiction of the Admiralty, provides that all persons charged in any colony with piracy, felony, murder, "or other offence of Avh at nature or hind soever," committed on the sea, or %vithin the Admiral's jurisdiction, may l)e brought to trial in the same manner, according to the laws of the colony, as if the offence had been committed on Avaters within the local jurisdiction of the criminal courts of the colony, and, upon conviction, shall suffer the same punishments as tliey would have been liable to had the offence been committed, tried, and adjudged in England. AVhere death ensues in a colony from an injury inflicted at sea, the offence, Avhether murder, manslaughter, or accessory before or after the fact, may be dealt with in the colony as if it Lad been wholly committed there ; hut in the converse case, of the death ensuing at sea from an injury inflicted in the colony, the offence shall be held to have been wliolly committed upon the sea. The jurisdiction of the Supreme Courts of New South "Wales and Tasmania, as established by 9 Geo. 4, cap. 83, is left intact. Abstract of the United States Passenger Act of 1855. Sect. 1. Tonnage Check. Computation of Children. — No greater number of passengers is to be carried than 1 to 2 tons. In the computation of passengers, infants under 1 year old are to be ex- D 34 eluded, and children between 1 and 8 years are to count as one pas- senger. Space Check. — "Where the height between decks is not less than 7^ feet, 14 superficial feet are to be allowed to each passenger; where less than 7|- feet, but not less than G feet, 16 superficial feet are to be allowed to each passenger on the main and poop decks, and in deck houses, and 18 superficial feet on the lower deck, not being an orlop deck. Space to Passengers on different Docks. — No passengers are to be carried on a deck less than 6 feet high. Any master carrying more passengers than here allowed will be guilty of a misdemeanour, and be liable to a fine of 50 dollars and six months' imprisonment for each passenger in excess. Hospitals. — A hospital is to be provided, not exceeding 100 superficial feet, and to be included in the computation of the space for passengers. Sect. 2. Berths. — No vessel is to have more than 2 tiers of berths. The berths are to be 6 feet long and 2 feet wide ; the bottom berth is to be not less than 9 inches from the deck ; each berth is to be occupied by a single passenger, but double l)erths may be con- structed to be occupied by two women, or by husband and wife, or by a woman and two children under 8 years, or by a man and two of his own children under 8 years, or by two men, members of the same family. For violation of this section the master and owners severally are to forfeit 5 dollars for each passenger on board. Sect. 3. Boohy Hatches. — Vessels capable of carrying 50 passen- gers are to have one house or booby hatch, and those capable of carrying 150 passengers are to have two houses, or bool)y hatches, over the hatches. Penalty on master and owner, 200 dollars. Sect. 4. Ventilatinp Tubes. — Every vessel capable of carrying 100 passengers is to have at least two ventilating tubes, one fore and the otlier aft, proportioned to the size of the compartment to be venti- lated, unless other equally efficient mode of ventilation be adopted. Penalty on master and owner, 200 dollars. Sect. 5. Caboose. — Every vessel carrying more than 50 passengers to have a caboose or cooking-range, the dimensions of which are to be after the rate of 4 feet in length by 18 inches in width, for every 200 passengers. Penalty on master aud owner, 200 dollars. Sect. G. Diet Scale. — Every vessel to carry provisions for each passenger, after the fullowing scale, for the voyage, viz.: — f. I ■V' 35 20 lbs. good navy bread, 15 ?) ?» rice, oatmeal. 10 „ wheat flour. 15 20 10 10 ?» 5) peas or beans. „ potatoes, „ salt pork 1 ^ « , 1 ^f r bone, 1 pint of vinegar, CO gallons of -water. Substitutions. — But increased quantities of bread or potatoes may be substituted for rice, oatmeal, wheat flour, and pease or beans, where these cannot be procured, and vice versa. Weekly issues, — One tenth of the above provisions is to be issued to each passenger weekly, and 3 quarts of water daily. Provisions to he cooked. — The master is to cause the provisions to be cooked, and issued at fixed hours to messes or otherwise. Fine for short issues. — li passengers are, at any time, put on short allowance, they shall be entitled to recover 3 dollars per day for the period of such short allowance, and if the master shall fail to furnish such provisions in a cooked state he shall be guilty of a misde- meanour and be liable to a fine of 1000 dollars (X*200) and one year's imprisonment. Discipline, Waterclosets, ^'c. — The master is to establish and post up regulations for discipline and cleanliness, and to provide a safe and convenient water-closet to every 100 passengers, and when the bed cannot be brought on deck to cause the deck to be cleansed with chloride of lime or some other disinfecting agent. Penalty on masters and owners, 50 dollars (dt'lO). MAINTENANCE ON ARRIVAL OF A PASSENGER SHIP. Passengers are entitled by the Imperial Passengers' Act to be maintained on board in the same manner as during the passagt' for 48 hours after arrival, unless within that time tlie ship should quit the port in the prosecution of her voyage. As regards those bound to Quebec, the Canadian Passengers' Act, 15 & IG Vict., c. 86 (1852), imposes a penalty on the master who compels passengers to leave before the expiration of 48 hours (except in cases where th<' vessel has a mail contract), and provides that they shall be landed free of expense and at proper hours. I add some of the rules taken from an abstract of the Passengers ii f I- ) 1 i 'ML SG Act, 1855, thinking tlicy may Lc of some value to the emigrant to Jiritish (\)hna!)ia. The Act apj)hes equally to foreign and to British vessels, except such parts thereof as relate to the rules to he prescribed hy orders in council fur preserving order and for securing cleanliness and ventila- tion on hoard, Avhicli rules are binding onlv in ])assenger ships pro- ceeding to the l^ritish colonies. l>ut by the bond re(]uired by the G3rd section of the act to be given to the CroNvn, before clearance, by the masters of all passenger ships for the due observance of tlie law, the masters of foreign passenger ships proceeding to the British colonies engage to submit themselves to the jurisdiction of the colo- nial tribunals for any violation of the law, in like manner as British masters. Regular mail steamers are exempt from the act. So also, for most purposes, are cabin passengers. No persons arc to be deemed cal>in passengers unless the space allotted to their exclusive use be not less than oG clear square feet to each statute adult ; nor uidcss they shall be messed at the table of the master or first oihcer of the ship ; nor unless the fare con- tracted to he paid shall he in the proportion of at least 80*. for every Aveek of the prescril>ed length of tin; voyage for sailing vessels, proceeding from the United Kingdom to any place south of the equator, and of 20.9. for those proceeding to any place north of the equator, nor unless they shall hold a duly signed contract ticket. The term "statute adult " means each passenger of the age of 12 years and upwards, or two jnissengers between the ages of I and 12 years. A " passenger ship " means any vessel carrying more tiz.m 80 passengers in all, or more than in the proportion of one statute adult to every 50 tons, if a sailing vessel, or more than one to every 15 tons, if a steamer, of the ship's rer/istcred tonnage. A marked distinction is made between passenger ships and ships not coming wirliin that definition. To the former all the provisions of the act apply; to the latter only six clauses, viz. the 10, 10, IT, 48, 49, ancl 50, Avhich require that facilities of inspection shall he aflbrded to the emigration ollicers ; that lists of passengers (how- ever few) shall be delivered to the Custom-house ofhcers ; that passage-money shall be returned, with compensation, if passages are not provided according to contract ; that subsistence-money shall be paid to passengers in case of delay in sailing ; and that passengers shall not be landed at the wrong place. Parties contracting to provide cal)in passengers in " passenger ships," or emigrants in any ships with passages to any place out of Europe, not being in the IMediterranean Sea, are bound to give con- tract tickets in the form prescribed hy the Act, or by the Emigration Commissioners, containing an acknowledgment for the money rc- ^nMsanMMNiwasi 37 coivcd, uiidor a penalty not exceeding £50 and not less than .£;■>, and the forfeiture of license in the case of a passage broker. — Sees. 71 & 07. Any person fraudulently altering, after issue, contract tickets, or inducing passengers to part with or destroy them during the exist- ence of the contract, is liable to a penalty not exceeding <3b'2() in eacii case. — Sec. 72. Cabin and other passengers may recover in a summary way, before Justices of the Peace, damages for the breach of any stipulation in their contract tickets, not exceeding, with the costs, the amount of their passage money and <£20. — Sec. 7'S. Cal)in and other passengers are bound, under a penalty not ex- ceeding £lO, to exhibit, on demand, to any emigration officer, their contract tickets. — Sec. 74. Facilities for inspecting all sliips, either fitting for or carrying pas- sengers, arc to be afforded to the proper officers at home and abroad. —Sec. 10. No "passenger sliip " is to clear out without first ol)taining from the emigration or custom-house officer, as the case may be, a certi- ficate; that tbe requirements of the Act have been complied with, and that the ship is seaworthy, and with her passengers and crew in a fit state to proceed ; nor Avithout the master having given a bond to the Crown. The penalty for l)reach of this regulation is the forfeit fire of the fthip, if found Avithin two years in any port of the United King- dom, or in tliG British possessions abroad, — Sec. 11 & 12. No ship is to carry passengers on more than 2 decks, except in the case cf cabin passengers, whert; the number does not exceed 1 to everv 100 tons re. — Sec. 02. The requirements of the Act are <;nforced by penalties chiefly on the master. All penalties are to be sued for before two or more justices of the peace, to the use of her jMajesty. They can only be recovered in the United Kingdom by the emigratiim officers, or by the officers of her Majesty's Customs ; and in the British possessions abroad, by those officers, or by any other person duly authorized for the purpose by the governor of the colony. Sees. 84, 85, & 8G. Passengers th(;msel\es, however, or the emigration officers on their behalf, may recover, by a similar process, any sum of money made recoverable by the Act, to their own use, as return of passage- money, subsistence-money, or compensation ; and in such cases, the passengers are not to be deemed incompetent witnesses. — Sees. 81 & 91. Single men of the age of fourteen and upwards are to be berthed in a separate compartment in the fore part of the ship, or in separate rooms, if the ship be divided into compartments and fitted with enclosed births. Not more than one passenger, unless husband and \Yife, or females, or children under twelve, are to occupy the same berth. No berths are to be taken down for forty-eight hours after the arrival of the ship at her destination, unless all the passengers shall within that time have voluntarily quitted her. Sees. 20, 21, 22, & 23. In every *' Passenger Ship " there must be a hospital or hospitals set apart, under the poop, or in the round-house or deck-house, or on the upper passenger deck, and not elsewhere, not less in size than 18 clear superficial feet for every fifty passengers, and properly supplied with bed-places, beds, bedding, and utensils. — Sec. 24. There must be two pr'vies in each passenger ship, with two addi- tional privies on deck for every one hundred passengers on board ; and where there are fifty female passengers, with at least two waterclosets under the poop or on the upper deck, for the exclusive use of the women and children. The whole number of privies need not exceed twelve, and they are to be placed in equal numbers on each side of the ship, and to be maintained in a serviceable and cleanly condition throughout the voyage. — Sec. 25. 40 CHAPTER VI. If i if it RATIONS AND PROVISIONS IN ALL PASSENGER SHIPS DURING THE VOYAGE. During tho voyage of a passenger ship, including the time she may put in at any port, tlie master must issue daily hefore two o'clock in the afternoon to each passenger, or, where they are divided into messes, to the head man of each mess, pure water and sweet and wliolosome provisions, according to the scale underneath. All articles requiring cooking must l)e issued in a cooked state. The first issue must he hefore two o'clock on the day of cmharkation. No mess must contain more than 100 adults. WEEKLY DIETARY SCALE, PER STATUTE ADULT. ARTICLES. 3 quarts of Water daily ('cxcliisive of 10 gallons a day per 100 statute adults for cooking purposes). Bread or Biscuit not inferior in quality to Navy Biscuit Wheatcn Flour Oatmeal Rice Peas Potatoes Beef Pork Tea Sugar - Salt Mustard Black or White Pepper (ground) Vinegar Lime Juice Preserved Meat Suet - - - - Raisins ..--.--. Butter Scale A. Scale B. For Voyaces For Voyages not exceeding 84 cxceedinf,' 84 diiys for Sailing > days for Sailing Vessels or ."jO days. Vessels or SO days for Steamers.' for Steamers. lbs. 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 6 1 oz. 8 8 8 8 4 2 2 0^ One Gill lbs. 3 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 One Gill 6 1 6 8 4 8 8 8 4 2 2 0| By an order in council, dated 6th May, 1857, steamers (and, by an order in council, dated 13th May, 1859, sailing vessels) \ 44 u s which carry an efficient apparatus (approved hy the emij^ration officer) for distilling fresh from salt water, at tlu; ratt- of not less than one gallon per diem for each pcrsim on hoard, need only carry, in tanks or Cfish, one-half the water preserihed l)y this Act. The following suhstitutions for articles in tlu; a1)ove dietary scale may be made at the option of the master of any " Passenger Ship," provided that the suhstitated arlidcs he set forth in the contract tickets of the passenrjers ; that is to say, 1 lb. of preserved meat for 1 lb. of salt pork or beef; 1 lb. of flour or of l)read or biseuit, or h lb. of beef or of pork, for 1^ lb. of oatuKial, or 1 lb. of rice, or 1 lb. of peas; 1 lb. of rice for ly lb. of oatmeal, or vice versa.', \ lb. of preserved potatoes for 1 lb. of ])otatoes ; 10 oz. of currants for 8 oz. of raisins ; Sg- oz. of cocoa or of coffee, roasted and ground, for 2 oz. of tea ; | lb. of treacle for ^ lb. of sugar ; 1 gill of mixed pickles for 1 gill of vinegar. — Sees. 3.5 & 30. If I were asked what provisions I should recommead the emigrant to take as a kind of addition to those provided by the ship's master, I should say a case or so of pres(.'rved meats and preserved vegetables — especially the latter, which when good are beyond all value. Another indispensalde thing is lime juice ; I believe that on two or three occasions I owed i ly life (and several of ujy fellow-travellers owed their lives in turn to me) to a large sup])ly of lime juice, which was more than enough to satisfy us all. 'V\u\ value of this health preserver cannot be too highly estimated. If you ask me how much you shall take, I answer, just as mucb as ever you like ; for what you don't want you will be able to give away in the best directed charity you ever had a hand in. You sbould see the little children enjoy a draught of water in which a little lime juice has been dropped; it is a real pleasure to look upon tlie sight. This liquor seems to cure bad water, and to save every creature -who uses it carefully from such illnesses as fever, costivencss, scurvy, and all affections of the skin. There, I have known it to cure tooth-ache, and even inflamed eyes. It seems to me, that on ship board, lime juice is a regular universal medicine. Whatever you take with you, leave alone such things as potted meats and all high-seasoned things, wliich will only heat your blood. And I can tell you the 'tween decks of a ship will send your blood up to fever heat quite soon enough. Perhaps, however, you should not forget some preserved milk, which you will find of immense benefit, and a great luxury, while a few pounds of tea will cheer you, and will pay you for the outlay upon it. s^ I' I t' 42 CHAPTER VIT. MEDICINES. Tins may, perhaps, appear an odd chapter heading, ^ut it is a necessary one, for tlie simple reason tliat, as I have said, if you go by the Panama route in summer or autumn, and T am thoroughly convinced that during the coming spring aiul summer many liundreds of Englislimen Avill cross the Isthmus of Panama, you will run a very con:i.idera])le risk of catching yc^llow fever, and that compla'it has a Icnaek of sticking hy one for a long time — if, indeed, it lets you off Avith life at all. The medicines I should recommend an emigrant to t>ke with him are sulphate of quinine, some preparation of mevcr.ry, and, :f ' e can afford it, a half dozen case of the very hest cham]);igiie. A])out an ounce of sidj;hate of quinine ■will he sufficient. This will give ItJO doses of three grains a dose, which will he quite sufficient. Care should he taken that this splendid preventive should be got at a good cheirist's. Two doses a day will he sufficient, and the medicine should 1)0 commenced when the very hot latitudes are reached, or even l)efore, if sickness should show itself on board. The mission of suljdialv of quhiine seems to be to fortify the body against the attacks of fever. ShouM, however, the premonitory Symplons of fever set in — you all know them — heavy head, burning skin, dry mouth, take to the mercury. Have the mercurial prepara- tion made in two or three grain powders. Begin with the first, and then with the second, if the symptoms do not aliate. Doses, I believe, at six hours' distance. It may be said, but there is the doctor to consult, why iiot leave the question of medicine to him? I say in ans-v'/er, that as far as the quinine is concerned, that it is to prevent any call for the doctor ; while, as to the mercury, he would give it to you, so you may just as well take it, and save yourself the danger of its being discovered that there is no mercury in the ship. If, however, neither quinine sav^es you from the attack of yellow fever, nor mercury al)ates the premonitory symptoms, then your champagne will become of paramount importance. It is the general medical cnstcin now in all cases of yellow fever to "put a bottle of oham[)agne into you." It is the new cure for yellow fever, the specific that is ultimately, in combination with other discoveries still in darkness, to abolish yellow fever. ivlind, whatever you do let your champagne be good, or you had infinitely better, in case of yellow fever, be without it. By all means get it at one of the best London houses, and do not expect to ' ''^^••■■■i^r-- i Birr 43 hvy It at a less rate tlian 80 shilliiip,s per dozen. Tlie cliompagne fie to contend with yellow jack, as yellow fev(!r is called on the other side of the Atlantic, is not to be got at a lower price. At all events, if you are afraid to believe in what I have said about the mercury, you may purchase the ounce of quinine, which will cost about 12 shillings, and the half-dozen of champagne; for, while the quinine is a fortilier, and can do you no possible harm, supposing that it can do you no good, you can certaiidy, if you do not have occasion to take it as a medicine, drink success to yourself in the wine when you reach the young colony, the new land of promise. And while I am on this question of medicine, let me, without any offence w^hatever, say a word or two about personid cleanliness. It is half the battle on board ship. Be clean, and you are healthy. Whenever you can souse yourself with cold water do not be afraid of it ; you will not take cold. Then, if you follow my advice and wear Guernseys, there can be no better plan tban to submit them to the same system, wash them (In sea water if you cannot get fresh) whenever you have the opportunity, every day when you get into hot quarters, for worsted easily soils and readily absorbs the perspiration. Do not, I say, be offended at these minor recommendations. It is astonishing how well such hints pay for the minding. A good, healthy, clean, and unworried skin is one of the greatest comforts of a long voyage. Mind, whenever you can, souse yourself with sea water, and do Avhat you can to make them al)out you do the same kind of thing. I have, as you already know, been a good deal on the sea, and I am really sorry to admit that as a rule steerage passengers do not care for soap and water. You see I am ad- dressing you as a steerage passenger, not l)ecause I am supposing that you could not afford a better kind of berth, but because I am persuading myself you are desirous of taking all the money you can into the colony, and of spending as little on the voyage as you possibly can. CHAPTER VIII. TOOLS. I TiAVE given this subject a chapter heading because it is a very important one, and not because I have much to say on the matter. However, I had the feeling that if I put the few lines I have to say on this point in amongst other matter, it might possibly be over- looked. I cannot add half a dozen words to those which Govern- •\ ■ u ment offer on tlie sulrject. You Avill find it laid down in the Coloni- zation Circular. " It is not generally cons dered desiraLle that agricultural labourers should take out implemen s of husbandry, as these can be easily procured in the colonies ; but artizans are recommended to take such tools as they may possess, if not very bulky." T V re can be nothing more to add. Agricultural tools, \vhich for the most part are gold-getting tools, can be bought good, and if not cheap, at a less cost than that to Avhich the emigrant would be put in bringing liis own, to say nothing of the trouble they will be after his arrival. However, in the case of mechanical and e^wchxWy favourite hand tools, take them by all means, for in the first yhu-c tbey are not l)ulky ; secondly, you are sure of them; and especially in tlu; third place I have noticed that a man gets on better Avitli bis work in the colony if he begins with well-known tools, whose features^ if I may say so, seem those of old friends. But as for taking patent ploughs, patent gold-wasbing apparatus, or lathes, and such heavy matters, don't dream of doin^ anv thiuir of tbo kind. Tliere Avill be plenty of skilled labour this summer in Yancouver's Island and British Columbia, and the dearth of ixold dijjcfinjx tools once felt in Australia can never ])e experienced in British Columbia, near as it is to San Francisco, where there are more of these tools in stock than sufficient for ten times the diggers who will swarm this year to Frazer's River. ^*'-'WW"W\. CHAPTER IX. CONCLUDING REMARKS. HINTS TO GOLD DIGGERS HOW TO KEEP THEIR GOLD ; WHAT TO DO WITH IT WHEN THEY HAVE GOT IT ; AND IIO\V TO KEEP THEIR HEALTH AT THE DIGGINGS. I INTENDED to liave Separate chapters to each of these headings, but I find that I have in reality alrendy said all that I can say on these points. Of hints to gold diggers I have given hundreds already. Be temperate, I say, when you are at the diggings. Mind, no gaming and no drink. Wait till you get home or colonised, because I do not suppose that you, any mor(^ than the rest of the men who go up to the diggings, think of remaining there for life. Wait, I say, till you get away from the diggings before you spend your money. Remember, every nugget you lay out at the diggings is, without any figure of speech, eathiy *i»« i . mm 45 / sell your gold to. Tlie Jews will be up at Frazer's River, Le sure, and they will try tlieir usual games upon you. 1 say, sell only to official dealers ; tliey are the only men with whom you can safely trade. To keep your health at the diggings you have only to he temperate in eating and drinking, to bathe as frequently as you like, to smoke as little as you will, and not to sleep too mauy hours — seven will be quite enough I do assure you. By the way, sleep as /lir/k as you can from the ground, and if it is possible a])ove the level of the river itself. This you may do in many cases. But if you should find ague or fever coming on, have recourse to the sulj)hate of quinine I have ah-eady spoken of. Six grains at the same time every day, and easy work, together Avith walking exercise and temperate regular living, will cnahlo you to overcome your first attack of ague or fever, and in ail probai)i!ity, if you remain steady, that first attack will be the last, for you will then be seasonc(3, and, I may tell you for your comfort:, better able to work than you were before — that is, if your ilhiess falls on a steady man. Be unsteady, and your fever or ague will lay you up for months, and work all the gold out of your pocket again. Well, now I leave you, with these last words : fiOon-wiLL, TEMPCRANCE, CIIKEHPULNESS, AND WORK. With tllCSe foUr tllhlgS, you cannot well go Avrong either in health or fortune. SOME ACCOUNT OF VANCOUVER'S ISLAND AND BRITISH COLUMIUA, Until 1780 Vancouver's land, which may be said to form a por- tion of the colony oi British ('dlunibia. though in strict legality it does not, was n;imelesf?. It was su;. posed to lieiong t<» the mainland, which at that date may be pronounced as also devoid of a title. It was in the year named that an American captain sailed round it, and proved its division from the nuiinland. It \ ok its present name in 1702 from Ca])tain Vancouver, who was the second navi- gator Avho completed the tour of th" island. Its navigator also bestowed upon it the name of Quadra, in honor of the Sj)anish commandant of Nootka Sound. But this latter appellation is very generally dropj)ed. Vancouver's Island in l.*^ ' was granted to the Hudson's Bay CVmipany, on condition of their colonizing it. Vancouver's Island and British Columbia (of which latter very little is even at the present hour known) are British posses- ssse 46 Hwi III . u I i ■ sions on the West coast of North America, between N. lat. 48.20 and 51, W. long. 123 and 128.20; A^mcouver's Island is separated from the mainland hj Queen Chorlotte's Sound, the Gulf of Georgia, and Juan de Fuca Strait. The island is of an irregular oblong form, stretching from north-west to south-east, its length, from Cape Scott to Point Gonzales, is 270 miles ; its mean breadth from 40 to 50; and its area estimated at 10,000 square miles. The general appearance of this island is very different from that of the mainland, for it is by no means attractive. The coast consists for the most part of steep cliflFs, against which tlu; sea dashes imj)etuously, and breaks itself into foam and spray at their feet. "Almost immediately behind rise u uniform series of rounded hills, densely covered with pine forests," we read in the * Encyclopcjedia Britannica,' "while the ])ack ground of the scene is filled up with a serrated ridge of bare mountains, which runs like a backbone through the middle of the island from end to end. T'he intevior, so fai as it has been explored, consists of a masi; oi rocks and mountains ; and of the level ground, which lies for the \.iost })art along the coasts, by far tbe greater part is covered with wood, although the portions that ai-e clear have generally a very fertile soil. There are many small 1)ays, harbours, and inlets along the coast, and in the interior are some small rivers and lakes, but none of any considerable size. The prevailing geological formations of Vancouver's Island and British Columbia also are gneiss and mica schist ; but towards the south- east strata of linijstone and sandstone occur ; and among the moun- tains of the interior there an^ many blocks of granite and dikes of trap. In the central part of the island the hills are steep, rugged, and in many cases without vegetation ; the valleys narrow and shallow ; and the soil such as to be of little use. On the mainland, on the contrary, and where the ground has been cleared, the very best Kinds of agricultural soil exist. The mountain scenery gene- rally is wild without being romantic, and has neither beauty nor sublimity to attract the traveller: but the fertile spots of Vancouver's Island, and especially of the mainland, are of an exquisitely supe- rior character. The climate is very healthy and more agreeable. There are two seasons, a dry and a r.iiny. The former lasts from April to September, during which time the beat is greater than that of an average English summer, and little rain falls. In the rainy season, from October to March, there is generally a great deal of snow and rain ; and it is certain that the winter is more severe than this season is on an average iji ]*]i)gland. The seasons, however, are not very certain, being liajle to considerable irregularities both of time and of temperature. I'^l ( i ( 1 1 C e I i I v^ r c'J^ The principal indigenous plant is the catnafts, which has an esculent root, somewhat resembling an onion. This is a favourite food with the natives of both the isle and the mainland. The indigenous islander also lives in a great measure upon dried salmon and potatoes. Salmon is marvellously plentiful and luxuriant in these colonies, and there can be little doubt that before long we shall have it on our English tables. In all probability the potatoe has been an introduction of the emigrant, or rather of the early trader to this region. The animals found in the colonies are bears, a few wolves, less panthers, and many elk and deer. Of birds — there are several kinds of grouse, wood- peckers, and fin immense variety of water-fowl. The most important mineral product of these colonies Avas, until the gold fields were discovered, a good coal, of which there are many ext(;nsive and valuable s?ams. The coal has has been already »vorked in many places. Until within the last four years British Columbia proper, as far as the white man is concerned, may be said to have been uninha- bited. The " gold news," however, which has been gradually spreading for three years, and which has within the last few weeks taken such an extraordinary leap by the pablication in the Times of tlie letters of the " own correspondent " of that journal, and also those of Mr. Dallas, have caused an emigration to the mainland which was gradual up to the end of 18G0, but which has liecome marvellous during the past year, though in all probability the numbers which are already in the colony are C(mteinj)tible in extent when compared with those which are flocking tiiither, and who will continue to flock for tbf next year or so. So little is known of British Columbia that its history can only at present be inferentially learnt by a perusal of the known facts relating to Vancouver's Island. There can be little doubt that what is true of the one is not false with respect to the other. Indeed, the only difference Ave know of is this, that while rattlesnakes are not infrequent in the interior of the mainland, they are quite unknown on the island. The extent of land in the island that has been appropriated uTis-, in 1853, 19,807 acres; of which 10,172 were claimed by the Hud- son's Bay Company, who now claim the entire island, it having being granted them in 1S48. The Paget Sound Company own, or owned, 2,374 : while private individuals own the remainder. Hoav- ever, only a few thousands of these acres arc at the present moment under culture, though it need not be said the extent is made more important every day. A few years Avill make a vast change. ^i^ts^i. Ommim ■ J W J »» BfKWJW(n^BMI| ggg' I ' 4? \l \ i ■ Those portions under cultivation yield most excellent crops of wheat, ])arley, oats, jjcas, hoans. turnips, and potatoes. The land is specially adapted for the groAvth of green cro])S. The most arahle, as might he expected, lies in the neighhourhood of the metropolis of the island, " Victoria," at the south-cast extremity of the island. This place is not increasing in size so rapidly as one might expect when we consider that it is the chief city of the colony. But it must not he forgotten that the rapid increase of population during the past year, and the more rapid influx of emigrants, are OAving to the discoveries of gold fields, which not lying in the inland, hut on the mainlaiul, the new arrivals do not remain in or near the metropolis, if so it may he called, hut immediately mala; for Fraz'?r River. The majority of the settlers in Vancouver's Island, if at the present moment it can he said to hoast of settlers at all, either live in the neighhourhood of A'ictoria or at Fort Rupert and Nanaimo, on the north-east coast, at hoth of which latter places the coal deposits are worked. All alonii" the ocean coast of Vancouver's Island the fisheries may ])e descril)ed as heyond value, Salmon and lu'rrings ahound to an extent almost unknown elsewhere, and mackarel and cod are also found. The produce of these fisheries, along with the coal and timher, form the principal resources of the island, as it is not well adapted for pastoral, and not altogether for agricultural, purposes. The exports were, after the gold mania, coal, timher, lumher, oysters, salmon (10,000 harrels were exported in 18G0), and oil; l)ut the rush to the diggings has heen so immense, that the exports during last year may he set down at naught. The exports in 18G0 valued ii.30,000 ; the imports a])out c£40,000. These imports con- sisted of specie, jirovisions, and various merchandise. The ahoriginnl inhahitants, hoth of Vancouver's Island and of British. Colund ja generally are the most ohjectionahle " fr.cts " of this colony ; and though this portion of the history of the new colony has heen noticed hy the Times, we should hardly he doing justice to ourselves, to say nothing of our readers, did we not commit this truth to print, that the native tribes of Vancouver's Island and British Columbia are as savage, treacherous, inhospitable, and cunning as any to he found on the two continents of America. Indeed, perhaps they are more savage, treacherous, inhospitable, and cunning than any other known Indian tribe. The total number of aborigines in Vancouver's Island is estimated at 17,000 ; that of the mainland at four times that number ; though in the latter instance conjecture alone yields the result given. 49 , * As the title of our book informs the reader, the substance of this guiile is compiled from the experience of a recent adventurer in the new gold renion, and in a great measure written by himself, the reader may fairly rely upon the accuracy and good intention of the writer ; but, inasmuch as the word of the Times is the word of the literary law, it has been thought expedient to add to this account by a transcript of the most recent news from British Columbia, printed in the that journal. The following extract is word for word from the Times of the 5th February, 1861 : — THE GOLD REGION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. Victoria, Vancouver Island, Nov. 29. I HAVE not written much on the subject of British Columbia of late, because the accounts which reached us throughout the summer and autumn were of so glowing a character, and gave so superlative a description of the wealth of the upper gold country, as appeared fabulous. The reports from Cariboo were really so extravagant in their character that I did not feel justified in giving circulation to them on hearsay evidence. Being now, however, in possession of proof of the general accuracy of the very flattering reports which regularly reached Vic' ,ria by every succeeding steamer from British Columbia during the whole period of the mining season just over, I feel justified in communicating -'lem. The portion of British Columbia which has yielded nearly all the gold produced this year, and which is destined to attract the notice of the world to a degree hitherto Tiot accorded to the country in the aggregate, is a newly-discovered district called Cariboo (a corruption of " Cerf-bneuf," a large species of reindeer which inhabits the country). The district is about 500 miles, in the interior, north (or north-east rather) from the coast of British Columbia and the mouth of Fruser River. It is not far from the sources or " head waters" of t!ie south branch of Eraser River and the Rocky Mountains, and forms a patch of country — a broken, rugged mass of mountains and streams, 50 miles from north to south and 30 miles from east to west, as far as yet known from recent explora- tion — round three sides of which the south branch of the Eraser makes a great bend or semicircle from its source to its junction with the north ])ranch, near Fort George, a trading station of the Hudson's Bay Company, in about hit. 53° 50' N. For the sake of accuracy, I should mention that this branch of the Eraser, although now popularly called the south branch (and which the Hudson's Bay Company called the north branch from the '^'^ n i au..m-u t ■f I I 1 1 » I 50 northerly direction of the first portion of its course), is really the main body of the river. Its sources are at a distance of some GO or 70 miles westwardly from the main chain of the Rocky Mountains. The bend of the river, which embraces the new mineral region within its curve, runs a course north-west 180 miles, and then take? a south-west course of about 50 miles in length. This large section of country is believed, from the appearances presented on various parts of the surface, to be auriferous, both in quartz (gold matrix) and in placeres, throughout its whole extent; but the portions hitherto " prospected " (as the miners' phrase is for the search for, and for the discovery of gold) are confined to the dimensions given above — 50x30 miles. Fraser River does not acquire its great velocity in this part of its course, which runs through a comparatively level country until it enters the regions of the Cascades and other mountains through which its waters rush Avith an impetuosity which causes many obstructions to navigation. Consequently the river is navigable from Fort Alexander, in lat. 52° 37' north for steamers of light draught of water, say three to four feet, up to Swift River, a distance of 45 miles, and which is within 40 miles of Antler, in Cariboo — a fact which will facilitate the traffic of next year by shortening the land carriage of the present route. Cariboo is in New Caledonia, as known in the division of districts west of the Rocky Mountains, by the Hudson's Bay Company, when they held the license to trade with the Indians in the country which now forms the colony of British Columbia. I cannot state the geographical position of Cariboo with accuracy, but the centre of that portion of the district which was the scene of this season's mining may be taken as lying between tin lources of Antler Creek, Swift (or Cottonwood) River, and Swamp River, all of which flow, and run in opposite directions, from a chain of mountains called "the Bald Mountains," traversing the district. This central point (by a correction of Arrowsmith's map) is in north latitude 53 20 deg., west lonijitude 1 2 1 40 deg. The mining localities are distinguished by local names given to them by the miners this year. Here arc some of them : — Antler- oreek, Keithloy's-creek, Hawey's, Williams's, Nelson's, Lowhee, Cunningham's, Lightening, Vanvvinckle, California, Canon, Grouse, Goose, Stevens's, Salt Spring, Burns's, Snowshoe, Jack of Clubs, and Last Chance Creeks, all being streams (creeks) of various sizes ; most of them of small size, issuing from the Bald Mountains, which rise to a height ol' from 7,000 to 8,000 feet above the level of the Pacific Ocean. tl 51 Other mining localities are called Chishoim's Gulch, David- son's Gulch, and Hall's Gulch, &c. ("Gulch" is Yankee for a ravine.) I insert these names, because they give an idea of the extent of the gold diggings hitherto unequalled for their productiveness, because they are likely from, this face to acquire celebrity abroad, when their wealth begins to be distributed over the world, and also because the nomenclature Mill assii>t the reader to understand the references in the following narrative. Cariboo was discovered late in the season of last year, but its riches were not developed till this summer. 1 ?an only spare room for an epitome of the mining operations of the st-ison. The truth of these accounts wa j doubted at the time, but they had the effect of inducing a considerable emigration of miners from all the other diggings in the country to Cariboo, Avhich increased the mining population to about l,4-00 by the end of May, and the number was constantly receiving frosh accessions. On the 0th of June 30,000 dollars (<£6',000) in gold arrived from Cariboo, besides the sums carried by 35 men who came down on bufiiness, and who, it is supposed, returned to the mines. The same day 40,000 dollars (.£8,000) arrived, some of which was also from Cariboo. These re- ceipts awakened confidence, and a description of the gold of the district, which corresponded with the character of that just received, accounted for the enormous earnings. Tlie gold was all coarse gold, granulated, gravelly stuff, mixed with pellets and pebbles of pure metal of considerable size. Of the fine-scale gold of Fraser River, a man could not physically wash out so much as the reported indi- vidual earnings, but of such nuggets as then came down it was easy to take out pounds' weight in a day. Freshets from the melting snow carried away the flumes, and the miners' labours were sus- pended for some time towards the end of May by the floods from the melting snows of the adjacent mountains, and there was a scarcity of food. The roads, or tracks and trails, at any time only fit for mule travel, were then impassable for animals, and provisions had to be carried on the backs of Indian?, who were paid 50 dollars (£lO) a day for " packing." Labouring men, who had no mining claims of their own, were hired to work those of the miners at 7 dollars (£l 8.9.) and 8 dollars (<£l 12^.), and found. Provisions were relatively higliin price. Flour wasat88c.(l5. 7<^.)p6i' lb. ; bacon75c. (Jis.l^d.); beans, 40c. (Is. 8<^/.)j tea, 1 c' »llar 50c. (Us.ScL); sugar and coffee, 75c. per lb. Single meals at the restaurant's, consisting of beana and bacon and a cup of bad coffee, cost 2 dollars (8s. 4(/.),(a) Acor- (a) The dollar is 4». 2d. English money. v> iV \ 52 '4 I "I 1/ i 1 , ? f ■: ii ill ill 1 "f i T I l! ! ^ respondent of one of the newspapers in Victoria, writing from Cariboo at tliis time, quotes the prictjs of wliat, in the grandiose style of these parts, he calls " miners' luxuries," as follows : — A tin pan (worth Sd.) sold for 8 dollars (<£l 12.9. dd.) ; picks and shovels, ()■ dollars each ; ditto, with handles, i.e., sliovels, 7 dollars 50c. each (£l 4s. Gd. and £l 10s, 6d.). AVashing was charged for at G dol- lars a dozen pieces (£l 4s. (id.). The latter is tiie only item of "luxury" I see in the "Price Current," and I cannot believe that the laundryman was much patronized. It Avas added that " busi- ness of every description Avas lively." At such prices a man would need to earn his db*5 to ^20 a day to enable him to keep "business lively." (ft.) These wages and prices show the large gains of tiie miners. The first news of operations in June exceeded the glowing accounts of May. The melting of the snow kept many miners idle, and the country was covered with mud and slush, which made travelling almost impossible. However, those Avho could Avork earned largely, one "rocker" Avashing out 50 ounces of a forenoon, and three men " Avashing out" 100 ounces from a iiume in a Aveek. Omitting these " big strikes," Avhich fell to the lot of the favoured fcAv, Ave find that the fickle goddess Avas more sparing in her gifts to others. 50 dollars to 100 dollars, and as lo^v as 20 dollars a day, are quoted as individual earnings. A person on the spot Avrote, Avhat seems to have been the truth, judging from what one knoAvs of tlie temper and habits of the miner, — "Tliose Avho have claims are making piles. Those Avho have not are making nothing and have nothing. These Avero the unlucky ones, Avho Avould not choose to Avork on hire, and Avl.o Avere waiting on Providence for ' something to turn up,' and for good Aveather to set out ^on a ' prospecting ' tour, from Avhich many of them Avould return footsore and ' strapped,' i. e., ' dead broke.' " In June intelliffence reached Cariboo that cold had been discovered on the east side of the Rocky Mountains in British territory. This news, and the return to Antler Creek of exploring parties Avith a report that they had found " favourable indications of gold and plenty of rich quartz veins, 30 miles off," added intensity to an ex- {(t) A still later account gives the following prices: Provisions still rather dear in consequence of the scarcity caused by increased consumption ; meals, 2 dollars (8s. 4d.); flour, 70c. {"Is. Ud.) per lb. ; beef, 50c. (2s. h/.) ; beans, 90e. (os. Id.) pevlb. ; and liquor— " Minic rifle and tangleleg, ' Avarranted to kill at any di.-^iancc.' Avas snapped up at 50c. ( 2s. Id.) a glass." Contrast these prices Avilh those of February, 1861, in the Colonization Circular for that year: Flour, 17s. barrel of lOGlbs. (about Is. a pound), and beef, 6"^. a pound. This shoAvs hoAv prices will rise in 6 or 8 months. iiiiTrrnMiiiiiiii ■!! 53 v.-" citement already at fever heat. Many of the miners wandered ahout the pathless wilderness " prospecting " for rich and yet richer "claims" which would contain the philosopher's stone, and lost their time and their strength and health in their restless wanderings, and earned nothing. Presently the weather improved, provisions became abundant, new discoveries were being made at great distances apart, and suc- cess attended the efforts of all who worked steadily and stuck to one spot. On Keithley's Creek a party of five "divided" 1,200 dollars (£250) from one day's labour, and their daily average was a pound w^eight of gold a day. Several " sluices " were set to work on this creek, and the results were 20 dollars (Mi 3s. 4^d.) to 50 dollars (£10 8s. 4r/.) per man per day. There were 200 men on this creek, of >vhom 75 were at work about the middle of June. The gold found was in small nuggets, of the value of Gs. to Ss. sterling each piece. No quicksilver was used to amalgamate the gold, which made a vast saving in time and ex- pense, and which enabled the miner to make such large gains as I have stated above. Another fact, peculiar to the Cariboo Diggings generally, is that the gold is found near the surface — a few inches, a foot or t^vo, and very seldom more than six feet below the surface. There is an efflorescence of gold near the surface in the virgin soil of most gold-bearing countries, but I never knew it so general as it is here. The diggings on Snow-shoe Creek were opened in June, and yielded 12 dollars (£2 10s.) to 25 dollars {£5 is. 2d.) to the hand per day. Here are a few statistics of this remote country, noted down in June by a traveller : — " A little town springing up at Keithley's, consisting of three grocery stores, a bakery, a restaurant, a butcher's shop (cattle had by this time been driven up from Oregon and the Lower Fraser), a blacksmith's shop, and several taverns, some in tents and some in log-houses. At Antler 10 houses are erected, and a sawmill on the Creek. In all Cariboo there are five white women and three physicians. Several vegetable gardens started at various points." The native Indians fairly quiet, civil, and industrious ; very useful as carriers of provisions, &c. The mule trails rendered impassable ; but the Government appropriated 2,000 dollars (.£416 i3s.) for opening a bridle road to the district, and the miners of Antler and of Keithley's subscribed 800 dollars to open a trail to the former place. Labourers' wages at Antler, 8 dollars a day ; at Keithley's 7 dollars a day — and board in both cases. A considerable number of hands I I I > .. [ i f 1 i 4 I 54 thus employed. AVhen a member of a " company " cannot work himself, he puts a hired man in his place. We had from the first discovery of this gold district heard most unfavourahle reports of the severity of the winter season, which was said to render the country uninhal)itahle. The matter was set at rest by some Canadians who wintered in Cariboo last year. They found the intensity of the cold so much less than in the Canadas that they represented the climate as mild compared with that of their native country. It is inhospital)le from the altitude and the abund- ance of mountains, the level land being about 3,000 feet, and the mountains 5,000 feet more, above the level of the sea. The spring is wet, and the summer subject to frequent rains. The snow falls in October, and when the winter is fairly set in the weather continues cold, clear, and dry. The mining season continues from IVIay to October at present ; but when accommodations increase, and the miners begin to tunnel the banks and hills for gold, as they soon will do, the winter will present no obstacles to continuous work, under cover, during the whole season. A mining claim is a parallelogram (square) piece of ground 100 feet wide, from bank to bank of a creek. The depth is indefinite, varying, of course, with the Avidth of the creek. Each miner is entitled to one of these " claims," and there may be several miners associated together to work a "claim." In case of such an association amounting to five miners, the " company " would be entitled to 500 feet of ground in width, and running from bank to bank. At first many miners " took up " claims in simulated names, and thus caused a monopoly — an evil which was remedied by the Government Gold Commissioner when he visited the country in the summer. Under the mining laws of British Columbia, which are well adapted to the country, the miners have the power to regulate their own mining afRiirs, such as settling the size of claims, which must vary in different localities, &c., with the assent and assistance of the Gold Commissioner in each district, and subject to the approval of tlie Governor. The provisions of the mining laws are very seldom, if ever, com- plied with in all respects ; but still the mining operations are con- ducted with exemplary propriety, and no body of men, upon the whole, could conduct themselves more peaceably than do the miners of British Columbia. All disputes are submitted to the commis- sioner, and if his decision is not acquiesced in an appeal is taken to the judge of the Supreme Court of Civil Justice (the only one in the whole colony), who goes circuit to all the inhabited parts of the country. ^u 55 21T While on this suhject I should not be doing justice to the country if I failed to remark upon the absence of crime jjenerally in British Columbia. The fact is as remarkable, considering the hetero- geneous nature of the population, as it is gratifying. It speaks well for the miners, and for the magistrates also, who are a very efficient and respectable l)ody, all young men in the prime of life ; and I am certain, from my knowledge of his character, that the moral effect of the judge's free intercom se with all classes, of his disinterested counsel when appealed to extra-judicially — as he fre- quently is, to settle disputes — and of his urbanity, is very beneficial. The exercis'j of his good-nature prevents litigation, and the fearless- ness with which bo punishes crime prevents the commission of heinous oficences. July opened with increased exertions and proportionate results, in consequence of the disappearance of the snow. Six miles from Antltr, 31 ounces were "cleaned out" in one day in a hole only two feet under the surface. The bottom was composed of " rotten slate," — a favourable formation, indicative of gold. 8,000 dollars had previously been taken out of the same claim. Another spot was discovered where the pay-dirt was two feet thick and full of nuggety gold. 1,000 dollars was paid for a claim, which the pur- chaser resold shortly afterwards at a profit of 500 dollars. Wages now rose ten dollars a day. Quartz leads (the matrix of gold) of considerable breadth was discovered near Keithley's. Some claims began to pay as high as 1,000 dollars a day, and several from 20 to 25 ounces. Four days* work yielded a man 104 ounces, and some men from Victoria were making two and three ounces each a-day. The town of Antler growing " like magic." Instead of 10 houses, as it counted last month, it now boasts of 20 substantial stores, whisky shops, and other edifices, surrounded by any number of tents. The prosperity of the town was in part indebted to an evil influ- ence. Professional gamblers track the successful miner as the carrion crow scents the dead on a battlefield. '* The chink of money and the sound of gamblers' voices are heard at all hours. Monte and Paro Banks and Poker Games are all the go. Large sums of money change hands constantly ; I heard of one party who lost, between three of them, 27,000 dollars. I met a Spaniard on his return from Cariboo. He is a muleteer, and was engaged in packing. On my asking him about the richness of the mines, he answered that the gambling was as rife and carried on as high as in California in her palmiest days. The Spaniard did not penetrate far into the mining region, neither did he gather many statistics. He saw piles of gold bullion and of 20 dollar pieces laid ^.m f m n 9» ■■ I ill f • • \ > 'I ^ ^! ll I ! I ' I 1 1 : .;ll I ! I iJl 56 out on the gambling tables, and he saw a bank of portentous size, and he saw large stakes played and won and lost ; and all these evi- dences of wealth satisfied him that " the country wafi saved " n'ith- out going beyond Antler. He had been informed that Cariboo was a "fi/zlej" but at Antler he changed his opinion, and went vigorously into the packing business, made money, and is now 1 uilding a house to enjoy his otitcm mim di[/nif.ate. It is hard to suggest a cure for this vice of new mining countries. The miner requires relaxatioo, and no healthy means of relaxation exist. He will adopt the first and readiest. I do not see what the Government can do except to discourage it. It cannot put it down with the strong arm, for the rapid growth of population and of wealth outrun Government adniiinstration in these cases of sudden developments of the treasures of the earth. The magistrate intimated that he would hold the tavern-keepers who permitted gambling in their houses responsihle. Beyond this his means of enforcing the law would not carry him. The vice will wear itself out, as it did in (yalifornia. In August and September mining was at its heiglit. Here are a few facts culled from a inass of correspondence and verbal informa- tion received : — On the Antler Creek tlie rocker yielded 50 ounces of gold of a forenoon. The average yield on tlie flaming claims is 60 ounces a-day io tlie hanr.. Later the creek yielded 100 and 130 ounces a day from small claims. Three quarters of a mile below the town of Antler 40 to 60 ounces a day to the hand, obtained by a company of two men from one of the richest claims on the stream. Since last spring these two men have taken out 18,000 dollars with a rocker. M. Donnell's claim not paying so well for the last three weeks, but up io that time *t gave 60 to 100 dollars a day. The town site is threatened to be washed away, as the miners are entitled to all mineral ground Avhich lay waste when they staked it ofi^ for mining. Water for sluicing sold at 50c. (2. as the eye could reach." " The magnitude of the works M'as sur- prising." These were due to the neighbouring sawmill, which pro- duced lumber on the spot, and must have also yielded a rich return to the proprietors, for the price was high, of course, 2.5c. a foot and upwards. The mining holes were described as shining with gold. When the bed rock was laid bare it Avas found studded or paved with lumps of gold, and in every shovelful contained a considerable amount, in some cases to the amount of 10/. sterling, and required no washing, the nuggets or pellets of gold being picked out by hand. The diggings were now found to be not only rich, but extensive, which led to a new enterprize. A drift was driven into one of the hills. This tunnelling is now the chief mode of working practised in California, where the efflorescence of gold has been long exbausted, and where the placeres are nearly so. La])ourers were in demand (in Cariboo) for this work at 8 dollars a day and board, so that, with health, no man who chose to labour could fail to make; money. A miner told my informant, at this time, that his claim would last him 10 years to Avork it out. The Lowhee Creek yielded to four miners on the first two days of their work 5,ll00 dollars, and on the third day 72 ounces. These returns appeared faimlous, yet private information and published accounts agreed a- to the facts, and in duo time similar statements were verified l)y the appearance of the miners with the gold in New Westminster and Victoria. The miners were now in good heart. Their condition was much improved by the abundance of sahnon caught in the Fraser and other up-country rivers. There was iibundance of grass, also, on the mountains all througli the summer — a su})ply as necessary as human food, as all commodities being "■ packed " there were many mules and horses to feed. A miner writes that his gains far surpass anything ever produced in California, and cites the fact of 1,700 dollars liaving been dug out of two crevicea in the rock lei^s than three feet under the surface. In fact, the explanation of the enormous yields is, as I before stated, the large, solid, nugftcty character of the gold, and its })roximity to the surface. ]\Ien who had never mined before, tradesmen, mecha- nics, and lal)0urers new to the Avork, did just as well as the old, practised miner. This result will cease as tlie efflorescence of gold near the surfac(,' becomes exhausted. Then souk.' skill and much labour will be required to produce far less results than paid the exertions of the Cari boo men last season. gagjiaw i 58 .1 |i 1 1 " Veins and boulders of quartz are seen in every direction in the hills, such as would of themselves create an excitement in any other country," but they are here neglected for the placercs, which are so much more easily worked. A person writing from the diggings says, " The country is covered with quartz and with indications of volcanic action," and concludes " that this is the richest gold country in the world." The development of the wealth which lies in quartz must be obtained by the application of capital and engineering and mining skill. It is a fit subject for the capitalists of England, and as capital has just as much protection in British Columbia as in any part of the Empire, and property and life are equally as well pro- tected, I have no doubt the quartz magnet Avill attract the necessary capital in due time, and that we shall hear the Stock Exchange re- sound with the quotations of shares in many mining companies in Cariboo and elsewhere in the colony by and by. At this time (in autumn) a man who left Victoria penniless arrived with 2,000 dollars in dust, which he had dug in about two months. Williams's Creek, which finally turned out the greatest success of all the creeks for rich single yields, began in August to produce. Dawson and Co. took out fifty ounces in one day, and in a few days reached the bed-rock, when in one pan of pay-dirt they got 000 dollars. Abbott and Co., on sinking three to four feet, obtained 900 dollars in one pan-full of dirt. This extraordinjiry fact was confirmed by Mr. Abbott himself when he came down to Victoria the other day. He and his two partners made each a fortune in less than three months. I will come to their case more in detail presently. Several new creeks dsscovered in July and August which pro- spected well. Several layers of pay-dirt, that is, strata of gold-bear- ing gravel and of blue clay, one over the other, with layers of earth between, now found, so that increased workings lower down in the same ground produced gold. On Vanwinckle Creek the best claim produced 100 to 200 dollars a-day to the hand. The companies above and below, average 50 dollars and (JO dollars a-day to the hand ; and the dig- gings near the surface, just as they were in California in 1849, equally rich. Gold dust was worth 10 dols. 30 c. to IG dols. 50 c. the ounce (£3 Gs. lOd. and £3 7s. 7'L), and it was taken in exchange for goods at 17 dollars the ounce. The average ley of the gold has not yet been accurately ascertained. Some of it gave OlS-lOOOths fine, which is very high. Some gave from 800 to 900-lOOOths fine, and the average is taken at 850 fine. 59 I need hardly remark to you that I would not have lent myself to giying currency to these marvellous stories were I not fortified by my own knowledge of the general truth of all I write. GOVERNMENT INFORMATION RELATING TO THE NEW GOLD FIELDS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. The first information ^iven by government on the subject of the gold fields of British Columbia, was in the Government Colonization Circular for 18G0. This information we extract, that our readers may judge how cautiously the government accepted the news of these nests of future wealth. It is amusing to contrast this account •with that of the Times already given. GOLD FIELDS OP BRITISH COLUMBIA. There seems good reason to suppose that the gold fields of this colony, are both extensive and rich. Governor Douglas, in a despatch dated January, 1859, states, that it is supposed on very probal)lc grounds that the whole course of the Frazer River, to its sources in the Rocky Mountains, contains deposits of gold. Gold was known to exist in Queen Charlotte's Island in 1830, but it was not until April, 1856, that Governor Douglas reported to the Secretary of State, that considerable quantities of gold had been found in the upper Columbia River. It was subsequently discovered in its natural state of deposit in the district of Frazer River and of Thompson's River, commonly known as the Quaateau, Couteau, and Shuswap countries, which are the principal gold fields of the colony. The governor in the despatch above mentioned states, that reports continue to arrive respecting the rich deposits of gold on or about Bridge River. The gold generally is coarse and lumpy, not requiring quicksilver for its separation from the soil. Gold has been also found at Stonia, a point on Frazer's River, fivo miles beyond Hudson's Bay establishment of Alexandria, about 400 miles from the sea coast. in ' I 1 60 THE COLONIAL SECRETARY'S INFORMATION. The following information relating to British Columbia and its gold fields Avas published by government in 18G1, and bore date February, 18G0. BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. British Columbia. — W. R. G. Young, Esq., the Colonial Secre- tary, in a Report dated Victoria, 22nd February, 1861, says: — " British Columbia being a gold producing country, with little else than the gold yet developed, it is difficult to recommend any particu- lar class to emigrate to its shores. Amongst the miners are to be found men of every class and trade, who, when sufficient inducements oflfer, by there being a demand for their particular calling, will readily abandon the one occupation to engage in the other, and vice versa. But the resources of the country, independently of gold, are undoubtedly great, and the prospects held out to an industrial popula- tion by no means discouraging, even in this early stage. Land can be easily acquired by pre-emption without immediate payment, and the soil is abundantly fruitful ; while the demand for its pro- ductions hitherto far exceeds the supply. Men of steady and industrious habits, possessed of small capital, who would be content to forego the glittering, though perhaps meretricious, allurements of the gold fields, remembering that where one man may realise a com- petence, hundreds do actually fail in procuring more than a livelihood, would, there is but little doubt, do well in following agricultural pursuits in British Columbia. Those who have done so, hitherto, have reaped a rich harvest. Men of the ' navigator ' class would also, it is believed, do well, for the Government are engaged in the almost interminable work of opening out roads and communications to the interior, and the cost of labour hitherto upon such works as these has, in consequence of the principal portion being 'I permanent improvements thereon, to the value of 10s. an acre) his assigns shall be entitled, if there has been a continuous occupation of the land, to purchase it at 4| also the precious minerals, with the right to Avoi-k thciii. If the land has not been surveyed when the full puicluise-Tuuncy is paid, the conveyance is to be executed as soon as possible after the survey shall be completed. After survey, the pre-emptor may take, ar •is. 2ing conditions. 18. AVater privileges, and the right of carrying water for mining purposes over any lands, even after they have been conveyed, may be claimed and exercised by miners liulding a license for the purpose from the surveyor-general, subject to the paynuut of compenbaiioii G6 ft)i* waste or damage, which is to be fixed, in case of dispute, hy a jury of six men, to be summoned by the surveyor-general. 19. Arhltration. — Disputes respecting claims to land may, before action brought, be settled in a summary way by the surveyor- general. \ f I \! ii GOVERNIMENT REPORT (1S50) OF VICTORIA, THE CAPITAL OF VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. TiiK following details respecting A^ietoria, the cajiital of Van- couver's Island, arc extracted from the Victoria Gazette of 1st February, 1859: — First-class hotels, v/ith bars, 5; ditto, without bars, 2 ; restaurants, first-class, ; ditto, second-cljiss, 9 (this does not include private boarding-houses, or any of the numerous little eating and lodging-housi^s, where meals an; occasionally served). First-class saloons, with billiard-tables, 3 ; second-class ditto, with bar only, 12 ; butchers' shops, first-class, 4 ; game, vegetable, and meat markets, 5 ; fish markets, 2 ; barbers' shops, 9 ; intelligence office, 1 ; reading-room, 1 ; express office, 1 ; printing-offices, 2 ; buildings in town proper, 550 ; ditto, in process of erection, 45. PRIVILEGES OF ALIENS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. L\ ti.is colony the privileges of aliens are at present regulated ])y a proclamation, dated 11th May, lcS5!), and issued by the Governor, under the authority of the Imperial Act 21 & 22 Vict., cap. 99, and of his commission. By this proclamation aliens have the same ca]iacity to hold and transmit lania, presented to Parliament 18 GO.] 2; CLIMATE OF BRITISH COLUIMBIA. The climate is represented as variable, and the transitions, ib.oiigh periodically regular, as remarkably sudden if not violent, but, on the Avhole, remarkably healthy and invigorating. Mr. McLean, one of the Hudson's Bay Company's servants, states that at Stewart's Lake in the month of July he experienced every possible change of weather Avithin tAvclve hours, fnjst in the morning, scorching heat at noon, and then rain, hail, and snow. The Avinter season is subject to the same vicissitudes, though not in such extreme degrees. Mr. A. C. Anderson, late Chief Trader of the Hudson's Bay Company's service, states that snow begins to fall in the mountains early in October; that the summer climate about tlu; forks of the Thompson River is dry and the heat great ; that during winter the thermometer indicates occasionally from 20^ to SO" of cold below zero of Fahrenheit, but that such severe cold seldom lasts on the upper parts of Fraser's River for more than three days. The thermometer will then continue to f actuate IjetAveen zero and the freezing point, until, possibly, another interval of cold arrives. He adds that the w^iuters are extremely capricious throughout those regions, that no two resemble each other very closely, and that in general the snow does not fall deep enough along the l)anks of the main streams to preclude winter travelling with pack animals. In ascending Fraser's River mosquitoes are very numerous during the summer season, and as the sea breeze is seldom felt the air is extremely sultry. The mosquitoes cease, however, below Foit Hope. Governor Douglas, in a despatch dated the 21st January, 1859, states that the climate at Lytton on the Fraser, near the junction of the Thompson, is pleasant and temperate, and that the weatlu-r is generally clear and dry in so remarkable a degree that from the 2'1-th of August to the 19th December, 1858, there had not been, in ail, more than 12 hours' rain or snow. f 68 'V 1 I CLIMATE OF VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. Tin: cUmate in tliis island is stated to ])C excellent, and has been eoiiiparcd to the eliniate of the milder parts of England or to that in (lu; .South of Fiance. Indeed, it is said to he preferahle to tluit of J^ii«^lau(l, as it has more line steady weather, is far less changeable, and on liie >vhole milder. The days in summer are -warm, hut not o|)|)r(;ssive, and free from glare ; the evenings are cool, with a gentle sea l)r('eze. Heavy rains are said to fall in Septend)er. The >vinter is a little cold, l)ut not severe, and rather Avet. There are occasional frosts and lalls of snow, but they never last long. GOLD REGULATIONS. Tin: following is the substance of the Gold Fields Act, 1859, passed on the 31st of August of that year, which came into operation as regaids Queen Charlotte's Island, on the 1st of January, 18G0, and as regards the rest of British Columbia on the Ist of September, 18.59. This Act and the former regulations "will be found printed in full in the Appendix to the Engineer Commissioners' Annual Report Ibr ]8()1. The Governor may appoint Gold Commissioners, who, within certain districtrs, may issue "free miners' certificates," authorising the holder to mine upon Crown lands, and may register claims {i.e., allotments of auriferous land to individual miners) ; 1/. is to be paid for a free miner's certificate, Avhieh must be countersigned by the miner and is not transferable, and 4s. for the registration of a claim. Each is valid for a year. The Gold Commissioner is to possess all the authority of a Justice of the Peace, with power to try and settle summarily all miners' disputes and abate encroachments. He is to be judge of law and liict, subject to an appeal to the Supreme Court, when in civil cases the value of the matter in dispute exceeds 201., or when in criminal ap.attcrs the fine exceeds that sum, or the imprisonment exceeds 30 days. He may also mark out plots of 5 acres for the occupation of the miners as gardens or residences, and other plots for the occupa- tion of traders. The Governor may also lease auriferous lands under regulations to be prescribed by himself. On the petition of 100 free miners in any district, the Governor may establish a " Mining Board," to consist of from 6 to 12 persons, 1 i, m elected by the miners. A majority of tlie l)oar(l, with the concur- rence of the Golil Commissioner, or of two-thirds witliout tliat concurrence, may make l)yU\ws resjtectin*^ tlie size of claims, sluices, registration, and mining matters generally. Three members are to retire annually, but are eligible for inmiediate re-election. A person convicted (after his election) of misdemeanour, felony, or assault with a deadly weapon, vacates his office, and is not re-eligible. The Governor may dissolve the board, or in the absence of a lioard may make byla(vs for the above purposes. Pending the constitution of these boards, the Governor, in exercise of the poAver reserved to him by the 12tli section of the Act, issued a set of regulations, of which the substance is as follows : — The size of registered claims is to l)e, — In dry diggings 2.5x30 feet. In bar or river diggings 25 feet in ])readth from the highest line to which the river rises in flood indefinitely into the stream. Provision is made for letting " exclusive water privileges," for which a rent is payable to the Government equal to one day's estimated receipts per month. The privileged person is })Ound to supply all miners with water, and not to waste it. Divisions of three feet in -width are to be left between claims. Leases of auriferous land may be made for periods not exceeding 10 years, and of spaces not exceeding 10 acres in dry diggings, and in river or ravine diggings | mile in length of un worked or 1-^ milo of abandoned diggings. POPULATION, REVENUE, AND EXPENDITURE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. POPULATION. Males. Females. Total. British Columbia - 5,000 official estimate, 18G0. Vancouver's Island 5,000 do. do. Revenue for 1860. British Columbia Vancouver's Island - Expenditure for ISGO. British Columbia Vancouver's Island ^£'53,286 14,749 ^47,175 14,171 70 ASSAY OFFICE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. The establishment of an assay office in British Columbia has recently been sanctioned by the home Government. BANKING ACCOMMODATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. The only banking accommodation for both British Columbia and Vancouver's Island is the Bank of British North America, Victoria, and Vancouver's Island. This bank Is incor«)orate. The amount of the sharj is ^50. The extent of the shareholder's liability is not great. In most colonial banks he is lia])le to twice tho amount of the share, but in the case of the Bank of British North America the lia])ility is limited to paid-up capital. The head office of the bank is situate at 7, St. Helen's Place, Bishopsgate, London. The capital of this bank is ,£1,000,000, all of Avhich is paid up. l! LEGAL AND MEDICtVL PRACTITIONERS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA A^D VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. British Columbia. Medical Practitioners. — No loral eaactment restraininff or inter- fering Avith the practice of British or Foreign Physicians, Surgeons, and Apothecaries. Barrlslers. — There may be enrolled as l)arristers of the court of British Columbia, — 1st, any person called or qualified to 1)0 called to practise at the English or Irish bar, or as an advocate in Scotland, or Avho has taken the degr(>c of Doctor of Laws at any University in the United Kingdom. 2nd, any person instructed within this colony, or on Vancouver's Ishmd, in the knowledge and practice of the law by any practising barrister of the court, sul)ject to any future regula- tion established Avithin the colony. Attorneys. — There may be enrolled as attorneys and solicitors of the said court, — 1st, all persons entitled to practise as attorneys, solici- tors, or proctors, in any of Her Majesty's courts in England or Ireland, or as n-riters to the signet or solicitors to the Supreme Courts in Scotland. :^ud, all persons instructed within the colony or Van- couver's Island, in the knoAvledge and practice of the law by any practising solicitor and attorney of the said court, subject, nevcrthe- fir. I less, to future rofjuLitlons. Until further orilcr, all barristers of the court may appear and practise as attorneys and solicitors, and all attorneys and solicitors may practise and plead as barristers. Vancouver's Island. Medical Prnclkioncrs. — British or foreign physicians, surgeons' and apothecaries can j)ractise immediately. No local enactment affoctiny; them. Barristers. — Such persons only as shall have been admitted as barristers in England or Ireland, or advocates of the Court of Session of Scotland, or to the degree of Doctor of Civil Law of Oxford, Caml)ridne, or Dublin. Aitornci/s. — Such persons only as shall have been admitted to practise as attorneys or solicitors of any of the Courts of Record at AVesiiiiinster or Dublin, or, l)eing proctors, a(hnitted to practice in any ecclesiastical cour .n England or Ireland, or being writers to the signet in Scotland. SALE OF WASTE LANDS IN THE COLONIES. The general rule for the disposal of Crown land in the British colonies, is sale in fee simple. Tiie exceptions are, mineral lauds, lands used for pasturage, and lands in Hong Kong. The reason for the first exception is obvious ; the second is the necessary conse- rjucnce of the small value of land for purposes of pasture. AVhero it requires, as in Australia, four or five acres to feed a sheep, it can never be worth while to buy the land at any price which could be reasonably put on it. It is, therefore, let at rents varying from less than !utVulo by steamer or railroad to Erie, Cleveland, Sandusky, and Toledo. For Cincinnati Ohio, Pittsburi^ in Pennsylvania, Louisville in Kentucky, take in G 7 I if, 74 the railway for Clevelancl. For parts in Indiana, proceed via Toledo. Route No. 3. — From Quebec to the eastern townships of Lower Canada, to the New England States of America, and to New Brunswick. Passengers proceed from Quebec by the Grand Trunk Railway, passing through Richmond and Sherbri)oke, in the Eastern Town- ships, and thence througli the State of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine, to Portland ; from Portland trains and steamers connect daily with Boston, and to all places in the State of Connecticut and New Hampshire. Also from Portland steamers leave twice a Aveek for St. Andrew's and St. John, Ncav Brunswick. Route No. 4. — From Quebec to the Ottawa district and places on the Rideau Canal. Passengers proceed by steamer or Grand Trunk Railway to Montreal, and from I\Iontreal to Ottawa City (late By town) and places on the Rideau Canal by steamer every morning, or continue by the Grand Trunk Railway Avhich connects at Prescott with the OttaAva and Pres(;ott Railway. Those proceeding to Perth, Lanark, or any of the adjoining settlements, take the Brookville and Ottawa Railwav. This is the best route to the .settlements in the Bathurst district. Route No. 5. — From Quebec to Troy, Albany, New York, Philadelphia. Passengers proceed by steamer or Grand Trunk Railroad to Montreal, and from INlonti'eal by railroad to Rousse's Point on liake Champlain, thence by steamer to Burlington and Whitehall, by railway to Troy or Alhaiiy, and by steamer or railway down the Hudson River to New York City. Aliens, Naturalization and LANn-iioLniNCJ Rights of, in the United Kingdom and ALL Colonies. By the laws of England aliens cannot hold, and consequently can- not transmit to their representatives, any freehold lands imtil they are naturalized. The same legal principle prevails in the colonies. Formerly tbo jirocess of naturalization was ellected in each case bv a separate Act (;f the Legislature; I»ut now, as regards the United Kingdom, it is regulated by a General Act, — the 7 »i' 8 Vict., cap. ()(j, passed in August, 1844'. Tliis statute provides that aliens who come to reside in any part of (ireat Britain or L"(^land with intent to settle therein shall, u])on obtaining a certitieate of ^y 75 ed via Lower New ailway, Town- tts, and connect 3ut and ndrcw's aces on way to rn) and ontinuc rith the Lanark, Ottawa 5atliurst York, road to Dn l^akc liall, by )wn the Yiaturallzation from one of the Secretaries of State, and taking the oath of allegiance prescribed by the Act, enjoy all the rights and capacities of natural-born subjects, except the ca|3acity of becoming Privy Councillors or Memljers of the Legislature. To obtain a certificate of naturalization, a memorial is to be presented to one of the Secretaries of State, setting out the age, profession, trade, or occupation of the memorialist, and the duration of his residence in this country, and all other grounds upon whicli he seeks to acquire the privileges of a natural-born British subject. The certificate, if obtained, is then to be enrolled in the Court of Chancery, and the oath of allegiance must be taken within GO days of its date. Under this Act, aliens, subjects of friendly states, may, without any certificate of naturalization, hold lands or houses for the purposes of residence or of business for any term not exceeding 21 years, Avith the same privileges as regards such property as a natural- born subject, (.xcept that of voting at elections for j\[embers of Parliament. It Avas doubtful how far this Act aftect(>d the colonies. To clear up this doubt, and to give A'alidity to colonial legislation on the subject, the Imperial Act, 10 & 11 Yict., cap. 83, was passed in July, 1847. This Act declares that the 7 & 8 Vict., cap. GO, does not extend to the colonies, but that all Acts of the Colonial Legislatures im])artiug privileges of naturalization within the Umits of the particular colony shall be valid. Under the authority of this statute several of the colonies have passed naturalization laws, following in the main features the provisions of the Imperial Act. Subjoined is the substance of these laws in those British colonies to Avhieh foreigners chiefly resort. IN THE tly can- itil thev donies. ach case ards the le 7 tV' H ides that lreh»nd Beate of Canada, Vancouver's Island, and British Columbia. By the Colonial Acts, 12 Vict, cap. 197, and 22 Vict., cap. I, aliens avIio have continuously resided three years, and have taken iue oaths or affirmations of residence and of allegience, and Avho haA'C procured a certificate of residence to be filed of record, as directed by the Act, an; entitled to all the rights and capacities in the colony of a natural-I)orn subject. The oaths of rv^nidence and allegiance are to be a'Iniinistered by any Justice of the Peace of the city, parish, or toAvnship in Avhich the alien residt s, ami the certificate (d" residence is to 1 (? obtainrrj from sucn Justice of the Peace, and is then tu be recorded in the I Court of Quarter Sessions or Recorder's Court, and thereupon the ])rivilcges of naturalization (including the right to hokl and transmit real estate) commence. The alien is entitled to demand a certificate of naturalization under the seal of such court, and of the signature of its clerk. This certificate of naturalization may, at his option, be registered at the Registry Oflfice of any country within the Province; and a certified copy of such registry is made evidence in all the colonial courts. The whole cost of this process is 75 cents, or somewhat less than 3."?. 2d. sterling. The penalty for false swearing is the forfeiture of the privileges of naturalization superadded to the usual peuaUics of perjury. Remittance of JMoney to assist Emigrants on arrival in Canada and New Brunswick. The Emigration Commissioners will receive and remit, free of charge, for the use of newly arrived emigrants of the poorer class, to the (Jovcrnment Immigration Agents in Canada and New Bruns- wick, any sum of money not less than dJ5 nor mort' than £20 from any one person, which may be paid to them or to their credit at the Bank of England for the purpose. The ])ersons transmitting the money must furnish the Ctniiiiiissioners with the names and ages of the emigrants for whose benefit the money is deposited, and specify the manner in which it is to be spent in the colony ; A>]iether wholly in cash, or partly in cash and partly in providing the emigrants with provisions and conveyance to tlwh destination. The Conmiissionevs do not engage to eifect purcliases of land, or otherwise to invest or retain the money for the benefit of individuals, but simply to instruct tlie government agents to a])ply it to the immediate use of the i)eo}>le after their arrival, citlier in the mode directed by tlic depositor; or, in tlie al)sence of such directions, in the manner >v]iieh tlie Immigration Agents may deem most advantageou.s for the emigrants. ,«.! II the israit ficate ature >n, be dnce ; II the ts, or ges of AL 1^ Tec of lass, to Bruns- :0 from t at the iig the iijics of -v spoony vhcther f the I. and, or i(Uials, to the e luodo actions, n most POSTSCEIPT. I REALLY did not think my little book about the gold fields of British Columbia would have been so kindly received by the press, or so eagerly sought alter by the Public. I have simply attempted to tell in a plain manner what I know about the Colony and the '' diggings.'' So many letters have been sent to me asking all sorts of questions, that I feel bound to reply in those f y cases where answers are not to be tbund in the book itself. I aui obliged to say, however, that by far the greater number of my correspondents appear to have read my book in a hurried manner, as fre(iuently the very particulars re([uired are to be found therein as plain as print can be. I am willing to admit that in a few cases I have had questions put to me which are deserving of a more lengthened reply than it is possible for me to give, as 1 have made arrangements to return forthwith to the Colony, and am anxious to get over to Panama before the hot and deadly weather sets in ; not wishing to chance the probability of being " lioorod " with the yellow fever. Several of my correspondents wish to know the best route to, and probable expense of, the journey to Cariboo, and the class of persons most suitable for the gold fields. 1 have given it as my opinion tliat anyone with a good constitution and moderate powers of endurance, no matter what prolession may be, will succeed in the new (Jold Colony. The best route can be ascertained by my correspondents referring to Chai)- ter 111., or to the Shipping Agents and Steam Shl[) Companies, such as ^lessrs. Elves & iSIacey, Messrs. Filby & Co., Messrs. Webb& Co., i\les^irs. Wheatley, Starr, & Co., and other respectable Shipbrokers and Emigration Agents. In reference to the probable expense of getting to Cariboo, it is impossible for me here to give any hitbrmatlon, so much n\ust depend on the emigrant's means and previous life : besides, it nmst not be forgotten by intending voyageum that having landed safely at Victoria, the capital of Vancouver's Island, they will have to cross to the mainland — and then go up the country for some hundreds of miles before the new gold fields can be reached ; nmch will depend upon how this distance be traversed ; of course the demand for horses is increasing every day — so that it may come at last, that, for a man to go comfortably up to the diggings will cost as much as the voyage out to Victoria. A. M, ; J. F. ; I. A. II. ; C. L. ; M. D. ; Capt. P. ; and one or two others, — ask me if I am open to any kind of partnership — Joint Stock Company — or will act as pioneer to a " Band of Brothers." I thank all these gentlemen, but my already formed arrangements do not permit me to entertain any proposition of that kind; but such an arrangement amongst; themselves would be liighly desirable, and might greatly conduce to economy and comfort. f f J I rs Lieut. T. and C. S. wisli to know whether it would be advisable to take out a " cnulle." As it is improbable that they have such an article already, I would recommend them and others not to think of purchasing here. It must not b forgotten that British Columbia is not very tar from California, where there have been for a long time more cradles for sale than miners to buy them. There are plenty of cradles in Victoria by this time, which I have no doubt can be had at a fair price. Besides, if vou take a cradle (unless you go by the Cape Horn route), it will cost you its value for carriage over and over again before j^ou reach the fields. A good rule upon undertaking this kind of emigration is, never to take a thing that you can without hardship do without. Another Correspondent asks, shall he take his horses out .' By no means ; he must sell them and take out the money, for ii' they are favourites he would hate them in a month. The exportation of horses is the most expensive and risky luxury an emigrant can indulge in. My correspondent's horses would do one of two things — die on the voyage, which would be lucky, perhaps, for their owner, or they would cost him throe or four times their value before reaching the coast, and then they might be only fit for the knacker. Some four or five Correspondents are very anxious about relatives who have emigrated to British Columbia, and who have not since been heard of; they enquire whether I happen to know them. I do noi; ; but I have entered their names in my note-book, and will make some enquiry about them so soon as I arrive out. In the meantime my correspondents had better apply at the Office of the Emigration Com- miBsioners, 8, Park Street, \V estminster, who have frequently done good service in these matters. One last word to all i^tenbino Emigrants, Beware of the Californians at the diggings : Be civil, but, if you value a quiet life, on no account fraternize with them ; have nothing to do with their broils and ([uarrels, but at all times and under all circumstances maintain an impartial neutrality. Be very careful how you allow yourself to be drawn into a dispute with them, and, unless your honour is concerned, do not come to blows, for they are notoriously the very scum of American and Califbrnian society, and a set of ill-conditioned, blustering, and unwhol(!some fellows, who are only to be kept at a distance by determined but civil contempt. I have been several times asked why I have not put a map to tlis book. The public have already a very good shilling's worth o^ practkal biformn- iit;7i brought down to this day; but my publishers are al)0Ut to issue a map, coloured, price 6^/., wliich will be found invaluable to all parties interested in British Columbia. I'rLutcd by W. U. COX, 5, Ureat t^uccn Street, Lineola'b luu Melds, LouUon, WX'. &REAT CEITEAL DEPOT, 144, HIGH HOLBOUX, w.a BRANCH DEPOTS, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW, DUBLIN, LEEDS, MANCHES- TER, AND CRYSTAL PALACE. by SEWING MACHINES. No Emigrant should think of going out to Or any other colony -without the means of muldng, if necessary, his own tent, his own bedding, and his own clothing. He can only do this effectually with one of NEWTON, WILSON, & Co.'s PATENT SEWING MACHINES. These arc prepared specially for the purpose, being strong, simple, durable, and compact. Anybody can work them without instruction, and they •will never get out of order. The Machine is completely enclosed, with all necessary implements, in a work box form, occupies less than a cubic foot, so that it is perfectly portable, and it requires no fixing. It will do every description of work, from the finest to the coarsest. PRICE, COMPLETE, £12 12s. ratterns of the different kinds of sewing done bi/ this Machine, with Illustrated^ Price List, sent post post free from NEWTON, WILSON, & CO.'S Great ODcntral BepOt, 144:, HIGH HOLBOI^N, LONDON. . »— ^^■^ tm I » I m z .^*'^ CHOLERA, DYSENTERY, DIARRHCEA, CRAMP, AGUE, FEVER, RHEUMATISM, &c All pain, vomiting, and distress cease in a few minutes after taking a doae of that wonderful Sedative Anodyne and Antispasmodic remedy. OBJ.COLLIS BROWNE'S CHLORODYNE. Discovered by Dr. J. Collis Browne, M.R.C.S.L. (ex-Army Medical Staff), the recipe of which was confided solely to J. T. Davenport, 33, Great Russell Street, Bloorasbury Square, London (Pharmaceutical Chemist). The medical testimony of civil, hospital, military, and naval practitioners pronounces it Invaluable. It relieves pain of any kind, soothes the restlessness of fever, and imparts the most refreshing sleep, without producing or leaving any of the unpleasant effects of opium. As a proof of its efficacy a few extracts from numerous testimonials by Physicians and Surgeons are given : — From W. Wesalius Pettigrew, M.D., Hon. F.R.C.S., England, formerly Lecturer upon Anatomy and Physiology at St. George's School of Medicine.— " I have used it in Consumption, Asthma, Diarrhoea, and other diseases, and am most perfectly satisfied with the results." Dr. GinnoN, Army Medical Staff, Calcutta. — " Two doses completely cured me of Diarrhc3a." From C. V. Ridout, Esq., Surgeon, Egham. — "As an Astringent in severe Diarrhoea, and an antispasmodic in Colic with Cramps in the Abdomen, the relief is instantaneous." Extracts from tJie General Board of Health, London, aa to its efficacy in Clwlera. 1st Stage, or Premonitory — In tliis stage the remedy acts as a charm, one dose generally sufficient. 2nd Stage, or that of Vomiting and Purging — In this stage the remedy possesses great power, more than any other we are acquainted with, two or three doses being sufficient. 3rd Stage, or Collapse — In all cases restoring the pulse. So strongly are we convinced of the immense value of this remedy, that we cannot too forcibly urge the necessity of adopting it in all cases. From A. Montgomery, Esq., late Inspector of Hospitals, Bombay. — " Dr. J. Collis Browne's Chlorodyne is a most valuable remedy in Neuralgia, Asthma, and Dysentery, to it I fairly owe my restoration to health after 18 months severe suffering, and when all other remedies had failed. From Dr. Andrew Smith, Director-General Army Medical Department. — " I have seen it used, and apparently with much advantage." CAUTION. In consequence of the extraordinaiy efficacy of this remedy, several nnprinclpled parties have been induced to vend imitations. Never be tempted to buy Chlorodyne, except in sealed bottles, having the Government stamp, with the words " Dr. J. Collis Browne's Chlo. v dyne" engraved thereon. A sheet full of medical testimonials accompanies each bottle. Sole Manufacturer, J. T. Davenpobt, 33, Great Kussell Street, Bloomaburj-, London. Sold in bottles, 'is. 9(2. and is. 6d. _ ■!■ ■ ■ «li l >^» _-^.. LONDON LINE OF PACKET SHIPS, GOLD FIELDS OFIrITLSK COLUMBIA. To follow the «' LOCKETT," and Sail in April. DIRECT FOR VICTORIA, VANCOUVEirS ISLAND, THE SILENDID NEW CLIPPER SHIP R. M. PMILLIl'S, Commander. 523 Tons Register, 1000 Tons Burthen. LOADIISra IN THE I^ONDON i:>OCKS. WILL CARRY AN EXPERIENCED SURGEON. This Ship, having a fine Poop, offers an excellent opportunity for First Ciiliin Passengers, while her lotty and well-ventilated 'tween Decks will afford most comfortable Accommodation for Second and Third Class. FIUST CABIN . . 50 Guineas .infl upwards, according to accommodation. SECOXl) CABIN . . 35 Ouineas, enclosed Cabins. TIIIUD CABIN . . 25 Guineas, ditto. Children under 12 years to pay one-half Passage Money, Infants under 1 year no churge. SHIP'S REGULATIONS. Passage Money.— Each Passenger is required to pay a Deiiosit of onc-lialf of the Passage Money on securing his berth, which Deposit will be lorf'LMted in case of non-cnibarkatiim. The other half to be paid, prior to embarkation, at tlie Oftice. On reniittin^r Deposit, particulars oi Name, Age, Country, and Ocmpttion of each I'assenger must also be given. Cabins are approi)riated in rotation as the Deposits are paid. LuGGA',iE.— First Cabin Passengers will be allowed 40 cubic feet each .adult; Second Cabin .'<0 feet ; Third Cabin 20 feet, including every package, except bedding. All Lugirage in excess will be charged at the rate of 2s. per cubic; foot. Any Packages rcquiicii to be opened on the voyage must be distinctly marked "Wanted on the Voyage;" otlieis to bo marked "'Not Wanted." All Luggage must be directed to the Ship, and be at the Docks three days before sailing, and all Dock charges paid at the same time. Boxes intended for the Cabin should not exceed 2 feet .'J inches long, 1 foot G inches broad, and I foot 3 indies high. All Luggage for tha Cabin must be legibly marked " Cabin," or it will be stowed away in the hold. The Ship will not be responsible for loss, damage, or detention of Luggage. Passen- gers are tiierefore re(iuircd to look after its shipment here, and landing on arrival. Embarkation. — Passengers embark at Gravesend the day after the Ship's leaving the Docks, or in the Docks if they prefer it. Chief Cabin Passengers iirovide their own furniture, bed places, and whatever else they may think requisite within their private Cabins. The Owners of the Ship supply everything that is required for the table — viz., plate, linen, glass, attendance, &c. Second and Third Cabin Passengers have berths built for them, but find tlieir own bedding, and other fittings they may require. They must also provide themselves with the following utensils — viz., knives and forks, table and teaspoons, one or two deep metal p'ates and dishes, a hook teapot, cups and saucers, or tin drinking vessels, and a water can. The Provisions are dally prepared by the Cook of the Ship, but Passengers must in other respects attend to their own arrangements for the table. They must be provided with a proper supply of clothing and other necessaries for the voyage. For Freight or Passage apply to Messrs. HENDERSON & BURNABY, 17, Gracechurch Street; to Messrs. JAMES THOMSON & Co., Bllliter Court, E.G.; to CHAKLES OSWALD, 13, Geoi-ge Yard, Lombard Street, E.G.; or to FILBY & Co., 63, Fenchurch Street, E.C. The ROSEDALE will be followed at short intervals by equally fine I'assenger Ships. Th; Route by Cape Horn is the cheapest and most comfortable. Once on board the Vesse ti.^re if no further trouble or expense until landed at Victoria ; thus the delay that often take plact at New York, Panama, and .San Francisco, and heavy expense consequent thereupon which all who go by way of Panama are subject to, is avoided ; and the Passenger, having gaid his Passage Money, knows the e-'.tfcnt of his liability. T IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ,^.A* 1.0 1.1 1.25 1^121 12.5 |50 '■^~ H^S u US, 110 1.4 I 1.6 vl <^/ V. # /: /^ 'W '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN If REE^ WEBSTE^My. 145IJ0 (71««) 972 4303 \ ;V \\ [v 6^ '4^ -i - ■*i»^» tr-f..- --^ ! •■' :; J u I '11 WATERPEOOFS FOE COLUIBIA. EDMISTON & SON, No. 5, CHARING CROSS, 9 SoU J^anufnctu«rs of tf)t onlff WATERPROOF CLOTHING, LEGGINGS, 10s. 6d. ; SOU'WESTEEIS, LONG BOOTS, &c. Guaranteed to withstand the Climate of Columbia, never become stiff with cold or sticky by extreme heat, Price 30s. PORTABLE AIR BEDS are strortgly recommended as not harbouring any description of Insect ; Ground Sheets, Folding Buckets, &c LIFE BELTS, 10s. 6di None should go without India Rubber Boats (Portable), designed expressly for shallow waters, all complete, folding in a space of 3ft by It't,, most conre- nient for Emigrants, serving as a Bed by Night and a Boat for one by Day; Price, £9 lOs.-, Weight, 10 lbs. The Siphonia Depot, 5, Charing Cross, opposite the Statue of King Charles I. «M I - II 111 > ■■ I Important to English Ministers, British Consuls, and Europeans seeking to reside in safety in Foreign Climates. EFFERVESCING PYRETIC S4LI1VE. The Governor of Sierra Leone, Colonel Hill, a Bay, and Port Natal, fn mi . 1 1 »i 1 r.s . ; New I'urk, cJt:3 2s. (id.; Canada, £4 12s. 6d.; Mail Steam and Clipper Siiilinv-: Vessels are (hspatched weekly from London and Liverpool to the above Torts. Foi Freight or Passage and circulars containing names of the Sliips and of departure dates, outht li&ts, and pamphlets — apply to F S. GRAY & Co., 64, King William Street, Ciiy, And 35, Bath Street, Liverpool. Passage warrants received in payment of passages, and every information given respecting the same. ri-i ■*r- ■1. v-- Oh 3£AV 1st will be PUBLISHED, FART I. (and to be continued Monthly) of LONDON & PEOVINCIAL ARCHITECTURE *""^ OF THE VICTORIAN AGE, Imperial 4to., price 35. 6rf., with Splendidly Executed Examples in Chrorao-Lithography, and 32 Pages of printed matter by well-known Wkiteks. PART I. will be an EXHIBITION NUMBER, with a SUPPLEMENT GRATIS. All Communications and Advertisements to be sent to the Editor, 58, HOLBORN HILL. LONDON: DAHTOJSr AND HODOE, HOLBOHN HILL. UNITED STATES, CANADA, CALIFORNIA, AND BRITISH COLUMBIA. ■\ AMERICAN-EUROPEAN EXPRESS Forward Goods, Parcels, Specie, Jewellery, &c., &c., to all parts of the abovo Countries, by the regular Mail Steamers from Liverpool and Southampton. For rates and other information, apply to WHEATLEY, STARR, & Co., 150, Cheapside, London ; or STAVELEY & STARR, 9, Chapel Street, Liverpool. ^' Parcels, &c. received for this Express at any of the Stations of the London and North Western Railway. srr MtMMM >e continued CTUEE Examples in '^ELL-KNOWN ■with a the Editor, 3GE, A, AND ESS of the above uthampton. Co., London ; or t, Liverpool. e Stations v^ STEAM COMMUNICATION f^i TO CALIPORnA, VAICOFVER's ISLAND, AND BBITISH COLUMBIA. VIA NEW YORK. Passage Money from London to San Francisco, £28 13s. Passengers are conveyed to New York by tlie Liverpool, New York, and Philadelphia Company's Steamers, leaving Liverpool every Wednesday, and from thence by the Atlantic and Pacific Steam-ship Line on the 1st, 11th, and '21st of each month. Length of jjassa^c about thirty-five days. For further particulars apply to EIVES & MACEY, 01, King William Street, Londo;i Bridge. Parcels and Packages forwarded to California, VancMuver's Island, and British Columbia, by every opportunity, through WELLS, FARGO, & CO.'S EXPRESS. AGENTS: EIVES AND MACEY, 61, KING WILLIAM STREET, LONDON BRIDGE. COU&HS, ASTHMA, AM HCIPIEl^T CONSUMPTION ARE EFFECTUxVLLY CURED BY KEATING'S COUGH LOZENGES, JUDGED RY THE IMMENSE I)E^rAND, this Universal Remedy now stands tho first in public favour and confidence; this result has been acquired by the test of fifty years' expe- rience. These Lozenges may be found on sale in every liiitish Colony, and throughout India and China they have been highly esteemed wherever introduced. For Coughs, Asthma, and all affections of the Throat and Chest, they are the most agreeable and efilcacious remedy. VALUABLE TESTIMONIALS. Copt/qf aktter from the late COLONEL JlAWKEll {the mU -known Author 07i ^'QUNS AND SHOOTING"). Longparish Jiouse, near Whitchurch, Ilants. October 2\.ie, ISlff. Sib,— I cannot resist informiug you of tlie extraordinary effect I have exiierienced by taking only a few of your LOZENGES. I had a cough for several weeks that defied all that had been prescribed for me; and yet I got comijletdy rid of it by taking about half a small box. of your Lozenges, which I find are the only ones that relieve tho cough without deranging the stomach or digestive organs. 1 am, Sir, your humble servant, To Mr. KiiAxiNO, 79, St. Paul's Church Yard. P. IIAWKEU. Melbourne, Port Philip. Deab Sir,— I duly received per Maitland the case of Lozenges, and have nmch pleasure in sayiug that they have met with a ready sale,- therefore, send me now the value of ten pounds, that is, double the last sent, packed in two cases with Tins, »kc., as bi'fore. The Lozenges reiiuire only to be tried, and I am sure the sale will be hnmense. lam not an advocate for Proprietary Medicines in tho general way, but assure you that the Lozenges have done so much good in almost every case in which we have recommended them, that 1 believe them better adapted to this climate than anything else we have seen used. Believe me, dear Sir, yours faithfully, .Mr. TuoMAs Keating. DANL. T.. ^.ONG. Prepared and Sold in Boxes, Is. I^d., and Tin-s '2s. 9d,, 4s. Gd., and 10s. 6d. each, by Tuomas Keating, Chemist, &e., 79, St. Paul's Churchyard, London. Retail by all Druggists and Patent Medicine Vendors in the World. N.B.— To prevent spurious imitations, please to observe that the words " ItE AUNG'S COUGH LOZENGES " are engraven ou the Government Stamp of each Box, without which none are genuine. //r I : OYEELAHB MAIL DIUECT TO I UT CALIEOIINIA AND BRITISH COLITMBrA. Witli the view of accommridating the increasiiii? passoncjer traffi.' to Cali- fornia tiiid British Columbia, and to ensure a certainty of transit without risk of a lonp and dantrerous detention on the mmv, the undersiirnf'd '^sne '• Tluonqh Tickets'' to SAN FKANCISCC), bv the EOYAL (WKS'^ 1X1 >1 A) IVIATL STEAM PACKET COATPAAY, the V^^A^^\^ TiAlT 'I'W^) ( v.^.M- PANY, and the PACIFIC UNITED STATES ^lAlL STEAM SHIP COM- PANY, at the rates of fai-e mentioned b( low. Lart^e and splenib'd Steamers of preat size and power hf!\'e lieen placed on the line, by which the lenu-th of the pnssair*^' !i,is l>t>cn con^!wer:ib1v reduced. Throu-ii Passiicce to SAN EIIANCISCO in al;out Tiiirtyfiv'! Days. To Victoria in about Forty Days, On their arrival at Aspinwall CColon) par.'^en^-- rs with TI1T»'CUGFI TICKETS are conveyed across the Isthnuis in iiri -class ♦•nvria^'jcs of th.-' PANAMA RAlLliOAD in four l.'-r.-s. Ti.o IJVYAL MAIE STEAM PACKT/T CO.MPANY'S Steamers Irave S.^rrhair-t.'-i on r';c -Mid and 17th of each niontl) (unless these dates fall ctn a S\ind;iy. th^'n on the folh)\vin mo'^t advan- tages to passentrer ■ for San Francisco, as die is due at Colon on the 7ih of the followini:; inontli, the date of the departnrt^ from Paiiama bein'r the 9th idem. Sine ' tl-'^ cianpletion of the Panama Railroad tlie Pa.;;ific M;iii Steamship Company have made new arrnngeraents, bv which eiich Steamer lies over nt J^mania for tvvo weeks, so as to make \\. certain that biie will bo ready to start at tiie appointed time. C|Vv" B.'ddincr and all other necessaries for the voyap-e, in<-liidin2: an abund- ance of provisions, bein S¥ .»•' .j«»i