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MALCOLM CAMERON To TllK Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. Mij Lord Hisfwp, Ladies and Gentlemen — I felt it, <*ni honor to Itc iiivitod ity this Asso('iali(»ii to address tlioin, and sinccndy regret that my education and pursuits through life have not fitted me for the [trejtaration of a U'cluro on a literary or scie'itifie suhjeet which would aid the ohject of this Society, nani'dy — the education, elevation and mutual iinxu-ovc- menl of the young men of Quehoc — feiding however a lively interest in all that concerns the youth of Canada and anxious to show my feelings in any way open to me I oft'ei-ed to give; some reminiscences of my voyage to British Columhia, which I trust may throw some light (m the way thither, give some idea of the rountries through which we pass in going there, souk* informa- tion relative to the Islands of the Pacific, and to what, I feel to he, our own Western cxlremity, British Columhia. In the middle of July, i8G*2, I left Canada, with the intention of visiting that distant land, and arrived in New York in time to take the steamer of the 21st, went to the office and secured my |)assage in the "Champion)) got my ticket for $250 and at noon went to Pier No. 3, where I met crowds of people flocking towards the steamer, carts, carriages, and wheelbarrows, Irish girls Willi small boxes about Ibn sizo of ru[»boar(ls, Gernians with guns, sMiisau'cs, uuMM'scbaiims and s|iimiin^-\vb('('ls, and Yaiilv(!u» Willi I'illcs, bowic knives, revolvers and ax(>s, and a niotly fironp ol' people of all ap's and countries. We had Ihe greatest dillie.ulty in gelling on board, I'onnd it impossible to get baggagt? slowed, and no one could gel llie bertli allotted by lickel, and in tlio midst, of Ibis conCnsion Ibe wei'i>ing friends were sliov(.'(l on shore, the ]tlank drawn in, and away wc; steamed. The n.iy of New York may on a fine July afternoon l)e infe- rior to til;' n,iy of Nai)les — that I base uiMcr seen — but to my eye then, to my mind's eye now, it is one fd' the most lov(dy scones in the world, the magnilicenl city on a point formed by tho junction of the North and Kast rivers, terminating at tho Battery, tho well known pi'omenade ; Jersey, Brooklyn and IIobok(!n, with their one nullion of inhabitants; Cjovermn-'s Island, Statoii Island ; and as you [>ass down the Highlands of Nc!V(Msink i.nd the Hook, all combine tofoini a peil'ecl landscaite. But in about two boms we left all this beaidy and wcw on the open sea, of which I was ronundod by a st,enlorian voice in full glee : Tlic sea, llic dee|) liliie sea for me, Where I would ever wish to lie. In b)ss than two hours however all this was changed, many would have pref(;rr(Ml to — Wnit for the waggon. But the Study of human nature, the examination of berth, and tho contemplation of room-mates began in good earnest, by those able to attcmd to business. There were thr(»o or four Canadians who had figured largely as men of Itusiness anf from numtal anxi(ryyrii;m, six Irish I»i'i(>srs ,^(iiii,!,r to lli'hN of fill),)!!!'. acDiivci'tcd Sit.'uiiaid l)'avi'lli!i_u ;is A,u(Mit for the liiitisli and Fo!'i'i;iii Hihlp Socicly. >ffcliaiiifs IbrCJiili, and other Soiitli Aiiici-ican jtorts, who whfiv Id lease us at Panama, S(n-e!ileeii wives who liad !iot seen their hnsha!ids for years,a!id wi(h)\vs whom "liai'd limes,, had foired ont of New- York loti-y to earn a livinn ju the n.-w' and Itcllei' land— in fart, HiHMMiiMMis of every class, a!id connlry, in all. some :•(){) people wlieiv !iot ov(-r -200 (-(mid have been comfoi'lahly aeeomodaled. AboiiL the liflli day we wen; ci'ossin.u thi- (liilf sli'eain and the air became e\ti'em(dy warm, llie sixth we parsed heLweon San I),)ini!ino and (:u])a, the QneiMi of the Aiililles. and about Miirty !niles Kasl of Jamaica, whi(di 1 did not till then Uiiow, lay .so (dos;' to the bm-derof A!nerica; beiv 1 fii'sl Aiw a tioj.ical rain, lai'.Licdi-opslellon the ocean and sjjai-k led iijiin laj-'^e while Imiibles the most, exijiiisitely b.-anlifnl si.yhl yon can iina-ine. as if some unseen iiand were ]»oni-in,ir myriads of lai-.^e i>eai'l:< on lo llio surface of the wat,(M-, and immediately after the sliowei-. (donds of what r supposed to be onr Canadian snow ])ii'ds i-o.;:- from tho sea, they were small flying fish alon! six i!i(dies Ion,;.;. Oil tho Dth day the old Fort of Porto IJ.dlo came in si-hl, tho sCL'iio of fa!iious exploits by the bold Biiccane(M-s iOO years almo- in i.')()-2 when Golf)mbns left Diiieii, its Indian [) )piila;ion luim- bc>red abont ;JUO,(HH), Jml in loT) boi-des of Hpai!iai-ds allni-ed by the cry of <«;ohl and tho pi-olilic v(\i,n>tation came over and 30 or 40,000 died in crossin<>' the fatal Islhmns, bnt the I'est m ado fear- ful havoc amonn the !iativ(>s— i!i |5:)8, Drak*; sacked the(;itybiit Mor^an and Dampier fiiiislnvl the woik of miii-der and robborv in 1 (>(')■) and KiTO by the capture of Poito liello, and ci-ossing to Panama wdii(di City they totally destroyed as they did many Cities down the coast. , . ; - . . :■ Hei-e we feasted our astoinshed eyes on the hixni-iant ti-opical foliage, the tall and graceful cocoa-nut tree like our own elm, fifty or sixty feet without a limb, then branching out like an 6 iimlMvIl.'i ill loiij; and piMiiluloiis Icavos lliroiij^li which wo saw th(! chislcrs of lar;;*' mils, aiiioii^^st >\hi('h llic merry moiiivcys gamhol wilii ^IiiIIoikmis (l('li;,Mil. We llicii Iiu'ikmI westerly aloii>; I he (V)asl, and afler ahoiit Ihree hours sail iieared the town ol" A^iiinwall sihialed on a h»\v marshy Island in what was Navy Bay near llii' old Isllmins ol' Darieii, ramoiis in the history of ScoI.eh eiiteri»rise — an entei'|irise thon Kinu of I'lnuland ha\in,u,- forbade the IJritish Coloniese\en losell food to the Kmi^ranls, and llinsenconra;^(»J tho Spaniards to destroy the Com|tany which King William himself had bill lately chartered. Unt in oiir own day llu; Isthmus of Panama has becomo famous by a slii^iendoiis work of American eiiler[»ris(! and inj^c- nnity, b tldly planned and siicci.'ssfnlly <'arri."d out; a work which owed its develo[»enienl b) three men whose names will be imperishable in the history of American Commerce ; W, B. Aspinwall, J. L. Stephens, and Henry (Uiauncy, the [»rojeclors of till! Panama Ilailroad. The idea id" an inter-oceaiii(^ communica- tion had been entertained for centuries, the whoh* commercial world was alive to its advantages, New Grenada unable b» under- take it had freely olfered the [divilego to any nation rich enough to perform it — Kngland looked at it with longing eyes hut quailed for once b;'fore the magnitndo of the diflicnlties ; I'^rancc did mor(\ surveyed the country and entered on a contract, but too many millions \\c\v found ncu'essary and she let it go by dofaiilt. In I8i8, Congress authorized contracts for the establish- •mout of two Mail lines of Steamships, ouo from New York and N(nv Orleans to Chagres, the other from Panama to California and Or(>gon ; the indncem(-nts were insnllicieut, but at last Mr. Aspinwall and tin? famous George Law did enter on the enter- prise, but the wisest fancied it must fail, gold not yet having boon discoverod. Now GiHMiad.i, howovor gavo hor clinrtor for a railway, with a jj;ift of 2r»(),()0() acres of land, ooiilraot to oonlimio for 49 years, the termini to Ix; free ports^ and the only nMnnno- ration asked ',\ per cent on all [irollls divideht, Income 1,300,000 I^lxponso 350,000 $050,000 Net profit. Th(;y did boast of one of tli(^ "greatest bridges over l)niltof irofl GOO feet long, cost $500,00(1. Dot our Victoria Uridgo is nearly two miles long, one span 'iHO feet long, and HO feet high and it cost 15 times as mnch or abont 7^ million of dollars. Aspinwall is one of the mostmis(M'able dirty places on tin; face of the earth, inhabited by tho worst combination of African, Spanish, Indian and half ]>reed, I over saw ; vultnres and Inizzards gather in flocks at every corner to partake of the olFal when the But- chers are killing and cntting nj) oxen and cows into long strips of boefs and hanging this in tlie sun to dry, the method of coring meat then in fashion — Indians having an objection to saltod moat — tho whole place is filthy and abominable beyond descrip- tion — wo gladly left it in the afternoon, and immediately entered on a scene of tho most gorgoc-ns Ijeanty over the plains, through the swamp — by tho bank of the Chagros river, it was 28 miles of perfect loveliness, the grandest flower fields eye ever beheldj thoeouvolviiluH and llii! lily, llu^ fuchsia and ma.i,Miolia, olcaiidors as lar.^c and lull ol" hlDssom as an apph^ tr(M», llu; rose, |»ansy and orchis of onr nwii sunnncr, with the HioihMlcndi'on, the j>ass(v flora, the oran^:!', the lemon, Iho C()(;(»a, lli(> |>ahnand the ni;ni;,'o, nil in a prDfnsion and In.xnrianci! snch as no Northern mind ran imaj^ine; Ihe Irccsan? not only larj^e, loftyand ('row(h'd, wondor- fnl |)arasit(!s hanj^ from (>very hnn;^h and twist and IwiiK! all into onu fori'st; andth'Mi trees filled with Hirds of Paradise, Cockatoos, Parro ■ and hiunmiiiL? hirds — so dcMiso is th() },M'o\vlh that a man cannot pMii'trale it, Unt with Ion,-,' knives and bill Inxdvs, a way must l»i! opiMied ; at thi' first station T was astonished tf) see a lonpf arched avenue Ihat had h;'en oi>cn<'d into lh(! lioart of tho wood thronj^h whi(di the cord wood cut up as stovo wood is all brought out on horses, in pauiors piled Ihron f(?et ahovo tho I»ony's hack. Ther<^ F llrst saw th(> natives and half hi-eeds, Ihe women aro bare liead(>d, a loose wrapper trinuned with I'ed is tlieir only coverin";, it is low net ked and down oil' the left shoidder — thcnr Rkin is a heauliful niohaj^any colour, cl(>ar, smooth and cl(>an — tho children up to at least twrdvo years of a^i; go perfectly undo, tho housosare of cano and bark covered with plantain and palm, open and airy, the food plantain and Ixuuuias, the former being indigenous and as wholesome as our pot^ito, Lhis is said to be llio curse of i\w ouuLry for all can live without work, they are like potato, but tlu! Bananas like bread. . >, But Lo di.'S(n'iLe (!verythin„- curious would occupy tho night, so, with but a mention of the splendid oranges at 5 cents a dozen, bunches of palm mits 30 inches long and 18 through which hang from the tree by an arm a yard long, the lioa C4onstricLors, the Alligators, the C.hameieons, the ParroLs, tho Cockatoos, the I)ainte(l Calabash, the prickly pear, and other varieties of cactus used for fencing, but we nnist pass on to Panama. From Panama we as(Hnided rapidly over granite crags, span of mountains and the famous Basaltic ledge. The descent from tho summit level is , ,)out a givule of GO feet to a mile, and it termi- nates on the shore of the gulf of Panama. The (till and faiiioiiH city is a sirilviii;; roiilrasi lo AspiiiNvall, olt'>'ati''l .sDiiic 'lO or .'»() IVi'l alxivc tin* sra, on a |irniiisiil;i, a iiiilo loiiji, llic slit'cts I'liii IVoiii sea to s.-a, the shore '\<. nx l\y, and llit; liarltour safe— protcclcd liy Itcanlirwl Islands ahont a nnlf oi' a mile and a half distant. 'I'lic t'ily was forlillt'd liy the Spaniards willi a j^rcal wall having' a carria.uc drive aronnd the top. and sentry boses of stone; at the Haslions, rnri((ns old camions aie sMIl III, re, the city is fnil of noble rnins, old Clmnlies, ('ollcfjit'S, >f((na>l''ries and Knnnei'ies, a fine Catlieilral siill in ns". Imt alas a very dej^raded pi'iestliood, the jii'ealei' part of whom had laltdy been driven away by the p(M)pl(' ; the one ;;real amnsemenl of the peoph; is co(dv liuhlin.Lf, and every shoemaker and tailor lias his jiam(» chi(dven lied by the ley lo his work bench, and is ready al any moinenl lo fij;hl I'or any sum he can I'aise — the jii'eat day for co(dv flxhlinj^' is the Sabbath, and after service lln^ Pi-iesl is as ready as his people, and will ha(dv his bird I'or a considerablo 8uni. - The city has ahont l'2,()00 inhal^'tanls. The honses and hotels nro pint of mit i is divine. Wo left P.'tiiam.'i in Iho sl'.'amin* '• Sonoi'a," a magniflrtMit ship of two or Ihroo Ihoiisaiid Ions, with nppcr doriv, sjihton, and state rooms, and every ]>ossilth' coniroi't, Tho capLiin wo foinid a Ciu'islian man, and ol' course the ofhccM's and crew were in per- fect order, the lalde well sni>plied, an.l every thinj? in marked contrast to tlie dirty mismanagi.'d "Champion." All wen; de- lighted. We had indetnl made a hlessed change, from a hoister- ons sea and a miserahle ship, to a really Pacific ocean and a floating Pa' iuise. We sail(Ml along the hay of Panama in lati- tude south to latitude 7 south, hefore we turned the point and gained the open sea, l)ut even then our course lay along the coast of New Granada and Costa Rica with extraordinary rocky islands in vii>w. And in addition to the magnificent foliage I have attemptijjl to describe, the smoking tops of active volcanic mountains were full in view ; six of which we saw during the trip sending forth enormous volumes of smoke, and flame, and sparks. About the second day we passed the Port of St. Catharines or Nicaragua, which is the Pacific port of the Nicaragua route, once Ihe most popnlar one, being a natural chain of road, river, and lake from sea to sea, at Greytown or Sau Juan on the Atlantic is still a rival to the Panama ronte, and cheaper at the present time. After passing Costa Rica on the fourth day, we passed the Bay of Tehuanteijec. Our iirst stopping place was Accapulco, in Mexico, one of the loveliest little harbours possible, not over three miles round, protected by an island that complettdy covers it, leaving a channel at either side just wide enough for ships to pass. AccniMilco is distiiigiiisliod by being the old site of a city swallowed up by an eaitbqnake, and Ibe present fort baving stood a seigo by Santa Anna;iinding tbe enemy gaining upon them tb(» l)eseiged (juietly witlidrevv, leaving neither food nor amnnition, ('onse(iuenlly the victorious invaders were soon forced to abandon the position. The Pacific st(\iniers always coal at Accapulco, a large vessel being stationed here with supplies. This is also the point of exit; for travellers from thecitvof Mexico, onlv six d:ivs ioin-ncv to the eastward, on the direct road to Vera Cruz on the Unit of Mexico. Hero I met Mr. Bonar, of Quebec, and a Captain Palmer whom I knew, then' Iwidjust travelled through Mexico; the former had become a favorit(^ mining englncH'r, was employed by an English Company, and was making ." fortun(! out of the silver mines. The trade of this place is shells, baskets, oranges, cotton, hides, and colFee, and Knglish vessels do a good business. The great amuHr.'ment is diving, the water being wonderfully clear, and tliC native boys ecjual to the Indian i>earl lisluns. The trav(dler throws York shillings into the sea, the boys allow them to go perhaps half a minute, and then down, and I never knew one diver but came n]t with th(» sliilling in his teeth. The pots used for cordviugaro made of earth, th(> mills fttr grinding coi-n an; two stones worked by hand, and the habits of the [>eople ai-e primi- tive in the extreme. Yet here in this Spanish Catholic town I saw one of the best schools I (.'ver entered. One hundred and sixty boys from ten to sixteen years of age, all of whom wrote the most beautiful te.\» hand, and all just alike as if it were lithograph ; the master was a perfect Spanish g(Mitlcman, 1 called on lht> priest, a plain pleasant man,b:)t who like most otlKM-s there, though not allowed to marry, had a family Ik; acknowledged and provided for. Here we expected to have met the steamer " Golden Gale " on her down trip, and great anxiety was caused by her non-appear- ance; we proceeded, however, along the coast to Mazanilla, another commercial harbour whore English ships bring goods to Kujiply tho country and rcroivo silver in oxcliaiign : tliis is siniig- glcd as llif^ law roi-hids lis export. As wo wrro leaving lliis port a l)riij: camo in l>rin,'-^iM,^' news wlii<;Ii verified our worst fears al)onf, the «Golden Gale,)) the ves- sel had taken lln; and burnt to the wat(»rs od},n\ Ont^ hundred and sixty |iassen,yers [ti'rished, and the I'est were scattered along the coast destitnli?. We turned hack to render assist,anee to the K.'ived. 1 i'ouiid one Canadian from St. Catharines, a nephew of the late Mr. L.'pper, he gave Ih;; most didii'hlCul aci'ount of the inhabitants of Mexico; they had found him and others famished on the shore, th"y took IIhmu to their houses in tin; inl'rior, fed them, clotiied tliem, uiounted them on horses, and broniihl thorn safely over the mountain to Manzanilla, tho iioarrst jtorl. Leppcr got two suits and wo got him $20 : ho went on with us, to return by the <(Sonora » to Canada. IL may be W(dl to state hero that Mexico has 7 millions of inhabit:m!s : '^ fifths are natives, tho other Spaniards and Spanish Crools ; only about h^^SiM) Enropoans or Ani'jricansni the country in all. — Since 18-23, they have had above liG diirerout Govern- ments, and if the nominee of a foreign government, a Scion of the Hons(! of Ihiitsburg expects a peacofvd possession lie will bo grievously disappointed. On the lOth d;iy after leaving Pannma wo passed the mouth of the gulf of California, an inlet fiOO miles deep and 150 miles wide, famous for its pearl fisheries, tho method and history of which would form a lecture. Early in the morning of tho I'lth day going along a bold rocky coast Wi^ saw a s([uare, clear opening about a mile wide between gatjs of solid stouv', this, we were told was the celebrated "Golden Gato,)) about a mile and a half from its mouth an island lay right across th:» Chaumd called the Island of Alcatross, closing the sea out from the Bav of San Francisco into wdiich we now entered, the largest, most perfect and splendid harbour in the Avorld, in which all the navies of tho world might ride at anchor in siifety and not bi; crowded — for this matchless bav is forty miles wide. There are two cities, that on the loft is Benicia, and that on 13 the right San Francisco; Ihc latter was was commenced in 1852 and now it has over 100,000 inhalutants, with fcnr Hotels e(]ual to lh(5 Astor House, streets, wharves, warehouses and boats equal to New Yoi'k, and as moral, nay as religious and (.'xcellent a population as ajiy in the American Union ; vc^ssels ply on tho Sacramento river to the city of that name, 120 miles from tho ocean, the lirst station on llio ovorlaud I'oute to St. Louis, from which roads diverge to Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Wash ington Tcnritory. From Sau Fraucisco I took auotlicr and poorer l)oat lo Van- con un's Island, and proceedcnl nj) the coast iiorlh 800 miles, passing the faumus Columbian river — known lo all readers — Astoria tho city of that name, at llm mouth, now nearly depopn lated, was comuKmced in 181 1 by the (Miteiprise of J. J. Astor of New York — who sent out a ship to trade — two of the traders were from Quebec, one of them known and loved by parties in this room, old David Stuai't and Robert, his nei)liew, who walked hack across the continent But I cannot stay to tell you of them, suffice it that the steamers run np to Portland 80 miles and so have carried the trade past Astoria. We steamed on to Cape Flattery at the en- trance of straits of Fnca, these straits are 10 miles wide and wero discovered l)y Cook — the entrance is du(! p]ast foi' GO miles, then we came upon the gulf of Georgia ; on our left lay the beautiful little harbour of Esquimalt, V. I., on our right was Puget Sound, and Port Angelos in Washington Territory, and directly in front the disputed Island San Juan. We landed at Es([nimalt, the rendezvous of tho British ileet, three miles from Victoria ; ^vagons were waiting to take us to our desired haven, for although there is a very pretty little arm of the sea running directly np to Victoria, it is too rocky and dilTu'idt of navigation ever to he nsed by large ships. The drive up is over a very rocky but very beautiful country, and the sitna- ticn of Victoria itself perfectly picturesque. The lirst object that strikes the eye of a stranger is the Methodist church, erected by the energy of Dr. Evans, and next the Bishop's church erected on 14 a ])nnutifiil lilll sloping' towards .larnos Bay, (part of tho harbour,) and (•omiuaiidin.ir a v'nnv of tlip sjiowcapju'd inonnfains of Wash- iiijitoii Tcriilory, soiiuj of which arc lU, 12, and ir),OOU foet hij^h — Jhcsc arc seen over most of thosU'ccts just as tho vicnvovcr tho St. Charles ••ives Mfe and Ixviuty to Qnohec, so do these dazzling and niayiiiticeiit snow [»eaks make Victoria one of the loveliest cities in the world. The view to the west is of the rid!;.' of moun- tains called the hack l>one of Vancouver Island, in which since i left i:old has heen foinid in payiii,!: (juanlities, and is now tho hoi»e of the island. The streets of Victoria are laid out at rijjjht angles, I he whole iiosilion is heantifid and the Methodist church, the Iron church, (Kpisco]tal,) sent out from Kngland, are huild- injis woriiiy of our best Canadian towns; they liave also a Pres- byterian and a Congrejjalional church and two very clever preachers. The pncrnmeut buihhufrs are small but convenient, and the governor's residence was then liis private property. Tho governoi', Sir James Douglas, was a native of Douglas, Clydes- dale, a nolde Scolchn)an,and certainly Her Majesty lost a famous general when lie was sent to Hudson's Bay. He was in figure, mien, and voice a soldier, but he had been made a trader ; he had read deeply, studied human nature profoundly, and had sue ceeded in winning the confidence of the Indian tribes, had mar ried a balf-bnied, a fine, sensible, and intelligent woman, ho had a beautiful and excellent family, and himself practised a noblo hospitality ; his only misfortune being that he hfid been in tho Hudson Bay Company's service, w'hich created a prejudice against him. His tact and method of dealing with the natives may be best illustrated by an anecdote. About the time SirJ.ames Douglas was to be appointed governor of the colony, a small well educated countryman of his, Mr. McKay, was sent to succeed him, in his position in the Hudson Bay Company ; his first move was to organize a company of volti- geurs, had them drilled and armed for defence. Of course the Indians became alarmed, vexed, and ready for war ; word came that there was to be an insurrection, and an immediate attack on the Fort Mr. McKay came hurriedly to Sir James, expressed his 15 fears, 011(1 asked leave to call out his men. Sir .lames crossed his le^s and said quietly, uBe patient, Mr. McKay, let the njcn have a little more molasses.)) A barrel was roMed out and taiiped, the in- surrection wascpielled, and not nnr Iremblinf/ prisoitrr taken. Since Governor Douj^las left many lives ha\r been lost, and some twenty white men massacred. «(A little more molasses)) is better than cannon for British Columbia and Chat(>au llicher. The Island of Vancouver is 280 miles long, and about 00 wide, there are many fine plains l)ut no rich alluvial (b^posits, no hard wood timber, in fact neither on Vancouver's Island, nor in British Columbia is there while oak, ash, elm or hickory enough to make an axe handle or a whip-stalk ; small frnsli oak as in Michigan, fir, pine, arl)utns, willow, poplar, and soft maple are the only woods known. Coa' and co^iper abound as well as gold, flsh fill every stream and ^.-eek of the sea, and the cattle on the hills arc deer and Vv^rv numerous but wont l)e caught. The Douglas pine, a peculiar species, is perhaps the finest, and cer- trainly is the strongest for masts in the world — so that enduring material for commerce abounds. The gulf of Georgia is full of islands so much so that the San Juan difficulty arose from the fact tiiat the first discovereis went up the East channel and the islands were so clost* and continuous, they mistook them for the mainland, and never dreamt of any other channel. Victoria is a free port, British goods are cheaper than in Canada, and Houses there are partners of London Houses, and supply goods for the whole coast, a trade which I think will vastly jiicrease and make Victoria always a city of great foreign traffic and account with Chiiia, Japan, the Sandwich and other islands and all the Pacific coast, and thus create a demand which will be supplied by an Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. The climate is equal to that of the South of France. Farming is in its infancy, though the Hudson Bay Company has done much good in this way, sent out fine stock and farming utensils, ha4 three fine farms and even when I was there, had 700 sheep 16 in one place— at Saiiich, and at Nanimo, farming is now begin- ning and I (loiil)t not will succeed. The lat(! Mr. Work, Dr. Tolinie, Mr. Finlayson and Mr. Yates are all farming near the city and I think deserve great praise for llieir enterprise. From Vancouver I took the Hudson Bay Company steamer «Eut('riu'ise» to New Westminster, the capital of British Columbia, 00 miles from the island ; the greater part of the dist;Mice, say, 36 miles we were among the islands, safe as a river, the main crossing being 1 1 niil(>s, to the mouth of the Fraser river, about 6 miles uorlh of tlu* 49th parallel of latitude, the Boundary lino between British Columbia and Ihf United Slates. The entrance to the rivei- is low and grassy and has b(!en misrepresented by local jealousy ; it only requires a light-ship to be made perfectly acces- sible at all times to vessels of 18 to 20 feet draft. Her Majesty's men of war have gone up and thus settled the question beyond dispute, for in spite of repeated assertions of diJiigerous bars, and shallows and what not. the fact /.> proved that the mouth of the Fraser is sah; and commodious, and the river perfectly navigable to Fort Langley far above New Westminster. From the month of the river to the capital is 12 miles, filled with islands of the richest deposit, only requiring draining and dyking to become the best farming hmd on the Pacific, they are of immense value and caitable of sustaining 20,000 people. The site of New* Westminster on the left b.ink of the river is very fine : rising almost too abruptly from the water to a height of about 200 feet ; several streets are well graded, the mint is a neat building, the general hospital is a most creditable under- taking, the Episcopal church is a perfect gem — but the gaol is a miserable hovel. «Tlie Campu was the residence of Colonel Moodie, Royal Engineers, and the barracks of the soldiers of his corps. And here I must not omit to say how much the colony owes to that e.\(;ellent officer and most sincere Christian, and his amiable and pious wife ; the morals and character of New West- minster stand far above any other place on the Pacific, and I could attribute this very much to the purity, liberality and Catho- n licity of his roli^'ion, which so mudi aided and slivnsthL'iuMl thr liaiids of Mr. Wliile, Metliodist, and Mr. Jainicsoii, tho Free Church, as wx'll as tho Kiuscopal ministers, in all their efforts for tho people's good. His liheralily extended to aidin*.; the Ahhe Fouquet, Roman Catholic Missionary, in his extraordinary ellbrls for the Christianizing of the Indians, four thousand of whom he vaccinati.'d in his travels — saving thousand of lives. The lands ahout New Westminster are <'overed v, illi the most enormous growth of Douglas pine trees ;{()() feel long, lU to {."i feet through, 200 feet without a lind», they are now unsaleable and to clear the land would cost $100 an acre. The country is all rough and by no means generally good lor farming, but at present prices money is made by farming. However, with her inoxhaustable resources of coal, i.jn,coi)per, silver, and gold, and her position as the terminus of the road from the Atlantic, I feel assured that New Westminster will be one of the finest towns on the continent. One of the chief products of the colony is in such abundance that my word has been doubted in reference to it, I mean salmon. In crossing the Colquhalla the horses feet struck the fish, and a mill stopped because the mill race was filled with them. The Hudson Bay Company used to export thousands of barrels till the gold fever raised the price of labor too high. The elevation of the city gives magnificent scenery. \ iews of Mount Baker 10,000 feet high. Gulf of Georgia, bend of the Fraser river, and the Mountains of Washington Territory cover<>d with everlasting snow, give it a picturesque beauty and interest never to be forgotten. Ten miles in rear of New Westminster is the Burrard Inlet, a very fine harbour without bar, shaol, or defect ; coal has been foimd there, and mills have been built. Just above tlie town is a small river with water power, and seven or eight miles out is the Pitt river, on which there is some good farming land, and immediately opposite the city there are large flats yielding the finest vegetables and large quantities of hay. Board lumber is now manufactured there, and a market is opening in Japan and B tl Cliiiin. Shin<,'los also and conhvood affonl means of oniploynicnt. Tlu; cliniafo is still niildt'r and Im'IUm' than Canada, thon^li ovor fifty miles ca^Uand up conntry it aiiproachcs more to the severity of onr own winter. I luoceeded nji the river as far as Don',das, on tiie northern ronte to Carihoo ; tliis little town is at the head of Lak(> Harri- son, a lake fifty miles lon^^, on whirJi [ lliink there is not an acre fit for cidtivation ; hnt the iM'anty of which equals the Lake of Lncerne. I retnred from Donjjlas to the Fras<'r river, and pro- ceeded ei^dity miles to Hope on the Sonthern road to Carihoo, to Siramilkameen and Jjjdte Akanajion,an(l the Kntanie pass, when? the lat(! f,'old diseoveries were made. In the year 1858 Hop(; had 1500 inhahitants, now there are oidy five or six families, the head of one Ixnnfj the Cnnrch of Englaml (dei«,'yman : a man of rare ahility, and who has done mncli for the eonntry by his pen. There I first saw Indian graves, salmon rrihs, and Indian winter houses. The Indians bury Iheir dead on the most bMutiful part of the river, and a figure, the size of life, is placed on each grave in full dress, with their canoes raised on i)osts, and the figure lias hat and gloves, and the real gun of the deceased, his best canoe, the skin of his horse, his blanket, and otiier property, and all remain in perfect safety, iirotccted by the reverance of the Indian and the fear of the white man ; for the most gentle native would take fearful vengeance on the desecrator of a grave. On some graves are carvings of eagles, beavers, or crocodiles, very well ex(>cuted. The cribs of dried salmon are high np in the pine trees, thirty or forty feet up, almost inaccessible, thus preserved from year to year. The winter house is an hole dug six feet deep in the ground, covered with earth like a root house, and a hole in the middle for the smoke : they are with great propriety called sw(sit houses. There are also smaller ones used by their doctors for curing diseases. These Indians are much more clever and mechanical than ours, and I think shew traces of Chinese descent. There is a very neat English church at Hoi)e. In fact all over •hurches and clergymen have preceeded population. colony I» Protestant Bishop Ilillt;, Calholir IJisliop Doniors, from Qunboc, and Ihoir cler},'y, with tlio old pionncrs of the Methodists and Preshytcri.ins, all liavo hcon early in th(» field and have superior and able mow. The Anjjflie.'i'i Bishop of Britisli Columbia (Hills) is a most ex- cellent and really •markable man — a total abstainer, by the way. His friends in England are v«!ry influential and have assisted him munificently, even to amagnifleeiit grand jtiano for the school at New Westminster, and a fine bell for the church. In 18G2 Bishoj) Hills visited Cariboo himself, auu spent three months in the woods, and never slept in a house even when near a settlement, as, like St. Paid, " he would not bo chargeable to any man." This very day I received a pa;.er with an account of a temperance meeting in Windsor, England, where Bishop Hills spoke and gave great credit to the Temperanco Asso(nalion in Vacouver and Britisli Columbia for their efforts and success with the Indians. From Hope I went up as far as Yale, twelve miles, a very well selected, rising place at the head of navigation, with the most go-a-head, enterprising liien, women, and clergymen in Britisli Columbia. To Mr. Landvoight, Mr. Sutton, and their wives and a French Canadian agent of the Hudson Bay Company, Mr. Dal- lair, I can never be sufficiently grateful. Ten such people are worth a thousand ordinary settlers in any land. There I took a mule and rode over the mountain to the forks of the Thompson river, about ten miles, and saw the famous Sailor bar, Yankee bar, Chapman bar, and many others from which so much gold has been taken, and where the Chinese still work ill hundreds. I saw the washing, panning, cradling, the sluices, dais, and water-works all along the river to the north of the Thompson, and have examined the wonderful roads that the government were making around the highest and most desperate bluffs and curves of the Fraser, and over the most stupendous mountains ; and all these, fortunately, in the direct route to the Rocky Mountains, a part of the great road to Canada. Having there satisfied myself that I had seen all I could see, I returned by llio inniinl.iiii passos, and Yal(3 niul Hope; to New Wnstniin- slor, to JilU'iul H mccfm^' of tlio pcoph; whi<'li had been called on Iho siiltj(M't of <,^iievaiJcos. The colonists were most anxious that I should go to England as Ihcir dclogato, to (Midcavour to get British Columbia disunited from Vancouver, and to obtain a constitution and govcMiunent for Ihemselves. This has been grant(»d by the Home (iovernnient, (jovenior Seymour has fulfilled their expectations, is consulting the feelings and wishes of the people, and the colony is making rapid strides in wealth and happiness, greatly to his honour and tlieir profit. Now having given yon an outline of my personal experiences from Canada round the ContiucMit to the Thompson river, it only remains to sketch the route from Yale over the Rocky Moun- tains du(» east to Canada. I have brought a map to show a peculiarity of the Fraser and Columbia rivers. From their source they run a certain distance eastwards, and curve round till they run due west to the Pacific ; inside that circle is the famous Cariboo district, over 400 miles from the coast, and about 100 miles north-eastwards brings you to the Rocky Mountains. To reach the favomite pass, you leave the Tete-Jaune-Cflche, and come by the Leather pass to Jasper House, to Fort Edmonton on the east slope, and so on to the Red river. The survey and reports of Captain Pallisor have demonstrated that there are other and better passes, and that there is no real ob- stacle in the way of a road — nature having provided for a rail- way. Ox carts have frequently crossed without difficulty, and troops of emigrants go over with their cattle. The land immedi- ately on either side of the mountains is all rough and never will be worth cultivating, and the climate is severe and liable to great storms, but as you descend to the eastward the country of the Assiniboine, the valley of the Saskatchewan, and the Red River settlement, the land becomes equal to ours, and offers a home to sixty or eighty millions of people, and it is for us now to legislate and act so as to give Canada the transit and supply for this great region. ft I hi'ivo tln» journ.'il of a Mr. MiickiMizic who ji.issed ovor llils rountry in lrt('r2 on foot, who saw hw^io Iracls of llic licsl of l.-ind and is satisdrd of tin; p:n'at value of the ^^old fields. I have just seen Mr. Scliwie^fer who i)assed over it in IM()i,an(l who eorroho- rates the statement, besiih's the reports of D.iwson, Hind, .ind otliers, all proving,' tlu^ immense value of Ihis dislrirt. Now I l)eli(n'e liecaiiseof all Ihese <,'r(\'it resoui'ces and means of eontinn- onsadvanc(Mnenl,wo should desire to nnilo tlu' British [trovinces from Halifax to Vaneouvor's. With no adverse or d.-uifxennis climate, no cypress swamp or y(dlow fever; in the s;nne [i.'irnllel of latitude, or when they run further north with an isothermal lino that frivos the climate of iO" to latitude 40", Providence seems to have arranged for the future sui»port of a great nation, with all the nahiral el(>ments of strength, longevity, and success. We hear much now of amalgamation, hut rememher you, who are historians, that no ahoriginal, normal race, ever succeeded in victorions conquest, or hocame a great governing power. It is a mixed race which produces a great peoj^le, a powerftil nation. We possess this great advantage ; we have the fair soft Saxon, the l)rave and hardy Gelt, the old and nohle Norman, the proud and brilliant Spaniard, the magnanimous and cunning Aliorigi- nies, the musical and spiritnal African, and nuM't on lln^ Pacific the ingenious and patient Chinese, so with tlu; combined blood of every race, the nnrivalled treasures of the earth, and abundant material for manufactures, what can hinder our onward pro gross? Nothing, unless we yield to parly jealousy or strife, or that most fearful and unchristian of all evils — war! Having the entrepot of goods from the east and west, the fine textures of Europe, the tea and spices, the ornamental wood and ivory of China, and Japan, and all the Islands of the sea, while we our- selves sui)ply the southern and eastern world with tindjor, ships, machinery, and all heavy manufactures in iron, copper, and wood, should we not become the fathers of a race as far above Tubal Cain as his day is distant from ours. Federal Unions have been successful as experiments; oin-s is a necessity. We have been coming to a dead lock. We have but 3S littlo K'^X"! 1'""' l''!^' Iliissldi' ol" [i.'iki'Siipciior, let iis oimmi up llii^ roimlry which, I say, Ihr Ninth West ('oinpaiiy nrvtr could have ownni, for irlnn thi'ij ohhiiin'il Ihrir eluntrr H hclonffd In France. I say our only hopi* of havhiu: ^Tcat citirs lirro liko Moulrcal, of U)\n^ ^nsit ship owners ami raiTit'i's of goods, of l»oingacom- mcrt'ial and uiarilinip power, is to unite tlie country from sea to sea, siMtle th(> vaHeys I have named, and hoist the I)ann(>r of Peace ami Free Trade with the world. We Imve water power in Canada worth more tha'i the coal llelds we hick, for lh(^ great quantity of coal n(*eded is to drive machin(>ry. I may just say that I hold in my hands letters I'ntm Hrilish Columhia shewing that they arc ripe and anxious for Federation, Free Trade, and Heciprocity,*a8 any party in Can.ula. lint the clock admonishes me that T must <"lose. Hut n)y young fri(Mids, soinul Christian iMlucation, sell-re liaiu'<>, self-help, nnitual improvement, and a determination to work, with soh(>r temperat(» hahils are the main requirements, the real working (Capital necessary to !.ring oiit the vast natural resources God has given us — that God without whom nothing is good, great, or successful. You have avowed yourselves Christian, yoii have pledged yo«rs(>lves to improv(MU(Mit, — go on impress(>d with a sense of your respousihility for fh(» future of this great country — your impress for good or evil will ho left upon iL Your habits of thought and action will make the character of your children; if you be sober, industrious, wise, and God-fearing, Gan.ada will bo prosperous, noble, and free, and stand as high for virtue and moral worth as she docs for beauty and strength. I said at the outset that I am not scientific, neither am I a poet, but I crave your permission to close in the language of one who is both a scholar and a poet : — Tell me not in mournful numbers Life is but Hn empty drettm, For ike soul is dead thai slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Li!e is real, life is earnest, AaH the grave is not its goat— •23 Cust thou nrt,t(> iliiMt ri'liirnfMl, Wan nut ipokun oClliu »oul. Nut fnjuyinvnt iiiid not aurruw, li our destined end or wny, But to livu tliiit t'ni-li io>murruw Finda im rurlhor tlinn to-dtty. Art iM lon^ and time im fli-ctiii;^, And unr lifnrt> though mIouI iind liriUf, tiltll like nmfllfd druiiiN nre liontinif Funeral inarclifH to the yinve. In the world'* l)rt>ml (ielil oClmlllo, In the bivuiiar o( lift', Be nut like dumb diivvn cnitle — Be u hero in the Mril'u. Trust no future, howe'cr plensnnl, Let the dead pa^t Iniry its dead ; Act, act in thu livinnr present, Heart within and Uud o'erhcad. Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And departing leave behind us Foot prints on the sands of time. Foot-prints that porhnpsnnotlier {^ailing o'er life's troubled main — Some forlorn and shipwrecked brother — Seeing, may lake lieiirt aguin. Let U8 then be up and doing With a heart for any