IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) / ^^ /. / f/j i/. 1.0 I.I 1.25 11. 1.4 6' 2.0 1.6 V] /^/A m Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STntts WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 '^•\^ ^ ///// % i^y w- (/a CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. L'Institut a microfilme le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a ete possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-etre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la methode normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. D D D n n n n n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagee Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^e at/ou pelliculee Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches 9t/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reli^ avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ Lareliure serree peut causer de I'ombra ou de la distorsion le long de la marge interieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout^es lors dune restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela ^tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas iti filmies. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplementaires; I I Coloured pages/ D D Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagees Pages restored and/or laminatod/ Pages restaurees et/ou pelliculees Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages decolorees. tachet^es ou piquees □ Pages detached/ Pages detachees I "l/Showthrough/ L kj Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ Qualite indgale de {'impression des supplementary materii prend du materiel supplementaire □ Includes supplementary material/ Comi Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponibla Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., cnt ^te film^es ^ nouveau de facon a obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiqu^ ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22/ 26X 30X v^ I I M 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X tails du sdifier une ■nage The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Metropolitan Toronto Library Canadian History Department The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. L'exemplaire filmf fut reproduit grfice d la g6n6rositd de: ^ Metropolitan Toronto Library Canariian History Department Les images suivantes ont 6x6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettetd de l'exemplaire film^, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain *he symbol — »- (meaning "COIM- TiNUED"). o the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les exemplaires orininaux dont la couverture en papier est imprim6e sont film6s en commenqant par ie premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent §tre film^s 6 des taux de reduction diffSrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour etre reproduit en un seul cSichd, il est film6 6 partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche 6 droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. rrata :o 3elure. T a 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 ... 5 6 BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVEE ISLAND. YOYAGES, TRAYELS, & ADYENTITRES. BY JOHN EMMERSON, OF WOLSINGHAM. ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL. D U K H A M PRINTED AND PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHO.. BY WM. AINSLEY, 74, SADLER STREET, I860. PRICE ONE aHILLING AND SIXPENCE. 7 .^ .^'J me i N 1) E X . PA.GE. (Jii^PTER I. — Passage from Liverpool to New York. . 1 Chapter II. —Description of New York— Voyage to Aspinwall ' Chapter III.— Isthmus and City of Panama— Voyage to San Francisco ^^ Chapter IV —San Francis, j— Voyage to Vancouver's — Interview with the Governor of the Island . . , . 30 Chapter V. — Adventures and Sufferings. , 35 Chapter VT. — Eight Months' Life in Victoria , . . . 79 Chapter VII. — Mr. Fraser and the Cariboo Gold Mines c • • • 92" Chapter VIII. — Vancouver Island, and Victoria its Capital 1 04 Chapter IX. — The Homeward Voyage 140 Chapter X. —Hints to intending Emigrants, and other matteri 148 t > w I •;f --^^ .A inUTISlI COLUMBIA. CHAPTER I. rASSAGE FKOM LIVETIPOOL TO NEW YOKK. It is inherent in man's nature to desire the advancement of his condition in life ; and to gain that object, Lis efforts are constant and varied. It is true, that erring in judgment, his efforts are frequently misdirected, but nevertheless his object is to secure a greater amount of happiness than he already enjoys, and whatever his circumstances in life may be, he always imagines the world as something better in store for him than it has ever yet bestowctt; and as the butterfly is lured from flower to flower, so is m?n from object to object. This is a necessary ingredient in the human compound, for without it, he would sink into hopeless despair, his endeavours would cease, and there would be an end to all human progress. Had man not possessed the spirit, of enlerprise and ambition we could not now have boasted of our steam engines, our electric telegraph, our ships that plough the mighty ocean ; nay, not even the most simple apparatus connected with domes+ic life. But this ]mnci])le is carried to an extreme, and therein lies the evil. The thirst for gold, will tempt men to leave their wives, their children, their homes, and everything that is dear to them ; encounter the dangers and difficulties of a voyage to the other side of the world, and endure all the hardships, privations, and sufferings, that must either more or less attend such an undertaking. Whether it be wisdom for i m men under any circumstances whatever to allow themsclvei* to be led away by gold excitements is a question I will leave others to settle, but certain it is that in a majority of cases, the most bitter disappointment is the result. This craving for gold, combined with a strong desire to better the position of my family, backed by the flattering ac- counts written by Mr. Fraser, the Victoria correspondent ot the London Times, induced me, along with some friends, to leave old England for the far distant gold regions of Jiritish Columbia. These friends were Mr. William Mark and his two sons, Edward and Robert, of Stockton; Mr James Marquis, of Hamsterley ; and Mr. George Little, of Wolsing- The gold fever was raging ; we caught the infection, and resolved to " rowe our hurdles in a hammock, an' owre the sea" On Wednesday, the 2nd of April, 1862, we sailed from Liverpool in the steamship City of Baltimore, belonging to the Liverpool, New York, and Philadelphia Steamship Com- pany. About 250 took their passage to New York. To witness the parting of friends on such an occasion is exceed- intrly touching. Locked in each other's arms, what shedding of'tears— what heaving of sighs— what long lingering looks are exchanged—what prayers are oifered up by broken- hearted wives, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, for the safety of those who are as dear to them as their own lives, and who are about to leave their homes, perhaps never, never to return ! -, p • -. i We steamed away about 1 p.m. amidst deafening hurrahs and waving of handkerchiefs, and many an eye bedimmed with tears watched us till out of sight. We retire early, but the mind is too much agitated to allow of sleep. . Thursday the 3rd— a beautiful morning — nothing ot im- portance to relate, except sea sickness, which the sufferers thought important enough. Arrived at Queeiistown about one o'clock in the afternoon, took in upwards of 300 more passengers, of high and low degree. Thestovang away of those passengers with their baggage was quite a scene ; such a rushing, and tumbling, and crushing, and even lushing, for not a few of the darling boys had provided themselves with a " dhrop of the crather/' " to cheer our hearts with sure." I themsclvej* [ will leave ,y of cases, r desire to attering ac- ;pondcnt of friends, to s of Jiritish ark and his Mr. James 3f Wolsing- fection, and n' owre the sailed from lelonging to mship Com- York. To n is exceed- lat shedding jering looks by broken- d sisters, for 3 their own rhaps never, ling hurrahs e bedimmed ited to allow hing of im- the sufferers stown about of 300 more dug away of scene ; such I lushing, for selves with a ith sure." Be it said, to tlie credit of those Irish people, that one and all conducted tlieniselves with the greatest propriety during tiie voyage across the Atlantic. We left Queen stown about five in the evening, and were soon out on tlie wide, wide sea. The whole of our party, myself excepted, are sea sick. William Mark and his two sons are showing immiMtakeablc signs of a severe attack. James Marquis is likewise sick, but not to such an extent. George Little is a Utile sick, but evidently does not intend to be much affected. We turn in about nine o'clock and are soon rocked to sleep. Friday the 4th, I awoke about one in the morning, and for some time paced the upper deck, contemplating the wonders of the mighty deep. A delightful morning till the middle of the forenoon, when the sky becomes overcast, the wind in- creases, with a heavy swell at sea ; we ship several seas, and the vessel rolls so much, we find it difficult to keep our equi- librium. All this is alarming to many, but the danger is not great, though tlie scene is sufficient to give an idea of a storm aL sea. Sea sickness is now the order of the day, and out of the GOO souls on board scarcely 20 have escaped. What hctggard, ghastly, corpse-like countenances meet the view at every turn, and strong, healthy, robust men form no excep- tion ; and then substances in every direction greet the olfactory nerve in a manner that is anything but agreeable. To witness 600 people suffering from sea sickness is a scene difficult to describe : it must be seen tf> be comprehended. George Little has quite recovered, the rest are very ill ; William Mark is quite prostrate. As for myself I L,m evidently proof against sea sickness ; I have never felt the least tendency ; on the contrary, I seem to possess twice my usual amount of energy and physicttl power. I enjoy this rather heavy sea exceedingly well ; I wish I could say the same regarding my dinner to-day. Stinking salt fish, with lukewarm potatoes, sad as liver, form the repast, and certainly the most villainous dinner I ever partook of. However, salt fish is allotted to us only one day in the week, and what we are served with on. the other days is " pushdownable," providing one has a ravenous appetite. As evening approaches the little storm abates, the wind is hushed, the sea becomes comparatively calm, and our trusty ship glides smoothly on. After we have gulped down our milkless anolof'v for tea and buttcrlcss *., b2 !!^ i lutvd biscuit, and while every stroke Of the i...ton widen« U^ Lp between us and our beloved homes, we sit down t^ alk^of those who are so dear to us, and whom wu have left l^r, far behind ; and at nine we retire to test, and dream of ^^ SaturdayT^e 5th.-A delightful morning i calm sea, ^v^th a pleasant breeze. A marked change has taVen place m the health of the passengers. Sea sickness not so prevalent The whole of our little band seem to be new men. ihe afternoon turns hazy, with frequent heavy showers of ram, but clears up towards evening. A most magnificent night- the moon arid stars shining in all their glory, anc. the ocean from the reflection of the Queen of night, appears to be as one vast expanse of sparkling, dancing, liquid silver, and our vessel majestically bounding o'er the waves as a thmg ol hie. The scene is enchanting-' tis truly subhme._ We amuse our- selves for a considerable time with watching the thousands of phosi)horent lights which seem to emanate from the spray by the side of the ship, said to be decomposed matter or animalciila. , , , • i •„„ Meanwhile fiddling, dancing, and card playing are being carried on with spirit in the steerage ; but, not being mterest- ing to us, we remain on deck till it is all over, and about ten ^ve seek our bunks : lie down on our hard straw mattress to sleep if we can. • v 4 „ ..+:ff Sunday the 6th.— A glorious sunny mornmg, but a stitt breeze right in our teeth r the sea tolerably calm We ob- serve a notice to the effect that Captam Jeffreys will distribute tracts and Bibles at ten o'clock, and a second notice, - to Protestants only," intimating that divine service will take place in the saloon at half-past ten. We attend divine service, and at the same time Father Skilly, a Roman Catholic priest, is preaching to the Irisfi people in the steerage. In the afternoon the sky becomes overcast, followed by pelting showers of ram. As evening ^ approaches the wind increases to half a hurricane, and ttiG rapidly swelling waves assume a threatening aspect, the sea frequently washing the decks, and the ship rolling and pitch- ing fearfully. , About nine o'clock a heavy sea strikes the vessel, wtiich m?.kQs her reel like a drunken man, and the next moment she gives a lurch, which changes her decks from the hori- iton widens sit down to ,ve liavc lofi id dream of Lm sea, with place in the ) prevalent- men. The vers of rain, :cnt night—* d the ocean, ars to he as ver, and our thing of hfe. 3 amuse our- le thousands jm the spray jd matter or rig are heing :ing interest- nd ahout ten V mattress to g, hut a stiff lm. We oh- ,vill distribute il notice, " to ice will take time Father to the Irish sky becomes As evening cane, and the spect, the sea ing and pitch- vessel, which next moment from the hori- zontal to an almost perpendicular position. At the same time a loud squall proceeds from below, while numbers measure their length on the floor : men, women, and children jumbled together in one confuted mass; and various utensils, such as c.U'pvt bags and clothes boxes, cm])ty barrels, tin plates and dishes, knives and forks, buckets and bottles, dance jigs in all directions ; while sacks of flour and barrels of biscuit, break their tether, and rush across the decks witli marvellous velocity ; and to avoid fractured legs, it is neces- sary to make immediate arrangements for getting out of th.' way. At this moment T happen to be holding hard by the st(>erage door, and consequently escape the general confusion. We retire about ton o'clock, and commit ourselves, not to the nun-cy of the waves, but to the strength and capabilities of the steamship, Citi/ of Baltimnrf:. Monday the 7th. — This morning, about half-past two, a treme idous sea strikes the ship, which suddenly arouses us from our slumbers, the water rushing over the decks in tor- rcnis. I venture out lo view the scene, which is awfully grand The night is dark as the grave — the wind bellowing throaj^h the rigging with a deep melancholy moan resembling distant tliunder, and the ocean roaring like a thousand lions, boiling and foaming and lashing the ship on all sides, seeming to threaten instant destruetion. For the first thne a feeling of insecurity creeps over me, and to use a sea phrase, " I tremble from stem to stern." I am soon followed on deck by a number of the sons of the emerald isle, " who have left their beds in terror." I am accosted by one with " Masther, sure an' that's awful: I thought we was all goln' to the bottom o' the say." As dawn approaches, the sea becomes comparatively calm, and we go on oar way rejoicing. Tho forenoon is sunny, but the wind dead against us Fine all day; at night a strong bree/e sets in. which causes the ship to roll very much. Sea sickness has almost vanished, our party being all well and ui good spirits. Fiddling, dancing, and song make the even- ing's entertainment, but v/e take no part in it ; and about ten take a journey to the land of Nod, but are soon aroused from our slumbers by a variety of articles making their nightly perambulations around the decks, producing a combination of sound not altogether favourable to sound sleeping. Tuesday the 8th.— Fine frosty m.orning= To-night, if all's A3 ^ p.' ]\ fi ! i I i : ! 1 ll i' well, wo sliall be lialf way across the Atlantic, and conse- quently over 1 ,500 miles from old England. Wednesday the 9th. — Strong head whid, but steaming pretty well. Nothing worth relating. Thursday the 10th. — Tolerable morning, wind not so violent, but quite contrary. In the afternoon we meet with a steamer boimd for Liverpool from New York. A most delightful evening, scarcely a hatful of wind ; the sea smooth as a mill pond : bearing away to the south to avoid the ice- bergs off Newfoundland. Friday the 11th. — Morning: thick weather, with heavy rain. Afternoon : strong wind, but fair and sunny ; meet with a large sailing vessel bound to England and speak with her. Evening : strong wind and a little swell at sea ; witness several silent discharges of the electric fluid, which produces a grand eflPect. The ship rolls terribly all night, so that we have to hold on hard to prevent being pitched out of bed. Sleep is out of the question, for every portable article is flying round the decks like fury. Saturday the 12th. — Blowing almost a hurricane, with rather a rough sea. Sunday the 13th. — The wind increases in violence, tlie sea continually washing the decks, which creates anything but pleasing reflections. The sailors call this calm weather, but I rather differ with them. The Atlantic may be compared to a ravenous angry wild beast, threatening every moment to fly into a violent rage, and devour everything within its reach. Monday the 14th. — While we have been reposing in the arms of Morpheous, what a change has come o'er the scene : the wind is subdued to a gentle breeze ; the sea smooth as a board, and the sun shining with splendour. At seven this morning we pass the steamer Etna, bound to Liverpool, salutes are fired, and signals exchanged. How cheering to meet with a ship at sea, where there are fellow mortals sharing with us the dangers of the deep. To meet a ship at sea, is like meeting with an old friend — she is hailed with delight. A beautiful day, but cold. We expect to get a glimpse of the American Continent to-morrow. This is a glorious moonlight night ; the sea like a sheet of ice ; the spirits of all run high. Nearly all the passen- gers on the upper deck assembled in groups- some dancing, some singing, and others conversing, each according to his ^B :, and conse- nt steaming ^'ind not bo ve meet with rk. A most e sea smooth void the ice- with heavy sunny ; meet d speak with sea ; witness ich produces t, so that we out of hed. :icle is flying Ticane, with encc. the sea mything but weather, but compared to loraent to fly . its reach. 30sing in the )r the scene : smooth as a -t seven this Liverpool, ' cheering to rtals sharing lip at sea, is with dehght. a glimpse of like a sheet 1 the passen- ime dancing, rding to his own individual taste. As for ourselves we are earnestly engaged talking of home, and those who lay so near our hearts, remarking to each other " what an anxious time this will be for our dear wives and children, who will, no doubt, be deeply concerned for our safety." But here we are " not on the land of the living," but on the briney ocean, and in prospect of a speedy termination to our first voyage. Tuesday the 15th.— A fine morning, but chilly; the pilot taken on board at five o'clock a.m. Distant from New York 150 miles. Afternoon, abreast of Long Island, which is 120 miles in length, and 35 in width ; we observe num- bers of beautiful little villages as we glide along. This is a magnificent day, scarcely a ripple on the water ; towards evening American land is descried, and as we approach New- York, guns are fired, and rockets projected high in the air as signals of our arrival. Everyone seems to be in high glee, congratulating themselves and each other on their safe arrival. About nine at night we cast anchor in New York harbour, but must remain on board all night. Wednesday the 16th.— About eleven o'clock this morning, after no end of indescribable confusion, the living freight is safely placed on terra Jirma, without a single accident during our trip across the mighty Atlantic. The Atlantic ocean contains an area of twenty-five million sq^uare miles. CHAPTER IL DESCRIPTION OF NEVT YORK — VOYAGE TO ASPINWALL. New York is a mighty city, containing a population of about 900,000, and owns one of the largest shipping ports in the world ; it stands next to London, Liverpool being the largest. The American ships are splendid specimens of naval archi- tecture, but as they are built of soft wood, they do not possess the strength and durability of our English-made vessels. The Central Park is a magnificent place, comprising several hundred acres, and contains the botanical gardens, cricket ground, skating pond, parade ground, a beautiful lake and iii!l 8 reservoir. The park is tar,tefuny laid out and beautified with shrubs and flowers, fountains and statuary. The Merchants' Exchange, the City Hall, the Custom House, the Cooper Institute, the Trinity Church, and the City Prison called the Tombs, are large and costly buildings. New York can boast of several splendid libraries. Tiie Astor Free Library contains 120,000 volumes ; the Mercan- tile, 64,000; the Society, 50,000; the Historical Society, 25,000 ; and the Apprentices', 19,000. The hotels are on a vast scale, gorgeously fitted up. The Croton Aqueduct is one of the most im})ortant of the public works, which was executed at a cost of twenty million dollars. It brings a stream of pure soft water to the city a distance of 40 miles. Broadway, the principal thoroughfare, is a noble street, and stretches over five miles. Many of the structures are built of granite, and some of white polished marble. This street from morning till night literally swarms with pedestrians, and vehicles of every possible description ; and in this respect closely resembles the busy parts of London. With the exception of Broadway, however, there is nothing in the streets of New York particularly attractive. On tlie contrary, we \vere utterly astonished to find many of the streets in such a filthy condition ; cartloads of dirt and ashes lying in all directions, and ugly looking holes in the streets, some of them large enough to bury a man in. Many parts of N w York left the impression that it was a grand city in decay, greatly requiring- renovation. A few hundred tons of paint would improve its appearance very considerably. The people. of New York pay little attention to shop win- dow displays. There is a wide difierence in this respect between New York and many of our large towns in England. Nothing has a greater tendency to nriprove the appearance of a street than neatly-decorated shop windows, and in that par- ticular New York entirely fails. Street railways are common in New York. The American railway cars are considered quite superior to our English railway carriages. They are about twice the length of ours, and so constructed as to allow a person to walk along the centre the whole length of the train. The seats are ])laced transveiscly along each side of the car, each seat comfortably I beautified ;he Castom 3h, and the y build in^''s. aries. The the Mcrca Il- eal Soeiety, )d up. The jf the public llion dollars, a, distance of 18 street, and i are built of swarms with ription ; and f London, re is nothinpf ive. On tlie many of the irt and ashes n the streets, that it was a L. ,s appearance to shop win- this respect s in England, ippearance of d in that par- ?he American our Enf2;lish ?ngth of ours, idk along the its are placed t comfortably accommodating two persons. 1 he backs of the seats are |p made to turn both ways, so that the passenger can sit with his face to which end of the train he thinks proper. There are no side doors, the means of ingress and egress being at the ends of the cars. A string passes along the inside of the roof of the curs, and is attached to an alarutn placed near the engine driver, to call attention in case of danger or accident. Nearly every passenger being in view of each other, the per- petration of crime is impossible. There is no first, second, or third class. The fare is one ; and as regards railway travelling, all are equal in America. New York is situated at the mouth of the Hudson, 225 miles from Washington, 1,397 from New Orleans, 210 from Boston, and 372 miles from Montreal. The harbour has space and depth for whole fleets of vessels of the largest size. The steamer Champion was to sail on the 2 1st instant for Aspinw^all, and when we applied for our tickets at the Cali- fornian Shipping Office, Ave found every berth in the ship engaged, except a few in the second cabin ; and so tremen- dous was the rush, that numbers were procuring tickets for the next boat, which was to sail a fortnight afterwards. Our only alternative Avas to wait that time, or take berths in the second cabin. We resolved to adopt the latter plan, and accordingly paid 150 dollars each for our passage through to San Francisco. We each held three tickets : the first, for the passage to Aspinwall ; the second, for the Panama Railroad ; and the third, for the passage from Panama to San Francisco. On Monday morning, the 21st, that part of the city in the immediate neighbourhood of the docks presented an appear- ance of the most animated description ; and as the hour of departure drew near, a continuous stream of passengers, ac- companied by their friends, was seen wending their way towards the place of embarkation. Scores of waggons heavily laden with huge boxes and carpet bags were disgorging their contents by the side of the ship, and thousands of spectators were present watching the bu,,-iy i^cene ; while those who had an eye to business were recommending their wares at the highest pitch of their voice, which produced a confusion of language that might throw into the shade that at the building of JJabel. One thousand human boiuffs were taken on board the Pill ;■ 'I 10 Chaynpion ; and then was witnessed another parting scene that baffles description: wives clinging around the necks of their husbands absolutely frantic with grief, which was heart- rending to behold, for we couUl not avoid the conviction that many an affectionate wedded pair were now gazing on each other for the last time. , , . 4. ,„:fi. As the vessel moved from the dock the air was rent with hurrahs from thousands of tongues, which was exciting m the extreme ; and as we glided swiftly away, a perfect forest ot upturned faces kept intently gazing on the rapidly receding vessel and her living freight, and thousands of handkerchiefs fluttered in the breeze till we disappeared m the distance That vessel contained many a dear one, who was all the world to some now left behind. That night many a bereaved w5fe would return to her own fireside with a sorrowful heart, for by the side of that fire stood a vacant chair. That night would be a sleepless one for many a poor wife, mother, and sister, and many a pillow that night would be deluged with With us it was a gloomy, stormy night at sea. <« The wind blew as 'twad blawn its last ; The rattling show'rs rose on the blast." And the sea ran high— the waves continually breaking over the ship, which was rolling, and pitching, and straining tear- fully and the whole ten hundred people, with the exception of very few. were completely - ostrate with sea sickness ; the great majority being down below, and quite incapable of ren- dering themselves the least assistance. On the upper dack a scene was to be witnessed which we thought would have melted the hardest heart that ever beat in a human bosom :-- upwards of 200 steerage passengers— men, women, and chil- dren—who had no place below whereon to lay their heads, were huddled together on deck, at the fore part of the snip, exposed to the dreadful cold wind which then prevailed, the sea continually washing over them, till the poor creatures were half drowned. Their case was most pitiable, and many of us would have gladly given up our berths to the poor suf- fering women and children, but it was not allowed. One man, however, succeeded in smuggling down a poor young wc-nan, more dead than alive— placed her in his berth, and sat up all night himself. The American steamboat ov/np.r= cannot be too severely 11 ting scene le necks of W9S heart- action that ig on each 5 rent with iting in the ■ct forest of ly receding idkerchiefs stance, was all the a bereaved )wful heart, That night nother, and ringed with eaking over aining fear- le exception jkness ; the able of ren- pper d3ck a would have a bosom : — n, and chil- their heads, of the ship, :e vailed, the )r creatures e, and many- he poor suf- uwed. One poor young ,s berth, and fno severely I censured for taking on board more passengers than they can accommodate ; but with them the " almighty dollar" is the only consideration. The boat which sailed previous to ours contained, we were told, fifteen hundred souls ! Next morning we found old neptune in excellent humour, and the remainder of the voyage to Aspinwall was everything that could be desired, with nothing in the shape of sea storms to break its monotony. Chess, draughts, dominoes, cards, and books were had recourse to ; and the frequent appearance of whales, sharks, dolphins, porpoises, the nautilus, and flying fish, &c., kc, was a constant source of amusement. Porpoises are seldom seen, except in flocks of from half-a- dozen to fifty, and sometimes they congregate in numbers amounting to several hundreds. We have more than once seen them occupy a line at least a mile in length. They have a peculiar method of tumbling about on the surface of the water, and sometimes gambol about the bow of the ship. They swim with surprising velocity; far outstripping the swiftest steamboat. Their appearance is believed to prog- nosticate stormy weather, and on that account the sailors detest them. The porpoise measures from six to seven feet in length, is very thick in the fore parts, and gradually tapering towards the tail ; its snout resembles that of -o hog. All sorts of small fish constitute their prey, but especially heriings, mackerel, cod, and haddock. The porpoise not only hunts for prey near the surface, but frequently descends to the bottom in search of eels and sea worms, which it roots out of the sand with its snout in the manner hogs harrow up the ground ; hence, it has obtained the name of sea-hog. The porpoise yields a considerable quantity of oil : the lean of the young ones is wholesome, and has nearly the flavour of veal. In America the skin is tanned and dressed, which makes excellent covering for carriages. The dolphin strongly resembles the porpoise, but is about 3 feet longer ; also its snout is longer and more pointed. The flying fish is about the size of a herring, and an in- teresting little thing it is. In the tropics we saw myriads of them, for almost every bound of the ship scared hundreds of them from the water, frequently knocking each other down in their haste to escape ; they, no doubt, imagine a ship to be some monster fish about to devour them. Thev are exceed- il hi ll' ;ih 12 in-ly tiaiid, and as they are chased by the dolphin porpoise ami other large fish, they take to the air for safety ; but all animated nature seem combined against the.a, for tac tropic bird and the albatross are ever on the alert to seize them, ilio wino- of the flying fish is long, thin, and tapering, and they appear to possess as perfect self-command m the air as in the water, and fly with amazing speed. At a distance they so closely resemble a flock of birds, that it requires a practiced eye to detect the diflPerence. They are. capable oi flymg some two or three hundred yards, when they sv.ddcnly arop into the water, some of them, no doubt, to be i-.^tantly devoured ; for while they are skimming along about three feet aboye tnc surface, it is said their voracious enemy is swiftly gUding beneath in the same direction ready to seize upon them when they return to their watery element. , . ,. The nautilus, or sailing fish, is a wonderful production ot nature. Amongst seamen it has obtained the name of " the Portuguese Man-of-War," in consequence of its reseniblanco to a ship under sail. The nautilus is a shell fish belonging the sea-snail kind, and can quit a'nd resume its shell at plea- sure. When on the surface of the water its body presents the appearance of an oblong air bubble, seven or eight inches in length, which is fringed around by a crumpled fleshy sub- stance ; attached to which are several arms used as propel- ling paddles, and which are connected to each other by a veiy thin transparent skin. This wonderful little animal is likev/ise furnished with a half moon shaped membrane, about eight inches in height, and same in >vidth, which it can raise as a sail to catch the breeze ; and thus it glides along the surface of the water. At a distance tnuse sails resemble fine tissue paper, many of which are as white as driven snow, but some are red, some purple, and some blue, which colours are all exceedingly rich. When the nautilus is threatened with danger it instanlly gathers in its paddles, furls its sail, creeps into its shell, which is exceedingly thin and light ; absorbs a poxtion ot water, which renders it heavier than the surrounding element ; and it sinks to the bottom of the ocean. It is supposed that m the early ages, the art of navigation owed its origin to the management of this instinctive sailor. About the West India Islands we witnessed some of those splendid sunsets which no pen nor pencil can pourtray. In 13 , porpoiso, ,y ; but all tlic tropic them. The J, and they ir as in the ice they so X practiced lying some ' drop into devoured ; : above the tly gliding- them when eduction of lie of " the 2seinbUince L belonging ell at plea- :ly presents ight inches fleshy sub- L as propel- other by a e animal is rane, about it can raise 1 along the semble fine 1 snow, but colours are it instantly f;heli, which n of water, nnent ; and )sed that in mo of those lurt/ay. In the golden tinted clouds the wrapt fancy sees hills and dales, cliffs and craggs, fields and forests, rivers and lakes, gardens and shrubberies, fountains and statuary, and a thousand other things wild and enchanting. We steamed close past the east end of Cuba, and on the left we sjp-hted Hayti. We did not, however, come within sight of the Island of Jamaica. The heat was now becoming oppressive, which compelled us to quit our berths below, and sleep on the upper deck. About 9 p.m., on the 30th of April, we arrived at Aspin- wall, our voyage from New York having occupied nine days and a half. Unfortunately, I was suffering from a severe attack of rheumatic gout ir> one of my feet, which prevented me in a great measure from peering about, and noting the peculiari- ties of the place and its inhabitants. However, I ventured out with some of our party, and crawled about as well as I could. The place was dimly lighted with oil lamps, which half reminded one of the song called " The light of other days." What we witnessed was of an extraordinary character, arid the first thing that attracted our attention was a number of native women, in an almost perfect state of nudity, sitting in the streets smoking cigars, with a table beforf^ them laden with goods, which they offered for sale to the passers by. These goods consisted of beauiiful native shells, worked into baskets; ladies' work-boxes, and other devices; fruits, con- sisting of bananas, pine-apples, cocoa-nuts, oranges, limes, lemons, sugar-cane, &;c., all of which were very cheap. A very palatable beverage, composed of lemons, sugar, and iced water, commanded an extensive sale at five cents, or two-pence halfpenny per glass or half pint. Gamblers were located in different parts of the streets with crowds of people around them ; but, being lame, I could not force my way through to make myself acquainted with their method of gambling, nor had my companions any inclination to inquire into the particulars of it. The streets are paraded by native women of loose charater ; although they were the most ugly and repulsive specimens of humanity that mortal eyes ever boheld, encased in a thin loose white dress, fan in hand, with a janty air they swaggered about as though they iuuigined themselves the greatest beauties in existence, They made no secret of their disreput- 14 able calling, but with indecent language accosted the white men, and sometimes actually laid hands on them, who m- variably turned away from them in disgust. These detestable women appeared to enjoy this sort of fun amazingly— frequently indulging in boisterous laughter. They seemed to be well aware that their overtures were exceedmgly obnoxious to the white men, and did it perhaps more to amuse themselves and annoy the others than for any other object. At a random guess the population of Aspinwall is perhaps about 2,000. The houses are built principally of wood, more than half of which are lestaurants and billiard rooms ; meals are charged one dollar each, and a bed the same for one night. The atmosphere at Aspinwall is complr'ely impregnated with the scent of rich fruit. The banana grows from five to nine inches in length, and in shape resembles the cucumber. It is a soft, luscious fruit ; in flavour resembling a very ripe pear ; the skin is perfectly smooth, and when ripe, quite yellow, and easily peeled off'. As many as a hundred will grow on one stem, which is about one and a-half inchef! in thickness, and very strong ; and as they grow closely packed all round the stem, ihey form a bunch of immense size and weight, some of them almost as much as a man can lift from the ground. Next morning, by seven o'clock, the Champion had dis- charged her cargo, both animate and inanimate ; and as there were two or three hours to dispose of before the train started over the isthmus for Panama, these ten hundred people had that time to kill by some means ; and those who were bent on gratifying their curiosity perambulated the streets in a half roasted condition, but the majority sought shelter, and were busily engaged trying to keep themselves cool, a task by no means easy of accoinplishment, for the sun was pouring down his rays to a degree overpowering. The temptation to bathe was almost irresistible, but we were cautioned by the natives against doing so. One of our passengers, nevertheless, had the hardihood to venture into the water, and was immediately stung in the foot by some venomous animal ; he was under the care of the ship's doctor about a fortnight, and fortunately recovered. Rv half-nast tpn wfi wftrft all seated in the railwav cars, and when the signal was given, " amidst deafening shouts from the natives," we rushed into the wild woods of Central America. t 'i 15 CHAPTER III. ISTHMUS AND CITY OF PANAMA.- FKANCISCO. •VOYAGE TO SAX The Rev. Thomas Milner, in his Gallery of Geography, says, "Central America, in the geographical sense, embraces the whole of the narrow portion of the Continent between its two main masses. But the political signification is restricted to the space occupied by the States within its limits, which are included between the northern Isthmus of Tehuantepec, be- longing to Mexico, and the southern Isthmus of Panama, a part of the Granadian Confederation. This territory is washed on the eastern side by the Caribbean Sea, an arm of the Atlantic, which deeply invades the shores, and by the waters of the Pacific on the western, which have a comparatively smooth coast-line. It has a length of about 900 miles fronv north-west to south-east, by a very varying breadth, contract- ing from 300 miles to less than 80 miles ; and an area com- puted at nearly 190,000 square miles. High table lands, traversed by mountainous ridges and overtopped by volcanic cones, occupy a large proportion of the interior, where the scenery is splendid, and the climate is rendered singularly balmy by the elevation ; while the fierce heat of the torrid zone is experienced on the maritime lowlands. '' But the beautiful in the landscape is often seen in close- alliance with memorials of a terrible agency ; and the calm, of nature is frequently interrupted by physical convulsions. ♦' In many parts, sudden chasms, deep rents, and capricious* twistings of the surface bear unmistakable eviaence of having, been caused by violent paroxysms of volcanic action ; and few regions at present are more subject to furious outbursts front the constantly-smoking craters, with displays of the earth- quake's dreadful power. Upon the achievement of indepen- dence from the Spanish monarchy, the five states which then formed themselves into a federation adopted for their national cognizance, in allusion to the natural peculiarities of the- country, the figure of five volcanoes on a plain, bordered on either side by the ocean. *' The indigenous vegetation is very diversified, and ren- dered luxuriant by heavy seasonal rains in connection with the hot climate. It constitutes the main source of wealth,. !ji I ■il! i III' I i! fV. ( i; \r 10 embracing magnificent trees of cc.lav, mahognny, ami (l>. woods, with sarsaparilla, vaniHa, balsams, gums, and otlu-i medicinal plants. , , , i • i i „+ ;« - The cultivated products include the cochineal plant, in- digo, sugar, cotton, coffee, tobacco, cacao, and fruits. " Some of the birds are of great beauty ; as the quesa , most frequently met with in Guatimala, remarkable joy its exquisite green plumage, spotted on the wings with brilhant red and black, while the long feathers of the tail are of green, powdered with gold. The population, upwards of 2 000 000, Consists of whites chiefly of Spanish descent, and a large number of native Indians, with a mixed race called Ladmos, and a few negroes. Though converts generally to Roman Catholicism, and speaking the Spanish language, some of the Indians in the secluded mountain districts adhere to ancestral forms of idolatry, and retain their native dialect. _ At Aspinwall, the English language is spoken correctly. The Isthmus of Panama is a narrow neck of land, only 47 miles in breadth, which separates the Atlantic and 1 acific Oceans. A railroad and telegraphic wire stretches across, connecting Panama, on the Pacific side, with Aspinwa 1 on the Atlantic, by which means Cape Horn and the whole ot South America is cut off, thereby reducing the distance between England and Vancouver Island from over 20,000 miles to 10,000 miles. The isthmus is a dense romantic forest, rank with luxu- riant tropical plants and fruit trees ; and after the sea voyage, the trip by rail through this charni'ng scenery was an agree- able change to the sea- worn- eyesight, and greatly relished by all. ... T The natives are existing in a very primitive state, in crossing the isthmus, we observed several native villages scattered along the route ; many of their wigwams being mere sheds of the rudest description, thickly thatched with tropical leaves to protect them from the sun and rain. These leaves are an enormous size, measuring 8 or 10 feet in length and from 2 to 3 feet in width. The native men and women are going about within a shade of being naked ; the children are perfectly so. It was amusing to see those little black fellows standing, with their hands behind their backs, watching the train as it passed, and looking as innocent as possible. It appears these children feed principally upon I 1' f, iind (ly- ami otlu.'i .1 plant, in- its. tlic qucsiil, able for its ith brilliant re of pjrcen, ' 2,000,000, nd a large 3d Ladinos. to Horn an some of the to ancestral [correctly, ad, only 47 md Pacific lies across, spinwall on 18 whole of he distance .ver 20,000 with luxu- sea voyage, IS an agree- itly relished ; state. In ive villages ivams being .atched with •ain. These ;et in length and women the children little black heir backs, innocent as cipally upon 'fruit and vegetables, which may account for their " bellies" being such an enormous size. Close by the side of the railroad we observed two or tlvree extensive stone quarries, where a great number of natives were employed working out the stone. With the exception of a Panama hat on their head, and a piece of thin calico around their middle, they were working in their bare pelts, the perspiration pouring from the pores of the skin to a degree that threatened their speedy annihilation. Attached to each of these quarries is a machine driven by steam power for crashing up the stone, which is done most effectually. To what use this stone is put we could not ascertain — perhaps for ballasting the railroad. The Panama Railway is a paying concern, allowing, it is said, 30 per cent, per annum. A few miles of the line from Aspinwall runs through a swamp ; the Test lies through deep cuttings and over embankments, with many very sharp curves and iron bridges. At intervals of four miles there are neat and elegant wooden buildings, beautifully painted and ornamented, each with a sw-eetly pretty flower garden attached. These charming little places are for the double purpose of stations, and residences for the managers of the railway. The managers, we were told, are white men ; and I may here observe that a few Europeans are to be found in this part of the world conducting the work that is going on ; but I imagine they must receive liberal wages indeed to induce them to live in such a country, for it is one of the most unhealthy places on the face of the earth. The sacrifice of human life which took place during the mak- ing of this railroad is fearful to contemplate. Hands could not be supplied fast enough, and the works were frequently suspended, so terrible were the ravages of the yellow fever. We were told that as many workmen fell victims to the Panama fever as there are railway sleepers over the whole length of the line — upwards of S2,000 ; but I am inclined to think it an exaggeration. The fare for this 47 miles railway journey is 25 dollars, or five pounds, four shillings, and twopence. This exorbitant charge may be accounted for by the railway having coat twelve millions of dollars ; besides, there is no opposition. A run of three hours through this enchanting scenery brought us to the ancient city of Panama, which stands on the Pacific coast. ipl li ' 1 1 ;i i ! i ! ! 1 m ■i ' n Panama is the capital of the Isthmus, the site of which has been once changed. According to the Encyclopccdia Bri- tannica, *' the old city stood about three miles east from the present situation, and on the first arrival of the Spaniards in 1515 it was occupied by an Indian population, who were at- tracted to the spot on account of the vast abundance of fish on the coast, and gave the name of Panama to their place of residence, that word, in their language, signifying ' much nsh.' The natives, however, were speedily dispossessed by their ruthless invaders; and as early as the year 1521 the title and privileges of a city wore conferred on the Spanish town by the Emperor Charles V. In the year 1670 old Panama was reduced to a heap of ruins by the pirate Morgan, and it was after this catastrophe that the eity was built on the spot where it now stands. The harbour of Panama is protected by a number of small islands lying at a little distance from the main land, and highly cultivated. These spots upon the sea, scattered around the Bay of Panama, are the gardens of the town, and afford a plentiful supply of fruit and vegetables. There is good anchorage under the lee of them all, and besides the productions of the soil good water can be obtained from nearly the whole of them. The plan of the city is somewhat irregular. 'J'he buildings are of stone and generally most substantial, and are constructed in the old Spanish style. Amongst edifices of a public nature may be mentio^ied ;♦ beautiful cathedral, four convents, now altogether deserted ; a nunnery, a college, and also the walls of another, which was begun on a magnificent scale, but was never finished, and is now crumbling to ruins. Immediately around Panama eastward along the coast, and, north-westward from it, the land is low and flat ; but westward and north-eastward the mountains approach it closely, and from a hill in the vicinity about six hundred feet in height a view may be obtained of the sea with its islands, and the country with its. forest-mantled mountains and its green savannas. The beach is fringed with plantain and banana trees, growing amongst oranges, figs, and limes, and numberless rich shrubs shaded by the tamarind, which crowns them all, except the cocoa-nut with its feathery top and naked stem." Panama is celebrated for its gold chains, in the manufac- ture of which the natives are remarkably expert. The Panama hat is a favourite head dress in the country : it is , of which has opcDdia Bri- sast from the Spaniards in >vho were at- lancc of fish heir place of ying ' much )ossessed by ear 1521 the the Spanish ar 1670 old rate Morgan, 3 built on the I is protected istance from ots upon the e gardens of \ vegetables. , and besides otained from is somewhat nerally most 3h style, mentioned a ler deserted ; other, which 3ver finished, lund Panama from it, the eastward the 1 the vicinity e obtained of )rest'mantled h is fringed igst oranges, laded by the coa-nut with ihe manufac- xpert. The )untry : it is 19 well adapted to the climate, being very light, it& broad brim protectiii'j^ the neck and shoulders from the powerful rays of the sun. It costs from 2 to 20 dollars, according to quality. The population of Panama, we were told, amounts to up- wards of 20,000. We were joined here by 200 passengers from S(juthampton, and the steamship Si. Louis^ which was destined to convey those twelve hundred people to San Fran- cisco, was lying off a few miles, to which vessel we were taken in small steamers. The transhipment was a scene of indescribable confusion, which I have good reason to remem- ber, for I got the life half trampled out cf me in the fray. Having had to walk some two hundred yarOs from the train to the wliarf with my foot tied up in a handkerchief, the lameness increased to a very inconvenient degree, and the pain became excruciating. While passing along the gang- way to go on board the St. Louis I broke down, and was assisted on board by two or three sailors. I was placed in a passage or one side of the vessel among hundreds of bundles, bags, and boxes, and there left to my fate. The passage in which I was laid was the one leading to the steerage staircase, along which were rushing men and women in wild confusion, the object of each being to obtain a comfortable sleeping berth. There was not accommodation of '^lii'^ sort for all, and each was anxious to secure a place for himself. It was left to the passengers to choose their own bunks ; and hence this fearful rushing, which lasted for hours. During that time I lost sight of all our party, for they, like the rest, were busily engaged. My condition was anything but an enviable one, and in such a cro\yd I could not render myself the least assistance, and was kicked about in all directions. Ever and anon, some man or woman laden with bundles and carpet bags, would tumble head over heels right over rne — my gouty foot never escaping a terrible squeeze. Some- times three or four would tumble over me altogether, when I actually thought I had to be killed and buried at a moment's notice. Those who have experienced an attack of gout in the big toe will form some idea of what were my sufierings. Event- ually, however, my painful condition attracled the attention and aroused the sympathy of half-a-dozen Canadians, two of whom forced a way through the crowd ; while the other four, c2 II 20 each having hold of a limb, conveyed me away with great difficulty to the hurricane deck, where they laid me on my back and formed themselves in o a ring around me, to protect me from the crushing of the crowd. These kind-hearted fellows remained with me until my friends came and took me under their care. While all this was going on, the light-fingered gentry were busily engaged in their nefarious work, and a considerable amount of luggage property was stolen. One of our party, George Little, lost a bundle containing a pair of excellent blue blankets, and a pair of new Wellington boots, besides an odd boot belonging to my gouty foot. Of course, there was little chance of ever discovering the thief, or re- covering the things ; but, strange to say, a fortnight after- wards, when within three days' sail of San Francisco, my boot turned up unexpectedly at the exact time it was wanted. An acquaintance found it in a corner of one of the cowhouses, and brought it to me. It appears the thief had thrown the odd boot away as useless : but he took particular care of the property belonging to Little, for he never saw them after- wards. So ended the adventure with the gout and the boot. At eight o'clock p.m., all being in readiness, we weighed anchor and commenced our Pacific voyage. About 12 miles from Panama we passed a little town and harbour, called Tabago, at which place there are some rathei extensive copper w^orks where stills are manufactured for the distillation of spirits. There is a regular dockyard and steam foundry originally placed there, with a view to steam communication with Australia. Taking a survey of the heavens, we observed constellations of stars in the southern hemisphere which are never visible in Europe. One of these is exceedingly beautiful : it con- sists of four stars, and is known amongst astronomers as the constellation of the cross. Stars in the southern hemisphere shine with greater brilliancy than those stars of the firut mag- nitude which are visible in Europe, owing, no doubt, to the clearer stute of the atmosphere in a tropical climate. Humboldt refers to his first view of this constellation with peculiar feeling. " We saw distinctly, for the first time," he observes, '' the cross oi the South, on the nights Oi tuC 4tn '■■*• 21 ly with great aid me on my me, to protect kind-hearted D and took me d gentry were a considerable I of our party, ir of excellent boots, besides Of course, le thief, or re- fortnight after- Francisco, my it was wanted, the cowhouses, lad thrown the liar care of the aw them after- [ the boot. At .veighed anchor little town and are some rathei factured for the indry originally Lunication with d constellations ire never visible autiful : it con- ronomers as the lern hemisphere if the firut mag- 10 doubt, to the ilimate. )nstellation with e first time," he and 5th of July, in the sixteenth degree of latitude; it was strongly inclined, and appeared from time to time between the clouds, the centre of which, furrowed by uucondensed lightnings, reflected a silver light. The pleasure felt on dis- covering the Southern Cross was warmly shared by such of the crew as had lived in the colonies. In the solitude of the seas we hail a Ptar as a friend, from whom we have been long separated. Among the Portuguese and the Spaniards peculiar motives seem to increafc.e this feeling : a religious sentiment attaches them to a constellation, the form of which recalls the sign of the faith planted by their ancestors in the deserts of the new world. The two great stars which mark the summit and the foot of the cross have nearly the same right ascension ; it follows that the constellation is almost perpendicular at the moment it passes the meridian. This circumstance is known to every nation that lives beyond the tropics, or in the southern hemisphere. It is known at what hour of the night, in dif- ferent seasons, the Southern Cross is erect or in alined : it is a timepiece that advances very regularly nearly four minutes a-day ; and no other group of stars exhibits to the naked eye an observation of time so easily made. How often have we heard our guides exclaim in the savan- nas of Venezuela, or in the deserts extending from Lima to Truxillo, " Midnight is past : the cross begins to bend !'* How often these words reminded us of that affecting scene, where Paul and Virginia, sea' ed near the source of the river of Lotaniers, conversed together for the last time ; and when the old man, at the sight of the Southern Cross, warns them that it is time to separate ! " Mrs. Hemans has entered into the feeling here described, and sung of the Southern Cross in the spirit ot a settler in the new world from old Spain ; — " But to thee, as the lode-stars resplendently burn In their clear depths of blue, with devotion I turn ; Bright Cross of tha South ! and beholding thee shine — Scarce regret the loved land of the olive and vine. Thou recallest the age when first o'er the main My fathers unfolded the ensign of Spain, And planted their faith in the regions that see Its unporishing symbol emblazoned in thee. c3 Shine on — my own land in a far distant spot, ^nd the stars of thy sphere cau enlighten it not ; And the eyes that I love, though e'en now they may be O'er the firmament wandering, can gaze not on thee ! But thou to my thoughts art a pure blazing shrine — A fount of bright hopes and of visions divine ; And my soul, like an eagle exulting and free, Soars high o'er the Andes to mingle with thee !" The Rev. Thomas Milner, in his Gallery of Nature, says — " Among the stars of the south, with which the stay-at-home Europeans are only acquainted by report, the constellation of the cross is described as pre-eminently the most interesting object in the sky of that hemisphere, on account of the asso- ciations connected with it by a Christianised imagination. It consists of four bright stars, to which the fancy readily gives a cruciform shape, the upper and lower being the pointers to the South Pole." Night after night we sat for hours by the side of the vessel contemplating with wonder and admiration the indescribable glories of the starry panorama of the southern hemisphere, which culminates in the cross, and could not wonder that the simple devotee should look upon it as the mystic symbol of his faith. But Mr. Milner errs when he gives a diagram of the constellation in the exact form of the cross. The space between the upper and lower stars is not elongated as he re- presents—all the four stars being at equal distances from each other, except the lower one, which is a little inclined to the left. To give a clear illustration, draw a vertical and a horizontal line, equal in length, crossing each other precisely at the centre ; place a dot at each extremity, except at the lowest one, where the dot must be placed not lower down than the end of the line, but a little to the left hand side of it. This is the exact form of the constellation of the cross. Casting our eyes northward we observed the North Pole star all but sunk below the horizon. There is no perceptible difference here in the length of the days. The sun rises at SIX m the morning and sets at the same hour in the evening all the year round. The atmosphere in the tropics is highly charged with electricity, and consequentlv thunder storms o'f the most violent description are of frequent occurrence. Every night after sunset we beheld the lightning silently playing between the small patches of clouds that thinly dotted the f may be thee ! fine — !" Nature, says — e stay-at-home constellation of lost interesting nt of the asso- lagination. It y readily gives the pointers to le of the vessel ti indescribable m hemisphere, onder that the i^stic symbol of ts a diagram of '>s. The space ^ated as he re- iistances from ttle inclined to vertical and a )ther precisely except at the t lovver down t hand side of of the cross, le North Pole no perceptible le sun rises at n the evening ipics is highly ider storms of rence. Every ently playing ly dotted the 23 blue ethereal expanse above, producing a grand and imposing effect. J 1. o r • We were inconveniently crowded on board the o^. Louts. As some one remarked, " we were packed in like herrings in a barrel." At all events, it was impossible for people to move about with anything like comfort ; and the intense heat ren- dered our condition anything but enviable. The decks of course were covered in with canvas, but at times we were unavoidably exposed to the direct rays of the sun, which soon brought the skin off in large flakes. I began to think there might be some truth in what I had previously considered the sailor's romance, about frying beef-steaks in the sun. I am almost inclined to believe' that a plate of polished steel ex- posed to the lays of a tropical sun would cook rashers of bacon. 7'he water we had to drink was almost smoking hot. Iced water was to be had at the bar for 25 cents., or one shilling and a halfpenny per glass ; but the majority of us adopted the more economical plan of purchasing ice, the charge for which was 25 cents, per lb., and one pound of ice would con- vert two quarts of water into a nice cool drink. Loud were the complaints from the steerage passengers re- specting the unwholesomeness of their provisions ; and not without reason, for they were frequently supplied with flesh meat which was in a putrid state, and totally unfit for ituman food ; but there was no redress — they had to eat that or starve. Several who possessed the means paid the extra fare at Panama, and transplanted themselves from the steerage to the second cabin to secure a little more comfort during the remainder of the voyage. But even the second cabin fare in the American vessels is inferior to that of the steerage in the English vessels. As regards the sleeping accommodation on board the American steamers the arrangements are disgraceful in the extreme, and call loudly for reform. For a limited number of passengers all is right enough, the sleeping apartments being arranged along each side the ship, the males occupying one side, the females the other ; and for four or five hundred people the sleeping accommodation is ample, but for twelve hundred persons it is totally inadequate. Under such like circumstances, skeleton or temporary bunks are fixed, three tier high, over the body of the ship 'tween decks, leaving narrow passages at intervals. !': m\ ;;'iii,:ii!ii 1 • ii'i Hundreds of men, women, and children are thus unavoid- ably exposed to each other in the mozl indecent manner which IS a disgrace to any civih'zed nation that allowsT ' The consequence IS that scenes of immorality and vice take tTlJt"^ '! '°''"7 "°^' ^'' publication. S uffice it to say that ladies made overtures to gentlemen, and gentlemen became addicted to somnambulism ; L, instead of prfcfediTd^ect^ their own sleeping apartments, as all wide-Lake feHows would it'g^n^tJ^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^e apartZn^^ titt^^a^llwaX:^!^^^^^^^^^^ riousTouX "" Verer^''"'^^ ^^^^^^^"^ ^^^^^^ °^y«te. rJpS »' Zf .u ^ ^^^y married, or were they not mar- ried that was the question. " V/ere these elopements • Tad the flD.p of ^L 1 j**^^^^'^ attire. I he gentleman was about carried aboufwith'LL .''V'"'"-^ most tenderly. """ """"^ tis neoK and embrace him I.vtiVd uporMm'but'SlV*'''^ ""'^ ""^"'-"^ ^he daily the desireleffect ;„H V. ^" ''f«teS«"s ^iled to product »inded man • ''" '«"«"n^d the picture of a miserable- We could not avoid coming to tho ,.«„'•>•-•-" -h- " ■ 25 > thus unavoid- 3cent manner, allows it. and vice take iffice it to say, tlemen became Bding direct to f fellows would partments be- of gossipping certain myste- they not mar- )ements; had or from their mise — a dy and vho were the s 35 years of bold for her form appear* n was about d constantly Jountenance; ther. They heir manner ; and some-^ it they were was labour- he was con- ' she would is hair, and ce of every t of others, nbrace him 5 she daily to produce miserable- nil Viiiio was somebody's wife who had ruu away with somebody s hus- band, and he was suffering the pangs of a guilty conscience. One day he was overheard threatening to jump overboard and drown himself. He rushed from her presence, and disap- peared in the crowd, with the intention, she thought, of committing the horrible deed. She instantly raised the alarm— "A man overboard." The ship was immediately stopped, life buoys thrown overboard, and the lifeboat launched; but, after a minute search and considerable delay, it was pronounced a false alarm. In the meantime, the pretended suicide, instead of plunging into the depths of the ocean, had dived into the bowels of the ship, where he remained several hours, when he again put in an appearance on deck, sound in wind and limb. The most unfortunate part of this affair was r—While the sailors were launching the lifeboat one of the poor fellows had the misfortune to get one of his hands dreadfully crushed with the tackle, which disabled him for the rest of the voyage. A subscription was set on foot, and he was presented with a good few doUam. .. We had another couple on board, likewise chief-cabm pas- sengers, whose movements were closely watched, and whose conduct was freely discussed. In this case the gentleman was about 50 years of age, and the girl only eighteen. When we started from New York this young woman was a steerage passenger ; but, in ther course of a day or two, the said gentleman was observed to- pay frequent visits to the steerage part of the ship, and make overtures to the girl. In a short time he brought her out of the steerage, paid her fare for the first cabin, and they lived together on board as man and wife. Now, this worthy was a marriedjman, and we happened to witness the parting scene between him and his wife at New York, which was a most aflfecting one. She was a fine lady- lookiug woman, and at parting with her husband her mentai^ anguish was extreme ; and when the ship moved away from the dock we thought the poor lady would have thrown herself into the sea, so intense was her grief. Often did we wonder, when we saw these two arm m arm parading the deck, what the feelings of the poor wife would have been had she been made acquainted with the infidelity " 1 ii-1 1. ..^i — J wu^fU/s.,. frViiQ fr[r\ VnG""'' that her ifii : 1 i' f paramour was already married I know nnf k * i. out that it was their intention fn I? \ ^""^ '^® ^^^^ '^ reached San Francisco ^^ ""'"''^^ ^' *°°" ^« t^^^y thete^!l^?o;;^^^^^^^^^^ fellow-v.yagers proved the reverse. The cLnn^'o f agreeable, and others quite their own people anrtritp^ looked upon us Englishmen as and considLatio^ wh 1^^^^^^^ T '''^^ '^' greatest kindness us with suprem^crntemnt 0^°"'''°^ 1'°^"^ ^°^° ^P^^ insult us, bo'th na'tirr; r^/f^^^^^^^^^ stantly hmnmine sono-. LTZ ?"""""""»"/• They were con- ping as soon as thev lit thi. uTi^ ^ '^T"? ? "^ '^^^''^ ^^^ip- " We will teach %h?^Bdf a t'sZ"";^^ *'""" "™ ^^«''=^- will never forget." Thev stfiwfn ' t^o"^' " "'''''''=•' ^^ " that Eneland ™n lit '^ 3 '^" "' *« S""" ^lick story, laud." ^ "*° ''"'' '='""'""'"• ""d ttey c.n whip Eng- Whateverthe cause may be it is pl»,r ♦!,„* all classes of American soci^tv 11 . • **"*' ''^''y "'"'y i" against England. Tmon^t {he r° f "'""^ prejudice finds expreJion in thTnw > '"','' ""^^^'^^ ^^'^ deling and I b'elievelC't "weeHnfo?!'"??^?'"'^ 'f P^'^^ classes is none the les» for h!Z^ T'?*^'* '""' '^'g^'e'- Nevertheless, it is a ^urtus fan? .f P"=^?«'i i" milder terms, opinion of America the Volt ' '''"^' " '"Sards England's Anything compUmentlry flom E„' r, ^'"'^^''ingly sensitive, ing to then than were it frZ .^ .?'' " ™V«1' >»»« flatter- other hand, any"hW in t&n^ »''";'; f'^ ' and, on the much more huftful to the^r fSl^ *^u''S^* ^'°'^ J^°g'a° *' .about the consistency of treacle," literally running over the side of the vessel in a constant stream. Should you chance to be looking over the side of the ship, every now and then some filthy fellow, without giving the least warning, would squirt out a terrific mouthful over the bulwark, which the wind would instantly drive in your face, and in the twink- ling of an eye both your eyes were absolutely glued up with tobacco juice. All this sort of thing we had to put up with as best we could. The Canadians had cautioned us against saying anything to ofiend the Yankees, who are dangerous fellows to quarrel with. The Americans are very sullen tempered, and dread- fully suspicious. Nevertheless, they are shrewd, and clever in their way ; but know it too ^vell, and are continually boast- ing and making displays of what they consider their superior " cuteness." One very prominent feature in the character of the Ameri- can is, his love of outwitting and cheating those with whom he has dealings ; but, instead of being denounced for his un- principled trickery, he is lauded by his American friends and counted a "smart fello*/." It was not to be e^ipected that these twelve hundred pas- sengers, representing nearly every European nation, were all honest people. An extensive wholesale business was carried on in the pilfering line. Pockets were picked of money ; gold and silver watches abstracted ; carpet bags plundered of their contents, and the bags thrown into the sea. There is reason to believe that the ship's servants have a hand in this sort of work — waiteresses and stewardesses not excepted. An elderly lady, a first cabin passenger, while Ijing on her death bed, was actually plundered of 40 dollars by a coloured stewardess, whose duty it was to attend upon her during her illness. This poor old lady was on her voyage from New York to San Francisco, where she had two sons, who had sent for their mother to spend the remnant of her days with them in that ci*y. She died on the night of the 4th of May, and on the fol- lowing morning we witnessed the mournful spectacle of a funeral at sea. Contrary to the usual custom the ship was stopped while the funeral ceremony took place. We had two clergymen on board, who preached every Sunday morn- ing auu afternoon, 28 Mi, I'ipv. •I I 'fi ■:■■( To those who are not conversant with the fittings of a ship's interior it may be interesting to learn that on board these large steamers there arc bullock houses, pig stys, sheep pens, poultry houses, cow byers, butchers* shops, and slaughter houses ; and even a barber's shop, where a person can get scraped or pruned for the small charge of half a dollar. The barber supplies ready -made clothiug to suit all climates. It is not a small quantity of flesh meat that is required daily to supply the wants of twelve hundred people ; and at the commencement of the voyage, large rumbers of oxen and hundreds of fowls are placed on board and slaughtered as they are required. There is an ice house at the bottom of the vessel, where blocks of ice can be preserved, even in a tropical climate, during a voyage of two or three \veeks. The ice is used for cooling ales, wines, spirits, water, butter, &c. There is a regular public-house bar on board, where every description of spirits is supplied at one shilling and a half- nenny per glass ; " or drink," as it is termed, for it is not the fashion on the other side of the Atlantic to measure out to the customer a certain quantity: a bottle and glass is placed before him, and the quantity he takes u left to hifj own dis~ cretion. Our course lay along the Pacific Coast, within a few miles of the shore, and the ever-changing scenery which was daily presented to view was exceedingly interesting and exciting. It formed one unbroken chain of mountains of every possible shape and variety, some of which towered high above the clouds. Many of these large mountains are evidently extinct volcanoes, and farther inland some are yet in an active state. On the ninth day, after leaving Panama, we reached Aca- pulco, which lies about half way between Panama and San Francisco. Acapulco is a city in the province of Mexico. It stands in the recess of a bay close to a chain of granite mountains, and is the best Mexican port on the coast of the Pacific ocean. The bay has two entrances formed by the island of Roquetta, The western entrance is about 300 yards wide, and the great entrance from the south is about a mile and a half wide, with a depth of water from 150 to 210 feet. The port is capable of containing 600 ships, and is deep enough to allow vessels m Acapnlco is but poorly built, and is a very unhealthy place. Lying within the torrid zone and surrounded by mountains, it is intensely hot, and the inhabitants, particularly new comers, are liable to dangerous fevers. We put in here for a fresh supply of coal, water, and live stock. We cast anchor alongside a large platform or wharf, which stood some distance from the shore. On this was placed several hundred sacks of coal, and some fifty or sixty natives, under the guidance of a white man, were awaiting our arrival. The natives were all but naked. Some bore large flaming torches to light up the scene of operations, while others were busily engaged putting the coal into the vessel. Immediately on our arrival, the ship was surrounded by scores of natives with their canoes heavily laden with fruits, spirits, cigars, shells, &c., and for some hours did a roaring trade. Two or three interpreters came on board, each provided with a sort of basket, attached to which was a long cord. The order was given to the interpreters, the money placed in the basket and lowered down to a canoe, and the required article hoisted on board to the purchaser. All this presented a sctne of the most animated description, and was an exceedingly interest- ing and exciting exhibition. The natives are expert swim- mers and divers : it was said that a silver coin dropped into the water could be caught by them before it reached the bottom. At dawn next morning, all being in readiness, we steamed slovvly out of the harbour, and recommenced our Pacific voyage. The weather continued hot for a few days after we left Acapulco, but when we reached the Gulf of California, being out of the tropics, a perceptible change was felt in the temperature of the atmosphere. \Ve were now bearing rapidly away in a north-westerly direction, and when we got within two or three days' sail of San Francisco we felt the weather intensely cold. Instead of lounging about in a half- roasted condition, divested of coats, vests, and neck-ties, as was the case a fev days previously, we went shivering about enveloped in top-coats and mufflers. The Gulf of California is about 700 miles in length, and its breadth varies between 150 and 40 miles. While passing through the gulf we lost sight of land a couple of days ox more. The spermaceti whale, the shark, the seal, the tortoise, and the turtle are met with in the gulf. it: mi ■ i4:i'^ 111 80 Our voyage continued a prosperous one, and about half- past five o'clock on Sunday morning, the 18th of May, the booming of the cannon announced to us that we were ju&t passing through the " golden gate," as the entrance to the harbour of San Francisco is called. It was a lovely radiant morning; along sea voyage had been accomplished in safety, and consequently the spirits of all ran high. At six we drew up to the wharf at San Francisco, and as soon as the ship was made fast she began to disgorge her contents, which poured forth from her side in two living streams for the space of an hour. THAPTER IV. . : 1 i ■ ! SAN FRANCISCO — VOYAGE TO VANCOTTVER's — INTERYIEW WITH THE GOVERNOR OF THE ISLAND. Immediately on our arrival, we were literally besieged by swarms of lodging-house keepers, or their representatives, each one at the highest pitch of his voice recommending his own place of business as the cheapest and most comfoitable in all San Francisco. The " What Cheer House"— a tem- perance hotel — appeared to get the lion's share of customers. We took board and lodgings at a temperance hotel called the *' Eagle"— kept by one Mr. Andrews, a very respectable man, and a Quaker, We were comfortably quartered, and paid twenty shillings a-week each. A feather bed was now a luxury, for, with the exception of a few nights at New York, we had not been undressed since leaving Liverpool, besides lying on the bare deck during a great portion of the voyage. We often remarked to each other, " Can it be possible that vre are now standing on the soil of the far-famed gold country of California, of which we have all heard and read so much." The idea was novel and exciting. Sacramento City is the State capital, but is an insignificant place compared with San Francisco, the commercial metro- polis and great shipping port of California. The DOnnlntmn nf Snn Ti^voppioon oTvi/^iinfc. +/-> «-^av t (^f\ AAA which is something wonderful, considering that fifteen years xboiit half- f May, the ) were ju&t nee to the oyagc had e spirits of SCO, and as i?gorgc her two living jsieged by sentatives, inding his )mfortahle " — a tem- mstomers. called the able man, and paid ception of ssed since during a isible that d country io much." lignificant ial metro- t00,0uV7, een years ai ago it had little or no existence. Its noble buildings of brick and stone would do credit to any city in Europe. More than once It has been almost totally destroyed by fire, and confla- grations were still of frequent occurrence; but as th- wooden structures disappear, their places are soon occupied by those of a more substantial, character. We were amused and interested with seeing people engaged movmg their wooden houses— some of them large ones—from one place to another. Their construction admits of them being lilted bodily from the ground with screw-jacks ; they are then placed upon rollers, and drawn along the streets by a horse working a sort of windlass, placed about a hundred yards in advance of the building, and attached by a stout rope, the' operation being repeated until the house is placed on its new site. ^ There are three high hills in San Francisco built upon all around to the very summit, which at a distance gives the place a strikingly beautiful, romantic, and picturesque appear- ance. The markets, which are all covered, are spacious and. well adapted for the transaction of business. One great draw- back to San Francisco is the thick clouds-of small sand which IS driven about with the wind in some parts of the city not yet macadamized. It is built on a sand bed, the site having been chosen in> consequence of the excellent harbour for shipping, which has • space enough to contain all the navies of the world, and depth - of water for the largest vessels. ^ Almost every part of the world is represented in San Fran- cisco. The Chinese are very numerous, whole streets being occupied by them. The street railways form a complete net- work, and on one line the cars are propelled by locomotive engines. Gambling is carried on to a great extent ; the people have a constant craving for excitement, and the most fearful scenes: ot debauchery constantly occur. The theatres, as well as churches and chapels, are open on Sunday evemngs. We twice visited the Unitarian Chapel, and heard most excellent discourses delivered by the cele- brated Unitarian minister, Starr King. The places of worship in San Francisco offer gi-eat attrac- tlOns in trip snnr»A r\f rmnn} n-^A :^«4. i-1 __ • \\ iT ^'" "' ^ ''"""•* """• *"oi'iuiiii;iiLUi music. Although the town appeared to be in a tolerable thriving It n: ■oondition, yet hundreds of men were seen walking about tli« streets in great want. The " What Cheer House," the temperance hotel before alluded to, is a wonderful place of business. We were told tliat no less than three thousand people daily took their meals there, and from the crowds that visit the dining rooms all day long, I am inclined to think that it was no exaggeration. A person can live well at the " What Cheer House" for fifteen- pence a-Jt-y, but their charge for beds is high — half a dollar each night. There is every aecommodation for visitors, in- cluding a large and comfortable reading room, with a library containing many hundred volumes, and newspapers from every part of the world. Provisions were cheap in San Francisco, especially butchers* meat, which was from three to five cents, per lb., and con- siderably less than that at the slaughter houses. The climate is exceedingly fine. Snow is almost entirely unknown in San Francisco. During the summer season there is a cloudless sky for months together, and although the heat is much more intense than in England, it is not particulaily oppressive, owing to a refreshing breeze, which springs up about two o'clock every afternoon. After sunset it grows chill)' — not amcomfortably cold, however, but a healthy bracing atmosphere. The winter season brings heavy falls of rain ; in fact, it frequently pours down in torrents in- cessantly for several weeks at a stretch. The Californian soil is fertile, and the markets are abun- dantly supplied with vegetables all the year round. The day after our arrival in California oui iriend Little left us, and went to Grass Valley, Nevada County, some few hun- dred miles from San Francisco, to transact business. I must here explain that Mr. Little had been in California previously. He, with his wife and young family, went there from England in the year 1852, and realized a considerable sum with gold digging and storekeeping. They returned to England in the year 1860. Mr. Little still owned property in Grass Valley, And to look after that property was now his object in going there. It was his intention to accompany us to the gold mines of British Columbia, but after waiting a fortnight we received a letter from him to the effect that his business was 2ai liOiii uciug uuuu, ixiiu lie i:uuiu iiui. puosiul^' Ivm u^i LruL might perhaps be able by and by to follow us to Cariboo. : about the >tel before were told ;heir meals )ms all day ration. A for fifteen- df a dollar visitors, in- h a library from every Y butchers' , and con- >st entirely ler season I although , it is not eze, which fter sunset er, but a ings heavy orrents in- are abun- Little left 3 few hun- s. I must previously, n England with gold and in the iss Valley, ;t in going I the gold rtnight we siness was Ji.ll UO, LTUll Cariboo. We were, tlioioforo, oblip^od to start without liim — a circum- stance! wo rogr('tt(>(l oxceodinj^ly— because Mr. Little had had considerable experience in gold dinging, which wo knew would 1)0 of great service to \is all. James Marquis had sailed a week previously for Victoria, where he would await our arrival. During our stay in San Fraiicisco the Californian ncw,^- papers teemed with unfavourable reports from Cariboo, wliich deterred numbers from going farther ; but we resolved to play out the game — win or lose. On the 3rd of June we left San Francisco in the steamship Brother Jonathan. Three days' roughish sailing brought us to the mouth of the magnificent Columbia River, where stands a small collection of wooden buildings, called " Astoria;" and after a delay of two hours, we steamed up this beautiful river, with its romantic scenery on each side, and arrived at Port- land, in Oregon, on the 7th. Each alternate mail boat that runs between San Francisco and Victoria puts in at Portland to land passengers and discharge cargo. The City of Port- land is situated about 120 miles up the Columbia lliver, and contains a population amounting to 5,000 inhabitants. It is built exclusively of wood, and stands upon a pretty site. With this drawback it is low and flat, and liable to be inun- dated from the river, which occasionally rises to a great height. In some parts of the to\vn we observed people boating in the streets, and in some cases they had no other means of leaving and returning to their houses. Portland is surrounded by beautiful forests and mountain scenery. We had a fine view of a snow-capped mountain, called " Mount Hood," which we supposed might be about five miles distant, but to our great surprise we were told that its distance was nearly a hundred miles in a direct line. Mount Hood rises to an elevation of 1 7,000 feet, or about three miles above the level of the sea. We left Portland on the 9th, and landed at Esquimalt, Vancouver Island, on the day following. We had now completed our sea voyage of 10,000 miles, and found ourselves standing on the soil of an English colony, which was not a little consolation. We thought our greatest hardships and privations were now at an end : the sequel will show whether or not vvc were mistaken. D 34 i' ' &iM s • Esqiiimalt, a village or hamlet, prettily situated in one of the numerous coves of the harbour, from which it takes its name, derives its support from the presence of Her Majesty's ships, and from the mail steamers which here land their mails and passengers. Esquimalt and Victoria are connected by a good new waggon- road. Esquimalt harbour is a safe and excellent anchorage for ships of any size, and may be entered at any time with great facility ; the holding ground is good — a tenacious blue clay. The extent of this fine harbour is about three miles by two. with an average depth of six to eight fathoms ; and round the whole of its irregular circle numerous rocky promontories, with outlying islands and gently sloping sandy bays, form the chief feature of the scene. Great natural advantages and facilities exist for the exten- sion of townships and formation of docks, and it is thought that this favoured spf)t will become the established head- quarters of the Royal Naval Force in the Pacific. An hospi- tal and storehouses for the service afloat, and a barracks for the officers and men of the North American Boundary Com- mission, already give an official service- like character to the port. A walk of four miles through a dense forest brought us to Victoria, the capital of Vancouver Island ; and after partaking of an humble meal, "William Mark and I immediately sought an interview with Governor Douglas. We wished to learn which was the cheapest and best route to Cariboo, with other particulars. It was then past his business hours ; but, never- theless, when he learnt from his attendant that we were Eng- lishmen and wished to leave next morning for the mines, he, Avithout hesitation, granted the desired interview. He gave us a kind reception — answered our enquiries with evident pleasure — told us he was glad to see us — wished us success half-a-dozen times over ; but he did not speak with that con- fidence of the gold mines we expected : said, if we were not successful at the diggings, we could get work on the roads at 40 dollars a-month with board. This statement about the road-making was not quite palat* able to us under the circumstances ; nevertheless, it was a god-send to hundreds of disappointed Caribooites. The Governor advised us to turn our attention to the cul- tivation of land, which he thought we would find eventually ;]5 tlie most profiUiblc, and re(|U(.'sled us to bring out our wives and families, and assist in pojHdating Ihc countr}-. He then gave us an invitation to view his orch;ird and gardens, and ordered a military ofEcer to show them to us ; they were neatly laid out, and in a high state of cultivation When we were about to take our leave, the Governor came to iho door, and again wished us success, and invited us into his house to take refreshment. The aforesaid officer took us into the kitchen, wdier« v,e had a glass of excellent brandy and some sweet cake. We drank the health and happiness of the Governor, his wife and family, and then took our departure. We did not see the Governor's wife. I understand she is a red river Indian, but not a woman of much colour. Her daughters are fair in complexion. I have seen one of them — a handsome young lady — well fea- tured, with an exceedingly interesting countenance. There are several daughters, and, I was told, one or two sons. Some of the daughters are married. The Governor, James Douglas, a Scotchman by birth, Is a little over sixty years of age — a free, noble- looking man — stands about 6 feet 5 inches in height — straight as an arrow, and cannot weigh less than 20 stones. He is an unassuming and evidently a kind-hearted man, and treated us with much urbanity. We bought a canvas tent and other things useful for our onward journey, and camped in the wood in the outskirts of the town that night. CHAPTER V. ADVENTUHE.S AND SUFFERINGS. Next morning, about eleven o'clock, William Mark and his two sons, James Marquis (who had again joined us), and myself, took the steamer, Eliza Anderson^ for New West- minster, which is about 80 miles from Victoria. A few hours' sailing along the south-east coast of Van- couver brought us to the mouth of the mighty river, Fraser, which empties itself into the Gulf of Georgia, which place presents the appearance of an immense circular basin, and is surrounded by mountain scenery of indescribable grandeur. d2 56 i-i ! The Fraser lliver is 900 miles long, and is navigable for steamers for 200 miles. ^Ve reached New Westminster, the capital of British Columbia, about eight in the evening ; but another steamer being in readiness to convey us to Port Douglas, a hundred more miles up the river, we had not the opportunity of viewing the place. Mr. Milner, in his Gallery of Geography, says, "New Westminster, on the banks of the Fraser, about fifteen miles above the mouth, is a town still in iis infancy. It is incor- porated, and has a representative council, with power to levy rates for purposes of public improvement. It contains a court- house, an assay-office, and several places of worship." We pursued our course up the river that night, but made little progress, in consequence of the great obstructions we met with in the shape of drift wood, with which, ever and anon, the paddle wheel became entangled and brought the machinery to a stand-still. On one occasicn a delay of four hours took place. The river steamers are constructed upon the best principle possible for avoiding the drift wood ; but, nevertheless, the quantity met with at times is so great that it is a matter of difficulty to work the vessel through it. The steamer is furnished with one wheel only, which is placed at her stern end ; and the advantage of this plan over the usual one of having a wheel on each side of the vessel will be apparent at a glance. This drift wood consists of trees and logs of wood of immense size, which, at the breaking up of the snow and ice on the mountains, are driven down in thousands, rendering the rivers both difficult and dangerous to navigate. We arrived at Port Douglas on the 12th, about four o'clock in the afternoon ; and as we approached the city, we thought it a most miserable and melancholy place. Surrounded by immense mountains of tbe most wild and. awe-inspiring description are a few dozens of rackety wooden buildings, the sight of which is sufficient to give a man the horrors for the remainder of his life — and this is the City of Douglas. There were a few good houses in the place. In these parts every place is denominated a city; indeed, every- where on the other side of the Atlantic, any viJ' *p,( ■ onsisting of half-a-dozen wooden structures, the size of ( vo, -nnels, is termed a city. About half of the three hundrc .i.abitants • which Douglas contained were Indians. 37 - There were but few white married couples in the place, and with one exception Lhe whole of the other white men who had gone to Douglas unmarried had each taken unto themselves, not a wife, but a woman in the shape of an ugly Indian squaw; and a pretty mixture it was. The exception just alluded to was Mr. Pearman, an honest, kind-hearted Eng- lishman, who Avas following the bread-baking business, and doing a thriving trade ; but told us he was absolutely miser- able for the want of a wife. But, says he, *' As greatly as I stand in need of a wife to assist me in my business, I will do without for ever rather than have one of those ugly brown - skinned devils : relish them I cannot." Mr. Pearman- anxiously inquired whether there was truth in the report that a ship's load of English girls were coming out to Victoria. We answered in the affirmative, and he re- plied " I will have one of them by hook or by crook." There were no unmarried white women in Douglas. The distance from Douglas to Cariboo is near 400 miles, all of which has to be walked, with the exception of three lakes 15 miles each, which are crossed with small steamers. These lakes all lie between Douglas and Lillooet, which two places are about 120 miles apart. The road to Lillooet was tolerable ; but above that place was as rough a country to travel as white men ever planted foot upon. British Columbia is a wild, romantic, mountiiinous country. The scenery is grand and impressive ; frequently we were brought to a dead stand — struck with wonder and amaze- ment on viewing hose gigantic mountains, many of v hich are from one to two miles in height. At the base there was scorching summer, while a't the summit there was freezing winter, for the tops of these mountains are covered with per- petual snow. Some of thsm have quite the appearance of extinct volcanoes, and there is little doubt but that the gold has been thrown out of them in a liquid state. British Columbia contains an area of about 250,000 square miles, with numerous rivers, the principle of \Vhich is the Eraser, before alluded to. ' We did not find much cnltivatable land on the roud we took through the country. When we met with prairie land we observed that it retained but little moisture, and grew There are the road from ton to twentv milc!! nothing but small tufts of dead-looking grass. r^efreshment-houses on the road from ton to 'B3 ill 88 apart, deep down in the ravines between the mountains, where small patches of land is under cultivation, and grows cereals and vegetables pretty well ; but in many instances it requires irrigation, tiie water being conveyed along wooden troughs from the sides of the mountains, and made to flow over the soil. Two or three of these places have swollen out to good-sized farms, where cows are kept and milk sold to travellers, the price ranging from 4s. 2d. to 6s. 3d. per gallon. The southern part of British Columbia is heavily timbered — principally with pine and firs. These trees are of the most magnificent desci.ption, attaining an enormous height, and measuring from three to six feet in diameter. This is unquestionably rich land ; but to clear it of those immense-sized trees is a serious and expensive undertaking. Describing the trees of British Columbia Mr. 1^'Iilner, in his Gallery of Geography, says — '' Varieties of pine and firs attain enormous dimensions in height and girth, from which the noblest spars in the world may be taken ;" and then goes on to say that '* a settler laid a wager that he would cut through a single tree in three weeks' time with an axe, and lost his money." This story, to say the least, is simply ridiculous. We have seen scores of thousands of those large trees in British Columbia, but never saw or heard of one that would take a man three days^ much less three weeks, to cut it down. The trees are cut off three feet above the ground ; and many of those settlers being expert handlers of the axe, hew them down with amazing rapidity, the wood being very soft. Per- haps when Mr. Milner wrote this, the gigantic oaks of Cali- fornia, some of which measure 90 feet in circumference, were running in his mind. We found the trees more and more diminutive as we proceeded northward. As I have said before, we arrived at Douglas on the 12th of June, and now began to learn that travelling to Cariboo would prove an expensive undertaking, and would be doubly expensive wJien we reached it ; and in order to give ourselves every chance of success, we resolved to use strict economy, and true enough we did ; many of our meals consisting of hard biscuit and water. We took with us bread, biscuit, rice, and treacle to serve to Lillooet. As a substitute for tea we used a decoction of treacle and warm water. We carried with us a canvas tent largo enough to accommodate five per* ■sons, and which weighed six lbs.; two picks, two shovels, a Mf- 39 ountains, nd grows stances it X wooden e to flow ollen out k sold to iY gallon, abered — the most ght, and of those rtaking. er, in his irs attain hich the I goes on lirough a money." We have British d take a n. The many of 5W them •t. Per- of Cali- ce, were ad more the 12 th Cariboo 3 doubly turselves conomy, sting of biscuit, i for tea carried ive per- lovels, a prospecting pan, a frying pan, a tin pan or '* Billy," as it is called, to boil water in ; a drinking tin, a small axe, which was exceedingly useful in erecting the tent at nights ; and William Mark's musket, which I carried with my carpet bag slung over my shoulder. Our burdens varied from 35 lbs. to 45 lbs. each. Mine was the least, 35 lbs. ; but as I weighed 15^ stones, my bundle was quite as much as I could travel with. The gieat weight that some men carried over these 400 miles of moun^ tains was astounding, 50 and 60 lbs. being the general weight, and some carried even more than that. One man we met with going up had not less than eighti/ pounds' weight on his back in the sht^pe of provision, clothes, and a pair of blankets. Before we left Douglas we sold to the Indians all the clothes we could spare, in order to lighten our burdens and to raise more money, but the weight named was exclusive of that. It was amusing to see our friend, Mark, standing up m the street selling the things. He drove some hard bargains with the copper skins ; they appeared to know the Value of dollars as well as any one else. Nearly 400 miles of terrific road laid before us, and now commenced the tug of war. About twenty of us started from Douglas that night, and walked four miles by way of introduc- tion to our arduous task. The method of camping is to pitch the tents near a stream ; rotten wood is plentiful, and being provided with lucifer matches, in a few minutes blazing fires glow all around, and cooking commences in earnest. When our shirts and stockings got dirty we washed them in the rivulets, and when no better opportunity was afforded us we hung them over our backs to dry as we trudged along. Next morning we started at four o'clock, and soon discovered that climbing immense mountains and wading through' bogs and swamps was the only mode of travelling to Cariboo. In one bog-hole we found a poor fellow with two laden mules wallowing in the mire. . He was trying hard to extri- cate his animals, but whether he succeeded I do*not know, for we had neith t time nor strength to render him the least assistance. Ha.ing quite enough to do to look after our own safety, we left ihi man and his mules to their fate. When we had travelled about ten miles we came to a place on the road flooded with water, an I were obliged to scale the mountain side to avoid it, which was a terrible undertaking. i 40 All tlie others were on before. William ^Nlavk and me were last. We scrambled up higher and higher. When coming to a place almost perpendicular, William, with a desperate effort, struggled over it, and sank to the ground greatly exhausti'd. I stood holding on by some underwood, and thought it would be utterly impossible to follow alone. I was more awkwardly situated with respect to my bundle than the others were with theirs, for they had them strapi)ed on to their backs, which left both tlieir hands at liberty ; whereas I had only one hand at libert}', the other being fully occupied with the carpet bag and gun. The gun was through the handles of the bag slung over my left shoulder, and the side of the mountain being so excessively steep, the muzzle of the gun was down among my feet, which very seriously interfered with my progress ; besides, the confounded thing was con- tinually bobbing on to the ground, wdiich threatened every now and then to capsize me. Once it threw me back on to so nice a balance that I thought half a hair's breadth more would have sent me over. I recovered my equilibrium, how- ever ; but the ground was crumbling beneath me : there seemed to be thousands of almost perpendicular feet below, and I ex[)ected every moment to be dashed to the bottom. I was in a dreadfid state with fear ; and with the speed of lightning a strange and unaccountable idea rushed into my mind and took possession of it. It was an ardent desire that a rattle-snake would spring from the ground and devour me. What in all the world could give birth to such an absurd wish is beyond my power to explain. I was undoubtedly past myself with fear ; for any man in his right senses, I imagine, would prefer being dashed over a precipice to that of being swallowed by a rattle-snake. As soon as William recovered his breath he urged me on wdih expressions of en- couragement, and in sheer desperation I achieved the passage in safety ; but helpless, speechless, and almost insensible fell to the ground. When our locomotive powers were sufficiently restored we descended the mountain on the other side of the swamp, where we found our companions awaiting our arrival. On inquiries, we learnt that one had lost a boot, and seve- ral, with tumbling topsy-turvy, had their clothes torn into shreds ; but that being all the damage sustained, we could afford to indulge in a hearty laugh at the adventure. We walked twenty miles that day, which was too much at 41 mc were L coming desperate greatly >od, and lone. I idle than led on to whereas occupied lugh the the side le of the iterfered .vas con- ed every ick on to ith more im, how- ! : there it below, ttom. I speed of . into my ire that a ir me. n absurd oubtcdly senses, I e to that William IS of en- : passage sible fell fhcicntly le of the r arrival, md seve- ;orn into -ve could much at the outset. Had we taken the advice of Governor Douglas and done about ten miles a day for a time, it would have been the wiser plan. It was a severe task, to me at least, being so corpulent, to walk twenty miles every day over those terriiic mountains, with a weight of two and a-hali' stones on my back under a scorching sun, or in the drenching rain, with scanty provisions, blistered feet, and sprained legs, worried every moment into madness with mosquitoes, and then to lie down on the cold damp ground to be frequently kept awake all night M'ith those infernal plagues. The sting of the mosquito had less effect upon me than it had upon the others. William Murk especially suffered greatly, his eyes being nearly swollen up, and his hands to twice their usual size. At many places above Lillooet those insects appeared in countless thousands, and we met with some travellers who were actually driven back with them. Those men had endured hunger, thirst, and privation un- flinchingly, but were compelled to surrender under the attack of the mosquito's proboscis. About twenty-five miles above Port Douglas there is a hot spring, w^here the water is con- tinually bubbling up in a heated condition. Baths have been erected by a Yankee speculator, who recommends this water as a specific for rheumatism — a complaint prevalent in those parts, arising from want and exposure. A few miles further on is the first Jake, six miles of which has to be rowed in a small boat to meet the steamer. James Marquis and Edward Mark were a little in advance, and just in time to catch the boat. She was too heavily laden, about forty being in her. They met with a gale of wind, which drove them against a large log of wood, and nearly upset her. She took in a quantity of water, and barely escaped being washed against the rocks. It vvas a narrow escape, indeed, and ihcy were greatly alarmed, but landed safe- The rest of us took the next boat, crossed without danger, and joined our friends at the steamer. Between the first and second lakes is a portage of one and a-half miles ; between the second and third, one of thirty miles ; and from the last lake to Lillooet the distance is four miles — all of which w^e got pretty well over, considering the imperfect arrangements for crossing the lakes. Meeting with unexpected delays our stock of provisions became exhausted, in spite of our irreat economv. and when 1 i Ik Ml. , ■ 1 Ki.i -I i ' 42 we reached Lillooet, about ten o'clock one night, we were weary and worn out. After we had appeased the cravings of hunger, we went to sleep on the floor of a German bread- baker's .shop, the baker having kindly offered us the privilege. We slept soundly till five in the morning, and would have slept longer had he not wanted us out of the way of his business. Lillooet stands on a charming site — a spacious plain on the banks of the Fraser, surrounded by magnificent mountain scenery. The inhabitants, numbering about three hundred, consist of English, Irish, Scotch, French, Germans, native Indians, and a few Cliinese — the Indians living in their usual filthy style in the outskirts of the town, but constantly mixing with the whites. The inhabitants make a living by supplying the wants of travellers. Patches of land is under cultivation. Cows are kept, and milk sold at sixpence a pint. There are three or four blacksmiths' .^hops in the place, and something , considerable is done in the horse and mule-shoeing line during the summer season. A good shoer is paid twenty shillings a day with board. Every ounce of provision and material used at the mines must be conveyed over the mountains on the backs of animals, principally mules : they being more sure footed than horses, are better adapted for mountain travelling. These mules are brought from Oregon and California, and are worth, we were told, from 150 to 300 dollars each in British Columbia. They travel from ten to fifteen miles a day, and carry about 300 lbs. weight each. They go in what is termed trains. A train consists of from 25 to 30 mules. A bell is attached to the neck of the foremost one, which leads the van, and all the rest follow the sound of the instrument. A sort of wooden saddle well padded inside is fixed upon the back of the ani- mal, and the burden strapped on to it. It requires a man of experience to manage this packing business, for unless the burden be properly fixed, the animal is soon used up. Three men are required to manage one of those mule trains — the men's wages being (per month) 120, 80, and 50 dollars re- spectively. They are likewise found with provision and a tent to sleep in. This packing business is a profitable one for the owners of the mules. The price of flour in Victoria is about twopence per lb., and when it reaches Cariboo is worth from four to six shillings per lb. 43 Tlie keep of the animals cost nothing, as sufficient grass is foun-l in the ravines for their support The price of flour at Lillooet was half a dollar per lb. We purchased a fresh supply of provision and resumed our journey. A few minutes' walk brought us to the side of the Fraser, which we had to cross in a small boat. The bare idea of having to cross that furious stream in such a fragile-looking thing made one's blood curdle in the veins. The Fraser at Lillooet is perhaps not more than a quarter of a mile in width, but is a mighty, rapid-running river, lashing, and foaming, and boiling in its onward mad career. It occasionally happens that one of those boats is capsized, and its living contents swept away in a moment, and for ever out of sight. We felt ourselves pitched and wheeled about in a most alarming manner, and when we reached the oppo- site shore a sigh of relief burst from every bosom. The ferry-boat fare was half a dollar. All goods taken up to the mines on this route must cross the Phaser. Horses and mules are swam across the river, the halter being made fast to the stern of the boat. The ferry-boat will carry about a dozen men with their lug- gage, exclusive of the rowers. Before starting, the boat is hauled up the river side for a considerable distance. All being in readiness, six men com- mence rowing with might and main, keeping the stem of the boat pointing up the river diagonally. ^ While she is making her way across, she is at the same tnue drifting down the stream with frightful rapidity, reaching the opposite side many hundred yards below the starting point. About twenty miles above Lillooet there is the choice of two roads to Cariboo : one is termed the Brigade, the other the River Trail, which runs by the side of the River Fras:r. The Brigade is a much better road, but fifty miles longer distance." The majority of us took the River Trail, but we learnt afterwards that had wj taken the Brigade we would have completed our journey in less time and with less labour. The river route is a fearfully mountainous one, and winds over the mountains in a zig-zag form. This track or " trail," as it is called, was not mare than 18 inches in width—often only the breadth of a person's foot — and some places which was sand and gravel had slid away till no visible path re- mained. We had then to clamber along tive sides of the i: i! li liii: III ' i' ;*i :i!|l II! iili 44 mountains as best wo could, which was frequently attenclccl with considerable difficulty and danger. We were told of some who had fallen over those cliffs, and were never more heard of. We found this mountain travelling extremely fatiguing, the mountains coming in rapid succession ; and taking into ac- count the winding, sloping, zig-zaging form of the track, the distance over some of them was not less than six or seve;n miles ; and the road so steep, that in order to keep our equi- librium our bodies had to be bent forward till the face was withhi a foot of the ground, and we could not take more than five or six inches at one step- The descent was more difficult than the ascent, causing great pain in the knee joints. We generally met with an abundant supply of good water, which came rushing down the ravines between the movin- tains. At times however, we experienced considerable in- convenience through the want of it, and on one occasion intense suffering. On the 19th of Juno we came to an extraordinary place known in the country as the " Big Slide," which is notorious for the great danger that attends the passage over it. This is a frightful precipice —many hundreds of feet in perpendi- cular height, along the edge of which runs the Trail. But what constitutes the danger is this : On the top of the cliff is lodged masses of small sand, which sometimes takes to slid- ing, and carries along with it both men and animals 'nto the mighty chasm below. However, this place can be avoided by walking round about ten miles in another direction ; and when such is the fact, it seems to be madness for men to risk their lives merely for the sake of saving a few miles extra walking. Nevertheless, some are foolhardy enough to ven- ture the Big Slide. But within those ten miles stands one of the most formid- able mountains on the route. It is at least five miles over it, and took us more than four hours to perform the task ; and to give an idea of its steepness, in many places I need only state that the ankle joint would not allow the foot sufficient play to suit the incline, and it was with difficulty we could drag our bodies forward. Frequently I sank to the ground -in a perfect .state of exhaustion. The day was roasting hot, and for six or seven hours no ana 45 water was witirm our roach. All suffered from thirst, but inhie became intolerable. My tongue was swollen and huTi<,' out of my mouth, and I lost my speech— my eyes rolhng in nn head like those of a wild beast. Indeed, I was almost in a state of madness, and like to give up the ghost. Wilbnm and Kdwaul Mark (who remained behmd with me), encou- raged me on, and used stratagem by telling me they were certain they heard the roaring of water ahead of us. Kdwarcl cTot me bark of trees to suck the sap, but it gave me no relief'. How acute was mv hearing to catch the sound of water, and when I heard its ripple in the ravine below I thought it the most delightful music that ever fell on my ear. I staggerecl up to the glorious stream, and found William with a can of water ready for me. I seized It ravenously, but fearing I would do myself a mischief, he was obliged to tear it from' me repeatedly, which I then thought was an act of cruelty. For some length of time he allow^ed me to swallow only a small quantity at intervals, bul ultimately let me take my fill • and, to speak within bounds, T drank at least a gallon- before I was satisfied. We then shook hands and congratu- lated each other. , ,. , , . i? Our friend Mark, who has since published an account ot his adventure, in describing this part of it, says :—" Never shall I forget the emotion and pleasure we all experienced when we in reality did hear the glorious sound of water ahead, issued by the first there, and sent back as by electricity till the last traveller on the mountain caught the news." God knows, hunger is bad enough, but thirst is a thousand times worse. The sensation of hunger eventually ceases: the sufferer gradually becomes weaker, and dies by degrees. But thirst is of a different nature: the sufFermg becomes more nitense every moment, and he dies raving "^^d. There was one thing terribly annoying to ns. We had several deep and rapid-running waters to cross, with nothing but a small tree thrown over in the shape of a bridge, with- out anything whatever to hold on by. One of those streams was at least 25 feet in width, and the - tree to walk along was not more than 12 inches at the thickest end, and tapering to about half that thickness at the other ; . and being quite round, there was, of course, not much bear- ing surface for the foot. During the passage the tree kept playing up and down, the water washing over it at every. •lii U'i ■' Bl 'I- : f! ^ lilii 46 vibration. It required one's courage to 1,c screwed up to a pitch of desperation to make the attempt ; but it must be done-there was no other alternative-and with clmched hands and compressed lips we addressed ourselves to the task, which was a regular Blondin performance. The first three or four, after crossing, planted themselves at intervals down the river side, so that they might attempt the rescue ot those who might have the mislortune to slip in. All, how- ever, escaped a ducking, except one young man, who lost Ins balance— made a spring, and dropped in up to the waist a few feet from the shore. Catching hold ot a projecting branch with one hand, I seized him by the neck with the ether, and hauled him out. •. ^ -u i i Robert Mark, I believe, was the last to cross, but he had not proceeded more than a few feet when l.c was seized with a nervous trembling fit, and stepped back again. His brother Edward, who was watching him intently Irom the other side, observed his dilemma, and immediately re-crossed the river with the agility of a cat, seized llobert s burden and marched back with as great facility as though he had been walking along a turnpike road. A few words of encourage- ment from. Edward enabled Robert to follow without further hesitation. , , , . - • i ^f As it regards our friend Ned Mark, he is certainly one ol the most reckless and daring fellows the world ever saw and a perfect stranger to fear— a very essential quality for a Can- boo adventurer to possess. ' •> n l-l 4. One night, while camping, we remarked to each other that somebody's horse had got loose-we heard such a snorting about our tent. All passed off quietly, and we slept uncon- scious of danger ; but next morning were made acquamted with the character of our visitor. A bag contammg some tm cooking utensils was lying outside the adjoining tent; the owner hearing an unusual noise, looked out, and saw a black bear walking off with the bag. The man ran back for his re- volver, but when he returned, brmn had dropped the tm things and decamped. . Sometimes a number of Indians would pay us a visit-plant themselves around us while we were cooking, and watch our proceedings with intense interest. We seemed to be objects of curiosity to them. They would stand as motion- less almost as marble statues, with their eyes rivetted upon il up to a list be [inched to the he first itcrvals scuc of [, how- lost liis WLiist a )jectmg ith the he had ; seii'.ed il. His •om the ■crossed len, and ad bceu ourage- , further f one of aw, and ■ a Cari- her that snorting : uncon- ][uainted 5ome tin !nt; the a black r his re- the tin t — plant d watch d to be motion- ed upon ■ 47 us ; and often we observed a savage glare pass over thou countenance. After standing a while, they would commence gabbling to each other in a vehement manner ; then suddenly turn round, and march off at a rapid pace, They are not particularly hostile, so long as they arc not interfered with ; but it is dan- gerous to meddle with them, either with good or bad intent ; because, being unacquainted with the manner of suiting their ideas of things, there is great danger of unconsciously oflPend- ino- them. We made some mistakes in that respect, thereby endangering our lives. One day Edward Mark was examin- ing his revolver while we were resting. An Indian came up and planted himself in front of him, intently fixing his eyes on the revolver, which seemed to interest him greatly. Edward playfully raised the revolver and pointed it at him, professing that he was about to shoot him. A savage expression imme- diately suffused the countenance of the Indian, which indi- cated clearly that he had not understood it to be a jest. We saw the danger we had incurred ; for we had been told pre^ viously that 'the Indians could summon to their aid numbers of their friends at any moment. William Mark reproved his son for his incautiousness, and in order to convince the Indian that it was only done in sport, we all instinctively and simul- taneously burst into a loud laugh. This failed, however, to establish his confidence : he looked sulky, savage, and suspi- cious, and slunk away from our presence sideways— crab fashion — watching us from the corner of his eye till he got a distance of some fifty yards, and then made a dead stand. He immediately raised a peculiar shrill noise with his voice, which rather resembled the crowing of a farm-yard cock. This was evidently the signal for a gathering, for this crow- ing was instantly echoed back from three or foin* different quarters, and in less time than it takes me to narrate the circumstance, twelve or fifteen savage-looking Indians had assembled together, and from their vehement^ talking and gesticulations, it was evident they were meditating an attack upon us. . What our feelings were at that moment may be imagmed, but cannot be described. We glanced at each other, but not a sentence was uttered ; and what was the extent of the fears- of my friends I know not, but in my own imagination was painted all the horrible details of being butchered and hacked: 48 1 to pieces with the Indian's hunting Icnifc. x\ftcr a while, however, the savages arrived at what we considered a very rational conclusion; for, to our great relief, they darted off into the forest, and left us unmolested, and we saw them no more. n - i Strange to say, this circumstance was never once alluaecl to amongst us, which I can only account for by supposing that we all felt more alarmed than we afterwaras thought the circumstances of the case warranted, and did not wish to betray to each other anything in the shape of cowardice. James Marquis introduced the subject several months after- wards. We then confessed to each other how dreadfully terrified we had been. The Indians are copper- coloured, and both sexes are short, thick set, and very muscular. The generality of them are hideous in the extreme. They have a strange and cruel practice of compressing the heads of their children. Imme- diately after birth, pieces of wood are placed on the fore and back part of the infant's head, and bound firmly together. By this means the head id permanently flattened. Some bind a handkerchief tightly round the head, which gives it a coni- cal form. Those deformations the Indians consider marks of beauty. The Indian squaw constructs a sort of small elon- gated wicker basket for her infant to sleep in, attached to which are a wonderful variety of appendages, consisting of small shells, beads, toy brass bells, about the size of a thimble, buttons, and any other description of trinkets she can obtain. The mother when sitting on the ground places the tiny basket with the infant on her knee, and when the little thing shows signs of uneasiness she moves her knees from side to side, and the gingling of the trinkets sooth it over to sleep again. When travelling she slings it over her shoulder, reminding one of a foreigner carrying' a French fiddle. At the camping place she suspends it from an overhanging branch in the open air, with strings cut from the bark of trees, or from the skin of wild animals, and swings it forwards and backwards for hotirs together. . The Indians manifest considerable aflPection for their ofl- gpring ; but, nevertheless, will sometimes sell one of their children even for a few dollars. A Scotchman in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company in Victoria, bought an Indian female child. Its mother showed signs of grief at parting 49 while, a very ited off icm no [illitaed )posing gilt the m»h. to ?.e. s after- tadfully e short, em are il cruel Imme- ore and )gether. nc bind a coni- larks of 11 elon- ?hed to iting of himble, obtain. '■ basket ^ shows ide, and , When )ne of a g place pen air, skin of )r hours leir ofF- of their em])loy 1 Indian parting with it; but when she saw the man dandle it on his knee, and manifest something like kindness to it, she became per- fectly reconciled ; danced a few times around them m the most ludicrous manner; then bounded mto the woods, and saw her child no more. The Scotchman brought up the child, and when she arrived at maturity he made her his wite. Tfrequently saw her in Victoria. She was better looking, Pnd bore a rather m.re intelligent expression of countenance than the generality of Indians. Civilization unquestionably has this improving tendency. ^ „„„ \ Yankee in Victoria, who was about fifty years of age took an Indian girl, about eighteen years of age, to live with him. They occupied the adjoining shanty, and as there was only a thin partition between us, I unavoidably oveAeard a .relt deal of their conversation. He devoted a considerable portion of his leisure time to teaching her the alphabet and English language ; and she made tolerable progress. At the time T speak of'she was capable of ma^^ing herself Fetty we understood. She had the character of being one ol the most clean and thoroughly domesticated squaws in Victoria Her little two-roomed shanty, which I sometimes g^^^^f ^^^^^ when passing the door, was scrupulously clean. Her imen whkh I frequently observed hanging out drymg, was as white Ts hands could ma\e it. She was likewise ---^^^f ^^^ ^^ in her person, and tidy in her dress. She appeared to have a g eat^mount of affection for the Yankee, -d^^s con- tinually asking him if he loved her. It is said the Indian ''7::ZZ'^:t^^^l labour, and anything they may have to perform in the shape of work devolves upon the quaw We frequently met with natives migrating from one Tee o another,\nd invariably the Clootchman* was carry- nt a heavy burden on her back-^her lord and master walk- nS lefsureiv by her side carrying nothing whatever One day W3 met-witl a party, the Clootchman ^^^^-ll^^'^J^l dous si.ed bundle strapped on her back, and ^ chid some two years old in her arms, which she carried ^^^^^^^ towards her-having her arms clasped ^^«^"f^^,^;^^^"^^^^^^^ I(.-vs dano-Ung down before her— that being the Indian woman s method Sf carry-S ^^^ child after it has S-^n too arg^ the basket. The poor creature was to.ling at extremity, the *Clootchman is another and nice popular name for the Indian woman. E !l mil ii;i l'J\ 50 perspiration pouring down her face in streams. We urged the Indian, through the medium of signs, to relieve her by carrying the child. He eventually comprehended our mean- ing and seemed greatly amused at the request ; smiled signi- ficantly, as nmch as to say, " I have never done that yet, and don't mean to begin now." , The Indians devote their time to hunting, shooting, and fishing. Many of them have been supplied with muskets by the Hudson's Bay Company, and are well versed in the use of it. Their fish-hook is made of bone or hard wood. Dur- ing the summer season they capture salmon, gather berries, and collect certain roots, all of which thev dry in the sun, and preserve for winter use. In summer they sleep m tents made of canvas, or branches of trees, and in winter live in holes dug in the ground, which are covered over with branches, their means of ingress and egress being through an aperture in the top. . xi * The Indians are remarkably dexterous in the management of the canoe. Their ores or paddles are from three to four feet in length, with a cross head similar to that of a spade, and are diamond pointed, the broadest part of the blade being about five inches in width. The paddle is dipped into the water vertically, the rowers always sitting with their faces m the direction they are going. One sits at the stern using a paddle as a rudder to steer the canoe in the required direc- tion. The canoe is cut out of a solid piece of wood, and the inside scooped out with a gouged-shaped adze. Prior to the Indians being furnished with this tool, the inside was burnt out with red hot stones, which must necessarily have been a very tedious operation. Their canoes are of various lengths, ranging from ten to thirty feet, and from two to four feet in width. . It is a remarkable fact that the North American Indians are beardless. Occasionally we saw an Indian with a sprink- ling of hair on the tip of his chin, but that was an occurrence as rare almost as to see a European woman with that append- age. With the exception of the head which bears a profu- sion, there is little hair on the body of the Indian. Both sexes wear their hair roughly parted down the centre of the forehead, and hanging in disorder about their shoulders. The hair of the Indian is perfectly straight and flowing— always coarse, and almost universally black. Im some instances, di Q urged her by « mean- i signi- ^et, and ig, and ikets by the use Bur- berries, lun, and ts made in holes ranches, iperture igement J to four a, spade, ie being into the faces in using a ?d direc- and the r to the as burnt e been a lengths, [V feet in Indians a, sprink- currence append- a profu- 1. Both re of the ers. The — always nstances, however, we observed it was of a brownish hue. The fore- head is extremely low, the hair in many cases growing down almost to the eyebrows Their eyes, without exception, are jet black. Their costume is primitive. Some are enveloped in bear skins, some in a variety of skins strung together, and some in blankets. The majority go barefooted, but some wear ^ihe moccason — a sort of shoe made of wash leather, the sole being only the same thickness as the upper leather. As there is no distinction made in dress between male and female, and as all are beardless, and have their hair parted in the centre, it is often difficult to distinguish one sex from the other. There are various tribes of Indians, which was evident to us from the different classes of features we observed. ^ There is the broad flat face, with a vacant childish expression, and the sharp-featured with a ferocious countenance, the forehead of the latter receding till a straight line might be drawn :rom the tip of the nose to the back part of the head. Some paint their hands and face red to prevent sunburning. Occasionally we met with a naturally red-skinned Indian. Some of the Indians bury their dead, some burn them, and others place the bodies in rough wooden boxes and fasten them up in trees : the higher the station of life has been the higher they are placed in the tree. Those who bury their dead build a pile of wood around the graves. At the grave of a chief is a flagstaff, with a clean neat flag of red and white ; on the flagstaff is hung his musket, hunting-jacket, belt, knife, and drinking tin. It is said those graves are carefully watcl ed from a distance by the tillicums (friends) of the chief, and woe be to the man who violates the grave of an Indian chief. Those who burn their dead take the fat as it runs from the body ; mix it with the ashes of the wood into a paste, and smear their faces with it, making certain marks according to relationship. We observed several Indian places of worship by the side of the rivers and lakes. Several small flags were flying. They had no building, except a sort of wooden shed for their gods to stand in Those images are cut out of wood and painted, and are certainly the most droll and laughable things imagin- able. Phrenologically speaking, the development of the North American Indian is of a low order, the animal propensities e2 52 !p!i:!' |i{i!i![ !l I !! |H Hi! '11 'ii 5.' iii'' Mil ?.s. He is preponderating greatly over the intellectual facultie.' crafty, thievish, and treacherous. , , j * We kept plodding on from day to day, but heard most woeful and discouraging accounts from disappointed men, and we could not avoid the conviction that ere long, m^ all human probability, we likewise would be compelled to pin the returning wretched, starving throng. We met hundreds upon hundreds coming down in a most pitiable plight : num- bers had nothing to eat, and had no prospect of anythma; ; many who had worn out their shoes had their bleedmg feet bound in clouts to protect them from the sharp cutting stones and gravel, so frequently met with. Altogether, it was a most direful and heartrending scene. ^ ,. • • There thev were, poor lellows, in a starving condition in a wild outlandish country, almost entirely uninhabited, except by balf savage Indians and wild beasts— hundreds of miles away from civilized society— their prospects blasted— their circumstances ruined— their forms emaciated, ana their spirits broken. . , Many had left their wives and children at home entirely depending upon their success at the diggings ; and now that thev were disappointed, and knew that their families would soon be in want, the mental distress of many of those poor fellows became terrible. Tears rolled down the cheeks of many a stout-hearted man, who could endure anv amount of hunger and privation ; but when he thought of his wife and children suffering at home, and himself not able to return to them, it was more than he could bear. . ^ -i i j a. ^a. Hundreds of fine fellows belonging Canada had mortgaged or sold their little farms at a great sacrifice, and gone out there confident of success, believing in some flattering re- ports wrote by one Parson White, who belonged Canada formerly, but who then resided in New Westminster, British Columbia. They placed implicit confidence in the statements of White, as we did in those of Donald Fraser, the Victoria correspondent of the London Times. What curses did we hear called down upon the heads of Iraser and White tor their misrepresentations. , . ^, •, -ri i„„^ Often would our recollections wander back to Old Jinglana. How nleasinff it had been to sit over I he kitchen fire at home, behind a long pipe, reading glowing accounts in the J imea 53 He !• •d most id men, r, in all i to join undreds ; : num- lythina; ; ling feet ig stones it was a tion in a 1, except of miles id — their ad their t entirely now that es would lose poor rted man, bion ; but at home, e than he lortgaged gone out ering re- d Canada jr, British (tatements e Victoria ?s did we White for I England. [} at home, the 'Jimea about the gold fields of British Columbia, with visions of gold flitting through the brain, and imagining that were we but there what wonders we would perform ! My God ! how ter- ribly different was the reality. It seemed as if we had been lured away from our happy homes by some tempting bait and then caught in a horrible trap, from which there was no possibility of escape. It seemed as if a whole lifetime of usual privation was being compressed into intense suflPering, and crowded into each day. We met with a vast number of experienced gold-diggers, who had been in Australia, New Zealand, and California. Those men had routrhed it for years ; bui, strange to say, they were the first, generally speaking, to fall faint-hearted. They said they had endured all sorts of privations in other gold fields, but the hardships of British Columbia was too much for human nature to contend with. It was so much worse than anything they had hitherM experienced that numbers of them gave it up long ere they reached Cariboo, and retraced their steps ; and many of those who persevered to the end felt so thoroughly disheartened with the appear- ance of things that without even putting a spade into the ground turned their backs upon the place, and returned grumbling, and cursing the London Times and British Columbia to all eternity. But if those men were unable to endure the hardships of the country, it could scarcely be ex- pected that those who had all through life enjoyed every domestic comfort, without ever sleeping off a feather bed, would be equal to the task. But, nevertheless, it is wonder- ful to what an extent men can accommodate themselves to circumstances. In the midst of all this misery we could sometimes for a few minutes forget our sorrows, and enjoy the novelty and romance of our situation ; and had we but had the means of appeasing the cravings of hunger, and making ourselves in the least degree comfortable, this trip would have been to us a glorious affair. But continued hunger and fatigue would, in spite of us, put an almost effectual extinguisher upon every source of enjoyment. We had the injustice to heap all the blame upon Mr. Fraser for our troubles, and many a bitter tirade was indulged in at his expense. Our friend, William Mark, who is one of the most plucky and determined fellows the world ever saw, remarked that e3 61 M il; --Hi '» if tlie mountains of Cariboo were one solid mass of gold, it would not induce him to attempt this a second time ; and that if he did die on the road, he would like to have the privilege, iust before he expired, of blowing out the brains ot Mr Fraser; it would give him infinite pleasure, and he could then die hapny." This sally excited roars of laughter. We had many melancholy proofs of the hardships of that lone trip. Many a new-made grave did we pass by the side of that terrible path ;— yes, many a noble fellow lies there beneath the sod, with a pile of wood built around his grave to prevent the wild beasts tearing his remains from the ground, and a stick, witli a piece dirty clout put in the shape of a flag, to mark the spot. ,, On- was a most extraordinary death. Three travellers were - -eping together : a lump of rock fell from the moun- tain, rolled on to their tent, killed the middle man, and those on each side of him escaped uninjured. We prospected a few times as we went along by the side of the Fraser River and in the rivulets, and invariably found small specs of gold, but not in sufficient quantities to pay working. Numbers of Chinamen, however, make a living by washing the gravel with rockers by the side of the Fraser ; but they live at a cheap rate, subsisting chiefly on rice. We never met with anything in the shape of game on the River Trail, except wild ducks on the lakes. We had seve- ral shots at them, and never hit but one, which James Marquis shot ; but being in deep water we could not recover it, although Edward Mark waded in up to the waist. We con- sequently lost the anticipated pleasure of dining on roast duck. We were told that on some of the other routes to Cariboo there was an abundance of game. For days together we did not see a living thing, except mosquitoes and grasshoppers, the ground in some plaees being literally covered with the last-named insect. We never heard the chirp of a bird, or even saw a bird of any description, except a few crows once in a while ; and some- times at dusk in the evening we heard the tapping of the woodpecker. W' e frequently saw the foot-print of bears, but the animals themselves were seldom seen. We saw one wolf, and one small grey squirrel, which one of our party shot at, but missed. We never saw or heard of such a thing as a snake in 111' 55 ^old, it 3 ; and ,ve the •ains of e could • of that ;he side s there is grave ground, f a flag, avellers 5 moun- id those the side ly found 1 to pay iving by Fraser ; 3e. e on the lad seve- 1 James t recover We con- ast duck. Cariboo ;, except e pi apes ct. We d of any ad soiiie- ig of the lears, but saw one )ur party snake in British Columbia, although we had read terrible accounts in England about thousands of venomous reptiles being found at Cariboo. This was a pure invention of somebody's pro- lific mischievous brain. Cariboo, which is buried deep in snow for eight months out of the twelve, is not a very suit- able climate, I presume, for reptiles. With the exception of mosquitoes, and some sort of nasty slimy animals, about half the size of a man's hand, which sometimes took a fancy to crawl over our faces during the night time, nothing disturbed our repose while we slept in the woods. As a matter of course, the price of provisions advanced as we progressed. We were now paying 2s. 9d. per lb. for flour, and learnt that at the diggings the price ranged from 4s. 2d. to 6s. 3d. per lb., and frequently was not to be had even at the latter price. We began to make the very un- pleasant discovery that we had not sufficient funds amongst us to carry us through the campaign. As for myself, I had not a cent, left, William Mark had previously advanced me money* and I could not further draw upon him without seriously embarrassing him, the idea of which was exceed- ingly hurtful to me. I, therefore, resolved to return. Mar- quis had plenty of money to take him to Cariboo, but he had not sufficient to give him a chance of success, consequently he determined to return with me. Some days previously we had come to the conclusion that if we had but sufficient money to take us to Cariboo, two or three of us would engage to work for other miners, while the rest went prospecting, and by that means be able, per- haps, to keep body and soul together until we met with a claim. But even that last hope was scattered to the winds, for we learnt from some of our former travelling companions who had been up to the diggings, and were now returning, that hundreds were offering to work for their grub, and sonie actually for a single meal a-day, and could not get the privi- lege. Therefore, our only alternative was to " 'bout ship," and steer a backward course. There was something exces- sively galling in the idea of having commenced a journey of ten thousand six hundred miles in order to gain a certain object, and then compelled to abandon the undertaking after ten thousand five hundred of those miles had been accom- But there was no help for it. nlished ;)<> iPI It ua. lite 24tli of June, and we hud now unive cl at W Williams l.aRe, a place 250 miles above ^^^^'^.^-^^i^I^J^^^^,;, held a consultation, and it was ultimately ^^^^^f ^^^^^^'v f ^^ IViark would return with us, and accompany me to the loaa mukeis' camp, which was 130 miles further down the country vh r wewo^Jld apply for work. James Marquis who had the prospect of employment at Victoria, would go on to that p !ce. William and Edward would proceed to the diggings and if they were fortunate enough to obtain a paying cW n w e would all return the following season and work ^t- ~^^ gave to his sou Robert and myself ten dollars each, and we separated. . ^ i „ xu^ oil fpU it But the iwnine scene was a painlul one. We a.l leit u ke iw but the parting between William and h.. sou was toucWn« in the eltreme^ They were both broken-hearted : te"rs roUed down their cheeks while they embraced each other but part they must, and they tore themselves asunder. X k! in M'pamphlet, says-" We had «l?«e'l ^^e troubles and dV.no-ers together for ten thousand miles ; and here \vc ^art, in a strange wild country, perhaps never to see each "aLTw"' had gone some distance, however Edward ran atoms ^ith a m'essage from his father, to the effec ^ha^ whatever the consequence might be he could ""^ Pait w th Robert • and they must sink or swim together. The counte nance of the young man brightened at this inUmation, and he returned to his father with a hght heart. The fact of William sending for his son was greatly annoy- in- to Ma quis, who reasoned\orrectly enough, that tivo men were qu'?. sufficient to prospect, and would be much tas.er ke," tTan three. It appe'ared to him to be throwing ^liane awav He accordingly went back to remonstrate with -Maik to b^ing, as it appe^rid to him, chicken-hearted ; but when he beheld the intense grief that was depicted m his countc- nLce i so compTetely'sottened the heart of Marquis that he couU not muste? courage to breathe a single sentence of re- nroach. but turned away and left them. '^ When I learnt from Marquis his motive for seeking his intrrvfew with Mark, I ventured to hint that he had yet to earn vtat were the feelings ot a parent towards his offspring 01 l" never would have dreamt of interfering with such noble and sacred sentiments. Lvecl at I. We Robert e road- ountry, ^lio had to that aim, we vVilliaia and we ,11 felt it sou was learted : ed each asunder, troubles here we see each i'ard ran feet that lart with ! counte- i, aud he y annoy - two men ch tasier a chance ith Mark [)ut when s counte- Ls that he ice of re- The Murks j.ow too k the forward, and Marquis and me the for ythi king this lad yet to offspring, ach noble backward direction; but tne prospect huL chceiiiK'-. We had neither tent nor cooking utensils, toi it wasabsolutely necessary for our friends (the Marks) to take t>i(>^o things along with them. Ts to^ mvself, I had v.othing in the shape of blankets rwiiicli ave uidisnensable in that country), except a very ma Hhin rug; ai.l, as I have said before all the money I osses^d «as forty shilUngs. We bought five pounds of C- for whioh ^ve paid fourteen shillings and when we had t opnortunlty borrowed a pun of a traveller to boi or bake J m conceived the idea of boiling the flour with water io a sort of hasty pudding. This answered an excellent ~l f..r it seeded to appease our hunger for a greater C'th ot time than it did when made mto caj.es. Of course, we'had nothing in the shape of salt, but that was a thing '^"Tttrrultlt flour had, " there was too little of it." One day we met with a traveller, who made us a present of a Uttle brown sugar, which we used to our hasty pudd,ng-a uxury we enjoyed exceedingly. The men who keep those puUic-houses on the road allow their customers to sleep on the floor of their houses, or in their outbmldmgs, free of ex- pense, so we smuggled ourselves amongst t^e customers and therefore did pretty well m that respect. At these houses above LiUooetthe^harge is 6s. 3d. each meal but below fw rUfe 4s 2d. They likewise profess to sell flour and Sfad' but t'equently wfu not confess with any, simply to comnd people to buy meals. Marquis indulged himsell with an ooeas onal supper, but 1 could not afi'ord it and walked many a day 25 mUes with a small piece of bread and water Jim frequently urged me to deal a little more liberally with n V stomach but my money was to be spun out to a fearful ZtaZ andl had sulh a d/ead of the almost certain prospect of starvition that I determined not to spend a single cent. n,.,re than absolute necessity compelled me to no. Marques took a different 'view of the subject-declared he would have something to eat so long as his money asted and let the morrow provide for itself. I had not the least doubt that had I become destitute of money Jim would have shared hifl- rshilliig with me ; but I was well aware he had not ^'ffi ten ' o h^ own pur'pose. therefore I resolved to make i«»: i :5 ! ■■ n , % 1 i i ■! I .'it 1 %^ I i\\ •t^i 1 58 the little I had serve me if possible. I accordingly struggled on day after day living on a small portion of bread and water, till with hunger and fatigue I was so much reduced in strength that frequently when I sat down to rest, or to drink, it was with difficulty I could regain ray feet. Could I but have obtained one good meal a day, I would not have taken the least harm. I often thought what a fool I was to starve myself in that manner when I had money in my pocket ; but then all I had would not have paid for four meals, and then what was to be done. , 1 1 • I was often amused at the struggle that took place m my mind, arising from a ravenous appetite on the one Band, and an inclination to save for future emergencies on the other. Seeino" other men go into the houses to eat, my hand would involuntarily find its way into my trousers pocket— seize the littie money it contained— pull it half way out— turn the corns over and over— then drop them down again. Then I would draw the money out with a fixed determination to buy food, but somehow or other my resolution would suddenly forsake me ; and after turning the few dollars over in my hand half-a- dozen times, down they would go again to the bottom of my pocket with a clash. Then the smell of the viands which issued from the house would drive me ravenous. Seizing the coins with d vice-like grip, which threatened to penetrate the flesh' of my hand, I felt determined not to loose my hold till I placed some of them in the hand of the eating-house keeper for a dinner— marched with a firm step up to the door, resolv- ing to eat at all hazards— when suddenly I would imagine I heard a voice say, " If you do, you will rue it— eat now if you like, and starve afterwards." T would instantly wheel round, and rush from the house; and thus for several days this strange warfare went on in the mind, and I continued to live on bread and water. i • i t Strange to say, when I came to the last shilling, which 1 paid for a single cup of bad coflPee, it seemed to give me little concern. Once or twice when Marquis was taking sup- per he pocketed for me a piece of bread, which served the next day. t -^ o*; One night, after having nothing to eat all day, I paid 25 cents, for a pint of butter-milk, there being nothing else to be had at that house, except a very indifferent supper for 6s. 3d., which, of course, I did not partake of. I always had a 59 a particular dislike to butter-milk, but on that occasion it was jjarticularly palatable. Next morning I started with a light stomach and a heavy heart, and lame as a dog, for I had blisters on my feet the size of half-crown pieces. At a short distance from the house I observed a piece of dry dirty bread, black as coal, lying on the ground— perhaps thrown there by some filthy Indian ; a dog would scarcely have eaten it. No matter, I looked at it with a longing eye, but was noticed by some men who were standing about, and could not find an opportunity to pick it up, and T left it very reluctantly. That same bread was picked up immediately afterwards by a young Englishman and eaten. Such is hunger. I may here remark that mine was not an isolated case ; hundreds of cases were as bad and many worse than mine. When starting one morning I found myself in a dreadfully broken-down condition ; it was with great difficulty I could set one foot before the other. I overheard one man say to another about me, " That poor old man will never see the next house." No doubt, my then present appearance would warrant that assertion, for my back and belly were fast ap- proaching each other, my back-bone forming a half circle, and my knees at every step coming into violent contact. I had, no doubt, the appearance of a very old man. However, contrary to their expectations, I did see the next house and all the houses on the road, but I had a hard struggle for it. I could compare the sensation of extreme hunger to nothing but this : a string through a hole in my back fastened to the inside of my belly, and somebody behind lugging at it. It was a curious fancy, but it seemed to convey that idea. At last I was obliged to submit, and on two occasions pay 68. 3d. for a meal. Having tramped day after day with next to nothing to eat, nature became completely exhausted. I could obtain neither bread nor flour ; paid my dollar and a half and sat down to eat, but having been so long without flesh meat, it turned me quite sick, and I could not eat it. I put the beef and bread into my pocket, which made me a rare feas:; the next day. The next time 1 was necessitated to buy a meal, the enormous quantity I ate made me ill for some days after. Marquis could, not tciKe supput i/udi- nigm,, nciviiig iiictu%^ li.s.., ^.... -.- 60 m « U i if ':'4 /'I !!j with eating huckle berries, which we soiuetiines met with on the road: they are wholesome, but he ate too many. Ihe hiickle berry is about the size of our black currant— a sort of blaeberry, and grows on a bush six or eight feet m height. One day we sat down in a ravine to drink water ; an Inaian cam]) was hard by, and the place was densely studded with those berries. It appeared the Indians claimed this place as their garden, but we were not aware of it at the tune, and James Marquis quite innocently broke off a branch loaded with berries, and sat down to eat them. He had no sooner done so than the Indians came bu/zing about us like bees from a hive. We had only one travelling companion with us at the time, and none of us were armed. This man had been in the country a few years, and had a slight knowledge of the Chinook language. We learnt from him afterwards the inean- inc of some of the expressions the Indians made use ot. It was to the efTect that they would sell us as many as we liked, but we had no business to help ourselves ; and how would the white man like the Indian to break into his garden and steal his fruit ; that the white man had no more right to steal the Indian's fruit than the Indian had to steal the white man s fruit All this was sensible enough, and went to prove that even those half savage Indians had some idea of right and wrong. But the fact is, we were not aware that we were stealin"-. Had the place been fenced around we would at once luive understood it to be some one's private property ; but as such was not the case, we of course had no other im- pression than that we were at perfect liberty to help ourselves. The Indians, however, did not discern that we were doing this in ignorance ; they seemed astounded at the liberty taken, and from their gestures, it was evident we liad got into trouble. The chief stood at a distance brandishing an immense club; his manner was alarmingly vehement ; he raved and frothed at the mouth with rage, and frequently made use of the words, - siwash maramerloose," which meant they (the Indians) would murder us. James looked pale as death— his lips were like marble • the other man trembled like an aspen leaf, and I was almost petrified with fear. ' Marquis, however, darmgly per- sisted in eating away at the berries, professing to ^nve noheed to the chief. I could see that serious mischief was biewing, and urged Marquis to desist, for the rage of the chief increased tenfold when he saw that Jim set him at defiance. As luck Hill lii'i i 61 would have it, just at that moment eight or ten white men came up, with whom we had been travelling a few days, but who had now been lagging behind ; some of those men were armed with guns, and the others with revolvers, the appear- ance of which had the effect of cooling down the Indians, for they immediately slunk away from our presence. Had some one made us each a present of a ton weight of Cariboo gold it would not have been a more agreeable sight to us than were the faces of those white men at that mon^ent ; for had tliey not come up at that time we, undoubtedly, would have been mammerloosed. ^ We learnt afterwards that a few hours previous to our ad- venture with the Indians, three white men had been plucking huckle berries at the same place, which had greatly exaspe- rated the savages, and the fact of us doing the same thing immediately afterwards accounts for the warm reception we met with. Some of the Indians armed with knives followed those white men with the intention of mammerlo^sing them, but on their approach the whites wheeled round and con- fronted them. I 1 n J -x i xi One of the white men having a revolver levelled it at the chief, threatening to bore a hole through him if they molested them. The Indian cooly bared his breast and told him to fire " Kill me," says he, " and then nica tillicums mammer' loose," i.e.. my friends will kill you. It seems, however after all, that he had no particular fancy to have his brains blown out for he allowed them to depart unmolested. It has been previously stated that the Indians in those parts are not par- ticularly hostile so long as they are not middled with. Never- theless it is a fact that they will commit murder where there is a prospect of plunder. We were told frequently that when a favourable opportunity presents itself, the savages do not scruple to draw a knife across the white man s throat, or dis- . patch him by battering in his skull, in order to possess them- selves of his provisions, blankets, and dollars. Those state- ments have of late been confirmed by reports which hav^ reached this country, narrating some horrible butchering ot white men perpetrated by Indians in British Columbia, and all for the sake of plunder. , ., n We had now completed about a hundred miles of our returnr iourney, and soon reached the great mountain where we suf- fered so much from thirst ; and here Marquis and I untortu- l! ; 11 , i^ . M "iiiiil 11 am ,H I li I'ii ii III '.ii ■ lif- ;: 1 ''%: ■4 m\ \i m 62 natcly got separated, and saw no more of eacK other till we met at New Westminster, some eight days afterwards. It happened in this way. We sat down to drink before climb- in^ the biff mountain. Jim started again a short time before I did, for the purpose of gathering buckle berries, and re- quested me to follow in a few minutes. He had taken the right direction ; but other two men and myself, as bad luck would have it, took the wrong trail, which had been an Ir.dian one : got ten miles out of our way, and lost ourselves m a dense forest. When at a stand-still, we luckily met with some friendly Indians, who put us on to a track that led to one of the Government Cariboo roads, which was m course of making about ten miles farther ahead. I had nothmg what- ever to eat, but going over a large mountain I found halt a biscuit, and a little further on a whole one, which m all pro- bability had been lost. This we considered providential, and one of my companions having a very small piece of rancid bacon which we could not have eaten under ordinary circum- stances— we made a fire (having plenty of lucifer matches with us) and cooked the bacon, which he divided amongst lae three of us. I thought I never in all my life ate anything so palatable ; hunger had a wonderful charm m giving to the meanest eatables a rich flavour. I was now without money and without food, and I had lost my old friend Marquis, which was the greatest want of all. While T had James Marquis with me I had a genuine friend— always a mighty consolation in times of trouble ; but now that he was gone, my spirits failed me. It is true, I had two white men for companions, but they were comparative strangers to me, and in looking after themselves had quite enough to attend to. 1 felt indescribably wretched ; indeed, all the hunger, thirst, and privation I had endured was as nothing in comparison to what I suffered mentally. . , , , ,^ , I was constantly haunted with the dreadful presentiment that I would die on the road, and my wife and children would never know my fate, for who would take the trouble to write to them. This silly over-sensitiveness caused nine-tenths of my mental suffering. I was not the only one out there, how- ever, who pined about thos left behind ; I met with numbers quite as chicken-hearted as myself. He who possesses a tender feeling for his wife and children possesses a sentiment he need not be ashamed of; but, depend upon it, tender feel- 63 till we la. It climb- before md re- en the id luck Ir.dian iS in a ;t with i; led to virse of y what- [ half a all pro- ial, and rancid circuni- natches imongst nything g to the ; money iarquis, [ James mighty as gone, men for me, and d to. I ■, thirst, irison to mtiment m would to write ienths of re, how- numbers isesses a sntiment J — i-^ol ings are not the right sort of goods to take out to Bntisli Columbia, and if he cannot leave his tender feelings behmd he had much better stay at home with them. I believe the more callous-hearted a man is the better he is adapted for an adventure like this. After the Indians had pointed us out the right direction we recovered our spirits a little, for we had the cheering prospect of employment at the road-making. At all events, we were certain of something to eat. When we reached the id- makers' camp (it being Sunday) the men were loung. ^ m their tents, and to my great astonishment I heard my name called out in all directions, and before T had time to think I was surrounded by a dozen hearty fellows, all strugglmg to shake hands with me. I recognized in them some fellow- passengers of ours, principally Canadians, with whom we had sailed from New York. They were all disappointed Cari- booites, and were now working on the roads. What a god- send was this road-making : it rescued scores from absolute starvation. Meeting with those men was an agreeable sur- prise ; and when I beheld so many familiar faces, all my troubles, both mental and physical, seemed for the time to vanish. It was scarcely necessary to throw out a hint that we needed food : our wants were immediately anticipated. The foreman having been solicited, we were set down— on the ground, of course— to partake of a splendid repast, con- sisting of boiled bacon and beans, bread and coffee. The camp°had dined a short time previously, therefore the re- mainder was still warm and comfortable. What quantity we ate I cannot say, but it was something enormous, for lumps, of boiled bacon did certainly, for a considerable time, dis- appear with marvellous rapidity. Our appetite satiated, we passed an agreeable hour, narrating to each other our mis- adventures. It was the old story over again: hairbreadth escapes, hunger, and intense suffering. We applied for work, but 'could not obtain it, owing to their want of tools. But the foreman told us that seven or eight miles further on was another gang of men at work ; we were to mention his name to the foreman there, and he was certain we would be set to work. We accordingly took leave of our friends, and when we reached the other camp the men were at supper, and here again we " put ourselves outside of an excellent meal. All those men (sixty in number) were perfect strangers to r i 64 us but they gave us a hearty welcome. Two of us m^j^i 2 work auVsucce.ded ; the other man went on and In pounds in my pocket. ^„n..flp-men's sous) from ^ I had no tent, but two young ™7. (f f,^^^'^ f ^^^c wHh ^-rr^Lf'u r cold- ^^"^'^-1 iiSyt^^^:^^f:^^?^:""S shedd ng teJrs of joy at my safe return. After the nrst bu^t her rface seizld hold of her to drag her from me, when she ;?er:'piercing seream, ^^^^^^^^Z^ZZ^^e when lo ! and behold ! instead of bemg at home a ith mj « le Tnd el Mren, I found myself lying °" *! g'°7'^, '"i^ln ss woods of Br tish Columbia, with nearly the whole thickness r the world between us. What my feelings wcn-e at t„a^ moment is beyond the power of language to describe. I had ?:™tateh:^ from a 'perfect state of "-f-jy ,^';^'- "^^^ perfect a state of real misery and despair as the 1>»'~^"'^ s .^anable of The rebel angels hurled from the thione ot heaven to the re-rions of the damned could not have expe- rienced a mo etl^rrible revulsion of feeling than I did at ttiat mom:nt, and for some time I lay P-^f ^0?]-^,'^: VJr J horror at the awful disappointment. Oh, Ood, "a™ m"=y mon me " were the first words that escaped my Ups, followed bfa "oaln of as deep despair as ever found vent from a human ^°BuThow wonderful it is, with -hat earnestness men wiU invoke Divine aid when in great distress, and how soon forget to F^- when delivered from their troubles. Accord- ing to the ancient proverb— . ., -•-,!- «„r? f^'" dp?l' a saint^^ would be : The devil got well, and the devil a sauit ^as he ! 65 L never Yionths ad got plenty sixteen s) from Ic witli n-ed for nd had le ; and lions of ly neck st burst by the rang on i kissed I occupy hen she ly sleep, my wife the wild richness at that . I had ,ss to as an mind hrone of ve expe- d at that ate with ve mercy followed a human men will LOW soon Accord- I commenced work on the following morning, but was ex- tremely weak and ill. Having slept so long on the damp ground, with but little to support nature, I felt as if it was taking my life aw«y inch by inch. The second night I had a serious attack of a complaint similar to the croup, which almost choked me. I thought it was going to be all over with me. My bed mates were wakened up in a fright with the loud strange noise I made in trying to breathe ; however, I caught my breath again, and retained it. Besides all this, having had frequently to plodge through holes knee deep, and going wet shod, gave me the gout again in my foot. This time, fortunately, it was orly a sUght attack, and went oflF in a few days. I worked a day and a-half in great pain, which the foreman eventually observed ; and being a humane man, he requested rne to lie awhile to see if I got better. I did so ; but next morning brought me no relief; therefore, at my re- quest, he paid me for the work 1 had done, and after stuffing my pockets with bread and beef, I crawled away as best I could. The distance to Lillooet was 23 miles , and how I got over the ground is a mystery ; but, sure enough, I reached there that night more dead than alive, and J was fifteen hours in performing the journey. That was a dreadful day for me ; besides, the gout m my foot, one of my heels was festered— the sinews of my legs terribly sprained— every step I took gave me the most acute pain— and altogether I was a pitiable object. I thought death that day would have come to my relief, and welcome it would have been. Indeed, on twenty previous occasions I thought I could have gladly welcomed the grim monster ; but, still again, when I thought of my wife and children, it inspired me with fresh courage, and I struggled on. I thought of the dreadful state of suspense in which they would be, not know- ing my fate. I wrote in my memorandum book my address, with the following words—" Should death overtake me, will some kind friend send the intelligence to my poor wife at the above address. • i • n However, contrary to my expectations, I survived it all. It is impossible to calculate the amount of hardship a man can endure until he is put to the test. Certain it is, he cannot lie down and die just when he likes. An amusing incident took place between two Enghshmeii, ' !'' lit I ; m 't, 1 i h ll'"- ; "' , ,li 66 with whom I was well aequainted— fellow-passengers of oui» from Liverpool. The name of one was Knapton ; the other, Smith. Those two men in returning from Cariboo, disap- pointed like hundreds of others, suffered considerable hard- ship. Knapton was a short, thick-set, muscular^ fellow, capable of great endurance ; while Smith was considerably deficient in physical stamina : both were young men. One evening, after a hard day's tramp, with next to nothing to eat. Smith found himself completely used up, and had a decided impression that he was about to give up the ghost. He came to a dead stand — sank down to the ground, and called out to his friend, '' Knapton, I am done : I cannot go an inch further." "Nonsense," spys Knapton, " we have got seven miles to walk yet to the next house, and if we don't look sharp all the bread and flour will be worried up by other travellers, and we must starve " " No use talking," says Smith, *' nature is exhausted, and if I had the world ior doing "it, I could not move another foot." " And what do you propose to do ?" inquired Knapton. " Do," replied Smitli ; "I can do nothing but lie down under this tree and die." Knapton, whose heart was in the right place, had, neverthe- less, a rough method of showing his good feelings ; and not believing the case to be so desperate as all this, replied, *' Then you must die, and be d- — d : I must go and look after something to eat." " What !" faltered Smith, " is it possible you can thus leave me to my fate?" " Why, what in all the world am I to do," replied Knapton. ** It appears you have quite made up your mind to die, and if I remain with you without food I will soon die too ; and, as you are well aware, I have a wife and family to live for — whereas, you are a single man — therefore, it would r.nt be half so serious a matter you dying as it would me ; besides, whnt's the use of two men dying when one will do." Poor Smith gave himself up to despair — cast a look upon Knapton that would have melted a heart of stone, and ejaculated, *' Oh, God I here I must die, and not a friend to close my eyes in (ieath" — wrapped himself in his blanket — heaved a heavy sigh, and commenced, he thought, the process of dying. Sure enough, Knapton went on and left him, but quite satisfied in his own mind that they would meet again. Knapton obtained a supply of food at the next house, and after anxioui:ly wait- us. of our» e other, , disap- ie hard- fellow, derably nothing nd had up the md, and nnot go ve have d if we rried up alking," orld lor \ do you Smith ; nd die." everthc- and not replied, md look , "is it ly, what appears remain vou are vhereas, half so , whnt's )r Smith ton that I, " Oh, ' eyes in a heavy ig. Sure isficd in )btained ^ly wait- ing a couple of hours, and just when he was seriously con- templating the necessity of returning to seek liim, to the un- speakable delight of Knapton, who should turn up but his old friend. Smith, who staggered into the log-house, seemin^'ly quite astonished to find himself not dead. " Knapton narrated this incident to me afterwardvS in the presence of his friend with great gusto, and many a jolly laugh we had at the expense of poor Smith. Going down towards Lillooet I met with an Irishman, and we waddled on together. On one occasion, while resting, about a dozen Indians came out of the wood and surrounded us. They seemed disposed to subject us to a very close Rcrutmy. One of them took my coat, which was hanging over my arm, and examined it minutely both inside and out He then took my wide-awake hat off my head, and put it through the same process ; then turned the collar of mv waistcoat, and gave it a careful inspection ; and concluded his manoeuvres with me by deliberately walking half-a-dozen times around me, and examining me with as much curiosity us though I had been an animal of rare species. Having gratified his curiosity so far as I was concerned, he imme- diately turned his attention to my friend, the Irishman, who, following my example, became quite passive in his hands, and allowed the same liberties he had taken with me. He had some bread tied up in a common red and white cotton hand- kerchief. The Indian took the bundle out of his hand- deliberately untied it— possessed himself of the crumbs and small pieces, and returned the largest piece to the Irishman. Ihey could speak a few words of broken English, and the Indian expressed a wish to purchase the handkerchief. He held It up, and made use of the word, " much ?" Half-a- dollar said the Irishman. It was a bargain at once ; tho Indian paid the money, and tied the handkerchief around hii head in great ghe. It is said the Indians regard the Eng- lish, but dislike the Americans They name the Engli'^h " King George men ;" the Americans, " Boston men." Ther associate the word Boston with everything they didike. c:- that is useless. Should they possess a bad musket, a bad ftsh hook, or a bad— no matter what—thev term it a Rost(vi thing. When the purchase of the handkerchief was eor.- chuled one of them inquired of mn ys uA\f>\\'^ • " Ho^to" men i"> ' - - f2 I answered in the ncgati^f•. Kin^^ ficor^c men. il i II i I,., i I . , :l i j 1 j ■i ; ■'! 1 1 i ! 1 i 1 M ■ 1 ■ 1 - 'A i € - *' if .'^ f| 1! r» the horses and cows. Passing along one of the streets on the first day of my arrival from the upper country, I chan^^d to meet with a former travelling companion — a Scotch r -j ..uian — who sailed with us from New York. This young man did not attempt the diggings ; being a joiner, he soon found employment in that line, and lived quite alone in a wooden shanty. Feeling lonely by himself he offered to share his little house with me, which offer I gladly accepted, for I knew him to be a kind- hearted young man, and M-as certain we would get on well enough together. Our rent was a dollar per week. The dimen.sions of our cot measuved 8 feet by 10. Tv/o ounks, 6 feet by 2, placed one above the other — shipboard fashion— > ',!ll^: ■!; 'i ;l ii;i '■' .:(ll # li i 80 Tvith a straw mattress to fit, were the places in which we Tlept In this dimmutive place weperforiD.d all our domestic duties. Our household furniture consisted of a large clothes chest (which made an excellent seat), a small sqiiare table, a po ion of a broken looking-glass, andan arm chan- mmus a leg. A small iron stove, with two G-mch diametei holes on the top, upon which to place the pans, enabled us to cook our lictuab toLably. My 'fellow-lodger put all ^^ ^^^^ which was expensive in Victoria ; and as I was v^i^^j^l f^ ^^^ Tn the principle of economy, I bought a wash-tub -^d did my washing and mending at nights after I was done my day s "" By using strict economy, I managed to live for 10s. Gd^ a-week; whereas, had T lived at a boardmg-house, it would LTe cost 20S. ^er week, that being the lowest charge for board and lodging alone. o,.rl fnrmrd'a This was a marvellously rough sort of life, and formed a strange- contrast to what one had been accustomed to at home. Coming in from work, hungry and tired-firewood o pro- vide and prepare— the fire to make on-suppcr to cook—the Ihings to wash up-the floor to sweep-shirts, towels stock- ingsf &c., to wash and mend, and all the paraphernalia con- nected with housekeeping to attend to, there was not much comfort belonging to it. Had I been brought to this state of tWs direct from the comforts of home it would have been perfectly intolerable ; but the privations T had experienced during the few previous weeks had prepared f ^/«^; ^J', «^J^^ of anlncomfortable life, no matter how rough it might ha^e been : indeed, the haidest labour, and the m.ost comfortless home that can be imagined, would lia/e been a lile of luxury compared to that we had experienced while passmg over the mountains of British Columbia. . .;.. ^Ur I had by this time made a grand discovery. It was simply this : " I had found out the real value of a good wife and home ^^How '"ew of us can properly appreciate those blessings until we are deprived of them. . Although a wooden shanty is not the most comfoi table place in the world to live in, yet the accommodation it atiords is infi'^l^'^Iy superior to T .at which numbers of poor fellows had ^o 'Jt up with, their only home being a canvas tei,t ptch'.-Ml "n the wcods in the outskirts of the city, fhe hunger %'mI jBTlf.'-^t! u.". •1 ■! ■^TJi" [lich we lomestic clothes' table;, a minus a holes on cook our ling out, ful to act fl did my iiy day's • 10s. Gd. it Avould barge for forme d'a at borne. )d to pro- ^ook — the Ig, stock- [lalia con- not mvicb is state of have been :pcrienced r any sort ligbt bave omforiless of luxury g over the vas simply and bome sings until Dm fort able 1 it affords )or fellows anvas teiit :be bunger ftl and distress tbat prevailed in Victoria was fearful to contem- plate. Hundreds of men \vbo bad enjoyed a good position in life at bome bad come out to Britisb Columbia (some with a considerable sum of money), to try their luck at the Cariboo gold mines ; but disappointed, came down to Victoria reduced to a state of absolute want. One party started for tbe diggings witb several bundred pounds in money, and a couple of mules laden witb provisions. A few months afterwards they returned to Victoria without a cent in tbeir pockets, or a shoe to their feet, atid half dead with hunger. To give an idea of tbe absurd notions some men entertained regarding gold digging, a party of six young gentlemen, at- tired in fashionable cloth coats, peg-top trousers, fancy w^aist- coats, and white kid gloves, made statement'^- to tbe effect tbat they would go up to Cariboo — secure a *,liilra — work out a few thousand pounds worth of gold — return to England in the autumn to spend tbe winter with their friends — back again, to Britisb Columbia in the spring to work their claim ; and after two years, return home about as rich, they thought, as the Marquis of Westminster ; and as a proof of their sincerity, they actually took saddle bags with them to put tbe gold in. By and by, those young gents told a different tale, when I met wdtb them in Victoria in great distress. I was made acquainted with several remarkable instances of reversed fortune, some of w'hich fell under my own observation, A young man — a waiter in one of the first-class club-bouses in London — having scraped tof:;etber a little money, emigrated to Vancouver's — took a pulHc-bouse in Victoria, and was doing well One day a poor distressed, ragged, and hungry- looking man entered tbe bar and begged for something to eat, when, to the utter astonishment of the young publican, he recognised in this poor man a gentleman who, twelve months before, was a constant visitor at the club-bouse, in which he (the young man) was waiter. Wher. this recogni- tion took place it was hard to tell which of the two men were most surprised. It appears that formerly this gentleman during bis visits to tbe club-bouse bad acted witb great liberality tow^ards this young man in the shape of gratuities, in consideration of which the publican presented him with a new suit of ciotbes, and gave him a situation under him as barmau. lit > 111 (J w 1 1 .1 ii t i :| it A vounff man belonging London— a notary by profession--- left an income of £400 a-year, and went out to British Columbia. He was unsuccessful, and returned to Victoria D-nniless. He held letters of introduction from the Duke of Newcastle to Governor Douglas, and to the manager of the Hudson's Bay Company, and was set to work in the blacksmiths' shop as a labourer, and occasionally into the office to assist in book-keeping. He was an intelligent young man and a dever penman. Although he had never befo e seen the inside of a blacksmith's shop, he was wonderfully quick in learning, and eventually becaine compe'.ent to screw bolts, and do other work at the vice. This was a marN-ellous change for him; but, nevertheless, he submitted to it with pretty good grace. His father, who was a respectable soli- citor in London, sent him £50 to take him home ; and tne day he received the money was certainly the most happy ot \ foreman engineer, who had a salary of £200 a-year, with a house and garden in Glasgow, gave up his f tuation-letf. his wife and five chikhen, and went to British Columbia. While sleeping one night among strangers on the road to Cariboo he was robbed of all his money, and had to find his way back to Victoria as best he could. Meeting with some of his former travelling companions, they took him with them to the Stiekeen River,'a few hundred miles from A^ictoria, to which place there was n great rush, caused by a gold excite- ment. It was a difficult and dangerous route— rapid-running rivers were to navigate with canoes, where the Indians were extremely hostile and treacherous. Several were drowned or murdered, and this man was supposed to be among the m.is- " A foreman shipbuilder, belonging the neighbourhood of Newcastle upon-Tyne, left his wife and family for the Cariboo di«^-ings: but failing in the undertaking, comn^.enced packing provisions on his back from the Forks of Quesnelle to the mines a distance of CO miles. He made two or three trips imder a load of 07ie hundred pounds' weiyht, by which means he earned sufficient money to keep him during the season, and bring him doxvn to Victoria ; bvxt could not obtain em- ployment, and passed the whole winter in great distress. Page iiftsr page might be filled with examples of this sort —of men who had given up situations of from one to five ion — iritish ctoria DukQ nager in the to the young before jrfully screw i'ellous t with le soU- ,nd the ippy of r, with n— left, umbia. road to find his h some :h them :oria, to excite- rimning ns were wned or ;hc mis- hood of Cariboo packing e to the ree trips h means ) season, itain em- •ess. this sort e to five 85 hundro 1 pounds a-year, and emigrated to Britlsii Columbia cunfideut of success. How terrible was their disappoii;tmeut. Although hundreds of jirciod workmen could not meet with a day's work, neverilieiess a few of those, wh;)se hands hud never before beeii soiled with that degrading thiug culled '* manual labour," were taken pity of ; but as they wove in- capaole of performing skilled, labour, the work pjiven to tiiem was generally of the most menial descnotion. Frequ„>nily I have seen them employed Ciirrying lumns of wood and sacks of coal on their backs — working on tlie roads with hack aiid shovel — splitting up firewood — cJeauiug out ^-ards, pi.isr.ies, and even {)laces of a much more filthy description, and glad they were ot the opportunity. This was a pretty Siiiteof things for those " arif^tocrats" (as tViey were denominated), who had becMi in the habit of look- ing down with cuntemr)t upon the poor, honest, hara-working nvan ; and although )iry heart ached when I beheld their fallen condition, I could not help thinking this would teach them a lesson that would do thorn an immense deal of good. I often thought if men wouid use the same amount of energy at home in their respective callings that they are under the absolute necessity of doing when thrown u])on their own resources abroad, few, indeed, need seek a home in a foreign land. As I have previously stated, great distress prevailed in Victoria ; but the pangs of mental anguish which some of the poor fellows suffered were much more terrible than those which were the result of mere hunger. Giant despair laid last hold of them, and a few put an end to their suiferin^s by suicide. A dead body was occasionally found in the wood's and in the water. One morning we found a body floating in the bay by the company's wharf, and its distressed appearance led'us all to the conclusion tiiat it was a case of suicide. The body lloated about for several hours before the authorities gave themselves the trouble to convey it away. Eventually, however, an in- quest was held, and when the jury had' sat an hour they art ived at the wonderful conclusion, '* that the man was found drowned" — a fact we could have made them acquainted wiih in less than half a minute had they applied to us at the black- snrith's shop. After remaining in the water all night it would have been a marvellous thing, indeed, if he had been found not drowned. g2 Mi': ,1 III f ij 84 s o „.-,»,m«n settled the matter in another way. On his ,t™l a\t?ctoria he experi^^^^ a disappointment at the :r at finS ttwffifMs money by dnnUing Ihe surprise lu i «„ffip;entlv wretched to be driven to fr»r there were numbers sutncieniiy y/y ^ \ . ^ „j? +u«rn lor mere weic belief that not one ot.them that extremity; ^^4 '^ 't^, f^"^ ^ ' „,yself ; and I venture not the bhaaovv oi ^ r^M]in„g a-week, and saving four- rh'T^h-TreLe i had Xy prospect of having the fifths of It , thereiore, x j r months-^a pri- i have sieauy wwx ' V j "^ ». Thpn in the name of common anajouwiiic . Wpre vou similarly situated, then ;r SKrer to dJs;:ir?°\ou are Jot right in your )n his it the mark- er, he inking ver, if Before If, and ty. place, ven to f them enture , I had Dnstant r four- ng the -a pri- jrfectly ok, and ,t home noment I strong crazy ; strange ly brain ■ my life b for the wake at 3riously. )mplaint can get much?" g money common a around le streets ed, then t in your 85 bead," he went on to say, " or you would express gratitude, and be quite content." *"I perfectly agree with all you say, doctor," I answered ; " and neither you nor any one else can tell me better than I know the folly of such behaviour ; but the simple fact of the matter is, I cannot help it." He gave me a few words of encouragement, a bottle of physic to cor- rect my stomach, and I left him. That I could not avoid this despondency was fearfully true. I endeavoured to reason myself out of it — a thousand times I cursed my own folly, and my friend, James Marquis, paid me frequent visits, and used every means in his power to rally my spirits ; but it was all of no avail. There was the monster eternally knawing at my very heart's core, which threatened to crush me physically and mentally. At last, fear came to my aid, and did for me what reason failed to do. I began to see that if I persisted in this fretting business, instead of getting home, I would find my way into Victoria Cemetery. But perhaps that was not altogether the cause of the fiivour- able change that took place in my spirits. As time pro- gressed, I became richer, and every pound I saved was bringing me, I thought, nearer home ; and to scrape together sufficient money for that purpose was ray greatest ambition. I, therefore, led the life of a miser, barely allowing myself the commonest necessaries of life ; and that which cost the least, I liked the best. But, strange to say, when I had accu- mulated sixty pounds, which was more than sufficient,! thought less about home than I had ever done before, which seems to argue that so far as intellectual enjoyment is concerned, we enjoy the anticipation of a thing more than the realization of it. Days and weeks passed away, and every boat that arrived from New Westminster brought crowds of disappointed Cari- booites, but brought no tidings of our friends, the Marks, which was a source of great anxiety to Marquis and me. \V e were harrassed daily with alternate hopes and fears- hopes that they might be successful, and fears for their safety. One night after I had been in Victoria about seven weeks my felluw-lodger and me were talking about them, as we were in the habit of doing constantly, when who should walk into our shanty but Edward and Robert Mark, My heart leapt with joy when I beheld them, but was disappointed to learn g3 £|! i, :ji it f li I ii thnt their fntli^^r was still in British Columbia, move thi.n 300 miles from Viovovia. We now learnt the partioulus of their adventure from iha flav we parted witli thein. They siid tlie load wo travelled over to Williams Lake was n beautiful garden walk comp ired to the road they met with after we separated. It was truly awful, not (.-nly with mo:mtains, but with mud likewise — a. T)ei' ect slouji^h of despond, the travel- lers firming; excellent re])resentatiVt'S of Bunyan's Christian, for each carried a large bundle on nis back. For miles to- gether every step they took sank them to the knees in tena- cious sludn to leave the tent, which he did un- perceived by the others, who were fast asleep. \Vhcn enter- ing the tent on his return he accidentally placed his hand on one of his father's feet, which instantly aroused him from his slumber, and looking up, perceived something crawling into the tent, which he believed was a bear. Ke raised his foot and delivered a tremendous blow right in the face of poor Bob, which sent him head OA^er heels to the outside of tha tent; William at the same moment calling out in a most ex- cited manner, '* Ned, where' s the revolver ; here is a bear ;" and seizing the deadly weapon, levelled it at his son. Robert, just in time to prevent the accident, roared out at the highest pitcn oi his voice — " Hold on, father ; it is only me." " God .>» Aoliver us !" exclaimed William ; if you had been a raomaat louder ia speaking you would have been a dead man." On the fourth of July they reached the lon^-wished-for Cariboo country ; but the account they gave of the place was a tale of inconceivable misery. They commenced operations in Antlers Creek, where they prospected about a fortni^jht ; but their strenuous efforts j)rovud abortive, and they, like the j^reat majority, left the place disheartened and disgusted, having suffered great hard- ships. Mark, in his pamphlet, savs — *' Quite satisfied and sick of the place, we packed up our trap-sticks and walked ofl on the 20th of July. The ijiound was white with hoar frost, and the morning was cold as Christmas. I felt a glow of pleasure when I got my back turned upon one of the most disagreeable and inhospitable places man ever lived in.^' On their journey downwards William was taken ill, and almost di'jd on the road. Once they lost themselves in the wood, and suffered greatly ; altogether, they had a wretched time of it. At Pemberton Lake they met: with an English- man, with whom William commenced sawing wood, and he remained s.mie months making good wages. They could have realized a considerable sum of money had they been able to find a market for their timber. The two young men lived some weeks in Victoria before they found employment, and in the meantime we managed to stow them away in our little shanty, and they lived with us about five weeks. At nights they roiled themselves in their blankets and slept on the fioor, that being the only sleeping accommodation we had to give them. From leaving San Francisco to the time they returned to Victoria (four months), they never once hid their clothes ofi'. Often did they wonder what would h tve been their mother's feelings had she known the miserable life they were leading, for at home they had every possible comfort. They were both boiler-smiths by trade, and eventually Robert got au occasional week's work at that business, and Edward obtained constant employment in our blacksmith's shop. They then rented a shanty and lived together. In tha pprlv nnrf n? Mnv^^rnhpr William Mark camc dowa to Victoria. I was most agreeably surprised with his appear- ance. When we parted on the 24th of June he was thia. r« ■h\ w ^Ti 'h^. ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 7 A /♦y *v -v L<>/ r/. V I , Bale and careworn : now he was looldng healthy and choer- iul lie remained with us about a fortnight, and then sailed for' San Francisco ; and as Robert had little work in Victoria, he accompanied his lather to San Francisco, and fp^nym- Dlovment in a boiler-builder's shop, where he contmued tor Tome length of time. William sailed for Old England, and reached home m s >fety on the 4th of February. How strangely different things turn out to what we antici- ^"^The day after that on which the Prince of Wales at- tained his' majority was kept a universal holiday and great rejoicing took place in Victoria. His birth-day fa ling on the Sundav! the event was commemorated on the following day. A procession was formed, headed by a brass bai^d, which had fpi^Im^ into existence a short time before. The Governor eave a magnificent ball in the evening at one of the principal hotels. Horse-racing and other amusements was l^^d recourse to. Altogether, it was a tidy affair ; and those of Her Ma- jesty's subjects who had the means enjoyed themselves ^^Tclclfmstance occurred, however, which rather marred the pleasure of the day. Some mischievous scamp, who pos^ sessed more money than prudence, gave a man of colour 4U dollars to allow him to fly a Confederate flag on the top ot his house. This gave great offence to many ot the American tradespeople. Mi urgent appeal was made to the Governor ; but his replv was, " that although he deeply regretted the outrage had 'been committed, he had no power whatever to interfere in the matter ;" consequently, many of them refused to take part in the procession. I lived with my Canadian friend about four months, and then went with three of my fellow- workmen into an o.d dila- pidated wooden house belonging to the Hudson's Bay Com- pany, who allowed us to live in it rent free. My three friends were the notary, before alluded to ; a blacksmith from London, and a coppersmith from Liverpool. They weie all disap- pointed Caribooites, and jolly, agreeable companions all ot Ms old house of ours stood in the outskirts of the town about 150 vards from the Governor's dwelling, in a rather lonplv situation some 30 yards off the main road, it was built'upon a rock, and consequently we gave it tiie name ot 89 " Rock Villa." It consisted of two apartments, on the ground floor, eacli meiisurinf^ 18 feet square ; therefore, we were not in the least degree inconvenienced for want of space. One of those rooms was totally uninhabitable ; indeed, it was in such a dilapidated condition that it was quite unmendable. We, therefore, made a lumber room of it ; in fact, it answered the purpose of kitchen, pantry, wash-house, and bath-room. The other room was in tolerable repair, and with a little cobblini^ we managed to make it pretty comfortable. The roof, how- ever, did not appear over flattering, but as yet there had been no rain to test its real condition. The fireplace and chimney were built of brick, but of a much more recent date than the building, and presented quite a substantial appearance. The fireplace was a very wide one, but had no grate in it. We built the fire in it on the ground, and our pans when cooking were suspended over the fire by sundry pieces of crooked iron, which dangled from inside the chimney. Furniture we had none, except a very small table, barely sufficient for the ac- commodation of my three friends, who messed together. I never went in Co. with any one in the eating line, always preferring to have only myself to consult about what was best to eat. We each made ourselves a bunk to sleep upon, which were placed one in each corner of the room. At the end of my bunk I erected a fixture table made of rough deal, which, when it required cleaning, I swept with the broom, or scraped with a knife. As it regards our sitting accommodation, one of my friends used his clothes chest as a seat, and the other two a plank of wood, resting on a couple of old bottomless nail casks, I made a sort of square stool out of huge lumps of wood for my own use, which answered my purpose admir- ably. This stool possessed one very excellent quality : it was not possible to upset it with anything like fairplay, for, to speak within bounds, it could not weigh an ounce less than half a hundred -weight. This was certainly a splendid speci- men of joinering skill, and would have made an excellent foundation for the Pcet Cowper to build his Sofa upon. When my three friends thought proper to pass an evening in our own house (which was seldom), we generally contrived to make a concert. Our friend, the notary, was an excellent singer and the rest of us possessed sufficient musical talent to enab, us to chime in not inharnioniously. We each had acquaintances in Victoria, who occasionally If 1. .Via I f^l: f „T„.m were remarkayv intelligent, pnid us a visit, some of whom ^'^[^ ^^ ^i^ ^^,i profitably. U then we spent *f --^^ ^t Xni'^U'. was ourtcd l>y Tiie soeiety of »»>• f"™!' ™^,,.ous-;>e«t3 '"^f^^^ff^ ^[^^^y one who thonght the trouble to bolt «';', ™^ '4'\7\;„„;a ™'eet with no resist- prooer to pay ns a "'idnight ^ ^ . ^,^^ ^^ ^j ,, . L.oe The fact «, we »d ^ ^ > ,^;^,„ „,■■ „,;„, robbed, therefore, we were ""J;' "^J;^!., seldom spent the evening As I said before, ^f^^^^^,, billiard-rooms ; there- i" rr :«s a -S aU,ne, except when I received an o'c'ea'slonal visit from •'='>^=^ ^^aK,ms^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ ,^ „„. I retired to rest «l?'-'"f!""''^", «.hen tl.ey thought proper, looked for my ^'--^^-'J.''^ ;,?, "hort hours ajont the twal/' which was often auiong "'■ ^^ ^j, .^ circumstance occurred. Things went --"^^^^Xo^ having the door lo,^ed which made us vei, 1"'""'^ , ^ little adventure with a in future. 1'--^ ""/.'^.'^nWrthe blacksmith and copper- burglar. One Saturda., " j" i,eing unwell, remained ,mirh had gone out, »"" * ,^^f^ .Jit ?en o'clock, leavnig in the house with nie. _^;^ ''"^^,„„t ^.vo o'clock next tnorn- the door nnfastenod as ^- J\ ^i,, Uouse, a great burly ina as our two friends w«.rt en r. j^ ^^.^3 ,„oo„. "flow rushed out o£ ;|t aiul took to hu. h ^_^^ ^^^^ ^^^ light, and they FJ^-^^Xlv out of harm's way. We were bSrglar soon carried '"' "'^7^,1,^ the tumult, and cr.es of aroused from a ^'^""t. "J^.'-'^^t eould not divine the cause of .. police" and •' ^^f ^^^ ^t toon returned in an excited the alarm, until o'->^ J"''"-^;; i,^d been in the house, and in- state, informed us that a ™^"J>^^ ^ing. We procured a quired if we had been robbed J ^^"^,^^ ^oat, trousers, light, but nothing was missing, n ^ jj^^.i^^.er were aid waistcoat belonging Jo my otl ^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ bnndbd together and placed bem ^^^^^^ ,;i,t„bed in the moval The ■"i'^f' S" ,P'"""-^\.,:„„, frustrated. Strange to middle of his work, and his dcM„n nmg n ;ent, iblv. dby tural ir.sio'i at one tirne till tbrit nigbt, and I had twenty-seven potnids in ray pocket. I had allowed a portion of my wages to remaui in the hands of the company till it amounted to tf 130 dollar-:^, which I had drawn that day with the intention of placing in the bank ; but being too late, I found it closed, and was obliged to keep the money in my pocket till the Monday. The fact of me having this amount by me was unknown to any one, and when I went to bed, took the precaution to place my trousers containing the money under my head. However, our distinguished visitor did not do me the honour of a visit to my side of the house. What he might have done had he known that I possessed this money, I know not. Vic- toria was swarming with cut-throat fellows, who were starving, and who were capable of committing the blackest of crimes. lllver afterwards during the absence of my friends, after carefully locking the door, and making all secure, I sat read- ing and smoking, with a very formidable weapon, in the shape of a dagger, at my elbow. However, we were never molested afterwards in any form, and things went on as before. Nothing now appeared to disturb our tranquillity, except a fsw dozens of intruders in the shape of rats and mice that were in the habit of amusing themselves at nights with run- ning races over us. By and by, however, I found them amusement of a different description. I constructed foi their special use a very peculiar and interesting-looking instrument, which seemed to take their attention wonderfully. It was an old-fashioned trap, known by the name of iSamson's Post. Depend upon it, Samson gave them a mauling, and soon thinned their ranks, till there was scarcely one left to tell the tale. Those gentry disposed of, peace and harmony reigned triumphantly throughout our dwelling, until the rainy season set in, and then torrents of water rai/^er/ triumphantly through it. The roof of our hor °, which we had before suspected of being no better than it shi uld be, turned out much worse than we had anticipated, for it offered very little resistance to the heavy showers that were continually descending. We endea- voured to divert its course into other channels by sticking sundry pieces of zink into the roof in all directions, but it per- sisted in being through in spile of us, and although we were I Ill 11 the back of -'i%»'=*=r:f tumble meJ, which ^<>^ ^^^'''''^}^ ^*°Bttth.was not the ^^ S^dt^'^ «« t^u'Xs pened that that portion of the ^oof d^iectlv^^^ ^^ 'uncommon Ty far the most If^^^ P^'l midX of the night, and find occurrence to wake up iri the mm ^^ ^^^ ;Velf ,»™Plt Ur't ve'r U till my wearing apparel and make the fire on, ana blankets were dried. ^^^^ j^ would have ex- This was too much foi human ^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^^,iy hausted the patience -J^f^X^^^eit^ and, sure enough, that I would be ob^^g^^,,^^/'^ ' ke up my bed and walk I was eventually compelled to Uk^ up Y ^^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^ "NotwithsUnding th^^^^^ ,,,,, ^^ch one could Robinson Crusoe romance sometimes enjoy ^^'^'f^^l „Hh Robert Walker, a black- I next took up my abode wi He was one of the smith, belonging Newcastle upon yn ^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^„, Tost honest a«J — ^ ^ d"^^^^^^ vemainder of my stay lived comfortably togeiuui in the colony. ^ CHAPTEK VII. VK^SEB AND THE CARIBOO GOLD MINES. TVTR 1'RAbil.ii, a-i-^^ , . T . J • Vlntnria from British Columbia I When I first arrived m \ ctona hm ^^ ^^^^ ^^^.^^^ learnt, from "^^I^f "J 'Tu^^tb Inquiring f-r the where- with disappointment were anxiojH^.^ correspondent ot abouts of Mr. »°"''^^„^ '"^^Vrepresentations had lured them the London I'^mes, ^^°'\'^^'^^'lZn^t,i that should those from their homes ; ^'^"f ".^^^X^w. A^J """^-^ ^^""t ^"" men happen to X? * s^^ e7 hemselves sold and we,^ to a certainty. They ,»n»>^.^''„"„,„,^ „„ the author of then determined to wreaK i^hcu ^cn^.,-- misfortunes. , and g our water down .aking emely ; witVi- o liap- ak was amnion id find t up — ,rel and lave ex- r clearly enough, alk. z\i of the ne could a black- ae of the I, and we [ my stay ES. 'olumbia I en, furious the where- spondent oi lured them lould those 1 lynch him I, and were hor of their But the bird had already flown. Mr. Fraser having got an inkling of the true state of things, thought it prudent to make himself scarce in Victoria, and transplanted himself to the more genial soil of California, where he could vcgitate in the sunshine of his own agreeable reflections without let or hiiider- ance. I had not the pleasure of seeing Mr. Fraser ; he was absent during the whole of my stay in Victoria. It is quite certain that those flattering articles of his, which appeared in the Tunes from time to time, in the years 1861 and 1862, and which set all the world in an uproar, contained a great amount of truth ; but the misfortune was, they did not contain all the truth — any unfavourable statement was carefully avoided. Mr. Fraser told us that in Cariboo there was a fabulous quantity of gold, which I believe to be in a great measure true ; but, at the same time, he quite forgot to tell us that, in the great majority of cases, every twenty shillings worth of gold cost thirty shillings getting. He told us that the voyage from England to Vancouver Island cost only forty pounds ; but he entirely neglected to inform us that it would require five times that amount to take a man from Victoria to the diggings, and give him a chance of suc- cess when he reached that distant locality. Mr. Fraser, when contrasting the Australian gold fields with those of British Columbia, made a statement to the- effect that the great drawback at the Australian diggings wa* a scarcity of water with which to %vash the gold,^ whereas in British Columbia there was an abundant supply of that requi- site, which gave the Cariboo miners an immense advantage over those of Australia. All this was in accordance with the- truth ; but he quite over -looked the important fact that in Cariboo there was twenty times too much ivafert which of all other drawbacks was the greatest. Mr. Fraser not only left unsaid those things which he ought to have said, but said those things which he ought not to have said. He told us that the gold in Cariboo was found at a depth of from one to six feet, and the diggings quite dry. That statement was simply false from beginning to end. Some were as much as 80 feet in depth ; but, generally speak- ing, the gold was found from 10 to 30 feet below the surface, and the shallowest diggings I heard of were 10 feet deep, and not one of them dry. He stated that Indians were collecting gold at the rate of 'if. 04 - \ ^..r^ Although 1 made frequent one ounce pcv 'l-'» -^^J^^'^'j ^t^r. ^eckin, gold at inquiries, 1 never couW '":"!'■"„ j „ill never forget at any fee, or under any cucu-ns anci s ^j^^_. how frequently we were laughed at ,.) Uc 1 . jj our backlavd journey for l'""« ^ f^ ' °'-;Ce ^veat havd- immense distance, and «^P°««,°^;f .^;,<„" „ bc.lK..ve that at ships for the sake ot gold. ^ .^ V;.", ''^^ "hat remote p«vt of the time Mr. I'rascr wrote, the Ir^d uns ' '^: ^ J^^ British Columbia had no knowledge o "^r^^^^^^^^ to me An intimate acquaintance ot '";»%'" J' '"^"^enty." said the following >-y,l-f -; ien^. A?n ~u.e to I'ariboo. he, "were travelhng 'he '^'l" ^^'^ ;^ ; ,^ „„, journey, we One day, when ^e'7 ""'"'' /''If Indianr whom we endea- chanced to meet with a party °' I"^un. who .oared to V^'^'^^'^l^^^^:::^o^^s.a ^o give to them some hall cloiiai P^^"-^ ' « certam d stance. them if they -"" ca.-y o- P? ^ j^^^^h: Indians evidently The appearance of ^e c nn- I vt^ ;^,^^, ^g.^<,t. and thought were very pretty ^htnss),M<, ,^^^^^ _ they consented. When we itaLuc i , . ^ ^ tion we offered them the r";>;:J^"', ^^^^e huttons on our same time P-.^^'"? J''V^.:'\,,^'l"^b eciions, they would coats, signrfymg, that ^% "^ ''^" " t^^, .-.jollars. We imme- take the buttons in preference to "e cloi a diately cut some off our coats and ^^^ S^^,. f.^fl with which they appeared J<^ '" ''^'l' ^t^^^ui ed us e.Hactly." , personal obser^tion. I™.",^^%\Xot that statement, and diffe.ent individuaU as to the tiuth ot t ^^ the replies, ^v^^^- ^^r;? ^erbi; ttl^^smen at Lillooet »raserlrn::i^4her,lpti.™u^^^ 1 • -L • 4- 1,^,0+ O'lO iTiiles below Uaiiooo. xt v>a,o ^ which IS at least iou mucb ul . ,„„4:,,es, and some of in Victoria tha. Mr. F-^-l-dj-^^^Sr public- which them sinister ones, ici '""*' "^'•'^"' .f^, , „.;,|, „,.„sentlv. r^otives the reader will be made ^^^^^IJ'^'f ,;;f^;J ™ Int He is remarkably clever, and posses e. * ™<^^ tor putting false_ constructtons^on *'"« ;;'^ ^ "conve^uence. into a shape suitable to '"\°y 'f "'' ,,^'i,a ,ovage had One of my fellow-passengers of the homcwara , b quent ■Ad at forget laving k that hard- .liiit at pal't of d. . to me " said ariboo. ey, vv-e cndea- iliowud to give Lstance. •idenily ct, and iestina- ; at the s on our f would J imme- them, )eifectly xactly." i been to nee and t twenty cnl, and jr was at Lillooet lat place, ihispered 1 some of ?, — which sently. ful talent ing them venience. yage had u been iu Vancouver Island and British Columbia some four years, and had been to the Cariboo diggings two successive seasons. From him T lenrnt many particulars respecting Mr. Frascr and tlie gold mines. This gentleman, who was well acquainted with Friiscr, had dined with him en several occa- sions, and had been engaged to make reports to him respect- mines : and altb.ough his statements were written ing the impartially, he declared to me that after his reports had passed through the hands of Fraser he could scarcely recog- nise them, so seriously had they been tampered with, and made to bear a different construction to what had been in- tended. Independent of the unenviable notoriety which he gained by his unfair interference with the gold mines, Mr. Fraser bore but a very indifferent character amo>^g the Victorians. He was represented as being unprincipled, designing, and selfish in th extreme — one who was capable of doing any mean a(;tion for the sake of gain. He was designated a clever villain, cmd had been more than once hissed in tiie streets of Victoria. Whether he had merited «uch a whole- sale denunciation I am not prepared to say. With respect to Mr. Fraser's motives for misrepresenting the gold mines, it was said he owned immense quantities of land in and around Victoria, and thought to enhance the value of his property by luring people away to Vancouver Island But did he not out-wit himself in this matter? Would it not have answered even his purpose better to have spoken the honest truth — to have let the world know that in CariV)00 there was an abundance of gold, bui men with monetf were indispcnaahle to ivork \t ? This might have induced capitalists to go out and take with them labouring men — then employers and employed might all have done well. Instead of this, thousands of men were induced to go out who had means barely sufhcient to land them in the country, and were consequently totally unable to effect anything, and left to starve. Victoria gossip had it that jMr Fraser had another very powerful motive, and that was to please the Governor. It might be inferred from thivS that the Governor was implicated in the matter, but such was not the case. The Governor is an honest man, and would scorn the action ; but of course he is anxious to witness the prosperity of the country, and would gladly listen to anything ii m . u m t 96 . 1 . -f \Tv Fviser thought by this means to gain rvr^h"the 0^;;™onnd hf ha/a .otWe in gaining %fi:Tu.en a fancy to, one of t.e^^^^^^^^^ « to some of the Governor . e , and ., ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^ Svfd to^wtecK Oo\ernor c>ut of UU^^^^^^^^^^^^ Fraser offered the V^^lJ^^'l^..^^^ ^'^dignand^ rejected; out of the question) but the ™f'!^^,i^*fev being laid and she told her father she .«°"^'^^^eade%prT ^,_^,^^^ in Victoria Cemetery to bemg made the wnc ^1 :rorvothr Ihe t^th of tHs : it was the gossip of thI;re.andmusthetaWorwhj^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ Great in U3tice has been ^»'f'°Tn interested parties Columbia .m both srdes of *';X''' ™;,„ j° ^d, ruined men exaggerated in t^^^ " t^ettrrla^ difficult to ISraftt^u^ernfrompar^^^^^^^^^^^ as a complete failure. ^^v^nfnr.; na^kcrs, storekeepers, Land-owners steamboat-propuetos paU^^^^ publicans, bread-bakers, ^_?-' j'?;; '""f fo, ^o long as thou- ^t work to keep up the gold -J^^^^^^ continued to pocket sands of men rushed to *« "* "^'', 7„^/the men who gene- thousands of dollars; '"'^^^'^''^"'^'X^.ld miners. It is rally got hold of the money, and no^ the „oW ^^ no Uncommon thing f« '»«^*°^"Te„"a„ed to exhibit it to gold dust by interested parties, and engagea travellers on the road , jo be owners of rich Those men represent .ftemscues w raines- claims-are extremely lavish m t cir P^'^Yties of dust and to gam raining ghters, wish to TUG, he t being ejected ; ing laid Fraser ; ;ossip of British . parties ned men ficult to a to the them to ced them ^keepers, heir wits as thou- to pocket rho gene- Ts. It is mtities of tiibit it to s of rich 3 mines — dust and heartened iit of the vigour for ny return had been ened. ,vith a man m who had in his possession two large leather bags, well filled with dust, besides acvcral beautiful nuggets, one of which weighed half-a -pound. This glittering exhibition had evi- dently affected the brain of one of those Canadians, for he actually shouldered his pack and started back again over all those hundreds of miles to Cariboo. The stratagems employed to deceive the public are wonder- ful. Handreds of thousands of dollars worth of gold dust is taken up to British Columbia from Victoria in steamboats secretly, and brought down publicly. Nexl morning a flam- ing account appears in the papers of so many thousand dollars in dust coming from the mines ; and away goes the story over all the world ; whereas, the fact is, perhaps, not one half of it has come direct from Cariboo, and sometimes none of it. An engineer in one of the river steamboats, with whom I was well acquainted, let me into this secret. He had been eye-witness to as much as fifty thousand dollars, worth going up at one time. A great amount of business is done in Cariboo in the buying and selling of claims, and some of those transactions are mixed up with a fearful amount of swindling. For example, a party owns a claim ; but finding it is not a paying concern, consider it their business to get rid of 'i as speedily and at as high a price as possible ; and as a gold claim, like every other thing, sells according to its supposed worth, they consider themselves justifiable in giving it a ficti- tious value, and try to catch a flat. In order to accomplish that object, they have recourse to the following artifice : — They take all the gold their claim has produced for perhaps several ^veeks, and to swell out their pile, borrow dust of their friends if they can. This large quantity of gold is placed in the sluice boxes every day, and is taken out every night in the presence of spectators, who are always on the alert to witness the gold panned out of rich claims, and who have the impression that it is the produce of one day^s ivork. By this means their claim acquires a rich character — speculators come up and purchase it for a large amount, thinking they have made a splendid bargain. But by and by, after they have begun to work it, they fiad to their sorrow that they them- selves have been sold as well as the claim, and arc luincd men. An old trick, practised in Australia and Californiu, H 'It Jj Hi 111; ill i I S iSH ■ 111 ^B u^^H 11. II i ii ■ ^^^1 }A 98 was revived at the Cariboo diggings. Gold dust is tired from a musket into the claim in all directions The intended purchaser, in order to satisfy himself tliat it is a crenuine aifair, washes several pans of dirt, and hnds that ever? panful contains a quantity of the precious metal. A baro-ain is struck, and the new owner commences operations, but soon finds that his claim is played-out, and he is taken in and done for. . . But a sold commissioner is appointed to inspect the mines personally, and report the real stale of things to the Govern- "^ Ali the world would suppose that through this official the truth would be arrived at. Nothing oi the kind ; we shall see how the screw is worked with the gold commissioner. During his stay at the diggings he, of course, lodges at one of the boarding-houses, which is a regular store and grog-shop combined. As a matter of course, the storekeeper is intensely interested in keeping up the gold excitement. The commis- sioner, thinking him a likely person to give him correct mlor- mation, makes numberless inquiries ; and there is no mistake about him getting stuffed to his heart's content. The store- keeper owns a share in a claim, and has four or five partners working it; they are all tarred with the same brush, and it is decidedly their intention to deceive the gold commissioner Having buried several distinct heaps of gold m the claim.about twelve inches below the surface, the trap is set and they are quite prepared to receive the Government official. When that important personage arrives, the foUowmg conversation takes „W •— " WelL my boys, what are you doing? iakmg Lt 300 ounces per day, sir," is the reply. " Bully for you, is the official's rejoinder ; " but," continues he are you quite sure you are doing that amount ?" " You bet we are, chime in one and all. -But," says he, " I must prove this beyond the possibility of a doubt-I must dig and wash it with my own hands." " You are quite welcome, sir, is the reply. "Well, where must I begin?" "Anywhere you like, sir, cannot go wrong-that corner, good as any place (directing his attention to a place where a heap is con- cealed ^ Off goes the commissioner's coat— m goes the spade -out comes the gold, which is quite satisfactory-away goes the report to the Government, from the Government to the newspapers, from the newspapers to the whole worlci, and *«« 99 >> >> tliat is an official account which no one at home dreams of disputing,-. It may be supposed that the commissioner will sometimes detect the trick, and so he does, but what of that? Tliis frovernment-appointed has not the least objection to have dust thrown in his eyes, providing it be gold dust^ and S(j is the business squared. Some men are interested in keeping the quantity they are taking out a secret, and are doing more thr.n they will confess to. It is quite true that there is a great amount of gold in Cariboo ; but, as the reader will now perceive, not so much as has been represented. Gold-mining in any part of the world is a precarious busi- ness, but especially so in British Columbia. The gold is more " spotted," as it is termed — that is, it is found in places ; and when a person is fortunate enough to strike the lead he gene, rally finds something considerable ; but striking it is the diffi- culty. The lead, I was told, is a narrow streak of gold some six or seven inches in width, and takes a very irregular course. Sometimes it will be found in a straight line for a short dis- tance, and then suddenly turn off at right angles. Sometimes it assumes the form of a zig-zag, then a half circle ; in other places it is found to wind about in a serpentine form ; indeed, the deposit docs not seem to have been made according to any fixed rule, but as chance or some urknown law has directed. . The lead in some places contains an immense quantity of gold, in others a mere sprinkling. Sometimes it breaks off suddenly — is completely lost, and is to be found nobody knows where. Sometimes it will merely touch the corner of one claim — go direct through another, and then again break off close by one side of the next claim, and strike in again on the opposite side, missing that one altogether. One party may be taking out largely, while the claim adjoining contains no gold whatever. Fifty parties may dig fifty holes each, and not find gold in paying quantities ; while another party will drop upon a rich place the first attempt— therciore, gokl- hunting is a perfect lottery. The lead may be designated the nucleus of the gohl deposit, the dust being found more or less on all sides of it. The coarse gold is found on the bed rock, which is often very uneven in its surface. Sometimes the h2 t I; :ii m 1 1 11 100 1 • fonnri fo tise Within twelve feet of the surface of the 7:X:^^iXTo.,n to a considerable depU. and then^ t^^S£Ko^S:^S^^ fout tUsl cikd "pay dirt." which signifies that .t .>U '^'C.rlVXwed for each claim is one hundred feet ine grouuu thousand square feet. No square, eontam ng an ^^^^ ^^;^ ^j'^..^, time. Ttte to use that precauiion, wmu .. owner go on they have no protection ^^or mstance^^ ^^^ g ^^^ ^icTcrmcT without a certificate, any person wau uui ?u?n hfm out of his claim, and take possession of it, and he nh^utlC^n^'Kri^htt^ onehut an attempt Should ne naPPf" . ^^ becomes serious, and is made to ^J^*?, I'^j' '^^J he wt sooner die on the spot often ends >» "oodshe* for ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^.^ ^^^ TS7&^:^or^ than one life is sacrificed in the ^^^^' . • 4. „+o a+ tViP (licTs-inss every season to settle .-'"''Zl L't IX ttse e^ — ces the'revoWer and not . disputes, but uncier inosev settles the business th/ magistrate -^c-^ f a itw if exiSL^ amongst the between them, inere commence -"'"S^fatTetgSgTth^tarLuilrthan a certain f.y!::p:«:J r:;y o^tr^ 1--^ is at Uberty to take possession of it. t„„ ^f o-old claims is attended The openin . out and T &°*^,f rexX. generally with a serious amount of /f °« \"i^,,'^'; ^een the moun- of the len rise ed rock t where s found ground of fine 1 it will red feet et. No .e. The ' certin- 3 twenty who are 1 claim- , neglect , for then 3r go on one can b, and he I attempt ious, and the spot r six men ;ed in the 1 to settle ;r and not business ongst the commence 1 a certain possession it can be ;y to take 3 attended Generally the moun- torrents of water. Large flumes have to be constructed to divert the water from its usual course, then in many cases deep shafts have to be sunk to reach the bed rock— a water wheel to con- struct, which is placed in the flume, and pumps to fix to keep the shaft clear of water. Those, however, who have not the means to erect a water wheel must work the pumps by hand. A windlass is to fix for drawing up the dirt— sluice boxes to make for the washing process, and who knows what to do besides. All this is done at an expense of several hundred pounds, and then perhaps the claim does not contain half sufiicient gold to pay expenses, and they find themselves ruined men. There is nothing on the surface to indicate the whereabouts of the gold below ; therefore, it is all chance work. Sometimes a party of men will have completed^ the apparatus described, and got it into good working condition ; when some night, while they are all fast asleep, a heavy fall of rain will take place, and down comes a peifect sea of water, which carries away in a moment the whole of their machinery ; and next morning, when the poor fellows look out, they find not a vestige of their handy-work left behind. Those are a few of the obstacles which stand in the way of the gold miners' progress. The surface or open diggings are those which are carried bodily down to the bed rock ; and enormous quantities of earth have frequently to be removed before the gold is reached. A party of five or six are fortunate, indeed, if they com- plete their preliminary work the first season, and get on with collecting gold the second one There are diff'erent descriptions of gold-washing apparatus, but the sluice is by far the best adapted for the purpose, where there is an abundant supply of water. It is simple in its con- struction, and efiectual in its operation. It consists of a series of wooden troughs, eight inches in width, and the same m depth, placed end to end, one resting upon another, till they reach at least a hundred feet in length ; and placed to form an incline to allow the w^ter to pass freely along them. Several pieces of wood about an inch in height are fixed in the troughs at intervals, which are termed " riffles," to catch the gold° The dirt is thrown into the sluice boxes, and all is carrfed away by the water, except the gold, which is left in the riffles. The prospecting pan is a broad shallow dish, made of galvanized iron or zinc. The prospector places a shovelful i'1 i t. 102 of dirt in the pan, and mixes it tliorouglily witli water. He then imparts to it a peculiar motion, not nnhke that given to a sieve when sifting corn, which causes the gohl to fall to the bottom. During this shaking process, he contmucs, at short intervals, to dip^he edge of the pan into the water, taking m a fresh supply ; and each time he gently tilts up one smeot the pan to allow the water to run out again, which carries with it at each operation a portion of the dirt, till eventually nothing remains hut the pure gold. • - r By this means the prospector is quahfied to judge irom the quimtity whether or not the ground he is prospectmg will pay w^orking. There are a few claims in Cariboo which yield enormous quantities of gold. Three men, named respectively Sicei, Abbot, and Cunningham, each owned a claim, which yielded from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds worth of gold daily. ^ It is said that British Columbia is as rich as was Cahtornia in its palmiest days. But the misfortune is. the great expenses in Cariboo swallow up the takings till, in the majority ot cases, the gold is rendered valueless. Numbers of claims, yielding forty shillings a-day to each man, were abandoned, that amount not being sufficient to pay expenses. One party of men owned a claim which produced one thousand pounds worth of gold weekly, but it did not pay. The Press, one of the Victoria dailies, once said—" There is, we believe an abundance of gold in Cariboo, ^&m2! how to get it is a problem thousands are trying to solve." ^ ^n ^ .n Some years ago, a London gentleman, hearing that the coalowners in the North of England realized large fortunes, thought he would speculate in the coal trade. He accord- ingly purchased a colliery, which employed some 300 men. Finding, in a short time, however, that it was not a paying concern— and hundreds of pounds disappearing in the shape of wages— he gave it up m despair, saying, *' he believed his collierv would have paid very well had it not been for the confounded pitmen who ran away with all the profit. Those confounded expenses in Cariboo runs away with all the profit. In the summer of 1862 the price of flour ranged from 4s. 2d. to 6s. 3d. per lb. Beans and bacon about the same. In the provision line flour, beans, and bacon are the staple commodities. Tea and coffee from 12s. 6d. to 16s. - .->.--» 11 "" -f 2s. per lb; 8d. ; sugar from 4s. 2d. to us. 3d. pe ;i i.U' ;r. He k-cn to a [1 to the it short iking in i side of . carries entually ge from ting ^vill norinous y utcei, yielded California expenses jority of if claims, landoned, 3ne party ,d pounds ss, one of elieve, an % problem that the ! fortunes, le accord- 300 men. t a paying the shape slieved his en for the • ay with all )ur ranged about the bacon are 6d. to 16s. 2s. per 11 •*. 103 fthe OKen are driven up and slaughtered on the spot.) A box of lucifer matches, 2s. Id. ; candles, Is. each ; salt all be got ;lass of spi L-its, 2s. Id. ; and seldom uw ut ^^^^^i tm tn^j ^-^ — ? - o- ^ ^ , , nails were worth iwent,/-/ive shillings per lb., and trequentl> not to be had even at that price. ^ A man walked 35 miles (up to the knees in mud at every step), to obtain a few nails which had been left m some old sluice boxes. The supply of provisions frequently ran short, which.caused great inconvenience, and sometmies actual suf- fering ; and more than once, according to the newspaper ac- counts, numbers were compelled to rush from the place t<. avoid death by starvation. One man told me he walked lour successive days from one place to another m Cariboo m search of flour, but could not get an ounce. The wages paid to experienced miners were forty shillings a-day, but that was little more than sufficient to find a man with pvovision. Hundreds offered to work for their board, but could not get the privilege. One party of men actually offered to work for their victuals, and give a doliai a-day each man into the bargain, but their offer was refused. ^ Their object was to husband their money till the water sub- sided sufficientlv to allow them to prospect. In the sprino-'of 1862 several hundreds of men made a mo.*l fatal mistake in rushing to the mines too early m the season-- before the snow was off the ground, and before provision had been got to the place. The conseque^ice was the litiie sup- ply they carried on their backs was exhausted m a few days, and they were compelled to beat a precipitate retreat, several dyinn- of absolute hunger and exposure. One of the survivors told me that when thev reached Cariboo there were seven feet of level snow on the* ground , at nights they spread their blankets and slept on the snow. The heat of the body h^xving thawed it, the next morning tliey lound themselves settled down to the ground. One great drawback to the gold mines of British Columbia is the shortness of the season : not more than three working months can be calculated upon, the snow lyir.- on the ground seven or eight months in the year to the depth of 12 or 15 feet. It may appear strange, but is never- theless true, that a few men pass the winter at Cariboo, ijut to winter in Cariboo is a fearful undertaking. Incarcerated in a locr hut, living on beans and bacon for eight successive months, they suffer greatly from scurvy ; besides, the cold is 1 [!■ 'V! ■ k •M\ fi \M 104 unbearable. I was in company with a man in Victoria, who had passed the previous winter in Cariboo. He told me that all the gold in the place would not tempt him to do it a second time. Although he kept on a large wood fire all night long, and slept under a perfect mountain of wool consisting of five pairs of thick blankets, it was with the greatest difficulty imaginable ho could keep up the heat of the system, so fear- fully intense was the cold. In the month of October Cariboo is generally buried deep in snow ; and during that month, in the year 1^62, the mule trains, it was said, were caught by the snow, and a gr^at number'ofmen with seventeen hundred pack animals perished in the storm. . , . , ^. s- .-u^ Not a few pages might be occupied with narratives ot the hardships and sufferings of the Cariboo adventurer. Even the successful are exposed to greater danger in some respect^ than are the unsuccessful. The lucky gold-digger is watched and dodged continually by the prowling cut-throat villain who always follows in the wake for the purpose of plunder— ever on the alert to pounce upon his prey at the first opportunity. During my stay in the country several horrible niurders and robberies were perpetrated at the Cariboo gold mines. In the year 1862 a prize essay was published on Vancouver Island— its resources and capabilities as a colony— by Charles Forbes, Esq., M.D., VL.R.C.S. Eng. Surgeon, Royal Navy. To this author I am indebted for many valuable facts con- nected with the colony— contained in the following chapter, and given in his own words. CHAPTER VIII. - VANCOUVER ISLAND, AND VICTOBIA ITS CAPITAL. " Vancouver Island is separated from British Columbia on the east by the Gulf of Georgia, and from the territory of the United States on the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca. By these two narrow channels its insulation is complete. ^ »* The island is of an elongated oblong form, extending 300 miles from north-west to south-east, andhas an average breadth of 50 miles, with an area of 15,000 square miles. The Rev. Thomas Milner, in his Gallery of Geography, says—" It pos- __j,^^„ — ^oxnrroWo iMVPTH 'hilt IS -nfinetrated deeolv bv seveial , 105 arms of the sea, which form excellent harbours. The surface is finely timbered ; the valleys have fertile soil ; and the natural resources are varied and valuable." " Captain Cook passed along the west coast under the im- pression that it belonged to the main-land. He entered the bay, which received from him the name of 'Nootka Sound,' from an Indian village at the spot. " Captain Vancouver, who had been one of his midshipmen, first threaded the separating channels ; and the island is, there- fore, properly called after him. *' ' The early history of this important region,' says Charles Forbes, Esq., ' can be nowhere better studied than in the voyages of Cook and Vancouver.' " Brought into special notice about 83 years ago, Vancouver Isb-iid was the cause of a dispute, a political rupture, and very nearly of a war between Great Britain and Spain. "In 1788, certain individuals, subjects of Great Britain, agents of a mercantile house in Canton, purchased from the natives the land about Friendly Cove, in Nootka Sound, the latter, at the same time, according to their customs, conferring sovereignty on Mr. Meares, the purchaser, by doing homage to him. " Dwelling-houses, warehouses. Sec, were erected, and on the English leaving for a season, these were left in charge of the Chief Maquinna, Mr. Meares intending to return in the following year. In the meantime, a Spanish officer arrived with two ships of war, and took formal possession of the place, claiming sovereignty over the whole. The dispute was re- ferred to the respective Governments of Great Britain and of Spain, and on the latter attempting to justify the measure, a fleet v/as promptly fitted out by the former, and a declaration of war was imminent. " This prompt measure brought Spain to terms, and Nootka was eventually given up. Captain George Vancouver, of the Royal Navy, being sent out on the part of England to receive the transfer, and at the same time survey the coast and prose- cute a voyage of maritime discovery. " From this period onwards the country was visited only by fur traders, and it was not until 1843 that any settlement was formed on the island. In that year the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company started a trading fort in the harbour, and on the land which now forms the site of the City of Victoria. ,! i I 106 . " In 1849, the island was s^-antcd by charter to the com- pany on certain conditions, but in a few years it was tormed into a reu'uhir colony. , , , i i.i ^ "Tn 1858, the existence of gold in the banks and on the bars of Fraser Kiver was made public, and a great rurh ook place to the new 'Dorado Gold Mines,' caintahsts and land speculators flocking to the scene of speculation, enterprise, and adventure. , i i -a " Since that time the progress of the colony has been rapid, the City of Victo-ia springing into existence as it at the touch of a masician's wand. ., . , v ^ - ChS-les Forbes, Eso., in describing the surroundmg scenery, says—' Before the observer stretches an undulating park-like country, backed I y wooded hills of moderate height Lthe sea face formed of a succession of bw rounded, rocky promontories, with outlying reefs and islands iroml^ish- uard Light, which guards the entrance to the harbour_ ot Esquimau, past Victoria Harbour, Beacon Hill, and sweeping on by Cadborough Bay, this same character of country obtains, its sloping pastures, studded with oak and maple, giving from the general appearance the idea of a country long occupied by civilized man, and covered with flocks and herds. " To the north, outlying groups of islands, some low and undulating, others bold and picturesque, stud and spmigfrom the glassy sea ; and in the east the horizon is bounded by he American Continent, grandly outlined and defined by the noble proportions of Mount Baker, towering in its mant..^ ot perpetual snow, from the giant shoulder of which stretches in a south-easterly direction the serrated snow-clad range ot the "More than eighty years ago, Vancouver, in his voyage, thus wrote— 'To describe the beauties of this region will on some future occasion be a grateful task to the pen of the skil- ful panegyrist. The serenity of the climate, the mnumerable pleasing landscapes, and the abundant fertility that unassisted nature puts forth, require only to be enriched by the industry of man, with villages, mansions, cottages, and other buildings, to render it the most lovely country that can be imagmed ; whilst the labour of the inhabitants would be amply rewarded in the bounties which nature seems ready to bestow on culti- ■vation^' i n •£ ^- '' Sir Bulwer Lytton says—' Already on the I acitic \ an- 4 le corn- formed . on the rh took nd land tcrprise, n rapid, le touch oundmg didating e heishl d, rocky )m Fish- rbour of ;weepmg obtains, 'inu from :upied by low and ring from ed by the 1 by the mantle of retches in ige of the s voyage, )n will on f the skil- lumerable inassisted 3 industry buildings, imagined ; rewarded V on culti- ,cific Van- 107 ouvev Island has been added to the social communities of m:i'.ikind. Already on the large territory west of the Rocky jNIountains, from tiie American froi.tier up to the Ru.«sian dom;iins, we are laying the foundations of what may become hereafter a magnificent abode for the lamian race.' " Forbes states — " Situated between the parallels of 48" 20" and 5r N. lat., in from 123o to 128° W. long., Vancouver Island, from its insular position, enjoys a climate much less rigorous and more equable than the corresponding area on the Continent off the shores of which it lies. " The climate of Vancouver in the succession of its seasons, and general thermal conditions, ap])roximates closely to that of Great Britain, modified by special circumstances connected with its physical geography. " Situated close to a continent, the mountain ranges of which are clothed or capped with perpetual snow, surrounded by an ocean remarkable for its extremely low temperature, certain local peculiarities present themselves to the observa- tion of the climatologist, and these are well and specially marked in the S.E. end of the island, owing to its proximity to the Olympian range of mountains in ^Vashington territory. " This range running east and west presents its northern aspect to Vancouver Island, and since on this aspect the snow remains on the mountain peaks all the year round, the winds which blow from this direction are occasionally cold and chilling. The balmy breezes of the south, laden with moisture which would materially modify the arid heat of the later sum- mer, are intercepted by this range — their moisture condensed and heat obstructed ; if they do blow home, they come not like the genial south-breathing incense, and bringing fertility, but more like an easterly wind in Europe — dry, chill, and cold. " On a clear summer day, when the direct rays of the sun are scorching, and labour or exercise on the dry and heated surface of the earth is overpowering, a gentle southerly breeze may be blowing, so gentle as not to make itself felt in the open, yet so cold as to make the heated traveller long for an extra covering if he seeks the shade. In like manner, to the hot day succeeds a cold night. The heat obtained from the caloric rays of the sun during the day is quickly radiated from the surface cf the earth, and down from the mountain peaks comes creeping the heavy cold air to spread itself over the surface of sea and lai;d. IIM ill km^ 108 . ! i ! ii « Setting in about the middle of November, the rains are frequent until April, the weather in general taking the follow- ing: course After the gales with rain, which generally mark the period of the equinox, fine clear weather sets in, and continues until about the middle of November ; at this period rain begins to fall continuously for days, and gales of wind are frequent on the coast. The barometer ranges from 29-50 to 30'10, and falls rapidly on the approach of a southerly gale. Rising gra- dually to 30-20 and 30-50, a northerly wind springs up, and three days of fine clear weather, with hoar frost, generally follow. , 1 p n J , " After the third day the barometer slowly falls, and agam the gale spring up, and>the rains come down, to be succeeded after a few days by a rising glass ; and frosty weather, which as the season advances becomes more intense, and is accom- panied by hail and snow. The latter seldom lies for any length of time. There have been known, however, a few remarkably severe exceptions. . „ ,. j u " These exceptional seasons occur m all climates, and here only prove the rule, that an open wet winter characterizes Vancouver Island. " During this period the appearance of the landscape is gloomy; the sombre dark green foliage of the pine throws a heavy shadow on the bare rocks ; the warm brown carpet of fern has, in a great measure, disappeared ; the bramble has died down ; the thickets of rose, of raspberry, and of sweet brier are but naked skeletons, and nothing is left to gladden the eye but the graceful clusters of the wax-like snowberry, contrasting with the beautiful green of the young and spring- ing pines. . " In the month of March winter begins to disappear, and bursting from the teeming earth with the first warmth of spring and early summer, numerous bulbous plants raise their beauteous heads, arrayed in the loveliest colours, to welcome the coming season. „ , , .^. -u .-c ^ "The delicate lilac petals of the kamass ; the beautiful blue collinsia with its starry eye, bringing to remembrance the " Forget-me-Not" of the old home ; the graceful trilium in its glossy setting of dark green leaf ; and amongst the broken 1 ^ l^J — ^4t. nf fvppc qT>rinrfinor licrVit.lv on its dell- rocKS anu giiuiicu, luuio ^i iis^tJu-, s^.^. {.£,..-■=, .-^ — j --- cate stem, the graceful drooping erythronium, or dog-tooth HI ms are follow- I period js until igins to lent on 1 0, and ng gra- ap, and jnerally d again cceeded , which accom- y length larkably ,nd here Lcterizes scape is ihrows a ;arpet of ible has 3f sweet gladden Dwberry, [ spring - ear, and ,rmth of ise their welcome beautiful mbrance il tr ilium le broken I its deli- log-tooth 109 violet. The wild ribes, with its scarlet blossom, gives early evidence of life, and amongst the dead leaves of a bygone year, smiles a brigat encouragement and welcome to the opening buds. The spring grass and young shoots of the fern give a covering of tender green to the earth, over which, during the dark months of winter, the solemn pine has been brooding. The oak unfolds its leaf, the maple gently opens unto day, the willow, alder, and aspen fill the hollows with their yellow green light; the gooseberry and the currant, the raspberry and the rose, in their native thickets, burst into leaf and into blossom. " Numberless minute but lovely flowers spring through the grassy carpet, or in groups of rich and gorgeous colouring, irregularly scattered by nature's hand, clothe the but now dead and naked rock with a bright mantle. The surface of the earth is teeming with life, the air is redolent of the odours of a thousand blossoms, and the face of the whole country, sweeping on in graceful undulations, is literally a garden of roses. In the months of June and July vegetation attains its most vigorous growth, and its progress is most remarkable. '* In A.ugust and September the want of rain begins to be felt, the summer heats parching the ground and scorching the pastures. After the break of the season the fine weather of the later autumn (the Indian summer) sets in, and the mellow tints on leaf and spray give the chief charm of the year to the lovely landscape,, while they proclaim that its beauty is for a time about to pass away. " The prevailing winds during the summer months are from S.W. to N.W., blowing freshly during the day— the nights tranquil and clear. "Northerly winds occasionally prevail, and for such a'ati- tude as Vancouver, are quite exceptional in their character, being hot and dry. Blowing gently from the north, they sweep over the land, heated by the rays of the summer sun ; and gathering fragrance in the pine woods as they nass, they fill the air with a transparent haze, and give an almost tropical appearance to the landscape. " " The absence of thunder storms is a remarkable fact. Distant thunder is heard at times, but very rarely does the electrical discharge take place over Vancouver.* •Tv,« T«^;a«a a«« fiioi, nflroi- Vind anv fhiinrlar till the white man took it. ii^ no ; I i A ! Ill " Such is ;i brief outline of the nature ami succession of the seasons in \'ancouvcv Island. "The chief and most stvikin<^ differences between Great Ih-itain and Vancouver Island ap])ear to be, that in Vancouver tlie spri, <,' is somewhat later and colder— the summer drier, the sun more scorching, thougli the average mean tempera- ture is the same. " The autumn of the American climate is finer than that of the European, and the fine weather (the Indian summer) ex- tends further into the year. The winter months in ordmary seasons are much the same as in the West of Kn^'land hi the severe and exceptional, like the Midland Counties and East Coast of Scotland. " Such also are a few of the objects of beauty and mterest which present themselves to the observer and admirer of the varied charms of nature on his first approacli to, and landing on, the Island of Vancouver. " The whole area of the island comprises about ten million acres, the greater proportion of which is mountain and barren rock. There are probably about 250,000 acres of valuable farming land in the districts of Victoria. Saanich, Cowitchan, and Nanaimo ; in Comax, an unexplored^ district, about 300,000, and with other outlying portions, in all about one million acres available land. " Heavy timber now covers many fine districts, which, as they become cleared, will be available for cultivation. " The price of clearing varies in different localities, averaging from £6 to £14 per acre. *'The richer alluvial soils, bearing willow, alder, poplar, &c., are readily and cheaply cleared by fire ; the sandy soils, bearing hea-\7 timber, are more expensive and difficult to clear, owing to the great size of the roots of the pine trees. Near to towns and settlements the cost of clearing is becoming less, owing to the increased value of firewood. "In the agricultural districts, however, there is enough open prairie land for farming purposes, into which the settler can put his plough, and at once raise his crops, the clearing of the timber from the land keepinp- pace with the wants of a farm for outbuildings, fencing, &c., &c. " The upset price of land is one dollar, or four shillings and twopence per acre. Payment is made by instalments spread «( in over three years. Lair! may be pre-empted on a system wliiclj: enables a man at once to settle himscli' on a given number of acres proportionate to his condition, whether married or single. The former having a wife resident in the colony can pre-empt 200 acres, and for every child under eighteen years of age, also resident, ten acres in addition. " After two years' occupation of the land, on its being shown that improvement to the extent of ten shillings per acre has been made, a certificate of improvement is granted, which gives full and absolute right to the holder to sell, lease, or mortgage all the rights, in fact, of proprietorship. An individual, therefore, having a wife and six children, may pre- empt and settle at once upon a farm of 260 acres. Abundant material for building rough temporary dwellings and out- houses are around him, and under his foot he has a rich and virgin soil. " The price of some of the more important agricultural im- plements and produce is as follows : — American ploughs, £4 to £5 ; waggons, £40 ; good horses, £30 ; yoke of oxen, £24 to £40 ; sheep, from £1 to £1 12s. ; pigs, twopence halfpenny per lb. live weight; hay, £5 per ton; wheat, 6s. 3d. per bushel. " The soils of Vancouver Island may be thus distinguished and described : — 1 St. A poor gravelly soil, with a thin coating of vegetable mould, bearing large timber of superior quality, coarse grass, and little underwood. 2nd A calcareous sandy loam, of good quality, producing excellent crops of vegetable's, and very suitable for clover and other lime plants. 3rd. The rich dark brownish black soil, humus, resulting from the decay of vegetable matter, mixed in some localities with alluvium of variable depth and resting on the clay sub- soil, which itself overlies trap and concretionary limestone. ^ " The poverty of the soil first described is due to its inability to retain moisture. The winter rains and the more congenial showers of spring alike percolate the mass, and drain off into- lagoons, leaving the hot sun of dry summers to desiccate the surface. » " The second soil or sandy loam is always ready for culti- vation, and the third, and by far the richest, only wants sub- a I If 111 m .: ■' j, V i i I'h! ' ■: i i 1 ^ i i soil drainage to carry the heaviest crops of wheat and other cereals. " The land already taken up and occupied is held by com- panies and private individuals, the chief holders being the Hudson's Bay and Pugct Sound Companies. " It is distributed in larger and smaller portions, the above companies holding respectively 7,000 and 2,000 to 3,000 acres. These companies and individuals hold by purchase, originally at the rate of £1 per acre; but this, however, has been since reduced to an upset price of one dollar, or four shillings and twopence an acre. There are holdings of land from one hundred to four hundred acres : a few amount to upwards of one thousand acres. There are also many farms, of from forty to one hundred acres, enclosed and under culti- vated grasses and rotation crops. " Lands occupied by tenants are generally held by agree- ment from year to year, and rents are paid in money. In all farming operations the same tools and implements are made use of as in Great Britain. " In preparing the land, the following measures are neces- sary, and geaerally adopted : — 1st. Boulder and other loose surface stones are carefully removed. 2nd. It is necessary to cL ,r; the land, with pickaxes, of bedded boulders, the presence of which world not be known Tintil the plough came in contc^cc with them. Ditching and draining are the next steps, and the land is then broken up by the plough with a yoke of bullock^, which are much preferred to the horses of this country on account of their steadier draught. " The land is now left as a summer fallow until the early part of October, when the grain is put into the ground. The crops generally raised are — wheat, barley, oats, and peas. The green crops are — turnips (Swedes), mangel-wurzel, vetches, potatoes, and all kinds of vegetables — cabbages and pumpkins attaining a very great size.* " Of the cereals wheat does the best ; of the leguminous plants peas are the most profitable. Nowhere does the potato flourish more, or attain a better ♦My friend Marquis had seen a cabbage 381bs. in weight. I have heard of them attaining the enormous weight of SOlbs. (( nor or nd other by com- eing the he above to 3,000 purchase, ever, has , or four 3 of land nount to ly farms, der culti- by agree- r. In all are made ,re neces- carefully kaxes, of je known jhing and isn up by preferred : steadier the early nd. oats, and el-wurzel, bages and guminous n a better '. have heard lU flavour ; it is grown in great quantities by the natlvis on all parts of tho coast.* " The rotation of crops in virgin soil is — wheat after fallow, then a crop of peas ; wheat again or oats, and then a fallow is made for turnips, and by this time the land will be pretty clean. " After turnips, a crop of barley or oats (ipring sown) 13 raised and followed by potatoes, the land being well manured and thus mended. After this, farming operations are con- ducted on the same rotation (four course system) as in Great Britain. *' The average production of whe-t is twenty-five to thirty bushels per acre, 64lbs. to the bushel; of oats, forty bushels per acre, weight 36 to 461bs. " Potatoes lwo hundred bushels per acre, and of very supe- rior quality. The following are the usual quantities of seed sown per acre : — of wheat, one and a-half bushels ; barley, two and a-half; oats, two and a-half to three bushels ; peas, two to two and a-half bushels ; vetches, two and a-half. The yield of barley varies according to the cultivation of the land from 24 up to 40 bushek per acre." All fruit trees bear profusely, and the fruit is of the finest quality. Farm and garden produce find a ready market, and bring high prices. " The animals employed in the field and farm-yard are horses, oxen, and mules, the latter being of great and special value. Pigs are easily reared, and poultry also. " Sheep generally do well, the Southdown especially, which do best, the merino sheep being too loose in the wool to suit the wet winter climate. Fleeces are light, the quality of the wool good. The meat is excellent, of the finest and most delicate flavour — fit to kill ^^t two years old. Lambs are dropped about the beginning of April — a favourable season — and little loss is experienced, except from the occasional attacks of native dogs or wild animals. Some of the finest Southdown rams have been imported at a great expense by the Hudson's Bay and Puget Sound Companies. ♦The Indians have a novel, but very effectual method of cooking pota- toes. A hole is made in the ground, and a auantity of pebble stones put into it. A fire is then built, and the stones heated to a red heat. Tha potatoes are placed on the stones, a quantity of water thrown in, and the whole instantly covered up with turftuconiluu tho stOaffl. In abjut uitoen or twenty minutes the potatoes are taken out beautifully cooked, Tha Indian name for potatoes is Wapatoos. 4i- t, i m lii " I "1 ^1' ''I J' i 114 « An agricultural and horticultural society has been formed, and was very successfully inaugurated in the autumn ot 1861. The first exhibition was held in October, prizes bemg awarded to the exhibitois of the best horned cattle sheep, stallions, and brood mares (thorough bred and for farming purposes), and also for pigs. Amolgst the cereals-for feat baidey; and oats, and amongst the leguminous plan s for field peas of the root and leaf ^lants-for Swedish and bullock turnips, parsnips, mangel-vmrzel, carrots, beets and potatoes, cabbages, squashes, celery and tomatoes. . , ^ ,i r^ n^-u^^ " Amon^ the settlements on the island the Cowitchan Valley, some fifty miles from Victoria, is one of the mos important, and has already attracted a considerable numbei of settlers. It is about fifteen miles wide upon the sea coas , narrowing rapidly in a westerly direction to he wvdth of about six miles The soil is usually from two to hree feet m depth, resting on a sufficiently retentive subsoil of blue clay or gravel, '• The earths, chiefly light, very porous and composed ot • due proportions of clay, sand, carbonate of lime, and humus are well constituted for absorbing and retaining moisture, and the genera] colour frombrown to black, with the entire absence of chalky or white earths, would likewise indicate a favour- able soil for receiving and retaining heat. The soil is rich, as may be seen from the abundant crops of potatoes, one ot the most exhausting of plants, raised by the natives on the same patches of land for a series of years. I witnessed the departure of the first settlers ; they num- bered 150, and sailed from Victoria in one of the Government gmiboats, accompanied by the Governor and suite. Ihe Governor's object in going to Cowitchan was to purchase the land off the Indians, who th^n occupied it. Ihe price ne offered to them was a pair of blankets each. (The Indians have a particular liking for blankets.) The offer was imme- diately accepted, and the white men at once took possession The Indians were quite delighted with their bargain, and expressed great satisfaction at having the whites brought amongst them. . . ,-i • • r "The species and varieties of plants growmg in this rich and fertile district are exceedingly numerous. Growmg on the meadow lands are the following :— White pea, (five to six seeded) wild bean, ground nut, a 1 formed, of 1861. awarded stallions, urposes), t, barley; eld peas , k turnips, cabbages, l^owitchan the most e number sea coast, h of about t in depth. ■ or gravel, mposed of id humus, isture, and ire absence J a favour- soil is rich, DCS, one of ves on the they num- lovernment juite. The urchase the he price he ?he Indians was imme- pcssession. irgain, and es brought in this rich Growing on Dund nut, a 115 species of white clover, reed meadow grass, bent spear grass, wild oat, wild timothy, sweet grass, cowslip, crowsfoot, winter cress, partridge berry, wild sun flower, marigold, wild lettuce, nettles, wild angelica, wild lily, brown-leaved rush.^ '• The fern attains the enoimous height of from six to eight feet, and the grasses have all t^ most vigorous growth. *' The chief economical woods are the oak and pine, and the following list comprises a general summary of the trees and shrubs me with : — Oak, red or swamp maple, elder, trailing arbutus, crab apple, hazel, red elder, willow, balsam poplar, various species of pine, balsam fir, cedar, barberry, wild red cherry, wild blackberry, swamp gooseberry, several kinds of currants, bear berries, red elder, mooseberry, snowberry, blue- berry, bilberry, cranberry, whortleberry, red and white mul- berry, yellow plum, choke cherry, black and red raspberry, white raspberry, prickly purple raspberry, prickly gooseberry. " The Comax Valley is another fine agricultural district, containing about 300,000 acres of arable land, and in its general characters it closely resembles the Cowitchan Valley. " Barclay Sound, situated close to the entrance oi the Straits of Fuca, has a very important geographical position— a somewhat open sound, studded with numerous islands. At the upper end of the sound a very remarkable cleft in the mountain range, known as the Alberni Canal, leads after a course of 25 miles to a level country of considerable extent, heavily timbered with the finest specimens of pine and other woods perhaps anywhere to be seen. " Bears, racoons, mink, hair and fur seals are numerous ; deer of two kinds in large herds. From this locality was sent the magnificent spar, erected in Kew Gardens as a flag- staff. " Besides the above-named trees and shrubs found in Cowit- chan, and other districts on the east, on the west along the whole coast are found white fir, spruce fir, balsam fir, white pine, yellow pine, cedar, alder, vine-leaved maple, broad- leaved maple, willow, dogwood, yew, a tree resembling the Scottish larch, yellow-cypress, crab-apple, cottonwood. hem- lock oak, aspen, arbutus, service tree, &;c., &c. "The Douglas pine, or yellow fir, called sometimes by woodmen the *' Oregon Red Pine," is the most important of all these trees above designated by their popular names. It grows to an enormous size, and is one of the best woods for large spars known. i2 BTI ! .- i !■■ I Ifi •I ,1,1- I I i IH ! 116 " It can be obtained of one hundred and fifty feet in length, and has squared forty-five inches for ninety feet— makes ad- mirable lumber, and may be procured in any quantity. This is the tret of the colony, and is probably worth all the others put together ; it is the commonest tree on the north-west coast, ranging from the Columbia River to far north of Van- couver Island. This wood is sawn into lumber, shipped to San Francisco, the Sandwich Islands, down the South Ameri- can Coast, and in large quantities to Australia ; and this is the wood which, since the diminution of the supply of Riga spars, has been so prized in Europe for masts. ** The French, Spanish, Sardinian, and Dutch Governments have been supplied with masts and spars by a company who have established saw mills, &c., at the head of the Alberni Canal in Barclay Sound. '« In the English Merchant Service they have been largely used, and have given great satisfaction, being universally con- sidered the finest masts ever imported, " The extraordinary size, straightness, and uniform thick- ness of the trees, their strength and flexibility, the regularity and beauty of the grain, their durability, freeness from knots and sapwood, place them almost beyond competition in point of quality, and especially fit them for the masting of large vessels. " The oak found in the southern part of the island is small in size, but admirably adapted for ships' knees, M. " Yellow cypress yields a fragrant wood, close grained, and capable of a good polish ; from the bark is manufactured, by the natives, many articles of wearing apparel, caps, hats, &c., and baskets, large and small. " It is also woven into rope, which is strong and durable, used for fishiag lines, short whale, and spear lines, and canoe purposes generally. From the root, plank can be obtained, which is very handsomely veined, and bears a light polish, all fitted for ornamental work. Hemp nettle furtica cannabinaj grows wild around Indian lodges, and is used by the natives to make a capital twine, which is manufactured into nets, &c. " In her coalfields the colony of Vancouver possesses almost inexhaustible wealth. " This valuable carboniferous deposit, which extends round Ti5 length, kes ad- . This J others th-west )f Van- [)ped to Ameri- is is the a spars, mments my who Alberni I largely illy con- n thick- igularity m knots in point of large is small ned, and ured, by lats, &c., durable, nd canoe obtained, lolish, all id Indian al twine, es almost ids round 117 l^^ iT^/^! M *^^. "^'*^^'" P'^'^ ^^ ^^^ ^«^^^d» i« at present only worked at Nanaimo. At this place there are three mines a^ IZei aTsfee''"""''' '^'^°'' ""'' ' ^^^' ^"^ ^^^^^^ "The area of land belonging to the company which work this coal IS about 6 000 acres, of which probably more than one-half are coal beds. ^ "The area of coalfield explored by bores is nine hundred thousand square yards. In these new explorations a seam 4 feet b inches in thickness, with a dip of 4 in 21, or nearly 2 in 5, has been found and proved a good clean hard coal. It llTt'fl '"^ r' \^^t^^^"^li«^ coal, but, nevertheless, by far the best found on the Pacific. '' th^I^"" o^^tcrops of two other seams, apparently underlying tne one proved, have been found-one measuring six feet in thickness, the other three feet six inches." The miners work seven hours a-day, and earn twelve shil- Imgs and sixpence m that time ; artizans, eight and fourpence to ten shillings ; abourers, six and threepence to seven and twopence; and, m addition, all receive medical attendauce; house, and allowance of fuel, gratis. The price of coal in Victorja was generally ten dollars per ton, sometimes as much as twelve dollars. 1 he price at tlie pits' mouth averaged six IIZT cT "' ^'^^ twenty-five to twenty-nine shillings per ^n. Coal was discovered here in the year 1850 • The specific gravity of the coal is 1-24 ; its chemical com- position-carbon, 66-93 ; hydrogen, 5-32 ; nitrogen 10?- sulpnur, 2-20; oxygen, 8-7o'; alh, i,v83 thrSely re-' sembhng much of the Chili coal, and som^ of Borneolthe hydrog'eT'''' '°^ ''' '^' ''^'''^' proportions of th^ItfJ^''^^ deposit has undergone much disturbance from the action of volcanic forces in the neighbourhood • faults are very niunerous ; and the members of th'e sedimenta;y stradfied remarkable manner. «■ *cijr nn'flf ''°^l"'° '^ ^'^""^^^'^ ""^^--^ '^^^°*y "^i^es north of Victoria on the east roast, and at present has only communication by sea Measures are being taken to open a road direct to Vic toria which, when effected, will prove of the greatest value to both places. Owing to the great ran^e of tidp Ih^'Iu is 'j I i; m ! > i r , i 118 presents pec^^i^r facilities lor trie California. millions of many ^P^^'^^' ^''"™ hboariU continent. Great streams of the >«'^"^; ^^^^t by he Indians, and a consider- quantities arc annualh «^"f5","y ^^ Hudson's Bay Company able export trade is earned oh by t e n i„\veight, are "Trout, some of them from fo^y^^^'^y^^'of the island, found in all the streams a,|d lakes on bo * ^f ^ »' „, ^ ,„ " Sulachon-a very dehcions fi*^^°',f,„ong the salmon sprat or small herring, classed b> 7'"'^' ,4'fl%„„ "ally i„ large fLily. It visits the -'th coast of he stand a^^ J^^^^^ ^^ shoals, and every sprn, f ^^"^^fYrl^.e of spawning, far south as the Columl a, '"/^n^P^JP^ j^al^^, who manu- .. Immense quant.ttes are tahe" b> ^he In ^^.^^^_ ^^^ facture from it an ml inuch f t^™^^^' ^he oil is obtained forms an article of trade t-fj/. " *S^ „ water and apply- by immersing the fi^l>.>." » «7]K when properly filtered, ingheat; it is then s^V?''^'^'^ °,.VXnale ve low colour. is a very fine pellucid od of a d«^^^ ^^ ^^^^^, " Some of the northern "^'^^^[ri.e.sure upon boards, half putrid, and then ^^P'^^'^/^" "'Valuable deep sea fisheries. flavoured, and good eating. , „. ^ance round the whole ..Halibut is found '" S"'f„ "^^^^ ^^d the quantity m coast. Their si.e is "^^"^"r'^^j^Vby a statement of an which they are found may be est.mated by ._^ f„,. ; Ht official of the Hudsoas B y ^ny^^^ ,^ ,,^ hours' fisliing, a vesse of "^ ''"" ^^ ;, ..e^y delicate, far wilh them. At certain ^J'^son ' « ti y^, ^^^^ ^^,^^^^^ excelling in tenderness .,nd fl^voui ... conge '*™''- ■ i,.„,l'nloff the mouth of the Frascr River, " Sturgenn is I'l''"*' "' " '' '? j„„.i,,ss, made from this fish, 1 , ♦rw -in iMiinoiise size. i-.at-,i'"^ , u':;::^c^, "■»'t:sti:-i^:xiotsofui, flavoured " Ueniug- are m countless tiK'u..,..> i lanainao nia. bapel at Imon, in ikes and . Great consider- lompiiny- ;ight, are le island, r a large he saln\on [y in large ntinent as ng. ho manu- les, and it s obtained ind apply- ly filtered, olour. to become ion boards, a fisheries. =ide of the [ in length, ; it is well the whole quantity m jment of an forty-eight it be laden delicate, far the Atlantic rascr River, ora this fisb, ull flavoured 119 a fish as the herring of the European seas, it is less suited for salting, but makes a most excellent bloater, equal to anything exported from Europe."^' " The smelt, a very delicate fish, is captured by boat loads. The haddock and the whiting are found, and the pilchard is said to have been seen in the Gulf of Georgia, The dogfish is taken in incredible quantities by the natives of the various sounds on the west coast. As much as two thousand gallons of oil have been obtained from this fish in a season by one tribe of Indians, and that a very small one. Considerable quantities are exported annually by the Hudson's Bay Company. '' Several varieties of rock fish and of deep sea perch are found. One species of the latter, very plentiful, often reaches 61bs. to 8lbs, in weight. Great quantities of small fish are caught and dried by China- men, who export them to British Columbia. " Salmon and halibut are both put up and well preserved in hf.i-metrically sealed tin& by parties in Victoria. " Seal oil is obtained in considerable quantities, and sent to England. " The list of birds shows Vancouver Island to be a resting place for many migratory species. Insect life is too limited to keep the feathered tribes stationary. " In Vancouver the sportsman will find abundant use for both rod and gun, and as a hunter he may distinguish himself in the forest, the puma, the bear, and the wolf being worthy of his prowess." In the summer of 1862 two or three panthers were shot In the immediate neighbourhood of Victoria. " Deer-stalking may bo enjoyed to any extent, if the term be admissable in a country so thickly wooded. " Great numbers are shot annually, and the great red deer, or " elk," as he is properly called, is, indeed, a prize any sportsman may be proud of. " Two species of grouse are found on the island, the blue and the ruffled grouse. The latter only is stationary; the former co;r:es in the spring to breed, and is popularly known as the drum partridge, from the drumming noise made by the male bird. In the early part of May the hen bird is hatching, the nests generally liaving from ten to eleven eggs " In September these birds disappear, and it is not known *At the shops about thirty of those herrings are bought for sixpence. i M ■ ! 4* I i ( aH It 120 where they go to, as they are never seen again till the follow- ing spring, when unfortunately they fall a prey to the prowling Indian. A law, in some degree protective, is in force, inflict- ing a penalty for dealing in game after and before a certain date ; but nothing will ever stop the poaching propensities of the natives, nor is it natural that it should. " Grouse shooting begins on the 12th of August, but the sport is very different from that enjoyed on the breezy moors ot Yorkshire, or of Scotland, and more resembles pheasant shooting. The cover is very thick, and the birds quick on the wing ; he must fag hard, and have a ready eye and finger, who would make a bag. One or two couple of well broken active spaniels are best for the thick underwood— pointers or setters are in a measure lost, and there is no fur to distract the spaniel and draw him from feather. Down amongst the thick fern and tangled thickets of rose and sweet briar, where along a gentle hollow ripples a tiny stream, is the place to find " Tetras." With a rush and a whirr he is on the wing, and a good snap shot must he be that stops and bags the noble bird ere he shoots amongst the branches of yonder pine. A good retriever is invaluable ; and perhaps the best dog of all, a well broken Irish spaniel, an animal with strength and dash, and yet obedient to command, will give most sport in this country. "The birds when sprung take to tree, where they may leadily be bagged by any poacher " In the early winter, snipe and wild duck afford good sport : the former has some specific difference — the eye sees at once that it is not the same, the ugh very like the snipe of Great Britain— its flight is SLraighter,and the bill is slightly turned up. " Excellent trout fishing may be had on every stream, and in all the arms of the sea into which fresh water runs. In the former, the yellow burn trout, and in the latter sea trout rise readily to the fly ; the red and brown hackle, and a fly with a purple body, and a drake's wing, being very killing. Trolling with minnow and spawn are also effectual, and are the only means by which salmon can be caught, these lordly gentlemen refusing to show a fin to any fly either in Vancouver or on the Continent. " Close to his own door every man who loves the rod and gun may .joy good sport in a fine climate nearly all the year I'ound. 121 -»' List of Anima.ls found in Vancouver Island as adopted IN Vol. VIII. Pacific Railroad litpori. Amorican Panther or Cougar Wild Cat Grey Cat Dusky Wolf Red Fox Fisher, Black Cat Mink or Minz American Sable or Pine Marten Racoon, Black-footed Beaver Black Boar Brown Bear ^' List of Birds found on adopted from Vol. IX Pigeon Hawk Sparrow Hawk Gos Hawk Sharp Shin Hawk Western Red Tail Hawk White-headod Eagle Great Horned Owl Snowy Owl Saw Whet Owl Pigmy Owl Harris's Woodpecker Gairdnor's Woodpecker Red-breasted Woodpecker Pileatpd Woodpecker, or Log Cock Red-shafted Flicker Red-backed Humming Bird Night Hawk Belted Kingfisher Olive-sided Fly Catcher American Robin, or Thrush Varied Thrush, or Painted Robin Western Blue Bird Ruby-crowned Wren Golden-crested Wren American Titlark Macgillivray's Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Audubon's Warbler Yellow Warbler Louisiana Tanager Barn Swallow White-bellied Swallow Violet Green Swallow Wolverine Ciimraon Otter Red or Pine Squirrel Red Deer, " Elk" Black-tailed Deer Ermine Musquash, or Musk Rat Sea Lion Hair and Fur Seals Sea Otter Mountain Goat Vancouver Island- Names Pacific Railroad Report. Warbling Flycatcher Blue-headed Do. Winter Wren Rock Wren Slender-bill Nuthatch Chestnut-backed Tit Western Purple Finch Pine Finch Western White -crowned Sparrow Golden crowned Do. Oregon Snow Bird Chipping Sparrow Western Song Sparrow Townsend's Fox Sparrow Black-headed Grosbeak Oregon Ground Robin Western Meadow Lark Brewer's Blackbird Redwing Do. American Raven North- Western Fish Crow Steller's Jay Band-tailed Pigeon Blue Grouse Ruffled Oregon Grouse, or Part- ridge Sandhill Crane Great Blue Heron Surf Bird Backman's Oyster Catcher Black Turnstone Wilson's Snipe Telltale Tattler ir f m m 122 List of Birds- American Coot or Mud Hen The Swan Canada Goose White- cheeked Goose Ilutchin's Goose Snow Goose IMillard, or Stock Duck Green-winged Teal 13aldpate, or American Widgeon Big Blackhead, or Scaup Duck Canvas back Duck Golden Eye, or Whistle-wing Duck Bufflehead Duck Harlequin Duck The Long-tailed Duck, or South- southerly — Continued. Velvet Duck Surf Duck Goosander Bcd-breasted Merganser Hooded Merganser Violet Green Cormorant Short -tailed Albatross Glaucous-winged Gull Suckley's Gull Great Northern Diver Black-throated Diver Red-throated Diver Red-necked Grebe Western Grebe Hornea Grebe Western Guillemot Marbled Ank "List of Trees and Shrubs, of Economic Value, found IN Vancouver Island. The Douglas Pine, or Oregon Red Pine Spruce Fir Yellow Fir Balsam Fir Hemlock Spruce Wild Cherry White Pino, or Weymouth Pine Yellow Pine Cedar — the Oregon Cedar Yellow Cypress Arbor Vitce Yew The Oak The White, or Broad-leaved Maple Vine Maple The Oregon Alder Oregon Dogwood Arbutus American Aspen Oregon Crab Apple The Willow Cottonwood Shrubbery under Growth. The Hazel Red Cornel, or Willow Holly-leaved Barberry, or Oregon Grape Mock Orange, or Seringa Red, White, and Black Raspberry Three kind? of Gooseberry Serviceberry Elder Sallatberry Grasses, Leguminoijs White Clover Reed Meadow Grass Bent Spear Grass Sweet Grass Huckleberry Blackberry (Rubus) Snowberry Salmonberry Oregon Buckthorn Honeysuckle Ivy Hawthorn Fly Blossom, or Bearberry Wild Rose Plants, &c., &:c. Wild Timcthj', or Herd's Graas Wild Oat Broad-leaved Rush Cowslin # OUND leaved jra69 123 Odd was found at various parts of the island, but the quan- tity was too small to be remunerative. In the summer of 1 862 was issued the foUowin, rKOCLAMATION. ' Vancouver Island. 8th Augu t 1 802^ •a. +1.P ndvice of the council, d.recis ii " The Governor, with the aaMce oi to be notified nprsons who shall first discover a « That, to any Pf son or P^^^^^^^;' ^^ Vancouver Island, profitable gold field -ithm he colon) o^ ^^ Government and make known and descTibe to ^.^^^ ^ -^.a in his or the site and limits of \^^,,\f ^^ ^ ^^e T^of one thousand their discovery, ^ -- %all be^^^^^^ the ^^^.^^ ^^^^.^^^ pounds sterling (£1,000), provia ^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^ licenses issued for working ^h^ ^^f ^^^"^^^re shall have been that amount ; and FOJ^ded ahva^^^^^ ^.^^, ,^ proved, to the satisfaction «ff ^/^.^^^^^'^.^^ the said tract of Ls been bona fide raised ^^ ^st^of th'said licenses, an ^L^T;^^ vir " less than ten thousand pounds (£10,000). ^^ ^.^ Excellency's command, "William A. G. Young." -.•.• *. ««* v»nt rpturned unsuccessfuh An exploring «''P«l'*'™.'^l.""';rhas reaXd England to »eTS't s i:::citsx 5:;.;g ..— .... tains from the NAV _to SJE form the western oo"*'* of N"''^, f vlnnuver Mand is due primarily of British Columb.a and "f/""""^;^. ,|'^"he eruptive eleva- te this mountain range and -on -'j^to .^^^^^^ J,,, Mount S^Mr^t^'Std Mount H^^^^^^^^^^^ ..The range of the ™oky njo>^ntam .s e^^^^^^^ ,„d^flanki«g of igneous hypogemc ^oks, ha^g, lesung ^^^^^ theS Silurian deposits "^'oe.ated w.th^om b „^ ^^^^^_ mark, with some interslratmeu basa.ac t.-,- \.i 1 ^i i 1 i 1 1^^ il 11 i :; !i • 1 1 fL .124 Colu,..bil r^d^Ko^otate Wv^. """"^ ''"' ^^^'^ ''^'''-' ""^ and .?dS1hi'ut\r J,'"' '^r''"?'^?' ^^'' "^ »••« """"try. those of the vete™ s de Ivi™", ' "' *''? '^"'"'■™ ^'°P« fr"^ and Hmesto„erT,nlmnn',..,n "i:« P"»« !»% blaek slate, •ooky mountains h, ?."""''""' ""' '"^v*--"- beds of the turbed hot"" n A'anatl 1^^ "' ""'^ '""<''' ""^'"d »"d dis- able that olv^r.r.°rets7^n.Tl '"•""" '""'^!- ^' " '"^'^^^- of Pe„d Oriille Lake l^h! / n " "^'''u''-"'' *" ">« ^""^^^d while the amnm, f ' Y^''^'^ o*^ ^^e Kootaine River • -e :«' vesTward from a;c"cf "k- " *'L^ ™""'^ '— ^» - of the Fraser Rher '*"" '" »''^ P*"""' " Galley •'This great range, then, runs in a N.W and SP ,i;,.„ »• the CoasTKanX V hicrs";i d"„ '^^ '^""T'''^ direction is n.„u„tui„ spurf to i^ e the set r/r'/'''^ T™«^°"» ™gS«d «» Tli,-c v.„ ®^^^' '^^^ to form deep inlets pean^oirpTrmS thro"* tit' "'"-"'^Pbio a„'d trap- quartzose veLs " nd tr nn?^ 7, "'^ '^ "f "''" °' »«t«"ifero;, as the LilbottSn r ,„ T^ " ''^''''''' "'"^' "^ * branch known Hope. Bet^JrL'ZT^ff,' "■' '■''?^" «'^«'' »-^st of cl lakes, whTeh w th tTZ. . * " 'P" 1' '"'''"^^'^ « "bain as a means of tan t to th/r ^^''' "''" "^ S'''"'' i">Portanoe elevated plateaux of the tj^^" """""-y- ^ succession of the base of the .nl '"^ "S"^' '"■"<='» westerly fronx thfs Lroet Sprof\r"corR"'' "^^^ A-'^-g "4es t" through the fririX m,7. • i ^ J""?^' *'"^' """'"g its way the mouMai,; nas 1 -v ? ' °V u" "^"P"'''' """"""S through its golden wat?" flows 'o"„ wa^ds toTh^' *'' ^"^ ^'7'' ^'"^ its spring and summer torrJntst,„lr?!' ^""^'•"F ^°^™' '" which accnmnl»».T . ""'^"''■' t^ose lighter particles of gold of dir;cting attention 'tl' ""^T'^ ^"^' "^^ '''=«" *^ >»^a"» rugged upner coulr \ developing the wealth of, the springs oTwe. ^' '""' "'" """^ ^''^'"» derives its rocLyTaSTl,^'',' ^''! '"^ «"?"• *e river leaves its PassJsth'riS,g:tofNetw T"-"'; '".^^^^^^"' ^"^P^' into the Gulf oFGZ^L^'SnlTr^lZ^i:^^,^^- '"'" " flows a tranquil, steady stream th^o^gh't^rtiar; n^d " 125 vial deposits, carrying with it sedimentary matter to be de- posited as banks and shoals, the nuclei of future * green fields and pastures new.* *' The colony cf British Columbia, which thus extends its western borders to the sea, has a noble barrier for the protec- tion of its shores. An outlying ridge, another parallel chain of mountains, cut off, however, by the sea from the Continent, with which, in its physical geography, it is connected, forms an archipelago of islands, the chief of which is the sister colony of Vancouver. " The whole northern and western sea face of British Columbia, as far south as Howe Sound, is a rugged mass of plutonic, trappean, and quartzose rocks, with associated semi- crystalline limestones. Cut up by numerous inlets and arms of the sea, it needs no protection against the winds and waves, but sends out its adamantine promontories to meet them. " Far different, however, is the coast line from Howe Sound, or Burrard's Inlet southwards. Stretching in a semi-circle, the convexity of which touches the foot range of mountain above Langley on the Fraser, and reaching south past Bellingham Bay into United States territory is a deposit of loose friable sandstones and alluvium, the same through which the Fraser River cuts its way. These sandstones at Burrard's Inlet and at Bellingham Bay contain seams of lignite, the associated friable sandstones when hardened and partially metamorphosed showing impressions of a dicotyledonous plant allied to the maple. " All geological evidence tends to prove that the last up- heaval of this Continent and outlying islands was slow and gradual, occurring in the post pleistocene, or most recent tertiary epoch. And the existence of this belt of sandstone and alluvium, which is of such vast importance to British Columbia, is due, in the first place, to such upheaval and deposition of alluvial matter ; in the second place, to the pro- tection of the outlying insular barriers, Vancouver and its dependencies. "The great importance (physically speaking) to British ■Columbia of this barrier group of islands will be at once apparent to any one who takes into consideration the powerful effects of the violent storms which rage on this coast in the later autumnal and early spring months, together with the sweeping currents, which, rushing irregularly in all direc- % I if ^1 I'm m 12G i-a tlons, carry everything,' but the hardest rocks along with them. Without such protection as is thus afforded, the loose friable materials of the district indicated must have been long since swept away. Geology.—" The special physical geography of Vancouver, in so far as regards its form and feature, has been already briefly given : it now remains to say a few words on its geology. " The geological structure of a country like Vancouver, owing to practical difficulties, can only be arrived at by de- ductions from partial observations, such as are afforded by sections on the coast, by ravines, water courses, and mountain summits. Covered by a thick vegetation, it is impossible in the summer months to penetrate the valleys to any good pur- pose, and in the winter months the task is too arduous, if not impracticable. Enough, however, is apparent and known to show the general geological character of the island. " An axis of metaraorphic gneissose rock is found in the south-western extremity of the island, having, resting thereon, clay slates and silurian deposits, or, at all events, rocks of the Paloeozoic age. A. black bituminous-looking slate is brought from that locality, as also from Queen Charlotte's Island f' but no observer has yet seen it in situ, and no true or definite account of it can be obtained. A great deposit of clay slate has existed along the whole south and west ; but, shattered and broken up by intruded trappean rocks, it has been almost entirely removed by the subsequent glacial action which grooved "iid furrowed the dense crystalline felspathic traps. Masses of lenticular or concretionary limestone are interspersed throughout this formation, and afford good lime for economic purposes. Along with the traps, other rocks of igneous origin have been erupted, and at the Kace Rocks a remarkably beau- tiful dark green hornblendic rock is found massive, studded with large and perfectly formed crystals of quartz. *' The sedimentary rocks are — carboniferous sandstones and grit, limestones and shales, of both the cretaceous and tertiary ages. These, in patches, fringe the whole coast from the extreme north, round by the Straits of Fuca to Nootka Sound, ♦Queen Charlotte's Island is situated some two or three hundred miles bigucf ap the PaeiSe. It is innabitcd by a superior race of Indians, \yh<> cultivate potatoes and hold potato fairs. m ;h them. e friable ng since ncouver, f already s on its ncouver, t by de- »rded by nountaiu ssible in ood pur- ls, if not mown to d in the thereon, ks of the br ought- id ;'^' but definite day slate shattered n almost n which lie traps, jrspersed jconomic us origin )ly beau- studded ;ones and i tertiary from the a Sound, idred miles idiansj whi» ving and enter largely into the formation of the numerous outlyi islands in the Gulf of Georgia. " As shown by the associated fossils, the coal field of Nanaimo is of cretaceous age — the whole deposit has under- gone many changes of level, numerous extensive faults exist- ing. *'The sandstones, with lignitic beds, "t Burrard's Inlet and at Bellingham Bay on the mainland, are, on the contrary, almost horizontal ; in general, loose and friable in their struc- ture ; in some cases, slightly metamorphosed by the intrusion and contact of heated rock, and containing, as fossil testimony of age, impressions of the leaves of a maple-like tree. Upheaval, subsidence, and denudation had all done their work on the dense crystalline rocks of the axis of the island, and on the cretaceous beds of Nanaimo, long before the ter- tiary sandstones and lignites were elevated by the slow up- heaval of the post glacial period. " Associated with this coal field, and scattered over the neighbouring islands, are numerous nodules of ' Septaria,' a calcareous clay charged with iron, of as great value as hydraulic cement. " Copper pyrites and peroxide of iron are found in various localities giving promise of mineral. In Queen Charlotte's Island, to the north, a very good peacock copper ore has been obtained in considerable quantities, and at Barclay Sound on the S.W. Coast, in the metamorphosed rocks of that locality, another pyritic ore of copper has been found, as also at Cowit- chan on the east coast. Traces of gold are to be found in the clay slates and permeating quartz veins, disseminated in fine particles throughout the mass, and also as auriferous ire i pyrites. " In the neighbourhood of the coal measures are salt springs, from which a supply of salt may be readily obtained. These occur at Admiral or Salt Spring Island, and at Nanaimo. *' The general lithological character of the whole island is as follows : — Amongst the metamorphic and erupted rocks are — gneisso (gneisso granitic) killas, or clay slate, permeated by quartz veins, quartz and hornblende rocks, compact bituminous slates, serpentine, highly crystalline felspathic traps (bedded and jointed), semi-crystalline concretionary limestone. A.mongst the sedimentary are sandstones and stratified limestones (crys- tallized by intruded igneous rocks), carboniferous sandstones, 1»' m If! I -i.. wr ■.V i ' I '" n r Id,, m i 128 fine and coarse grits, conglomerates, and fossiliferous lime- stones, shales, &c., &c., associated with the seams of coal. *' The most remarkable feature in the geology of the south- eastern end of the island is the scooping, grooving, and scratch- ing of the rocks by ice action. The dense felspathic trap already spoken of is ploughed into furrows six to eight inches deep, and from six to eighteen inches wide. *' The sharp peaks of the erupted, intruded rocks have been broken off, and the surface smoothed and polished, as well as grooved and furrowed, by the ice action and sinking land, giving to the numerous promontories, and outlying islands which here stud the coast, the appearance of rounded bosses, between which the soil is found to be composed of sedimentary alluvial deposit, containing the debris of tertiary and recent shelly beaches, which have, after a period of depression, been again elevated to form dry land, and to give the present aspect to the physical geography of Vancouver Island. " As might be looked for in a country so marked by glacial phenomena, the whole surface of the land is strewn with erratic boulders. Great masses, of many tons weight, are to be found of various igneous and crystalline, as well as of sedimentary rocks, sufficiently hard to bear transportation and attrition. " Granites and granitoid rocks of various descriptions are to be met with, trappean rocks of every kind of whinstone through the whole series; micaschist, with garnets ; breccias and con- glomerates. " From these granitic boulders, and from the sandstones of the outlying islands, valuable building material is obtained. " Some of the grey granite equalling in beauty and close- ness of crystalline texture the best granite of Aberdeen or Dartmoor. " Although the last upheaval of the land, which took placr? at a geologically recent period, failed to connect Vancouver Island with the North Ameiican Continent, it, at all events, was sufficient to effect, to a great extent, the junction of numerous insular ridges, and thus to form a connected whole of what was, and might have continued only to be, an archi- pelago of scattered islets. The upheaving force elevated and connected those, and brought to the surface the great clay, gravel, and sand deposits of the northern drift, which had swept over, and been deposited on, the submerged land. These sands, gravels, and clays, were now to form the surface soil of laud, prepared for the habitation of man. 129 IS lime- ;oal. e south- scratch- hic trap t inches ive been ! well as ig land, islands I bosses, mentary 1 recent )n, been it aspect J glacial ti erratic )e found mentary tion. IS are to through nd con- tones of lined, d close- deen or )k placr ncouver events, :tion of d whole n archi- ted and !at clay, Lch had d land. surface Victoria, the capital of Vancouver Island, contains 5,000 inhabitants, with a floating population of about two more thousands. " ' The native or Indian population,' saj'S Forbes, ' of the whole island is estimated at 18,000, and is generally in a very degraded state ; efforts are being made by missionary clergy- men of various churches to bring them into something like civilization ; and, no doubt, in time, on the plastic minds of the young, such efforts will bear fruit, but from the adult much cannot be expected.' " Occasionally industrious, trustworthy individuals are to be met with amongst them, but as a body their labour cannot be depended on, and with one or two slight exceptions, at present forms no point 9f consideration in the labour market. Like all uncivilized races, they have an invincible dislike to hard and continued manual labour, but they show in their rude carvings and imitative jewellery an aptitude for handicraft, and their acuteness in barter is remarkable. " The dialects of the various tribes are derived from the five great divisions of language spoken on the mainland. Deep gutterals characterize them all, and from the constant repetition of sounds that can only be expressed by the letters X T L in conjunction, give an idea tc the hearer of what the ancient Mexican language must have been. A jargon, called • Chinook, is the medium of communication with the white races : it is composed of the mutilated words of the English, French, and Spanish languages, with a mixture of the native dialects — the words strung together without the slightest attempt at grammatical construction. " The energies of this people are at present only called forth and directed to the pursuit of the chase and of revenge; de- graded, they do not scruple to live by the prostitution of their women, and under the influence of ' fire-water' commit great crimes. On the whole, their behaviour is wonderfully good, and the settler need fear no injury or molestation so long as he keeps the natives at a proper distance — manifests no want of confidence, and avoids giving to, or taking with them, i\\- toxicating drink. " They are quarrelsome, however, among themselves," says Mr. Milner, " and at one period raised the war-whoop in the streets of Victoria." I have heard from report, on one occa- sion being greatly disaffected about something or other, they i I !f '.« i,i .'M ■■;|!; l. n J I' l: f 3 i '■ J SI f tt ^H n 130 asBembled in large nnin"bers around the Governor's dwelling, assuming a most threatening attitude ; great danger was appre- hendcd from them. 'Jhe Governor, who knows well how to control the savages, ordered them to be liberally supplied with brrad and treacle. This stratagem had the desired effect ; they were quite delighted, and vrent away perfectly reconciled. Tt is the opinion of some that eventually the Iiidians will die off before the white man. In 1862 small-pox swept off hundreds of them in British Columbia and Vancouver Island. In the outskirts of Victoria whole families of Indians were found dead lying one upon another. The City of Victoria stands upon a very pretty site, forming a gentle slope, and situate on the east side of the harbour, which is formed by an inlet of the sea ; tlie sea itself, how- ever, is hid from view by an intervening ridge which runs along the shore, clothed with trees and underwood. "Victoria Harbour," savs Mr. Forbes, ''is a little more than two miles eastward of Esquimalt, The entrance is shoal, narrow, and intricate, and with S.W. or S.E. gales, a heavy rolling swell sets on the coast, which renders the anchorage outside unsafe, while vessels of burthen cannot run in for shelter unless at or near high water. Vessels drawing four- teen or fifteen feet water may, under ordinary circumstances, enter at such times of tide, and ships drawing seventeen feet have entered, though only on the top of spring tides. "' The channel is buoyed, and every means has been taken to make the entrance a:-< safe as possible, and doubtless the harbour is susceptible of improvement by artificial mean; •' Originally selected by the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company as the depot of their establishments, in consequence of -the quantity of good clear land in the immediate neighbourhood, •Miii the harbour being sufficiently » »» ft tt it tt 97 .. ... 3 r,o ... ... I 61 ... ... 2 ci-2 ..; n7 ... 29 ... 15 ... 29 ... The House of Assembly, presided ovrr b} a sprakor, i» elected triennially. A colonial secretary and a (H)lo)ii;\l trea- surer preside over special departments. An atlorney- general, a registrar- general, and clerk of the writs complete the staff. "The Judiciary of the colony dates from an o:der in council of 4th of April, 1866, when Her Majesty uni constitute a Supreme Court of Civil Justice of the Colony of Vaiicouver Island, with a Chief Justice of said Court, a Picj.;istiar of said Court, and a Sheriff of Vancouver Island." And Her Majesty did further authorise and empower the said Supreme Court to approve and admit Barristers and Solicitors, the former to be members of the Inns of Court of England and Ireland, or ad- vocates in the Quarter Sessions of Scotland, &c., &;c. " By patent from the Governor, the functions of the Chief Justice are extended to criminal matters. " The common law of England is in force, as were also the statutary laws, up to the time a Legislative Council and As- sembly were given. " There are two branches of the Supreme Court, viz., the Supreme Court and the Summary or Inferior Court : the former has original jurisdiction in all matters involving the recovery of a sum exceeding fifty pounds, with an appellate jurisdic- tion from its inferior branch to an amount of £50 ; the inferior oranch has an original jurisdiction in nil matters up to £50. The Chief Justice also acts under patent from the Governor as Judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court of Vancouver Island. *' There is a police magistrate, with an efficient constabu- lary force. Four or five perse ns hold commissions as Justices of the Peace, whose duties ave cor fined to Victoria and Esqui- ipf^it. There is also one for ISanaimo, and one for Barclay 135 There are three practising barristers, and four practising solicitors. " Taking into consideration the nature of the population of Vancouver, varyinfij as it does through every degree of civiliza- tion from savage life upwards, and amongst representatives of nearly every nationality under the sun, it would not be a matter of surprise if the statistics of crime in a colony so situated were found to be large in their relative proportions. But these statistics show a smaller aipount of crime than might have been anticipated. The charges before the police magistrate resolve themselves into the following categories, viz., misdemeanours, common assaults, assault with weapons, larceny, desertion, recovery of wages, selling spirits to the Indians.* " In the year 1859 the charges under these heads were 1,048 ; of these, 832 were convicted, 216 acquitted. In the year 1860 charges were 758, convictions 548, acquittals 210. In 1861 up to June there were 399 charges, 306 convictions, and 93 acquittals. An examination of the calendar shows that the crimes brought for trial to the assizes were murder, larceny, perjury, burglary, and obtaining goods on false pretences. From November, 1860, to November, 1861, the cases tried of all classes numbered 51 ; of these, 18 were convicted, sentence of death being in no case carried into execution during that period — the severest sentences being 18 montha* and two years* imprisonment, with hard labour ; 33 cases were discharged either through acquittal or no prosecution. "■ Capital commands a high rate of interest : 1 8 to 25 per cent, per annum can be obtained on the best securities. *' The great want of capital is shown by the fact that, on one occasion. Government requiring money, even on such security, it could only be obtained at the rate of 24 per cent. per annum for four months. " The interest of money and increased value of investments in property have, since 1858, realized from 15 to 30 per cent, per annum. " Both English and American coin is current in Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Public feeling is strongly in favour of a decimal currency. Accounts are kept in dollars •A heavy penalty is inflicted on publicans for supplying Indians with spirits, and on white men for procuring^ it for them. i 136 >Jt and cents, by wholesale, as well as retail dealers, Government alone keeping accounts in £ s. d." The matter Avas under consideration when I left Victoria, and in all probability the Government has since adopted the decimal system. There is no copper coin in circulation in these parts, and the smallest silver coin is a Bit, as the dime is denominated, which is ten cents, or fivepence. The English sixpence is likewise termed a " Bit." A shilling represents a quarter dollar. *' Cariboo coarse dust is sold in Victoria at from fifteen dollars and a-half to seventeen dollars and a-half per ounce. '• The finest of all has been found in Lightning and Nelson Creeks, averaging eighteen dollars and a-half in tlie bar. " Discounting is not in fashion with the bankers of Vic- toria. The exchange business is chiefly with San Francisco. Drafts on Portland Oregon (U.IS.), are also frequently in demand United States drafts are frequently in the market, and can be bought at a discount of 2 to 5 per cent. Govern- ment and navy bills are sold at from 1 per cent, discount to 1 per cent, premium, and remitted to England. They form the basis of nearly all the exchange required. Coin is wanted for both these descriptions of exchange ; it is scarce, as it can generally be better employed in buying gold dust. Drafts on Portland and San Francisco. " The Bank of British North America receives deposits, for which a charge is made of one-fourth per cent, per month. " It draws on the principal commercial places in Canada and in Europe, issues notes of exchange, and discoimts a little, but does not buy gold dust or bars. " There is one other banking establishment — M'Donald and Co. — doing business in much the same way, but pur- chasing gold dust and bars, drawing on San Francisco and London.^^ Tlie House of Wells, Fargo, and Co., in Victoria, do a banking and exchange business. They buy and sell ex- changes, and gold in bars, drawing on San Francisco, and other principal places." The rates of wages were high, but the great influx of emi- grants was giving them a downward tendency. Shoeing- smiths, joiners, and house-carpenters were in greatest de* mand ; their wages were from 12s. 6d. to 16s. 8d. a-day *lh8 Bank of British Columbia was established 8ubie(;[uently. U7 Shipwrights and stone-cutters, 20s. a-day ; labourers' wages, 4a. 2d. to 6s. 3d. a-(iay. The cost of shoeing a horse is twelve shillings and sixpence The price of provisions in Victoria, in the year 1862, was, as near as I can remember, as follows : — Beef, from 8d. to Is. per lb. ; mutton, Is.; pork, Is.; veal, Is.; potatoes (in the shopsj, Ihd. per lb.; of the Indians, about 14 lbs. for a quarter dollar, or one shilling and a halfpenny ;* onions, T^d. per lb. ; flour, 2^d. per lb. ; o&tmeal (American), 6d. per lb. ; venison, 4d. per lb. Sometimes a whole deer can be bought of the Indians for 4s. 2d. Flesh meat was higher than in the preceding year, owing to the previous unusual hard winter, which eifected the whole- sale destruction of the cattle. They were found dead in the woods in all di ections, and were devoured (many of them in a putrid state) by the Indians, wlio said they never lived so well in all their 1" es, and went about shouting " Hi -you, Muck-a-Muck." The word Hi-you means plenty — abun- dance — great quantity. Muck-a-Muck means something to eat. Gkocekies, &c. — Tea, 2s. 6d. per lb. ; coffee, Is. 6d. ; sugar, hard, 9d. ; moist, 4d. and 5d. per lb. ; buttei (Califor- nian), 2s. Id. per lb. ; butter raised on the island, 4s. 2d. per lb. ; cheese. Is. 6d. to 2s. ; ejrgs in summer, 3s. per dozeri ; in winter, 6s, per dozen ; milk in summer, 3d. per pint ; in winter, 6d. per pint; bacon (American), 9d. to Is. per lb. ; English, 1 s. 6d. per lb ; pearl barley, 4d. ; rice, 5d. per lb. ; hermetrically-scaled tins of preserved beef, mutton, fowl, &c., containing 2 lbs. each. Is. 6q. ; pickles, Is. 6d. per bottle ; molasses (treacle), 6d. per pint. Fish of excellent quality can always be procured at a cheap rate, and oysters in abun- dance are found in the creeks in the immediate neighbour- hood. The Indians capture the salmon, and hawk them in the streets. A salmon, from 6 to 8 lbs. weight, can be bought for 6d. ; and when the supply is extra good one 20 lbs. weight can be purchased for a quarter dollar. The market is usually well supplied with w^ine, beer, and spirits, which are sold at moderate rates. Publicans realize large profits, each of the above-named articles being sixpence per glass. *The Indians refuse all coiu zihat does not bear the impress of tb» Americuii Eajjle. 1 .'i 19 138 There are two small ale breweries in Victoria. "Materials for housebuilding are plentiful and cheap ; lumber costs £.'3 to £3 10s. per 1,000 feet; bricks, from £1 " 10s. to £1 15s. a thousand. Lime and sand in abundance: the former costs 2s. a bushel. , ^ • A convenient comfortable house to accommodate six persons can be built for from £100 to £150. Of course, for a smaller family proportionate fractional sums. Six-roomed houses or neat cottages, with all convenient ^^f ^^^^^^^V.oo to /4OO and plastered, cost, according to style, from £200 to £400. Of sandstone and brick, at an increased expense of one-lourth , of brick alone, one-third more. " House rents are high, 18 to 24 per cent. P^^^ ^^nn^^ being the usual rate of interest for brick buildmgs ; 40 to 50 per cent, for wooden structures." . Th^ Hudson's Bay Company carry on an extensive whole- sal, v^nd retail business in Victoria. Their merchandise consists ci ales, wines, spirits, draperies, groceries, croctey. hardware, cutlery, firearms ; every variety of gentlemen 8 wearing apparel, mechanics' tools of every description ; in- deed, it wiuld be difficult to mention any article in common use they do not deal in. But the most profitable branch of their taffic is with the Indians \n the i\ir trade ; from this source has sprung the immense wealth of the Hudson s Bay ^The^Mlowing paragraph, taken from an article which ap- peared in one of the Victoria papers, will give an idea of the immense profits derived from these skms supplied by the """ Thre7maTtin-skins are obtained for a coarse knife, the utmost value of which, including the expense of conveying it to those distant regions, cannot be estimated at more than sixpence, and three of these skins were sold last Januarj in London for five guineas. With the more expensive furs, such as the black fox or sea-otter, the profit is more than tripled ; and but a few years ago asingle skin of the former species was sold for fifty guineas, while the native obtamed m exchange the value of two shillings." 7? , 7 „ fi„o One of the company's vessels, 7 he Princess Royal, & ^ne craft of five or six hundred tons burthen, is constantly engaged ccnveying skins from Victoria to Xiuuuuii, i;=.uw.»i5 ,.-- - general cargo. 139 A paddle -^^"'Jf^l^lfZ'^^^^tf^ alon, the coa«t and on the n er o. ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^, jL:rnT:rnp^n.?^^£^^^^^^^ "^":?^?hrrw:rra a?: mbei "f ts^eW ca.e do.. one ot the ruers a, lai^c ^ ,ipctriirtion to them, and to «P- 'V';;-twtTi. "on eted he br'ht idea ot turnij accomplish their design c°"^'''\*', ^ „ , ..^ ^__ Thev accord- He sJmerupsule dou,nio drown the ™1"^« f^^^ „„,^ ^ of the ingly arranged t^^T '''''.!,L iLl or any part where they vessk and se zing the V^^^^^^^:yZ^2llr.si^. the only could secure hand-hold, app"ea i e ^^^^ result being a very narrow ^''^V^ ^^^^^^^ The engineer drowning in their Jutile attempts to capsize ner. x „ regretted" that he had no steam or he T"!/' ^^!^^^'„'}itvil ' Victoria, Chinamen* and 0«>";,'»"'^V'^8b2, this in»n- hou.e servants. However, m ^^'^^^"^"'""Xee or four vessels venience wa. relieved to f >«« ;^f ™' ;.*^'/Horn, landed oa from England, which sailed '•°""^,.^y ^„*P'^^^^^ „f females, the shores ot Vancouver a jsde.ablenu^b^^^^^ Emigration So?i:tyV*:rMl3l:;urg^:ren!\iio. ages ranged from 'rJ^k buiiding^.ewn| t» ^1^:^;^:^^^:^^::^ was fitted up for their recept on »» » ;f™P°' J would permit, they were made as comfortable as c.cu^^^^^^^^^^^ ^„i The arrival of those girls was anticipated severa formed the main topic °fXTessl\wkh Us ?air Light the mation of the approach of '^e vessel wun ^^ ^^^ iStutrrjr rtnt ;S;lLmha?.ation. Thi. ■/''^r^»lltXf or aaV^^^« lSd« '"°S- «<»' "^f'"" """ '1 s eoti- U^^ n YiarifWlt wasbiug. 140 The whole of these young women were clean and tidy; many of them were c?ood-iooking, and all presented quite a respectable appearance, and in the majority of cases their future conduct did not belie that supposition. Ihere were, however, a few black sheep in the flock, whom, I am sorry to say, entered upon a disreputable course of life. ^ ^ In the course of a few days after their arrival the majority of these young women obtained good situations. A. few had offers of marriage, and entered upon the matrimonial state, which, 1 believe, with one exception, proved happy unions. A publican in Victoria took unto himself one of them tor a wife when three weeks after their marna-,^e, to his utter astonishment and dismay, his spouse presented him with a fine healthy hoy. e y^ Besides the 63 females, this ship brought a numbci ot male passengers, one of whom I became well acquainted with. He told me that the excellent regulations of the vessel were carried out to the very letter. Unlike the Yankee ships^ abominable arrangements, the male passengers were made to occupy one part of the vessel, and the females the other ; and unde- no circumstances whatever were the two sexes allowed to associate, or even speak to each other. CHAPTER IX. m THE I10MEWA.RD TOYAGE. , The Archdeacon more than once intimated to me that be was positive I would do well in Victoria if my wife and family were settled out there, and urged me to send for them. He was connected with the London Emigration Society, and through his influence I could have brought them out for fifty pounds. But they \vould have had to sail round Cape Horn— a six months' voyage of 20,000 miles— which would have been a serious undertaking for a woman with several young children. Had I been with them the case would have been diiterent. But to expose them to such a serious amount of privation un- protected was a thing I could not agree to ; and I, therefore, P 4.^ n,« ooTinlneion tbat as "the mountain could not go vault LV-f LiiV vU«t-, l-i.-H'-l, L — S-l- • 1> \ 1 to Mahomet, Mahomet would go to the mountam. Accorci- ingly, on the 6th of March, 1863, T paited with all my fnendt 11 ,i 141 —bid adieu to Vancouver Island and British Colurabia, in all ^man probability for ever, and Bailed in the steamship Panfic '"'^TZ::^ mv back upon .be eountry. it was with a strange mixture of feelings which I eanrrot s was a period ol my life replete with i.,cdents which wdl ever st»nd rtiit in mv memorv in bolJ relief. ° We hale» are m readi ness to convey the passengers across the Isthmus ine Tenoal whife on her passage to New York, encoj^ntered a severe gale off Cape Hatteras, and barely escaped %\iX?^KM, thldetfils of which will be entered into in due course. Like ™!nv others I felt disposed to patronis.e the opposition; but Tt b^bg in'go d heaUh, the fJar of delay which would take place on the Isthmus deterred me-besides, the fare wa, the Tme °n both. I, therefore, took my passage m the steamship 'Zorl belonging to the Old (Vanderbilt) Lme, wh-h -iled ^r. +1,*. 1 9f>i of March. The opposition boat sailed on the aay ^relVs'' Wetdt board t^e S.nora 400 passengers, on^ Lout half-a-dozen of whom were EngUshmen. Amongst these few Englishmen I recognised one William Anthony, of ClavCrss Derbyshire, with whom I became acquainted on b a'rd thT'i;: Jr /o««Man, while on our out-ard voyage between San Francisco and Vancouver Island. From the fir'rmoment we met a great amount of sympathy appeared to " AnAorhad'eft a wife and seven children, and 1 had left a vri?e and^the same number of children. He regretted leav- t„g his family, and I regretted leaving mine, -^'^^ subject formed the main topic of our conversation, and which may account for the reciprocal feelmg. ^ ^ ^y,. Often when we were discoursing aouut uut wnes am. ■n^ 142 dren, I observed a tear gliBten in his eye, wliich betrayed a sentiment I greatly admire, and which gave me an involuntary liking for him. After landing on Vancouver Island I saw no morp of him until we met or. board the Sonora at San Fran- cisco. He was unsuccessful in the gold-digging speculation, and had worked in the Nanaimo coal mines until he accumu- lated sufficient money to pay his passage home. Another of the Enrevious he had captured and destroyed a Confederate traa Cvesse -a fact the captain of the Alabama was cogmzant of'and promised to han/him on the yard «-.f fijf.'™;, thev met. I cannot vouch for the truth of th s s^n - ""»» certain it is that our captain betrayed ?ons>derable anxiety He carried no lights during the mght time, and took us round "he west coa%t of Cub!, which was several hundred mUes out of the usual course. Day and mght he sat on the hurricane deck, carefully scanning the honzon until we near«d the bloeltade squadron, which seemed to greatly relieve h,8 anxiety. We did not all participate m the alarm of the ^p'tail knowing from repo^rt tbat Captain Semmes never interfered with th^ passengers or their property. Our only roD ehension was, that we might have beer, placed on some of ?he West India Islands, and there left to find our way home a best we could, which would have t^^" /''tlf™^ yf^^g^^f to those of us whose means were almost exhausted. How- ever we ne«r came in contact with the AMama, a circum- ;n;e :e did not regret. When off Cape Hattera^ on th east coast of North Carolina, we encountered a gale ot un- gual sev'er^ly. During forty-eight hours the sea ran moun- tains high, presenting the appearance of a vast caWron of boiling soap-suds, our vessel playmg at pitch and to^s with a vengeance No one could live on deck durmg a considerable portion o 'the storm, so terrific was the wind, and all passen- ^, ':^re kept below. It is difficult to convey to the mmd of others an adequate conception of a storm at sea-it must be . -V::ZrZ^^, is str.ckbyamighty.^v.v,Uh the force of a thousand sledge hammers driving the water m tons together over her decks, and sending her reeling, and cr'khii and groauing, a. though she was aW to 8uff« ;„stant annihilation. The clankmg of <=h/'f -"'%™™J^^^^^ noise of loose articles flying about the decks in all directions ll^eie wind bellowingJhe'sea ^-.-g-^rf S-raWnl- children crying-some praying-the captam hoUoahing hf ^ W % 144 sailors cursing and swearinpr— produce altogether a scene of indescribable and dire confusion. One of the most amusing things in the world (providing you are not at dinner yourself), is to watch other people eatuig on board ship during rough weather. If the vessel were going to the bottom of the sea next minute, one could scarcely avoid lauo-hing to see them dodging their dinner plates— trying in vain to catch them, as sometimes for several minutes they effectually evade every attempt to seize thorn, by slipping about on the table in all directions with amazing velocity, and are only prevented from flying off into space by a high ledge that rims round the edge of the table. Every now and then, while everybody is busily occupied in trying to keep himselt right end up, and having succeeded in capturing his or her runaway dinner, is endeavouring to find the way to his or her mouth with a piece of meat on the end of a fork, the ship gives a sudden lurch, and the whole of the plates, with their contents, dart bodily off the table, performi.^.g all manners of antics on the deck, leaving the perplexed and disappointed owners staring at them with astonishment. Immediately afterwards she give§ a worse lurch still, and away go beef and pudding, pea-soup and biscuits, pepper, mustard, and Bait, men, v'omen, and children (thoroughly mixed together), to the opposite side of the vessel. On board these emigrant vessels there is always a consider- able amount of business done in the drinking line ; and rough weather affords the tippler a rare opportunity to indulge oyer his cup to any extent, without fear of detection ; for the rolling and pitching of the ship causes everybody to stagger about, 80 that it is utterly impossible for any one to tell who is drunk, or who is sober. In this respect, a stormy sea hides a multi- tude of sins. . Our ship braved the storm splendidly. Captain, officers, and men all did their duty in the most praiseworthy manner. The captain, who was a Dutchman and a trustworthy man, never left his post during the severity of the storm. We came out unscathed, and landed at New York on the 4th of April. Being a few hours too late for the Liverpool steamer, we were obliged to remain in New York till the tol- lowing Saturday. The passengers of the opposition boat having the advantage of a twenty-four hours' start, and seven 1 — .i^^;i rv,|i«a ohor'-e'' ^onti^ oua;ht to have reached New York 145 t ,_ ^ v,»f«rP us ■ but they did not arrive till tlie follo^ying three days before "= ' °"^™ 4„„ t ;„ an appearance in a ^''*^- 'i?'^TnnSit on wTeel house, pantries" gaUey, water- l::^d'!^^^nSfs i^ r;e:?,'^:;o^a to t^i. .riou, part of boiU-d several passengers who had "een in i j 'one of them was a S*-,:Sirbo;rfthrX,t-c» learnt the particulars of the proceemn .^^^^ .^ j^.^ .hile the storm was rag n^ .?i^ .fe'tcen a seafaring man own words :— Mr. bcou saiu, shipwrecked, but and a captain for 22 yea-, -db en An e sh^ ^^^^_ ,^,^^^^^ never saw death so clearlj ^™'"^ ; ■; if^ as passen- were three ship captams ™^1'°'"'^' 7;'','! tJ the conclusion gers. We held a '^.""^"It'*™'.'^"!'™',*! to survive the fhat it was utterly ™P°^^\"\f°.*V„''' rents and chil- storm. The scene was X^^y}:f~^'X..y moment to dren clinging around each o*f;<=X,o,t every countenance ; go down. Horror was depicted on a mo t_ eve ) lome were wringing their hands in despau, otMr ^^^^ await events. fnoihirdiness to commence One young 7'"''" ^^speop" could only die once, it dancing, remarkmg that as P'^"!'"; J"" , .;( ;, might as well take place now a »* a^f f ^e, toe ^^^^_^^^^ Mr. Scott went on to say- ' \V ''>f'^ ^^/ '™,t Jf Ms life, on board, 72 years of age, .vho m t'^ ^^'^ P^_^^ ^,,„^,i ;„ had been an officer m the l''-™<^h -^'7> '„,,", vas covered command with the Old Emperor ><"P°1<^™- .."";^,ticc He' ^ith scars, and had -^-idently seen somjjctneser ice owned a Ranch (Farm) m Cahtovma which he pur thirty thousand .PO-ds,^nd wa« "ow n h -vaj^to^^ ^^^^^^ r FlTg/nlletn ^^-;f me i .he M.^^^^^^^^ terms : S^riCtt^ethLK^t :: rSof Waterloo. 148 I la m m' :ll ,i. '1 H M .'• I! mm where balls were showered upon us as thick as hail, and men falling by scores every minute. I have been in many a severe engagement besides that at Waterloo, and having survived them all, I must now be drowned in this old tub. Is it not provoking f He then deliberately drew from his pocket a loaded revolver, and cocked it. ' What are you going to do with the revolver ?' I inquired. ' Blow my brains out,' coolly replied the Frenchman, ' the moment I see the ship is going down.' ' For God's sake, sir, don't do that — it would be suicide.' ' Not a bit of it,' said he. ' Of course, I will not do it until I see clearly she is going, but as I feel no inclination to have my sufferings prolonged for a quarter of an hour by floundering in the sea, I most decidedly mean to settle the matter in this way' — and he grasped the pistol lirmly in his hand with a fixed determination. We distinctly saw the mighty mountain of a wave swiftly approaching, which we were certain would engulf us ; but miracle of miracles, the old water-logged craft scrambled over it, and we were saved." When Mr. Scott narrated to me this stirring incident, his voice faltered with deep emotion. One calm afternoon, while crossing the banks of Newfound- land, we experienced a sudden change in the temperature of the atmoK'phere. I inquired of a sailor how he accounted for the weather becoming so suddenly cold? "Ah, you smell him," said he. " Smell him," 1 said ; « Smell who ?" " That gentleman over the way," he replied" — at the same time direct- ing ray attention towards the northern horizon. I looked up and perceived an immense iceberg about twelve miles distant. It presented a front of more than a mile in extent, and an ele- vation of about 20 feet above the surface; therefore, ita total thickness would be about CO feet. The sun was shining upon it at the time, and it formed an imposing spectacle. One"^ morning when wc were about in the middle of the Atlantic our old friend, Mr. Cotton, ^vhile lying in his bunk called William Anthony and me to him and told us he had taken a trembling fit, and felt very ill indeed. We each took one of our blankets and wrapped him well up— procured for him some hot coffee, and used every means in our power to induce perspiration, but failed. We then applied to the doctor, who immediatc^ly waited upon him and administered medicine ; and everything was done that medical skill could devise, b man grai April, \\ deep glo (which i strong c inside w the cofR After carpeiite Union J At se was for shoulde placed ship's c and im] deep. Cast! coffin, dicular a little closed ever hi Man indeed travelb life an and su We short ( f . Ne\ experi the di; At drew 1 follow not at it to s 1 took felt in 147 devise but his efforts were of no avail. The poor old gentle- man gradually sank, and exi.iied about noon on the 20th of Toril titlSi four days' aail of England. His death cast a top gloom over all the ship. Contrary to the usual custom fwhlh i o sew the body up in canvas) the captum ordered a & coffin to be made a quantity of old metal w^^.P'aced Siwr the corpse, and several auger holes made through the coffin to facilitate its sinking. i j • 41.^ \i?er the body was screwed down, it was placed in he ca;pJ;"ei's shop/with the ensign flag thrown over it, and the TTnfnn lack fluttered half-mast high. Tt seven in the evening the dc'vd bell toUed-a procession wat formed a,^d the coffin carried by the seamen on the.r ThoulTs from the stem to the s.ern of «- vessel, and ^^a nUced on the bulwark ready for burii.1. In piesence or luu sWs company the captain read the funeral service m a solemn and impSve manner, and the b-.dy was commrtted to the ^^Castina our eyes astern of the vessel, we perceived the coffin \vhirwe were rapidly leaving behind, .n a perpen- mfukr position, bounding W and down in d^-vav^s-sm «ng a little lower at every plunge t^" -^^^'^^^'^'^^ n^Uof were for closed over it ; and the remams of poor Mr. Cotton were '^Ma'iyt e're" rbeliZId with tears, for it seemed hard ind^ed,^fter':n absenee of so many yea.s. -'l after hav.ng travelled so many thousand niles, to be swept off the stage ot Ufe and burkd il the sea so near to his home. Such is hfe, ''"wTju^n afaueenstown to land passengers, and after a r^revt'XTrf:^grtre^';^^ experienced when we first dimly beheld the English clitt» on the distant horizon. • ,i,„ oith of Amil we At two o'clock on Friday morning, the 21th ot Apiu, we dre^v unto the wharf at the Liverpool docks, and on the day iTlmv^nc I reached my home with the evening tram, and will ^° t'^^rmptrdescribJ the meeting ^^J^yJ':^ it to sav that more tears were shed than at parting anu wnen I took a retrospective view of my gold- hunting adventure I felt in all its force the truth of the^old adago-^ „ I li Ali ,L IS NOT GOLD [if: hi 148 1:1 1 h, 'S 7 CHAPTER X. HINTS TO INTENDING EMIGRANTS, AND OTHER MATTERS. After having witnessed so great an amount of disappointment and suffering, I cannot conscientiously recommend any one to emigrate to British Columbia for the purpose of gold-digging ; and especially I would urge those who have not been accus- tomed to hard manual labour not to entertain the notion for a moment. Among the crowds of disappointed men who thronged the streets of Victoria were seen sons of independent gentlemen, attorneys and bankers' clerks, doctors, chemists, drapers, grocers, notaries, lawyers, magistrates, officers of the army and navy, and many others of the same stamp. Of all the different classes of men who emigrate to British Columbia those just enumt '-ated are by far the greatest suf- ferers, because after their money has vanished, being incom- petent to perform skilled labour, they are left in a state of wretchedness no language can describe. The most fatal mistake this class of men can make is to go gold-hunting. They are not only incapable of doing hard work, but have been by far too delicately reared to bear the privations and hardships consequent upon a gold-digger's life. It is utterly useless for men of wpuk constitution or feeble powers of endurance to attempt ihe expedition to the Cariboo mines. Some few of the hardships which are inseparably connected with it, in addition to struggling over the four hundred miles of mountain travel, and doing the hardest labour that mortal man ever engaged in, are these, viz., to go without food some- times for two or three days at a stretch, as it not unfrequenlly happens that provisions run out, and cannot be had at any price — to work all day standing up to the knees in snow water cold as ice itself, and drenched through with the constant drip- ping of water from the rocks above— to sleep in your wet clothes with mother earth for your only pillow, and the blue vault of heaven for your only blanket ; or if you have the privilege of undressing to sleep in your tent, next morning when you rise, instead of having your trousers dry and com- fortable, you rear them on end, and find they will stand erect 149 without assistance simply becau^ t^yi^^^^ToTc^'f yo" ^™Blft If U S.a^tS-c of tKo En,l^™an ne^. to^e is n^inSL'^r a:atT^%re ■?:; mow.. ..ts "\Ve VouiaVe':ommend Intending e-g--ts not to encumber themselves with more extra -armLTs zed la rpet baS; and veniently stowed away m a '"^ f^.^^f S^^^/t a good toV-coat, i:l^:h^;iU r^und ^^ctd^l^r^leMZingime pLions of the voyage. . j,^„ged fivepence per Ib^^S^^ro^^tle Isthmurof'panama; and elothing can be ^rchLedl Victoria nearly as ch^ f - ^"J^f^^^^^ .^e fhe New York and Panama ^"'^ '^jPfi^;'"' steamers Southampton and Panama route A^egular Une ^^^^ is established 1^^'\^:=" f/™ T^^^rt^t consideration, seeing causing no delay, which '^„f .J™r' 3" ,^^hout exception, the that the Isthmus of Panama '«/ "»';• T'™" ^he fate is con- most unhealihy part 01 *^ «<"^'l' °''lh; steamers on the siderably less by the ^^^^^ork oute^ The ^team ^^^_ Southampton line termmate *e.i voyage at A ^ ;j sequcntly, the passengers -« ^^^^ j^^^^ ^ h the New York are taken up by one of «i« ^^"^''^'^"""'davs which is attended line, after a delay of from one ^"^"'"^{'^ expensive ; each with serious risk to health, f^^f ''"'•"/; elch night. The meal costs a dollar, and a bed the saine or eacn g want of a regular steamboat '^-^:^^l^:^'':^^::Z^X..^r..ni and Vancouver Island has l™g .^«f. ^f -.Jon, ^nd should it of that line has been for some time i".^? J,^*'"?'/" ferred by he effected, the Southampton ™^t« "'^^^rd tK^^ all Englishmen, as the accommodation on Doara vessels is so extremely poor. nlentiful and cheap at Delicious fruit being ^f^'^'^^f'^SlyP^o partake of it is Aspinwall and Panama, the temptation to parr great. -.3 150 But the eating of fruit should be carefully avoided, as there is great danger of its creating bowel complaints, which bring on the Panama fever — a most fatal disease. Intoxicating drinks should bo used very spiringly, or what is bett'n', entirely dispensed with.. To live temperately both as regards meat and drink, during a sea voyage in a tropical climate, is a matter of the utmost importance. When the emigrant reaches Vancouver Island it is at! vis- able, wiiether he possesses money or not, to accept the first offer that may present itself for employment, and give himself time to look around and see what is best to be done. It is a fatal mistake for a person to rush into any business speculation, immediately on his arrival in a nev/ country, before he has had the opportunity of ascertaining the real state of things. I would recommend him, after he has been in the colony a few months, should he possess a little money, to turn his attention to the cultivation of land, or enter into some business he miiy consider the most suitable, which will afford him a much bsttor chance of success thau precarious gold-hunting. But should he persist in trying his luck at the mines, then I would tender the following advice : — Form a company, say of six, and have, if possible, at least one in the company who has already a knowledge of gold mining. It is a mistake to suppose that because no one knows where the gold is deposited, an inexperienced man has an ecual chance of success with the experienced gold-digger. In prospec:ing, for instance, the novice, while washing a pan of dirt, will, in all probability, throw away half the gold it contains unconsciously, and pronounce the claim useless ; whereas, an experienced panner will save every particle of the precious metal, and see at once that the claim will pay. Besides, in constructing and fixing the apparatus, and work- ing the claim, the experienced man must in the very nature of things have an immense advantage over the inexperienced one. If the company possess sufficient funds, I would recommend it by all means to purchase two or three mules, and load them with provision up to the mines. The advantage of this plan will be at once apparent. Flour can be bought in Victoria for 2d. per lb., and at the mines it is worth from 4s. to 6s. per lb. Sufficient grass is found on the route for the mules, and at Cariboo the animals 151 can be sold for as much as they cost ; therefore, instead of payiivi 5s. or 6s per lb., it costs only twopence. If the party have not the means to purchase mules, nor money suffi^uent to take them all to Cariboo, I would strongly rpcommond them to adopt the following plan : — Lot three of tlie strongest and most active of the party be sc'leotod t(» go up to the mines to prospect, and let the other three remain below, and procure employment if possible— live carefully, and save all the money they can. If the three prospectors are successful, then the whole party can go up the following season and work the claim. If the contrary, then, when they return to Victoria, they find that their Iriends have mmey, arid something for them to eat, and consequently they sufl'er no inconvenience. But should they all go to the mines together and be unsuccessful, they return starving and paupers, and terrible may be their condition— the chance of employment being much less in winter than in summer. In preparing the outfit for Cariboo, I would strongly advise them to confine their wardrobe to very small dimensions ; and especially if what they take has to be carried on their backs, every ounce of weight is then a consideration. In addition to the wearing apparel they have in use, the following articles will be quite sufficient, viz., one pair, of thick, coloured blankets, one pair of stout trousers, two woollen shirts, three pairs of worsted stockings, one pair of strong laced-up navvy boots, and a canvas tent to accommo- date six persons, which will weigh seven pounds, and cost about twenty shilling?. A knowledge of the necessary cook- ing apparatus to take is easily arrived at in Victoria. Nothing in the shape of work-tools should be taken, except a prospecliing pan ; it is light of carriage, and exceedingly useful for making dough in, and forms an excellent dish for beans and bacon. Work tools may always be had of disap- pointed men at the diggings at a cheap rate. A person may travel from Victoria to Cariboo (providing he walks all the distance from Douglas) for £15 pretty com- fortably. We did it for a quarter of that amount, but then we hall starved ourselves. Care should be taken not to walk too great a distance in one day. This is an error the great majority fall into ; being under the influence of the golden magnet, they rush away at a terrific pace uutii they out-do their physical capabilities, and the coa- tlli 152 .equences are, that son>e die o° f --^/ ^^e^^t rJ'h ha" tty at quite incapable of doing just-cc to the m.nes. ''"?)rrt^::"cVfitfSatrfo; the ^rst few days, -f;;:^a7a";:aipa;\rfeet«^^^ *°^^rp^nT:^rif;Va":iU they possess less Ihe part} on tlcu-u ^ chance of success :!;rXiXt^Cou;"- ^^^^^^^^^ ^^-^ '- '^^^ Tf'h^rebeone thing more !™Pof -* f ^.f^f J^e wS emigrants ought.to attendee jnwha.e. pat of ^ they may be, it ,s that of makm a F^ ^ ^ ^^ frequently to then- f"^°^^- J^'^ Juy notion°that the/cannot arising m a g'--^"^ '^t'^^ "' r^""„^e7^^ are successful, and make up '^f^'''^\%ZZh^^c.Zl Can anything be able to send home '^ ff »"\^'i*'X„ be lucky or the re- more foolish »nd cruel? Whert,e>. they D ^^j ,,ii„,^ i:;::^:{^;':"Ze:^T:T;L.. many a .eepless "trntCr/thSeV hints to intending ^^^^^^g to suggest, that unless a person owns a Me ^"j^P^"f ^^^1,^ SoK ra^!^^^^: drs^;:::e^s i^':4: ttn! he had better rrW^^^lTFt tL colony exercising eve^ economy all the while, and then P™«««f^'l '» k"'^! pi^ovUion; on commenced operations, engaged himself to pack proyuions I 153 luesDJ lie to the mines, a distance oT sixty miles, for hire. By this means he ^^^jj^ff f^H^^ pounds, with whieh, and the money he had ^^^^^ in Jictom he once more tried his fortune at gold- diggmg, but vyas unsuc ce^^sful, and reached Victoria again almost penmless. lie then contrived to get down to San Francisco, where he joined hirBrother'Roberl and they worked together as boUersmiths until thev accumulated sufficient money to pay their passage to New York, where they, commenced work immediately. on ^" ButThortiy afterwards, Edward, by some means, found his way into the Northern Army, and was sent to the Potomac. He soon made his escape, however, and after travelhng 200 miles through the woods among the snow-^sailmg down the Hversman; miles on rafts during the night time, and expe- riencing endless hardships and hairbreadth escapes-he reached New York again in safety ; but to his surprise and 'orrovv found that his" Brother Robert had disappeared, and he utterly failed to discover his whereabouts. He then sailed for England, and arrived in due time. Weeks and months passed away, but brought no tidings ot Robert, which occasioned much painful anxiety amongst his friends at home, until one day very recenUy to their pleasure and regret (pleasure that he was still in the land of tlie hvm| and 1 egret that he was so dangerously circumstanced; his father received a letter from him stating that he was now a cornoral in the Federal Army. . , ^ -, .. a Tames Marquis remains in and about British Columbia, and has been to some extent successful. ,^n:„pnoP He saved money in Victoria ; and subsequent intelligence from him intimates that he purchased an interest in a claim belonging to a company of Englishmen, and joined them. At the eiid of the first season he c^me down to Victoria with three hundred pounds' worth of gold dust as his share. Last summer he was not so fortunate. He went to the mines, and remained during the season, but was unable to work in consequence of ill health, and was obliged to hire ^. man to do it fo^ him at a wage of forty-five shillings per day. They expended he greater portion of their money in erecting machinery for the working of their claim, and it is their intention to give U a thorough trial this summer. When Marquis returnee, .o . ic- toria last autumn his health was seriously impaired, and his ■■ • \ i i'l m ''ft „P,lical adviser recommended change of air. He aocordiLsily ratio! to San .W.C. ^v.e. ^ ""r^hTs indomitable perseveranee be "-;-,? ^fij^^ovk Tn round numbers, tlie distance from I'.ngland to New Yoik ;. ^ nnn n^les from New York to the Isthmus of I'anama, 2 0rmiK;s from Panama to San Fratjeiseo 4,000^^ m>ks; from San Fi^ncisco to Vancouver Ishmd, 1,00 » miles , ana from thence to Cariboo, 600 miles. THE END, W. Aiadey, Steam Maohiae ttinter, to., 74, Sadler Street, Durham. #-