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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmsd 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 cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est film6 A partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ir. E H BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS '-% I I r /' c, ^ -^ ro ^OAT r ..--_ >=» rr — - - ■---- .-1 ^4W m' 1 i*. ^^AN-Jt 'y">r >. ^^.. R pe AC H rrl^JL J i •vrc* ^ I ^• •*>.. /" "^ j '"^ V •i. iT V. c 'a' FI ll b o H' t'"'^. ./^"■'•'^'i^.-^' ^-^. / "SSSfi .ic / «««>. «'* '-Mi .■sa.^ I ,■ i '. •vi ^ ./T i^\'' O htSTtOMLt^eALSTATIOM. X CM/r#- STATION. t >r/JI5r CLAW «rAn9M. « »n»M» CLASS STATISM, # rM/i*» «^a» STATIOM. O SUNSHIMS. SKETCH MAP >- Of THE SOUTHBim POtmON OP %'i^ JBISmrilSJII (DCDMTMBIIA / indicatinif CHIEF MEANS OP COMMUNICATION and AGRICULTURA L AND PASTORA L LOCALITIES DEPARTMENT OF LAIRDS AND WORKS VICTORIA 1897 CUILCO, t sr "/**" rif'"^* Na. / tPetrill 1/ rji^f -^,-fe% />^+-'-\^j I ■MMlfllMTttMr •Omn JQDMNSIM BWUMMTMiMI. SUfiV£rO/f UNSRAl, ^^^ =^^] f^^ qiAPMAN ll HALL LT, LONDON. -r-^-i^--^— r ^ ' ■ . I 1 ' ' ^^m^^^ n-rr- II i ii 7 - i»— - " ^- — i^ 1 .^'"'ir" L ESl." ' ^ ' " ^ — ' '**'"- " B ^^w. .. C saae. uwi i ■ ■ i ■■ "iF BKITISH COLUMBIA FOE SETTLEES ITS MINES, TEADE, AND AGEICULTURE BT FRANCES MACNAB AUTHOR OP "ON VELDT AND TARM," "RELICS," ETC. WITH THREE MAPS LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, ld. 1898 k3 166455 TO THE " TRAIL-BLAZERS," WHOM I MET ON MY TRAVELS, AND TO ALL WHO SMOOTHFD MY PATHS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, I DEDICATE THIS BOOK. / f I ] r r d ti a f( ti J 01 t] n tc la PREFACE. The reader must accept the following pages as a Rketch of the great work which might be written upon British Columbia were more time allowed for it. While it would be impossible to compress the whole of so large a subject into a book for the information of emigrants, it is hoped that, by breadth of treatment, some idea may be conveyed in a handy compass of both the inducements and drawbacks offered to careers in that Colony. I have to acknowledge the courtesy of Lord Strathcona for permission to reproduce the Government agricultural map of British Columbia and Mr. Ogilvy's map of the Klondyke. I am indebted to the C.P.R. for furnishing me with their map of Canada, and for assisting me to reproduce the other maps. These notes are the result of travels undertaken during the summer months of last year, and I have to thank the following gentlemen for the good advice, assistance, and encouragement given me in what I found to be an arduous, in fact, an almost impossible, task : — Colonel the Hon. James Baker, the Hon. J. Turner, Sir William van Home and the officials of the C.P.R., Charles Hosmer, Esq., Major "Dupont, the Eev. Dr. Eobertson, Messrs. Allan & Bros., the managers of the Bank of Montreal, and many friends, too numerous to be named, but whose kindness it is a lasting pleasure to remember. THE AUTHOR. South Weald, January 1, 1898. n CONTENTS, cnAPTBn I. Introductory II. Mines III. Trade IV. Agriculture ,., v. The Chinese VI. The Red Indians VII. Commencement op Itinerary VIII. From Ottawa to Winnipeg IX. From Winnipeg to Calgary X. Calgary to tue Rockies XI. The Rockies to Victoria ... XII. To tub Albkrvi Mines XIII. Alberni ... XIV. The Mines XV. The Rush to Klonpyke. Saimon Fisheries, SON Lake XVI. Chilliwack Jv V Xl« aOASSIZ ••• ••! ••• ••• XVIII. Vernon XIX. Eelowna and Coldstream ... XX. Grand Prairie to Trail XXI. ROSSLAND ... ... ... XXII. Grand Forks and Spokane XXIII. Nelson XXIV. Fort Steele by the Columbia Riveb . XXV. Cbanbrook — Conclusion Appendix PAOB 1 12 ... 28 ... 74 90 ... 104 119 ... 128 142 ... 154 174 ... 182 193 Harri- ... 207 220 ... 234 244 ... 255 267 ... 283 292 ... 311 319 • •• Ou«f ••• 353 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. CHAPTER I. INTROD UCTORY. The condition of British Columbia is one of gradual unfolding. There is no other word which will describe the process taking place in that country. The peculiar interest in the subject centres round inclinations pointing to certain conditions of industry, which possibly prevail nowhere else to the same extent. We are not watching the rapid rolling back of a long-closed scroll, finished and brought to perfection ages ago. It is not the case of patching new methods upon an old, effete, and yet glorious civilization. It is S'^'i^ething which is being born in our own day ; and, like the slow and original work of Nature, there follows a sequence of events — first the bud and then the leaf, the shoot, the flower. This generation may not gather the fruit or harvest the seed, but at least it will see a wholly new and distinct branch of life produced with all its hopefulness and promise. Under the two fur-trading companies — the Hudson's Bay and the North- West — who first exploited a territory which, considered geographically, is as large as Europe — this colony was merely a hunting- ^^round for fur-bearing animals. Gold washed from the sands of the Eraser river allured men from the coast fisheries and lumber trade, and brought into the country a race of brave and B '' BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. hardy pioneers. Then followed within a period of a few years two great gold rushes — that to Wild Horse Creek, at the foot of the Rockies across the American border ; the other to Cariboo, south indeed of Alaska, but considerably north of Kootenay. In the excitement of the chase for gold, the ol I fur- companies fell into the background — much as does a sheath which through winter and the storms of spring, protected the bud. To this day old wooden forts can be seen, surrounded with, and overbailt by, houses, shops, stores, and hotels. The names of the factors are immortalized by great rivers, and the largest store in most towns bears above the doorway the proud lettering, ** Hudson's Bay Company. Incorporated, 1647." But while the sealing industry is arrested and threatened with extinction, and fur-bearing animals are becoming more and more rare, the stores carry on a retail business in grocery, haberdashery, millinery, and upholstery. This change alone is remarkable in a country which was once considered the ultima thule of Canada. Two obstacles placed a check upon the development of British Columbia. The great double range of mountains which shut it off from the North- West territories, and the other range which formed a barrier along the coast, the only means of crossing which was by navigating in canoes treacherous and dangerous rivers, through dense forests, inhabited by savage tribes. Then ^ollowed the advent of the Canadian Pacific Railway, or, as it is called, the C.P.E., which was at that time reaching out to lay hold of commerce in the Orient, and based its hope of success on ide directness of the route it offered from Liverpool to Japan, China, and the South Seas. This great enterprise brought with it a trail of population which formed clusters at the section-points and timber-yards. The railway found work, it brought money, and then came the demand for fresh farm produce. That was a time of high prices for the produce -growers, and the Hudson Bay Company's factors, who had cultivated patches INTRODUCTORY, 3 of a few 10 Creek, L border ; ska, but 3 ol 1 fur- 3 does a f spring, ts can bo s, shops, tors are store in lettering, r." But reatened )ecoming business holstery. :y which jlopment ange of th-West barrier lich was kngerous e tribes. Pacific was at in the rectness China, brought sters at railway me the time of Eudson patches of land, or bought cattle, and pastured them on the ranches, reaped good retui'ns on theii enterprise. Hitherto the gold-mining operations had iuoen confined to that known as placer-mining and gold-washing. Picks, shovels, and pans are attractive implements to the poor; while placer-mining produces rich results with a rapidity impossible by other methods. The real source, however, to which British Columbia looks as the foundation of her future wealth, is the ore and gold-bearing quartz, of which many of her rocks are composed. The exploration of these mines is a very large industry, necessitating the support of a large population, which cannot dig out the gold and retreat, but must perforce settle in the country and build towns. Until recently, the cost of machinery and the intractable nature of the ore have been barriers against success in mining; but with the cheap transport of the railway, and the new methods lately discovered for treating ores, these difficulties are gradually vanishing; and more than one Johannesburg is growing up in British Columbia. Glancing backwards for a moment upon a scene which is already disappearing, we shall see a process typical of the present century. From an economical point of view, the development of the territory itself by the railway is still more interesting than the traffic from long haulages. That Montreal should require tea, Japan coal, and China wheat, is less remarkable than '. that towns should spring into being upon prairies, or amidst forests, almost simultaneously with the arrival of the railway. The construction of the line brought a small army of employees, and this population, which was not altogether transitory, encouraged others to I settle and devote themselves to gardening in the narrow valleys, and to herding cattle on the benches or foot- , hills of the mountains. This necessitated a certain % clearing of the land, the timber being frequently required I for the railway, or turned to account very cheaply in the mills erected upon the river. The land was cheap. BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR StJTTLERS. the life along the lino wao never isolated. There was the occasional excitement of a fresh gold discovery. Trapping and fishing, on which there was always a profit, offered a change from the monotony of existence ; and the railway, besides bringing mails and other comforts, ensured easy transport of lumber to the coast at all seasons of the year, independently of the freezing of rivers. The province was retrieved by the accident of a railway, which, in passing through it, aimed at connecting markets thousands of miles apart, while the actual wealth of the territory itself was a thing that no one dreamt of. It is scarcely wonderful that, with so many favourable circumstances, the people who settled in this country took life easily. So much was done for them by outside enterprise, and by sheer favour of the gods, that the tendency wad to live in the old groove and wait for another stroke of luck. What these people did not foresee was, that the advent of civilization enforced conditions for living and money-making which they would cither have to adopt, or by which they would be crushed. They believed that fur-trading would last, and also the high prices for agricultural produce; whereas the completion of the railway meant the reverse. With very few exceptions, people were startled to find that, after the railway came in, they were becoming poorer. Some made an effort to reduce their expenses. Others borrowed capital at an exorbitant rate of interest, to launch out in fresh business, with their land mort- gaged away under their feet. As the families grew up, the struggle to pay the intovest on money borrowed, in some instances to provide maintenance, rendered life intensely anxious. No margin whatever was left them to take advantage of the fresh opportunities for investment which the country afforded as it opened. This element in the population has held the country back, and still checks advance. Right along the southern border of British Columbia INTRODUCTORY. is the jiortbcrn boundary of the United States of America. Tbib means tbe juxtaposition of a people composed of tbe restless, dissatisfied fractions of many nations. They are a people prepared for anything, because tbey bavo nothing, and greedy to be rich; loving both wealth and the pursuit of wealth, till the value of everything is gauged by cents and dollars alone. British Columbia could find and had attracted the brave, hardy prospectors, men who faced the dilB- cu/. as of mountaineering in a country scantily supplied with food, and possessed of a severe climate. The Americans came in as promoters and mining brokerc, and companies were formed chiefly by capital which was drawn from the States, although it may originally have come from Great Britain. The British Columbians looked on in wonder and admiration at these people, who coolly risked thousands where they had to pinch themselves to collect a few hundreds. Moreover, they saw business handled in a manner they never conceived before. They saw energy, and along with it a tone of luxury which they envied. Then it was cot only for mining that the Americans came over the border. They were not slow to see the pomts where their own products might be traded at a good profit in a country which had no manufactures, where fruits were neither understood nor cared for, and where even the commonest fresh vegetables could scarcely be had. It was true the mines, in many instances, "hung fire " ; but as more and more capital was drawn into the country, the markets increased, and the Americans were ready to take advantage of every point.* Then, as railways became necessary, the Americans ran their lines over the border, bringing up supplies from Washington and Montana, and freighting down bags of ore to the smelters in the States. But * The duties paid on imports into British Columbia for 1895 include the following items : — Horned cattle, $365"00; horses, $400940 ; sheep, $10,628"20; bacon and hams, $11,435'25; potatoes, $7095*10; tomatoes, $347-17 ; condensed milk, $283318 ; hay, $351706. ^ jt -^ ^ - - « * ^ „ 6 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS, few of the mines, except those owned and worked by Americans, paid; so that the situation resolved itself into a loss to the British Columbians. They also lost, or buried for some years, their money in the mines, which money they had drawn in some instances from legitimate and prosperous business ; besides losing the markets for produce which the mining camps in Kootenay created, independently of the success or failure of the mines themselves. While the Canadian Pacific Eailway was fully occu- pied in working its way to the coast, and in establishing a connection with India, China, and Japan, a line of railway was run from Spokane to Nelson, thus pene- trating into the very heart of the mining district. Telephones to Rossland rapidly followed, and with the strong commercial organization at Spokane, and the improved methods of agriculture in Washington and Montana, it was soon far more than a mere boast on the part of America that British Columbia had lost her market. The import duties levied by Canada on American produce were no deterrent, and in spite of immense efforts among the farmers on the Lower Fraser and in Okanagan, and the starting of an experimental farm at Agassiz for the distribution of information, the farmers of British Columbia were unable to compete successfully. It was easier to send fruit from the Lower Fraser to the North- West than to Kootenay. The present time shows a decided awakening, not only on the part of British Columbia but of Canada in general. The North-West Provinces, Winnipeg, and even Montreal, have commenced to lay hold of the markets of Kootenay, and the branch of the C.P.R. at present under construction through the Crow's Nest pass, which it is hoped will reach Nelson before the autumn of 1898, will provide direct facilities for forwarding Canadian produce. There can be no doubt that, up to a certain point, the mining industry was advanced by American energy faster than it would have been had it been left to the ii^Hriri'AA '•A'l> INTEODUCTORT, British or Canadians themselves. The business was unquestionably extremely speculative — so far as the gold and copper ore were concerned. Experience soon showed that mining in British Columbia required a large outlay, while oven the most skilful American smelters found themselves baffled by the refractory ores of Bossland. The British emigrant who goes into the country now will find the chief interests in the mines about equally divided between Americans and Canadians, and for a few years longer the struggle will probably go on whether the Americans are to exploit the wealth of British Columbia or not. Much depends upon the in- flux of British capital directs % instead of following a circuitous route. More still dt nends upon the energy, determination, and intelligence of the men, whether Canadians or British, who go there to take their share in this part of our Empire. They must be capable of living as frugally as the Canadian, and of working as incessantly as the American. These features in the unfolding of British Columbia are at the present moment epitomized in the North and on the borders of Alaska. But there, in addition to other difficulties, we have a climate both inclement and pluvious, while rocks and bogs combine to render it inaccessible. The London Times speaks airily of the rush to the Klondyke as " one of the incidents which draw attention to our imperial interests in Canada," while a man at Seattle oretells with shrewd recognition of hard facts, that " It will be hell in two volumes, bound in calf." V/ithout any desire to check men going forward to lay hold of the best chances which may offer in the Klondyke, some warning is necessary of the dangers which certainly underly any chance of success. Not the least of these is the fact that the Americans have already appropriated considerable claims, and show every desire to exploit the territory for the benefit of Seattle, San Francisco, and Tacoma. No reference is 8 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS, made in tlioir advertisoments to the duties charged on American goods entering Canada. It is a positive gain to these merchant cities to send men there — provided they purchase goods from them, or from their stores estahlished in the country itself. The shipping com- panies and the C.P.B. share in the benefits, although these last — and especially the railway, are far more interested in attracting good settlers to develop British Columbia. It is with the object of thus drawing money into their own tills that everything has also been done by Victoria and Vancouver to promote and prolong the Klondyke boom. The merchants have been waiting for a market to come to them. It is comparatively easy and very cheap to advertise the Klondyke, seeing the difficulty the journalists of the country have in providing news. Therefore the utmost is made of every rich strike, and the excitement is kept up at fever pitch. But the story is a familiar one. History repeats itself, and human nature is but one air with variations. All gold rushes are manias akin to panic — and as men do wild things in bicycle-riding and lawn-tennis because these excitements become the rage, and one man drags another — so these gold rushes become the fashion of the hour in the country where they take place. As with all other fashions, they wear out and become forgotten. There is one peculiarity, however, about the rush to the Klondyke which is worth noting. Other rushes have been famous for the population which they attracted into the country. This gold rush will be remembered for the population it destroys. It will carry with it men who might have made good farmers, or traders, or miners, in British Columbia itself. Brave men, young men, strong men, will be enticed into the harsh conditions of a severe climate and scarcity of provisions, beyond the possibility of retreat. Some of them will die, but a good number will live to return with shattered constitutions. >V._i; INTRODUCTORT. 9 The booming of the Klondyke, the pretended anxiety to exploit its wealth, has thrown into iho Britisli market the prospectuses of companies which vxq trading con- cerns on the Yukon and the district known as Klondyke ; but even these are too wise to depend solely on the Klondyke, and also own properties in British Columbia. The Klondyke has merely been used by them as a decoy to catch the ear of the public. They are fully aware of the eminent uncertainty in the gold strikes in Klondyke. But beyond the actual sale of groceries, etc., and the chances for advertisement, there is another reason for prolonging the Klondyke boom. It is the hope of inducing men who hold good prospects in the Koo- tenays to sell them for less than their value, in order that they may raise the capital to go to the Klondyke. Each man fancies that he will do heroic things in the Klondyke. Whoever else fails, he will succeed ; and ho burns day and night to show himself, or his luck, as a light before men. It is so easy to cajole and flatter a man on his pet hobby. Yet men may be successful prospectors in British Columbia who would fail in the Klondyke. It is the flattery of the fox to the crow concerning her voice — when she held the piece of cheese in her beak. Yet there are few among the old " trail blazers " — who are not ready, even for the sake of the hardships, to go to the Klondyke. To these men the money made is of far less consequence than the adventure. They know exactly how to proceed, and their powers of endurance having been tested, they are not likely to give way. These men are a totally different race from the city clerks, or farmers. The road to success in life which lies before every man consists in his doing his best at th vork for which he is naturally fitted and thoroughly trained. It is part of the common British ignorance of things colonial to believe that any man can succeed out there at anything he tries. In point of fact, the same rule applies there as here, and men -'vJjii-'.i« ■;-^.jej|ii^. WM ( I 10 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. require as special a training for colonial life as they do for the army ; but the fact is, that we do train the boys before we put them into the army, whereas we send boys to the colonies whose training has been in many respects positively the reverse of what it should have been. Another feature of interest in British Columbia is, that while she is part of the Empire of Great Britain, her position is similar to that of the Southern States of America or California, inasmuch as there is a sudden enormous increase of wealth in a country whose con- stitution is scarcely hatched — whose system of adminis- tration is half-fledged, and whose laws hay to be framed without the light of previous experience. There is, of course, always the outline of the con- stitution and the model of British laws to fall back upon. But both the outlines and the details must be expanded and changed to allow the admission of wholly new elements ; nor can the experience of older states offer much assistance in solving the political and economic problems relating to highly advanced com- merce which invariably shows a determination of establishing and creating a code for itself. Is the future of British Columbia to be, as some say, ** merely a valuable asset to Canada, as offering handy markets for the North- West " ? Will the merchants of Victoria and Vancouver be content to share with the States the trade in the mining cuntres, and see the stable rural population crushed out ? Will British Columbia be the dumping-ground for the products of America worked up into manufactures by aliens to the Empire ? Or will capital and intelligence be found equal to securing the full result of her productiveness to this British colony herself? That Canada is alive to part at least of the situation, may be inferred from her recent movement towards Free Trade within the Empire. But there are still ultimate questions relating to the maintenance and equilibrium of trade which have hitherto appeared to apply only in Great Britain. Is it possible to develop INTRODUCTORY. 11 a paying business in raw products ? Is an agricultural population worth having; or is it good enough for a province to exist, with its towns fed and provisioned from elsewhere ? Time was when Vancouver Island, as a Crown colony, regarded Itnelf as the candlestick in which burnt the light of Tritish administration. The mainland was hardly worth a thought, and still to-day the island people are incredulous that mainland cities should be as important as Victoria. Have they not the Govern- ment Buildings in Victoria ? But the problems clamouring for attention throughout British Columbia are those of the most modern con- ditions of trade, although the country is still in its infancy, and the land has not yet passed through the hands of the first generation of farmers ; while much of it is in the same state as was Great Britain when the Komans colonized it. The spring of life so long delayed has come with a rush, and the country which has been long laid by — hidden behind its mountains, and overgrown by its forests — will receive a people who must hammer out a constitution suitable to the nation's precise needs. It is an opportunity which we shall doubtless see embraced by men who can feel that their country's welfare is more to them than the pursuit or accumulation of wealth, or the mere exercise of power. ^» k ' i I ; CHAPTER II. MINES. Mineral wealth is so lavishly distributed in British Columbia that it is difficult to point to localities which are entirely destitute of mining prospects. In We&t Kootenay the most pronounced development has taken place. The methods in general use there are those likely to preveil elsewhere; and at present the mines of Rossland, Nelson, Slocan, and Sandon form the principal markets for other industries. The develop- ment has been largely assisted by the great waterways of lakes and navigable rivers, and by the railway which has for some time connected Northport and Spokane with Rossland and Nelson, beside the other short line which brings up supplies and takes down ore between Sandon and Kaslo. In Cariboo, and beyond in Cassiar, there is wealth untold which has scarcely been touched. In Lilloet there are free-milling quartz mines, one of which, the Gold Cash, has already paid a dividend. In the Boundary Creek district, there are mountains of almost pure ore. Along the Hope trail to the coast, and in East Kootenay, between the Rockies and Selkirks, copper, silver, gold, and lead are only waiting for the railway and the smelter. In Vancouver Island, where mining was for many years solely occupied with the coal of Comox and Nanaimo, free-milling quartz of high grade has recently MINES. 13 been discovered. Nor must the large deposits of coal in the Crow's Nest Pass, and the oil wells in Cassiar, be omitted, especially because, affording as they do a cheap basis for working precious metals, their value ranks as an asset to other mines which would not pay without them. The geological formation of the country is a subject upon which the present writer is not qualified to enter. But it will be of use to the reader to remember that ore apart from quartz is gold mixed with other matter, such as copper, iron or silver, or else silver mixed with lead, antimony, copper, or galena. The fluxes used in smelting are introduced to get rid of the sulphur, arsenic, ii'on, etc., while the process of smelting itself separates the quartz or rock which floats away from the minerals when both are liquefied by intense heat. The whole subject is extremely fascinating ; introducing as it does what may be termed the chemistry of mining brought to great perfection. Just at the present time the whole question of the mines rests upon ways and means — transport and treatment. Then follows the important item which has not been ascertained — the depth to which the mines may be sunk. In some cases the gold is a deposit upon the surface of the rock, in others the veins grow richer as they descend ; in some they pinch out altogether ; or, again, the nature or kind of mineral may change : gold in some cases disappearing and copper taking its place. Instances are not uncommon of prospects showing very high assays of gold upon the surface, owing to the oxidizing of the iron, which carries it, under the action of air and moisture — the base metal is slowly washed away leaving the gold. This is particularly the case in free-milling mines, and is a form of natural concen- tration. Hitherto the silver mines have made by far the largest returns, and the ore in them varies less than in the gold mines. They appear to have been formed by metal boiling up from below, and if rich on the surface, tend to 3«yrr3srr=3ai^n^P 14 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. \,l become richer lower down. The volcano which formed them has jven thrown out wire-silver, or pure native silver ; and in the Payne Mine, Slocan Star, and Reco, silver ore, of such very high grade as to be almost pure silver, has been found in quantities. One distinct obstacle to the success of mines in British Columbia has been the novel nature of the necessary treatment. The British public was unwilling to invest money in the exploitation of ores the method of treating which was only in the experimental stage. Some mines were opened only to be closed again, because the ore was so hard or so expensive to treat, and the capital which started them had been wasted upon unsuitable machinery. Quartz mills and cyanide plants sufficed for the Eandt, and flumes for placer mines, and these things the British public understood. Diggings in California and Australia, and washing in the Fras'er Eiver were also comprehensible ; but a mystery overhung the British Columbia mines, and for some time no process seemed able to treat ores worked from a certain depth and brought from certain mines. The Americans must be given credit for having achieved the latest triumph in smelting, and of having discovered the precise fluxes and methods by which the most refractory ores in this country can be treated successfully and economically. Another reason which has deterred British capital from coming into the country has been the utter failure of certain properties to carry out the good things promised for them. Though the vast mineral wealth of the country as a whole is indisputable, yet there are tracts which are mer prairie land, and mountains which will never produce anything but pine forests. Besides districts entirely barren of minerals, there are "showings" — to use a prospector's term — which have never been proved to go any depth, and "prospects" which have nothing beneath them. It should be an emphatic rule that no mineral claim should be bought as a mine upon its surface showings, MINES. 15 however good they may be. Even if a hole has been dug of ten or twelve feet deep and five feet in diameter, the claim is nothing but a surface showing ; and all it is worth is the ore or quartz actually in sight. This rule should hold good upon all purchases of mining property : that the price given should never exceed the value of the ore in sight. It has been estimated by a man well versed in mining affairs that $25,000 to $100,000* must be spent upon a property before the stage can be reached at which it passed from a prospect to a mine. For that sum about four or five thousand feet of tunnelling f and shafting should have been done, to follow and gauge the value of the veins or deposits ; and some estimate will be fairly made of the actual worth of the property. These figures must be taken somewhat loosely, owing to the cost of develop- ment work varying in different localities. The advice given in the Fort Steele district by a leading mining expert is worth quoting, that milling ore should not be touched in that neighbourhood (viz. that it is not worth its development work) which assays less than $4 a ton on the surface, and smelting ore less than $40. It also serves to indicate the relative cost of the two methods, and accounts for the failures which have marked the initial stage of smelting mines in this country. It also indicates the fallacy of supposing that any prospect is good enough to buy in British Columbia. The assay values of properties are also apt to be misleading. In a vein there is often considerable variety in the quality of the quartz or ore. It is the man who means to sell the mine who picks the piece of ore which is assayed; and he will be sure to select it from the richest part of the true vein or pay streak, and yet it * The dollar ia worth ou exchange about four shilllDgs and a penny in English money. t " Shafting " is sinking from the summit or ridge. " Tunnelling " is boring into the side of the mountain to cut the vein horizontally. It is a cheaper method than sinking. ssar: aBRf J'i 16 BItr>ISE COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. 'Ill I will be taken as representative of the mine. The Americans seek less for high assay values, and are more anxious for large bodies of ore than either British or Canadians. A large body of low grade ore can be operated more cheaply than a narrow vein, which is often difficult and expensive to expose, owing to the large amount of stuff to be moved, and practically impossible to estimate in bulk. This fact stamps the deceitfulness of high assay values as to the worth of mines. Purchasers should be satisfied with nothing less than bulk assays, and should in no case trust to samples coming through the hands of the vendor's expert. Yet another reason why British Columbian mines have ** hung fire " is that, probably owing to violent volcanic action, the mineral deposit is very frequently " patchy," or " pockety," and the veins are broken and disconnected. It is no uncommon case to find the corresponding strata of a mountain on opposite sides of a wide valley. Some upheaval split the rock and set it up edgeways — perhaps a mile apart. A river first formed by melting snow or ice commenced to trickle between the rocks, and carried away with it the gold precipit formed by oxidized iron wherever the rift left the mineral deposit exposed to the air. The vein or deposit of ore must necessarily be broken, and is not infrequently found on the two opposite sides of the valley, or on different parts of the same mountain. But apart from the natural causes, something must be ascribed to positively dishonest management, and also for mis-management. Though companies formed in London may buy properties which are worthless, they may also find money to develop good properties ; and this money, instead of going into the mine, will find its way into the pockets of the promoters. We will deal with mis-management. To illustrate this, we will suppose the following history of a mine :— MINES. 17 Paid for mino Capitalized ai< Treasury stock sold 100,000, realizing Expended in mine on development Dollars. 25,000 1,000,000 25,000 25,000 The balance of 900,000 shares the directors keep to recoup themselves for the original cost of the mine. The $25,000 becoming expended, the directors go to capitalists elsewhere, and sell 500,000 shares for less than $50,000, and give up the concern. Had they managed with business perspective, they would have kept 100,000 shares to recoup themselves, and the entire remainder would have been put into the mine ; for there was no doubt as to the value of the property. The case, we take it, is simply one of exhausted capital, and consequent inability to conduct the business further. Not unfrequently, mines thrown up like this become, under better management, payable properties of considerable value. The story is of a very common kind, and does not give an extreme case. Something, we maintain, was actually paid for the mine, and $25,000 were actually put into it. There are, however, cases in British Columbia quite fit to rank on a par with the well-known Glasgow pig-iron companies — which were formed and reformed without touching the iron, and over which many fortunes were lost, and one or two made (which is still more regrettable). Another difficulty under which Colonial undertakings labour is a management located in London, which insists upon interfering in matters which it does not even remotely understand. There is an instance at the present time of a London Company whose directors meet regularly — yet owing to the initial stage of the mine not being passed, and to the geographical position of the property, no work can be done there at the season when the river freezes. The directors own amongst them a man who studies mining engineering m books, and has theories which he propounds to the managers in c ); t I ■f i 18 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLEBS, British Columbia in long letters, as ho wishes to have them tried upon this particular mine. He has never seen the property; in fact, he has never been in the country. Yet another and kindred difficulty is the London promotors' high profits. Upon this subject the history of the War Eagle Mine offers a case in point. The purchase price of a mine is reckoned at the value of the amount of ore in sight, which is supposed to cover the purchase price, whatever it may be. The War Eagle was bonded in Canada at £160,000. By the time it reached London it was £200,000 ; and the promoters offered it to the public at £400,000. It was not sold then, but was ultimately bought by a Toronto firm for £160,000. The mine has since become one of the great successes of Eossland ; the shaft has been sunk to 600 feet, and the ore is richer at that depth than upon the surface. The War Eagle must be reckoned as a pioneer mine, and has necessarily had much to contend with. It has had, in common with the Le Roi, to weather, in its critical infancy, the disadvantages of costly transport and very heavy smelting cnarges. It is thought by some people that as the shaft descends it will become richer in gold. Others aver that it will cease altogether as a gold mine, and produce only copper. An expert has given his opinion that at a certain depth the value of the ore- will either increase very considerably or " peter out " entirely. It is also said that no mine in this district can be worked lower than 4000 feet, owing to the high temperature, and possibly not to that depth. There are rumours of syndicates being formed to acquire large holdings. This practice will not promote the best interest of the country. At all events, the question of management and the possibilities offered to stock-jobbing are of absorbing importance. There are many ways of making money which are both quicker and less troublesome than mining. Companies will no doubt be floated by British capital in fully -paid scrip largely ** watered." There will be the MINES. 19 3 to have las never ?*! in the London le history int. The lue of the to cover rar Eagle e time it )romoter8 J not sold 5 firm for the great ik to 600 upon the a pioneer end with, eather, in transport ought by 11 become altogether Xpert has lue of the eter out" strict can the high ormed to promote (rents, the offered to There are quicker 3h capital rill be the promoters' pockets and directors' fees * to reckon with ; and the residue, if any, will go to working the mine. Every time that a " big strike " or a good " clean up " in other mines causes a boom in the markets, these sham concerns will profit by the boom and rise. They can be easily depressed again by a bad report from their own manager, and persons prepared for this will be able to buy back again at a low figure, and wait for the next boom. The property may really be valuable, and yet not a dollar be taken out of it ; and if a dividend is declared to encourage investors, it will be paid out of money actually subscribed by themselves. There are between two and three hundred mining properties in the immediate vicinity of Kossland, in- cluding the Le Roi, Centre Star, Monte Cristo, and the War Eagle, all of which show considerable development ; and to give an idea of the inflated statements some- times made to the British public, it is useful to know that one company largely interested in furnishing information to intending investors in the home market, * llie following may be instanced as a fair account of mining directors' fees and expenditure under the English plan : — To Expenses at : Wages Mine Manager's Salary Timber Water Cartage Horse Hire Rents of Leases Telegrams, Stamps, etc. Office Rent General Expenses To Expenses in London : Rent, Salaries, etc. . Directors' Fees ... Telegrams, Stamps, etc Stationery and Printin Interest General Expenses • . * £ 8. d. 1^34 500 218 15 5 421 6 6 8 4 08 7 6 48 55 14 ;{ 44 11 'dij 6 3 383 6 8 1,050 64 14 7 51 11 25 4 2 163 11 8. d. 2,495 1 3 1,737 7 3 £4,232 8 6 t M 20 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLEIiS. announced publicly that five of their properties would be richer than the whole of Kossland put together. Yet not one of the properties v/as sufficiently developed to justify such an exaggerated statement. Such bravado has been aptly described as *' hunting geese with a brass band." The lines upon which mining business usually works in British Columbia is as follows : In the first instance, the prospectors go out into the hills, and hunt for indications of mineral deposit. They return sometimes empty-handed — or, if not, with specimens of quartz or ore for the assayer, and to register with the Govern- ment official the strips of territory or land where they have discovered payable ore or quartz. These claims are afterwards bought, generally speaking, by a man who acts as broker or agent for several others. He buys the claim (or claims) as cheaply as he can, and, being a broker, he looks to make a profit upon the sale. He sells it to the company formed by the other men, for all the stock. In this way he renders the stock fully paid, and the company cannot be assessed for any sum. If it were assessable, and i'ell into debt at any time, the creditors would call up the unpaid amount. By this arrangement with the broker, the books of the company show that the stock is fully paid and unassessable. The broker next offers to give the company the proceeds from the sale of one-fourth, or it may be, one-half of the stock called treasury shares — or trust shares. The balance of the stock is called promoters' shares, and these are divided amongst those who have assisted him to buy the mine, keeping a certain number for himself — all which is done upon arrangements made prior to entering upon the business. The promoters next agree to pool their shares — and those who manage a concern of this kind properly will see that all the promoters* shares are pooled until the treasury stock is sold. By this means no individual shareholder can get out of the business leaving the treasury stock unsold. The money raised by the sale of the treasury stock goes to develop MINES, 21 the prospect. When the mine is at last proved, and more capital is required, if the company has no more of the treasury shares left, they must fall back on the promoters' shares. The choice is left them of selling the mine " right away," and dividing the proceeds, or they can sell an interest by surrendering a portion of their promoters' shares for working capital at a fixed figure. This last offers a very fair opportunity for the introduction of British capital. The original company remains in possession of the mine, and having the largest share, is certain to carry out the development of the property. It has its head-quarters upon the spot — for companies which hold their oflQccs at Montreal, or Vancouver, are as useless as if they were in London. They can appoint, if necessary, an authorized agent in London to transfer shares, but the actual company would be upon the spot in British Columbia. There is a British Columbian branch on the London Stock Exchange, which was opened during the summer of 1897 ; but those who avail themselves of this exchange to sell treasury shares will have to pay a tolerably high registration fee. Another disadvantage in transacting business is the want of confidence which exists between the British Columbian mine-owners and the London stockbrokers. There is considerable difference of opinion as to the merits of working a mine upon the British or American plan. The British engineer has a more finished, elaborate, and consequently, more costly method. He uses what may be termed complete apparatus from the very commencement, and if the mine fulfils its promises and does not disappoint the expectations of the experts who examined it in its early stages, his methods will in the long run prove the most economical. But he requires very large capital to start with, and remembering that the initial cost in British Columbia must always be high, the raising of sufficient capital to commence and con- tinue mining may prove beyond the powers of his company. There is no doubt that heavy capital increases — rr'^^ f , i[ I. 09 BItlTISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLES 8. the epeculativo clement in the business, for the mine may not turn out to bo sufficiently rich to justify the outlay — although it would have made good returns upon smaller capital. The American, on the other hand, works as cheaply as possible. He wastes or casts aside ore which require machinery. He works with as few men as possible, and without clerks, or mine-managers — putting in one man with a pick, to dig out the pay streak, and then, as returns come in, another man, and when he can afford it, a third ; but from the very first ho takes care that the mine pays for its labour. After the pay streak hap been dug out and exposed, and the ore shipped till it is certain that the property is valuable, the manage- ment will be changed. British mismanagement takes various forms, and the following story illustrates the injury which may be done by too good a plant. There was a mine into which $160,000 had been put, and lost. The busines*» utterly failed to show a return ; and at last it could not meet its working expenses. Latterly, the miners' wages had not been paid, therefore the men asked to be allowed to try and recover them by working the mine themselves for two years. They put aside all the expensive machinery except the stamps and the plates. The company had paid these men $2 a day, but, working the mine for themselves, they paid themselves out of the proceeds $5 a day for two years. The American's method is less speculative than is generally supposed. The aim is to reach results by the cheapest possible methods. It is an incontestable fact that Americans will produce results while the British, with their more elaborate system, are "fooling around" outside. The Englishman, in his anxiety to save low-grade ore, endeavours to treat it — whereas the American casts aside all but the pay streak until he sees the way clear before him. By the time he has made his profit out of the pay streak, the local conditions of the mine may be changed by the erection of a smelter, or the advent m. MINES. 23 of a railway which will enable him to procure machinery, and get his ores treated cheaply. Though much may be said in favour of the initial working of British Columbian mines upon the American plan, some stress must be laid upon the fact that it is only in the early stage that such a wasteful, cheap, and careless method can be tolerated. There are mines which have been slowly and steadily proving themselves, and whose value has been tested by capable and trust- worthy men. These properties are worthy of furthe** outlay and the most thorough development in the best English style. It is apt to be forgotten that gold has a price, and that the profit on it is over and above the cost of pro- duction. The great lesson of British Columbia to miners in general is to count the cost beforehand. Once again the Klondyke i/ill emphasize this fact. In reading the reports of the dollars' -worth brought down from that country, not a word is said about the dollars which were "planked down "by some one before the man could get into the country. The treatment of ores by smelting is one of the gravest and most interesting problems in British Co- lumbia. Hitherto the cost has been so great that only high-grade ores could be mined to pay. The North Star Mine * has placed the cost of treatment $17 the ton. The War Eagle and Le Eoi paid until recently $13 to the ton. The North Star Mine is now awai+^'ng the completion of the railway, while the War Eagie, having sufficient capital in hand, is storing or banking its ore until the new arrangement is effected of a smelter at Nelson, on the Columbia Biver, supplied with coke through the Crow's Nest Pass. Then it is believed that the cost of output at the War Eagle will be as follows : — Dollars. Coat of Bmelting 5.00 per ton. mining 2.00 „ >• f«« ••• ••• \),oO •• freight Total 7.50 ♦ A silver mine in Eaat Kootenay, near Fort Steele, "\'ii^4>i'' ^ m^- wr* JWW»*-. 75 n Wi 24 BBITISE COLUMBIA FOR SETTLEB8. The original charge of smelting, upon which the Trail smelter was huilt, in agreement with the Le Eoi Mine, was as follows : — Cost of smoltiug „ freight .. Total Dollars. 9 per toD. 2 „ 11 The agreement was at this rate for 75,000 tons of ore. The charge made by the Trail smelter upon other mines was two per cent, of the assay value of gold, ninety-five per cent, on silver upon the New Yor]'. quotation on day of shipment, and half the actual value of copper. Over and above these charges, the cost of freight was two dollars a ton upon the Trail railway. Low-grade ores, averaging $10 to $15 a ton, have been severely handicapped by these rates. Such charges also increase the speculative element in mining, which is undesirable, as in many instances only the pay streak — a narrow and uncertain feature — could be made to pay ; whereas, under cheaper management, large bodies of low-grade ore will be treated economically, and afford certain profits. The Le Koi Mine has continued shipping ore to the Trail smelter, in discharge of its obligation to ship 75,000 tons ; but the company is constructing a smelter at Northport, in America. There may, some day, be objections to the shipping of ore across the border, and difficulties may arise of a fiscal nature. The present owners of the Le Roi are Americans. Besides the restrictions already stated, as agreed upon and arranged by the C.P.R. for freighting and smelting ores, there is a scheme on foot, initiated by a clever young Scottish engineer, for bringing electric power into the mines in Rossland. A cheap supply of electricity in the case of mining refractory ores would be of immense assistance. It is believed in some quarters that the cost of mining will be reduced as much as Qi ton bj' this introduQtion of electrical power. >'. MINES. 25 i the Trail [loi Mine, ID. ms of ore. her mines linety-five on on day ler. Over ; was two ton, liave IS. Such in mining, ly the pay i be made ent, large ically, and )re to the 1 to ship ructing a aay, some cross the 1,1 nature. ns. reed upon smelting a clever )ower into slectricity lid be of quarters ich as Although smelting in itself is a profitable business, it would be very unwise for English syndicates to be formed for the purpose. The smelter at Nelson is backed by the mines belonging to the company, which are the richest in the country ; but with a capacity for 250 tons per diem, and a large refinery plant, this well- equipped concern could treat more ore than it obtains at present. Smelting is a business which will probably never be worked singly, but in conjunction with mines, or railways, or other business, upon which it is more or less dependent. In order to work a smelter cheaply, water-power is desirable, if not essential, for blast-furnaces and crushers, and also for electrical plant. Cheap fuel is indispensable — charcoal and coke being preferred to any other. The next essential is to be within easy reach of fluxes, the principal of which is limestone, though silica is used for iron and copper ores. T^here are, connected with smelting, some as yet unsolved problems relating to by-products, in themselves necessitating factories or refineries for further treatment. It will be easily seen that smelting is just an instance of aii intermediatory business, which the main business — gold production — will always endeavour to cheapen. In fact, there will be a constant struggle to " cut rates." Any invention or discovery likely to cheapen the cost of smelting will be eagerly welcomed, and certain to be taken advantage of promptly. Whatever is barely necessary for working blast-furnace or smelter, British Columbia amply provides, as though Nature predestined the country to its present fate. The one thing needful is communication which shall bring the several parts of the puzzle to a common centre, together with strict economy in methods. It is a difficult task to convey an idea of the actual value of any business by mere figures. Yet it is impossible to close this chapter without some reference to the returns from the different mines. Hitherto silver has been most profitable; owing partly to the 26 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS, I i- f \\i comparative cheapness of the work, and partly to the peculiar richness of the best properties. It is said, with truth, that "silver pays from tue grass roots"; by which is implied the fact that the mines are rich upon the very surface of the ground, and generally continue to be so as far as they have been exploited. These successful mines are principally in American hands, and, with the exception of the Hall mines, the ore ifa shipped to America.. The Hall smelter does not work in the wet ores of galena silver and lead common in the Sandon districts, but with the refractory ores containing a mixture of copper, iron, and gold, which are far more difficult to treat. This smelter is said to have made in one year £50,000 ; the Slocan Star (silver mine), £60,000 ; the Payne (silver mine), £50,000. The ore in the Le Eoi (gold, copper, silver) is said to be worth, at its best, as much as £20 a ton. Such statements, however, must be regarded with caution. These concerns are the prize-winners amongst many failures. Because there are some very rich pro- l)erties in British Columbia, it does not follow that half the claims pegged out will ever be worth so much as the initial development necessary to prove their value. Caution in proceeding in the first instance is absolutely essential. It is regrettable that mining, especially where gold is concerned, kindles an enthusiasm which amounts almost to insanity. So long as gold is obtained, the cost of obtaining it is forgotten ; more especially when the cost comes out of the pockets of people who are some distance off. The men actually in the business may not be as rich as they appear, for the money made in one mine is very often thrown away in another. It may reasonably be questioned whether gold-mining is not, after all, more valuable as a means of attracting men to new countries, of circulating money, and creating markets, than profitable as an industry to those most deeply concerned. In conclusion, the last point to be dwelt upon is perhaps the most important of all. It is, that mining " msz '4eu^ partly to the It is Baid, rass roots"; nes are rich nd generally exploited. in American 11 mines, the ter does not ead common ractory ores gold, which elter is said Slocan Star ilver mine), )pper, silver) £20 a ton. garded with lers amongst 3ry rich pro- pw that half so much as their value. s absolutely ;, especially siasm which as gold is itten ; more ) pockets of len actually appear, for irown away ed whether as a means circulating ;able as an It upon is ;hat mining MINES. 27 is essentially a business for which a man requires special training and knowledge. Any attempt at amateur dabbling is to be deprecated. The best method by which money can be safely invested is by the advice of men whose character is well established, and \,liose experience has been tested, and who are known to be above the tricks of newspapers, promoters, or stock-jobbers. Such persons are unfortunately rare ; but if the industry is to proceed at all, they must bo produced. Meanwhile, there are three sayings common in British Columbia. The first is, " The (/old is where you find it*' * — signifying the great uncertainty attaching to mining operations, the long search and hope deferred, and the hardships which have to bo endured before the results are crowned with success. The second refers to a class of people who exist chiefly in the bucket-shops at home, and are spoken of as "men ivho mine the public'' — which implies that the profits returned and the wealth made by some companies came out of the pockets of the British investors. The third saying refers to the danger of listening to corrupt persons who impose upon the ignorance of others, and especially upon the "tenderfoot " from homo. It speaks for itself, requires no comment, and provides the last piece of warning I would give : " There is a liar — a damned liar — and a mining expert/' * In CornwoU, tho saying is, " Where it ia— there it is. ■s wr^ ji I iiV i p 11 CHAPTER III. TRADE. The manner of trading in British Columbia cannot be treated independently of some reference to the system of banking, yet the business of banking is so complete a study in itself that it would be impossible to enter upon it in so small a space as the present volume affords. Certain facts more or less generally known it will, how- ever, be necessary to state, on which to base a slight account of general trade. The banking system of Canada is the admiration of America, and one of the best systems in the world. It has been built up by legislative enactment and commercial enterprise during the last eighty years, and its success should go to prove that Canadians possess a rare gift of finance than which no surer foundation can be desired for the future greatness of a people. A remarkable feature in the system is its provision for the circulation of currency throughout Canada. And no better proof of its intelligent grasp upon comruerce could be desired than the satisfactory results of its introduc- tion in Nova Scotia, when that territory had brought itself to ruin ; and the partial restoration effected by the introduction through branches of the established methods of the Canadian parent banks. The leading bank in Canada is the Bank of Montreal, which stands fifth among the banks of the world. The following facts, drawn from the report for 1897, will be an indication of the strength of this bank's position : — ^1 TRADE. 29 Capital Beserve U.idivided profits Public deposits Notes in circulation Market price of stock Dividend, ten per cent, per annum. Dollars. 12,000,000 0,000,000 88,690,998 40,000,000 456,338,600 230 The Bank of Commerce is another large bank of very strong position. The Bank of Toronto and the Dominion Bank of Canada are also very large concerns, but it is sufficient for the present purpose to cite the Bank of Montreal. So far as trade in general is concerned, the chief feature in Canadian banking is that the banks work by branches, and the credit of these branches is as good as the credit of the bank. In this way money can be borrowed at a cheap rate throughout the Dominion on good security. What this means in a semi-civilized country such as British Columbia, where money is fre- quently required in almost inaccessible places, can hardly be imagined by people who only know Europe. In the States the banks have no branches ; banking is there carried on by a number of single banks and agencies. Small banks arise which people are almost compelled to make use of, though they are practically irresponsible. Not only do they charge exorbitant interest, but they fail, and vanish off the scene, with alarming frequency. Possibly it is due to the high rate of interest charged by banks in the States that the savings of Canada go there for investment. In Kansas money is sometimes loaned by banks at three per cent, for the month. The Monetary Times for October, 1897, has this passage in an article on banking returns : — •' The increased extent to which our banks are making advances in the United States is a feature of the return. Business is active over there, and they are using $27,000,000 of our money, where a year ago they only employed $15,000,000." 80 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. ! ' '1 M This is, nevertheless, an extraordinary fact, considering the many good investments in Canada, and the way in which British Columbia has been exploited by American capital. It may possibly be accounted for because the Americans are very quick in getting returns on money invested, and it is beginning to be commonly recognized that mines are often some years before they begin to make returns ; and that money should not bo invested in them which is likely to be wanted at short notice. Still, the opportunities for investment in Canada are exceptional, not only in mines, but in highly lucrative and perfectly safe businesses such as the deep-sea fish- eries, and in factories associated with by-products, and agricultural produce. A very broad distinction is made in Canada at the present time between wholesale and retail trade. It is practically impossible for a wholesale merchant or shipper ever to become a retail tradesman. The business is worked by an army of commercial travellers, ten thousand of whom, it is said, are employed in Canada, besides those that come over from the States. So much importance is attached to travelling that it is not un- usual for the head of a firm to travel himself. There are five distinct travellers' associations formed with the object of issuing qualification certificates, reducing rail- way fares, and providing insurance against loss by illness. The largest of these clubs is at Toronto, and is credited with having accumulated an enormous reserve fund. Sometimes the travellers are paid on commission, but a good percentage of the older men have independent salaries besides commissions. There has been a very great increase of travelling during the last fifteen years, and the probability is that this increase will continue. Twenty years ago, the whole- sale-grocer firms of Ontario would send their men over the ground once in three months, where now they send them once in two weeks. This increase is traceable to competition. Orders on wholesale houses are smallerand more frequent : the fluctuation of prices rendering the RS. TRADE. 31 considering the way in y American )ecause the J on money recognized )y begin to bo invested t notice. Canada are ly lucrative ep-sea fish- oducts, and lada at the rade. It is lerchant or 'he business ivellers, ten in Canada, So much is not un- elf. There d with the ucing rail- Is by illness, is credited erve fund, ission, but dependent travelling |lity is that 1 the whole- men over they send iceable to lalleraud lering the retailers timid about giving largo orders, lest they should be left with a large stock on their hands, purchased at too high a price to be sold at a profit on the sudden fall in retail prices. This change is not otherwise than beneficial, as it enables capital to be turned over more rapidly. But there is a new element indicating itself which marks a change. Tha obvious trend of commerce in general is towards large general stores, and probably this is because large concerns possess the ability to throw off stocks on hand rapidly. The capital required for a large retail store, and the enormous business en- tailed in its management, offering as it does every possi- bility for selection, is certain eventually to render them independent concerns. Many, if not all of them, will treat with the manufacturers themselves through the medium of travellers; becoming thus shippers and wholesale merchants themselves. What is of far more importance than is commonly supposed to trade mtijaged on these principles is a good faculty for buying. The good buyer must know to a fraction where he can buy best and most cheaply. There may be one house in Ontario where he can get coffee of exactly the class required for his trade at ten cents a pound cheaper than elsewhere, and though this may appear at first sight an easy matter, it is less so in reality when the number of houses are considered. If we take the matter of canned salmon, it is a puzzle of no common difficulty to get a grasp of the working of even the best forty canneries. Then, business relations sometimes tie men's hands in respect of their dealings; and, lastly, there are the considerations of railways and their freights. The retail tradesman is sometimes used as a medium for advertisement, but as a rule he is at the other end of the column. The producer of a new article or commodity usually starts by printed advertisements. Perhaps for the first week he merely pastes up the name of fain article. Samuel's Soap becomes in this way familiar •v^- be public at least in sound, and is credited with an r77T 32 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. ■ ' V il \ importance and usefulness which it may not really possess. Then he sends round a few samples with printed recommendations, till the whole town has seen something of it, and perhaps even handled it. The next point is to get the commercial travellers to take it with them on their rounds, and recommend it to country retailers along with their sardines, cocoas, and tobaccos. The commercial traveller is not averse to carrying some- thing which is smartly got up, and easy to talk about. The retailer likes to have something fresh to put about in his shop to attract customers, so he orders a small stock. Having got it, he is anxious to sell it, and brings it out the first time Mrs. Smith or Mrs. Jones comes in with the timeworn weekly orders, and, just for the sake of novelty, the thing is sold. It is talked about, and others buy it out of curiosity, or because some one recommends it for the sake of something to talk about ; and so the new product asserts its place and becomes a necessity. It is not until one has camped out where there are no shops, and transport difl&cult, that one learns how few things are really necessary. The common mistakes in Canadian trade, and the cause of many failures and bad debts, is the incapability of retail dealers. Where, as in South Africa, the large wholesale houses put up their own retail stores, a certain insurance is effected against losses of the kind. Out in Canada, all sorts of people start store-keeping. Very young men — or very old men — men employed in other businesses, whose children wrap up the parcels, and whose wives ** keep store ; " all such persons, without any business qualification whatever, can be found credited by manufacturers and importers. Among the list of failures recorded in the newspapers, the life history of the bankrupt is sometimes given, and frequently it may be found that liabilities running into thousands of dollars have been incurred in a few months on which possibly 30 per cent, is offered, by men who started with nothing, out of an employment which had taught them no business methods. TBADK 33 not really mples with 'n has seen . The next take it with to country id tobaccos, rying some- talk about. put about iers a small ;, and brings ,es comes in for the sake . about, and e some one • talk about ; md becomes id out where It, that one ,de, and the incapability la, the large es, a certain nd. Out in ^ ig. Very mployed in mrcels, and without any md credited the list of history of ently it may lousands of IS on which started with aught them But these losses are not always due solely to want [of the business faculty. Retail trade is an easy one in which to get credit, and men plunge into it with no jmoney of their own. But it may happen that some [large wholesale business in the State backs another [man who comes in and settles in a township, or a large [trading concern from Kalispelle or Spokane puts in two [or three smart young men in their ** branch " to create [a business. No one can sell single-handed, and without ■capital on which to turn round, against unlimited ** backing." Apart from business methods, each market requires special study, and even from a local point of view it is astonishing how much diversity there is in ordinary trade. In British Columbia alone, I found at least five different accounts given me of Indian trade, all which were, I believe, bojid fide concerning each particular locality. While in one place I was told that Indians should on no account be given credit, elsewhere I found that they were not only trusted with large amounts, but that they met their obligations with greater readiness than most white men. In one place I found that they spent what money they had in m,ere luxuries : sugar, biscuits, and paint for their faces, which consisted of yellow ochre, bought in the lump, and a kind of red : earth of some kind described as ** vermilion." One trader 1 1 met had done a large business with them in cheap ! scents ; but this, I suspect, was a surreptitious sale of ; spirits, for they probably drank the scent. In this belief I was confirmed by an old Hudson Bay trader, who told [me that he had once sold a bottle of Florida-water to an Indian, and that the man came back and insisted on buying a bottle of Crosse and Blackwell's rennet. Though he dissuaded him from so useless a purchase, the Indian was determined to buy the bottle. He afterwards returned to the store, and could not say enough for [the badness of the stuff, having evidently tried to drink it, and been disappointed with the mildness of the flavour. [The trader then remembered the Florida- water, and D M ■ 34 BBlTISn COLUMBIA FOB BETTLEBS. ' ,1 m concluding that the Indians had drank it, made up his mind to sell them no more, lest ho should incur the penalty for breaking the law with regard to spirits. In several places I found that the Indians formed an excellent basis for a market. One trader was so good as to give me permission to look at his books, and there I found large accounts amounting to four or five hundred dollars, regularly settled at the end of the harvest. Along the shores of Lake Windermere, the Indians are self-supporting. Both Shuswaps and Kootenays are prosperous; they are stock and grain farmers. One order, which was as follows, was given by an Indian for his threshing outfit in East Kootenay: — 2 platters. 2 tiu peas. 1 bottle of chow-chow pickles. 2 cans of corn. 20 lbs. ham. 5 lbs. beans. 2 cans of milk. 1 camp-kettle. 1 tin of baking-powder. 10 lbs. breakfast bacon. 13 lbs. dry salt bacon. 1 lb. T.B. tobacco. 2 tins of tomatoes. 4 lbs. raisins. 2 cans St. Charles cream. 1 tin of plums. 5 tins of salmon. ^ lb. pepper. 1 lb. candles. 10 lbs. rice. 4 lbs. prunes. 100 lbs. flour. Such a list might have been the order of a Canadian or British farmer ; and, though given of an Indian, may be taken as furnishing a sketch of requirements for a similar occasion among settlers, and as a suggestion of the style of goods required. The immense part played by tinned or preserved articles will be a feature noticed, especially the fact that though ordered for use on a farm, and in a farmer's district, preserved milk and cream are considerable items in the account. If this is the case at the present time, what a great increase in canned goods we must expect as the Klondyke, Liloet,^ and Cassiar districts become explored and opened. Indians of the industrious class will also look for quality in whatever they buy ; and any attempt to palm TRADE, 35 off inferior goods is very quickly detected and most deeply resented. Even cheapness is insufficient recom- mendation ; and one trader lost his entire trade in cotton through introducing cheap American prints. At first he had a ready sale, but when the Indians discovered that , the patterns faded out in the wash, they would not buy the goods at even reduced prices ; and in addition to the loss of custom, the remainder of the stock was left on his hands. There have been heavy losses in the retail trade of ' British Columbia through men going into the business without any idea of the requirements of the market. I heard of a man who ordered three hundred white shirts. In all probability, the whole district did not contain three men who wore white shirts twice a week. He had had these shirts on hand ten years, and was still keeping them. He never saw that it would bo better to dispose of them at any price, and replace them with something which would sell. There is undoubtedly a market for cheap goods in British Columbia, but not for cheap necessaries. The miner and prospector like their beans and bacon, tea and coffee, sugar and canned milk of the best ; and while they have money, they pay for what they have solely with an eye to the quality. Canvas shirts, or dark-coloured strongly made cotton ones, with turn-down collars, which [require no starch, woollen sweaters, mackintoshes, not t made up to catch the eye, but strongly sewn and of stout ! material, to keep out the wind and wet. Boots are a subject often discussed in camp. Only those made of I the strongest and toughest leather will stand the rocks. I How it comes that some trail blazers I met had taken to \ mocassins I cannot say ; but when once the skin of the [foot has become thoroughly hard inside them, they are [preferred to the ordinary boots. In the matter of foot-gear, women seem worse provided [for than men. Their boots were generally smart in appearance, but they did not wear well nor fit well, neither did they keep the water out. I r II!' : \ i ii r ^ m. 36 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. It struck mc that mon who como over as labourers to British Columbia would do well to consider the advisa- bility of knowing shoe-making. During the winter, when outdoor labour is less in demand, there is often distress amongst labourers. Here, at least, in the repair of boots and shoes, if not in their make, is a trade which is inde- pendent of weather, and can be practised profitably anywhere in-doors, provided that they could obtain good leather. Nevertheless, whoever comes to British Columbia, should bring plenty of boots from England. The cheap market in British Columbia is in women's dress. It was a constant marvel to me to see the quantity of shoddy goods worn by miners' wives or inn- keepers' wives and daughters. For the " socials " and dances in the backwoods townships, the style of the ladies* dress was astonishing. Brocades stamped with rough-hewn nondescript patterns, cheap cotton velve- teens in the most vivid colours, trimmings of bead-work and cheap laces, velvet slippers with high heels ; all the sweepings, apparently, of second-rate shops at home, were eagerly bought and worn with pride. But there is another cheap market which is caused by the fluctuating incomes of the people in general. If people with money get accustomed to use certain things which are not necessary, when the day of poverty comes they look round to see if they can get the same things cheaper. Luxuries are hard to forego, and as in the matter of tobacco, so it is in other things ; a man who cannot afford cigars will take to a pipe, and then go through all the gamut of cheap tobaccos before he relinquishes the luxury. There is a very lucrative business done in packing goods into the mining camp^. The miners give the storekeeper the order, and another man contracts to pack the goods to the camp. As much as $100 a week is frequently made by packing alone. But the aspect of trade which we have to deal with in British Columbia is one of the border line, where the trader and the raw producer meet sometimes in one individual. In TRADE. 87 products such as hops and tobacco this is very markedly the case. The man who grows them must himself dispose of them to the manufacturer. To do this on strict business terms, a farmer requires to be thoroughly informed concerning markets and prices. His knowledge must even go further in tobacco ; he must be able to grade his produce according to the taste of the public, and know precisely what price they will give and he can afford to take. He may even have to study the matter of advertisement. There are a few general rules on this subject, but, unfortunately, farmers seldom understand them. In a new country, where many things are tried, it sometimes ends in one being worked up into a speciality. "When this happens in a manufactured article, such as Diamond Dyes, an absolute monopoly is created which cannot be taken away. The farmer is too apt to think that he can do the same, and may consequently charge what he pleases, whereas his object should constantly be the cheapening of his methods of production, and the careful search lest any imitation or close copy of his monopoly should get into the market at a cheaper rate than his management secures. He must remember that the imitation or the close copy will alwajj come in cheaper in one respect, because it will be sure to benefit by his advertisement. If we take condensed milk, we shall see that the second company which started con- densing milk profited by the expenditure of the company which first taught the public that condensed milk was an article fit for consumption. Sardines, canned salmon, smoked fish, and many other manufacturers, could illustrate the same fact. In market-gardening, it occasionally happens that a new product comes to light, and some market-gardener makes a speciality of it. 7 ais may occur wherever a new invention comes in, but owing to the peculiarities of soil and climate it happens more frequently in " petit culture." It is of course possible with wine ; also with tobacco, and occasionally with tea. n * / '! ■ I d ! ! I ' i It I 38 BBITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLEBS. To trace what may happen, we will suppose that a gardener has succeeded in raising a peculiar mushroom. It is a distinct variety, and will only grow under rigid conditions. He finds that he can produce it to an extent altogether in excess of the consumption in the local market. He extends his sale without very great outlay in pushing it ; still he has more than he can dispose of, and the misfortune remains that the supply, owing to changes of seasons, varies. He invents a method of drying or preserving the delicacy, and the next thing is to attempt the capture of the market beyond the local one. He has now his gardens and a factory ; and his next in- vestment will be in advertisement. It is a slow process to convince the big world that this special delicacy is of superior excellence to any other. Hotels, which are large consumers, but extremely difficult and expensive to capture, are accustomed to order through houses which do not find it worth while to lay in supplies of new fancy articles whose popularity with the public is not assured. A good deal is done by private patronage in fashionable circles. At length no one in polite society will dine without this special delicacy being placed before them ; and consequently there is a rush on the part of the common herd, who cannot at any price be left out of the fashion. Now, one of two things may happen to the producer. The rush may come suddenly, and all his stock be cleared out before the demand can be satisfied ; thus he is left with the public only half captured, and his out- lay upon advertisements only half repaid. In such a predicament it is very probable that some other man who has been watching the business closely will have managed to raise a mushroom, which, though not so good, can be doctored and improved and made very like it before it gets finally into the hands of the public. He comes in without investing a shilling in advertisements, and is therefore able to sell more cheaply. In time the public get to like his product, their taste gets vitiated, or they accept what they can get. Perhaps it is traceable A« TBADE. 39 pose that a mushroom, under rigid to an extent n the local reat outlay 3an dispose ily, owing to method of :t thing is to le local one. his next in- low process ilicacy is of ch are large [pensive to )uses which supplies of le public is e patronage plite society aced before the part of be left out e producer. is stock be 3d ; thus he id his out- In such a other man y will have agh not so very like it ublic. He rtisements, !n time the vitiated, or s traceable to some cause such as thi above, that though the general excellence of commodities has improved, it is increasingly difficult to get a choice article — such as used to be described by the old-fashioned word '^recherche.''* There is another way in which the difficulty of shortage works out which has sometimes proved very damaging to the producer. We will take it for granted that there is a good demand for his product. He accepts all tho orders he can get ; amongst them those of two or three large firms who have the credit of their reputation at stake. He finds that he has overrated his own powers, and cannot possibly fill up his contract to supply. Either he fails, and admits that he has not the means of satisfying their orders, which naturally gives them offence ; or, if he is leas honest, he buys in despair the nearest approach to his own articles, tinned or pre- served, or grown and produced by some other man, and sells them, even at a loss, as his own. The goods turn out bad or inferior ; and his reputation is ruined in the trade. It can never be insisted upon too earnestly that abso- lute honesty in dealing is not merely the best policy, but the only policy which leads to success in trade. In the fruit trade, a business is quickly ruined by the dishonest packer who slips in small and inferior fruit underneath the best. So a man, in contracting to supply, should never accept contracts up to the fullest amount of his expected stock ; but discount largely for a possible deficiency, and trust to be able to sell his surplus, which in all likelihood he will do easily enough if his name be a good one. It may also happen that, finding himself possessed of a monopoly, the producer may believe that he can charge his own price for it. At first this may answer ; and, provided he is not excessive, he will go on with his sales; but let him beware of overcharging. His article must be of exceptionally superior excellence to permit of his price giving him a very large profit. If another man can possibly creep in, and by any means 40 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. iii undersell him, his market is henceforward in a critical position. Even if he makes up his mind to avoid this danger by only reaping a modest interest on his invest- ment, he must still be continually on the alert to take advantage of any cheapening method of production. The standard of value in goods occupies a totally different plane to that of gold or jewels. The demand for the former is always above the supply, and there is no need to create a sale ; while in jewels an attempt may safely be iiade to keep up their price because their preciousness enhances their value, and makes them more desirable. The only safeguard in commerce is to use every means by which production may be cheapened. It is untold how many fortunes are made solely by reduced expenditure, or, as it is sometimes called, ** manage- ment." The whole tendency of trade is in this direction, and to grasp a wider market. " We can never stop in our business," said a manufacturer ; "we have to look out everywhere in the Colonies — among blacks or any one — to try and secure another market." '. 'hen it must be obvious to the most ordinary mind that any railway company would gladly welcome an invention by which an engine could haul twice as many tons with half the expenditure of fuel. The company is able to reap the profit of cheaper methods ; but still they must remember that too high fares will invite competition to come in, and possibly ruin them. The cost of production is the subject which occupies the minds of ingenious men all over the civilized world, and leads to many inventions. The country which can encourage this inventive spirit, and train it scientifically, is the one which will be the strongest commercially, provided that at the same time close attention is paid to the subject of securing markets. Farmers, in fact all who have anything to sell, should keep themselves thoroughly informed as to markets and their prices. The raw producer must ascertain what the market price is, and then see if he can produce sufficiently below it to secure a margin of clear profit. E8, TRADE. 41 In a critical ) avoid this his invest- ert to take iction. The ly different and for the 3 is no need may safely ireciousness desirable. use every jned. It is by reduced <( manage- is direction, ver stop in lave to look icks or any hen it must any railway n by which ith half the reap the remember |o come in, ih occupies [ized world, which can [entifically, imercially, Ion is paid |ell, should irkets and |tain what In produce Ir profit. The following extract from the Times for November 2nd, 1897, points to this matter of the prices in various markets : — "How greatly the times have altered is shown by the circumstances that last week witnessed tho inauguration of the export of fresh meat (frozen) from London to the Cape, tho steamship Nineveh having taken on board 1600 quarters of Bowen (Queensland) beef, and 2000 carcases of River Plate mutton, for conveyance to Capo Town. Tho most noteworthy feature of this transaction is that, as reported by the Colonial Consignment Company, the meat could bo purchased in England at a much lower rate than in the countries of production. Beef at 2ld. per lb. and mutton at 2^(1. per lb., free-on-board, could not be supplied in tho colonics, but was procurable at home." Here we see that, had the Queensland people been sufficiently alive to the requirements of the Cape, they could have shipped their beef direct, obtaining a better price, and saving the cost of transport. This subject is specially applicable to British Columbia. It may appear on the surface that the country is un- developed, and that a long while must elapse before such conditions of advanced trade will arise ; but this is not the case. It is pre-eminently a country of choice growths in small quantities. There are products, such as tobacco, which will probably before long become an industry. The same may be said of flax, some growths of which are extremely fine. Leather, and tanning by means of the fine hemlock-bark, will some day offer a large trade. Fruits and vegetables have unquestionably a future before them in this colony ; and with the great market to the north, where demand for preserved and dessicated vege- tables, as well as canned fruits, will be on the increase, all these remarks have distinct value in British Columbia. The impossibilities for railways in certain localities, and the enormous difficulty of transport, will cause more and more attention to be paid to packing and preserving products. The wealth of, the country is not that of great wheat areas such as Manitoba, or huge cattle ranges is-*- 42 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB 8ETTLEBS. ' ) f! like the North-West, but of small or medium quantities of choice products in connection with which lies a good deal of trade. Another aspect of the case which should not be lost sight of is the increasing recognition among commercial people of the value of raw products. The time has actually come when men are fruit-farming in companies — notably in the States. The tide would seem turning, for while at one time agriculture was despised by traders, they are now beginning to see a business in it. So much is this the case that on my remarking upon tobacco being grown in Kelowna, an American at once asked me the price of the land, and how much of it could be bought — with a view to starting a factory supplied to as great an extent as possible from the land farmed by the company. The effect of ranching, gardening, and farming by companies will be to combine trades such as butchering, canning, and manufacturing, with raw products. It will alter ihe nature of markets without increasing prices. It will create an antagonism between the men who are unable to start trading on their own account and the large concerns who will try to squeeze them down by buying their produce at the lowest possible rate. Trading centres such as Vancouver and Victoria are largely busied with the manufacture of canned salmon, and, were fruits more largely grown, there would probably be also factories for the preservation of fruits. Apart from the tinning industry, there is a large business in transit goods from the Orient of silk, tea, and similar products which pass through to warehouses in the States, or to Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal. Of late there has been a forwarding trade done in wheat for China from the North- West territories ; and some grain is taken back as ballast round Cape Horn to Great Britain, as return cargo upon salt, tin-plate, pig-tin, and pig-lead, machinery, and hardware. As many as 100,000 boxes of tin plate were imported direct to Vancouver in one year, and worked up into cans for the salmon industry in the factories. EE8, TBADE. 43 im quantities ih lies a good d not be lost y commercial 'he time has in companies leem turning, despised by usiness in it. larking upon rican at once ch of it could y supplied to id farmed by rdening, and trades such ig, with raw rkets without lism between on their own ^y to squeeze west possible and Victoria of canned there would on of fruits, is a large of silk, tea, warehouses d Montreal. ide done in itories; and Cape Horn t, tin-plate, Idware. As orted direct to cans for 3 .'Si It is evident that there are distmct points in the trade to be considered as follows : — 1. Import trade of goods consumed in British Columbia from the Orient and Australia, tea, silk manufactures, sheep, tropical fruits. 2. Import from Canada of Canadian products from Winnipeg, Montreal, and from Great Britain. 3. The export of lumbsr, fish, coal, silver, gold, copper, etc., to other countries, and fruit and cattle to North-West territories, also finished woodwork to Australia, and a little to Japan. In a word, British Columbia is a highway or port of entry and departure, and this fact opens a distinct branch of commerce over and above that of trade for its own coij ; -mption, or in its own products. As the country fills up, it is certain that import trade foi the consumption of the inhabitants of British Columbia itself will increase very rapidly. Hitherto the main endeavour has been to foster the "all through trade" from the Orient. Vancouver city has not increased in size or in importance during the last ten years at the rate predicted for it. The only assignable reason is the slowness with which British Columbia has filled up. The principal towns have been in the Kootenays ; and their food supplies have been drawn from Seattle, Tacoma, San Francisco, and Spokane. In clothing and soft goods, a good deal of trade has come in from Montreal, because that city is nearer British factories, and its merchants are an energetic and pushing race. The following extracts from the Returns of the Board of Trade will give an idea of the advance of trade, and also of its stationary condition for the last six years. 44 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS, IMPORTS INTO THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR 17 YEARS ENDING 30th JUNE, 1896. From Canada... To 30th June, 1880 From Canada... To 30th June, 1881 From Canada... To 30th June, 1882 From Canada... To 30th June, 1883 From Canada... To 30th June, 1884 From Canada... To 30tb June, 1886 From Canada... To 30th June, 1886 To 30th June, 1887 To 30th June, 1888 To 30th June, 1889 To 30th June, 1890 To 30th June, 1891 To 30th June, 1892 To 30th June, 1893 To 3()th June, 1894 To 30th June, 189.'> To 30th June, 1896 Value of Total Imports. $ 184,951 1,689,394 208,072 2,489,643 387,111 2,899,223 449,768 3,937,536 624,207 4,142,486 789,287 4,089,492 927,054 3,963,299 3,647,852 3,609,961 3,763,127 4,379,272 5,478,883 6,495,6X9 3,934,066 5,320,615 4,403,976 5,663,095 Goods e: •-9 a H O S'. 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CO lO •i 1 1 i 00 I-l OS 00 l-H o ci « >-H l-H a 9 &: !« s >: c3 ^ o & > V § s a a, a o s e O) Uh »H O « OS ta "W -U "H O -I-l S'p a a ai" S "^ 2 * H a ■i fi (■' 'Ik II ■ . ', 1 ■ J' { I i\ I St ,1 ' fl 46 H H CO CO o H P 00 o CO i 03 t^ n p •J o O » M h O g o a »^ o s o H BBITmn COLUMBIA FOE SETTLERS. in I- 1/^ S 1- CO o> {-^ OS I-H cs 00 o\ rH I- CO o_ ^^ j_. »• «% »s 1 1 ^4 <»M r^ CJ eo' I-H « « o CO CO 1 1 Ol ■g I-H C5_ CO (N r^ h CO" C^ cf cT CO 1— t ■^ (M o> CO -»» o> CO o 'M to r^X X CO »o T" o ^H IQ r-. <»o- o CO o CO 1 1 C5 CO tl 1-H o l^ 1 -t< lO o CD 00 »o H c4 in" I-H cq 1— r o I-H •e . I-H o cH CO §.2 ® l-» •• 1 I t-;. o gl 00 CO 1 1 ^H l>r ICi I-H I- o (M • 01 CO lO o t> o 1(0 p 0^ "O I-H o iM cs 00 £ 3 *< •* o i.O I'- cs 1 "Su CO r-* ira t-" cq cs" 1 "^ CO ifS I— 1 1.0 I-H -i oJ o lO «+• -t< -t< s— a CO CO CH rH r- y rt 3 +< CO ■5 S " o 1^ CO CO CO CO t- R ■" T3 *f>^^ ■^ co^ o r-< CO CO "5 "2 2 CO cT o" CO cT 00 l> o CO I-t lO CO ^ TK (M .-1 o CO o CO o ■*i o C5 lO CO ^^ ■<*< CO Sit ^^''l tt< UO o CO CO o , OX in o> CO I-H go •* CO C5 l^ o £'fJ cs 1 <=>. l^ 1 l^ »n r° a «>ai CD (n" CO »+r ^"S i.O 1 lO t^ 1 00 CO «o^ (N ■^ (M (M pi< «H •* ^ I-H co" CO (M . (M cq CO UO en CO CO (N ■^ § «>cr CO ■^ »« r- mT co" in tt> o 00 00 o t^ CO I-H ja CO ■^ o 00 l^ CO H cT rH 1— 1 «o -JT • . • • • . • • • • ■ • •s • • a : 1 • • u • CO m 1 o o a J OS CO cs CO iH rH k ;zi k ^ H H o o e4 .8 13 u o a a (a o p« . o "» ti a 01 5^ (B «cq a flj'^ o f-H OQ tfH o a f'i TRADE. 47 IMPORTS INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA Pbom other Countries of some Products of Agriculture and its Branches as can be i'Roduced in tue Province, for the Year ENDING June SOtr, 1895. Quantity. Live Stock. Horned Cattlo Horses Sheep Hugs All other No. lbs. Meats, Etc. Bacon and hams Lard ... • ■ • ... ... Beef, salted Mutton and lamb x^or& ••• ••• ••• ••• Poultry Meats, dried or smoked, n.o.s. Other meats, fresh „ „ salted, u.e.s. ... „ Canned meats, poultry and gamo „ Meat extracts , Breadstuffs, Grain, Etc. Biscuits lbs. Barley bush. Beans ... Buckwheat Indian com Oats Peas Rye . Wheat Bran, mill feed Indian or corn meal . . . bbls. Oatmeal lbs. Rye flour bbls. Wheat flour ... „ Total carried forward VuUjc. • •• 5> » » 115 730 35,881 20,038 571,701 135,100 29,.078 50,178 31,375 39,018 100,055 25,100 310,101 129,177 10,028 5,709 155 7,703 215,243 2,005 GOO 147,285 1,101 33,879 102 29,490 $ 1,825 20,347 53,141 1,150 4,741 04,700 10,330 2,048 2,931 2,379 3,408 3,507 0,020 2,210 28,297 1,279 0,054 3,029 8,344 105 5,191 00,834 1,939 314 57,945 00,023 3,001 953 581 07,377 Duty. $ 305.00 4,009.40 10,028.20 390.72 948.20 11,435.25 2,714.01 591.50 1,025 G5 Ov;/.50 093.00 792.50 3,199.55 503.33 7,077.87 319.75 1,523.25 908.70 805.05 1.5.03 582.28 21,524.41 200.55 00.05 22,103.37 13,325.00 404.49 190.30 81.25 22,118.34 497,929 1 129,400.70 48 BRITTSn COLUMBIA FOB 8ETTLEBS. IMPORTS INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA— con<»«ued. Quantity. Value. Duty. Vegetables and Fbuitb. Brought forward ... • * • $497,929 $129,406.76 Potatoea bush. 47,.30O 13,937 7,09.'). 10 Tomatoes »» 1,025 1,428 347.17 Tomatoes and other ... »« — 20,454 5,339.68 Apples, dried ... lbs. 47,853 3,507 876.75 Apples, greca Lbls. 7,994 20,301 3,197.81 Currants ... Its. 185,787 4,187 1,857.87 Small fruits „ 83,045 3,910 1,060.89 Cherries „ 89,002 5,975 1,781.28 Cranberries bush. 372 651 162.75 Peachea ... lbs. 220,208 6,092 2,202.68 Plums bush. 5,081 5,301 1,340.05 Fruits, canned ... lbs. 163,589 7,150 3,369.96 Jams and jellies ... „ 40,782 3,310 1,234.43 Almonds, shelled ... „ 0,680 1,167 334.30 „ not shelled ... „ 23,781 1,801 713.43 Brazil nuts ... „ 3,502 206 106.80 Walnuts ... „ 27,304 2,213 819.12 Other nuts, not shelled ... „ 54,381 2,324 1,087.63 Daiuy Pkoducts. Butter ... lbs. 203,278 42,585 10,531.04 Cheese ... „ 01,490 7,015 1,844.93 Condensed milk ... „ 93,750 9,166 2,833.18 Miscellaneous, Chicory ... lbs. 10,852 500 434.08 Cider gals. 1,145 822 105.90 Hay tons 1,758 12,801 3,517.00 Hops ... lbs. 17,336 2,303 1,040.16 Malt bush. 49,355 83,157 7,403.25 Honey ... lbs. 8,800 988 263.99 Mustard ... ,, 11,750 3,059 764.75 Eggs ... doz. 102,251 13,502 5,112.58 Pickles ...gala. 7,069 5,980 2,093 < Total ... • • 739,896 197,884-54 The value of similar products received from Eastern Canada during the same period will probably amount to $1,500,000. TRADE. 49 Duty. 1129,406.76 7,095.10 347.17 5,339.68 876.7r> 3,197.81 1,857.87 1,060.89 1,781.28 162.75 2,202.68 1,346.05 3,369.96 1,234.43 334.30 713.43 106.80 819.12 1,087.63 10,531.04 1,844.93 2,833.18 434.08 105.90 3,517.00 1,040.16 7,403.25 263.99 764.75 5,112.58 2,093 197,884-54 lada during Since these statistics were compiled, the Yukon dis- trict has forced itself into prominence as a market which will draw its supplies largely from Victoria and Vancouver. Besides this new field for commerce, the enterprise of au Australian firm in starting a shipping service between Sydney and Vancouver, led to a fast mail service between British Columbia and Au' iralia. It is earnestly hoped that this enterprise will be immedi- ately followed by the long-delayed cable. It is a matter of continual inconvenience that the C.P.B. telegraph system stops at Vancouver ; but it is only fair to say that the Company have been anxious for years past to connect with China, and have only been withheld from doing so by the action of the home Government. The communication opened by the mail service brings Australia within a three weeks' journey of Canada. The Crown colony of Fiji also benefits by the arrangement, and contributes a subsidy of ^£1500 to the under- taking. Although political considerations and passenger traffic have their share in this enterprise, the business will depend upon cargo. Mails are, in fact, only the sign or manifestation — the outward flourish. It is the cargo boats which justify the outlay. The cargo is already in excess of the accommodation; and trade took a leap from the very commencement, so far exceeding the ex- pectations of the promoters that they were altogether unprepared to deal with it. The idea which arose from a desire for improved markets for sheep and wool has spread to other goods ; and Australia is at present considering the advisability of shipping low-grade ores to be dealt with in British Columbian smelters, where the best methods are thoroughly understood, and where fuel is plentiful, which, in Australia, has to be imported. Perhaps the highest results will accrue from the in- troduction of enterprise and capital on the part of Australian firms to infuse fresh life into the feeble, (enervated, and timid methods of Victoria and Vancouver. 60 BBITian COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS, ,'B i \H I The following is a statement of the goods exchanged between the Colonies : — Imports from Australia to British Exports from British Columbia to Columbia. Australia. Sheep, Wool. Tropical fruits. Lumber. Fish. Agricultural machinery. Flour. Coal. Finished woodwork. It need not be supposed that the Canadian trade on the Pacific coast will bo without competition. Whether or no the benefits of Australian or other markets are to be grasped by Canadians and the British depends upon the amount of enterprise with which the present oppor- tunities are grasped. In the report for the Vancouver Board of Trade for 1896-97, mention is made of five new salmon canneries being erected on the American side in Puget Sound. These factories are able to com- pete with the British Columbian factories by the use of cheaper methods. They work the catch by means of traps, and this system is under stringent regulations in British waters for fear of exterminating the fish. But, besides this successful competition in canned salmon, the cold storage for fish export is entirely in American hands. The fresh-fish export trade consists principally of halibut,* and an immense business which * "The exports of halibut, which practically oommenced Ices thon two yeors ago, amounted to two million pounds during 1895, and Inspector John McNab estimates that at least as much more was caught in British Columbian waters by United States fishermen. Our fishermen have consequently had to dispose of their catch in United States markets fairly well supplied with fish in every respect equal to their own and prices have been lowered accordingly. They have been further handicapped by having to pay United States' duty, half a cent per pound — that is, $10,000 on the year's operations. A new aud very important industry is therefore threatened with extinction. The matter was brought to the notice of the Dominion Government in January last, and it is understood that the steamer Quadra is to be commissioned to this service as well as to the prevention of smuggling on the west coast of Canada." — Victoria Board of Trade Kepoit. TRADE. 51 might be done in sturgeon is treated quite apathetically ; yet experts have pronounced the British Columbian sturgeon to be superior to the llussian. This fish, when properly handled, commands a very large European market. The roe, preserved as caviar, finds a ready sale almost anywhere ; but smoked sturgeon is extremely popular in Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. The method of preserving it is not costly. The fish are skinned and smoked whole, the roe and etceteras having been removed. The skins can be utilized as a by- product for making glue. The export to Europe would be by sailing-ships round Cape Horn. The sealing trade is practically entirely in the hands of the Hudson's Bay Company. The prices given for seals are less remunerative than they were a few years ago. It is said that the industry is depressed by imitation sealskin. Seals are also less easy to procure than they were. The great market for sealskins is in the States, and of late the Americans have been endeavouring to secure the whole trade (hence the dispute about the Behring Sea). The latest move has been to place a high tariff on pelts imported into the States. It is difficult at present to see how this will act. It will probably cause a diversion of the trade to London. It should, however, be remembered that sealskins depend on fashion, and that fashion may be introduced elsewhere. The trade is also dependent to a consider- able extent on cheap skilled labour in dressing the pelts. Would it be possible to create a market for pelts in the Orient, now that China is opening up ? It is said that the tendency of Oriental trade is gradually setting towards the importation of raw products, to the dis- placement of manufactured goods ; but for the truth of this I cannot vouch. As an indication of the business done in the export trade departments of sealing, salmon, and lumber, the following statistics from the Vancouver Board of Trade Eeport may be useful. in 52 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. SEALING CATCH, 1895. (Tho figures for 1896 arc not to hand.) Total Canadian catch Catch of Director oflF Falkland Islands Catch of American schooners landed ot Victoria .. Total 70,739 620 2,255 73,614 The catch for the past seven years has been : — 1889 1890 1891 1892 35,310 43,325 52,365 49,743 1893 1894 1895 70,592 95,048 73,614 SALMON SHIPMENTS IN DETAIL. .< I y England — London direct London overland Liverpool direct ... Liverpool overland F»« other ports ... Overland (previous years) Eastern Canada Australia Other destinations ... Local sales Stocks on hand Total 1896. 1895. 1894. 1893. cases. cases. cases. cases. 182,253 96,459 94,203 148,332 9,076 — — — 322,364 256,301 222,345 253,833 11,405 — — — 29,590 59,296 27,445 — 65,647 20,424 25,703 51,041 79,288 76,009 114,792 11,609 8,832 15,078 8,830 2,128 — — 150 •3,844 4,326 2,642 2,931 7,850 25,952 4,374 8,213 601,507 566,395 494,371 590,229 1892. cases. 61,864 101,447 59,350 1,498 (4. 311 228,470 TRADE. 53 land.) 70,739 620 2,255 , 73,6U 70,592 95,048 73,014 1892. cases. i2i 61,804 53 101,447 15 — )3 — )2 59,350 JO 1,198 m 228,470 -Ht^W5O-^-t O « 1-H (M ?D <0 (N © O O t^ M. 1 tStOCfiOAOiCfS''^iZCfi'r-t ■.*? lO t^ t~ C0C5l>OC5OlOOt-l'*« WIN o lO O CS t> "-1 00 r- M Fl cTirT ■* l-H -ti ■* ^ n >.a *3 -^ 5 '-5 1 ^^ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ^ ~< 1 1 ^ •3S' K. ®- aj. 1 w ii-s O -rt^ »ti ^ o a «.3 CO rH Cl Ov IH «« (M ca ^3 r-i w-4 > 1 1 1 M 1 1 1 1 ^^ 1 2^1 1 ^ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 {^ 1 <£> ' 1 o o ■^ '^J- O a O l-H r- 1 ^ g < ^ > < u . 00 lO O Cfl :* CO CO oo o r» ._. ^ "■ ^ I— 5J> O •»»< eo a '^ > to.4 i r^ \ Ci \ fS \ Oi I 1 1 co" 1 1 FRO OABD s<2 5,57 2,27 8,00 1,11 CO I— ( ^ n *^ 7 , ^ 1 ^ T-iosMiocom(Nr~t» o *3 OCC'*ilO«Ot~C5CO.-' t^ rt l-^l>OC5l-(rH;Or-C^ 00 fe ^ g3 (£^cficia^t<'^t^n i i cT 1 (M 1 1 CO C5 -*i c: 00 CO o as CO 1 I I M »5 CO_l?l,l>^C^OJ_ »«Oi'-' "*- M S «0 wToTin i-T i-i r^ r^ P^ o, » CO 05 H J^ B ; ; ; p 5 ■ ■ ■ 1^ s s, p.^ . .£ ^ , , ' "H O ■ ■ H O 5z; : -^ •:«:::::::: 4> * S o J oo 0) ca p-i Jr CO 1 ::§::::::.:: • -Q ►5 Q Africa alia d Kingdom ani itina mia iian Islands South Austr; Unites CLile Peru China Japan ArgeB India Califo Hawa as O .3 W CO a> c8 a .a Q ..M . 'tn. •"'"^ ■ 54 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB 8ETTLEB8, It remains to be seen whether the Australian mail service and increased trade will promote the export of British Columbian coal as return cargoes. For the last two years the mines on Vancouver Island have been Bufifering from the competition of American mines. It is fluctuations of this kind which render figures con- fusing, and often misleading in matters relating to business. What is lost by one industry is gained by another. The following year the deficiency may be elsewhere, recouped again by fresh enterprise in securing a new market for another trade, or the market may come of itself through the necessity of a return cargo. Thus, if coal is suffering abroad, pig-iron may gain a footing through a sudden impetus given to Japanese manufacture. The import and export trade of British Columbia offers a field for skilful merchants well backed by capital, and with connections in other sea-ports. Hitherto the trade has been confined to Great Britain and American ports. The export of wheat to China is of very recent date, and the Australian development a thing of to-day. It is in Vancouver rather than Victoria that mer- chants will find their best opportunity. Up to the present time the contracted nature of the trade, and the fact of coal playing a large part in exports, the ports in Vancouver Island of Nanaimo and Victoria have maintained a comparatively larger role than they are likely to do in future. Vftncouver has a much finer harbour, admitting larger ships than Victoria, But even should Victoria be able to secure a better harbour than the present one, the terminus of the C.P.E. is on the mainland, and this alone is sufficient to draw a good deal of trade. For some years past Victoria has received considerable consignments for transhipment through America into the Kootenays ; but this business will be reduced when the railway through the Crow's Nest pass reaches Nelson. TRADE, 55 GO 1i g •-5 O CO 00 fi « !s ^' ® s 0) o a g 2 H p:4 o u i-t Ph m }z5 P< P P4 I M H < O » S§S£2 IS o • " CO o 1 CO 00 00 CO O) «~ 00 11 lO 00 o o w> to- o • tH M CO »H CO 5 rl C> CD p^ 'X) O •* •uondamsuoo iOJ O 00 00 C< C4 '0< t- d CO -«_ 40 CO* to to" 00 o CO M i2 pai9^a3 00 nn-v aia to" -1 a 00 M O £J CO >a M ph 00 la w t-_^ lO < HH r1 Cf m" o> o o» e» -< p^ (n U3 i^ CI O O ■o U o i^o '41 (o ■o VJ Ih M *" CO oi «-* -* m to £ 1- ■O 00 to 3 "!< lO H « m IN .^ N vi4 o5 (M « t- f« CO 00 00 00 to r-t U) ^ fH 0> oo 0> 1 ^ i-H lO o» ^ «» lo 1 CO -. »~ o o> ,-< tr. f-H C4 t. -di o o n JOJ <» o" tx-'oToo" CO p3j3^na M ' I- xj n Cl CO >- CO CO M ^"M V 'A W r1 lO O F-4 M la o •* -1 1-4 H ^ ^ 0_-0 00 CO a «> cT 1 tifirro" oT M -< CO CO to r- M to rH CO eO M >* i! ■ K5 t- m t- o 2 o lA to r* o> OT M -^ OOJ- N O^ £ s. "* O 1 CO CO -* c^ a o>_ (r« 00 >-<, w" cT CO en ^ ,-1 r- M CO •g oo to o t- •H 00 ;3 00 o ^ A CO , la >o n •* ^ rH Q to ooco"-; 0? fcj ua to to ® JU r-l««- r-l •-5 CO C4 m to o> 5 •uondianaao^ CO CO t~ o o> o> CO »- CO O o JOJ «» eT in' "fen ^' o ' 00 o to of CO i-i 00 ta CO c< , « N ■* CO "tC g S ^ CO 1^ 00 to 0>_ F- lO 00 o c a o> ' -I> CO CO « -^ ^a to in to M pf p^" CO" rl 00 • 09 A a J iilii i-H g 1 ^ H g ai" Bt; gd >7- ■ a! •■$ J3 a 1 s CO a 8 w V a ♦" 1- "" ^-1 H O o ol JS So . « *> a ~a 0) to R a o S e> a o g a % 66 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLES S. S '! . •!.'' ' i » The subject of the future of Vancouver is so important a one to the shipping interests that more attention would be well bestowed upon it. It must be remembered that the harbour is accessible to vessels of any draft, and is perfectly sheltered ; though up to the present it does not possess a dry dock. There is a wide beach on the north side exposed to the fall of the tide to as much as fifteen feet. This allows of vessels being beached and scraped of marine growths at a very low cost, and with perfect safety. The Board of Trade Eeport goes on to say that — *' For inwards business there are general cargoes from Europe, and cargoes of raw sugar from Java for the refinery. For outwards business a charter for lumber can nearly always be obtained, and in the season (August to September) canned salmon for the United Kingdom. " The Empress line of mail steamers, belonging to the Canadian Pacific Kailway, leave for Japan and China once a month during the winter, and once every twenty dajs in the summer (calling at Victoria, Vancouver Island, for local mail and passengers). " The Canadian- Australian Mail Line leaves for Sydney once a month, touching at Victoria, Honolulu and the Fiji Islands. " The Pacific Coast SS. Company's steamers ply regularly between Vancouver and San Francisco every five days, calling also at Victoria. There is a daily service with Vic- toria and with Nanairao, the steamers connecting with the incoming and outgoing trans-Continental express trains of the Canadian Pacific Railway. " Provisions and supplies of all kinds are plentiful and at moderate prices, imported stores being allowed to be supplied from bonded warehouses. " The charges for wharfage are levied upon the cargo, and paid by the receivers.* It will be observed that the figures quoted on the authority of the Board of Trade are from the last report * In the Appendix will be found a list of the usual expenses, together with copies of actual disbursement accounts. , TRADE, 57 rtant ntion bered draft, lent it ch on much id and il with on to 8 from efinery. always canned to the I, once a 9 in the 3r local Sydney he Fiji gularly days, th Vic- th the ains of n and at upplied go, and ion the report together to hand, and consequently contain no reference to the sudden impetus given to trade by the rush to the Klondyke. The result has been an influx of ready-money custr i> rs, and it is to be hoped that the funds thus brought into trade will be turned over in trade, and not withdrawn for investment in mines. Before dismissing the subject of shipping entirely, some reference must be made to the effect of the new Canadian tariff. The movement inaugurated on the occasion of the Jubilee of her Majesty will probably cause great alterations in trade. The Canadians claimed their right to impose their own tariffs, and adjust them as they pleased. It pleased them to give a preferential tariff to Great Britain in gratitude for the generosity with which Canadian products had been treated in British ports. This was the first move towards Free Trade within the Empire ; but the new tariff offered similar benefits to all who came into line, and were pre- pared to take Canadian goods on similar terms. New {South Wales and British India availed themselves of the offer ; doubtless moved thereto by the lines of shipping, and consequent commercial relations already estab- lished. Since then a fresh development has followed, which may prove of very far-reaching consequences. Japan, whose manufactures have been increasing both in out- put and in quality for some time past, first adopted a gold coinage, and then, so far as dry goods are concerned, took steps to place herself in a position to benefit by the minimum Canadian tariff. Her overtures have been accepted by Canada, and an increase of trafiic between Canada and Japan is certain to follow. These two countries rej)resent the two interests which constitute trade. In British Columbia there is abundance of raw material, but with dear labour. In Japan there is very little raw material, but marvellous skill in working up raw products, and plenty of cheap labour. The question is how far the wonderful quickness of the Japanese will enable them to find fresh uses for the I ! I % rt^ 68 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLE B8. ./• i minerals — flax, hides, timber, and other products of British Columbia ; and to what extent they can fit them for greater careers of usefulness when distributed in the markets of the Orient after adaptation in the Japanese workshops. Owing to the necessity for cheapening production, the Japanese may presently find it advantageous to send their factories over to British Columbia, and thus save the bulky shipment of raw products. Such a move would be beneficial to British Columbia by improving the local markets, no less than to the Japanese. Although an Oriental nation, they have aspired success- fully to Western habits and civilization. They have proved themselves a nautical nation of no mean rank. They are like ourselves, an Eastern power. Their instincts are towards commercial pursuits which they direct with skill ; and they are able to furnish capital for the accomplishment of their objects. That they should be linked with a British colony in the matters of coinage and tariffs oifers suggestions for many problems in modern commerce, with regard to the East, of very far-reaching significance. lets of t them . in the ,panese action, to send us save I move proving ,panese. guccess- sy have ,n rank. Their Lch they I capital lat they atters of problems of very CHAPTER IV. AGRICUT,TURE. If we accept under the heading of British Columbia only the territory between the Rockies and the coast bounded by the 49th parallel on the south, and the 00th on the north, together with the archipelago of Queen Charlotte and Vancouver, we sliall have an area of 383,300 square miles. The Island of Queen Charlotte covers 6100, and that of Vancouver 12,780. These are the limits of the province at the present time; for the rich country of the Klondyke and the immense region extending, roughly speaking, from the Hudson's Bay to Alaska, belongs to the North-West territories, and is governed from Regina. It remains to be seen how long the present arrangement will hold good, but if geographical formation and facilities of communication count for anything, it may reasonably be supposed that as the Klondyke and Teslin Lake district open up, the seat of provincial government will be elsewhere. At the present moment it is sufficient to consider the area of 383,300 square miles divided as follows : — Land ... Water.., 382,300 square miles. 1,000 Total 383,300 Statistics relating to the present occupation of the land — though they must be taken loosely — are not without interest. Passing at once from miles to acres, i1 Hi 60 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. I . \ there are only 1,000,616 acres under the private owner- ship of landowners. Of this million and a half acres it is estimated that only lll,4i5 acres are cultivated; 513,430 acres being pasture, prairie, or hay meadows. Nearly as much is still uncleared forest under private ownership, while 69,000 acres are returned as rock, and about half as much is undrained swamp and marsh. It may be added that though there are still Government lands to be pre-empted, a large portion of the best land is already in private hands. It also remains to be seen what economical management may effect in irrigating the dry belt, and whether the rich alluvial laud in the delta of the Fraser could not be further drained, recovered, and sold for agricultural purposes. The dry belt occupies a large part of Central British Columbia. Roughly speaking, it extends from Lytton to Eevelstoke, and south to the American boundary. The delta of the Lower Fraser, including Chiliwack and the coast, are rendered moist and luxuriant from rains falling from clouds which drop against the Cascades Eange. When the clouds reform, they pass over the dry belt, and descend again against the Selkirks and Eockies. These latter rains help Kootenay, and even extend in a lesser degree into the State of Washington. Considering the immense effect exercised by climatic conditions upon agriculture, it is most desirable that steps should be taken to collect more accurate returns of rainfall and temperature in different localities. In some instances, it is not the amount of rain which falls, but the season at which it comes, which signifies. The same may be said of snowfall with regard to stock feeding. In a heavy snowfall the grass is buried, and neither sheep nor cattle can reach it. At the present time there are periodical large losses in various districts owing to farmers taking chances or risks, which some scientific attention to the subject of climate might do much to diminish. The matter is already engaging attention ; and in most localities a general idea of the AQBIOULTURE. 61 owner- [f acres jvated ; eadows. private ls rock, up and srnment it land is be seen •rigating i in the drained, 1 British jvtton to ry. The I and the )m rains Cascades ^r the dry 1 Rockies, [tend in a rainfall can be furnished to intending settlers by the authorities at Victoria. The farmers themselves are taking steps to collect and distribute information, as well as to combine and co-operate. For these purposes there are several societies. In 1895, a Farmers' Convention was held at Agassiz, which lasted three days, and was attended by most of the leading agriculturists of the province. The British Columbian Central Fruit Exchange and the Fruit Growers' Association, have evinced practical knowledge of the economic needs of agriculture by exerting themselves to obtain concessions upon the high freights charged by the railway, and at the same time to raise the general standard of packing, grading, etc. It is also indirectly due to these societies that the Minister of Education has authorized a text-book on agriculture for use in the public schools of the province ; so that agricultural education has been added to the general curriculum. Steps have also been taken to get the obnoxious royalty on timber removed, or at least reduced, on farm land. Thus it cannot be said that the farmers of British Columbia are indifferent to their own interests ; for each of these moves indicates a spirit of self help, and is not merely a demand for outside assistance in the form of bounties. On^ striking feature in this country is the immense quantity of fodder for stock which is raised in every district, and even imported from the States. The pro- portion of land devoted to hay and pasture is nearly five times as much as that under cultivation ; and a good part of the arable land is also used for growing green crops, such as oat-hay, for stock feeding. This is due to three causes. First, the fact that beef is required in the mining camps of the Kootenay, where it is eaten three times a day whenever it can be obtained ; secondly, to the immense use of transport animals, either mules or horses. As a third cause, with which the raising of timothy hay has certainly a good deal to do, is the fact of the ranges having been overstocked and eaten out ; il 1^ [1 ;il ^i i !i 62 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLEBS, I,? )i; 1 \\ *!' i '|1 BO that the grass growing on them at the present time is very often poor and innutritions. The most important industry connected with agricul- ture is fruit-farming. It is impossible to say to what excellence this business may not eventually reach. Already there are shipments to the North- West terri- tories, and even to the Orient. That the trees of apple, pear, and plum, and in some districts of peach also, bep** abundantly, and that the fruits are fine and full i'iivOdi-ed, is amply proved. But the business requires immense organization, and a few years are still neces- sary to allow even the most advanced fruit ranches to come into full bearing, and prove what may be taken as a reasonably average return. As soon as this is under- stood, and the districts selected for the right kinds of fruit, factories for canning and preserving the surplus are certain to be started. Meantime, the industry has so far advanced that every settler should at least devote a part of his land to fruit of suitable kinds. Bound Agassiz, near Vernon, and at Kelowna, English hops are found to answer admirably, and to command a good price in the London market. In the matter of price, they are beating those of Washington. In the States, this crop has been liable to blight of recent years ; and the last accounts are that growers are ploughing up their yards. There is, therefore, just cause for assum- ing that their place in the London market will be taken by the Colonial product. Shipments have been tried to Australia, which were well received and fetched good prices. Another industry which has a future before it is that of flax growing. On rich, alluvial soils, where experi- ments have been tried, the results have been so encouraging, both as regards fibre and seed, that Government has been induced to grant an appro- priation for the distribution of seed, and for further experiments. Tobacco has been found to grow well at Kelowna, and, probably owing to the rich silt washed from the hills, ^OSICULTUHE. cigar-leaf. ''^^^^^^ *end towards farming the sacoess is entirely dfnenden? . ''''^"' 8"wii; but its except where a little irrifl- T°° " «»P'OM rainfall In 1897, the yield wasv^v^hX-'''' ''''° nndertakon' average all over tha It^ -^^ '" <'«'-'«als generallv ti?" acre in o<,tZZ^m°ZZ-'^V^''^ ^^^^V^ figure of a hundred and fiftt"shZ, °, ^^' ''^'omshEfg . -""o's grown under irri^tt^ .. ?'^ P^' a"™-" «'3e, andai^eofgreatvilaefor iff'"'" '" « ''wmense on mall holdings. ^ '°' fattening stock in winter the p"ovLKd^^el*inoss nf ^ '''=<=°"''* th™ughout on no account be considered T/-""'°,^;'''^«'''ng bS necnnit '■'"'"'> °" the ranches of rT ' '° """P'^te horse of the Korth-We7 '""' '^"^ «"« bettfr-bred CoCb'inl'/^thetll:^ ^ --"et in British '"adequate, and S!i^'^^^%''''^ip ii^elt hfut from the Alberta ranches Th^''^'"''"« "« impS Ktt.2 TiC^lf "«s;l5 fSh- 1 ^°.^ mountain lions Tn u '°^=^« through British Columbia, and with tl,. °''?'" » "'mate Is » actual progress', boSi Xp p'ettHf"^ °' "'^ N°rtb , '.Tfis has been amply tcatiflo,! K « ^"^'^''^ «»«:^^;gn>ir^ I 1^ K r \h '; ! (I' f/i ( f.! /i I Iff ! , /. 1 64 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLE BS. and wool itself, should be distinctly valuable ; but tlio fact is that sheep require more labour in nightly herd- ing, besides attention at washing, shearing, and lambing, than cattle ; and cheap labour is the one thing absent in British Columbia. Swine, though hardly less liable to attacks from wild beasts than sheep, are found profitable. In the district called Grand Prairie, between Vernon and Ducks, the business done in breeding and fattening swine is a large one, and every farm has its curing house, where the pork, bacon, and hams are smoked. There is an immense market for this meat, which is easily carried, and very nourishing. The dairy industry has been making great strides, but the supply of butter is by no means equal to the demand. The Lower Fraser is the district where most butter is made; and, generally speaking, it finds its way to the coast instead of into the mining centres of Kootenay. Of late it has been shipped to Japan and China, which affords a curious instance of trade ; for while British Columbian butter is shipped to the Orient, British Columbia obtains supplies from Ontario. The agricultural societies have done good work in keeping down fruit pests and noxious weeds. The Government is always alert to quarantine any cases of cattle disease. The worst complaints I heard of were those of deaths through exposure and scarcity of food, also of animals being disabled by frost-bite ; and several times I heard of lampas, one man attributing this last disease to the use of maize as food-stuff. Generally speaking, it is for the sake of the land that men emigrate. To most men'R minds there is a fascination in the possf ssion of a piece of land with which they can do as they please, and on which they can live as in a kingdom of their own. The problem of emigration is nevertheless a most difficult one to solve. Setting aside the fact that it is a law of nature and an instinct common amongst even the lowest tribes ■■ ■a r -r-V AGRICULTURE. 65 Ut tllG hord- nbing, jent in m "wild district sks, the a large lere the is an carried, strides, d to the ere most finds its 7 centres to Japan of trade; ipped to Lies from work in is. The my cases [heard of Icarcity of Ibite; and ttributing the land there is hand with Ihich they problem [it one to lof nature yest tribes in the animal world, there is in reasoning man the actual knowledge of the glut of population at home, and the glut of land in the Colonies. Yet the initial difficulty is actually becoming harder to solve — of fitting our people to be successful emigrants. Every part of the Empire offers opportunities for a certain class of emigrants. The surplus coolie has found his place tending tea and coffee in Africa, and offers an object-lesson to all interested in emigra- tion. But although British Columbia offers exceptional advantages for fishermen or farm-labourers, miners, and especially for farmers, it does not at all follow that even tolerably successful men at home will succeed there. Those who come out to British Columbia, frequently waste their best years, and all their capital, in trying to learn what they should have been taught before leaving home. Considering how little is done to prepare our emigrants, it is remarkable that they should succeed so well — although that success is purchased with enormous waste, and by dint of many failures. At the present time there are few openings for towns- people. An acquaintance with agriculture, and famili- arity with country pursuits, are advantageous to every emigrant. Ordinary farm-labourers should acquire a knowledge of smith's work for shoeing horses, of rough carpentry, or of masonry. The most useful trade is the blacksmith's, if practised in addition to some other business — especially if the man possesses sufficient knowledge of machinery to enable him to repair agri- cultural implements. Artisans pure and simple, me- chanics who know only one trade, and clerks, are not in request, and would find life very hard in British Columbia. The first fact which the emigrant must grasp is that life in the colony is much harder than at home. The eight hours' day is never heard of there; the theory is that every man must do his best to advance the country, for by helping his neighbour, he is helping p I 1 il pit •>r\ I 111 : I 1 Ml 66 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. I! I. himself. It is therefore a common sight on river steamers, where there is sometimes a shortage of hands, to see the passengers come forward and assist in getting the cargo on or off the boat. They expect no payment. No one dreams of inquiring who they may be ; but vokmteering is part of the life of the country. Hard work is the keynote. It is hard for both man and beast. Mechanical assistance, even that which trains and steamers x^rovide, has not gained possession of the country. It is still the machinery of human muscles and nerves which drives civilization. There are yet rivers which men navigate in crafts made by themselves, in which they row or pole freight into camps. Canoes are still in use; and the miner starts for the hills as often as not on foot, with his blankets, ** grub," pick, and rifle strap ">ed to his own back. In so primitive a life, it will readily be seen that though a man should be master of one business, such as stock raising, or market-gardening, it is extremely useful to have a knowledge of trades, such as, with our odern technical classes, every boy ought to acquire jasily. Many middle-class families with small incomes, if they made up their minds to live simply, and take their pleasure in the country, with its wonderful nature and its opportunities for riding and fishing and boating, would find their small incomes easier to live upon in Canada than at home. There is no false pride about economy, and thfi-'-e are opportunities for investment of small sums whicx^ do not offer themselves very frequently in Great Britain. If a man with an income of £t. jO a year went oi*t to British Columbia, and purchased an improved mixed farm of 165 acres near Vernon, he could live out of the proceeds. His expenses in pur- chasm g and stocking such a farm and furnishing his house ought to be covered by £1000. In order to live comfortably, he would require one Chinaman as cook and another one as gardener. Their wages would amount to about £60 for the pair per annum. It would AGRICULTURE, 67 river ands, st in ict no ' may antry. I man ■which jession buman There ade by it into f starts lankets, • en that ss, such itremely ;vith our acquire omes, if ,ke their ture and boating, upon in ie about jment of lequently ' of £o jO ased an -non, he in pur- |hing his sr to live as cook s would It would also be advisable to take out a governess from England who should also help in the house. The education at the free Government schools would answer very well for the boys, but the girls would require a more careful home training, and a knowledge of good French and English literature. The mother of the family would find it a great comfort, as well as convenience, to have some reliable person to help her care for the children and share her work in the house. Chinamen very rarely undertake any domestic work except cooking. Therefore a good deal of the housework falls upon tho ladies themselves. The greatest difi&culty is usually the washing, but this is a branch of industry which China- men will always undertake, and carry out with very fair efificiency. The wood-chopping and water-carrying and window-cleaning would be the work of the gardener. If the businejs of farming in British Columbia is wholly novel and untried, it would be well to get the services of a good manager for a couple of years. The wages would be an expensive item, probably amounting to $45 a month, with board and lodging ; but if a really good man, and one conversant with the country, were secured, the outlay would be found to be a profitable investment. It is a good plan for the wife's sister to go out, and add her quota to the little settlement ; but she should be prepared to help in such work as cleaning lamps, washing pocket-handkerchiefs, laces, collars, and cujffs, and also in cooking of simple food. Some arrangement should also be made with a leading bookseller at home for the periodical despatch of goc^ new books, reviews, and newspapers. There is no reasou why the country houses in British Columbia should not have as good libraries as the old country houses at home. The chief gain in the life would be to the children. Brought up thus upon a farm, they would learu many things, which even if they were sent home to finish thilr education in England, would not be lost, and ■4 ( I n 1; I'u I li' 68 BBITI8E COLUMBIA FOB 8ETTLEBS. :r .11 ii I, ii would fit them to start in the Colonies. The money saved out o' the income would he ready to give a start to the boys in business, or help the girls in setting up homes of their own should they marry. At the end of the time, after the family is started, there would remain the value of the farm, which, if it is further improved, as it should have been by slow degrees, should fetch more than it cost to purchase ; so that if the parents desired to return to the old country and live there quietly upon their income, they would be able to do so without any sacrifice. The one thing that a man in such circumstances should beware of is speculating in gold mines. When one considers the uphill struggle that it is to many families to live as gentlefolks on small incomes, the free life in the beautiful climate of British Columbia, and the chances ofiered by a new country to boys with small capital, ought to be made more of than they are. The old custom which has obtained hitherto of sending boys out to the Colonies to make their fortunes, or go to the bad, cannot be too much condemned. For older men, with some knowledge of the world, there are opportunities in British Columbia as mining-brokers. If they have a small capital to start with, and are pru- dent in investing at the outset, they may be able to turn their capital over with no small profit. There are chances connected with mining, for men who can manage mules or pack-horses, of packing goods up to the mines. The best way to start in this business is to bring out d£200 or £300 capital, and go into partner- ship with a man who understands the business. The profits are often as high as $100 a week to each share. For electrical engineers there does not appear to be much demand. It is, however, one of those professions the name of which is given to — or assumed by— a very large class, many of whom appear to know the business very slightly. In most districts it is common to hear complaints of the scarcity, and sometimes of the inefliciency, of doctors. oney start ignp nd of main ed, as more esired upon it any kances It is to comes, ambia, ^s with ey are. sending )r go to ., there irokers. je pru- Ito turn )r men goods business ^artner- The &hare. Lr to be [essions -a very isiness lints of loctors. 1^ AGBICULTURE. G9 Though the climate is healthy, there are feverish locali- ties; and typhoid and kindred complaints are by no means uncommon at certain seasons in new townships. Unfortunately, the medical man is a political appoint- ment, a fact which is certain to degrade the profession. The private tutor, so common in South Africa, seems quite unknown in British Columbia. Probably this is to be accounted for by the remarkably high standard of the Free Government Schools. Certainly there is no demand for them. As compared with the North-West, British Columbia is a far more agreeable country to live in. The climate is not so severe, the scenery is beautiful, fuel is always abundant, and domestic help in the shape of a Chinaman or Japanese always obtainable. Kanchers in the North-West make more money by their business than those in British Columbia, for reasons presently to be stated. It is no uncommon thing for a farmer in Manitoba to cover all his expenses of purchasing land and settling by his first year's crop. But the life on these plains is very hard, and for the women and children positively cruel. There is no assistance to be had, except occasionally a Swede or German ; who too often proves a broken reed. The farms are isolated. Where all the housework and the care of a young family falls on the shoulders of one woman, who has no one to sympathize with her or advise her during the long hours that her husband is at work, life becomes hard enough to break the health and spirit of an English girl. As regards domestic servants, there are situations to be had for girls of good character who have been trained as general servants ; but, for the most part, Canadians do not offer sufficiently high wages to induce first-class servants to emigrate. This is the case especially in Montreal, where I have known $11 a month offered for a good cook, who was also to undertake light washing, the dairy, milk the cow, and sew. Except in cattle ranching, British Columbia is a very !l 1 i" ;. 70 BRITISU COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. i i ;! I' ■. I ■ '' i!* Ul \ new country for farmers. In ranching, its best districts are older than the North-West ; but owinj? partly to the nature of the grass, and partly to the fact that it has been overstocked, it can no longer be recommended in the same terms with the North-West. In the Chil- cooten district, on the North Fraser, in Cariboo, there is good ranching country not yet appropriated ; and with the mining development likely to take place, settlers with small capital and no families would do well to secure farms there. The farmer would find it advantageous to bank his capital, whatever the sum may be, saying nothing about it to any one, and come into the country to work for wages, and look about him for at least a few months. He should be able to reckon upon having not less than £1000 to buy an improved farm, and stock it. Before coming out, he would do well to learn something of fruit culture, especially how to graft and jirune fruit trees. For a farmer who can farm at all in England, British Columbia would not be a hard country. But it would be a waste of his time and ability to pre-empt land at $1 an acre, and undertake the severe labour of clearing it of timber. Owing to reasons to be hereafter explained, excellent farms are likely to find their way into the market at reasonable prices for men who know how to select them. Another class to be considered is that of farm labourers, who come out without any capital. They will find that during the summer they can earn $2 * a day if they board themselves, or $1.50 if their employer boards them. The meals are excellent, meat and potatoes being given three times a day. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that though $1 at the rate of exchange represents a little over four shillings, it is spent more easily in British Columbia than half the sum would be in England. The wages at railway laying, which are generally considered the lowest, * About eight shillings a day. This nppliea tu Yale and tho Kootenays. l^V' 'i^'*A.^./ farm They earn their meat ■At the hough Sotenays. AGRICULTURE. n are J^2 per diem. The employment in fairly continuous, but the cost of $1 a day for board continues, and must bo met by the men during the "stops" and on Sundays. If a man can save $1 a day, ho will do well ; but at railway work they can seldom save above the rate of 50 cents per diem. Miners are paid $3 a day in the mines, but it is very seldom that a miner saves. They arc not a thrifty race, and plenty of temptation is provided for them. If a man emigrates from Great Britain in April to a farmer who will require his services through the summer, he should have saved enough by the autumn to pre-empt a piece of land of not less than 15 acres.* lie will be able to get help to put up a log hut stopped with clay, warmed with a stove, and well provisioned before winter settles down; and he can employ himself until the spring in lumbering — that is, felUng trees, and clearing land by burning the stumps and brushwood. In the spring, after the frost has broken up, he will bo able to plant some potatoes and sow alsike and timothy grass between the charred stumps which he has not had time to remove, and to work it into the ground with a hoe. In July there will be a rough crop of very fair hay, which ho can cut with a scythe in a few days and stack it, dragging it up to tho stack on a contrivance used by primitive settlers, and copied from the Indians of the plains, called a travois, which consists of two poles fastened on either side of a horse like shafts, and connected with one another near the ground by short boards or staves. This hay can generally be sold, and for the first year it will be better to sell it. The settler will have been able to plant enough potatoes for his own use during the coming winter, and the sale of his lumber, and such wages as he will bo able to earn during the summer, ought to place him in a better position before tho next winter. If he is able to * Uii fortunately it ia iinpuHHiblo to pre-ompt very amull sections in UritiHh Columbia. Tho amount vuricy in diilurent loculitimm0■ • ing— Imain linter- upon )S, or 11 the [U his I $10 to AOIilCULTDRE. 73 farm for three times what he gave for it, and this money will provide him v/ith capital in starting elsewhere. When two brothers are together, a good deal of hard- ship will be lessened, and the suffering of loneliness bo avoided altogether. Only hard-working men need con- template settling in this manner in British Columbia. Before concluding this chapter something must be said about the profits of agriculture. This is an extremely difticult subject to treat. If we compare the industry with that of gold, it does not make a bad figure. The provincial mineralogist records the total pro- duction of gold in British Columbia for all years from its discovery to the present time as less than £12,000,000. The wheat crop of Manitoba for the single year (1897) is estimated at 21,000,000 bushels, valued at the lowest estimate at £3,200,000. The price of land is much cheaper there than in British Columbia, where no free grants are offered : but the productiveness of the soil is much greater in Piritish Columbia, and the quality of the wheat superior to Ontario, and second only to Manitoba Al. Cattle are not raised as cheaply in iixitish Columbia as on the Alberta ranges, but the following figures were given me by a man in Okanagan. In that district men have from 500 to 1000 head of cattle at a time. They run loose for three years, costing $3.50 a head per annum. By the end of three years, when they are fat upon the summer grass, they weigh 650 lbs. They are sold at $27.50 a head, which, after deducting all expenses, and an extra dollar for the ex- pense of bringing them off the ranche, leaves a clear profit of $15 per head. Another man, who had a small ranch of 300 acres, principally in fruit, told mo that he expected — when the railway freights were lowered and the business better organized — to reckon on au income of not less that £500 per annum clear profit. But it is the exorbitant price of labour which handi- (aps agriculture at the present time, and helps to render competition by the United States successful. \i ''f 'km CHAPTEE V. THE CHINESE. 'I! ' The heading to this chapter might have been " Labour " — for the Chinaman is the cheap labourer of British Cohimbia. But certain features render the Chinese problem a different question to any which could come under the head of labour. It would be impossible to say when the Chinese first came to British Columbia. They have been known to wash gold in the mouth of the Eraser and in Vancouver Island for years past, and their patience and care in this pursuit renders the work profitable where the white man and all his machinery prove an utter failure.* The same may be said with regard to market garden- ing. A Chinaman rents a piece of waste ground for which no one else has any use, and under his careful hands it becomes a veritable Eder. I never watched his methods, nor did I meet any one who had done so ; but I always saw them at work from sunrise to sunset — Sundays included — and they used both irrigation and manure. I knew a man who once washed gold near some Chinese on the sandbars of the Eraser. He found that the Orientals made a clear profit, while ho himself worked in vain — the gold being so fine as to escape. The Chinese method was to wash the sand in their pan, pouring off the silt by degrees, leaving the heavier gold to sink to the bottom as more and more water was added. * Vide placer mining in Vuucouvcr Island. a :^T THE CniNESE. 75 »» white some Ltl that liinself )3cape. tr pan, IgolA to added. The last dregs of sand containm^ the flower of gold was brushed out with a tooth-brush (picked out of some dust- heap) on to his old blanket, which John had calculated he could spare, it beinp; summer-time. The blanket was carefully folded up after the sand and gold had been brushed well into it ; then at the end of the season it was made up into a tight small bundle, a fire was lighted underneath, which slowly consumed it, and the gold being amalgamated was recovered in the ashes. The Chinaman's power is this patient industry and immense economy ; and yet, although these are two distinct features which are needed in British Columbia, it cannot bo said that the Chinese form a part of the State, or have any interest in the country. As things are regulated at present, it is diilicult to believe that even their labour is an advantage ; but though it may seem a paradox, it would be hardly possible to live in Jiritish Columbia without them. The truth of the matter is, that regarded in the light of a labour problem, it is not the Chinese who are wholly right, but it is the British workman who is partly wrong. The colony belongs to Great Britain — not to China. Climate and all other circumstances prove it to bo eminently suited to British emigrants. China itself is hardly more in need of an outlet for its surplus popu- lation than is Great Britain. There are countless hundreds of men and women in these islands who are subsisting by the assistance of charity, or the aid of crime — because of over-competition in the labour market. Behind these there is an immense crowd who receive charity in the form of hospital beneficence, or the partial care of lunatic asylums supported by the State, whoso cases, if investigated, would go to prove that their disablement was due to over-work, over-worry, and insuthcient food. In God's Name — let nothing be said to diminish the aid given to the poor of our own race and blood ; but it does seem an inscrutable mystery that neither ikitish men nor women emigrants are desired in British \ ! } f 1 ' I t » I ' I ' ' ■ I ^■:i^ 76 BBITISn COLUMBIA FOR SETTLEB8. Columbia — of the working class. " As for your servant- girls," said one Victorian lady, "I would not employ them if they would work for nothing ! " " Thank you," said another, " if I could not keep a Chinaman, I would rather be without servants." Finally, I am bound to add my own conclusion, arrived at most reluctantly, that the only way to be waited on efiiciently, or to live in peace and comfort, was by getting rid of white servants and employing only Chinamen. Let it be distinctly understood that it is not only a case of cheapness, but also one of efficiency. It is true that white servants can demand, and do obtain, better wages ; but their employment is so rare that they cannot be reckoned as a class in the country, and yet wherever they are found to have any merit they are certain to secure situations. The tendency, how- ever, is for the servant class to become Chinese, because, as people say, ** They are less troublesome." I have sometimes thought that the wages offered to English servants are not sufficiently high to attract a good class, which I know to be the case in Montreal. Yet the class of Chinese who emigrate to British Columbia are only the lowest dregs of their own people. How comes it, then, that after centuries of durance vile in the Celestial Empire, these creatures emerge to fill at once — and fill very ably — domestic offices under Europeans? It is impossible not to grant the China- man a measure of respect, if not of sympathy. His patience and industry, cleverness and dexterity, are often allied with a fidelity to his white master practised by few Europeans. I have known them become virtually steward of the household, and looking after the master's interest with laborious care. Moreover, they are ca:;^able of attachment to their master's children, and, I believe, may be trusted with them more readily than any other coloured man. Occasionally a morose or sulky Chinaman may be * nnd, but the instances are rare. There is usually a oility about the Celestial which makes him pleasanter niw TBE CHINESE. 77 are ictised l-tually ister's liable siieve, any lay be lally a banter to deal with than the Western barbarian. He is not truthful. In common with all Oriental people, ho romances rather than lies. Out of sheer desire to make things pleasant for himself, and also for others — if pos- sible, he either adds or subtracts a little. He is obliger' to be honest towards the white men, whatever he may be towards his own people, or his own people would execute judgment upon him of a nature far more to be feared than any white man's. They are capable of learning cleanliness, and their memory is astonishing. I never heard of a Chinaman who forgot anything. Once show John Chinaman how you wish anything to be done, and it will always bo so in future. Once read a recipe to him, and it is posted under his shaven skull for the rest of his days. That they are often cruel — especially to one another — is unfortunately true. What crimes they may commit amongst themselves is never known ; inquiry would be practically useless, for to Europeans one Chinaman is so like another that identification is impossible. But the small regret with which they hear of wholesale deaths by shipwreck, fire, or sword, of their own countrymen, is sufficient proof of the cheapness with which they regard one another. A friend of mine in Victoria told her Chinaman of a catastrophe which had cost the lives of a number of his countrymen. It seemed probable that the creature's own uncle was among the number killed; but he received the news with glee. "Chinamen die! Very good, very good! Too many Chinamen ! " was his unfeeling remark. Yet this same Oriental sobbed as if his heart were broken over the death of his master's little son. I never found one who had learnt to tell the time by the clock ; but, as cooks, they seemed to know the hour by what was going on around them, and get ready accordingly. Not that they will admit their inability to read the clock. They avoid it by saying something pleasant. " Tell me the time, John," I cried as I ran to catch a tramcar. "He teatime," replied John, f1 ■>% ^ n-^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k A {./ A f/ <^. % 1.0 I.I 11.25 22 bill! 12.S ■ 50 "^ mm V <^ /; V Hictographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4S03 \ iV ■1>^ p #V '<^ '■tail fiying, came tearing into camp mad with terror. Quieting him as well as they could, a Hi 'j^5 m ft it :. r, a i\ 1 82 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. the Duponts at length elicited that he had seen the devil himself sitting in a tree. The following morning John departed, taking French leave. The difficult point with the Chinaman is that no one can foresee the hour when his service may terminate. The utmost that can be done is to secure that his place shall be immediately filled by one of his countrymen. But in cases of the ill-timed interference of the devil being the cause of John's disappearance, it is by no means easy to secure another Chinaman in his place. If a death is about to take place in the house, John is pretty certain to withdraw discreetly. Some time before I came to Victoria a case of the kind occurred. The mistress of the house was known to be dying, and a lady friend, who knew the Chinaman as an old servant of her own, spoke to him, and warned him not to leave his master. John promised to be brave, and probably his intentions were good. The lady died, and John did not run away. She was buried, but John remained busy in his laundry ironing clothes all day. The next morning, however, he was nowhere to be found. " So after all, John, you ran away," said his old mistress, meeting him subsequently. "Missi, I see devil." "Oh no, John." "Missi, me see devil ! " " What did he look like, John ? " " Missi, she bury. I iron clo' in laundry. My little lamp he burn. Devil, he come; and — puff— he blow out my lamp. I run away." "But what did the devil look like, John ? " " All same's Englishman — black coat, white collar — all same Englishman. And puff — he blow out my lamp ! " This fear as to the power exercised by the devil does not deter the Chinaman from exhuming his own dead and taking them back to China. For the most part, their bones are packed into barrels, nailed down, and shipped as ordinary freight. I could not understand how they could force themselves to perform this work, till it was explained to me that the Chinaman's fear of the devil is no greater than his fear of the departed. I TEE CniNESE, 83 came at last to the conclusion that the Chinaman has no courage ; and I believe that they are only made to fight by the fear of what will happen to them if they do not fight. They are acknowledged to be very difficult people to understand. I tried to ascertain what kind of class emigrated to Canada, and I was told that there were three — the merchant, the labourer, and the student. I asked the nature of the studies pursued by the student, and I was told that he was trying to take his degree. This degree often occupied him his whole life, as he had to maintain himself at the same time; so that one's laundryman, or gardener, or cook might be burning the night oil in pursuit of the degree. I asked what advantages it bestowed, and I was told "Nothing: only the pleasure of having it." But the nature of the study surprised me most of all. It consisted of Chinese history. " And Chinese history," said my informant, " is everlasting ; and no one knows quite the whole of it, because it is so old." The wisdom of our own degrees and their classic studies has been questioned, but I felt speechless before this pathetic waste of toil — the heroically endured privations to obtain a barren honour — which this account of the Chinese student laid bare before me. The Chinaman is permitted to exercise no political rights in British Columbia ; and this is a wise measure, seeing how ignorant he is of Western civilization, and how alien he always remains. He is furthermore taxed upon entering the country for the privilege of coming there to do work which no one else will do as well, and for wages no one else will accept. This poll- tax is $50 entrance fee, and in addition he pays taxes annually to the amount of $8 a head, besides $2 for the maintenance of schools which he may never use. In some quarters these sums are considered quite in- adequate, and it is suggested to raise them at once to $50 per annum. In the case of students and merchants who bring letters of identification, the capitation fee is 4 ! 1 , f\ s a 84 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. remitted, the intention being to place a restriction upon cheap labour in favour of the European as against the Asiatic. Both the object and the origin of this movement is perfectly obvious. It is the working class who are afraid of Chinese competition. They maintain, in self-defence, that the Chinaman is injurious to trade by purchas- ing little or nothing in the country, and by shipping his savings back to China. With regard to the charge of draining money to China, it does not seem pro- bable that more than $1,000,000 are sent to that country annually. If a class of maid-servants were introduced, more money would be spent upon millinery and clothing, but the difficulty would be to provide servants which people in British Columbia would accept at the wages they offer. Keally good servants of high character are not likely to emigrate, unless very great inducement is offered them. Besides, the Chinaman is amenable to the emigration agent at Victoria, and if he behaves in a way to bring himself into disgrace with his own people, his fate is practically sealed. He is sent bar.k to China, and never heard of again. There is no society capable of dealing out discipline of this kind to white emigrants; and until those who argue against the Chinaman are prepared to pay for something better, and provide not merely suitable servants and labourers, but likewise the machinery for enforcing discipline, it is useless to talk of getting rid of the Chinaman. During the summer of 1897, farmers in the Lower Fraser, who had ripe crops spoiling and contracts to fulfil, were offering $3.50 per diem for white labour, and did so in vain. The white man complains of want of work at certain seasons, but he says nothing about the high wages at other seasons. Because $3 a day are paid in mines, he expects the same rate of pay elsewhere always. The usual complaint is want of work in winter- time, and on farms the rate of wages in summer-time varies from $25 a month, with board, to $30. What would a labourer say in England to £1 5s. a week, with ^PPF THE CHINESE. 85 sleeping accommodation, besides ** three meals a day, and all of them dinners," as one of them once admitted ? One morning in mid-winter a man called at the ranche of a friend of mine, and asked for work. " I can put you on to some fencing, at $1.50 a day," said my friend ; but the offer was rejected on the score of the lowness of the wages, and the man went away. What the labourers do not see is that the sum to be spent in wages depends upon the success of the industry, and is at all times a variable quantity, according to profits. They maintain that winter wages ought to be at the same rate as summer wages : that a farmer should put by in the summer a suflficient sum to pay the same rate of wages in winter. This is absurd — for the farmer offers the high rate in summer-time to attract labour and to obtain skilled labour of the kind he requires. It is another example of the aversion displayed by the working class to having a premium put upon excellence, and emphasizes the desire which they openly express for levelling the good workmen down to the same rate as the second-class hand. The very reverse should be the object of the Unions. They should endeavour to render workmen more skilled and more capable of holding their own against cheaper and more industrious and more dexterous workmen else- where. The attempt to debase labour is so unnatural that the results may be totally different to those ex- pected by the Unions. It is already sufficiently difficult to obtain good workmen in many trades, and consequently greater encouragement will be given to inventions of machir^ery or processes which shall diminish the necessity for manual dexterity. The indifferent workman must always be little better than useless. The fact of ladies in British Columbia pre- ferring to do their own house-work, rather than employ bad servants, indicates the* it is not by levelling down work that more employmt. . is made or better wages obtained. That the Chinaman forms no basis for a market is m ^ I .1: i! 86 BItlTISn COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. not exactly true. He lives principally on rice, which is imported, and so far the shipping industry benefits ; and it is on his account that the mills for dressing raw rice were erected at Victoria, and are able to do a good business. His clothes — though cut after the orthodox Chinese pattern — are made of materials bought in the country. While we are considering the subject of the Chinese, it is useful to examine the actual working of the strange embargo laid upon them by the Legislature. The $50 entrance fee is refunded if the Chinaman leaves the country before he has been there six ,iOnths. This naturally obliges the Chinaman to stay when he has once forfeited $50, until he has accumulated a con- siderable sum. It is at least probable that the $50 are borrowed from a rich man of his own race, and that he pays a pretty high rate of interest out of his weekly wages. This acts very adversely on the labour market, for if there is one thing absolutely necessary to save working men heavy losses, it is auy system which renders it difficult for them to reduce competition in the labour market at the shortest possible notice. Again, nothing is so disastrous to capital as not being able to secure all the labour it wants immediately occasion for it arises. The taxes simply act so as to prevent any relaxation of immigra- tion when competition is highest, and yet provides a deterrent against the Chinaman's coming in as a relief when wages rise to an injurious figure. Nor is this all : for the misfortune of money being drained out of the country is actually called for and rendered necessary; for these taxes prevent a China- man from bringing his wife into the country. Any inquiry as to how bad this may be for bis morals in this Christian land, is not necessary to our purpose. But the effect upon our finance is, that he sends his wages back to China, which is a very profitable business for him, considering the rate of exchange — as, speaking generally, forty cents of Canadian money is worth a THE CHINESE. 87 being and Jhina- Any als in hundred in China. Thus, a man who earns fifty cents in Canada, can send fifty away and yet have fifty to live upon. This of course supposes that they transfer then- savings in gold. Yet another inducement to drain money out of the country is offered them by our legis- lation. Most of the Chinese in British Columbia ure agricultural labourers. Hero comes in another im- portant element. All these men have a hankering to possess a little piece of ground of their own. But the Columbian law prohibits them from acquiring it. A few take up land under long leases, and at heavy rents ; but others find it better to transfer their savings, and purchase land in China. The better-class Chinaman must perforce live in Chinatown. " I cannot live in the country," said one of them to me. "I could save $5 a month if I did, and have a pretty little garden for my children besides '* (and how a Chinaman loves a garden ! ) ; " but if I did there are rough boys who would annoy my children and break my windows." Yet this man was actually a British subject. His children were born such; he himself naturalized. His children attended the English school ; he was himself in a position of trust and uni- versally respected in the city. He spoke the truth; for the brutal ruffianism of the idle whites to the Chinese is well known in Victoria. It can only be hoped for the credit of this loyal colony that these scoundrels are from the States, for it is hard to believe that the British ideal of fair-play could bo violated by British subjects. The present alternative to the Chinaman is white labour from the States. It is impossible to avoid com- parison, however odious, and, touching this subject, the Chinaman has one distinct point in his favour, that already alluded to as the system of discipline exercised over him by his own people. They are supplied to who- ever requires them by labour contractors, who can furnish them on remarkably short notice to perform any kind of work. In a new country, such as Canada, these agencies are extremely convenient. 1^ jit. 'I > 1:1 I 88 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB BETTLEBB. But it is neither with public convenience nor with justice that the white working man concerns himself. Not many years ago an experiment was tried of intro- ducing Chinese into the coal-mines of Vancouver Island. This caused an uproar, and the masters gave in. Then this astonishing result followed, that some of the miners employed Chinamen to go underground for them, paying them half their wages and engaging themselves in other pursuits. The Chinaman is, « course, a substitute in a British colony, and once more I insist that he is only there so long as the British decline to qualify themselves to take his place. Unlike the Japanese, he has nothing in common with ourselves, and he does not rise to a higher level than the gratification of his animal nature. China- town is an offence to at least two senses — sight and smell. It reeks of opium, and is suggestive of low gambling-hells. There sit the fat "merchants," who are probably deep in usurious practices of the most blood- sucking description. It is impossible not to suspect that the hard toil of many a poor John goes to increase the paunch of some of these fat tyrants who sit lurking like spiders in their dark and silent dens, concocting in their minds webs for the unwary. Yet be it remembered that many of these men have invested large sums in the country, and are deeply interested pushing trades which are shipped in English bottoms, and which but for them would not be existing to-day. It is said that the middle-man trade of Victoria is passing into the hands of the Chinese. If so, the con- dition of Victoria will be similar to that of Capetown under the Malays. With the bonus on their savings offered by the rate of exchange, it would be dangerous for individual European settlers to compete against them. It is said, with truth, that the Chinaman is honourable and fair as a business man, and no thief. It is quite as true that he practices these virtues as part of his rules of business, and that he is all this as long as his interests lie that way. It is an utter TEE CEINEBE. 89 jiiistake to extol him as a tradesman for merely showing himself at the best as good a man of business as another. It is a policy of danger which permits the exploitation of a market by an alien and less civilized race — only out of timidity and from want of proper business perspective. ;■ ■ Ml .'i ■«™-sa»/^;-^L'~'*i~«»L!rte!i5iK^ts*« " CHAPTEB VI. J I ! ,i: 1,; ( f THE RED INDIAN*", Although the North American Indian does not play the same role as the Kaffir in South Africa or the Fellaheen in Egypt, he abounds in Canada in sufficient numbers to oflfer a clearly visible entity. It would be impossible to consider the country without him, espe- cially as he represents the race which once owned it all. The most that I learnt about the Indians was from Government officials, though I also met some missionaries and others who took a private and philanthropic view of them. Government agents — for one purpose or another — abound everywhere in Canada. They are courteouspeople, but I found them overwhelmed with anxiety concerning their duties, which they invariably informed me consisted of writing reports, etc. Somehow they recalled the story of the debutante who believed herself so much admired that she spent all her leisure time in composing refusals. One of them inquired, in a tone of deep despondency, whether I thought any one would read my book on British Columbia. I replied, with becoming modesty, that his literary experience was greater than my own, that the British public was not a thing that any one could speculate upon. But that considering the way " On Veldt and Farm " had been received, I ventured to hope that " British Columbia " would prove acceptable. Than! a to these gentlemen's efforts, it is impossible to move far in Canada without having a "Report" presented TEE BED INDIANS. 91 to one ; and many of their works are very interesting reading. By far the most entertaining ii that on ** Indian Affairs." There are portions of it which suggest that the authors are qualifying to become novelists. At all events many of the little touches here and there might point a tract for the S.P.C.K. It is continually asserted that the Eed Indian is dying out. Of this there is no actual proof. Owing to various causes, diseases have decimated some tribes or bands more than others. They certainly die more frequently when their conditions of life are changed suddenly, or if civilization is forced upon them. There seems an idea gaining ground that it is chiefly in the transition state that the Indians die. Neither those who live the old wild life in the north (and very few are left who lead even approximately the life they once led) ; nor those who have learnt how to manage three-storied houses — ventilate them properly, and keep them clean — and to nurse their children through civilized ailments such as measles, are dying out. But with those in the intermediary stage it is otherwise. They send their children to sit for hours in stifling schools, and sleep with them under the old wigwam at night ; they dress neither in the old way nor the new — but half and half. They gorge themselves with tinned provisions because the deer are scarce, the buffalo all gone, and they are too lazy to keep cattle or poultry. These people die in great numbers. Consumption is the most prevalent disease, but scrofula is also common. It has been conclusively proved that consumption is contagious, and not hereditary, and every effort is made to keep down the ravages of the disease. Small-pox has been virtually extirpated by unremitting vigilance with respect to vaccination. So that from all accounts it would seem as though the rapid decrease of the Indians has been checked if not finally arrested. The Indian population in Canada generally has been estimated as 100,027, but from reading the reports I conclude it must be very difficult to get accurate figures. II n I i I t (i K iii / i » I 1 I ■ h )'i r.i ir i 92 BRITI8K COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. Speaking as a traveller of such things as came under my notice, I could not but bo struck with the immense trouble and the great expenditure which the Canadians lavish upon the Indians. They have been left tolerably free agents in the matter. Perhaps all their measures have not been wise, and some have proved disappoint- ing in their results. All their agents may not be equally well qualified for the difficult and often dangerous work of administration. The broad fact, however, remains, that the Canadians have never spared themselves in their endeavour to do the best in their power for the Red man, and if possible do something more than merely compensate him for the loss of his country and his old way of living. I do not believe — whatever defects there may, be — that Imperial Govern- ment itself could have done better than the colony has done ; and I suppose not even a German or an American will question Imperial Britain's success in dealing with dark races, as compared with themselves, or, indeed, any nation. I am told that Canada was left to her own devices on this point. If so, the natural impulsv. 'le has followed must endear her more than anything else (her natural wealth, her great geographical position, her commercial importance not excepted) to one who is the Mother of Nations. I never heard a Canadian say a single unkind thing of an Indian ; but, on the contrary, they were anxious to befriend and protect them. And all this they have done in spite of the example set them in the Eepublic over the border — acting, it would seem, out of the sturdy independence of their character, which I found a most lovable feature in their disposition, and which proves their close kinship with my own people. The Indian has been a difficult problem even of its kind. He is courageous — not merely by nature, but also by education, or rather training ; armed almost equally with the white man ; at one time incomparably more numerous than the whites ; extremely skilful in the warfare best suited to the country ; quick of kA^j^ <*S>Mik*! ''■i 'a \'\M r^ 94 BBITI8H COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. them? The slightest acquaintance "with the Esd men impresses one directly with the impulsiveness of their character. Neither were their services as soldiers re- quired in Canada. It is •uoreover, tolerably certain that, without a strong mu^.^ry force in the country to control them, they would have been puffed up with their own importance, and a source of perpetual danger and unrest. The part of native policy which has received most liberal censure is that which was probably started with the most generous intentions. It is that of the payment of subsidies towards the support of those bands who came into treaty with the Canadian Government. Various objections are raised against the system, and few of them are without foundation. The payment does not reimburse the Indian for the losses inflicted on him by the white man ; it offers him no encouragement to improve his condition ; and it tends to make him a spendthrift — in fact, it has the usual bad effect of pauperizing charity. Where the Indians are thrown upon their own re- sources — but at the same time receive encouragement and instruction — they have made wonderful progress towards supporting themselves. The first necessity was to cut off all supplies of intoxicants. This is still extremely diflOicult along the American border ; but the exertions of the North-West Police have entirely pre- vented the running in of alcoholic liquors by traders to the Indians of the North-West. Alongside with the prohibition of intoxicants is the work of education in schools, which receive every assistance and suijport from Government, independent of the religious body which controls them. The country is divided into districts, with agents and superintendents who watch over and promote the welfare of the Indians, and are responsible to Government for their good behaviour. It is not too much to say that these agents take the greatest pride in advancing the improvement of the bands or tribes; and wherever I went I was struck (( TEE BED INDIANS. 95 with the pathetic confidence which the Indians reposed in the discretion and wisdom of the agents. The work of reclaiming the Indian and establishing him as a self-supporting factor, and, if possible, drawing upon him for at least a portion of the labour so greatly needed in the colony, is a very slow business, requiring inexhaustible patience. " The Indian in his natural state," says Mr. Hayter Reed, " would undergo wonderful privations and fatigue in the chase ; but when he had returned to discharge the fruits of the hunt at the door of his lodge, he considered his labours as ended and that he had earned a well-deserved rest, while the remainder of the work, however hard, was to be done by his squaw ; so he is now unwilling to exert himself for a lengthened period, particularly if the results cannot readily be seen. Without much difficulty an Indian can be induced to cut hay or cut firewood, where he knows they are readily sold for cash; but to get him to make hay in the early stages of rearing small herds, when he is not allowed to sell, becomes a much harder task." This gives a picture of the watchful patience in the slow work of instructing the wild Indian to farm — and surely never was a harder task taken in hand ! Here is a passage taken from the Eeport for 1896 : — " Tbi-ough a great deal of watching and patience, the loan system, as applied to cattle in the North- West Territories, has been brought to work admirably among the Indians. This system, in a few words, is the lending to the Indians of one or two animals, upon condition that, at the expiration of a certain time, he will return to the department an equal number — these in turn being loaned to others. So successful has this system proved, that many individuals have managed to collect about them herds of sufficient size to permit sales to be made, bringing in ready cash ; thus the Indian, who for a long time remained sceptical, has become aware of the value of stock." Throughout Canada there are lands reserved for the exclusive property of the Indians. And these tracts are i m i m il ;1| \m VMVIII 96 B1UTI8H COLUMBIA FOB 8BTTLEB8. some of the richest and best in the country — notably the Shuswap Keserve in West Kootenay. These lands are frequently a trouble to the settler, who is neverthe- less compelled to defer in this matter to t'le Indian. They are usually unfenced, and ic pleases the Indians to keep running loose upon them herds of utterly useless wild cayuses, sometimes called ponies. " I may point out," says the Report, speaking of one o£ these reserves, " that if the magnificent grazing arcAS which this reserve possesses could be turned to account for the growing of cattle and sheep, and the irrigation area utilized each year for the growth of a certain fodder crop for these cattle . . . the future of the Indians comprising this land would be very bright. On the Blackfoot Reserve it at once suggests itself to the visitor, that if the large band of ponies which the Indians have, and which are practically useless, could be exchanged for cattle, the position of the Indians would be greatly improved." Cattle raising is eminently an industry suited to the Indian; and since it has been started amongst them they have taken to it with astonishing zest. They not only prefer the work of looking after stock to any other employment; but they realize the necessity of taking good care of their cattle in winter-time, erecting shelters for them, and putting up hay. Many of them have gone even further than s! ^ck-raising, and raised crops of turnips, potatoes, and other vegetables. The women i^ave their share in the improvement. In place of the original hut or wigwam there are now houses, well constructed, with shingle roofs, and divided into apartments. Some of them have staircases, and bedrooms upstairs. These houses contain cooking- stoves, tables, chairs, and bedsteads ; and many of them are enclosed in neat fences with gates. A feature in these homes is the woman's sewing-machine of the latest style ; and instead of curing hides, the making of butter, and bread with yeast, and the raising of poultry, are the tasks assigned to the squaw. ■A- otably I lands rerthe- ^ndiaa. ndians useless ' one o£ ,B which for the utilized or these his land t at once jf ponies f useless, ) Indians id to the rst them JChey not ,ny other if taking shelters ave gone crops of THE RED INDIANS. 97 Their bread, I was told, was very good. Their butter is at all events marketable. Still it must not be supposed that the task of civilizing the Indian is by any means accomplished. It is still a question how far the noble savage may survive the infliction of civilization. There are hundreds who cannot endure the white man for any time. It amuses them to visit his store and sell a few furs ; with the proceeds of which they smoke, and lounge about gossip- ing, and showing off their latest beaded finery. They will bet and gamble and drink — if they can. But two days is the utmost limit of their endurance. " They are tired of the white man and his ways " — in tru';h they despise and dislike him ; and so they gallop away again to their squaw and their wigwam — for they !Vie muato Home-rulers, and care nothing for the Empire. In this state, with his wild trappings, feathers, and beads, he forms the most romantic feature in Canadian life. His actual origin is lost in obscurity; but the type of the pure-blood Indian of the plains is Aryan, and if they come from the Orient, it should be from India rather than China or Japan. He has a tall, lithe, majestic figure, holding himself with a haughty air. He walks, moves, and rides with dignity and grace. His voice is very musical, and particularly soft and low — unlike any other human voice I ever heard. There is as much caste among Indians as any other race of men, and they deeply resent a liberty. In religion he is a mystic, and it is difficult to believe that this mysticism, which spreads itself out over all nature, can be effaced by Christianity. With- out knowing it, the Indian is a poet. Will he be silenced, when his forests are felled and his rivers harnessed to mill-wheels ? That God dwells all round him is the belief of the Indian of the North- West ; but He is chiefly in the mountains; and when the clouds descend upon the mountains, it is God coming down to talk with men. There is, besides, the hidden life of a spirit in every stream or strange rock, and the forest I 1 ■»" ■ i j' m m u In ^ i': m :n 'f j#-'f i 98 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. is inhabited by many apirits. Now it is a wicked man whose evil deeds God arrested by turning him into a mountain ; or it is an angry father who, in the form of a river, pursues and drowns his daughter and her lover. Lakes are very frequently the abode of evil spirits, who are compelled to remain there. They are harmless unless any one ventures to catch the fish or to row or swim in the water. Those who are drowned in these lakes are lost for ever, because the devils seize them. Thus there are trails it is better to avoid, since they pass close to lakes which must never be fished ; and mountains it would be impious to ascend. Before the advent of the white man in British Columbia, when the Indians followed their "own sweet will," they had many practices and customs which have now become almost obsolete. There was a great love of mythical narrative, mixed with tradition, sometimes taking the form of complete chronicles, and probably the stories came from the Orient. The well-known allegory about the man, the water-rat, and the beaver, who were saved from the flood, bears a striking analogy to the history of Noah. While others, such as the story of the crab and the crow, indicate a trial of strength between two heroes, who learnt thereby to respect each other. This is especially suggetced by the invariable use of totems, and the ancestor-worship practised among these coast tribes. The story is as follows : — •' For many years the crab and the crow were at enmity with each other ; but they are now fast friends, and this is the reason. One day tiie crab was on the seashore, and the crow, happening to come that way, jeered at the cmb because he could not fly. The crab waited patiently till the crow came close i»o him, and then he shot out his long arm and caught the crow by the wing. To this he held fast. Mean- time the tide began to come in nearer and nearer, and the crow became more and more afraid lest he should be drownod. He begged and implored the crab to let him go; but the crab said, ' No ; now is the time for us to see which is the :'l I. .y , TEE BED INDIANS. 99 t better fellow.' So ho hold him fast. Then the water washed all round them; and the crow became quite wet and was terribly afraid. So the crab had pity upon him and let him go. Therefore this ia the reason why these two, who were once enemies, are now good friends." Legends as fine as this are sure to inspire artistic feeling; and the coast tribes to-day still carve very beautifully in stone as well as wood. They also work their own desig- . in gold and silver — in fact, the power of design is very marked in these people. In their ingenious devices for fishing-hooks and tackle, made by utilizing thorns or the teeth of marine monsters sharpened on the rocks and bound with ligaments or gut, and in many similar adaptations the dexterity of the coast Indian is abundantly proved. These tribes appear never to have lived in wigwams, like the Indians of the mountain and the plain; but in long wooden houses, in which whole clans lived together. Supporting the gable in front of the house, but towering high above it, was a gigantic totem-pole — probably a tree with the top cut off. From top to bottom this totem-pole was carved with devices, sup- posed to be the aeraldic bearings of the chief's ancestors. One above the other can be seen the familiar Indian signs of the owl, the eye, the beaver, the frog, the raven, the stag, and so on. At the bottom of the totem-pole was a large hole, through which entrance was effected into the house. There was, in the old savage days, a sanctuary offered by the totem-pole. If any fugitive — even the chief's bitterest enemy — should contrive to pass through the totem-pole into the house, he was safe. Among these coast Indians, cannibalism of a peculiarly gruesome description existed until comparatively recent times ; and in some of the remoter parts of Vancouver Island it seems highly probable that, if left to them- selves, the natives would revert to these odious practices. The custom evidently referred to an occult mysticism of a character no trace of which appears on the plains. ; i: i V'- , ;■■; «• 100 BniTISn COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. The disgusting proceedings usually commenced with a dance. The Indians were assembled by a herald in the shape of a hideous old crone, known as " the dance tempter." Moved by innate malignity, this old wretch would appear with her frightful "properties" of old bones and horns clattering round her decrepid and often deformed person, and a wand of office in her hand. Seating herself among the young braves, who, if left alone, would probably have been harmless, she would commence a droning noise through her closed teeth. After a time this song and the periodical waving of the old witch's wand would so act on the young men's nerves that they would get up and dance, throwing themselves about and becoming wilder and wilder till a blind frenzy of devilment overmastered them. The end was the death of some poor slave-girl, whose destruction was probably the old witch's chief object. This unfortunate creature would be pursued simultaneously, set upon, and torn limb from limb, while her murderers fastened their teeth in the living flesh. Cannibalism of this kind no longer obtains, being forbidden by British law ; but it is by no means certain that on some of the islands the temptation offered by dead bodies washed ashore is always resisted ; and there are people living who witnessed the winding up of a native dance by the eating of a live six-weeks-old puppy. The Indian who seized it, began at the nose and gnawed right through it to the tail. A certain allowance must be made for these Indians on the scote of their raw fish eating habits. The teeth of every one of them are ground down evenly, it is said, through eating clams, which they dig out of the sand of the shore. The subject of their dances is an interesting one ; but owing to the discouragement shown by the British, these ceremonies are dying out. There was an attempt made to hold a "sun dance" last year, but it was practically a failure. »'l^-.*«iii;***'-'i-.»'*.>'»'-y»- 1**V- - 0-.T?'— ;^.-l i i* M - * t--< THE RED INDIANS. 101 At some of these dances polytheism was traceable. There was, for instance, the frequent use of masks carved to represent the heads of birds or beasts of prey — the eagle, the wolf, and the dog being special favourites. The jaws or beaks were ingeniouBly made to move and clap, while the jaws of the wolf wore furnished with rows of iron fangs. There was a dance called the "wolf dance," in which they dressed entirely in wolf skins and wore wolf masks. This was an especially savage affair, and invariably concluded with the hunting and tearing to pieces of some wretched human being. No doubt the inventive genius and ar.'stic taste of these Indians has assisted the authorities In the task of civilizing them. From weaving and dyeing it was easy to pass on to needle-work, and from carving to carpentry. It was found more profitable to dig potatoes than clams, and the succulent vegetable was preferred to the gritty clam. To ascertain what development has taken place among coast Indians, we will take some figures from the Keport for 1886 of the Cowichans agent (Vancouver Island) : — "Tride or Nation. — The Cowichans are a branch of what has been termed the Salish nation, which formerly occupied a large extent of land in Washington State as well as in British Columbia. " Vital Statistics. — There are nine hundred and ninety- two males, and one l ousand and thirty-seven females, of whom five hundred and seventy-two are children. There have been sixty-two births, and thirty deaths. No cases of immigration or emigration. Increase in population, com- pared with previous year, is thirty-two. Deaths were confined to the old people and very young. Bronchial and pulmonary affections were the principal cause. " Occupation. — Employment is found in the following occupations — mixed farming, including the cultivation of fruit, these Indians having planted over a hundred fruit trees this year ; fishing ; hunting ; working at canneries and saw- mills; making fishing-boats and canoes, fishing-nets; acting 102 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. as pfuides, packers, and boatmen for sportsmen, etc. Tho women make mats, baskets, dress deer skins, make moccassins, knit socks, and are clever at needle-work. "Education. — There are three hundred and fifty school children of school age, and six schools, one industrial and the rest day schools. " CHAiiACTERisTics AND PROGRESS. — Thcso Indiana are in- dustrious and intelligent, good farmers, shrewd traders, expert fishermen, and are apt at learning trades. They aro fairly tempcrute and moral. "Statistics. — Value of personal property ... 173,050 Acres under cultivation ... 2496 Acres of new land broken ... 114 Total value of real and personal property $810,608" As may be gathered, these coast tribes are not horse- men. They fish and trap, and their legs are cramped and bent with sitting in the bottom of their canoes. So far as furnishing a working class for the white man is concerned, the Indian cannot at present be reckoned upon. A good deal depends upon the indi- vidual white man's power of handling the Redskin. The chief point is to hold steadily to whatever agree- ment is made, and whilst leaving kindnefs entirely alone, to be patient with their Indian peculiarities. Chenook — the language used by the Hudson Bay Company — is easily acquired, and will be found very useful in making arrangements with Indians for fishing, hunting, hop-picking, herding, or fruit-gathering. The Indians in British Columbia give no trouble, and their government is a purely civil affair. Tho use of force is quite unnecessary. But it must not be supposed that this is the case in the North-West. The outbreaks which occur from time to time there, are sometimes attributed to superstition or similar causes ; but the fact is that there still remains a great deal of bitterness against the white man; and unfortunately the half-breeds increase this feeling. The matter of the half-breeds is a disagreeable topic. .^i£m TBE RED INDIANS. 103 It is said that it was onco the policy of the Hudson's Bay Company to encourage the marriage of their factors with Siwash women as tending to identify the Company with the country. This was many years ago, when the results of such alliances were not as manifest as they are to-day. Certain it is that there is nothing to snggest that marriages formed in this manner at that date were of the low and revolting character which occasionally obtains to-day. In this, as in a good many other things, there is a great deal in the way the thing is done. It is quite impossible to condone the conduct of Englishmen who have lived with Siwash women, begetting by them families of children, which they afterwards deserted, when they found it possible to marry a white woman. The strangest part of the case is that men are usually far more devoted to the Siwash woman than to the white wife. It is the hankering after respectability which leads them to forsake the one for the other, and the desire to have white children. It is most pitiful to think of the half-breed children, and the bitter struggle of the two natures fighting within the one individual with no helping hand stretched out to aid. It is not to their discredit that they do not forsake their mother's people — even though the bitterness against their sires may result in such an outbreak as the Eiel rebellion. Much may be said to palliate the ofTence of these relationships in the early days, which cannot be advanced now. Still this discreditable conduct is not so uncommon as could be wished. It exists especially on the frontiers of civilization, prior to the introduction of publfj opinion, before wl" ch men quail. ** Do the squaws still rule the roast?" >va8 the question I heard asked respecting the Klondyke. 'i' ih CHAPTER VII. COMMENCEMENT OF ITINERARY. 'fi 1; r ^ ' In compiling my notes on British Columbia, I was struck with the fact that they were of two kinds— the one consisted of the categorical rehearsal of my travels; the other, added to independently, gave a general or bird's-eye view of the country. I saw no real assimila- tion of the two, and therefore I decided to classify them as well as possible, giving first some chapters on special subjects, and afterwards the history of my travels — such travels as any one else might make who did not go as a tourist, but to spy out the land. This plan is somewhat on the same lines as my book on South Africa ; and though the arrangement has been criticized, I think it has its advantages, for in spite of some things said against it, I heard on the whole more in its favour. With my reader's permission, I will now start upon a rapid sketch of the travels I u^^dertook during the four months I spent in British Columbia last year. It was late in the afternoon of the 3rd of June that the s.s. Parisian, of the Allan Line, bound for Quebec, left Liverpool with about forty-five first-class besides intermediate and steerage passengers. I was glad to sail by this line — the old pioneer line to the loyal Dominion of Canada. Although many emigrants still travel via New York on the White Star and Cunard Lines, they probably do so through ignorance. Even for the smarv tourist, it is well worth while sacrificing COMMENCEMENT OF ITINERAHT. 105 New York for the pleasure and privilege of the trip up the St. Lawrence river and the approach by water of the grand old city of Quebec. For those who intend making Canada their future homo, there can be no reason for going round by New York. To begin with, it is a waste of money, and secondly, there are admirable arrangements made by Government for assisting the emigrants who land at Quebec, and for furnishing reliable advice. Our party on board was a quiet one. There was a Governor and his lady who were going out with their young family to represent her Majesty in a distant part of the Empire ; a general, his wife, and his aide, who were bound for Halifax ; Dr. Eobertson, the Presby- terian superintendent, returning from a missionary tour in Scotland ; and the rest were made up of Canadians who had often made the trip before — some of them as many as forty times — travellers like myself, and the inevitable naval officer going to join his ship at the other side of the world. The first part of the voyage was neither cold nor stormy. Moville, where we put in for mails, looked lovely after the soft rain of a June night, with the yellow gorse all ablaze upon its green hillsides, and the sea- birds skimming over the still grey waters. I soon became at home, and found my way all over the ship, having made the acquaintance of the ship's steward, Mr. Hardman, who took me through the emigrants' quarters, as well as into his own special departments of the cook's galley and the storeroom. The accommodation for the emigrants is especially good on this line. I took occasion to ask several of the passengers as to the treatment they received ; and they one and all spoke with entire satisfaction. There was, of course, a great mixture — Eussians, Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, Poles, as well as Scots and the irrepressible Irish. It was remarkable how, in the close compass of a ship, each nationality kept apart. The company endeavoured to arrange for the comfort of them all !| .^ m m .1 ■ ! •An \' t '(: I 106 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. individually. I found that the Russians brought their own bread in their boxes in sufficient quantity to last the voyage. In the first-class many of the ladies brought their own tea, and a supply of cream, which was kept for them in the cold storage. It was customary for the saloon of an afternoon to be divided into small tea- parties of "private teas." But the "private teas" began very early, for, as I went to my bath at seven o'clock, I found Miss Adams, the Scottish stewardess, who is a familiar character on the Parisian — indeed, I doubt if the ship could go to sea without her — busy over the ** private teas." Miss Adams had all the loyalty of a Scot, and the whole of it was given to the company. Whatever was " the Allan's " was perfect, whatever was not "the Allan's" was despised if not derided. The "private teas" came in for a large share of contempt; and one morning I was asked to be judge, and offered a cup of each. But two large bowls of tea at that early hour were too much for my courage; besides, I must admit that I should never have dared to give the case against " the Allan's." " We've got very great people on board with us this time. Miss Adams,*' said one of the lady passengers, referring to the Governor and his suite. " But naething to what we had coming oot," responded Miss Adams with alacrity. " But who may they have been ? " exclaimed the lady, who, being a loyal Canadian, could not raise her ideas above a representative of the Queen. " A-weel," replied Miss Adams, lingering over the triumph of the moment, "it was jist the Allans theirsels." There is a little too much of the tendency to place the line above criticism, at all events on the part of the line itself ; and the inevitable result has been the calling into the field of fresh competition. So far as the emigrants of the intermediate and steerage were con- cerned the line compared most favourably with others COMMENCEMENT OF ITINERARY. 107 i by which I have travelled ; but the first-class was in- commodious and badly ventilated — in fact, left with the clumsy, old-fashioned ideas of twenty years ago. The thing which helped to smooth one's lot, and enabled one to forget the imperfections, was the extraordinary civility and readiness to oblige of the whole ship's company. On Sunday we had service in the saloon, which was taken by the emigrant chaplain. The ships on this lino always carry a clergyman of the Church of England free, if there are a certain number of emigrants. He takes care of them, so far as he is able, during the voyage, and hands them over to the chaplain of the Emigration Bureau in Quebec. This is a most excellent plan. It affords a curate from the slums of our great cities the opportunity for a thorough change such as he might not otherwise secure. It also gives a clergyman of our Church a chance of visiting one of our colonies, seeing something of our emigrants, and gaining an insight into the thoughts and feelings of our settlers. The voyage was uneventful. There were the usual icebergs, fogs, and whales ; but eventually we got safely into the great river which is Canada's principal water- way. It is scarcely possible to convey any idea of the magnificent effect of the St. Lawrence. Other rivers may be larger, but few possess such a stirring history ; moreover, it is in future the direct highway over British territory to the ancient splendour of the Orient. Of Canada it may be said that the Canadians themselves appear unaware of the riches and grandeur of their own country. The beauty and magnificence of the scenery is certainly more appreciated by the emigrant than the native. Meantime we were running full speed up the great waterway, and the transcendent greatness of the country gradually unfolded itself before us. The shore was high, and covered to the sky-line with dense pine woods. At length we came to a part which had evidently been cleared long ago. There were spires of churches, which glittered in the sun, being made of plates of copper, and I Iti m m m % 1; 1 :; ;i ' Mi 108 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLES S. little white villages, with red roofs, and herds of small cattle grazing on the flpts. There was a line of little white woode'^ houses, eacii with its strip of land running down to th( river. The population was French, for it was the province of Quebec. Then, on the morning of the 12th, we passed the falls of Montmorency, the island of St. Charles, where Wolfe first landed, and lastly we came to the ancient citadel of Quebec. It is not my intention to describe this town, though I stayed there on my return, and enjoyed my visit extremely; suffice it saying that the place is brimful of historic interests, besides occupying a site of un- common natural beauty. There is a very fine hotel there, the Frontenac ; and few holidays could be better spent than in exploring the Edinburgh of Canada and its environs. I landed for an hour or two to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Corneille, who, with the chaplain and Mr. Le Bel, was waiting to meet the emigrants. I had messages to deliver from Mrs. Joyce and Miss Lefroy, and I was most kindly received and shown the excellent arrange- ments made for sheltering emigrants and assisting them to find occupation. The characters of all emigrants are closely scrutinized, and those with faults likely to render them a burden rather than an assistance are returned by the next ship. I soon had a proof of the vigilance exercised, in the close investigations persisted in with regard to the character of a poor girl, whom I would gladly have helped to a fresh start in the new world. It seemed a little hard, but I think on the whole they are right. "The Colonies," said Mrs. "^orneille, "are no place for the feeble, either mentally, physically, or morally. If they cannot keep their feet under the close supervision of the old country, they will assuredly fall where there will be greater temptations, and infinitely greater hardships at the commencement of their careers." As usual, a good many passengers left the ship at !L'-" COMMENCEMENT OF ITINERARY, 109 I wa3 mge- them its are render turned dlance L with would world, e they are lly, or close ly fall nitely their lip at Quebec. I believe this is frequently due to ignorance. They fancy that they have reached Canada ; and some among the emigrants left the ship there to go on by rail to Montreal. This was much more expensive than if they had gone on by boat ; and I do not think that they saved enough time to justify the expenditure. A word of advice may be offered to people about to take this voyage, and that is to make up their minds before starting at which port they mean to disembark, and have their baggage addressed accordingly. The Allan Company have an elaborate system by which all the passenger baggage is classified and described ; but it is extraordinary how many packages come on board without either name, address, or distinguishing mark of any kind. What with passengers landing at Kimousky, Quebec, and Montreal, it is greatly to the company's credit that there are not several losses every voyage. In addition to this difficulty, passengers change their minds as to their port of landing during the voyage, and expect to have their luggage brought up and put ashore for them quite correctly, from any compartment, shelf, or locker to which it has been consigned. The company supply labels for passengers, which need only be filled in and affixed ; but it is a distinct advantage to have the full name or some device painted upon the baggage. When it is remembered what hundreds of brown port- manteaus and cabin trunks are turned out annually by the same makers, it must be obvious how difficult it is for the company's servants to avoid confusing Mrs. Brown's non-addressed luggage with Mrs. Jones's ditto.* It was four o'clock on the following day, Sunday, when we reached Montreal, and having made my peace with the customs officers, I presently found myself driving through the streets of a clean, well-ordered city. The names over many of the doors were French, as were * It ia no uncommon thing for the company to find as many as sixty unaddreBBcd and unclaimed packajiies loft ou their hands at the end of a single voyage. F'^ 1 ;-s^ **; 110 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. those on the corners of the streets ; and public notices were written in French and English side by side. My destination was the Windsor Hotel, and here I met with my first experience of the worst item in Canadian travel — to wit, the Transfer Company. I had been quite willing to leave my heavy baggage to the care of these people, but I had taken a fly from the docks with the express intention of carrying my cabin trunk, hold-all, and hat-box with me. I3ut I was un- prepared for the arts and devices of the Transfer Company, who, while my back was turned, ran oflf with my belongings, handing the brass checks, of which they kept the tallies, to one of the ship's stewards, who chanced to be standing there. The steward gave me the checks, and told me that I should find the baggage at the hotel as soon as I got there myself. This was far from being the case. I had neither sponge, nor brush and comb, and no means of tidying myself, and no book to read. There I was kept for two mortal hours awaiting the arrival of my baggage, for the transfer of which I was charged a dollar. I had a good mind not to pay this imposition, and should certainly refuse to if it happened again. But these transfer companies play with the C.P.K., as well as the shipping companies, as a cat plays with a mouse ; while the unlucky passenger fares the worst. At one place in my travels I went up to bed with two smart hats, and nothing else in the world. I had clung to my hat-box, and kept it ; but my other effects did not reach me till the next morning, and only after I had rung the bell and demanded them several times. The hotels, or at any rate the porters, play into the hands of the Transfer Company. It is unavailing for the wretched traveller to exercise forethought. No matter how early he rises, or how soon his baggage is addi-Gv^sed and sent down to the hall, the Transfer Company takes it upon their van, and proceeds on a round o*' calls, arriving at the station with a vast truck load of odds and ends, at the very bottom of which the first baggage COMMENCEMENT OF ITINERARY. Ill tices 3re I n in [had 3 the 1 the cabin ,8 un- tinsfer t with ithey 1, who ve me iggage neither tidying :or two ige, for 1 had should these ell as LOUse ; At one smart |lung to Lid not I had taken up is buried. Perhaps they arrive only three minutes before the train is due. In the heat, crush, and confusion, the probability is that the baggage never gets checked at all. The city of Montreal struck me as the finest colonial town I had seen. The sun was shining brightly below a mass of deep black clouds, which hung above the pine-covered mountains to the back of the town. The maple trees all round the square fluttered their bright green leaves — they stood there on the edge of the smooth turf, unfenced and unenclosed, and threw a light shade on the grass or pavement. Gaily dressed people and children, in Sunday clothes, were passing to and fro. Behind rose the great mass of the Eoman Catholic Cathedral, and I could see a stream of nuns in black attire passing out of the sunlight through a side door in the wall. Stopping an electric tramcar, I jumped on it, and away it went downhill at a tremendous rate. As we flew past I saw a great block of grey granite, built in Norman style. This was the railway station and chief office of the C.P.K. From this point all the affairs, down to the minutest details, of the great high- way to India, China, and Japan were directed and controlled. I tried to picture the distance the line covered, and the obstacles it overcame ; and this, with the great river up which I had passed, gave me a sense of immensity such as I had never experienced in all my travels. I seemed to have planted my foot on the first step of an undertaking which went, with the winds of heaven and the currents of ocean, as part itself of the force of Nature. Then down into the city we rushed, swinging past the red-brick pile of the Great Trunk railway station, and past the bank of Montreal. But here 1 left the car, being anxious to see a little of these usually busy thoroughfares in the quiet of Sunday afternoon. The city was founded by an expedition of fifty-seveu persons under Maisoneuve. Amongst these adventurers {' \ m n r. 112 BBlTISn COLUMBIA FOB SETTLEB8. was a Mademoiselle Manco, who brought with her a donation of a quarter of a million francs. This was the great time of French colonial enterprise, a spirit which the growth of Republican sentiment appears to have extinguished. The fur trade, and subsequently the lumber and grain, have rendered the city so prosperous that the bank of Montreal is reckoned the richest bank on the continent. There is a touch of dramatic interest in the situation of this bank's chief office. It stands immediately opposite the cathedral of Notre Dame — the oldest cathedral in Canada — and the space lying between them, now bright with flowers, and planted with young maple trees, is the old burial-ground of the pioneers. I stood for a moment before the statue of the spirited Maisoneuve, in the graceful fantastic dress of his age ; his small wiry figure full of life and energy, as he advances, holding a flag. It was thus he landed and founded the city of Mont Eoyal, on the island on which the English in 1535 had found an Iroquois village called Hochelaga. I had not much time to spend in Montreal, and the following day I devoted to discussing my plans with the officials of the C.P.R. and to making final arrange- ments for my journey. I was deeply interested by my visit to Sir William van Home. It was like listening to a fairy tale to hear him talk of the great enterprise of the C.P.E. — how it grew out of the idea of the federation of the provinces, and how as it went on through an empty and almost unknown country, kindred commercial enter- prises sprang up alongside of it; first lumber mills, then grain elevators, then warehouses for the people's food ; then the cattle trade with the States and Europe, and the growth of cities on the prairies, with hotels and private residences. We talked of traffic which came over the line, and the boundless possibilities opened for the shippers on the coast of the Far West, and of the inland enterprise in the gold, silver, copper, and other minerals. Together we saw the bright future of COMMENCEMENT OF ITINERARY. 113 centuries to come, unrolling before our eyes, when we ourselves should be no more. I saw in Sir William van Home one of those rare men who are the genius of their age — who can dream dreams, and work out their realization. This man worked like the artists of old, laying on each touch with care and precision — knowing what had to be done, and doing it perfectly. Over his face, as I watched him speak, I saw a thousand expressions follow one another. It was like watching a rock — always the same, and yet the light brought out new meanings and interests — only the light in this human countenance shone from within, for it was a great intellect which illumined it. At last, when we had talked some time. Sir William sat silent for a few seconds, and then he said, "And now it is finished — so far, at any rate — so far " The sentence remained incomplete. His hand rose and fell on the writing-desk beside which he sat, and by the smile on his face — wistful, regretful, triumphant — I concluded to myself that he saw his own term of usefulness was finished, and that his work no longer needed him. "And you?" he said, suddenly turning to me again. "Go through to the coast — go through to the coast" (how often must those words have rung in his mind !), "and when you get back here, come and see me again." " What did you think of Sir William van Home ? " some one asked me afterwards. I replied, " I should enjoy seeing some one try to sell him a gold brick." The chief agricultural market of Montreal is the Bon Secours. It opens soon after daybreak, and I determined to pay this market a visit. Accordingly, the next morning a little breakfast was brought to my room at a quarter to five. This meal over, I went down dressed in a grey ulster and sailor- hat, walked a little way towards the city, and then engaged a cab. The vehicle was a victoria, and I found the old driver so interesting that I stood up inside and I n an ■4- .':! Siftl 114 BlilTISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. I II It ' 'J \ ' held on to the box talking to him, as \vc went along down to the city. He gave me much information. The market of the Bon Secours is a lai-ge building situated on the quay, but some distance from the main railways or the residential part of Montreal. All round, in the streets outside, the country people station their carts— for which privilege they pay twenty-five cents each time, or take out a licence for the year. These carts bring in local market-garden produce, such as poultry, flowers, eggs, and vegetables. There is no auction, but the stall-keepers inside the market, and shop-keepers from the town, come to the carts and bargain with the country people for whatever supplies they require. Inside the building the lowest floor is occupied by fish salesmen and ice stores ; the floor above is entirely devoted to meat and fresh pork ; while on the third floor the stalls provide poultry, eggs, etc. This old market was built long prior to the railways, but is well situated for supplies coming across the water by boat from the prairie. A good deal of produce comes in by small carts from a distance of forty miles. Many of the country people arrive over-night, and sleep at little old-fashioned inns near the market, with odd French names on their signs. A few — the aristocracy — own stalls within the market; but for the most part the stalls are branches of the shops in the town itself. In winter-time the country people drive over the ice in their own sleighs, bringing in onions, potatoes, turnips, and hard fruits. The spring trade is the most paying, consisting principally of salads, rhubarb, and anything which can be raised quickly in frames or under glass. There is another market in winter, near the railway station, where fruit and vegetables are sold which come in from the States. The meat market interested me particularly. It is supplied from Ontario and the ranches of the North- West. The beasts are sold alive, by weight, at thq COMMENCEMENT OF ITINERART. 115 I market belonging to the corporation, and slaughtered in the ahattoires belonging to the corporation. These abattoires are rented by the butchers, sometimes two or three tradesmen joining together to rent one abattoir. The price of the best cattle (from the North-West) is 4 cents per lb., live weight.* Those from Lower Canada are inferior, and are paid for at a lower rate. It appears that this inferiority is not only a matter of breeding, but also of condition. They are very often young immature beasts, or stale cows. The best cattle in Canada, and always the largest and heaviest, go across the sea to England. The reason of this is that the regular freight is £2 per head for the crossing. They are sold by weight the other side, and thus it answers better to send a heavy beast for £2 rather than a light one. The quality of the meat, as I found it in the hotels, was by no means first class. This may have been duo to the cooking, which appears to be a medley of French and American. You are given a menu for breakfast, beginning with varieties of corn dressed as porridge; and "fried frogs* legs," sure to be an item when in season, is boldly announced in plain English. I always sighed over the beef steaks, feeling that somehow a respectable beef steak could not be cooked in the same kitchen with corn porridge and frogs' legs. Many of the stall-holders in the market of the Bon Secours cannot speak a word of English, but they were very friendly to me, especially one little old man who had a very large butcher's business near the centre of the market. He saw that I was English, and forthwith befriended me. Believing that I intended opening a stall, he offered to walk round with me and point out to me the features of the market and the way business was done. •; ShalJ I tell you why I like the English ? " he asked, taking my arm confidentially as we walked downstairs * Since writing this, I have heard that r.U cattle are sold at private sales at an average price of 3J cents per lb., live weight. mii m i 'H M '.m I I I 116 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. to visit the fishmongers. " It is because I have made a good bit of money by them." This was intended as a high compliment, for presently he added reflectively, " Yes ; there is always money where the English are. They make a stir up, and they Btir till the money comes." " It surprise you very much — no ? " he continued, " to hear me speak English so perfect. But I did not marry a Canadense ! No— not I ! I did marry from the States — and her father was Irish. So I made a good mix ! Then I who am little have sons that are big ! " He had a taste for horse -racing, which was another link between himself and the English. He kept his own race-horse, and had ridden it himself very suc- cessfully. His business was evidently a large and prosperous one; and he showed me his clean, well- filled refrigerator and cool chamber with the same pride that he spoke of his " good mix " and his race- horse. He gave me yet another proof of his prudence, and the far-sightedness which had doubtless been a feature in his career. "I have a daughter," he said, straightening himself as he spoke, probably because he was " little," " who is a professed nun, and a son who is a member of Parliament." He was puzzled and perplexed to find I had kept a cab waiting outside ; but as I was getting into it he stopped me to ask what business I meant to open in the market. Meanwhile my old driver was in great distress, and not disposed to let me stay there another minute. ** If you put your money into a business in this country on your own account you will lose it," he said. " There are too many rogues here. But I will give you a safe piece of advice, which was given me when I came to this place by a man whose name was Samuel, who was in the fur trade, and came from Liverpool. * Look on all men as rogues,' said he, * and yourself as the biggest rogue, then, perhaps, you won't lose your money.' " COMMENCEMENT OF ITINERARY. 117 He began to look upon me as a rogue in good earnest when I told him to drive mo to the Windsor Hotel, so thoroughly had he taken me for a future market- gardener of 8ome description. And when I paid him the faro he asked for without abatement, I left him staring at it ; but on looking back I found he was watch- ing to st 1 if I really went up the steps into the "Windsor. I did so, but turned round and waved my hand to him before I disappeared. Among the people whose acquaintance gave me special pleasure I cannot omit mention 'ng Mr. Hosmer. Tho whole time I spent in Canada I felt more or less under Mr. Hosmer's watchful eye — or I should say within the hearing of his ear — and on my return to Montreal his office was so full of interest that I was there nearly every day. IMr. Hosmer is the incarnu-tion of telegraphy, and conveys the idea that he carries a battery inside himself. To be in his office is to sit in the centre of the world, with messages of all descriptions flashing round one, and coming down on the telephone from the ends of the earth. He is so enthusiastic in his work that he contrives to make one feel as though one were working the concern with him ; and must perforce succeed, how- ever novel the occupation may be. But his interests are wide — as well as the system over which he presides. For instance, we settle down to discuss his pet subject, to wit the extension of the cable to Australia. Somehow I am made to feel as if I were already at the bottom of the sea with a coil of copper wire in my hand, awaiting instructions. The difficulties with the Home Govern- ment, and tho raising of fresh capital, have all been settled with a characteristic wave of the hand — when suddenly a violent ringing on the telephone causes Mr. Hosmer to apply his ear to the machine, and in- stantly his face is suffised with smiles. It is a Mary whose beloved has just proposed to her ; but th 3 mamma objects, and Mr. Hosmer is implored to come to the rescue. The next moment we are in the middle of a discussion on the mines of Kootenay, interspersed with i « II i' f. Mi 118 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB 8ETTLEBS. an a'^count of a difference between Tommy and his papa, which Mr. Hosmer is making up by wiring mes- sages on his own account of dutiful apology on the part of Tommy, and fraternal forgiveness on the part of papa. " But where are we ? " " "We are in the No. 2 vertical shaft of the War Eagle." ** No, we are not ! We are in the Monte Christo ! Look at the map, I say ! " But the next moment we are careering round the room hunt- ing for Lake Okanagan, which is hanging up on the walls somewhere, to find the Kelowna valley, when suddenly, in awe-stricken tones of heartfelt regret, I am told that Dick has had **a row with his wife," and that both parties are equally to blame. In company such as this, Canada really becomes a small place, but its interest is vastly increased. CHAPTER VIII. FROM OTTAWA TO WINNIPEG. In the evening I proceeded to Ottawa, wliicli I reached about midnight. This town, the seat of Government, is small and sleepy. The Government buildings and House of Par- liament, and the river choked with timber below the great saw-mills, are the chief features. The House of Parliament is not an impressive edifice. It is a graceful building in pseudo-gothic. Inside, the rooms and chambers are mean and rfmall. There is a stall for refreshments of a very common description in the vestibule. Although the House was in session, I had no oppor- tunity of hearing a debate or making the acquaintance of the legislators. The next day I went to the Experimental Farm, about three miles outside Ottawa, and spent a very interesting morning with Professor Saunders. I returned in time to start by the afternoon train for Winnipeg. The scenery was a mixture of dense wood, intersected with farms which were strangely English in appearance. Now and again one appeared to have been only recently hewn out of the forest. I saw snake fences, for the first time, stretching their zigzag lengths beside the railway. There were charred stumps still standing even in pas- tures which appeared to have been laid down some years ; and I was pained and distressed again and again at the cruel waste of burning such valuable timber. The crops of corn were green, and very flourishing, and remarkably -1 ;■ i i ''■■J 120 BBITISE COLUMBIA FOR SETTLEBS. free from weeds; and there was a comfortable, safe, happy appearance, which made one forget how little developed — in fact, how nearly savage this country really was. The whole history of the settler's life was rehearsed. There were new-comers squatting in log cabins, with the trees burnt and slashed. Then some draining of swampy hollows — a thing which is very necessary in Ontario, where the wheat often suffers, owing to the damp coupled with late frosts. Then came the two- storied wooden house with gables, and strongly built log sheds for the cattle, surrounded with fenced fields of many kinds of crops, pulse, roots, cereals. Occasion- ally I saw a tastefully built homestead, smart with fresh white paint, with red-tiled roof, and a veranda, stand- ing in a trim flower-garden, with a flourishing orchard behind it, and the long ridge roofs of comfortable build- ings showing over the tops of the apple trees. The train was travelling up hill, and the air became fresher as we ascended. Soon we left the plain entirely, and entered the forest. Great out crops of rock showed themselves between the pine, larch, and silver birch. Dense masses of bracken, and clumps of other ferns overhung the quiet pools and brown mountain torrents. Still we swept on through scenery measured by mile- long lakes, and mountains whose hoary summits cut the sky-line high above the forest. The wood became denser, and I revelled in its vigorous growth — the rich brown greens of the spruce, and the tender feminine grace of the silver birch and aspen. Soon we came to foaming rapids, swirling through dark chasms, and at last the setting sun showed amber and crimson — turning the trees a rich madder against the clear sky. Then the moon came out, and shone white and clear over a scene of silence — a weird land, smitten with death and blighted with disaster. For a whole mountain- side, which had once been clothed with a beautiful pine forest, was naked and bare. The trees stood in death, white and spectral, for a forest fire had swept through FBOM OTTAWA TO WINNIPEQ. 121 them. It was a scene for Sintram and his companions ; and I looked out, fancyinpf I could see the white horse, and the curious black evil thing crawling along beside the knight. It was Thursday afternoon when I left Ottawa, and I reached Winnipeg * on Saturday afternoon at about four o'clock. I was tired of the train, and of scenery which was becoming monotonous, and it was with a feeling of exultation that I stepped out once more into a city. It was marvellous to find broad thoroughfares, handsome buildings, and shops which compared favourably with those at Montreal. I consigned my baggage to the inevitable Transfer Company, and walked out to take a tramcar down the main thoroughfare to the Manitoba and North-Western Hotel. I noticed with delight that the streets were spanned by gigantic triumphal arches, covered with spruce fir. Men were busy hanging up flags and adding the last finishing strokes of scrolls, shields, and wreaths. Private houses and shops vied with one another in bunting and gay streamers. Every kind of loyal sentiment found expression in good wishes to the whole royal family, but the legend which was most frequent was the old familiar one, " God save the Queen ! " It was the preparation for the Jubilee. As soon as possible I left the hotel to go in search of Dr. Eobertson, who received me very kindly. We started off together to visit the new park across the river. He showed me the ruined arch which is all that is left of old Fort Garry, and we went to the Hudson Bay Company's stores and had tea. Dr. Eobertson is a most interesting companion, and his knowledge of the country is so thorough that the whole time I spent with him I was laying in stores of information. The next morning, soon after breakfast, I went to call on Mr. Baker, of the Manitoba and North-Western Railway Company, and went to church with him and his * Winnipeg is 1424 miles by rail from Montreal. I ■ ■ y r-'i j 122 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS, family to a most impressive service held in celebration of the Jubilee. The old 90th Canadian Eegiment, which was cut to pieces in Eiel's rebellion, turned out and marched to church, headed by the band. A great efifort had been made to collect as many as possible of the veterans who survived the campaign. There were about thirty of them, headed by their old colonel, Mr. Hugh Macdonald.* It was impossible not to feel struck with this muster of brave men, whose countenances show to this day the effects of the hardships they endured in the service of their Queen and country. They marched past into the church followed by the men who serve in the regiment to-day, whose mothers, sisters, and sweethearts were waiting to see them pass. The church was packed to overflowing, as indeed I heard were all the churches in Winnipeg that morning. The service commenced with the whole congregation rising and singing, ** God save the Queen." There is a j&ne organ and a good choir, but the strong voices of the soldiers took up the singing .of the anthem which is peculiarly their own, and I could hear nothing but the deep bass voices. I looked round me once, and was struck with their earnest countenances. The idea of loyalty was no suddenly caught impression. It was a conviction which these people felt — the desire to ally themselves with all the greatness and pureness of the glorious example of sixty years' devotion to duty. The halo which surrounds the idea of monarchy made these sons of a vast dominion turn their eyes to the little island in the North Sea, as a light by which to steer and shape the history of their own country, by deeds worthy to rank with those of British history in the past. Subsequent to the service appointed for the occasion. Archdeacon Fortune — himself a pioneer — preached a sermon, taking for his text the line, "A mother in Israel." After luncheon I drove with Mr. Baker to visit the * Son of the late Sir John Macdonald. FROM OTTAWA TO WINNIPEG. 123 old cathedral — a small building outside Winnipeg, where the old ** trail-blazers " and first factors of the Hudson's Bay and North-Vvest Companies were buried. The cathedral itself is a very simple edifice, and recalls a village church in some country parish in the home counties. The spot has long been a favourite burial- ground, and there are many beautiful tombs in marble and granite — some bearing coats-of-arms and well- known names. There is a small enclosure and a handsome marble shrine, hung with many laurel wreaths and kept with scrupulous care. This is Winnipeg's memorial to the gallant men of her own regiment who went out to quell the rebellion under Kiel. Many of the men were buried where they fell on remote battle-fields ; but those whose names are recorded here came back to die of their wounds and privations. But among the many graves, eloquent of hopes and fears, joys and sorrows — telling of the lives of brave men, little children, gentle women, who have helped to make the city of Winnipeg — none are so worthy of ^ove and honour as those which lie by the gateway in what was only unlevelled prairie. Some of them are east and west, others north and south, as might have been convenient in these early days. Each is covered with a plain slab of limestone, blackened with age, so that all lettering is hopelessly defaced. A record of burials preserved in the church gives the list of their names, which are almost without exception Scottish. It is, however, absolutely certain that these graves are those of the first factors of the company who founded Fort Garry. Little could they have dreamt of the future lying before the land. How the buffalo and the Indian would decrease and vanish ; and over the prairies a race of peaceful farmers spread round a modern city. Could the old pioneers come back again, Winnipeg could offer them nothing ; for they have nothing in common with the city of to-day — its smart suburbs and industrial mills. There they lie under the old grey slabs, while scarcely a hundred yards away the electric cars go J ' m M '•\ifi i . I' '*1 ^ '\lfi !K (i , ' . 11 I h I,' i 'l\ i W 124 BBITISE COLUMBIA FOR SETTLEB8. whizzing past, and the hum of the city is drowned by the roll of the C.P.E. Very little is known of their individual histories, but they appear to have enjoyed the life they had adopted as men of their stamp would do. Thoy were accustomed, in their Highland fastnesses, to isolation and to the rigours of a tolerably severe climate. So far as material wants were concerned the company treated them liberally, and they were probably quite as well off at Fort Garry as they would have been in the Highlands. Then there were chances of adventure, and a certain amount of fighting, which was congenial to men of their origin and temperament. The forest and its game, the lake and its fish, and beyond the vast extent of unexplored territory; travel by canoe and portages, following the course of rivers through terrific mountain ranges ; — gave them plenty of topics for conversation, and suggested problems and mysteries which they, alas ! would never solve in their day. Besides all these royal pleasures, at intervals there were passing strangers, to entertain whom was a duty which gratified their hereditary instincts. They were practically their own masters, and were free to feast and dance, to play golf or hockey, or to curl, as suited the season. The one duty incumbent upon them being the collection of furs from the Indians and the forwarding of the same in due safety to head-quarters. From these graves we went back once more to look at the ruined archway, which is all that is left of Fort Garry. It is situated near the fork where the two rivers — the Assiniboine and the Eed river — converge and join in one. These rivers were the highways in those days, but the archway of old Fort Garry is that of the gate which opened towards the prairie and the North- West. And above it were mounted two guns. In this fort Lord Strathcona was imprisoned for some months by Kiel, and under sentence to be shot at any convenient moment. He has lately presented this archway to Winnipeg. FBOM OTTAWA TO WINNIPEO. 125 On my return from British Columbia I stayed a day or two at Winnipeg, out of affection for the city of so many memories ; and walked by myself to the meeting of the rivers. Near this spot, when the railway of the Manitoba and North- Western Company was being cut, there were found close to the river the remains of a man which had been buried by the Indians with unusual care. The skeleton was perfect, and raeasured seven feet. It was wrapped in a winding-sheet which was evidently a plaid, but the precise name of the tartan could not be decided, owing to its being too far gone in decay. Upon the breast was a small box containing an amber mouth- piece, and a small coin. The whole was encased in bark. From the winding-sheet being a plaid, and also from the great stature of the man, the presumption is that he was one of the Scottish pioneers ; but no record of any such interment can be found either in the books of the company or among the Indians. The belief is general that the man reached the two rivers before Fort Garry became a station ; but how he fell — whether by treachery or malice of the King's enemies, or by the hand of God — there is nothing to show. AH we know is that the Indians honoured him in his burial, and that his winding- sheet was the same kind that has served many a bravo man on many a battle-field. But important as the fur-trading element had been in the establishment of Fort Garry, Winnipeg really owes its important position to a settlement of agricultural emigrants upon a scheme known as Lord Selkirk's. This part of the history forms an important addition to emigration literature, and in some respects offers a parallel with the Government scheme for the settlements in what are now known as the Eastern Provinces of Cape Colony. In both cases the first settlers endured losses and privations, while the present generation has cause to bless the intelligence which inaugurated the scheme. Another great reason of the fascination which Winnipeg exercised over my mind, was the fact that it was the meeting-point for most of the " trail-blazers " t «1 t vi 1; ':V if I' IIII I ! I 1 I '; ill ill (I I 126 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. and pioneers who went on to British Columbia. I felt that here — where many of them lay buried — the first news of the country and the plans for its exploration must often have been discussed. Scarcely any of the "old timers" survive, and of these the memory is failing fast. They talk of the old days — changing from Chenook into French or Gaelic, as the mind in its weakness wanders back to the past. They can tell tales of hardship and bravery out-vying any record of the Klondyke or the Far North. In the present day we are tired by the ideal of the Empu*e and the lust for gold ; b'^t the old " trail-blazers " of Canada required no other stimulant than their own brave natures could afford. As I walked by the river in the sunset, thinking of all these things, the bells of St. Boniface's Priory began their silvery chime for vespers. I bethought me that the spot was sacred with traditional history, and that Winnipeg had its poets. Nor could I marvel that Whittier should have been inspired to follow that musical sound in verses which ring like the Angelus itself — " Is ifc the clang of the wild geese, Is it the Indian's yell, That lends to the voice of the north wind The tones of a far-off bell ? *' The voyageur smiles as he listens To the sound that grows apace ; Well he knows the vesper ringing Of the bells of St. Boniface ; " The bells of the Koman Mission, That call from their turrets twain To the boatman on the river, To the hunter on the plain. " Even so in our mortal journey. The bitter north winds blow ; And thus upon life's Red river Our hearts as the oarsmen row. ■".^dM^ FBOM OTTAWA TO WINNIPEG, 127 " And when the Angel of Shadow Rests his feet on wave and shore, And our eyes grow dim with watching, And our hearts fail at the oar, " Happy is he who hearetli The signal of his release From the bells of the Holy City, The chimes of Eternal peace." y ) * • CHAPTER IX. FROM WINNIPEG TO CALGARY. On Sunday evening I went on again by the train, this time bound for Banff, in the Eockie mountains. The scenery was very monotonous as we went on hour after hour over the prairies, which reminded me of the high veldt in Africa — only that it was ploughed and sown with wheat as far as the eye could see on cither side of the line. At intervals there were small railway stations, with large grain elevators or stores ; and here and there what seemed to be a mill. At one little place where we stopped late in the evening there was a small church; and the people were coming out, for the service was over. It was still Jubilee Sunday, and they had come from far and wide, on spiders or on horseback, and whole parties in waggons. It was like a country scene in England ; such as might have been long ago on the thanksgiving for some great victory. It was a delightful sight to see so many sturdy agriculturists — men, some of whom were elderly, with their good motherly wives ; young couples making a start in life ; lads still under their father's eye ; girls dressed simply and sensibly, with clear complexions and bright eyes; and little children chubby and well fed. They came to look at the train, and waited — perhaps for their mails — until we had gone on ; and we went on following the long black rope which stretqhea across the continent. r::rar-/^r.:rxr WINNIPEG TO CALGARY. 120 The next day the wheat disappeared, and its place was taken by the grass of the cattle ranches of Alberta. The heat became very great, owing to a hot wind. Some people told me that this wind blew over from the great American desert ; but it appeared to mo that we were facing it, and that it blew from the Eockies. So much has been written and said about the advantages offered to the farmers in the North-West, that I feel obliged to offer my quota of information; more especially as much that I hear is said by way of disparaging British Columbia. There is no doubt that land can be had very reason- ably, a grant of 160 acres is made by Government to any settler who will take them up. Besides the Govern- ment land, the C.P.K, has an enormous acreage still on its hands for sale, at prices ranging from $2.50 to $5 per acre. There are homesteads in the outskirts of present settlements, which, with the present improved communication and increasing local markets, offer exceptional opportunities for farmers who come in with a little capital. The following notes I took down from a man who was a successful rancher, and by subsequent inquiry I have good cause to believe that they give an accurate picture of the case. " Free land in Manitoba (that is, Govemment grants) are good things in a way; but they aro sure to be a long distance from market or railway, and 160 acres does not leave much margin for grazing. A quarter section of first- class land near the railway would cost £300. 320 acres would be a good-sized farm; but it would cost £600. A man farming 300 to 400 acres, starting with £1000 capital, ought to make £300 to £4-00 a year ; in fact, a man may reckon on getting 10 to 12 per cent. But then he must start quite clear, with no interest to pay on borrowed capital. Money rates are easier than they were. Bank interest has gone down, and money can be borrowed at 7 per cent. If a man comes out with deficient capital, he must borrow E 'm /[; 130 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. \i in the North-West ; for machinery, wapgons, and horses are essential, and ho has to pay a vent, as it were, in interest. He probably owes half the price of his laud as well, and has to pay 8 per cent, on it. "I think the restinctions about landing live cattlo at Liverpool benefit the Canadian farmer. / find it docs ; because now I only ship full-grown largo boasts, fat and ready for slaughter, and for the same freight I get a higher price than I did for the young things and lean cattle. Just think ! A fai'raer in Manitolsa in winter has nothing to do but to feed his beasts. He grows plenty of coarse grains, Buch as oats and barley. Roots also grow well there, with irrigation — thirty to fifty tons to the acre. He can sell his cattle fat in winter-time. Farmers are getting tired of the old way of leaving cattlo to chance in winter-time. They see it pays better to put up food for them instead of letting them die. The Durham is the favourite breed. They feed better and weigh more for the butcher ; Polled Angus are also good. For the Noi*th-West, Highland cattle have been found to answer ; but their long horns arc against them in the trains and ships. •' There is a good deal of alkali in some parts, both in the soil and the water. The first thing a man should do is to look and see that he has plenty of water. That is the most important thing of all, and the next is to see if any of the soil is alkali. A little alkali does not matter, and it can generally be worked out, for a time at any rate, by deep ploughing and manuring with long manure, so as to keep the soil open. "I don't think there is any good land near Winnipeg. They have very cutting winds there and late frosts. "As to profits, there have been cases in which men vo paid all their expenses out of the first year's crop. Jut of course that was a favourable year. Still, we have not on record any year which was a complete loss. The returns are quicker upon wheat than cati'e, and mixed farms pay more quickly than ranches ; but I think the most money is made in cattle. " There are many men who come out who know nothing of farming ; and a great many who won't work. There ara plenty who come out and live on a ranch, getting an occasional five-pound note from home. They are called remittance men, and they are a gi'eat nuisance. Canadians WINNIPEG TO CALGARY. 131 Bay of them that thoy aro supported by rod loggings, remittances, and cheek. " Manitoba wheat is always Al iu tho market. Wo havo no grasshoppers or plagues of that kind, but golphera — a sort of half-rat, half-squirrol, which lives in tho ground — aro very dcstructivo." A more favourable picture of farming could hardly be given than tho above. The drawbacks were not felt by the young man who gave mo the information. He lived with his brother near a settlement. They wero strong and hardy, and felt that they were prosperous. The English farmer must take into consideration the bitter cold of Manitoba in winter, and though fuel may be obtainable in some disiricts, in others it is both scarce and dear. The matter of education for children upon isolated ranches is a difficulty. With the thermometer 30° below zero it is difficult to send them to school. When the blizzards begin it is impos- sible to go out-doors at all; and the confinement for women and children in one small house is extremely trying. In case of illness, neither nurses nor doctors are to be had. Children are born in these circumstances. Then there is tho difficulty of obtaining assistance in the house. Servant-girls are at a premium, Chinamen out of the question ; and so the whole of the house- work falls upon the wife and mother. Cooking, washing, and house-cleaning for a family has been the lot to which some men in their selfishness have brought out young English gentlewomen, who married their husbands for love, and were perfectly ignorant and wholly unprepared for the hardship and suffering of the life into which they were plunged. The North-West is a man's country ; but hardly one for family life. As the train passed along over the wide expanse of absolutely treeless country, I saw h( ds of cattle of various breedu. The water was nearly dry in pools which we passed, and round the edges there was a white crust of alkali, which the wind blew up in clouds like very fine snow. I '^H 4' yq I ■Ik 132 BRITISH COLOMBIA FOB 8ETTLEBS. ^ The best ranching country commences after Medicine Hat. It is even better for horses than cattle. There is a portion of the country which it would answer Jo irrigate, and the Government have started some large schemes near Calgary. Late frost and the shortnesf, of the summer season are against wheat-growing, so that ranching answers better than mixed farnimg. Horses thrive turned out all through the winter, and several fine thoroughbred sires are running on the ranch «? at Calgary. M».antime the train was approaching Calgary. It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and the heat in the sleeping-car was almost intolerable. Owing to the dust, it was difficult to have the windows open. Our dining- car had been taken off at Medicine Hat to be sent back by freight to meet the next West-bound train ; and we began to be aware that something unusual had hap- pened. Other trains met us going down East, and our conductors were astonished to see their fellow-conductors standing on the back of the cars who should have been on their way West. At length we stopped at a small wayside hamlet, and were advised that a meal could be had at the inn. The innkeeper explained the makeshift nature of the meal on the score of another trainful of people having come in unexpectedly and eaten up the dinner. That evening I stood outside on the platform, waiting to see the first glimpse of the Eockies« We seemed to have been travelling;' towards them an interminable time. The next day was the great day of the Queen's Jubilee, and as I lay down in my berth, my thoughts went homeward with the earnest hope that all might pass off well. The train reached Calgary very early the next morning, and when I got up it struck me that we were staying a long while at the station. I performed my ablutions in the little lavatory, and jumping off the car was surprised to find that an engine was not attached. I was also struck by seeing another train WINNIPEG TO CALGARY. 133 drawn up in the station. Then one of the gentle- men who was travelling in our car and the conductor came towards me and explained matters. It appeared that a cloud had burst in the Eockies a few days previously, and that this, together with the sudden melting of the snows, caused by exceptional heat, had flooded the Bow river, which had broken down several bridges and washed out some miles of the line. The trains had been stopped at Calgary during the last four days, and the passengers were being put up at the expense of the company. The case was aggravated by the fact of CpJgary being the junction where the lines to Edmonton in the north, and Macleod in the south, met the main line. This day was the great day of the Jubilee, and the hotels were besieged by people who came in from the ranches round to join in the celebration. Hearing that people were sleeping on the floors, and two or three in a bed, I joined my petition to that of two gentlemen that the company would allow us to retain our sleeper ; and this being arranged, I walked off to see the town of Calgary, and to buy some Jubilee stamps — a special issue — wherewith to decorate my letters home on this great day. The town of Calgary is interesting in many ways. It owes its existence to the railway in the first instance, and now, whatever may be the effect of the divergence of traffic through the Crow's Nest pass, it will always remain a centre of the cattle trade. The Government offices there for the registration of property, grants of land, and for the promotion of irrigation, are sufficient in themselves to render Calgary important. There are also the barracks of the mounted police, and the town is the market where the ranchers and the police congregate, and where the women-folk shop and fore- gather. It is handsomely built of grey stone. There are none of the miserable wooden shacks common in the towns of the West. The bank of Montreal, the Hudson's Bay J 4^ 'm , \ !i 'iii w 134 BBITISB COLUMBIA FOB SETTIEUS. ^1 Company, the post-office, and Government buildings form a fine wide street. The hotels are very poor for so good a township, and considering the class which frequents them; but they are built of stone, which renders them more secure, and one can go to bed without the fear of being roasted to death before mornmg. All round the town, and down to the river, where again wooden houses assert themselves, the country is destitute of trees. The short summer is bright, dry, and warm ; but the winter is certain to have ten days of extreme cold. There is little or no snow, as the blizzards blow it away. This is an advantage to the ranchers, as it enables the cattle to get at the grass ; but it destroys tree -life, and is distinctly a drawback to human pleasu 2. At breakfast, which I had in the dining-car of the other train, I found several of my fellow-passengers in the Parisian, who had been delayed at Calgary, although they had left Montreal at once, in their anxiety to get to the "West. Theirs '^ivas the first train stopped, and they began to despair at the delay. After breakfast I walked round the town with the conductor of the dining-car, who knew the place well, and took me to see the ruin effected by the flood where the Bow river had changed its course. Months afterwards, on my return, I visited the spot and found the water-mark of the flood still left. Nor had the river gone back to its old course. Settlers' houses had been swept away and floated down the river and tossed up bodily on the banks, where they lay stranded on their sides. The whole shore was covered with wreckage of homesteads and dwelling-houses. Up-country several cowboys were missing, who were supposed to have been drowned swimming the river to rescue cattle. The celebration of the Jubilee was bruited abroad, and the Indians, who dearly love the excitement of any kind of fete, were arriving by hundreds in all the glory of their finest feathers. Only one person at a time ifast the Qe to river mv kof its and the The ieads were wned jlory I time WINNIPEG TO CALGARY. 135 was allowed to cross the tottering bridge over the Bow ; but some of the Indians, in their eagerness, plunged into the river and swam their horses across. The courage of these fellows beggars description, as also does their vanity and love of display. The squaws were also there — for there were to be races in the afternoon, and of course the squaws must race ; in fact, they rode as fearlessly and as well as the men, and at a little distance it was extremely difficult to tell a squaw from a brave. Some of them had come in to do shopping, and as all braves do not consider it necessary to supply horses for squaws, good-natured squaws took up their friends. On one occasion I saw three squaws on one horse. The old cayuse might buck or shy, but the squaws, sitting in a row one behind the other, held on to each other and stuck to their mount like men. I do not think the Indians understood the cause of the holiday. But they knew the white men were to have a jollification; and the sight of the bunting, ribbons, and pine branches with which the main street was decorated, excited them immensely. They galloped backwards and forwards with their long hair streaming, and showed off their feathers and finery witn childish delight. The Jubilee at Calgary would have been rather tame without them. Some of the squaws wandered about the town, either to beg or find work. One of them, wL ^m I met when the conductor was with me, had her papoose on her back, and produced a paper on which was written that this was Crowsfoot's wife, and that she could do washing and was industrious. She was wearing a broad leather belt garnished with brass nails and a big knife; and this belt I bought in memory of the day. In the Hudson's Bay stores, which were open during the morning, many Indians came to make purchases. Mr. Irvine, one of the store-keepers, knew most of the Indians very well, having traded goods amongst them at the time of the treaty payments. ; M iUX:. r.i". ^41 : ifi 136 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. Hi I "was struck with the fact of there being distinct classes of Indians, and during the time I spent in the store I tried to classify them. It was not merely the distinction of hands or tribes. I soon began to see the difference between the Cree and the Blackfoot, and to judge which were the full-blooded braves or chiefs as distinct from low-class specimens of the same tribe. But there were the tatter-de-malion, evil-looking Indians, and others more self-respecting but less haughty, more industrious and simpler. There were amongst them some who were far too proud to beg, and others who lived by begging. I believe there were some who would neither lie nor steal; but others, again, were absolutely without a vestige of respectability of any kind. Their quickness was astonishing, and their stealthy movements reminded one of reptiles. Many of them were suffering physically, several had bad coughs, and the children invariably heavy colds, though it was summer-time. How I pitied the poor little papooses ! and how patient they were ! There was one Indian dressed more like a European, though he had feathers stuck in an old felt wide-a-wake. He had come in to the town to shop, and brought his squaw to carry the parcels. She had her papoose on her back. He did all the bargaining, and watched Mr. Irvine weigh out the sugar with the closest care. Every time a parcel was made up he handed it to the squaw to carry, and the poor thing received the additional burdens with an expression on her worn face of patient acquiescence. I asked Mr. Irvine about them, and he said they vere good people, and were very industrious on their little piece of land. Seeing me ask about them, the Indian turned and eyed me curiously. X held out my hand, and he took it at once and shook it. I held it out to the squavv^, and this seemed to surprise him; but the papoose on her back began waving its skinny little arm, looking at me through its mane of unkempt black hair, so I shook hands with the papoose. This caused the Indian the greatest delight, and he WINNIPEG TO CALQARY. 137 lem, |very ask isly. Ik it. )rise its [e of »ose. he rushed at me, and seizing my hand, shook it till I was almost off my feet. I saw round the neck of the papoose a piece of an old leather boot-lace, and moving it gently I found hanging to it a tuft of white horsehair on a piece of hard leather, and underneath a little worn ebony cross bound with silver. The figure of our Saviour which had once hung upon it was missing, all but the feet and part of one hand. It was evidently considered a charm, and hung there ti gether with the pagan ornament. I asked Mr. Irvine whether those people were Christians, and he said, "Not very Christian ; but they are considered Koman Catholic." Meantime there was a bargain going on about some flour. In every possible way the Indian had been trying to get the better of Mr Irvine over the sugar and tobacco which he purcLa ed in two-ounce packets. At least half a dozpn times Mr. Irvine weighed out different sized packets of flour, till I marvelled at his exemplary patience. At length, after more than half an hour spent in trying to get it chpaper than the stated price, the Indian bought the whole bag at Mr. Irvine's price, and the squaw had half a bushel of flour added to her load. Whilst the flour was being weighed, I became conscious of a shadow on the floor, and turning round found a tall Blackfoot wrapped in a striped blanket standing close behind me. He w^as so motionless that he hardly seemed to breathe, but his dark eyes shot piercing glances all over the store. How long he had been standing there I do not know; but the bargain over the flour being settled, he advanced, and began to question Mr. Irvine about me, speaking in Chenook. Presently he turned round and took a piece of paper from under his blanket and handed it to me to read. It was from a missionary, and was to certify that the bearer of this note was called ** Frank, or Tried-to-fly- but-couldn't ; " that he was a pretty fair carpenter, and could dig, and if he asked for work it might be given him, but that if he begged he was to be given nothing. 138 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. He watched me narrowly while I read it, and after- wards, when I went into another shop to buy some note- paper, I turned round again, and found my too ambitious friend with the name of a moral story-book again watching me like a statue with his sharp eyes and his tightly compressed, cruel, thin lips. The physical condition of the people was most distressing. Many of them seemed to like wearing old felt hats, though they dispensed with all but the brims. They cut the crowns into strips like fringe, stuck eagles' feathers in the band ; but the shade of the brim was grateful to their diseased eyes. A good number were hopelessly blind, but whether the cause was ophthalmia or some other comijlaint, I do not know. There is under heaven no sadder sight than the blind Red Indian with his long stride unduly hesitating, led by his patient squaw, his blind eyes upturned in total darkness to the skies. Whether their present sufferings are a judgment upon them for their atrocious cruelty to each other in past times, and to the dumb creatures on whom they showed no mercy, it is scarcely for us to say. All we know is that the white man has deprived them of their country, their pastime, their position, and in too many instances all he has given them in exchange are his vices and his most hideous diseases. But the fun of the day was yet to come, and hearing bells ringing and firing of musketry, I set off in the direction from which the sounds came. Outside, on the parade ground, the Mounted Police were manoeuvring with the big guns, while a crowd of about three hundred people stood in three sides of a square. Then the great guns were let oft' at the word of the officer in command. I saw some of the Indians who were present on horseback change countenance, but they endeavoured to appear stolidly indifferent. After the firing the officer in command took off his hat and called for three cheers for the Queen. We all did our best, but an excited rancher close WINNIPEG TO CALGABY. 139 his old ;anng In the mthe ivring indred )f the -who 3, but )ffhig close behind me was far from satisfied at the first cheer, and throwing his cap into the air ho roared, " Shout, you brutes ! " which startled me so that my voice was not forthcoming again till the third hurrah. After luncheon the races were to take i^lace on the race-course ; and all Calgary was to be there — the Indians included. The race-course was some three miles from the town, and driving down on a small break we passed the camp of the Indians who had come to the races. For the first time I saw a te-pee, or wigwam, with the smoke e ling out at the top, and made up my mind that a te-p^e is the only kind of tent worth having. There were over a thousand Indians, nearly all of whom were mounted — Blackfeet, Sarcee, and Cree. In their midst was a medicine-man, with a head-dress made of horns and ermine. They were riding about in a frantic manner, and looking round the ring from my seat in the grand-stand, I wondered if the half-dozen red-coated police could have held them if the passion for blood were once kindled. But on these occasions they are too keen on racing to care for anything else. They bet with each other, and, to our shame, with the white man, in a wild, random manner. Poor things ! It is the only kind of diversion or sport which they have left them now that the buffalo are gone ; and it is a wise policy which permits them to have this safety-valve for their utter recklessness. The ranchers were assembling, and I was astonished and delighted at the quality of the horses entered for the races. Yet up to the present horse-ranching at Calgary offers an instance of an industry which has been highly developed to no purpose. It was about fourteen years ago when the natural facilities of the country for this purpose first attracted attention. The water and grazing is of the very best, and the climate eminently favourable ; what has been all along wanting is a good market. Enormous sums were sunk in the business. Young it I . 140 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. I 'I men came out from England, and the greatest interest was taken by them in having everything of the best. At one of the largest ranches, called the Quorn, some very valuable sires were introduced. They were bought in England for prices ranging from one thousand to ten thousand guineas. Some of the ranches were started on too large a scale. They wert owned by companies formed in England. On one of them two hundred valuable Irish mares were turned loose, besides thoroughbreds of known pedigrees. The plan was at that time to leave the colts rr nning till they were three or four years old, and then get them up and break them in. This was done by force, and by putting heavy weights behind them, and similar harsh measures, by which means the creatures' spirits were broken rather than tamed, and they became stubborn, tricky, and vicious. The ranching is now carried on on smaller ranches, with more direct supervision, and the colts are handled from the very commencement. The chief breed now is that of first-class hackneys ; but some Clydesdales have bred a stout working horse, which sometimes finds its way into the London omnibus, and is fairly popular. The thoroughbreds have turned out some good race-horses, which have made their mark in the United States, amongst whom are the well-known Grey Eagle and Plumeray. The great want is a better market. Some years ago it was suggested to the Imperial Government that these ranches could provide excellent re-mounts for the army. For reasons which I have never heard stated, Imperial Government did not act on the suggestion; but since then both Belgium and Germany have imported horses from Calgary as re-mounts to their entire satisfaction. The sports consisted of flat races, as well as hurdle and water jumps. There were also trotting matches and a bicycle race. Then the Indians were allowed to come in, and they raced about forty at a time, in all their wild habiliments, on their piebald, striped, and odd- shaped cayuses. In one of the races they all fell in a I lorses, Longst [ay. \xB ago these army. iperial since Ihorses WINNIPEG TO CALGART. 141 lump together ; but such is the Indian nature that none of them appeared to be even so much as bruised or strained, though to the spectators it seemed probable that at least a dozen would be killed outright and all the rest injured. However, it was only an incident in the race, which was continued as though nothing had happened. As I walked back from the race-course to dine at the Alberta, I passed the laundry of a Chinaman. He had written up over the doorway " Joe George," which I felt was done by the wily Celestial to encourage his trade with the English. "Joe George" is a name easily pronounced and not easily forgotten, which cannot be said of Chinese appellations in general. To my last hour in British Columbia I never could remember if my washerman was called Wo Chang or Wang Lo. Not even for the Jubilee would the Chinese give up working. As I passed Joe George's humble tenement I heard a sound like six cats spitting in chorus, and I looked all round, for the domestic cat is rare in Western Canada. I could see nothing, but again I heard the sound ; and this time I felt sure that Joe George must have a wealth of cats in his laundry, and that they were in high dispute. I crossed the road to see ; and, looking in through the doorway, I saw Joe George himself and one of his satellites, who were standing over their ironing-boards, fill their capacious mouths with water out of a small basin, and emit it again in a fine spray all over the shirts stretched out for ironing. So engrossed were these Chinamen that at first I remained unnoticed, till Joe George, looking up, smiled at me encouragingly, and bending over his iron to press a crease, he said — ** Yd learn ? Yo savey wash clo' ? " I nodded my head, feeling fairly bereft of the power of speech ; and Joe George smiled indulgently at me. In the evening there were fire- works and illuminations, but before they began I returned to the train to go to bed, feeling very tired after a long day and many fresh experiences. I .,^kiitii»t<.aujhii!r:i^&Jliii CHAPTEB X. m\ CALGARY TO THE ROCKIES. The enforced "stop off" at Calgary was unfortunate, but its irksomeness was relieved by the evident anxiety on the part of the company's officials to do all in their power for our comfort. It was a heavier loss and a greater inconvenience to the C.P.R than to any one else, and yet it was scarcely to be wondered at if some of the business men with important engagements to fulfil became fairly exasperated at the delay. Situated where we were, it was impossible for us to see the extent of the disaster, or we might have been more resigned to our fate. All we saw was the batches of men hurrying past us to the scene of havoc caused by a flood which was unprecedented at that season, and consequently wholly unexpected. Freight trains started from Calgary loaded with materials for reconstruction ; and we were warned not to leave the station for too many hours at a time, as there was no telling how soon or at what hour we might move on. This uncertainty prevented me from going to see the large irrigation works undertaken by the Dominion Government. I should especially have liked seeing them just then, because I heard that the flood had wrecked them ; and this would have been instructive. It was at Calgary that I first touched the mining fever, and met people carrying rock in their pockets. One old gentleman, who had been in the business since his boy- hood, interested me extremely. He was on his way East, and only spent a few hours in Calgary to see some CALGARY TO TEE BOOKIES. 143 iunate, mxiety n their and a ny one if some ents to ir us to ye been batches caused ion, and started ruction ; for too ow soon friends. Ho had come up from Lethbridge, having crossed the Rockies by the Crow's Nest pass, which was already in the hands of the railway surveyors and engineers. From my conversations with various people, I could not doubt the existence of very valuable proper- ties in British Columbia. The feature which seemed of paramount interest was the raising of capital, and on this point I heard a good deal. One man assured me that insufficient capital had been the only deterrent to success hitherto. He said — "A man has a property, but no capital. What is he to do ? He forms a company with a nominal capital of, say, $1,000,000. This is divided into promoter's shares and treasury shares. The promoter's shares are three to one. The par value is $1, and they are sold at from 10 cents apiece to 25 cents. This is an easy way of raising capital. Sometimes only a limited number of shares are sold at 10 cents, and the rest held back. Now, you will see that this system has its evils ; for it means that the mine is under-capitalized from the beginning, and never has a chance. Yet it is the easiest way of raising capital." Nevertheless, I could not but believe that there was capital forthcoming, even in Canada itself, for sincere exploitation of mining properties. A man from the States told me that he had been engaged in the ** selec- tion of properties," and was fully satisfied with his prospects. He said — "I know they are not all certainties, but even the worst will pay me. I and my friends will take up the claims which are proved, and keep them. The others we shall dispose of on the London market, so soon as we shall be able to declare a good dividend on our own properties." I asked if he was prepared to part with any of his properties ? and he answered, " Not at present ; but eventually we shall sell those for which we have no use." I asked him if the mines he intended to develop were actually in the mp'ket, and he said, "No; they t; ! I: I ill 144 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS, I:' l: I iii w aro held privately. Wo have no occasion to go to the public; but if we want more capital later on, we can get it by the sale of the claims for which wo have no use." This struck mo as being remarkably similar to a method I had heard described as " Unloading rubbish on the London market." Meantime the subject of the ranching at Calgary and Alberta generally appeared to me less and less satis- factory. I saw a great many young Englishmen who were evidently engaged in ranching; but they struck me as being an idle, card-playing, and drinking set of young fellows, and I could not wonder at the stories of failure I heard. Another, steadier class of men had since come into the country, who were not the sons of gentleman, and were not backed by capital or assisted by remittances. As for the other poor boys, I ascribed their ruin to their being sent out young and inexperienced to " learn ranching " with men who took every advan- tage of them. As one lady said to me who had watched the careers of many of them, " They are fools, poor boys ! when they come out, and they become knaves." The tricks which they play upon their parents or guardians at home to get money, when the usual supply is falling short, would form a chapter in itself. One young fellow whose debts pressed upon him, wrote home and asked for £500. This was refused; so he wrote again, and said it was a pity that he should not have the money, for his ranch was just beginning to pay. He had five hundred fat golphers * running on it ; and in a month or two he expected to reap a handsome return for his trouble. The £500 was sent to him. Many similar tales did I hear, of the quickness shown by these boys in taking advantage of the ignorance of their parents; but the chief blame I attribute to the elder men, with some of whom the sole object in life is to bleed these boys till, ruined and heart-broken, they * The golpher is the pest of the prairie. It is a creature between a rat and a guinea-pig, and extremely destructive in its habits. CALGARY TO THE ROCKIES. 145 nts or supply One home -wrote have pay. ; and idsome L. shown mce of to the in life Q, they stween a are neither welcomed at hotels, nor the Ilauchcr's Club, nor fit to return to their homes. Things are improving at Calgary, owing to the death or removal of some of the worst characters; but still parents would do well to exercise caution in sending boys to this neighbourhood for the next few years. That evening, as I stood gazing at the Rockies with longing eyes — for they are visible from Calgary — a little Canadense came up to me. She was from the East, and had come up on my train. " You are going to write a book on Canada, I hear?" she began interrogatively; and without waiting for a reply continued, ** Well, mind you say everything that is very very nice about Canada. And if you come across anything that is not quite nice, don't you let on — don't you let on ! " Her earnestness and patriotism delighted me ; but I felt it was just another instance of the flinching from adverse criticism of any kind, which is the charac- teristic that all colonists share in common ; and a thing to be wondered at, considering their British origin. Presently I became aware that our sleeping-car — which had been wheeled backwards and placed on other lines during the day — was filling up. It required an effort to go to bed with so many of one's fellow-creatures huddled together; but luckily I had a lower berth to myself, and the cowboy and his "chum " who came in late and took the berth above me at the last moment, were very quiet and considerate. One lady came to me in distress to say that a mother and two children were put over her; and presently another came, to tell me that a German couple on then* honey-moon were in the berth above her, and that the lady threatened to become hysterical if the train moved on, for fear of an accident. At length the babel subsided, and content to have got my window open, I fell asleep. The dawn was beginning to creep over the prairie when I woke to find the train in motion. For some J; ^■ ii ' S \ 146 BRlTISn COLUMBIA FOR SETTLEIiS. \) V! tirao I lay still, in a happy frame of mind, to think that wo were making progress, howovor slow. Presently it occurred to me tliat it would be interesting to go outside and see the effocts of the disaster from the platform in front of the car. I washed and dressed myself, and went outside. My move was anticipated by the Gorman couple, who stood clasping each other's hands. I noticed that the lady's dress was not hooked, and presently I saw her stays imdcr her cloak. They were in a theatrical pose, and as I contemplated them I came to the conclusion that they were the very people to begin a panic if a smash occurred. Nor was I far wrong, for presently the poor girl who had to spend the night below them came and clutched my arm. "Do you think there's any danger?" she asked. ** Those people keep saying we shall be killed." " I put faith in the company," I replied. "Our deaths would be a costly business for them ; so I am sure they will preserve us alive if possible." I was astonished at the rapidity with which the line had been repaired. There were miles upon miles of rails which had been washed away and twisted out of shape. We went very cautiously over hastily extempo- rized bridges, and men were stationed at intervals to watch us passing, at a rate which must have been about seven miles an hour. I saw sheep ranches and horse ranches among round green hills, and at last we broke into a country of rock and scrub, and caiiie to a standstill before a wooden house. Here wo were to have breakfast. The dining-car was on in front, with the car containing my old friends of the Parisian; but, to my surprise, on getting out of the train I found it was of immense length. There was a colonist car, containing emigrants ; our own car ; another full of Presbyterian divines, who had been sum- moned to a convention at Winnipeg by Dr. Robertson, and given free passes by the company on their way ,:.... V^ljife^dlk ■1^ I CALQAIiY TO THE ROCKIES. U1 that tsido m in My stood iady's Btaya 3, and 1 tliat smash rl who utched >" she dUed." deaths ro they he line liles of out of :tempo- vals to [n about Ig round of rock wooden j-car "was tends of out of lere was m car; ^en sum- tbertson, leir way homo to British Columbia ; and last of all thoro was a car of Chicose, who were all on their way back to China, having realized fortunes in Canada. The Chineso cooked their own food, and ate it in their own car ; but the rest of the passengers who could not squeeze into the dining-car were supplied with a meal at the Section- house by some Norwegian peasants. There we sat on wooden settles, eating rashers of grilled ham, and drink- ing hot water flavoured with milk and sugar, which these excellent people called "English breakfast tea." After breakfast was over I spent a delightful hour delivering letters of introduction, which Dr. Robertson had given me, to the Presbyterian divines. If they were surprised they concealed their feelings ; but I felt that they were taken slightly off their guard, and that their wit was less ready than usual. Needless to say, I found them very able men, with a remarkably thorough know- ledge of the country and its inhabitants. Another hour of cautious travelling (during which it was a great pleasure to walk through the train from end to end, inspecting the different species of humanity with which it was packed), and then we came to a final stand- still, having reached the bridge across the Bow, which had been completely wrecked. Here we had to get out with our luggage, walk over the temporarily repaired bridfre, and gc. in a freight train on the other side. It was a scene which I shall never forget. The long passenger train, containing so many human beings, and all their baggage, together with the mails for the VVest Coast, Yokohama, and the Orient. On either side of us were the wilds of the l\.ockic3. Now and then an excited Indian had galloped up to look at us, and raced his horse against our train, vanishing at length with a howl of triumph ; but we, as we pressed on, represented the march of civilization, the triumph of human genius over the forces of Nature — for surely never was there a more difficult feat of 'engineering than this railway through the Kicking Horse pass ! i: I ■ \] v. rr r I i 148 BBITISB COLUMBIA FOB SETTLEBS. 13 'li The train stopped — baffled, as it were, by the uproar of the river ; but though the bridge was down, and some of the arches carried completely away, the space between the two portions — which lay wrecked in mid stream — was spanned by iron rails — to which boards were lashed. In order to connect the two ends of the bridge, which were down in the water, these rails were on the level of the water in the middle. It was a novel sensation thus to walk in batches of half a dozen at a time downhill into the middle of the river, and up again on the other side, with nothing but an elastic board between one's feet and the evil-minded flood below. The freight train consisted of open trucks and guards' break-vans. Many people preferred to sit on the open trucks; but finding that Mr. Henry, the Presbyterian divine from Brandon, and his wife were going in a guard's van in front of the trucks, I accompanied them. Mrs. Henry remained inside, having a nice seat close to the window. I found the view wider, and more interest- ing outside ; so I got through the window, and sat on the top. Before this arrangement was arrived at, I went back to see what was being done about the baggage. I found that it was all being turned out of the van, and that one of the company's officials was sitting on a box giving instructions. 1 sat by his side for a time, watching the various pieces of personal effects tumbling out of the van. Presently cut came a large wooden box which required three men to move it. *' Really," I exclaimed, ** I should have thought a thing like that might have waited for another day." The official smiled. "That," said he, "is a dead Chinaman, and his friends are taking him back to China. He couldn't wait." I looked again, and saw that the deal box was really shaped like a coffin. '* He is embalmed. His own doctor embalmed him, and he is going to catch the Empress of Japan, who has been kept waiting for the mails at Vancouver." Jiving ching )ut of jhould a for dead ick to id saw "He Ind he been CALGARY TO THE ROOKIES. 149 I h I remembered that my friends from the Parisian were " going to catch the Empress of Jajpan,^' and promised mj'self that I would introduce them to their travelling companion. The stream of passengers went past us towards the bridge, and presently the Chinese began to file by. There were two huge navvies carrying between them the emaciated form of a Chinaman. "He is being taken back to die in China," said my friend. " Poor thing ! " I exclaimed, " why don't they let him die in peace here?" A low laugh was the immediate answer; and then the words came slowly — "He costs only half to transport while he's alive; but after he's dead the price goes up double, and there's the embalming too. Many Chinamen die on board. All our ships carry a few spare coffins in, case. He'll probably die on the way, but they'll get him as far as they can alive." " But he may recover when he gets to China." "That's not likely. His friends arn't likely to wish him to. There are plenty of them there. He would be cheaper to bury than to doctor and nurse ; and when he's dead he can't use up the money he is taking home with him." Soon after I left my friend to try and find out the name of the embalmed Chinaman. I felt sure he must be a person of consequence to be traveUing thus. I found Mr. Stuart giving directions, and as he was an official of standing, and in a position to know, I asked him who the dead Chinaman was in the coffin consigned to the Empress of Japan, Mr. Stuart laughed. "He's no one in particular," he said ; " we have scores and scores go by like that. A Chinaman, if he dies, must go back to China; and probably this man washed clothes, or was a general servant while he lived." He stopped to order "two men — good ones, mind," to go to the rear with a chair. I went back, partly to J, r I : ¥ • ji? 1 .! :% mi' 150 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. ill see what had become of my luggage, and sat down for a few minutes' more conversation with my friend at the luggage van. As I sat there the " two men — good ones " went by, and presently returned with a poor old lady, very sickly and infirm, who looked ready to die with fright, but resigned to the care of the navvies. And what tender care it was ! Had they been her own sons they could not have been more gentle or consoling. And so were the two who carried the dying Chinaman. John trusted them implicitly ; his only anxiety appeared to be not to lose his shoes, and his poor feet were too thin to keep them on. First one came off, and a navvy picked it up and put it on again; then a few steps, and the other fell off. Whereupon John begged them to give him both his shoes, and he held them in his hands. I had sat down on a box — when suddenly I leaped to my feet ; for I discovered that I was sitting on the Chinaman's coffin. Such contempt does familiarity breed ! I went back to look at it once more ; and there, in the centre, I saw beautiful Chinese lettering in green paint — doubtless the coffin-plate of the dead man. It looked very artistic beside the company's pink printed label affixed a little lower down. After this I went back to the freight train, and, climb- ing on to the roof of my van, I told Mrs. Henry all I had seen. She would not believe me at first, but happened shortly afterwards to put her head out of the window at the critical moment, and saw the coffin being lifted. On the roof of the van immediately in front of us the Presbyterian divines were grouped. They spread out their coat-tails, and looked for all the world like a company of rooks. I wanted a little time to myself to understand the Kockies, or I should have liked to pene- trate amongst them, for I felt sure they were saying things which were " pawky and keen," and taking slices off each other with crisp sayings that they brought with them bottled up for the occasion. Certainly no men enjoyed a piece of travelling more thoroughly than imb- all I but )f the oeing of us Dread ike a elf to pene- jaying slices t with men thau CALGARY TO THE ROCKIES. 151 they did. Amongst us was a bride-elect, who was to be married immediately on her arrival the other side of the Rockies ; and was consequently dressed in her best, as became her wedding day. It had been a disappointment to us that the Eockies were obscured by mist ; but while we waited the mists cleared away as the sun strengthened. The great mass of the mountains stood out boldly and defiantly, yet with countless tender little lines — the footprints of events which passed over them in the childhood of the world. I went away for a little while by myself, and, sitting down, I tried to formulate the impression that these mountains would make on people who came to them as I did for the first time from the enclosed fields and pastoral scenes of home. I con- trasted them with the little rounded hills of Essex, and the wide valleys where slow rivers meandered in green pastures. I knew that these mountains represented the kind of scenery with which I should soon become familiar. They were but the first range of miles and miles of mountains. Still, I scarcely understood the power this scenery had to compel attention; or the influence it undoubtedly exercises on human character. All other mountain scenery I had seen was smaller, and missed altogether the wild ferocity, the sharpness of outline and definition of the Eockies. They were terrible in their vastness, though over some minds mountains exer- cise a peculiar fascination. These mountains were more rugged — fresher, as it were, from the workship of Nature — than any others I had seen. Their outlines were almost ferocious in their strength and freshness, and recalled the old poetical simile of strong contrast, "How say ye, then, to my soul that she should flee as a bird unto the hill ? " All that was powerful and defensive in material Nature seemed expressed by these Eockie heights. Yet it was impossible not to be struck with a terrible sense of past conflict ; the traces of a stupendous death- K i^ ' ')^l : '3 m ■ h' I -i ; 1 ;■', 1 ' * \. ■ !f ! ( . 152 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. struggle made themselves felt above everything else — some terrific battle in the long past, when the world was moulded or educated piece by piece; and tre- mendous forces now laid to rest, of whose existence we gain but a dim idea of, were once upon this scene. Once, when there was chaos, God said, *' Let there be light ! " and forthwith the breath dispersed the mists. The light fell across the wild confusion of land and water and tangled shapes of flying clouds. Strange forms drew together, binding atoms into the strength of the hills, and locking waters into the depths of the sea. Above the heights arose, towering in majesty, which now are softened and smoothed by the hands of Time. Then they were garrisoned by fierce forces. Deep within we cannot tell what took place in their secret caverns, or how the powers worked, and like drew towards like, and there was burning and grinding and the thunder of awful struggle, as one power clashed with and overcame other powers, and there were rents and divisions and upheavals; till the glaciers formed without, covering the fierce fires, freezing what had been molten rock, smoothing and concealing the marks of strife, and where they passed leaving a trail for an eternal memory. Then the suns of many centuries beat upon the rocks and scorched them. So by degrees the old battle spirit wore out, and now they are patiently yielding themselves for the good of the world. Ages have passed over them, and they stand, yielding food to the life of the oceans, fertilizers for the prairie and the field, gold for the cities of men; still they point upwards, teaching patient, steady self-surrender. Silver peaks, dazzling limestone with rich purple shadows! The gloom of caverns and dark ravines ! The brightness, the aspiration, the purity of beauty untouched by the hand of man ; sublime in simplicity and the length of days ! At their feet one forgets one's self .a a contem- plation too deep for words. To retire from the city and the poor IHtle " dreams in stone," to be alone with the majestic masterpiece of the first rough sketch of this CALQAR7 TO THE ROCKIES. 153 world's life, is good for the soul r, and to feel how frail and transitory a thing is man — " who hath but a short time to live ; who cometh up as a flower, and is cut down; who fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth long in one stay." i",]:;! lows: ness, the gth of ntem- y and h the f this :' ■'■\: \ ■- i III Kfe-^imt. CHAPTEE XI. THE ROCKIES TO VICTORIA. !■■ Several hours elapsed before our freight train began to move, and I was compelled to remain on the roof. Whilst there, it was impossible to avoid being irritable, for the scenery was of a kind one desired to be alone with, and anywhere on the train people came and interrupted one's thoughts with mere talk. The outlines of these rocks are very uncouth, and no adequate idea can be gained of them from the inside of a train. I felt that I should like to ride through the Kockies on horseback ; taking my own tepee and pitching it where I liked. At Canmore we meT; a passenger train, which was waiting for us. We were the first people to come through after the " wash out," and the passengers were all outside the train waiting for us, and received us with a hearty cheer. Then began another great removal of ourselves, our baggage, the dead, the dying, and the mails ; and once again we found ourselves in a passenger train, while those who had come up from Banff took our place in the freight cars. The rest of the way to Banff I could think of nothing but the desire for food. Calgary had been a time of meagre meals, snatched in the overcrowded inns, where the food, at the best of times, is never good. What happened at Banff was described by a lady, who was staying in the hotel, in a letter which, some time after- wards, was read out in my presence in Victoria. -/■■/' -f ■ • ■ r TEE ROCKIES TO VICTORIA. 155 *' Three hundred passengers have suddenly arrived by the train and eaten up everything, so that wo can get nothing." In this I was not to blame ; for, so far as eating up the supplies went, I came in for as little as any one, being employed at the time that others were dining in trying a sulphur spring bath. The water was delicious, and should be highly medicinal, but the accommodation was very poor. The hotel at Banff is a good one. There is a fine natural park, containing Lord Strathcona's herd of buffalo. There are good roads ; and a day or two may well be spent there. It is an excellent starting-point for sportsmen. The scenery reminded me of Norway, and I found myself following a small stream and gathering the wild strawberries which grew in the rough grass. At length it became dark and chilly, and I climbed into the train, put on a wrap, and went to sit in tho observation car. Here people were collected in knots, talking, for it was too dark to read. There were one or two miners and an old " trail-blazer ; " these were talking to my cowboy friend and his chum. Presently they began singing; and wonderfully well they sang. We had the oU songs of home — ** Tho Last Eoso of Summer," " Annie Laurie," ** The Land o' the Leal," and "Home, Sweet Home." This last surprised mo, for in South Africa it was tabooed. No one, I believe, had the heart to sing this song in that strange land. The old songs finished, the performers started some songs of their own. These were the compositions of tho cowboys or miners by their camp-fires. I listened with delight, for some of them were in- tensely quaint. "Where these fellows learnt to sing I cannot tell, but they had the intonation of cultivated Englishmen, and very good voices too. The art of cow- boy songs was a quick exchange of sentiment for fun, of pathos into bathos; with a curious scanning of their own invention. One I remember, so far as the first verse I ' I I. ni !^-| M-l ii 156 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. M goes. It began in a slow, pathetic strain, to which the tenor lent itself perfectly — " Wo fell in 1 — o — v — o — one night . . . Arter tea 1 When sho was riding — riding — ri — iding — Home in her father's cart old . . . Meikie Magee ! " After Baiih* o\ir troubles were passed, and certainly the disaster had been wonderfully met. Sometimes I heard it proposed — and the idea is so amusing that it is worth recording — that the C.P.E. should be placed under Government management ; that then, and not till then, would the line be a success and cease to be *' the curse of the country." I thoroughly enjoyed " the curse," and appreciated to the fullest extent the management of the Government, but I must say that it would be quite as good business to propose that the railway should run the Government, as that the Government should manage the railway. In Colonial affairs an immense weight attaches to business capacity, and when I weighed the capacity of the one against the other, I found that the qualifications for rendering the C.P.R. even as partially successful as its worst detractors may admit it to be, were fully equal to anything I found in Government offices. But there may be other motives underlying the superficial criticisms, upon which the following extract from a leading Canadian journal may possibly throw a little light. In the States it is unfortunately common to treat politics as a handle or tool with which to obtain commercial or financial advantages. It is this degrada- tion that Canada must guard herself against. It is, at least, satisfactory to find that the danger is openly acknowledged. The management of business concerns may not always be above suspicion; but the opportunities for peculation are unquestionably increased when politics are mixed up with trading concerns of whatever character; and Government railways offer special opportunities. THE liOCKJES TO VICTORIA. 157 jlithe :taiiily [mes I at it is [ under i then, e curse ated to nment, usiness •nment, siy. In lusiness ilie one ons for 1 as its qual to ng the extract throw a ommon ) obtain egrada- It is, at openly oncerns tunities politics aracter; ities. ** It is undeniable that a belief exists widely amongst us that Governments and municipalities are fair game for over- charges by contractors or servants. Many a man or firm, otherwise honest, will charge on a Government job a higher price than he would if working or tendering for an individual, and will contend that he is iustifiecl in so doing. In fact, people do not recognize that in working for the common- wealth any member of it ought to show exactly the same regard for honesty and economy as if the transaction were with his next-door neighbour." It is in this way that Government works become milch kine to the people. From Banff onward our journey lay through the magnificent scenery of the Selkirk mountains. We passed across valleys about a mile to two miles wide, where, with drainage of the swamps, crops of some kind might be grown. Then we came into the dry belt, where the principal necessity was irrigation; and from this we went into the district of the Lower Fraser, which I heard called the " gum boot country," where drainage is of paramount necessity. The vegetation here is tremendous, and I was filled with wonder and delight at the gigantic cedar trees and the luxuriant masses of ferns. We were approaching the American border, and before we reached Vancouver I could see the snow- capped peak of Mount Baker, in the State of Washington. The journey had been an exhausting one, and I was very anxious to proceed as soon as possible to Victoria. The company were so good as to facilitate my doing so by allowing me to cross in their ocean liner The Empress of Japan, which sto^j^od in the roadstead outside Victoria to take up mails and passengers for the Orie.it. This voyage was most enjoyable. The ship was in itselt a perfect specimen of a first-class liner, arranged expressly for the comfort of passengers ; and at the time I would have given a good deal to have been going on in her to Japan. Vancouver is a prosaic city, which will, in time, \ "' » J, ir 5 li |:|S i ;!' ' ■^''>(*- il '.( ! '4^ <^^ >^^ -C^^^ ^^' u^ 172 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOB SETTLERS. . I colony to attract a larger population settled upon tho land. Taking one item given me by Mr. Milne, I found that eggs were imported from the States, in number 78,853 dozen, to the value of $13,000, and duty paid on them to the amount of $3942. The imposition of duties upon food-stuffs raises the price of the food-stuffs in British Columbia to the amount of the duty paid, and preserves the markets in behalf of the farmers of Ontario and the North-West, who can raise stuff cheaper than in British Columbia, under present circumstances. Meantime, the revenue drawn from the taxes on food-stuffs, which is paid by the consumer, goes to defray the cost of things of general or remote interest. Excepting the judges' salaries, it cannot be said that the expenditure of the Federal Government is upon anything exclusively provincial, seeing that harbours and lighthouses concern the trade of the through traffic quite as much as that of the province. Evidently the only means of stopping the continual drain of money into the States, would be by improving the position of agriculture and increasing agricultural settlements. Sooner or later the question of starting irrigation works, and taking measures to restrain the Fraser from flooding the lands in the Delta, will have to be considered by the Government, and funds provided for these purposes. The British Columbian Government make no free grants of land, and, furthermore, exact a royalty upon all timber sold (even as cordwood *) off the land. These charges, it is maintained, are necessary in order to find funds for carrying on the business of the Provincial Government. It is open to considerable doubt whether the funds are administered with a view to encourage the influx of settlers. At all events, in connection with this sub- ject, the erection of the magnificent and costly pile of Government buildings at Victoria (probably after ♦ Fuel, TEE liOCKlES TO 7ICT0BIA, 173 "Westminster itself the most imposing edifice of the kind in the Empire) needs some explanation. Standing where it does, overlooking the rickety bridges and the poor little town, it recalls the story of the " swell " of the last century, whose dress was the wonder of all beholders ; when he came to die he begged to be buried in his clothes, but some one thinking that the corpse might at least spare the beautiful waistcoat, discovered that the grandee hadn't a shirt to his back ! Just such an impression is made upon the stranger who looks up at these buildings and then turns round to find the squalid wretchedness of the town, and goes away into the backwoods to find the settlers struggling with the enormous initial difficulties of the country. In conversation with Mr. Milne, I referred to the Klondyke. He viewed with immense satisfaction the steps which were at length being taken to establish the authority of Great Britain and the maintenance of law and order by reinforcements of the North-West Police. With regard to the statements in the American press that the Klondyke was in Alaska, he said that attempts to stretch the American boundary-lines were quite in the usual order of things. He had the entire correspondence and report on the Alaska boundary question in his office, and showed it to me with the maps. I understood at last that it is the habitual practice of the States to worry questions and confuse issues in the hope of wringing something out of them to their own good, and that these matters are best dealt with firmly and with decision. Victoria receives the stranger most hospitably and very kindly. I greatly enjoyed making the acquaint- ance of many of the inhabitants ; but I could wish that, as the capital of this important province, the people would take a keener interest in public affairs. The tincture of the old-time element is very picturesque, especially as represented by Mrs. Dennis Harris and Dr. Helmchen ; but the farsightedness I wish for Victoria must be to the future, and not to the past. •■>;■■ :■ i CHAPTER XII. TO THE ALBERNI MINES. It was late in the evening when I went on board the s.s. Tees (Captain John Irvine), bound for Alberni, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. As may be gathered from the name Alberni, the place was known to the old Spanish adventurers, and the belief is prevalent that they came to get the gold washed down in the sands of the river. In recent years the Chinese were so successful that the spot where they extracted the gold was called China Creek. In time, a syndicate was formed, and placer mining was tried ; but the elaborate machinery and skilful mining engineers from California failed to extract sufficient gold to make the undertaking pay, and the flumes and piping had been taken down. Prospecting was being carried on in the mountains with immense activity, and it was rumoured that the mountains behind China Creek and the ill-fated venture of placer mining, contained quartz of high assay value. Should these mines become paying concerns, the destiny of Vancouver Island will become clear. Alberni, situated on a river possessing a deep mouth, which pro- vides access to the heart of the island from a bay called Barclay Sound, offers a natural harbour open at all seasons of the year to large vessels. It faces the Pacific, and suggests an excellent opportunity for taking on cargoes of lumber and coal, the coal-mines of Nanaimo being only fifty miles by road from Alberni, But probably tl is TO TBE ALBEBNI MINES. 175 on the sea-fishing industry will centre at Alberni. There is no harbour on the west of Vancouver Island to com- pare with it ; and if the mines pay, a population will collect round the bay whose surplus will find employ- ment in fishing. I repeatedly found in British Columbia that the hardship of the working class was invariably due to the sudden cessation of work, which threw the men out of employment. The " prospects " are the worst offenders in this respect, as they are never certain to give paying results. I passed through districts where the sudden shutting down of mines, left the miners with nothing to live upon. It must be admitted, however, that the great defect in the British emigrant is his un- adaptability, and many men would be useless in any but one capacity, while others appear to regard a change of occupation as degrading. It was midnight before we put out of Victoria har- bour, and then a fog detained us. The little boat was terribly crowded. The success of one mine had caused a rush. There were nine extra berths rigged up in the saloon, and two people slept on the saloon table. The stewards gave up their berths, and if they slept at all it must have been in the hold. But for the most part tho excitement about ''rock" kept people talking, and call- ing for whiskies and sodas all night. The atmosphere below was very bad in the saloon ; and the ship being oiled with a fish oil possessing a truly terrible scent, upset me so far that I could eat no breakfast ; but Mr. Fred Child kindly brought mo some tea and fruit on deck, and in the fresh air 1 recovered, and began to take an interest in the scenery and my fellow-passengers. We kept close to the coast, which was mountainous, but clothed with spruce and cedar to the water's edge. Here and there a sharp peak of rock cut the sky-line, in the crevices of which traces of snow might be seen ; otherwise the land, as it rose from the blue Pacific, pre- sented a deep green mass, the trees seeming to grow out of the water with no beach whatever. i'^ V J ■ .;* 0> i|v! ni i4 % !' 176 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. We had on board a man who had come down from the Klondyke, and having been there two years, he was able to give a fairly comprehensive idea of the country. He had been successful, and believed that he would succeed still further if he went back there, but his wife objected to his risking the hardships. These, he admitted, were severe. Both his friends and himself had been nearly starved to death, and he declared that such hardships would have to be reckoned with by any miners who left the beaten track, while near the centres the claims were all pegged out. ** The Klondyke," he said, " was a very good poor man's country, but that day is past now. However, I am certain if I went up the coast again I should succeed just as well, though I should not go to the Klondyke." I found that he had been engaged in prospecting from his boyhood, and had boen sent to re- port for syndicates, as well as individuals, upon the mines in many districts. The chief difficulty for the prospector consists in pro- curing sufficient food-supply. This man had never known what it was to be without water. He had always been able to make a fire, except when it was raining hard. But to carry sufi&cient food-stuff on his own back up the mountains and across rivers, had been the unsolved problem which proved to be the element of failure. As a rule, the prospector depends chiefly on beans (a white bean, similar to the French haricot) and bacon. He also carries a gun and some ammunition (the miner's licence giving him permission to shoot all through the closed season). But the gun and ammuni- tion, besides his pick, blankets, mackintosh sheets, and cooking-pot, make a heavy pack for a man to carry through a dense forest and over sharp rocks, where at any time he may miss his foot, roll into a crevice, and break his leg. As we were talking, other prospectors came up ; and I found that most of them could tell tales of immense hardship and privation. One man recommended carry- ing a small bag of rolled oats, and said that he always took TO TEE ALBERNI MINES, 177 t some loose in his pocket, and ate them as he went along. The difficulty that the best of their prospectors appeared to feel was always this one of food. One man told mo that it was often impossible to reckon on the length of time it might take them to get the work finished which they were sent to carry out, and that sooner than leave it and return he and his chums had been starved so that they ate birds' eggs and berries, and were glad to get them. This determination to achieve what they attempted, and the fidelity to their employers, is a marked feature in the prospector's character, and certainly one which commands cordial admiration. The prospectors along the mountains on the shores of Alberni and Barclay Sound manage differently to those inland, and incur less risks. Two of them go together in a boat, with tents and provisions, sometimes taking a small raft or scow behind the boat, on which to cook and bake as they go along, thus saving time. One of them lands at a suitable spot, ascends the mountain, and penetrates through the forest in search of out-crops, or indications of gold or minerals. He carries his gun, a pick, and a small quantity of provi- sions, sometimes taking his mackintosh and blankets. His "chum" remains in the boat, on the look out for signals, such as the lighting of a fire with green stuff, to throw up thick clouds of smoke, or the firing of the gun, and judges whether his assistance is wanted or not. The density of the forest is marvellous, and this, to- gether with the difficulty of crossing ravines, frequently makes it impossible to proceed more than two miles in a day. One man assured me that to make progress at the rate of one mile in four hours was very quick work indeed. In some cases the prospector can return to the boat at night, but more often he sleeps where he is, and only goes down to the boat and the place where his "chum" has pitched the tent once in two or three days. The "chum" judges of his progress by signals, and moves along the shore. If the signals 'f i ; H' li >'il li;- ' ' :- 178 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. '1 cease, he loaves the boat and goes to see what has happened. It seemed surprising to mc that cases of prospectors being lost altogether wore so rare. It is, however, commonly regarded as most imprudent for one man to go entirely alone. I found a man on board who started as a farmer in Vancouver Island, but gave up the business in disgust. He had many bitter complaints against the Govern- ment, nor did the farmers themselves escape his censure. His first point was the exaction of taxes from the land. He contrasted the slow returns from agriculture in comparison with other businesses, and declared that the Government was literally destroying the ground under their own feet by exacting support from men who in the first stages had nothing to give. Firstly, the land is bought for agriculture, whereas the miner pays nothing but his licence. The sum fixed for agricultural land is $1 an acre, and $3 a head entrance foe ; so that a man, his wife, and two children are taxed for coming to settle in the country to the amount of $12. There is, besides, the charge for the fee simple. Thus, before a man can get into his farm iu this province, he has to pay about $100, as against nothing at all in the North-West, where he can get 160 acres free, and embark every shilling he has in the property. The clearing of land in Vancouver is a very heavy item ; so that a man can buy a good farm improved and fenced far cheaper elsewhere. Secondly, he disapproved strongly of the policy the Government pursued in making roads. They did not employ men to make the roads ; but they paid the farmers (who knew nothing about road-making) $1 a day to work on the roads. No one superintended their labour, or saw to its efficiency. Besides, the plan did not work because it took the farmers off their farms precisely at the very time when they were most require^ TO THE ALBERNI MINES, 179 the not the $1 3nded plan arms uire4 5) to be working on their farms. In the winter, which is the time they are at leisure, no road work can be per- formed, owing to the heavy rains which fall everywhere in the island except in Victoria. At the same time he laid great stress on the laziness and incompetence of the farmers, especially in the Albcrni district. He believed in the fertility of the soil, having proved it by three years of splendid crops, after which he considered that the fertility diminished unless the ground were manured. He had given up his farm and gone into other business, because Government was so slow in laying down a road, and when the road was done it was so bad as to be almost useless. He could not transport his produce to the nearest market except in small quantities and at a very slow rate. He said the country is a good country if it weren't spoilt. It requires cheap capital, cheap labour, and cheap transport. I felt that these remarks, by a man of some experience on the spot, were a useful comparison with the high praise I had heard bestowed upon Vancouver Island, and the advantages it offered for settlers. In Barclay Sound there are a great many islands, or reefs, curiously arranged in lines. There are still native settlements on some of these islands, and one in particular was the burial-place of a native band. The trees were cut into alleys or groves, and it was possible to see from the deck of the steamer that something was fixed to the stems or trunks. The practice of disposing of the dead by putting them up in the trees was ex- plained to me to have become customary on account of the difficulty of burying them on rocks, where soil was scanty. In Vancouver Island itself cau-ns for native burial have been discovered, and the skulls bear every trace of belonging to the same race as that inhabiting the island at the present time. In the Museum in Victoria these skulls may be seen ; they are large and thick, furnished with heavy jaws and powerful teeth. The practice seems to have been \ v general of 1: 'SI 1 T'. ■.'•(fl ill i :■ 180 BRITISB COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS, flattening the skull in infancy, so that it bulged out behind and on either side of the ears. One of the police constables of the island was on board, and he assured me that the natives had entirely relinquished every form of cannibalism. They have even given up devouring the dead, which was the last form it assumed. Dances, though still held, are comparatively tame affairs. Some Indians still wear masks at the "dog dance;" but the tearing process, and representation of hunting for prey, and similar animal tactics, never result in a sacrifice. They are even careful to put on their oldest clothes before the tearing commences, instead of their bravest finery, as on former occasions. He spoke of drink as the greate. ' curse, and attributed its presence to illicit traffic on the part of skippers from the States. We stopped at a native reserve which lay on either side of a creek, and the inhabitants came out in their canoes to look at us, while we put some bags of flour ashore for the small store. There were plenty of dogs of an idle, rufiianly, low-bred appearance. The bones of a whale lay on the shore, and smelt most offensively. I counted four bald-headed eagles soaring above the ship. I believe they were attracted by the raw meat which our butcher had hung under an awning in the stern. I looked to see if there were any totem-poles. I was told that missionaries had destroyed them ; but one old canoe, apparently a man-o'-war, was lying high and dry on the beach, going fast to pieces, and the prow of this craft was furnished with a painted monstrosity — half bird, half beast. The wooden houses were all modern two-story buildings of the plainest and com- monest design. They gave the creek the ugly ap- pearance of a modern township, badly kept and dilapidated. From this place we went on to Serita, where we anchored, waiting for the tide to rise, while the captain went ashore with some of the passengers. The place TO THE ALBERNI MINES. 181 was chiefly remarkable for its wild scenery and some copper-ore prospects, concerning which there was a good deal of discussion on board. I gathered that there was a tolerably strong desire to keep Vancouver Island as a *' poor man's country " — that is to say, to avoid the introduction of big syndicates, and give the miners themselves a chance to dig out the pay- streaks in their own claims, and ship the ore to the little mill in Victoria, reaping the returns themselves. I employed the time at Serita in fishing over the ship's side for a kind of flounder, and caught a dozen and a half. I had, unfortunately, no suitable hook or tackle, having only trout flies and a baby-spinner; I caught the flounders by letting down a baby-spinner with a piece of raw meat on it, weighted with a small lead. At about seven o'clock in the evening the captain camo back, and we went on at once, reaching the Alberni new townsite about ten p.m., where we moored till the morning. By this time I was tired of the small and very crowded boat, and soon after sunrise the next morning I got up, dressed, and went on deck. I found that Alberni itself, for which we were bound, was about two miles further, and that there was a road leadipg to it through the forest. I determined to walk the rest of the way, and accordingly started without waiting for breakfast. !-f^: m fy ap- and ? ■ / . » Xxe we iptain place I'! r CIIArTER XIII. ALBERNI. The Alborni new townsite consistc of a landing-stage, a shod or wharf, and boyond a small wooden hut, where the receiver of customs resided, who also managed the mails. I saw him come out of his house and finish lacing his boots outside, in which occupation he was so intent that ho did not see me, or I should probably have asked him a few questions as to the way to Alberni. The road was still under construction — if that can be called construction which consists in felling trees, blasting stumps, and choking up gulches with branches. There is no attempt at drainage of surface-water ; and though the branches thrown into the little gulches are intended to form a bridge, in point of fact they elevate the surface of the water and distribute it over the land. However, these are but details. To me the whole experience of that walk was a delight. It was the first time I had been quite alone in the forest, and at liberty to stand still as long as I liked, and gaze my fill at the great Douglas pines, and listen to the weird soughing of the wind high up above my head, while down below not a leaf stirred. A few squirrels ran about, but there seemed to be no birds. The sun was shining with dazzling brightness, which made the forest all the more attractive, by reason of the contrast it offered. I saw, to my surprise, that ferns grew of many kinds which I should have thought too delicate for thai* climate. There were also some ALBERNL 183 wonderful carlet agarics, though it was tho middle of July. ..t one place, where the sun had a chance, owing to the falling (through age apparently) of a gigantic fir-tree, I found some salmon-herrics and wild raspherrics, and enjoyed an early breakfast, recalling the miner's story of tho day before. The Alberni township, I found, consisted of an hotel, some two or three stores, a few miners' houses, an assayer's oflice, and the residence of Mr. Huff, the member for the Alberni district in the Provincial Parliament. I had a letter for Mr. Huff, and having delivered it, I went to the hotel for breakfast. Throughout Canada rigid punctuality is required with rrgard to meals, and this I had not learnt ; so that it was a positive shock to my feelings to be told that as I was " late for breakfast " I could not expect any. I remonstrated, declaring that nevertheless I did expect some, and that inns were for the refreshment of travel- lers, of which I was one. Upon this the landlord disappeared, and another functionary arrived in tho person of **the gurl." Every backwood's inn turns upon two poles — "the gurl" and "the chap." How often, during the next few months, I was to be sent backwards and forwards from one to the other of these officials, I could not at that time foresee ; but I found " the gurl," in this instance, sufficient for my purpose, as she set before me a clammy poached egg, which was not very fresh, some highly odoriferous butter, a glass of milk, and some excellent white bread. Outside, the miners sat in the sun, blinking their eyes and smoking their pipes. In the bar, where I was destined to go at length in pursuit of "the chap," I read a notice : ** No credit given. DonH ask for it." It told its own tale. The Alberni consolidated mine had closed down, the pay-streak having " petered out," and the men were discharged. I spent some time chatting with Mr. Huff, who told me about his fruit-trees, which appeared to be growing well, although I did not see any fruit on them. V- \m >■; > i t ¥ • « iii'l 1 g 184 BRITISH COLVMBIA FOR SIHTLKIiS. Tho towHHito of Albonii is iit i\\v foot of tho mountains in a valley, which ovc^ntnally inclinoH iipwardH towardu tho liills or bonehoH, but at itn lowest HOuniH to bo bolow tho Hurfaoo of tho rivor. It certainly roqiiiroH draining, and the land niipjht bo valuable for fruit, vofi[otableH, and hay, but thc^ elinuito in wronj^ Houiehow for corealH. Some say it is too damp ; otluMH, too dry. Probably it irt both at wrong RoaHouH. TIk; land in chiolly in tho hands of i)rivate individuals, who are holding it to obtain higli pricen. I was able to judge what may ha])pen in thoHo now townsiteH by examining a piece of ground opposite the road into which the water from the river, or else from some Hwamp out of Right, forced itself. 1 remarked to one of the local magnates that it should bo drained, upon which he replied, "You see, wo aro iilling it uj)." 1 looked again, and saw that all manner of rubbish, together with tho manure f; >m a neighbouring stable, was being shot into this hole. lUit the local magnate was rambling on about tho beauties of the townsite as a winter residence, till I interrupted him, saying, as I nodded towards tho hole, " That's a wonderful idea, Mr. ." To my intense surprise he drove his hands deep into his pockets, and drawing himself up, ho exclaimed, '* Kirnjthin(j in thin coiintri/ i.s' wondcr/nl ! " I was thinking of tho shortsightedness of securing a fever-trap in the centre of the townsite ; for surely as soon as the hole was filled up, and a bouse built upon it, scarlet fever or typhoid would break out, and, no one foreseeing the reason, tho place would at once got a bad name and the rents fall. I went to Mr. Saunders, the assayer, having made the acquaintance of his brother, and for the first time in my life I saw gold assayed. Mr. Saunders had a httle handmill in which he ground up tho quartz. He then washed the dust in a small black phial, pouring away the water and sand after shaking the phial to allow of the heavy gold sinking to the bottom. The operation was especially interesting as the quartz was brought from a new cutting in tho Alberni mines, which it was ALiiEnm, 185 mght fervently hoped mi^lit bo RuccoKflful in Htiikinf,' tlio vein or pay-Btrcnk lost at a liighor elevation. Tlio rt'Hult of tint asHay wan a lino Kliowing of gold, and Mr. Sanndors waved the little phial towardn mo in triumph, exclaiming, "You bring luck! You bring luck ! See, now, how you bring luck ! " Miners are exceedingly KuperHtitiouH, and a new- comer in always regarded curiously, to see whether he brings luck or the reverKe. Meantime the steamer had arrived at tho mooring stage, and I found the street full of men, some in the miner's dress — light-blue overall trousers and tho striped blanket coat, made somewhat alter tho pattern of a Norfolk jacket. Somo of them, judging by their cowboy hats, were fresh from the prairies ; others had recently donned the garb, and it was easy to see by their white hands and carefully kei)t nails that their previous careers had been spent in some snug ollice from morning till night. As 1 walked to tho steamer, a young man in miner's dress accosted me, and began to catechize mo about matters South African. Tho American sense of humour is strangely deli(iient on certain points, and tho direct way this youth discharged hia inquiries was as matter-of-fact as if he were putting turnips into a pulping-machine. " Is Mr. lUiodes as black as he's painted '?" he asked. Remembering that the Yankee press is never tired of reviling Mr. llhodes and all his works, I replied that this was the first time any suggestion had reached mo that Mr. Ithodes was a half-caste ; and that if any one had taken the trouble to tar and feather him, I trusted they would be suitably remunerated for their pains, seeing that he was "a great Englishman." Upon this there was dead silence. Then he began again, in rather an injured tone — ** That's not what I mean. I want to know if Mr. Rhodes is a really had man — or not ? " I represented that speech was, after all, only figurative, ■ f; Vi i(h If:, ^ !■, 186 BlilTlSn COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. \-\. and unless I was quite sure that his (the American's) standard of morals coincided with my own I could not venture to reply. *'Let me advise you," I said, "to think it out for yourself. What do you think ? Would you be glad to have him in the States — or not ? " A bright light shone over the countenance which had hitherto been as dull as it was colourless. " You bet ! " he exclaimed. " But we'd find plenty of use for him there ! " Something occurred, and I lost sight of this Yankee ; but as the little crowd shifted, I saw him again, and, having nothing to do, I said to him, " Which would you like to have, Ehodes or Kruger ? " Again I watched the dull look grow over the face, and I knew he was shamming. I repeated my question, adding, "Mind you, Kruger is a good Republican ; he*s no Imperialist." My Yankee friend did not answer, however. He raised his hand mechanically to his hat, and I left him smiling with his eyes fixed on the ground. I found plenty of people at Alberni who were anxious to show me the mines — even one gentleman, a mining expert, who had only been in the country three days. Finally it was arranged for me by Mr. Fred Childs, that I should visit the Duke of York and Alberni con- solidated mines, and that Mr. Waterhouse should go with me. Mr. Childs also kindly placed his room in the log cabin at the Duke of York at my disposal for the night. I intended to go to Clayquot in the steamer and return in her to Alberni. I was told that Clayquot was a place with a great future before it, both as a harbour and a mining centre. It so happened that the steamer started without me, and therefore I missed Clayquot. From things which I heard subsequently, I question if Clayquot will develop as fast as Alberni, and I believe its advantages were exaggerated. Hearing that the Tees could not leave Alberni till ALBEIiNI. 187 Id me, vhich will tages i till towards midnight, I took my rod and started up the river, thinking to see some of the country and enjoy a little of the fishing, which I had heard highly praised. Mr. Macardie and Mr. Waterhouse afterwards joined me, and Mrs. Gilliard kindly offered us her canoe ; and promised to drive after us to the falls, and bring some tea. We started, but the sun was hot, and the canoe — an Indian dug-out — was heavy against the stream. Two of us had breakfasted early, and somewhat scantily. The sight of a neat house, painted white, standing in an ideal garden of old-country flowers, was very inviting, and Mr. Macardie having landed, presently returned with an invitation from Mrs. Thompson to go in and have tea at her house. It is difficult to describe the impression of comfort, repose, and cultivation which fell upon one upon passing through the wicket gate, with its archway of clematis — especially after the recent experience of Siwash dwellings along the river shore, the discomfort of an inn, and the recollection of the crowded Tees. Inside the archway the garden was sweet with car- nations, roses, sweetwilliams, and other old-fashioned flowers. Mrs. Thompson received us with Scottish hos- pitality; and we were soon devouring delicious bread ai i butter and drinking many cups of tea with cream in it. Then we were each given glass dishes full of cool fresh-picked raspberries, juicy and most refreshing. This Arcadian repast was followed by a stroll round the garden, where we stood as in an oasis, and looked out upon the hills where cattle browsed, and the wild forest scenery across the river ; after which we climbed down the rocks, made fast the dug-out, and proceeded on foot to the falls. I found that these falls were artificially improved in order to supply the motive power for a pulp-mill. There is no doubt that plenty of wood exists which could be utihzed for pulping ; but this mill had failed to pay, and was consequently shut up. ' . i I i J if < ^'1 ■ « i|l tf «.ii '.— 188 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. The place chosen for fishing was just below this dam, and there were several swirling pools under projecting rocks. The water as it tore over the dam was of the gi'ey green colour, which I have always associated with snow ; yet to all appearance there was not much snow on the mountains. Some boys, who appeared to be half-breeds, came to spear salmon, and took two good- sized ^ "\ in this way. Salmon will not take a fly in Alberni river. I gave my rod to Mr. Macardie, Mr. Waterho'iso was collecting fuel for Mrs. Gilliard's fire, and I sat down on the rocks. The sun was sinking, and as it dropped behind the pine trees, a long shadow was thrown from a projecting peak across part of the river. It is a feature in this scenery that at sunrise or sunset the peculiar angles at which the rays touch the slopes or elevations render them more perceptible than at other times. Just where we had camped, a sharp bend in the river and the wild con- fusion of rocks suggested that specially violent volcanic eruption had happened here. I could trace many lines on the mountains, as the sun sank, indicating ravines and gorges, providing untold difficulties in the way of road-construction and prospecting on these heights, besides unevenness and uncertainty in the leaders or veins. This fact seemed worthy of remark on account of the wonderfully even appearance of the mountains as seen in broad daylight, an evenness very largely due to the pine forests. Meantime the most gorgeous colours were shining in the clouds, and the river as it rushed past became a veritable river of gold. The fishing did not make much progress — several small trout and two of a pound to a pound and a half were the only result ; but these formed a welcome addi- tion to the tea. Strange to say, I caught the two largest fish with a fly which I had tied myself for bass fishing at a seaside place in the south of England. It was made of a pigeon's feather and a piece of scarlet braid. I had been told in England that black files or very dark ALBERNI. 189 ones were the only flies for British Columbia. This I believe to be true of some of the head rivers ; and early in the season dark flies are said to take well in Vancouver Island, but the general rule is a large fly, and the brighter the better. We had to leave, in order to catch the steamer, just as the fish were beginning to rise ; yet, alas ! though we rushed and ran, and rowed the dug-out down stream at full tilt, we only arrived in time to see the funnel of the Tecs turning the last corner. I had heard the faithless creature yelling out her summons to passengers, and felt certain she was leaving sooner than was ex- pected ; but our hurry was unavailing. Fortunately, even at this juncture I was not wanting in a kind friend, for Mr. Childs had rescued my hold- all and other effects at the last moment, and had them taken to the inn. The result w^as that I missed Clay- quot ; but in order to lose no time I started the next morning soon after eight o'clock for the Alberni mines. The horse which they brought out for me to ride was m a deplorable condition. Large galls, streaming with matter, disfigured the poor creature's shoulders. Yet when I complained of having to ride it in such a condition, they offered to put it in a "rig," as though it would have been more tolerable to sit behind it with a collar pressing on such wounds ! Its wretched legs shook, and, in fact, the poor animal showed every trace of brutal driving. It was this horse or nothing ; and as I could not walk the fourteen miles, and felt that if I did not ride it some one else would probably drive it, I reluctantly mounted. It is customary to treat horses with horrible brutality in this Western country, partly out of ignorance, and partly from a kind of drunken conceit. They will drive a pair of horses in a stage along thirty miles of mountains, over villainous roads, without a bait of any kind, except a pailful of ice-cold water out of a brook. It would cost them nothing to take a small bundle of hay or a little bag of bean meal for the water; and such refreshment would " stay" the pl| f I ; rr-;-'/' 190 BBITian COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. f 1 horses and bring them in fairly fresh. They actually boast of driving horses to death ; and if they are charged with cruelty they say, **You must expect it in this country." Certainly there is no lower depths of debasement that a man can sink to, than when lie blames his country for his own crimes. When I met Mr. Waterhouse he was good enough to take my hold-all on his own mare. He was a good deal troubled about my mount, and good naturedly lent me his mare, putting my pack on the hireling and walking most of the way on foot himself. We went by the Indian trail, which was the old rath by which the Chinese found their way to China Creek. To me, at that time quite unacquainted with these trails, it seemed a matter of immense difficulty to find the trail. At one place we found a letter fixed to a tree. It was from Mr. Saunders, to let us know that he was riding ahead of us to the Duke of York. At last we reached a wide stretch of very ancient forest, the like of which I had never witnessed, and which yet seemed a famihar dream. It was such a scene of enchantment as one reads of in old fairy tales, and I began to wonder whether I had entered into Grimm's old world of elves and dwarfs. I thought of Snowdrop, and the Three bears ; or was it a corner of the Arabian Nights, and were we coming to castles and caves, and gold and thieves ? I was perfectly ready for all that was coming. I only prayed to be allowed to sit still for a ""^w minutes and enjoy the present. I gazed all round ; the forest sti tched as far as I could see, and it was all the same. It was composed of enormous cedar and spruce, without any undergrowth. The stems varied from five to eight feet in diameter, and were three hundred feet high at the least. They were from six to eight hundred years old. The space between them was clear, for their lowest branches had died, and such as were left hanging were lifeless and covered with ALBEBNI. 191 only and moss like long matted hair. Overhead the thick mass of black branches met far away, and seemed gently to sway with some distant breeze, but down below was perfect stillness. Hero and there a tree had fallen, the relic perhaps of a still older forest, and the trunk lay covered with moss. It just made a mound like a grave under the deep golden moss, which covered all the ground and the lower branches, as far as I could see, on either side. No forest that ever I saw in my life could be compared to this forest. One might wander in it for ever, till one died, for it was everywhere exactly alike. Nothing about it resembled our green glades, and I thought of the New Forest, of Hainault, of Epping, and the Black Forest of Dhal. There was no trace of the ferocity of the thorny impenetrable bush of Africa, nor was it to be compared to the exuberant jungle of Natal. The impression was of immensity, of majestic grandeur, and all that was venerable. The spirit above me seemed to breathe the long wail of a farewell. There was nothing green or young in this forest. If an artist tried to paint it, there would have been no blue, save perhaps a touch of cobalt on the grey stems, or in the far distance. The colouring was that of old tarnished silver gilt. The human voice sounded strangely, as in a vault, and here and there ethereal white moths fluttered inconsequently from tree to tree, as though they were good fairies in search of some hidden treasure or forlorn hope. Now and again, at rare intervals, a bird's shiiii piping note seemed to fall from above from the upper world to this region of calm decay. The trees were dying where they stood. They were young when the conqueror landed at Pevensey, they were siowly maturing while England was beating out a constitution which should give laws to the world, and now they were sighing out the refrain of their death- lament as they stood there " wearing away to the land o' the leal." After leaving this wonderful forest we came into more : ' i 1 ■ ti ■i 1 .41 1% W, 1 i 192 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. \l li I j open glades, where trees had been felled by trail-blazors. Bright sunlight shone through the open spaces, and there was an abundance of salmon berries ana thimble berries. In places, trees had fallen across the trail, over which Mr. Waterhouse's mare jumped easily, while my mount clirrbod between the stems with wonderful dexterity. We crossed brooks over whose sides hung Canadian maiden-hair, while the watercourse itself was choked with musk. I also saw masses of yellow mimulus; and there were various other flowers whose names I do not know, and whose appearance was new to me. The soil was a deep deposit of vegetable mould, and in other places wo came upon clay. This was on what might be called the benches of the mountains. There were also round ponds and little lakes. In other places we had to climb up steep hillsides and over huge boulders. CHAPTER XIV. THE Ml«iiJS. 1 » . in r About noon we reached the Duke of York mine, and the first thing we saw was Mr. Saunders* old white pony with its Mexican saddle — a familiar sight, I was told, on tho road between Albemi and the mines. Mr. Saunders himself was dressed in the style approved among miners — bright blue trousers of some cotton or canvas material clothed his lower limbs, a short loose jacket hung from his shoulders, and a wide straw hat shaded his Tace. His scarlet blanket wai arranged as a saddle-cloth under the Mexican saddle, and the old pony was guided by a hempen halter. We decided to stop at the r>uke of York for luncheon and to rest the horses. This placer mine had been started on a very elaborate scale : no expense was spared, and the best expert miner in placer mining was engaged to work the concern. The result was a total failure. The mine had been prospected before the present miner, Mr. Leveridge from California, took over the work ; and he based his calculations upon the prospect- ing reports which he received upon entering on the business. There had been about thirty pits sunk in the gravel to the bed-rock, and the reports were so favourable that the company engaged a miner who was thoroughly competent to make use of the abundant supply of water and work the mine by hydraulicing. Mr. Leveridge i I S : "^i mi i Ml 194 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. spoke in' the highest terms of the liberality of the com- pany. No expense had been spared in procuring the best machinery, and in rendering the working of it perfect in every respect. After some months washing, during which time an immense gap had been forced in the gravelly sides of the hill, it was found that the gold recovered was not in sufficient quantity to pay for the labour. An effort was made to discover the original bed of the river, but with- out success ; and when I was there the flume was all that was left, beside a couple of log huts and the sheds in which the piping and the monitors were stowed away. The failure of this enterprise was considered a most deplorable thing for the country ; and all sorts of reasons were assigned for it. Not being a mining ex- pert, I could not attempt to offer an opinion ; but it was very clear to my mind that the piospecting was undertaken by oaen who knew little or nothing about Californian placer mining ; and the miner when he came accepted their reports and based his calculations upon them. Now, in all mining business this rule will hold good, that a man should believe nothing he hears, and only half what '^e sees. The only way to diminish the speculative element is to be certain of thoroughly ex- amining the property, not only with a view to ascertain- ing i«f} value, but also with regard to the precise nature of the treatment. The further I went the clearer it became to me that the different branches of mining (quartz milling, ore smelting, and placer mining) were so far removed from one another that few men ever became experts in more than one branch. There is a theory held by some persons that the gold-bearing quartz upon the mountains in Vancouver Island has only been exposed for a comparatively short period, and therefore the gold washed down from it into the rivers, can nowhere be in such large quantities as to bear comparison with the placer mines in California, where huge rivers have slowly changed their courses. THE MINES. 195 ut it ■was ibout came upon hold and the ex- ain- ture r it ining ere ever It struck me that the mountain up which wo were proceeding, first to this placer mine and then to the quartz mines in the heights above, had been forced up from the bed of the ocean and carried up with it a vast coating of cUhris. In some places I saw large quantities of igneous rock. In others the rock was crumbling like soft powder, partaking of the nature of sand. As the forest is burnt or cleared, all this will cTescend — it is even now being fast washed down into the valley, together with loose boulders and pieces of float rock. The mountains will be lowered by this process, the valleys widened, and where the rivers cannot get away, owing to a block in their passage, lakes or swamps will be formed. It may be looking very far ahead to consider all this ; but in view of the efforts which are being made in mining, together with the burning of the forest and the making of roads — with the consequent increase of population — it is impossible not to foresee that the process of nature will be hurried. So far as gold-digging is concerned, such a change will render it probable that deposits of gold will be found in all imaginable places — especially as men begin to drain the swamps for agricultural purposes — without any one of them justifying measures for gold recovery of a more elaborate nature than that of John Chinaman with his blanket and his tooth-brush. While we were looking at the wash-out, something startled Mr. Waterhouse's mare, and on our return we found the ground cut up by her ' oofs, while she had vanished in the direction of home. This was unlucky, as my horse was practically useless. After luncheon, which we partook of in the miners' old boarding-house — a kind of kitchen, presided over by a miner's wife in the capacity of cook — we started for the Alberni mine. About four miles on the road I dismounted, and fasten- ing my horse to a tree by the roadside, started to climb on foot. At length we reached the new cuttuag of Alberni \ I J 4 'XR ?\i 19G BBITISn COLUMBIA FOB SETTLEB8. w mine. A short timo previously, the vein which was being followed from a vertical shaft, was lost ; and Mr. Dunsmuir's enterprise was so efifectually damped that he pulled down and removed the machinery, and with- drew from the concern. However, a practical miner took the matter in hand. Leaving the shaft which had been sunk from the surface, and was no longer v/orkable, owing to the water which they had struck at the time the pay-streak pinched out, he cut a tunnel into the side of the mountain. This cut the vein lower down, and relieved the mine of the water without the necessity of expensive pumping apparatus. It was this tunnel which we reached first. We followed it down, the passage being large enough for two persons to pass. At the entrance to the tunnel or cave, a blacksmith was busy at a rude forge, sharpening the crowbars or long chisels which were used for laying bare the pay-streak. One of the miners, a gigantic Comishman, went with us into the tunnel. There was still a good deal of water, but only sufficient to splash over the lower part of my boots. Mr. Waterhouse carried a candle ; and as we went, I could see that the whole rock scintillated with some mineral, probably iron pyrites. At length we came to the pay-streak, which varied from half an inch to two inches in width. It seemed almost incredible that the whole success of shafting, tunnelling, shipping, crush- ing, concentrating, hung on following this narrow thread. After this we went higher up the mountain, to the other claims, the amalgamation of which with the Alberni was called the Alberni Consolidated. Here we saw on the surface the out-crop of the main lead. The result of careful prospecting, and the opening of the mountain by tunnelling at different levels, proved three distinct leads which bisected the main lead. The main lead averaged two feet and a half in width, with a pay- streak of sixteen inches. This, it was ascertained, de- scended for seventy-two feet. The nature of the quartz varied, some containing a good deal of lime^ othe;: again being almost pure silica. 'J V THE MINES, 197 read, the the e we The the hree aain pay- de- artz her The assays gave very varying results, and it baffled even the most experienced miner to form any conclusion from the appearance of the quartz. There was some in which no gold was visible to the naked eye, which yet gave very rich results. To satisfy myself on this point I brought back a piece of the quartz — or rather, Mr. Saunders kindly carried it for me, and assayed it before my eye« ; so that ^ saw for myself that this apparently useless, *' hungry-looking " stone carried a considerable amount of gold. Mr. Saunders himself nevertheless frankly admitted that the assays varied greatly, even in the same vein. I was shown where a great quantity of quartz had been dumped outside the mine ; and this it was ^atended should be assayed and classified previous to considering the advisability of erecting a plant for crushing on the spot. At the present time only the pay-streak was being dug out, and shipped to the mill of Victoria, in order to provide working expenses. After seeing the mine, I went to the miners' cabin — a log hut perched on a narrow ledge close to a little spruit of beautifully clear water. Here lived five or six miners, hailing from Ireland, Cornwall, Scotland, and California, with a military character known as Captain Fox, who officiated as their cook and housekeeper — and last, but not leaut, the domestic cat. All miners like to have a cat with them, even when they are on tramp. It is said that the Californian miner, as he goes from one camp to another with his "swag" on his back, is ac- companied by a dog who follows him, and a cat who runs in front. A cat is useful, owing to the swarms of mice which eat up the scanty pr-^visions, and it is also com- pany for these men, who though they appear to like solitude, have a distinctly sentimenta) ''3eling for the ** chum " who shares their hardships an.* adventures. The miners received me most hospitably and kindly ; but experience had already taught me to expect this from them. They made me welcome to their cabin, which con- ^ U I m I 'm m -(■Sj^ 198 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. \i I sisted of two divisions. The first half was occupied with wooden cribs, on which lay the blankets in which they slept, and beyond, a small kitchen with a table and two wooden settles, where they took their meals. Out- side was a tin basin, a piece of soap, and a towel. The evening meal was just ready, but first Swinje, the cat, had to be shown to me. I was the first of her own sex she had ever met, and the miners were curious to see the effect of the introduction. Swinje came of a mining family, and had been born on the mountain. She treated me with marked contempt, as though she knew intuitively all my ignorance and incapacity. Then we sat down to an excellent repast of grilled ham, tea, and very good bread ; all which was set before us by Captain Fox. As I left the cabin, after signing my name in a book provided for the purpose, I turned back to where the miners stood by the door of their cabin, half hidden by a great spruce pine, and said to them, ** I wish you all good luck," and the answer came like a chorus from the open doorway, " We all wish you the same." It seemed like another page out of a fairy tale, as I looked back at the tiny hut perched on the mountain, and the stalwart forms of the miners dwarfed by the distance. All day long they dug in the mountain, and came home in the evening. Mr. Saunders soon followed us down the mountain, and kindly offered me the use of his pony as far as the Beaux cabin, where I had left my horse. It was getting dusk when we r'^sached the Duke of York, but supper was ready for us in the cabin. The managers of the mine had erected for their own convenience a com- fortable log house of four or five rooms— each director being assigned a room. This afforded shelter to any of their friends who came up the mountain to visit the mines. A Mr Kirkwood had arrived just before we got there. He had been to the Alberni mines, and was to start early the next morning to visit some other claims in the neighbourhood. And the next morning, when I TEE MINES. 199 came out for breakfast, I found that he had already had his meal, and started ; such is the incessant activity of the mining business. After a cup of tea and some bread, we were soon on the downward road towards Alberni, and on reaching the new townsite found that Mr. Macardie expected us to breakfast. The log hut by the wharf, where he and Mr. Water - house ** batched," was a model of settler's comfort. Plenty of buckskins covered the floor, a writing-table with a green cloth on it, an armchair, a chest of drawers, two cribs, a stove, a bookcase ; and beside the armchair I found, on my arrival, a work-basket well fitted with a variety of cottons, needles, and buttons, and a sock which Mr. Macardie was darning while he waited for us. Then we sat down to breakfast in the little kitchen beyond, and I was amused to hear the two men talk over their house-keeping arrangements. " I ji sure farming ought to pay," sighed Mr. Waterhou^e, "with butter such as this — at forty cents a pound." ** And eggs," Mr. Macardie hastened to add. " Just think — fifty cents the dozen ! " " One thing, though, we do get good tea," said Mr. "Waterhouse. "We get it from Victoria, and it's thanks to the Indian trade." "Yes; but the tea is spoilt with this dreadful con- densed milk." And so on. In the afternoon Mr. Macardie and Mr. Child had arranged a fishing expedition. We drove out some distance, past a lake to a bend in the river, taking some food with us and a camp-kettle. It was not till dusk that the trout would take the fly (a large coachman) freely, and then none of them exceeded half a pound. It was nevertheless a delightful evening, and one of my pleasantest reminiscences of Vancouver Island. The next morning at about eight o'clock I started by stage for Nanaimo, a drive of some fifty miles across the mountains. This led me across the land belonging I "I it \ jrt nr. 1: hf' 200 BBITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. to the railway company. There was but little clearing done; but we passed some trappers' huts and a few prospectors' camps. At Wellington the country changed to a coal-mining district, and very wretched and poverty stricken the place seemed. There were no gardens to the miners' houses ; far less any kind of park or open-air pleasure resort for the people. Even the churches and chapels were of a most wretched appearance. It was seven o'clock in the evening when I reached "Wilson's Hotel, Nanaimo; and I felt thoroughly glad of the opportunity for tidying myself, and for the good dinner which was being served. After dinner I went to call on Mr. Marshall Bray, the gold commissioner, and Mr. Bobbins the manager of Nanaimo collieries. Mr. Bray presented me with the Annual Report of the Minister of Mines, and spoke of the industry as only in its earliest stages. He recommended great caution in forming an opinion on the mines. I found Mr. Bobbins a most kind-hearted, fatherly old gentleman, and we became great friends. On the subject of emigration he had a great deal to say. ** You have first almost to make the men," he com- menced. "They seem handicapped, and not helped, by their previous education. Some come out and succeed ; but at times we seem to be inundated with a very bad class. A dozen or so of young men come out. Well, they live in shacks, aixd get drunk. I can't blame the country. Probably they were worthless before they came; but if so, it was useless to send them here, for there is nothing here to reform them. **As to the young men in Canada itself, I can't say that their education is altogether a success. It is very good indeed in one way ; but still we actually have the same problem pressing upon us here, *What shall we do with our boys ? ' " From this he went on to tell me of instances where young fellows had been reduced to the last extremity TEE MINES. 201 V and then bad had the manliness to begin at the bottom rung of the ladder and work their way up. He had known men who were the sons of gentlemen, and yet they had been glad to work in the mines, pushing the trucks of coal — " So that one was tempted to ask, what had their education done for them ? " The next morning Mr. Bobbins took me to see the shaft of his mine ; but I felt no inclination to descend, though he offered me to do so. It was raining (I am told that it rains every day in Nanaimo), but he kindly ordered out his trap, and drove me round to see a crofter settlement which his company was establishing among the miners. The miners, when in full work, earn as much as $90 a month, the working shift being eight hours ; but there are slack times, when the wages fall considerably. The settlement consisted of five- acre plots, and as the wives and children assisted in working them, they were generally speaking very well cultivated. The land belonged to the company, who had purchased it from the Hudson's Bay Company ; and the plots were leased to the miners on twenty-one years' leases, with the option of purchase. The rental is 50 cents per acre per annum for two years, during which time the land is being cleared of trees and the stumps removed. The rent is then raised to $2.50 per acre per annum for three years; after that it becomes $10 per acre per annum until it is purchased. The purchase price varies from $100 per acre to $300. The price is practically contingent upon the quality of the land, its proximity to the town, and the cost of clearing in the first instance — some land being less heavily wooded than others. In the case of the highest price reached ($300), the land was not only near the town, but comparatively lightly timbered. Excellent roads are laid down by the company, and this is a very expensive work, as it includes bridges, requiring very solid masonry. The company also digs out water-courses, as the large main drains are called, 1 1 «' \ 1 1 V.'. ■'' * i t iSSS*'---- 'i; ,i ! 1 '■ 202 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOE SETTLER8. into which the crofters can drain their land. In addition to this, the company clears the trees from its own land wherever these trees overhang or shade the crofter's land. The Government refused any assistance towards the road-making, but provided a school for the children of the settlers. The cost c^ the roads has been so heavy as almost to absorb the entire returns upon rent, etc. In one respect I could not help seeing that ultimate gain to the district resulted in the Government having no hand in the road-making — inasmuch as the roads laid down by the company were very superior to any Government work of the kind I had seen hitherto. Mr. Fobbins was genuinely interested in the scheme. He told me, with undisguised satisfaction, that many of the crofters farmed so closely, as to have acquired a knowledge of local possibilities such as other farmers were ignorant of who had farmed for thirty years. One thing which struck me very much was that Mr. Eobbins entirely disclaimed any philanthropic object in this crofter scheme. ** It is to the advantage of an employer," he said, "to have workmen who are satisfied with their condition, and who are on the road to permanent independence. We get more satisfactory work done by a contented body of men than we should by a dissolute, roving, unsettled element. The land was there, lying idle — we had not to buy it. We do not expect to lose by the scheme. With careful manage- ment we hope to clear our expenses, and we may even show a small profit." I asked him about the labour on these well-kept acres ; and he told me that the mine had the first claim on the miner's labour, and that a great deal depended on the willing co-operation of the wives and the quick- ness of the children, especially in cases where cows are kept. These animals were allowed free grazing on the mountain belonging to the company. The miner's shift was eight hours below ground ; so 10 are road ictory ould land not aage- even |s are In the so TEE MINES. 203 that even when they were working full time, which seldom happened for all the men at once, there were still two hours in the day which he could clevote to his croft. Besides the dairying, small fruits for sale in the town were very profitable. One man had made $360 out of half an acre of strawberries. He found that the miners on these crofts lived well, started their children well, and were in a good position themselves. He knew that some of the crofters had made as much as from $400 to $500 in a year by their land. One man, who no longer worked in the mine, was able to keep himself entirely on six acres of ground. We afterwards drove on to inspect the company's own experimental farm. About five hundred acres, lying in a rich valley, had been cleared and drained, and a big barn erected for storing fodder. The chief object was the growth of green crops for the mules in the mines. The mules lived underground, and all the manure from their stables was carted out to this farm and returned to the land. I saw large stretches of oats, clover-hay, timothy- grass, and also an acreage here and there of potatoes, which crop appeared remarkably flourishing. They were invariably put in to clean fresh land. In one corner there was a swamp, the result of an old lake, which was partially drained, and still in process of being reclaimed. I was astonished at the size of the di'ain-pipes and the heavy outlay for drainage. But even this swamp could be turned to account, as it was overlaid with deep peat, which Mr. Bobbins found made excellent bedding for the mules, and afterwards provided first-rate dressing for the heavy land. Roughly speak- ing, Mr. Bobbins considered that the land had cost him £40 an acre to clear. The drainage he could not estimate. I lunched with Mr. Bobbins, and spent the afternoon strolling round his garden. It was beautifully kept, and contained all the English fruits and flowers — beautiful carnations and roses. There was a smooth lawn, «» L M> f. 1 \ > : 1 \\m \ i I Si- I* i m 204 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. tastefully planted with many ornamental evergreen shrubs and trees. In the evening I went to see Mr. Marshall Bray again. I found him very interesting, for he had a long experience in the affairs of the colony, and was watching the mining interest very closely, regarding its success as the best chance for the country. He was nevertheless emphatic as to the dangers incident upon mining ventures. At one time as many as from seventy to eighty claims per month were registered, representing $40,000,000 of capital. Yet if one company in a hundred made a successful venture, the result would be unequalled prosperity. He spoke very strongly about the hard nature of the rock, and the costs of working, which he believed would, in some cases, amount to $15 to $20 a foot. He also spoke of the fundamental ignorance of many men who went prospecting and picked up pieces of rock, with which they pretended to assay the value of a mine. " * One swallow does not make a spring,' though," he remarked. Mr. Bray also condemned the habit of averaging, or assays in bulk. He strongly advised that the mines should be carefully exploited, and the ore or quartz tested at regular intervals, throughout the mine, before any conclusions as to the payable nature of the property be declared. He further considered that we might not yet have arrived at the most economical method of working all sorts of mines ; and I remarked upon the hard quartz in the Alberni, which, upon exposure to damp, becomes almost soluble, like a greasy clay. The following morning I left Nanaimo for Chemainus, in a dug-out, with a couple of Indians, who had been hired for me by Mr. Eandel of the Wilson Hotel. I wished to go at an hour when there would be sufficiently low water to shoot the rapids in the Dodds Narrows, and both Mr. and Mrs. Eandel did their best to arrange this for me ; but the Indians contrived to trick us, and the dug-out sailed through the passage in the most THE MINES. 205 commonplace manner — such is the crafty wiliness of the Eedskin. The price I was to pay them had heen stipulated for me, and the agreement clearly made ; but they never- theless tried hard to get another couple of dollars out of me. I was firm, however ; and, as a last resort, a temporary shipwreck was improvised. The rag of a sail and the rotten sticks which did service for booms suddenly smashed up, and the dug-out was lifted bodily on the crest of a wave and deposited upon some rocks. The pair of Indians vociferated and made an un- earthly commotion, watching me narrowly the while. Failing to get me to join in the excitement, they showed me handfuls of rags, ropes, and sticks, which they cast from them with a dramatic air of despair, exclaiming, ** Chemainus ! " The next wave took us up and lifted us into deep water inside the rocks. The Indians looked at me and said, " Two dollars ! " holding up two fingers as they spoke. I shook my head and laughed; so they presently commenced repairs, chattering to one another from time to time and looking a good deal crestfallen. While we were on the rocks, I noticed a thick growth of the kind of seaweed which is used in seaweed baths in the south-east of England, and, therefore, I suppose the temperature of the water would be about the same. After a while we started again, and sometimes the Indians amused themselves with a little paddling, be- ginning vigorously and then getting tired. Sometimes they put the sail up, and sat watching it with the naive insouciance of creatures to whom neither day nor night signified. Then they would pull it down again, and take it by turns to seek a little much-needed repose in the bottom of the boat, while the other resumed a nonchalant paddling with a lovely red paddle. Although I found sitting on the flat bottom of the dug out rather difficult, it was not a bad way of taking a holiday. Not only was the method of travelling novel, but the scenery all round me was lovely. I HI I'ii \ ". 1! ■, I* , , ■■ h 206 BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. We passed the islands, and there were duck and a variety of water-fowl and most exquisite cloud effects. I was also greatly struck with some rocks at the mouth of Nanaimo harbour, which had been carved by the action of the water into most fantastic shapes. They were hollowed into cavities, rounded and moulded, ^vitli the effect of a gigantic charnel-house. There were skulls with holes left for the eyes, and wide grinning mouths, and occasional teeth missing. Sometimes the forms were those of antediluvian monsters. Never have I seen anything so strange as this coast, apparently strewn with dry bones, most aggressively suggestive to the mariner of the wreck of some Noah's ark unrecorded in Holy Writ.* My dug-out was decorated at the prow with a hideous countenance painted in red, blue, and yellow. I had no book with me but a Psalter. These old songs of the emigrant Israelites are one of my "best books." Palpitating as they are with human interests, and yet inspired to such great ends, they offer lessons of all that is greatest and least. Nor can one bo unmindful of the heroic leader whose hard task it was to pioneer these sadly wavering, unsatisfactory people through the desert, and who, for one unscrupulous action, suffered the hardest punishment which can be inflicted on a great man — that of dying with his work still unaccomplished. At length I got out my long line and let it trail with a spoon-bait ; but I only caught one sea-trout of about two pounds, and afterwards lost my bait on the rocks. It was late in the afternoon when I landed at Che- mainus, and proceeded by train to Duncan. My intention was to fish at Cowichan, but the accounts given me were so bad that I went on to Victoria, which I reached at midday on Sunday. * I regretted afterwards not securing a piece of this curious rock, which I believe is a kind of soapstone or meerschaum. l1 with about cks. Che- It the Ion to IS rocki CHAPTER XV. THE RUSH TO KLONDYKE. SALMON FISHERIES. HARRISON LAKE. At Victoria I found the rush to the Klondyke at its height. Some miners who had provisioned at Frisco were very indignant at finding they would have to pay duties in Canada on their goods ; and an American told me that "the Klondyke ought to be in America." I replied that America might have been in Great Britain if it had not been for the Americans. No one cared to talk on any other subject than on Klon- dyke. It was the word in everybody's mouth, and all the most impossible people seemed bent upon sacrificing themselves. It was a kind of jumble-sale of humanity. Only here and there through the streets stalked an old trail-blazer, whose garb and the little mongrel dog marked him as a miner. The simplicity of the man and the consequence of the dog, their silence and disregard for the rest of the world, formed a momentary resting- place for one's mind. "Here," I used to think, "are two living creatures who know what they are about, what they can do, and how to do it." But the stout father of a family, aged sixty-five, holder of a comfortable clerkship, what on earth could he do, bereft of his regular meals, his comfortable bed, and home surround- ings? There were many young men with whose ambition I sympathized ; but how they could expect to reach the Klondyke upon their slender savings, 1 failed to see. Only the strong and the hardy, and men whose hearts were utterly hardened against failure, could bear ^ If 1 , It.' ! II 1 u 208 BRITISn COLUMBIA FOR SETTLERS. . It J the wretchedness of the life. For others it was a matter of large outlay to secure the Indians to pack provisions. Very little calculation would show that the Klondyke was not all gold, but no one cared to listen to anything against going there. What are the facts ? No doubt there is great wealth, although it remains to be proved whether it is really the richest gold-field. For we have yet to hear about the costs. Firstly, labour is so dear that a man must do everything himself or pay at least $6 a day for such assistance as chopping wood, carryii;:g water, or cooking. The ground, though gravel, is frozen as hard as rock for fifty feet deep. For several months of the year work is only possible under great diflficulties and disadvantages, such as probably exist no\i'here else. Lastly, the gold strikes, however rich, are very uncertain; and the paper reports of the wealth brought down are made the most of, no comparison being offered either with returns elsewhere, with the numbers of blanks, or the cost of original outlay. The following conversation was reported in the New Denver Ledge, and though I am unable to vouch for its having taken place, it certainly gives a very fair idea of the extravagances and eccentricities in connection with the Klondyke mania. " I understand your uncle brought $800,000 back from Klondyke ? " " No." " No ? Why, that was certainly the report." " Yes, that was the report at Dawson City ; but when he got to St. Michael's rumour let it drop to $625,000." *' Well, that's a pretty good sum." " Of course it is ; but after he had sailed we got word that the actual value of bis nuggets probably wouldn't exceed $380,000." " Still he could do the handsome thing by you if he wanted to." '* No doubt about that at all ; but when he landed at Seattle the newspaper reports from there gave his fortune as only $110,000." IBUTABIES ■when pd that (exceed if he Seattle only ,4 -.1 |!'« ,'■; i ''■ m 1 THE YUKON BIVBR AND BB AND ITS TBIBUTABIBS CHAPMAN &>. HALL LTV, LONDON. ■»-»'