Ai 'iu V^, A^ *r. ^J\^^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 7 ^ // A % i/ A%^4 L^'- f/. 1.0 I.I If: l^ IM 2.0 1.8 11.25 11.4 illll.6 V] ^. ^ ..v .^ '^ /^ '■T 7 «p Q' CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical M (meaning CONTINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la der- nidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: ie symbole -♦' signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". The original copy was borrowed from, and filmed with, the kind consent of the following institution: National Library of Canada L'exemplaire filmd fut reproduit grdce d la g6n6rositd de I'dtablissement prdteur suivant : Bibliothdque nationale du Canada Maps or plates too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper Inft hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour dtre reproduites en un seul cliche sont filmdes d partir de Tangle sup6rieure gauche, de gauche d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 . 5 6 irii / " ■ 9K| !■' "^- \ ■■:.ny% rr:-'::^if "-ty-- 1 .^^"^^"K- ''.'• ■ ■. ■ HHH^i^^fS CTi ;..,' >!^|^^^^^B^ '■■^' '^^H ■vm ^^^ jj^^^H^? ''^^^fsV^i^l^^^^^^^l ■ J WfK^^:'<:r- V & ■■ Mkm:- > P*||.«f' || < I o < X r . i I i i"^:K n ixii '• ^ ■■ •■ « t 1 r j 1 S'j < I o o > ; '•■ ^nA) FMi EAST '> K,- .11 A ''' > !; IS •• ;< A \ .. I^i.- ^ ■ r. '-■ \. Ivur. < X z tf : ! »■ •*WAHL) STANFOni), ■§) 0£\ - ■ \ rift THE NEW FAR WEST ANli THE OLD FAE EAST, BEING NOTES OF A TOUR IN NOKTH AMERICA, JAPAX, CHINA, CEYLON, Etc. BY W. HENRY BARNEBY, AUTIIOK OF " LIFE AND LABOrit IN THE FAU FAU WEST," ETC. WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTBATIONS. LONDON: EDWARD STANFORD, 26 & 27 COCKSPUR STEEET, CHARING CROSS, S.W. 1889. [,All f'ujhls reserved] &3 ■I I To THE liraTIT HOX. SJI{ MICHAEL K. HICKS-JiEACH, U.vrt M.l'., D.C'.L., TRKSIDKNT OV THK 150AU1) ol' TiiAUK, AS A SJIALL TOICKN- OF AFFKCTIOX AND UKGAUI) Tins VOLUME IS DEDICATKI) liY TJIK AUTlloi:. mm ■PCI ■J i PREFACE. In publishino; this volume, I wish to point out to my readers that I have purposely avoided g<^iiig over old oround. In my last work entitled Life fuxf Lnhour in i lie Far Far Vest, published in 1884, I descril)ed many places in CJanada, revisited in my recent tour. I do not consider a repetition of the same facts necessary ; and thou,riu;ti(!al kn()\vl('(lL,r(. of land in Manitoba, acc()ni[)ani(!d me, as I was anxiour. to hear liis opinion of the i»rop(M'ty, and of tlio (piality of the hind. On rcacliinrj Ottorhournc Station, Captain Lcckie, the postmaster, drove us out the tliree niih.'s in a very primitive 1)Uf(gy. First of all we visited the brothers MeViear, who live on a neighbouring section, and whose aequaintanee I had made in 1883, Since then their father has l)uilt a new house about a, mile off; but this was the only improvement I could notice in the Otterbourne district in IIk; last four years. The MeVicars were again most hospitable, and, having freely expressed themselves to the eifect that they would like to hang " all them speculators," very kindly offered to show me my land. The depth of soil there is about four feet, and JNIr. Power, Captain Lc ':ie, and Neven IVIcVicar all agreed that it was land of a very first-rate description. At the same time, this arul other land around has gone down in value quite 30 to 50 per cent, since I was last here in 1883; in fact, it is difficult to put a price on it, as there are no buyers. All the land round my sections, except that occupied by the ^IcVicars, is still " unsettled," and held by non-residents. I have 10 THE NEW FAR WEST. on formor ofcasions pointed out tlic mistake people niiike by rusliing far West (unless they are miners), instead of settling down on tins rieh l;inds of the Ited River VaUey ; and 1 ;ini in no fisar of contradiction when I repeat tliat this is tlie best hind, not only in ^Manitoba, but 1 believe in the whole of Canada and British Columbia. Yet the population is small and scattered, and the money-making power of the settlers does n')t appear to bo very rajjid ; for when I reminded jNIcVicar of how he had told me when I was at Tiittle Bredenbury before that he could not get married because there were no girls, he replied, "There are no girls at all now, and I could not keep a wife if I had one." As reijards the climate here,^ a severe hailstorm had occurred about the middle of July, and had consider- ably injured the standing crops ; but it was purely local, and was also very partial, striking one field and sparing the next. I'he Mc Vicars s[dd that at the time we were there (the end of August) tne frost was beginning to whiten the grass. 1 For further information as to cliinato, see Lift' and LaJnvir in the Far Far West, by "W. Henry Baineby. Cassell and Co., London, 1884. U:A V/XG 1 1 'LXNIPEG, II CHAPTER I J. WINNIl'E(; TO BANFF AND DONALD, OVER THE ILOUKY MOUNTAINS, CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. A i;iiint I'niirio— Untidy Ileuses— O-ilvie Elevators— A Rirrcn Cuuutiy— Tmlllc in lUiiralo ]],,n<'s— A Succossful Coal Mino— A (iiitluTin- of IMonarchs— A Ciiro for iJiKMimatisni— l>iiiuitiv(3 r.Mtliin,^' Establishment— An Uri^nnal Ailv.'rtisenu'iit— Anthracite Coal :\rin("— A n(!\v Fiold for Alpine Clinihors— A ]3illienlt Pass — Change of Time. Leavinc AViiiuipeg for tlie west, I was exceedingly sorry not to revisit Southern jManitolja^ by the way, in order to see what improvements (if any) had taken place there since 1883. This district is traversed by the Suuth-Western branch of the Canadian Pacific Kailway, and is a part of I\ranitoba, in which I take great interef Oa account of the superior quality of some of the land, it is a favourite district for bond fide settlers and emigrants, though it has to my mind been somewhat overlooked by the general public. However, by following the route adopted, I had an 1 See Life and Lalwur In the Far Far Wed. 12 Till': NEW I'AR WEST. ()))I)ortuiiity of (jl)soi'ving tin; wlioli; of tin; iii.iiii liiu' of tli(! (.*iii)a(liaii I'acific ifaihvay. Tlu; prairie iiiini<'(liat.L'ly ;i(ljoiiiiii<^ tlic, track was rniicli Imnit,, owinn- to fires started by falling ('iii(l(;rs oi- sparks from passing' lo(2o- inotivL'S ; and perhaps tlie eoiuparative al)seii((! of " sett lenient " may Ix; diu; partly to tliis, as \V(!ll as to tlie fact of tlie land lu'ing lielgi]vi.; is the great miller, not only of the province of Manitoba, but also of the whole Dominion of Canada. At some stations there was competition, as 1 noticed u THE NEW FAR WEST. ••w r other elevators bearing the name of Messrs. ^leljeaii Brotliers. Virden has much increased in size pincc I was List there, and now possesses a cheese factory, a flour rolling- mill, an English church, town-hall and school, and many new buiklings for the growing population. Leaving Virden we passed several other places which 1 had visited in 1883, including the c.'i[)ital, Regina, niul Moosejaw ; and continued our journey westwards over a very bad bit of line (caused, I believe, by the softne.'^s of the hind over which it passed), where our car, which was attached to the end of the train, shook in the most alarming manner, so that we full3/ exjiected it would leave the track. However, all went riiiht, and after ti very unpleasant experience of three and a lialf hours' rocking, the line improved. The country west of ]\Ioosejaw, along the Canadian Pacific Railway, appears to be absolutely worthless for farming i)urposes, until within 40 or 50 miles of Calgary — a great deal is comi)letely desert, with sage bush as the principal crop, and alkali abounds through- out the district. It is true that the Canadian Pacific Railway Company have started trial farms here and there. I cannot say how they are answering, but at any rate they stand alone ; no settlers appear to have been tempted to follow the example, for 1 hardly TRAFFIC IN BUFFALO BONFS. 15 liless Ics of |i sage ■ougli- '\acific and )ut at have birilly I noticed any settlers' liuts at all. The towns adjoining the various railway stations have, as a rule, not been much enlarged in the last four years. At Swift Current the principal traffic appeared to 1)e huge piles of buffalo bones, which are found here on the prairie in great numbers, and are bought by the traders from the Indians to nudvc into manure. ]\[aple Creek has not made mucli advance in farming, but this })lace and Calgary are developing as shipping points for Montana cattle. The Americans send their cattle in bond to JNIaple Creek, whence they are despjitched by rail ; there is a duty of 20 dollars a head for each animal imported into Canada from the States. At Dun more the North Western Coal and Navigation Company make a junction with the Canadian Pacific Railway. This little line is 109 miles long, and has only recently been opened, for the purpose of bringing coal from the Gait coal mines — a speculation started as a company by Sir Alexander Gait a few years ago, and which is proving a great success. Passing Medicine Hat, which has increased a little since 1883, and wliich for commercial purposes is probably a good centre, owing to the various coal mines in its vicinity, we continued our way through a very barren country, where the prairie was composed of loose shingle and pcbl)les, and where there was not a house or dwelling of any kind to be seen, except here and there an i6 THE NEW FAR WEST. % i occasional cabin. As I drove over it in 1883, I know that tins class of land continues to within about 40 miles of Calgary ; but there its character changes entirely, and Calgary is recognized as the head centre of the cattle and ranching business. Around Fort McLeod (to the south of the line) is the finest district in the Dominion for ranching, and the various companies and private individuals who follow this calling have already been described,^ and are too well-kjiown for there to be any need for me to toucli on the sal)ject now. A stage runs in five days from Calgary to Edmonton, which latter has the reputation of being also a fine countr}', though better for cattle and horses than wheat growing, o wing- to the summer frosts. Then ao;ain further north is the Peace Eiver district, which is very well spoken of, but not much opened out as yet. At Calgary, which is beautifully situated, there is an excellent Immigrants and Enquiry Office, with a large immigrants' shed attached. From here the foothills of the Rocky ]\Iountains are seen, and the scenery rapidly improves, until at Banff", in the heart of the Rockies, it is very grand and striking indeed. This little town (which has sprung into existence during the last twelve months) is situated in 1 Sec Life and Labour in the Far Far West, by AV. Homy Banioby. Cassell and Co., London, 1884. i " MOUNTAIN MONARCHS:' 17 know miles y, and cattle (to the Qiinion private Y l)een be any ^e runs L latter though , owing i is the of, but hich is liorants shed Uns are Banff, lid and ig into lited in f. Henry a wild rough valley at a spot from which many moun- tain valleys diverge ; hence there are not one or two solitary mountains only to admire, but two or three dozen of them, all grand and majestic, but almost devoid of vegetation, except for a few trees growing apparentl)' out of the solid rock. When I saw them the mountains all had a sprinkling of snow, but some of it is annual. . - They seemed like a gathering of " mountain monarchs " assembled here in conclave. The grandest, to my mind, and I Ijelieve also the highest, is the Cascade Mountain, said to be 10,000 feet high, but Banff itself is at such an elevation above the sea that it hardly looks its height; and this is the case with all others in the Rocky Mountain range, as far as my experience goes. Seen ^ from Banff this portion of the range has a rugged grandeur, which would be relieved more or less by its pine forests, if these had not been damaged to an irreparable extent by fires which must at times have .| made the mountains look as if they themselves were all ablaze. The remnants of the forest are straight pines of no girth, looking, indeed, rather like a plantatiini ; but the soil here, even in the bottom lands, would not ;^ allow of much growth. Xi Being detaclied from the train, and leaving our car ^ ^; on a siding, we took two buggies to view the beauties uf the neighbourhood, and drove first to the " City," where i8 THE NEW FAR WEST. i I 11 tl there was more Iristle going on in erecting houses than in any other place I had seen ak^ng the hne. Everytliing was new ; the " City " consisted of at least as many tents as houses, but the preparations every- where showed that in another year's time all this would be changed. We crossed tlie J>uw River — a beautifully clear stream almost as blue as the Lake of Geneva — on a bridge made of wooden rafts fastened togetlier ; but this bridge is soon to give way to a new and ugly structure of liuht iron and wood. The road was excel- lent, as all these roads are; they arc made by the Govern- ment, for the Dominion has taken possession of a district ten or more miles square here as a National Park {said to be 24 miles lono; and nine wide). I believe all the houses and shops here now being run up are under lease, and not freehold. We drove to the source of tlie Hot Springs, discovered only about three years ago. Tt is about 1000 feet above the river, and we found a very stronii' stream issuing' from the side of the mountain, the temperature of the water being about 119". It has all been reserved by the Dominion Government, and six-inch iron pipes have already been laid to convey this valuable property to l)aths, &c., for the benefit of the public. It is said to be a first-rate cur*" for rheuma- tism and other ailments. New baths have now just been erected, but the primitive ones of the previous AN ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENT. 19 12 houses the Hue. if at least )iis cvery- this wouhl 3eautif Lilly encva — on ether ; but anil ugly ^vas excel- he Govern- )£ a district Park (said teve all the udor lease, tlie Hot o-o. It is uid a very mountain, Q'\ It has nient, and to convey henedt of jr rheunia- now just 3 previous 3 year took my fancy most, simply a wooden covering or shed divided into two, in both of which holes about 15 feet by 10 feet were dug out of tlie solid rock to serve as baths, the water flowing straiglit through them. The division between the two was of planks, one being for ladies, the other for gentlemen. All this has now given way to a new erection with zinc baths and a large wooden one as a plunge bath, still rather jjrimitive. Into these the hot water rushes fresh from the spring. I could hardly hold my hand in it, so I thought it advisable to decline a plunge in case I should come out lobster fashion. There was no touting ; everything seemcil open to any one to inspect ; and it is evident that as yet I>anff has not been spoilt by the tourist element. But I fear in the course of a few years, owing to its attractions and its natural beauties, all this will be changed. There was only one advertisement, and that such a natund and primitive one that no one could object to it. Some poor person who had sought a cure and found it here, had hung up his crutch with this inscription, "The man who used this crutch is cured, and oone home." I think I have never seen anything to compare with the " cave " and natural " basin " here. The former is now approached by a tunnel, but until quite recently the only access was from a small hole above into a c 2 20 THE NEW FAR WEST. ij H I i. natural cave about 30 feet deep, at the bottom of which was a pool of sulphurous water — as clear and bright as crystal — rising from a strong spring below. This cave was till lately perfect, quite round, with a vaulted roof; the walls and dome are all stalactite, at the top of which is the hole through which the steam evapo- rated, which led to its discovery three years ago by a working man who was a "prospector." A little wooden platform has now been placed all round, for the con- venience of bathers. The " Basin " is about 300 yards away, and is another warm sulphur spring, Ijubbling up through the rock into a natural pool ; but in order to deepen it a little a wall has been erected, and it is now about 6 feet deep by 30 feet square. A little chalet has been built outside with dressing-rooms, but the bath itself is unenclosed. This and the cave are the most perfect baths I have ever seen, and are quite unique ; their temperature is lower than that of the hot spring from the mountains mentioned previously. Banff has great natural advantages, but whether its distance from centres of civilization will preclude its being visited by thousands remains to be seen. I cannot help thinking we shall hear a good deal of this little spot in the Eocky Mountains and its national park in the near future ; but the whole thing is in the hands of the Government. of wliicli id In'iglit )\v. This Ilockie.s into the C'olimibia Rivor Viillcy nt (JoKlcn City, the station for tlie Koott'iiiiy district. Here I niiidc in(iuirie,s about tlio R.s. T)//r//rss, which, ascending the river 100 miles to Windermere, is a great help to any one wishing to visit the Kootenay Valley. I was, however, tohl that she could now only go halt" the distance, as the water in the river was too low : and that in another fortniuht, say the middle of September, she would cease running altogether for this season. The railway followed the (course of the valley to Donald, distant 2445 miles west from Montreal, and 4G1 east from Vancouver City. By our watches it was just noon ; but this being the commencement of the Pacific section of th(3 line, the time was here put back an hour by the clock. We had now crossed the Ilocky Mountains, our descent at Golden City having terminated that portion of our journey. On the opposite side of the valley rose the SelkitK range, and this we were next to traverse. The Columbia Valley divides these two chains of mountains, and Donald is most beautifully situated between them. While here, Mr. Baker kindly arranged with the super- intendent of the Pacific section of the line that our car should be sent on with a special engine at 2 p.m., so as to give me an opportunity of calling upon my old friend, Mr. Justice Crease, of Victoria, who was I '4 Coluiuhi.i I for tlic ll)()Ut tlio niilos to i.sliiiiu;- to told that tlic water fortnioht, ' ruiiiiinor 5 wed the 45 miles ancoiiver ;iis l)eiuo: t the line, le clock, r descent )n of our rose the se. The 3untains, 3n them, le super- tliat our t 2 P.M., pon my 'ho was DONALD ASS//:/;s. 05 I'-'lding the Assizes at Donal.l. I found liini sittiiur 111 Court, l)ut he soon had an oi)portunity to a.ljourn for a time, and we went to^rutiier to his house, which was nittely situated in a pine forest overlooking the river. I was much struck by the very Kup.u'ior look of the I.e.. pie I saw in Court, n.auy of them ej„jj/oj/c, of the Canadian Pacific Railway, who are a highly J-ospectable class of men, and by the Grand Jury in particular. THE NEW FAR IVES 7. CHAPTER in. DONALD TO IMlVEI.STOIvK, OVKI't TIIK SKLKIliK i!AN(;K — CAMliKIAN I'AOIKIC liAII.WAY. Kii^iiiff'iiii;^' Skill — A L()iii;Iy Station — Ma^iiilicciit Scenery — Tlic JIi;,'liest i!i'i(l;^n; in tin; World — Precautions against Fire — Hangers of Winter Travelling — A Narrow Delile — Kiglit Miles oi' Snow- slieds — A Splcniliil (Jlacier — Sti'ang(; KITects n\' a Toriiailo — Mr. ('aitie, ^I.T'. — Railway l.oojis — Cliinese Camps. (JoNTlXUlNo our jounioy wcstwiinls from DoikiM over tliu Selkirk i-iii.^c, in liiitisli Co]ui)il)i;i, our route lay first along the l)aiik of tlu; Colunihia River. The grade wa.s a 8tee[) one, and dangenjusly liahh; to falls of stones and boulders and loo.sc; eai'tli from ahove. Our s[»eeial engine took our car about el<;ven miles, and vv(! were then hooked on to a, ballast train, anii;[r tin; face of tlui luouiitaiii overlookiii;,^ the riv(!r, the ^org(; is a very iiaiTow one, and the seeiicry is ol' th(! grandest descrip- tion ; snow-capped rnount;iin |)eaks were visihli; on all si(l(!s, their lower slopes Ixiiiig clothed with ina'j,nificent ])ine forests. We passed over two very high trestle hridges, one laG fccit high, called Mountain ( Vcck, and the other '21)8 feet high and 450 feet long, called Stony (Ve( k. Sonie of the travelling was not very pleasant, for tli(! work seemed so n(;w, and thti f;ice of the cuttings was composed of hjosc; sand and shingle, which were (•ontinually silting down ; we heard that only a few days [»r(!viously some of these loose boulders had caused the u])set of two conches of the Pacific ex])ress, l)ein<'', ill fact, the train from which W(! had been diitaclnid at Donald. The liiii; throughout is a marvellous piece of eiiginec'riiig skill and pers(!verance ; and it is aston- ishing how this continuous chain of pass(;s could have l)e(!ii discov(!red, which led to the construction of this Wonderful line of railway through a wilderness of i»ine forests, among mountains thousands of feet above tin; level of the sea, far away from any civilization. The siding at IJear Creek Station, whore our car remained for the night, was in the midst of a thick 28 THE NEW FAR WEST. forest, high up on the mountain side, near the top of the Selkirks, far away from any popukition ; but this made no diiference to us in our travelling home, as our larder was well supplied for a lengthened outing. It was a beautiful, solitary spot, with the Beaver River Howing far below, and magiiificcnt mountain peaks rising all around, showing their snowy summits over the heads of the tall pine-trees. A station was placed here on account of the water supply ; for as there are no houses of any description in the neighbourhood, of course passengers can hardly ever be expected to present themselves. The air was very pure and exhil.irating ; the weather was perfection, clear, bright, and warm, with only a slight breeze, — and under these very favour- able conditions for enjoyment we passed through some of the most magnificent scenery it is possible to behold in the world. I have previously attempted to describe the beauties of the Rockies at Banff; but in point of scenery they are not to be compared to the Selkirks ; and, besides, on the latter the timber is much finer, and the vegetation far more luxuriant. In this respect there is on the Rockies a marked change on the Pacific side, but it is more especially noticeable on the Selkirks, for the trees gradually and strikingly increase in size, and ferns and moss and forest vegetation of every description begin to present themselves in rich profusion. '1 PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FIRE. 29 e top of but this lome, as 1 outing. rer River ill peaks nits over as placed there are LU'hood, of to present liliirating ; lid warm, ;ry favour- moll some to behold ;o describe Q point of Selkirks ; uch finer, [lis respect Itlie Pacific e Selkirks, |in size, and idescription Before breakfast I walked down to Stony Creek Bridge, which we had crossed the previous iiight. It is said to be the highest in the world, and is supported in the centre by an immense wooden tower, with a smaller one at either end. There was a water tank close by, and an iron hose was run along the top of the bri(]2;e near the rails, in order to turn on water in case of fire ; at one end was a house for a watchman to £>uard the structure, which was all of wood. Tlie great care taken by the directors of the Canadian Pacific Ilailway to insure the safety of its passengers, and to o;uard ao;ainst accidents, is noticeable alonsf the whole line, in this and in many other ways. When the ballast train returned with its morninjr load, our car was attached to it for conveyance to " Glacier" Station, ten miles further on, where we were to wait the arrival of the ordinary passenger train to take us on to Ashcroft. The route still lay higli up on the mountain side far above the Beaver River, through the midst of a fine forest of spruce, hemlock, and fir. "We were fortunate in making our trip in what I was told was the best time of the year for seeing this country, viz. September and October ; for in the winter there is a great deal of snow, and in 188G this pass (Rogers' Pass) was blocked for several weeks. Snow coninieuces to fall usually in November, and lasts till 30 THE NEW FAR WEST. March ; this hitter month and April " :c generally the most tlano;erous months here for travellino-, on account of the fallinjT masses of boulders and loose jjravel, which constitute in a great measure tlie formation of the mountain side along which the course of the line has been laid. This danger will be very materinlly lessened by the snow and boulder tunnels now in course of construction; these are l)ein2j made in the stnHmest possible manner, and indeed all is being done that can be done for the protection of the trains and their freight ; but at the same time these tunnels of course naturally very seriously interfere with the views of the magnificent scenery, which would otherwise be visible from the train. It was our good fortune to see these views as well as it is possil)le to see them, for our car had plate-glass windows all round, and as it was the only passenger carriage on the freiglit train, we could procure l)oth front and rear views; the only objection being that when one's attention was startled and riveted by one magnificent bit of scenery, there would come a shout from some one of the party from the other end of the car, to go and look at an equally fine view there ; so that there was a constant rushing backwards and forwards from one end of our fifty feet car to the other. In almost the narrowest part of the defile, into the depths of which the sun's rays could seldom if ever I ■'5' I I MAGNIFICENT SCENERY. 31 illy the account , which of the iiie lias .esseiied urse of trongest :hat can id their f course s of the l3 visible ee these our car was the 'e could Ejection riveted 'k c(3me a it licr end \ ' there ; % ■ds and l; other. . V, iito the if ever penetrate, the fine head of Mount Carroll (5558 feet high) rises above the railway on the one hand, with ]\Iount Hermit (4983 feet high) on the other. Steaming on between these two snow-capped guar- dians of the pass, we continued our way, and gradually the valley widened, and we found ourselves at Rogers' Pass Station ; with magnificent preci})itous mountains all round us, where the trees, even below the timber- line, failed to find a fo(^tin2;. Mounts Carroll and Hermit were still the grandest objects in the view ; and 1 fully think that no mountain scenery can possibly surpass the scenery here, and that a little further on at Glacier. At Rogers' Pass Station suffi- cient Liround had been cleared for the erection of a very small town of wooden shanties, but the stumps of the forest trees were left all around. Soon we arrived at the Summit house of the Selkirk range ; and from here the finest view of any was obtained, cumltining in beautiful juxtaposition rock, snow, and glaeiurs ; with timber and patches of grass on the lower 'jrouiKl : the lio-hts and shadows over the whole beini>- .^inipl}' perfect. \Vc now passed through numerous and lengthy snow-sheds, extending in places over eight continuous miles of the run. They are made of British Columbian cedar; I should fear there might be some danger of their catching fire when thoroughly dry. ^1 32 THE NEW FAR WEST. i!^ % '■"! Glacier Station (proiioimced here " Glazier ") is ap- proached down an incline. Here the scenery is most wonderful ; on the one side the liuffe D;lacier itself cominoj down from a frownincj mountain, guarded by Mount Sir Donald, al)0ut 11,000 feet high, and the Syndicate Peak ; and then turning the other way there w\as a beautiful view of the Illecillewaet Valley, on the further side of which rose Mount Ross and a crowd of other mountains, partiall}^ clothed with pine forests, which in this case I am glad to say were untouched by fire. There is a small hotel at Glacier, kept by the Canadian Pacific Railway Com- pany, and the manager told me that a large new^ one was to be built very shortly ; fishponds and gardens were already being planned, but I am glad to have seen the place before these contemplated changes are made, for its natural charm and beauty will not be improved by them. We walked up to see the glacier, and on our way passed through forest in a perfectly primeval state, where the ground under our feet was soft with decayed timber. AVe came upon a most curious section, in a tract of about three acres, which must have been visited by a tornado ; the trunks of the trees, black with age, were lying as it were in one huge mass, and twisted and tw^irled about in every direction. This could not have been the work of an avalanche or landslip, as there was ■'!» ^^T IS ap- ne side owning 11,000 turning of the icli rose partially am glad nil hotel ay Corn- new one o-ardens lave seen ,re made, mproved Id on our al state, decayed on, in a n visited Aith age, sted and Inot have ;here was LUXURIOUS TRAVELLING. 33 no l)reak or passage in the forest all round. Tlie glacier is a huge one, but I did not notice any large crevasses like those in the Swiss glaciers, and therefore the effect of the beautiful blue shades caused by these was missing. A mountain ]»eak rose high above the glacier, and to the right of this a new moon was (at 1.50 p.m.) clearly visible. In due time our car was attached to the ordinary train and we proceeded on our journey. Travelling in a private car there are many opportunities for doing little acts of kindness and of showing hospitality, one of which appears to have been appreciated by the author of A Trip Bound Ihc World (Mr. W. S. Caine, M.].\), published in 1888, in whose book at p. 109 T find the following remarks referring to us and our car, which I venture to insert here, to ex[tlain more fully an outsider's and total stranger's opinion of the comfort in which we were V travelling, and the siDecial advantages we had of seeing the country, which I, for one, fully appreciated, although not for the first time : — "Leaving Glacier House on Wednesday, the 21st, we found attached to the train one of the handsome private travelling carriages which are used by directors and officials on the long lines which cross the American continent, and which are travelling homes of both comfort and luxury. Shortly after starting, a coloured D ^n i t ■|. 34 THE NFAV FAR WEST. servant brought mo a card hearing the name of Mr. Jiaker, the General Superintendent of the Manitolia and Nortll-^Yestern Railway, a line wliirh opens up a fine agricultural district north of tlie Canadian Pacific Rail- way. Mr. Baker wished my daughter and me to ride througli tlie beautiful scenery of the Selkirk range in his carriage, which, being at the tail of the train, com- manded a clear view, and he also asked us to dine with him afterwards. He first showed us over his car, in which he lives all the year round for nine days out of fourteen, travelling up and down his line. It was a carriaEfe somewhat lonwr than a North-Western first- class coach. It was divided into a dininof-room, larije drawing-room, kitchen, pantry, and two comfortable bedrooms, all handsomely furnished, with a small plat- form or terrace at each end, on one of which were kept the stores in ice-lined boxes, and the other was a sort of balcony on which to sit and view the passing scenery. An admirable dinner was served, consisting of soup, oysters, roast beef, two vegetables, pudding, and dessert, with a cup of excellent coffee. Mr. Baker was taking a holiday with some English friends. The car was shunted at any station along the line which they wished to visit, and the party were enjoying excellent oppor- tunities for sport on the many lakes along the prairie — the resorts of a u'reat varieh' of wild-fowl — ; IS we 11 as of Ml'- tohii aiul ip a fine ific Rail- 3 to ride range in ■ain, eom- ilinc with li.s car, in lys out of It was a item first- •oom, large loiufortable miall plat- were kept was a sort o- scenery, of soup, lid dessert, was taking ,e car was ,hey wished ent oppor- prairie — • Las well as A TEMPORARY DISAPPOISTM EXT. 35 Ix'iiig altle to see the whole scenery of the Rockies and the Selkirks by dayliglit, l)y liooking on to freight and ballast trains. We left them behind about 10 o'clock P.M. on an arm of the great Shuswap Lake, wh(H-e they had good duck-shooting next day, while ^Ir. Baker killed six trout over 2lbs. each." Mr. Caine does not add wdiat he told us, viz., that at the moment the coloured servant (our factotum Frank, a negro) entered the Pullman sleeper and presented ;Mr. Baker's card, a lively conversation was going on among the o('cu[)ants (Lord Herschell and .Mr. Caine, I Ixdieve, among the number) as to the inconvenience occasioned by the presence of the new-comers (our car), for, as it was attached to the rear-eud of the train, it was blocking the best view of one of the finest parts of the Selkirks. The invitation alluded to by Mr. Caine worked an immediate change in the aspect of the ques- tion, so far as he was concerned, and I dare say he enjoyed the scenery all the more after experiencing the temporary disappointment caused by our sudden appearance. We proceeded on our journey, descending by what are called the C. P. R. "loops" into the lUecillewaet Valley below. These " loops " are a series of doubles, or / 'gzags, by which an easy descent is made. Although very well engineered, they cannot be compared with D 2 r ^WHHM 36 THE NEW EAR WEST. \x fsiinilur zigzagH to l)e Hueii 011 .some Euro[)oaii niilways, notably in Switziu'land and Itjily. Wo acconipli.slicd the di'sccnt safely and easily, and then sped on west- wards at a lively pace. The view of the twin mountains, tSii- Donald and the Syndicate Peak, wiis very fine, lookin,;:^ hack ; there were several smaUcr jx'aks in close proximity, which might perhaps 1»e a[)[)ro}»riately named after some of the less prominent members of the syndi- cate. As we descended lower and lower, the trees gradually increased in size, and the difference in the vegetation on the Atlantic and Pacific slopes was again must remarkable ; — as I have said l)efore, the latter is far more soft and luxuriant. We continued to have hjvely peeps of mountains through openings in the forest during the whole after- noon, and much congratulated ourselves on our good fortune in not having been troubled by any forest fires througliout our journey ; they are very prevalent in July and August, and then (as I have found on former occasions) the smoke is so thick that one may travel for days without being able to see anything of the country. We passed the Albert Canon and its tremendous fissure of 250 feet, through which the waters of the Illecillewaet rush ; and then soon reached Revelstoke, which may be considered the termination of the Selkirk Pass. An immense number of Chinese were being employed here CJIINESK CAMPS. 37 •ailways, nplislied )U wcat- juiitains, cry fine, ; ill close [y luiined lie syiuli- tlic trees ;c in tli(i vas {igiiiii ; latter is uouutaiiis )le aftcr- our ^00(1 rest fires alent in on former ra\H;l for country. )us fissure ecillewaet li may l)e ass. A n oyed here ;is liibonrcrs on tlie railway ; tlicy vv(;rc almost the first we had seen, l)Ut as we contirnKid our jounnsy we })assed by m.'iiiy of their c'linps — always a pretty siiiiich-,i,'rass — (Jvor-griizing — Tiic- Sajj;o-])U.sh — Desolation — A Chinese Village — Swiss Scenery — The Fraser Valley — A Deserted Coach-road — An Abandoned Water Route — Disappointed Speculators — A National Railway. From Eevelstokc the country was almost iiuinlKibited until WG reached Susliwap Lake, after passing over the Gold Kange ; but here there were several settlements besides those at Suwhwap and Kamloops ; in fact, the land here is better and more settled than any we had yet met with on our journey through British Columbia. As we found we should be delayed on reaching Kam- loops, we decided to stop for the night at Ashcroft, on the Thompson River, so that I might, on the following day, pay a visit to my friend Mr. Cornwall (the late Lieut. -Governor of British Columbia). Accordingly, in the morning the rest of the party went out fishing in ADE KANGB —CANADIAN' BU — Irrigation Sago-bush — — Tlio Frusi^r Vatcr Route — Liiiinluibited Iff over the settlements ill fact, the my we had I Cokunbia. ;hing Kam- Uhcroft, oil le following II (the late irdingly, in fc fishing in 1 ] ! 1 1 1 I 1 M I ', ' ■ . ^' ^'-''■^'' H^^ Hi i-'' 1 , ; " ttiM 1 ' 1 ■''?^'/''^'^V* "^*1&^^*^; #W''^f>'Hq ■«?•' -IS (,.C .-'■^w-?'^\jw;§^-^ ; ,J|. ^ fej^^ '-.v ■■\,. ^^f;S|v^, ■1 ' ■^BWafll IBlK^H^H^^HH^^H^^HHii^BfHi^H^(iS" cr iW^ , ■V'.v < m-. "A* M c#'. 00 tm ■:i-^- m ^f( v^;; ■ z ■-■ ■ ;■ , r\'#' ' -A V '■ *' JK'- '..>'. ^.■ -* ■ ;r* u>>*9 J ^T.^7^ < 5 K ml ^ the. Thompson, a iiiio, l)r():i(l river; and I started to walk the; tliree miles to my friend's house, over a harreii- h)()kin,u-, hilly country, with al)solutely no vegetation whatever at this time of the year, excepting occasional patches of sage-l)ush. This surprised nie extremely, for 1 liad a,l\vays umk-rstood that this locality was tlic centre of the " huncli-grass " district. As I ascended the mountain side to reach the vaUey beyond, I obtained .some very line views westwards, and also of the "benches" of the Thomjtson, i.e. large Hat stretches of land falling gradually htwer and lower down to the rive]', resembling to a certain extent the step[)es in Kussia,. The solitude of this vast and apparently un- inhabittMl countiy was very oppressive, and I was not sorry to come to an Indian village, though J found all the inhabitants were out fishing. By the wiry I called uj)on .Mr. Henry Cornwall (the bite jjieut.-CJovernor's brother) ; he lives on the old Cariboo Uoad, in a house which used foi-merly, before the line of communication was altered, to be a stoi'e and house of entertainment for the miners passing backwards and forwards between Victoria and the gold-fields. A good harvest must have been made In^re in those days of high prices, a dolhir I a half (Gv.) being the usual price then for a am miners (unner My friend the late Lieut.-Goveruor's house was T ,•— ^^r***** ••« .* -k '-*.*.^ Kf H f 40 THE NFAV FAR WEST. ([uit(; a pretty place, with a goo.l stream of water for irrigation and other purposes ; quite a necessity on this dry soil, for without irrigation no crops could he grown. I was taken to see the gard(.'n and farm. Tlie lawn is planted with English grass seeds, and, Ijeing irrigated, is as green as any in England, and the flowers well- grown and bright. The kitchen garden contained all the ordinary vegetaldes, and besides our common fruits there were grapes. The apple-trees were so heavily laden that there was some danger of the branches breaking ; but all this is due to irrigation, and this is the case also on the farm, where I was told tlu? cro})S had been very good. These lands formed a great con- trast to the hundreds and thousands of acres within view all round, burnt as brown as could be (the end of September), with scarcely a particle of herbage on them. The loss of the bunch-grass will make a material difference in the value of property in this part of British Columbia. Its disappearance is easily accounted for. This grass is an annual, and the country being over-grazed, it was eaten off before it had time to seed ; a good deal of it also has been destroyed by Ijeing pulled out of the ground by the cattle, as it grows in little tufts with very slight roots. Twenty years aoro the whole district was covered with this biautiful grass, of a fine delicate texture, about twenty inches iter ftjr oil this fjrown. lawn is rigated, IS WL'U- iiicd all )ii fruits heavily )raiiches 1 this is h(3 crops •eat con- hill view end of m them, material ])art of i;c(junted y l)eing o seed ; being n-rows years •autiful inches DISAPPEARANCE OF PUNCH-GRASS. 41 lii'di, o-rowiiK'- iu tufts six to twelve inches apart. If timely precautions had been ttiken l)y means of fen(;ing, to jillow the grasses to have an interval of rest, things would have been different ; but it is too late now, and bunch-grass here is a thing of the past ; the result being that where one hundred head of stock could formerly be ke[>t, the land now will not carry more than thirty. It has been rapidly disappearing since 1872, and is now entirely gone; and this disappearance is not local, but almost nniversal over the whole district to which I refer, of (say) about 300 square miles or so — from Kamloops to near Yale. It is now being to a certain extent replaced by a small kind of sage-bush, which the horses and cattle eat, though they do not much care for it ; however, it makes capital beef. They seldom touch the larger bushes, excepting in winter, when their branches arc the only things they can get at in the snow. Sage affects the flavour, though not the look, of the milk and butter, giving them a very unpleasant tast(\ The mountains round have now a most desolate appearance; if they could be irrigated crops would grow luxuriantly, for the sandy-looking soil is pro- nounced to be cultivable; but I fear this would be an impossibility, for the whole district suffers from want of rain and moisture. I returned to the car by a more direct track than the one I had followed in the morninir. ni > %A— ^ »■*■ — -W* 42 r//^ A'^:;^ /'^A' H^i^iT. 'I The town of Ashcroft, which has lately sprung up, named after Ashcroft in Gloucestershire, consists of about a dozen houses only, one being an hotel. It is, nevertheless, a phice of some importance ; for since the construction of the railway it has become the starting- point for the gold-fields of Cariboo — 300 miles distant ; the stan-e coach runninc: there from Ashcroft now, instead of (as formerly) from Yale, at the head of the navigal)le part of the Fraser river. AVc left Ashcroft about 2 a.m., attached to the ordinary train west. It was a fine moonlight night, and I was able to see the Grand Canon of the Thompson almost as well as by daylight, — indeed, it was daylight before we left it. It was a cold rugged scene, — a deep ravine w ith the river rushing along at the bottom, and the railway cut out of the mountain-side. Desolation was hardly a strong enough word for it ; the only objects that relieved the e3"e were a few pine-trees growing here and there out of what appeared to bo bare shingle. Passing by Spences Bridge we reached Lytton, a small scattered town, composed of wooden houses, where the Thompson Canon joins that of the Fraser, along which valley our route next lay. At Yale, a little further down, the mountain section ceases, and we proceeded onwards through forest and field to Port JMoody and Vancouver City. We passed ii sprung up, consists of otel. It is, )r since the lie startino;- les distant ; icroft now, jead of the ;ied to tlie liiilit nio'bt, i Thompson ■as daylight ne, — a deep jottoni, and Desolation ; the only ' pine-trees ared to he we reached of wooden that of the u lay. At ;tion ceases, and field i passed a I i GORGE ON THE ERASER RIVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA SCENERY IX THE CASCADES. 43 rcnuliir Chinese settlement, with a complete Chinese village, at a place callctl Reefers. One miglit have imagined oneself in a pleasant Swiss valley ; > ,.i rugged mou'itaiiis were rei)la(!ed l)y high hills clothed with l)ine-trees, with wooden farm-houses dotted about here aiiend (where there is a C. P. II. i-efreshnieiit house, 25 miles east from Yale) the valley is still lijoader, and pleasant in every way to the eye; l)Ut there is at present no room for farming operations, as tlie i-rouud is thiekh' covered with beautiful forests, which are here happily s})ared from the destructive fii'es which have ravaged so many other parts. 1 have said enough to explain that the scenery in these, the Cascade jNIountains, is quite different from that in the Rockies or Selkirks, but so far as dilHculties and obstacles to railway building are concerned, the Cascades carry off the palm. In my opinion the en- gineering difficulties are o-reater, and the works much heavier here than on any other part of the; line, in- cluding the far-famed works on the north shore of Lake Superior. Before reaching Yale, the Fraser River Hows at the bottom of a deep narrow gorge ; the rail- way is carried aljove, along the face of the solid rock, in many cases through a succession of short tunnels. This is work of the heaviest description ; and the greatest credit is due to both the Government and the : 44 THE NEW FAR IVEST. contractor (Mr. Oiiderdonk, the rcpresjiitative of one of tlie oldest and most respected of the New York families) for the admirable way in which it is carried out. Wonderful as the whole of the Canadian Pacific Railway truly is, there is no work so heavy or so well done as this part of the Fraser River Canon ; and I think it somewhat a pity there should have been a disagreement (now a subject for arbitration) l)etween the Dominion Government and the Canadian Pacific Railway Syndicate, as to the carrying out of the agree- ment on the part of the Government according to the strict letter of the law. Almost insurmountable difficulties presented them- selves on the Government section of some 350 miles at the western extremity of the line. This portion pierces the Cascade range, and is, as I have said, an exceedingly heavy piece of work ; but now that it is all handed over to the syndicate, a claim has been brought forward for some one or two million pounds sterling, as compensation for faulty embankments and frail bridges, and for not coming up in equality to the standard of a stated U. S. Railway line. I visited a portion of the works in 1883, during construction, and I do not believe there -was any intention of putting in faulty work : indeed, my opinion, on the contrary, is, that well laid as the line appears to be ve of one of jrk families) out. liaii Pacific f or so well fion ; and I lave been a )n) l)etween :lian Pacific if the agree- •cling to the snted tliem- ! 350 miles his portion ve said, an that it is has been ion pounds ments and lity to the I visited nstruction, cntion of jn, on the ars to bo A DESERTED STAGE-ROAD. 45 throughout, this western portion as fiir as Port Moody (the original terminus) is better constructed and more l)ermanent than some other parts undertaken by the syndi(,'ate themselves. Gliding smoothly along the track, it makes one almost shudder to look up at the old Caril)00 stage- road, followinfj its own crooked route alone: the moun- tain side ; sometimes high up, supported at weak points by trestles and wooden piles, sometimes down on a level with the railway. Yet a few years ago this road was in constant requisition, being the only means of commu- nication. I was nearly travelling along it in 1883, with my friend the late Mr. Meyscy Olive, of Whitfield, and jMr. Arthur Mitchell, before the railway was completed, at the risk of an upset, which sometimes occurred. The road is apparently now getting out of repair, which is a pity ; it owes its construction to the pluck and energy of the British Columbians, and their great Governor Douglas, and should, I think, be maintained. Of course now that the stage-coach starts from Ashcroft instead of Yale, this section of the road has little or no traffic ; but the Eraser Valley is so very grand, that if a good road were maintained, many of the i3resent and future generations of travellers might well be tempted to enjoy its wonders at a slower pace than is possible if whisked past by a locomotive. mm acus^ i«i UVPUIIP II 46 r///-: X/HV FAR WEST. f = Yiilt! was I'Oiiclicd Jit last ; I Ixdievc tlio place was partially burnt down not long ago, but 1 thought it appuarod to be loss prosperous than on my previous visit ; prol)al)ly the railway has had something to do Avith its decline, as it used to be reckoned the head of the navigation for light traffic on the Fraser. In those days the place was a})proac]ifd by a regular line of Hat-bottom, stern-wheel steamboats from New Wi'st- minst(!r, giving the traveller an opportunity of seeing this l)eautiful river. Now an occasional cattle or market boat is the only mode of transit, with the ex- ception perhaps of a birch-bark canoe ; and not one in a tlious.uid of those who visit British Columbia l;y the Canadian Pacific Riiilway will see the beauties of the river to advantage. As we travelled on, the line lay at a greater distance from the river banks, and only occasional peeps were obtained; but they were very beautiful, and I still think that for river scenery this Eraser Eiver cannot be surpassed. N(jt only are the mountains most picturesque in outline, but the lights and shades are exqnisite, varying as they do from dark purple to soft hues of gray. The variety in the foliage of the trees (especially when wo saw it) enhances the beauty of the scene, the dark green of the Douglas pine contrasting well with the lighter shades of the cedar and hemlock, and the blood-red of the maple. i DISAPrOIXTEP SPECULA TORS. 47 aco was -)U^lit it previous fT to do lu-txl of In those. L" line ot" w West- i)f seeing •atlle or 1 tlu' ex- not one umlna V.y haiities of the line iks, and cy were scenery only are l)ut tlie they do c variety e saw it) en of the shades of e maple. irop(! is the prettiest spot on the river hctweeii l)('t\ Yah On 1 (•;iviiii iviile on ■if J 'he toAvn - .i^^fi hotels, a ■ butcher's H RAPID GROWTH OF VAXCOUVER CITY. 51 slu)[) and general store, and three other small l)uildings; and the population in the m-ighbourhood consisted entirely of lumber men ; the total po})ulation of Gran- \ille being at the outside perhaps 150 people. Nearly all the inhabit ♦^s had turned cut to witness our depai'ture oti that summer's evening in June 1883, under st)mewhat uncomfortable circumstances ; the fact then being that our drivi'r had exceeded the limits of temperance, and that we hation but to return to New Westminster in a dark niirht under his chariic Our start all'orded the then townspeople nuK li amuse- ment ; but, fortunately for us, we reached our destin- ation in safety. During- 1884 the town bt'gan to grow, and in 1885 there were about 800 people here. In the sjtring of 188G its name was changed from Gran- ville to A'ancouver, and it was incori»(>rated as a city ; a book of over 100 jtages being filled with printed matter in recording this ceremony. The place was totally destroyed by fire on the night of -lune l:3th, 188G, every single house l»eing burnt down with the exception of one hotel; the fire origin- ateil from forest fires in clearing the oround. At that time the iiiu' actua' po[)ul c ition amounted to 1800. The re-build ommenced on the very day follow! n ti- the disaster, viz. June 14th; and the proprietors of one hotel (known then as the C. P. R., now called the 52 THE NEW FAR WEST. 1 Northern) wore so energetic as to imme(li;itcly run up ji three-storey buihliu^^ into whicli thtiy received some of the lioniclcss pco})l(; as lodgers, with tin; njughest accommodation it is true, hut still Jiny sort of ro(»f on such an oce;ision would be l)(3tt(!r than non*;. They hung out as a sign for this liouse, " Raised from the ashes in four d;iys." The population was onlv 2500 on June 1st, 1887, for at that time Port Moody was still the terminus of the railway, and hohh.-rs of land there naturally raised legal ohjcrtions and obstructions to the line being continued to Vancouver City ; and although tiie latter had by that time been proclaimed as the terminus, yet the com})any did not gain j)osses- sion of the entire right of way till January 1887, and owing to an unusually severe winter, did not complete the line until the beginning of Ai)ril 1887. A rush then set in rapidly, and the ])opulation when we were there the following September amounted to about 4000. In November 1888 it was more than double that number, .say 8500. There were ten miles of streets laid out and planted with trees on the walks at each side ; three of the streets are 100 feet wide, the remainder measure G6 feet ; the side walks are all eight to ten feet in width. Several of the houses, both com- pleted and in course of const*^ .otion, are of ston(! or brick, the remainder being of wood, of a superior, and yif A MODERN PHCEMX. 53 in up some iighcst Dof" oil Tliey nil tlic ■ 2500 (Iv was )t' land uctioiiH sj ; and tlainKMl J lOHSf'S- H7, and iiiplete V rush (' w(;i"c about double liles of walks ido, the 11 eight \\\ com- tone or lor, and ill many cases of a very ornanieiit;il, d('S<'ri[)tion. There art* .'ilivjidy 04 hotels and saloons, one (Jliurch of lOngliind eliureh, and Jirigade, with ajijiaiatus wortii 12000, and twelve tanks at diU'cicnt points, from which to draw a supply of water in r-ase of need ; it is lighted by both electricity and gas, and rej(nc(,'S in the telephone as well as the tele- giajiji. A charter had been obtaini'd for stre(,'t cars, and they are probably in operation by this time. The town is admirahly situated for drainage, tln^rc being a good fall either way. Drainage works W(;re in pro- gress, Imt of a })rimitive description, the material used being simply thick wooden })lanks nailed together. 'J'hese can only be regarded as temporary ; but the public debt is already £40,000, bearing six per cent, interest, and so it is not advisable to go too far ahead at once ; and in fact, until the city is more fully developed a complete system cannot be laid out, as it is uncertain \vhi<'. set of the tree stumps now covering tli(; lots will draw the greatest amount of population ; and there are besides of course rival interests at work, ! i I ii 54 THE NFAV FAR WEST. endeavouring from speculative reasons to draw the city in this or that direction. Some idea may be formed of tlie aspirations of tlie citizens wlien I mention that the city boundary extends seven miles long by two Jind a half l)road ; of this \7(V.\ acres have already been "chopped" for the "town site." By " chopping " is meant beheading, at about ten feet from the ground, the magnificent Douglas pines, cedars, and hemlocks, which grow to perfection here, and attain a heio'ht of from 100 to 250 feet. The trunks and branches are then burnt, but the poor stump remains, charred and blackened but only partially burnt, and is sold with the lot on which it stands ; its fate then prob- ably being to be blown up with dynamite or gun-cotton, so that a house can be erected in its place. We saw thousands of these stumps standing nil about, many being still on fire (for of course owing to their size they burn for days) ; and at night the place looked as if surrounded by numerous camp-fires. The majority, however, were burnt out, and remained like black monu- ments mourning their own destruction. This tind)ered land was worth only from one to ten dollars (4.y. to 40*.) an acre a few years ago; but now the 1763 acres mentioned above are divided up into lots — streets and ways of communication excepted — and in the central part of the town lots with 25 feet frontage, and a VANCOUVER IVATERIVORKS. 33 depth of 120 feet, now command a jDriee of from 2000 to 3000 dollars each, according to position. [This was in 1887, but town lots have much increased in value since that date.] Land within the city limits can even now be boui>ht at from 50 dollars an acre upwards ; this, however, of course is on the outskirts. Beyond the boundary it is as low as 10 dollars per acre ; but it must be remembered that this land is heavily timbered and very expensive to clear. Great credit is due to the private enterprise which has undertaken to provide the city with water ; the original supply being insufficient and of a very inferior (quality. The works of this company (called the Vancouver Waterworks Company) will, at an estimated cost of £60,000, pro- vide a practically unlimited supply of excellent water from the CajDilano Creek, flowing from the Coast range of mountains on the north shore of Burrard's Inlet. The plan is to convey it by means of pipes first across five miles by land, and then under the waters of the inlet for three more miles ; and it will gravitate to a height of 300 feet al)ove the sea level of the city. Ironworks (since completed) were also going to be built by Messrs. McKelvie and Cook ; and when we were there the City and Local Government were off'ering between them a bonus of £7500 in all towards cstab- lishinor smeltin.' works. V-v 56 THE NEW EAR WEST. As regards other points connected with the city, I may state that the Dominion Government owns a])()iit 1000 acres, called the Military Ileserve, adjoining the city in the direction of the First Narrows. This it is proposed to turn into a pul)lic park, with roads laid out in various directions. Being well-tind)ered and beautifully situated (surrounded as it is on three sides by water), it will be a great source of enjoyment to the inhabitants. The authorities have destroyed all the trees in the town, with the exception of one solitary one, which w'ill probably be blown down. A short time ago there was another, an immense Douglas pine, called the Princess Louise, but as its existence was considered to be dangerous to the adjoining houses, the inhaljitants petitioned to have it cut down, which was accordingly done. The wdiole country is most favourable for the growth of trees ; those in the forests round the city are very remarkable for their size; the principal varieties are cedar, hemlock, spruce, Douglas pine, maple, dwarf maple, alder, dog-wood (bush), and the Oregon vine (creeper). Vancouver City has the great advantage of a naturally beautiful situation, standing as it does on rising, gently undulating ground ; on a neck of Land between Burrard's Inlet and False Creek (the latter communicating with English Bay), with the lovely Coast range of mountains across the water to the noj'th, and I \ HIGH WAGES. 57 tlie forests of New Westminster to the south. The First Narrows nt JkirrarJ's Inlet are but one mile broad the tide, which rises about thirteen feet, comes in ver 2fOO( y ra[)i(lly. Sliooting and fishing are both good in the neighbourhood, and the waters of the iidet and creek afford capital l)oating, Burrard's Inlet being very deep close u[) tlie sliore, and witli safe anchorage. The cliniiit(! is excellent; snow begins to fall in December, but never lies longer than ten, and usually only about three or four days. The latter part of the winter (say January, February, and March) is very wet; but the weatlier is always beautiful from May to the end of October. Thunderstorms are almost unknown on the coast, but are (^f frequent occurrence in the interior. Wages in Vancouver City at the time of my visit were as follows : — Carpenters and bricklayers, 3 to 3^ dollars per day ; day labourers, 2 dollars per day ; farm laljourers, 1^ dollars per day and board ; house servants (women), 15 to 20 dollars per month. (A dollar is 4^. of our money.) I sul)join a list of distances from Vancouver City to various places in the neighbourhood : — To Victoria, l)y w^ator, 11 miles ; Moody ville, by water, 3 miles ; Port Moody, by water, 14 miles; ditto by rail, 14 miles; New Westminster, by road, 13 J miles ; ditto by rail, 20 miles ; Indian Mission, by water, 3 J miles ; Capilano 58 THE NEW FAR WEST. M I s , > i Creek, Ly water, 3 miles ; to entrance to North Arm of Hurrard's Inlet, by water, 17 miles; to North Arm Settlement at further end of ditto, l>y water, 25 miles; nearest point of the Fraser River, 5 miles. I have purposely avoided saying anything as to my opinion of the future prospects of Vancouver City. I have (however imperfectly) only described its statv at the time of our visit in September 1887, and contrasted it with its condition in June 1883, under its old name of Granville. It is the present actual terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway — or rather, it is a miL and a half short of the final point to which the line is now graded, viz. English Bay ; but no trains run further than Vancouver at present, and there is no population at all on English Bay, with the exception of one settler's house, standing close to a dense forest of GOOD acres lately acquired by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Vtmcouver City must rely on its position and resources as a commercial port, and not on becoming the centre of an agricultund district ; to the latter it can lay no claim, for the cultivated lands round are insufficient to support even a small population, and certainly not one of the size to which the citizens of Vancouver expect their city will eventually attain. As regards the question of lands and farming, it is rather difficult to say much ; the best plan always is for ^h l 1 FARMING PROSPECTS. 59 a man to go out, niid ;ifter i)orsonal oltsorvatioiis on the spot, to decide for himself what he is most suited for ; hut I can state at once that British Columhia, west of the Cascade ^Mountains, is not primarily a farming country, simply l)ecause it is so deusely wooded, rocky, and mountainous, and there is comparatively so little soil suital)lc for farming operations, except after great labour and ex[)ense in clearing. There are, however, a limited number of places in wliich suitable land is to be found, and New Westminster may, perhaps, be reckoned as the depot of the agricultural district, and, provided he can get the land, no country to my mind can be so suitable for an Eniilish farmer. The climate is Q;ood ; the people kind, open, and hospitable ; aud there are not the same differences in society as in England. Every one is comparatively on the same footing, but it is the footing of "live aud let live," with none of the nonsense of universal ecjuality which I have noticed in some other places, and which I have generally found to be more talk than practice. The British Columl)ian farmer has, I think, an easier time of it, and is more to be envied, than the IManitoban one ; his house looks larger and better, and he has plenty of barn room. Of course lumber is cheap enough here, and he can have it for the cutting ; and any way he has less chance of being ■■'J ':■ II ! 4 t ; 60 T//E Nl-:iV FAR WEST. too cold in winter, ;is tlu3 clinuitc} licro is so very much milder — in fact, milder often than in England. I)Ut farming hinds being scarce is the ohjec tioii ; and I therefore turned my attention in unother dire(;tion, viz. to market ganhjning and fruit raising. Some of the soil is admirably adapted for this kind of enter- I)rise ; and if (as its citizens expect) Vancouver City will shortly have a iJopulation of 20,000 or .']0,()()0 people, it is obvious that there, at any rat(% a ready sale would b(( assured. I l)elieve that apple and pear orciiards would answer ca[)itally ; there are but few of these trees as yet, but those I saw l)ore excellent crops. I was told that both they and plums and cherries do admirably ; and in some parts a[)ricots and peaches also, though generally not so well as the former. Straw- ])erries, raspl)erries, and currants answer very well, but gooseberries have so far not been a success, owing to mildew. All root crops, such as potatoes, carrots, beet-root, and indeed all garden stuff", thrive capitally, as I have seen by my own observation. A market gardener, with or without a small dairy farm attached (say 50 or GO acres in all), should get on very well. It must be remembered that the west coast of British Columbia — /. e. west of the Cascade Mountains — is much more humid and damp, and does not in the least resemble the arid region to the cast of the Cascade ^ \ k \ I ' SUM^TARY OF CULTIVABLE LAND. 6i 'ory range previously dcscn-ibcd, such as Asheroft in tlio KaniloopH district. To give a rough suniniiiry, tlierc are ahout half a million acres of land fit for cultivation in the lower Frascr Valley, of which 150,000 acres or thereabouts arc on the rich alluvial delta of that river. Uelow New AVestniinster, on Lulu Island, in the liiclunond Municipality, there are ahout GO, 000 acres fit for cultivation ; and about 90,000 more on the Delta IMunicipality, which is on the southern baidv of the Fraser, about ten miles from its mouth. The rest of the lands lie above New Westminster on either side of the Fraser River, for about 90 miles going uj) stream ; such as Pitt River, Hammond, I'ort Haney, ^Mission, Agassiz, Chilliwack, Popcura, and Langley. This latter is mostly wet land, and would require draining, but would then become first-class pasture or root land. It is also said that this soil would do well for hops ; but at present it is all mostly used for hay cropi)ing. A large tract of land, known as the Pitt River mejidows, lies between Port Haney and New Westminster junc- tion on the C. P. R. ; this is now in the hands of the Dominion Government, and could easily be reclaimed if they thought proper to dispose of it, as will prol>abIy be the case. At present these meadows are liable to floods from the Pitt River, and possibly also from the I M J 1 j ! i : i 1 i 1 i 1 ! ( 1 i A. 62 TNE NEW FAR IV EST. liigli water of the Fni^^cr ; Itut the erection of the nilsvay cmliiiiikniciit just hero has k(![)t the hitter l)aek a little of hite. Lulu I.shiud is as yet only partially farmed, ami possesses the advanta^^'es of being situated near Vancouver City, auil of being almost devoid of trees. It is pro[)()st»d to connect this island with the mainland bv a bridift', and a new road is beinu" niadc to ccjuimunicate with North Arm Settlement, on the Frascr lliver. There is also a line of steamers up and down the river as far as New Westminster from \'ictoria. Fiand on Lulu Island can l)e bought at from 12 to 23 dollars per acre, according to the reclamation needed ; this will give a pretty good idea of the value of cultiva tabic lands generally in this ])art of liritish Columbia, ^lany of the islands in the (lulf of Georgia (westward from Vancouver City, between the mainland and Vancouver Island) are well adapted for sheep-raising. The principal cattle ranches lie to the east ; moss four or fiv(! fe(!t h>ng liun;^ from and entwined itself arountl the branches, and the j^round must have been covered yarVi III i 66 r//^ A'^IF /-/iA" irEST. me realize how lovely a fernery can be without the aid of art. We put uj) our pony at North Arm Settlement, and took a boat across the arm of the Fraser River to Lulu Island, where we were to inspect the lunds ; the first thing we saw being a capital garden, where the veoetables were the same as those urown in Eno;land. Properly cultivated, these lands might Ije made into excellent farms. Those under crop bear good grain and roots, but I think the soil is especially adapted f(jr market oardenin^f, with or without land for farmino- attach d. It is a peaty loam with clay subsoil, and stands at a very slight elevation above the stream of the Fraser River. I should think that in spring-time it would under such circumstances be wet ; but with a [»roper system of drainage and with the help of dykes there can be no doubt that these lands might be made very valualjle indeed. I was much struck by the com- fortable look of the houses, and by the immense wooden barns for the storage of hay and wheat. There is still a groat deal of land open for settlement on Lulu Island and the adjoining delta ; but a price would have to be paid for it, for the pioneers in this district have already secured as much as they want for themselves, and more besides, to sell at a profit. Still, as the present holders are generally willing to sell it i II A PROSPEROUS EMIGRANT. 67 dykes made com- I'uoduii lemciit price 11 this lilt foi- Still, ^ell it is not too lute to go in, if a man has a little capital, knowledge, and energy. If he docs not i)0ssess the former of these three rcquirtites, he can meet witli employment from a farmer at about 25 dollars a month and his board. One of the settlers here told me that ten years previously he came to these parts without a shilling, and at first had to set to work " logging." After a time he bought on credit an improved farm of IGO acres on this island, and paid off the purcliase- money by instalments. lie worked hard ; his wife doing lier share with dairy and cheese-making ; and he got on, and after a time bought a little more land ; and this sort of thing continued, till now he holds 1500 acres in a ring fence, of which IGO are under crop, with an excellent wooden house, and barns all complete. As to profits, he said he ought that year to have realized GOOO dollars, but tliat it would not really be more than 4000. However, I think this prosperous emigrant may well be contented with the latter sum, and the acres he has accumulated round him — the result of his own hard work. Now that he is getting old, he said he should l»e willing to sell the whole or a part of his land. He spoke highly of the climate, saying that everybody enjoyed excellent health, and that there were no mosquitoes — a great desider- atum I We were offered some milk to drink, for the F 2 I , M I 68 THE NEW FAR WEST. same hospitality and kindness are sliown here as in Manitoba and tlie North-West. It proved ricli and of the best qu.'dity, and w(5 found it very rcfresliing. It rnjiy give some idea of the phiee if I mention tliat at this particuhir farm there were roses, lioney- suekle, and ivy growing up the v('ran(hdi of tlie liouse, ai)ple-trees in the orchard, and all kinds of fruit and vegetables in the garden ; also I noticed that in the fields white clover was growing wherever it had a chance. I fancy the grasses in British C(»luml)ia must be good for sheep, as the mutton at Vancouver City was l)y far the best we had tasted since hfaving England. We rc-crossed the Frascr by the ferry, and returned through the forest to Vancouver City. Later in the evening there was an alarm of fire in the town, and two blocks of buildings consisting of four new wooden dwelling-houses approaching completion were burnt to the ground in a very short time. The fire brigade did its business well, l)ut water had no chance against such a fabric and such a flame ; happily, however, the houses stood alone, and as there was no wind the fire did not spread. It rather shook my confidence in house property here, to see this sudden collapse ; but it was very obliging of Vancouver to have a fire like this during the time of our stay, for one had not occurred for some ! 1(1 not [pcrty very Ig the some ABUNDANCE OF SALMON. 69 I time. Nobody wus hurt ; and us the property was fully insured, no one appeared to care very much. It was on a Sunday afternoon that I made an ex- pedition with a, couple of friends to Capilano Creek, whence the water supply for the city is to be drawn. We had a beautiful row of three miles across the inlet, over a very calm sea, and landed at an Indian settle- ment ; then, after crossing the creek, we made our way to the opposite baidc over the fallen trees, one of which I measured as I walked along, counting 200 feet ; it was an old Douglas pine, and probably when standing it was over 100 feet more in height. The creek was full of salmon endeavouring to get up stream ; they were so thi(^k in the water that any number could easily have been caught with a hmding-net. The Vancouver City water su[)ply was to come from the ujtper part of the Capilano Creek, and a track was being cut through a dense forest along which the pipes were to be laid. We were told the " vvaterwork trail " would be four miles long. The woodmen were at work felling the trees, and we followed the trail for a considerable distance, until we came to the logging camp pitched by the side of the river. It being Sunday, no work was going on, and the men — a fine, strong, healthy-looking lot — were sitting about, reading, smoking, or washing their clothes. In the creek below, salmon were continually rising, but iti 1 I ( i 1 1 t f ,, if" ^ ■ 70 77//: A7;/F J- A A' IV EST. thoy ,iro so plmtiful in tlicsc' parts tli;it no one Mppciirs to troul)l(! .il)out tli(jni. Tlio loggini^^ cjiinp c(jnsi.stc(l of ii nuinlxT of small tents, aii'l one lonjf uxnt for a mess bouse, Jiiid it all secmied comfortable oiiouifli. 'V\\v. cook of tlie I'iirty was just turnin^^ out some excellent white l)rea(l in long, narrow, crusty loaves. This " wiiterwork trail" gave rpe a better oppor- tunity of seeing the ^'orest to advantagr; than I have ever had licfore ; it was ahout '50 feet ]»r()ad, and cut straiirht tlu'ouesides the Douglas pine, hendock, cedar, aiul majde abounded, their liml)s coven^l often with the beautiful hanging fern-mosses. Pre[)a.rations were being made to burn the felled trunks and their branches — an oj)cra,- tion which I hope was carried out without setting the surrounding forest alight. Any one visiting Vancouver « ! Tllli C. I\ R. TERMIXUS. 71 )pul- t re (ore tin; iiia,j)l(; itiful liiiado ])(;r;i- "• the )uver f'ity sliouM not f;iil to row aeiuss the inlet to (,'a[»i]aiio (.'reek, and I0 take ii walk along the " waterwork trail," anay, tin; actual point wlu:re tin; ('. 1*. II. gratle terminates. It "Was much the same walk that I had taken on my pnivious visit with my two travelling conijtaiiioiis ; ' hut the primitive; state; of things then existing has sinct; been (juitc; obliterated by the mai'ch of civilization on "dl si(h!S. ft ap|)('an'd to be ratlxT curious that this ^ ich of the C. P. R. should he continued to (ireen's louse on English i>a.y, when the proclaimcMl terminus of the l)raiieh line is Vancouver. It is said that the pro- vincial Covernment insisted on this extension, but for what reason 1 cannot understand, unless it be that it pierces a large tract of forest whi<;h adjoins English Bay, and whi(;h belongs to tht; ('. P. K. Company. One couhl not help wondering and speculating where the p(!rmanent t(!rminus of the C. P. Jl. will (-ventually lie lo(;ated ; but probably a great many other people would like to know the same thing. On leaving Vancouver City for Victoria I had to say ^ See Lift: and Lahnitr la the Far Far West. HI 1 1^ 1 1, 1 1 i 1 1 \ 1 y 72 THE NEW FAR WEST. j^ood-hyo to our (•omfortal)!!! niilwiiy c.'ir the *' Mimic- do.sii," wliic.li I ((slt (|iiit(! Horry to do ; for hIic hud been my lioiiK! lor iicurly a nioiitli, in wliicli time I must have travciih'd ahout 2000 mih's in licr (not reckoning several liundred miles of driving; cxjieditions wliilst in lli(! Nortli-Wc.st territory). It certuirdy provcMl a most eomiortah' , way in wliieh to see the eountry ; ind.ied, 1 may say it is tlw; oidy way to s(!(' and study it thoroughly. Travcdling thus, and being detached at will, th(! people one nrieets bring many faets under one's notic(!, whieh by going on in th(! usual way, straight through in a I'uliman (tar, by the or|i i;i .\.A 1 'i CIIAITER VI [. "TMK I'AIIK-MKK hANFJS (»K THIO FKIITILK JiKLT." MANITOBA — IJINSCAinil. A Coiiifortiilik" Riiilwiiy Car— 'I'lic Howt Season for F.iiii;^Miitiriii — All liiiiiiciiso Farm — A Vi})ratiii^' Tnistln T.ridj^'n — Slovenly Kiiiiiiin;^' ■ — Sninnier Krosts — A Scottish Land Cojnpany — (Jurrent liate of AVa<,'es — Mtitliod of Enf,'a^'einent — Demand for Female Servants — (JontcMited Settlors — Old N(!i<,'hl)onra — Dr. IJarnardo's Farm — Slice)) and Stork Farmin}^ — Wolvoa. Having now, for tlio siikc (jf convciiioMco, fondiu'tcc] luy readers stniii^lit across the Amerieuii eontiiiciit by the Caiiadiiui Pacifh^ Jiailvvay to its western terminus on the. Pacific Ocean, I must ask tiicm to return with me once more in thought to the province of Manitoba. If they will glance; at the map of that locality, they will see a line of railway branching off the main line at Portage-la-l^rairie (5G miles west of Winnipeg), nnd running north-west to a i)lace called Langenburg. This branch line is the Manitoba and North-Western line ; it is as ^ only constructed for a length of 180 miles to Langenburg, but is eventually to be carried (»n to ■r V TRA VI: I. I.I XC CONVENIESXES. 75 lit l)y tmiiius |i with liitobji. |, tliry I lino , niul This liiu! ; hnih's Dii to l*riii('(! Allicrt, an ohl ami thriving Cdlony 250 iiiih'S further. I have already inserted a (h!.s(!ri|)tif)ri of our trav(;Iliii<( ear, a.s f,nveii Ity a .sti-aiiijer. Ilesides that ('()infoital)ie means of loeoniotion, we had for thi.s trip achlitional factilititis for .seeing th(; country, for W(! wero the guests of i\Ir. F. II. I>rydges, the Vice-President, and of Mr. W. li. Haker, tlic (ieneral Manager (»f th(! line, and received from them the greatest hospitality anil kindness. A ha.i'irairc van was atta(;hed to the train for our dogs, guns, and geiuiral shooting requisites, and this I'ormed also our gun-room and game larder. AV(! had hesides a. horse-box for four horses, and a carriage truck for our two buggies ; the owner of one of these conveyances and a pair of the horses being ]\Ir. Herbert I'ovver, of Assiniboine l^'arm, who joinecl us for the tri]>. We were thus rendered independent of any local he'lp, and could "untrain" ourselves with our belongings wherever we pleased, and drive over the ]>raii'ie to any spot we wislu^d to inspect, or go in pursuit of prairie-chicki'U and wild- .%. V] <^ //, 7 c" c^i 'c^J ^>' ^ •V* (V •^>'l 1 -»-<. % V ^'*''^%,^ <* - . I 76 THE NEW FAR WEST. part of the year, had sought my advice previous to starting for Canada. Of these I will select three as examples — viz. a clergyman's son, a farmer's son, and a labourer's son ; and I think I cannot do better in the next chapter than explain to my readers how they were prospering. It had been one of my especial objects in visiting Canada to pay these three young men each a personal visit ; and unless I could satisfy myself that they were getting on well, to recommend their return to England, and (if necessary) to supply them with the means for so doing. On leaving Portao^e-la-Prairie we were attached to the ordinary train, of which, in point of fact, our " out- fit " made up the greater part, as the district through which we were about to travel is at present anything but filled up by settlers, and the regular emigration season was over for the year. Either February or March is the best time for an emigrant to start from England ; he then arrives here about the time the snow disappears, and at the commencement of the planting season. The Manitoba and North- Western station at Portage-la- Prairie was completed in 1885, and this new line opens up a fine agricultural country. As far as Macdonald — a distance of ten miles — the marsh lands are very good for either cattle-grazing or hay-cropping, and the country was free and open to all comers, until AN IMMENSE FARM. 77 we readied Westbourne, at which place is a fine stock farm, the property of a Mr. Sanford. This farm is said to be about 30,000 acres in extent, and feeds a very large herd of cattle. Travelling on, the aspect of the prairie changed, and l)etween this and Woodside there was a good deal of wood and scrub. There is said to be some good land for grazing purposes round Glad- stone, but after this we passed through a very thinly populated country, with nothing particularly attractive about it till we entered a district called the Beautiful Plains, which from this side is nothing more nor less than a high gravel ridge or plain about a quarter of a mile wide extending northwards for forty miles. The further north-west we travelled from Portage-la- Prairie, the later the crops appeared to be in ripening. I was told to look out for some of the best country along the line beyond Arden ; my first impressions, however, were not very favourable, but later on I thought much better of the locality. In the distance we saw the Riding Mountains ; they are well covered with timber, and are about 300 miles broad, running about 800 miles in a north-westerly direction. On approaching Neepawa (the Indian word for plenty), we passed quite a little town, at a short distance from the station, consisting of about sixty houses and a large town-hall. The land in this district seemed very f If l' 'W :;', 78 THE NEIV FAR WEST. mucli superior to anything I had previously seen ; but as I intend describing this part, and indeed the country from the end of the railway back to Neepawa also, on my return journey, I must ask my readers to allow me to take them straight on 91 miles further, to Binscarth, so that I may commence a more detailed description of the country from there. We travelled through a con- siderable part of the night in order to reach this district, 155 miles distant from Portage-la-Prairie ; and on wakiuix in the mornino; found our car at a stand-still on a siding there. Binscarth seemed to consist of a station-house, a store, three wooden houses, the same number of sheds, and a water-pumping windmill. When the line was opened, only a year previously, there was not a single house here ; now it will soon become the centre for a large agricultural district. We set off about 6.45 a.m. prairie-chicken shooting; for, to get these birds, one must be out either quite early in the morning, or late in the evening ; however, they afford but poor sport in comparison to the English partridge. We started off, a party of six, along the railway on a hand-car, working the machine ourselves with the help of an Icelander. Our course layover "Silver Creek" trestle bridge, which is 450 feet long and 70 feet high, approached at either end by a high embankment. We pissed over it at a rattling pace, but the fact of having A TRESTLE BRIDGE. 79 to cross it at all took most of us unawares ; however, whatever my feelings in doing so, it was nothing to the j-eturn journey on foot, for that was really giddy work. The sleep(3rs were laid about four or five inches apart, with no ballasting or hand-rail, and the whole bridge vibrated with the wind. I manafjed to cross all risht, l)ut I do not wish to try the experiment again at such a height, on a structure of this description. I saw a few settlements durinjr our walk. The first house was abandoned, and the once-cultivated ploughed lands wei'f^ one mass of weeds (lamb's-quarter, &c.). It was explained to me that the owner had probably taken up another homestead ; but the law enal)ling this sort of speculation to be carried out was (fortunately for the country) repealed in June 1887. The second farm we noticed looked extremely untidy and neglected, and I thouoht at first that it also must be deserted ; but upon going to the house I found an Ontario man in possession. Although his farm looked so slovenly, he spoke very highly of the neighbourhood and its capa- bilities, especially as regarded rearing cattle and horses, for which he said it was particularly well adapted. It turned out subsequently that this man does a good trade in horseflesh, and that he finds it pay better than erain crowing. In observing how untidy his farm looked, he said the fact really was, that as there had 1 t ■V ' • 11^ 80 THE NEW FAR WEST. P \ \\ \% 1! been so many bad years previously, he had hist spring left a great part of his hind unsown, waiting to see how this one woukl turn out ; however, he expected to get twenty-five bushels of wheat to the acre (sixty pounds to the bushel) from what little he had planted, and he allowed that this season the harvest would be an excellent one. The third settler's house I came across was, in appearance and surroundings, very much like an Irish cabin. There was a very good crop of wheat, as yet unharvested ; but adjoining this was a field which had been ploughed but not planted, and was now over- grown with weeds and rubbish ; while hard by in a third field lay sheaves of corn of a previous year's growth, bound up with string, but left to rot on the ground. This latter crop must have been spoilt in some unexpected manner. I fear the mischief may in all probability be easily traceable to a summer frost ; for these are very prevalent in this district, and when they occur are sadly fatal to the corn in ear. For the last few years great damage has been done by these summer frosts, and the farmers in Manitoba are still puzzling over the problem of finding means to get in their seed earlier, fo as to reap it the sooner, and thus avoid the consequences of a late harvest. Whilst at Binscarth I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Mr. George Smellie, the able manager of ast spring bo see how ted to fifet ty pounds nted, and dd be an me across cli like an wheat, as dd which low over- by in u us year's •t on the spoilt in f may in er frost ; nd when For the by these are still get in nd thus h to be lager of m t • Is I. I. i f < m o z ortance as yet in the neighbourhood of Binscarth is the farm under j\lr. Smellie's care, beloniiino' to the Com])any to which I have before alluded. It consists of 350 acres ; but the Company's whole estate amounts to 18,000 acres. The average price required for the uncultivated land is five dollars per acre, but there are no buyers at present. I heard this same complaint matlc in other parts ; and under such circumstances it is almost impossible to value any lands just now. The (ordinary emigrant takes u\) free grants of land on going out ; hence the priced lands are almost unsaleable, there beino; no demand. The soil in this district is twelve to eighteen inches deep, with a kind of clay subsoil, and the land lies about 1800 feet above the sea level. The o i ' Wi' 83 THE NEW FAR WEST. Pf L 1 1 Ms ! \ farm itself is well laid out, and boars cxcolleiit crops. I noticed a small flock of sheep, which appeared to be doing well ; and there is a large (about 250 head) and successfid herd of shorthorns established here, which has taken many prizes at various shows all over the dominion of Canada. The buildings consist of a manager's house, Presbyterian church, a manse for the pastor, a farmliouse for the emjihiji-s, a large cattle-shed containing every convenience for lal)our, and a black- smith's shop. The estate is well wooded, and also well supplied with running water, being close to the Silver Creek — a deep wide valley with a good stream flowing through it, which intersects part of the farru. I ascer- tained the current rate of wages at the time of our visit, which information may possibly be of use to intending settlers, but it is only good men who can expect to reach this scale ; indifferent workmen or weakly ones would not succeed. I. — Per month for a year's engagement, 20 dollars (£4). II. — Per month for six months, from 15tli April to 15th October, from 22 to 26 dollars. IIL — Per month for six months, from 15th October to 15th Apul, 15 to 18 dollars. The above terms include also board and lodging, but not washing. .^Dif'i )i -i^ It crops. id to be L'ad) and i, which iver the t of a for tlie tle-shcd I bhick- lao well 3 Silver fiowiiiQ- [ aseer- Lir visit, tending pect to \y ones dollf ars Lpril to )ctob er )d ging, M -r ■d CURRENT RATE OE WAGES. S;, IV. — Per day, from 1 to 1 1 dollars — usually 1 dollar and food. V. — Per month, any time during the summer, from 20 to 25 dollars. The usual custom in such a lar^c undertakinn^ as Binscarth Farm is to engage men in the spring or autumn for six months or one year, and if they want to re-eiiiian;e they ask at the end of six months whether they are required for a longer period. Boys arc usually only employed at home, for old hands on a farm do not care for the trouble of teaching them ; but sometimes they are required for tending cattle from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M., out on the unenclosed prairie. Girls are in great demand, and can always readily procure places for housework. In some parts of jNIanitoba wages are not so high as those quoted above, being only 15 dollars a month for a year's engagement, or at the rate of 20 dollars per month from 15th April to 15th October; or of twelve dollars a month for the winter months from 15th October to 15th April, and a dollar a day for a day's job. Of course as the population increases wages will decrease. The country lying round Binscarth, especially that towards the north, is open rolling prairie, well wooded and uneven, with plenty of sloughs or ponds ; and unlike anything I have seen in Southern or Central 2 .*i 1!' w '< \ ;i" ''^, \\>' I m i ! ! 84 7'///; NKIV FAR WEST. ]\I{iiiitol)ii, or indeed elsewhere in the })rovince. It ai)[)ear.s to bo admiral »ly suited for cattle and horses, and also for shee[). There seems to be 110 spear-grass (that givat enemy to sheep) of any roiisefpienco ; but I should consider that, on account of the (juantity of l>rush\vood and short stunted silver willow existinfr here, two acres of land here would not be more in efpiivalent to one in many other districts where there is prairie grass alone ; still probabl}' young stock would do better in this country,, with the advantage of shade, than in a more open one. ]My first drive was one of about thirty miles, and it gave me a good insight into the capabilities of the district. I found that with the exception of Binscarth Farm the inhabitants were i)ut at (lifTcreiit pointf4, prove of infinite sorviee for tlic development of the eoimtry (;iti(>u fiirm i;ility |>;u'ts (u; any DR. liARNARDirs I'ARM. 87 liimls .S(;lt.'(;t(!(l iof iJr. IJarnardo's lloiuc; for I'Jiii^a-aiit; Jjoy.s. The lo(;a,ti(jJi s(i(;ins a ploa.saiit one, aljout four miles from Itiisscjl ; the land i.s rolliiii^ prairie, a little hilly, with a f l>y wolves, but this is a, subject for the settler's consider- utiou, and he must be guidcMl by eireiiinstaiuse.s. The above is a pretty good (h'scri[)tioii of a young settler's ])rogress with a, little capital to start him. It appears that the average hei'd owned in this district by each settler of five years' standing is eight head of cattle ; some have more, others less, and some none at all. I have now attempti'd to describe some of the country in the JJinscarth neighl)ourhood. The farm I cll. Ifc r;iy, .'iiid. '■ lunicd ^lis (Iocs -lime lie, luiiti, so '"(jsscd u cour.sc, for ;iny sold tlio it dirccf, V(1])('U(',0 <(ol- six- iidcrahlc 11]) l.y oiisidcr- .s. The settlor's ;ippeiir,s l)y each cattle ; all. of the c farm SUMMER FROSTS, 'J' of lliat name Is of course llie cc-ntrc of atli"irf ion, and is a <-<,-;di('ad('oiic.'ni on wliidi capital lias hccn spent. Indeed all tlia.t is possiMe has l)(!(;ii doii(; on llie porfn.n of the prairi(! selected hy tlici (loni|)aiiy. It would well repay a,iiy oik; travelline- in this pa,rt, who may ])(' iiiterest('(l in aei'ieultui-e, to visit this estat(\ There is alwa\'s the, (lan,L,n'r of suminer frosts hen;, as well as in ••thi'r ])a,rts of .Manitoba,; and the further north (»ne <'«.es th(5 «reater th(! lisk. lmm(!ns(! daniai^v was done in THBT), and a^aJn in 18H8, to th(; crops in this way; and tlierefoi-(! 1 think that putting moni than a limited acreag(; under crop must always Ixi rather a risk, and farmers h)cated here, in what is called " the parkdik(! lands of the f(;rtile belt" [in. the iiorth- westeni part of the province of Manitoba), should tuiii it into a stock-raising and grazing district in preference to anything else. y2 THE .\E\V FAR WEST. CHAPTER Yin. " THE PAKK-LIKE LANDS OF THE FERTILE BELT." MANITOBA LANGENBUllG — CHUllCHBKIDGE — SOLSGIIITH. Promising Site for Cattle lianch or Sheep Farm — A German Colony — Settlement of Church Colonization Society — A City consisting of a Smithy and a Finger-post — An Icelander Settlement — A very small School — Vohmteer Crops — Kubauka Wheat — Successful Emigrants — A Labourer's Son — A Clergyman's Son — A Tenant Farmer's Son — Dangers of Borrowing and Lending — The 111 Effects of a ]>oom — A Comfortable Farm-house. \Ye continiictl our journey by rail beyond Binscarth, and crossed the Assiniboine River at Millwood ; and then steamed for a considerable distance along one side of its beautiful valley. Presently, after ascending to higher ground, we passed through some uninviting country, which continued until reaching Langenburg Station at the end of the track, 180 miles from Port- age-la-Prairie and 236 miles from Winnipeg. The main thing that struck me during the journey bounding the valley was the excellent opening afforded in this part for a cattle ranch, or more particularly for a sheep-run, which could be easily formed on the slopes of the Assiniboine valley, provided enough land could A FLOURISHING GERMAN COLONY. 93 lANITOBA TH. lan Colony ' consisting it — A very -Successful -A Tenant —The 111 inscarth, ind then ; side of din}' tlie Church Coh)iiiza- tioii Society. The trail Jeadiiig to it was over the open prairie, and rough enough for anytliing ; the Land cii route. a])peared to me to be rather light, and could not be called fii'st rate. At the time of my visit there was a population of some GO or 70 }»eople at Churchbridge ; 17 houses and a blacksmith's shop were already built, and a church, school, ami general store were shortly to be commenced. I did not fancy the colonists here were quite the sort of people to make good and success- ful settlers ; they appeared to be drawn from the well- to-do class in England, rather than from the yeoman, farmer, or agricultural classes ; and were generally too far advanced in years to make a fresh start in life under such different conditions from those of the old country. I think the English managers of such societies should use the greatest discrimination in selecting people to send out to a new settlement like this. The settlers' houses already erected are i)erclied up on any little bit of rising ground, and the sites are well chosen. The site for the future city was fixed upon, but if built on the o-round selected it will have the disadvantage of standiuix in a shallow hollow with the ground rising slightly on all sides. When I was there, however, the smithy was the sole representative of the projected city ; or perhaps I should say it shared that honour i;i AA' ICELA.\DER SETTLEMEN7\ 95 Colouiza- tlie open land en ould not ;liere was hbrifloc • (ly built, lortly to ists here success- tlie well- ycoraan, Tally too t in life f the old societies seleetinsf lis. The I on any II chosen, t if built dvantage nd rising ever, the projected t honour I with a large finger-post erected close by, pointing east- wards, on which was painted *' Darker Street," but no street was there. Beyond Churchljridge there is another new settle- ment called the "Commercial Company," at which a station named Bredenbury was to be located this present year. On our return drive to the railway car, we halted at an Icelander settlement. These people have every appearance of being very hardy and healtliy ; but the aspect of the house we stopped at did not tempt me to seek admittance. It was l)uilt solidly enough, of loiis, the sides and roof \it\\\si both covered with sods of earth ; but the little dwellinjx was out of all proportion in point of size to the number of its inmates ; however, large fixmilies are at a premium here. The great object in a new settlement is to build up a population ; and though the farming round seemed to be as bad as can possibly be imagined, the Icelander is looked upon with some favour by the agents employed in filling up the country ; probably because he will be content with less, and take land which othei's would not hold at any price. The next place we visited after leaving Langenburg on our return route towards Portao;e-la-Prairie was Birtle, which is very prettily situated on the Bird-tail Creek, and is cjuite a rising place. The town is, however, [ ? I 96 THE NEW EAR [VEST. on the opposite side of the vulh-y to the railway, which is rather incoiivciiiciit. Tliere is some good hind round here, niucth wooded in i)hiees ; Ijut a good deal of it is in the hands of speculators, hence settling is retarded. We took a long drive from JJirtle, calling in to see a school on our way : there were only six scholars present (tliiee boys and three girls), but the mistress said she had as many as twelve on her list ! 8hc had only just opened school when we called, which she excused on account of the wet grass ; but she was evidently a little uneasy at our visit, fancying we were inspectors or somebody of that sort, and was much relieved when reassured on this point. About seven miles from Birtle we came again to the open treeless prairie, extending as far as the eye could reach ; the land we crossed appeared thin, and not nearly of such good (piality as that nearer Biitle. We halted for half an hour at an English settler's house ; the man had been there eight years, and though not cpiite satisfied with his past experiences, he said he hoped the change for the better had come ; and like all others with whom I had come in contact, he pro- nounced the year's crop to be the best ever seen. He told me that two years previously six of his neighbours had given in and deserted their farms, succumbing to " bad times." Accordinii to this man, prices had " VOLLWTF.ER CROPS:' 97 railway, ;ood land jood dual ittliug is calling in i scholars mistress She had 'hich she she was r we were rcLB much aiu to the eye could and not itlc. "We r's house ; kough not 3 said he ; and like it, he pro- seen. He icio-hbours imbing to Drices had ^m m ■ in-,- (•i)in[)l('t('ly altorcd as compared to six years ago ; i'. //. butter was then oii(> dollar to on(» and a ([uai'tcr dollars a pound, and now only rdclicd aliout 20 cents; and a lOu 111. bag of Hour, which was then worth six dollars, was now sold for two. This great fall in the pi-ice of wheat nuist have a considerable effect upon the amount of land to be broken uj* For corn ; and I have always pointed (mt the error of reckhissly breaking up prairie pasture land, for this cannot be replaced at will. We saw a. good many d<'serted farms in the ct)urse of this drive, and in two instances what are callc(l "volun- teer crops," /. ('. crops from grain which had seeded itself the prcivious year. The farms luider cultivation were not so well tilled as those about Silver Creek. I had an opportunity of procuring some information from a. resident on the su1)ject of the summer frosts which are acknowledged to be so prevalent, and which often do so much dainage to the ripening corn. In answer to my inquiry whether autumn seeding might not be adopted instead of the spring seeding (about April) wh h is almost universally practised, he replied that some farmers were trying it, and he thought it would answer ; adding that he had himself observed, on comparing a crop of spring-sown corn with a *' volunteer crop," that the latter was much stronger and ripened earlier tlian the former. AVhat is ref[uired in this country is a seed I I I H ! I \ l=! 'll 98 r///i NEPr FA A' WEST. wliicli will nmturc! oai'ly in August; und if by inoiuis of auUunii .sowing tliu liarvust can be gjitluTcd a fortiiiglit or so ciirlit'f tliau at [ircsiMit, Ijy all means let it l»e, ibr this would make all the difference, as even if summer frosts do (xtcur (as sometimes ha|)[)ens) before the early part of August, they are not known then to do any damage to the wheat. Curiously enough, a frost is always expected on the Gth or 7th Septemljcr, and sure enough on the Gth we experienced a very sharp one, whieh injured a uood dual of outstandin<' orain. Several settlers told me that autumn seeding would not answer if the ordinary Canadian seeder was employed, for this machine does not phint as deeply as our drills ; and the wind here drifts the snow a good deal, leaving the ground bare, and often blowing up when light the sandy soil also. In the case of " volunteer crops," I was told the old stubble would catch the snow and prevent the ground being left bare. Since writing the above I have come across the following extract from a Canadian newspaper, which tends to show how very much Canadian farmers have the question at heart of ripening their wheat a little earlier, either by sowing earlier or by procuring a new seed. Referring to the experiments on Russian wheat,^ the Toronto Globe says : — 1 It lias since appeared that Kubauka -wheat is a Jekision. See Appendix ]>. \ ■ iiieiins of fortiii<^lit let it l)u, if summer tlie curly o do tiny a frost la •, mid sure uiie, which rul settlers iver if th(i is iiiiiehine wind here [ bare, and 50. In the hi stubble l)eing left across the per, which s have the tie earlier, ^ seed, v'heat,^ the ilusion. 8ee "A'U/IA(/A'A" 117//:: AT. 99 " If Mr. Field-.lohnsoii, of II<'a(lin;j;ly, Manitobn, liiis not been extraordinarily fortunate m jiis ex[)eri- nicnts with lUack .Sea wheat, the value of the North- West will prove vastly «,aeater than has recently been supposed. He states that * Kubauka ' wheat sown on April 28lh was reaty. If every farmer can do as well with it as Mr. Field-.Johnson, the great problem of growing wheat successfully year after year in the North-West has been solved. Nothing has been so necessary to the prosperity of that country as a g(jod milling wheat that would ripen two or three weeks earlier than any extensively sown there hitherto. The announcement of the Ileadingly farmer is really more important to Canada at large than any piece of news ^jublished for years. Upon the development of the prairie the future of the Confederation really d' -nds, and the *Kul)auka' grain may give the Dominion some adequate return for the hundreds of millions risked upon the North-West." Solsgirth was the next place we visited, not many II 2 i m T !»■ I /! ! 1 ii i( 1 1 ; J ^ 1 ! i! 'I ! ij .il • i V " ! loo r///r a7':;f far ivrsr. miles fi'oii) Hiiisftarth ; tlio laiul in its immediate vicinity is moni adapled foi- wli(Mit-,i^ro\vin^' than for stock-rai.siiiif ; Ijut a few miles furtli(;r on it improves very niueli in(l(M,'(l, and I was on-jitly interested in visiting an estate ov(;rI(jokiii^' IJird-tail Cre(jk, called lliver View, consistin<^ of ahout 4000 acn.'S, l)eloni*inij; to a Mr. Sliarman, an importer of Hereford eatth;. This farm has been started aliout nine years, and has grown gradually to its present siz(!. Tlai-vcst oj^-rations were in progress, but this holding is almost exclusively a stock farm. The " Ilerefojvls " looked well and fresh, much tlie same as well-brecl cattle would look in Eniiland in the autumn on a j^ood aftermath. The nearest house to this honuistead was two miles off, and Mrs. Sliarman complained of the difficulty of getting any female hel[). Mr. Sharmaii's house was pleasantly situated, and from thi' hanl- iiot oil ; statin Lt' liis sou 1(1 make ' useful ; and I [)on. a tenant o^ fellow ling out, June to til, board He was , and Ills the loan which I here was kitchen, 'he living ise alike, together. 1 propor- mnier six 1, at any jr a year i if he can do so, for he is then secure for the winter months, at which period oi the year there- is otlierwise great dilHculty in ol)taining einploynieiit. 1 hav'j now ijiven an outline of the iirooress made 1)}' three of tlie young men with whom I was acquainted; the result cannot be regarded as an unsuccessful start on the part of any of the three. I had intended writing only two chapters on this l)art of ^Ianitol)a, ])ut fearing to make them too length}', 1 find 1 must devote a third to this subject before resuming the thread of iii}' narrative at Victoria, Jhitish Columbia. XoTK. — Tlie Manitoba ami Xui'th- Western liailway was extended 25 miles towards Prince Albert during 1888, and the fullowing new stations have been opened — Churchbridge, Bredenbury, and Saltcoats. ■i ■■ -Si h I' i 1 06 T//£ iXElV FAR WEST. r iU ; 1" : ' M : ^ ii • I: 1 ': ' ; ' 1 li 1 1, 1 / (■ i'j; CILVPTER IX. " THE PARK-LIKE LANDS OF THE FERTILE BELT." MANITOBA SHOAL LAKE — MINNEDOSA RAPID CITY — NEEPAWA. A Succossful Shoot — A Cattle-raising District — A Severe Hailstorm — Stacks of ^lanure — A Thriving Cheese Factory — ^layor and Corporation do not keep tlieir Engagement — Shooting for the Pot — Chickens and Shells — A Severe Thunderstorm — Method of !• Assessment — The Kootenay Valley — Counsel to Emigrants — Mis- representing Letters — The American Dollar and the English Shilling — A Poor Man's Land — Milk-producing Oxen. We made another trip of inspection through the country round Shoal Lake, taking our guns with us, and killing ahout 50 wild-duck in the course of our 30 mile drive. When out shootinsf here it is the custom to traverse these long distances so as to secure a very large range ; however, it all often results in but a small bag in the end. I found the country better than I luid anticipated. A great part of the district is, in my opinion, more suitable for cattle-raising than corn-growing, although one farmer I met told me he expected to get that year I I Jl A PRAIRIE FIRE. 107 40 Inishcls f)f wlioat to the acre. In a good year a fine crop of corn may certainly be grown, but I fancy this is more the exception than tlie rule, and there is l)e>sides no safeguard against summer frosts, \vhi(th are more frecpient in this latitude than further south. At the time of my visit the whole country was unusually dry, there having been a long drought during the previous year ; a great many of the sloughs and small lakes were quite dried up, and we were occasionally driven through one of them at a trot. But even when they are full of w\ater, many of them are not fit to use for drinking purposes. When in the neighbourhood of Russell two small lakes were pointed out to me within a mile of one another, one containing salt water, the other fresh. A tremendous prairie fire occurred not long ago in this district (Shoal Lake), extending over many miles, and we noticed some of its after-effects on the trees and brushwood, which were much damaged. This fire must apparently also have burnt up all the prairie fowls in the district, for we did not see a single chicken in the whole day's drive. During another 30 mile? :p :"tion of the Riding IMountains, I was able to see the Strath- clair Settlement. At this place w-e left the low marshy ground, over which we had hitherto travelled, behind us, and got on to a higher ridge, better cultivated in Hi i:. ' i, 1 , ' [I ' 1' ! \ I v. 1 J I 'I loS T//E NEIV FAR IVEST. cvL'iy way. The settlers here iuul been visited in tlie iiiuiith of Jinn; by a severe liiiilstorm which had euni- pk'tely (Iestr()y«;il many erops of wheat, and must have lieeii especially di.sap[)()iiitiiig in this partieidarly good season. I counted throughout this drive 150 head of catth.', but only one sheep ; perluips this is partly ac(;ount('d for l)V the existence of the IShoal Lake cJieese factory, where many of the farmers find a ready sah; for their milk. There were several instances of summer falhnving, but 1 saw no attempt whatever at hauliu'^ out manure for the land. In fact, near the various homesteads we passed, I noticed many stacks of manure which I slnjuld think must have accumulated ever since the settlers first came in, about nine years ago, wjpn the Camulian Pacific route was surveyed to come this way. It did not appear to me tliat any new houses had been erected lately, a fact which rather pointed to the conclusion that immigration was not setting in ra,pidly in these parts. The houses were nearly all log buildings, Ijuilt before framed houses were so easily procurable ; and partly from this reason, and parti}' from being really older, do not present as neat an appearance as others I have seen elsewhere ; though hardly any can ever be called " smart " in appearance anywhere, for they are quite the exception. In the course of the afternoon 1 visited a cheese I" A CHEESE EACTORY. 109 I ill tlu; ad com- i.st liuvc •ly go(j(l head of 4 l)aTtly 1,1 Lake a ready ariccs of tever at tear the stacks of mulatcd 10 years 'eyed to [luy new 1 rather ivas not jes were ses were son, and as neat though Doaranee 1 cheese factory, al)out lialf a mile from the railway-stiitioii ;iiid immediately ailjoiiiiiig the lake; it is run hy a Mr. Waldock. This sort of (jntcrprise is a- com|i;irativcly new industry now being startccl in m;iny jjarts ; ami when run by a man who knows his business it is jiretty sure to be successful. It is also a great lielj) to sninll settlers round owning one or two cows, as it atlbrds ii, ready market for their milk without entailing any trouble ; for the ])ro[)rietor sends many mile round hj collect it. This [)articular fact(jry is run during four months and a half of the year; namely, from IGth ^i;iy to 1st October, and makes on an average 14,000 lbs. of cheese per month. The proprietor keeps 45 cows at his homestead, some of which are hired from the nei'j,h- hours. lie has 52 settlers' houses on his list from whence to collect milk, for which purpose he keeps four teams of horses to send in various directions through the country for a distance of 20 miles round, i»ieking up cans of milk en rof/ta. The factory is pleasantly situated, and appears to be a thriving and go-ahead business. The sample of cheese I tasted was excellent, and [ was told a ready sale was found in Winnipeg fy hills iiiid risiii;^ ^roiiiul. A voiy liud ;iiid lickuty luid^c, s[){ui8 the rivrr, ;iiid iJu; sooinr tiuj citizcMi.s i'(!j_jhi(;(i it, hy ii new onm Minnedcrsa that I visitecl Mr. Il.dl's firm, wiiere niy tenant's son liad obtuinace of only three years. The oat crop was excellent ; the whc-at crop had also been very good, hut had been, unfortunately, much daniiiged a fortnight befor(; by an early frost. The estate consists (^f 480 acres, the land is good and well-wooded, and tlu^re is a capital brook of excellent water intersecting the farm, as good to drink as any in England, my emigrant friend told m(;. liapid City is 17 miles from Minnedosa, and is .nai A IIRUK EN ENGAGEMENT. in M)i"Oiicli('(l bv tli(i vnllcy of llif, liittJi' B.'iskiitchowan, 'l»l iiloiig wiiich tin; (;ro[).s vvcru iiieriur description. 1 noticed hut few cattle and no sheep. Large cornfields adjoiueil one another, all well fenced in, and the country ofti'ii resemhled some well-cultivated distric^t in the eastern counties of England. Nearer the town the land was uncultivated, which was accounted for hy its heing in the hands of speculators and mortgage companies. I saw a fine {uncultivated) lot of G40 acres, which was a school lot, and will shortly be in the market. Although discontent is often ex])ressed at the way speculators hold land in Manitoba, waiting for better times, it appears to me that the authorities thtmselves very frecpiently set the example by holding back such lots as school lots (which are generally the pick of the townshij)), awaiting better prices : which are usually brought about in consequence of the adjoining sections l)eing taken up and built upon. A " boom " in land is generally charged with being the source of all t.ie evil : when one occurs lands change hands at such prices that they cannot be resold without loss ; and although there may be a dulness now, I fancy that the present holders I ^i 114 • III ' m ii^n THE NFAV FAR WEST. would very soon dear out if 1 ey could ouly get up a liooiu again on their own account. While here 1 was overtaken hy one of those sudden and terrilde thumlerstoinis whicji are prevalent in this count ly. j\Jy conijianioii had jui-t predicted a fine after- noon, and vet within five minutes tlici'c was a flash of lightning, quickly succeeded hy a se(,'ond, and down came a deluge of rain, and \vc were at once in the midst of one of the most severe storms I liave ever expei'ienced. Fortunately there was a Innkling near, and to it we hurried for shelter. Jt proV(-d to he the pioneer hut of the neighhourhood, erected altout nine years })re\iously, when settlers were first attracted to this district, and when the t(nvn of Ne^'pawa (ahout ten miles oil') was not even dreamt of. AVith a settler's usual hospitality (they are nearly all Ontario i)eo})le in this i)art), the inmates at once invited us in to tea, for whi(;h meal, with other visitors in the house who had been detained Ijy the storm, we formed a large j'ai'ty. No payment is ever thought of, and to decline the invitation would be a breach of etiquette. The first thing said to a stranger on arriving at a settler's house always appears to be — "Have you folks had anything to eat ?" This is the invariable; greeting, alike from the humblest and the well-to-do and i»rosperous ; in each case the same uenuinc kindness and hospitalilv are manifest. H w mm PLAX OF ASS/-SS.]//-:A"r. IJ- ;t Up a sutUlt^n ill tliis 10 after- Hasli of (1 clown lie iniilst urieucL'd. :o it we cji' hut of ■cviously, tri(tt, and olV) was )spilality part), the ell meal, etainetl payment loii would said to a ,s n[tp''ai"H { " This i)l('st aiiked about was how funerals are managed here, and 1 found the r le has been to bur\' a farmer on his own hind, hut that the Covernnient is now urging the JMauitobaiis to set aside a plot of ground as a cemetery in each municipality. Neepawa was the last place I visited in this neigh- I 2 " Nil n h I M I [ fli I.'' I J ' il6 THE NEW FAR WEST. hoiirliood before returning to Portnge-la-Prairie, wlierc I had appointed to meet Colonel Baker of Kootenay, with whom [ returned to Winnipeg, — seeing that place for the fourth time in my life. I was very much dis- appointed to lind from him that, owing to the lateness of the season, and the shallowness of the water in the Columbia Eiver, I should be unable to visit the Koote- nay valley, or see Cranbrook, his place there. From him I learnt that the best time to visit the valley was either the last week in May or the first week in August. lie gave mc a very glowing account of the valley, which he said was about 200 miles long, by five to 25 miles broad ; he considers it essentially a mining country, and not a farming district ; there is some good land suitable mostly for cattle and horses, but not enough of it fit for cultivation ever to make it a farmino; centre. This same view I have since heard so often repeated, that I fancy there cannot be any doubt on the subject. The beauties of the Kootenay valley have been again and again extolled ; but the more I hear about the place, the more certain am I becomino; that it can also boast mosquitoes not to be equalled, and that they exist in greater numbers here at certain times in the year than in any other place in the world. I close my chapters on Manitoba with a few words on the subject of emigration generally. First, a word of MISRKPRESKXTIXG I.E TTERS. 117 .vliere en ay, place h dis- teness in the Lvoote- From cy was UiQ-ust. , wliicli 5 miles ;iy, and suitable )f it fit This tliat I , The lin and e place, ISO boast exist in 3ar than \v words , word of warning to parents and friends in Engliind. Letters lionie are often written by the employer in the name of the employed, and at his request ; but they are not always altogetluu- dictated by him. The fact is, the emigrant is often but a poor scholar, and is glad to get it done for him, and at any rate it saves him trouble. Now of course the small landlord in Manitoba and the North-West is anxious to increase the value of his property, and also to lower the cost of laljour. In ordc^r to accomplish the first of these objects, it is to his advantage to get the sections adjoining his own land cultivated and built upon ; and as to his second object, the more people he can induce to come into his locality the greater the competition for employment, and, con- sequently, the lower the standard of wages. Glowing accounts are, for these reasons, too often introduced in homeward-bound letters, and have the effect of makini]: parent3 and friends feel discontented at home and wish they could reach this promised land. In my opinion it is only the young and able-bodied from an over- populated district, and who cannot make a living here, who should go ; and married people with ftimilies can usually do better at home than there. I have always been greatly opposed to shipping off people wholesale from the old country, if they have any chance of getting employment here. It is hardly fair to English employers (■[ 1(1 < ! II! THE NEW FAR WEST. ■) ! I { I 4 ; i II 1 1 HI .'! ti I I ; i of labour to persuade j'^oung men to quit the country, and so raise the price of wages, nor is it a kindness to the young fellows themselves to induce them (]>y dangling tlie " almiglity dollar " before their eyes) to face the uui^ertainties of a new country ; and it should always be remembered that a dollar (4s\) only goes about as far in America as a shillinsi; does here in Eim'land. So far as ray experience of the Colonies and America is concerned, I may say I have never come across such an equitable and healthy climate (take it all round) as our much-abused English one ; and to send out old l)eople to be frizzled one month and half-frozen the next, is hardly the sort of action to Ining down the blessings of the unfortunate emigrant on one's head. But those who have got acclimatized while still fairly young become contented and happy, and in time condemn the dampness of our English climate as much perhaps as we do the peculiarities of the one to which they have accustomed themselves. The usual answer one meets with from settlers in Manitoba, and especially from Ontario people (who are the most numerous there), is that they are getting on "first-rate." English people undoubtedly like the climate better at the end of three years than they do at the end of the first, and, provided good water is procurable, the population usually enjoy ^ SUITABLE EMIGRANTS. 119 i;ood he.iloh. I consider Mauitobti a good poor man's laud, but not one in which wealth can be rapidly accu- mulated. The whole system of cutting up the country into such small sections is uninviting to capitalists, but is an admirable way of peopling it with small free- holders, and these latter can get on well enough (so far as making a bare living ;,oes) after the first start, pro- vided they have good seasons and no drawbacks. 1 fancy that as a rule no one over forty years of age is likely to settle down comfortably ; and for a married couple of the laljouring class over that age, and ncjt especially fitted for any particular industry, to go out with no settled object is simply to court disappoint- ment. Young folks going out may save money, settle, marry, and eventually have large families — the larger the better, as every extra child is looked upon with satisfaction as causing in some way an increase in value of the stock on the farm, and also as a saving in the future in the labour bill ! It sometimes happens that persons connected with the ajijricultural lands of the Far West, although anxious and willing to give bond fide information and help, arc not themselves practical farmers, and this the following little anecdote will exemplify, for the truth of which I can vouch : — A person writing from England incpured whether everything was in readiness for him on his I'' ! ?J ik. vv- U 120 THE NEW FAP WEST. arrival on the other side, and especially if the oxen to l)reak up the land had been purchased. The reply ran as follows (and I have seen the letter myself) : " The oxen will supply milk and butter, as well as be useful to cultivate the land." RETURN TO VICTORIA, 121 CILVPTER X. VICTORIA, VANCOUVER ISLAND — BRITISH COLUMBIA. Iliglily-reutcd Laud — Value of Cleared Farms — Cliiuiuuun v. Ent,di.sh Labourer — High Prices of Fuel and Provisions — Sharp I'ractico on a Chinaman — A Prosperous Town — Terminus of Canadian Pacific llaihvay — A Disappointment that turned into a Bonetit — Victorian Industries — Iron-works — Chinese IJootmakers — ^lagnifi- cent Harbour — Xeed of Fortilicatiuns — A Hint to Young Ladies in England. Having now completed my chapters on the " pavk- like lands of the fertile belt," and given what inform- ation I can about the land near the Canadian Pacific Railway and its branches generally, I must resume the thread of my narrative at Victoria, Vancouver Island. Once back there, I felt myself as thoroughly at home as in many places in England, although almost six thousand miles away from the old country. During my stay I enjoyed the hospitality of my friend Mr. Justice Crease, at whose house I took up my quarters. While staying at Victoria I was taken by a friend to look at several farms in the neighbourhood, which ir^ it ! 1^ li I i f I \ ' I « i I j t - I : ■ ( ■ it >■ 1 •• r ! r i ■ 122 7"//A' iA'iiJF FAJ^ WEST. tlie owners professed to be willing to sell. One of these was near Gordon Ile-ul, to which we drove out past ]Moiint Tolmie and the Bishop's lands. There were some nice little farms alono; the road before rejichino; these, l)nt rock protruded very much in places, and from the prices quoted to me of the value of the land, it appears to me that much cannot be l)OUght about here • or, in fact, farm laud at all except in very small parcels. The Bishop's property seemed one of the largest estates lying together, as far as I could see. One farm consisted of about 130 acres, and I was told it was let at 23*. per acre, and the taxes came to al)out £5 a year more ; but this was an old take, and if re- let it would command a higher price. At Blount Tolmie a nice house was being erected, and I was told that the person who was putting it up had purchased the land a short time previously, paying for it at the rate of 115 dollars (£23) per acre. It appeared to consist for the most part of arable land, which is the case almost universally here, for the old grass is broken up. This is a pity, because, lying near to Victoria, one would think grass lands would have been valuable for dairy purposes. On reaching Gordon Head we found the owner at home. His farm consisted of about 140 acres, 50 of which were cleared, and the remainder were rock and timljcr ; there was a wooden house on 4 i X I HIGH PRICE OF LAND. .133 it. The i)nce nsked for the haul was 50 dolhirs [}., e. £10) per acre. Of course such a ja-ice as tliis was quite a |)roliil)itive one, for the cleared Luid was still very rougli indeed ; but my companion told me that had the whole farm been cleared, £20 per acre would have l)een asked. J3ut even had it all been cleared {i. ('. cleared of trees), half of it would probably have been rock, for it is only the swampy or bottom lands amongst the rocks — hollows, in fact, holding soil — which are capable of cultiv^ation here. These prices show that it is useless for the ordinary emigrant farmer to come here to take up land anywhere near Victoria, for none that is free is now to be obtained, though some Government holdings untaken u[) are still to be found in remote parts of the island, with which communication is slowly being opened up. As regards the pro.'Dects of an agricultural labourer coming here, a good man would probably find em- ployment, but the settlers cannot generally atlbrd to pay for extra labour, and, when they do, can perhaps get a Chinaman cheaper than a white man. In fact, as the holdings are, as a rule, small, and wages high, an extra man all the year round is out of the question. From the enormous quantity of timber, it is evident that the farmer in these parts must follow the " lum- berer," for it takes a man's lifetime to only partially i I 1 1 II « !' • >■— 124 THE NEW FAR WEST. n I' ' I hi ;:' ■J'\ \ \\\ A i clciir a siiiall farm ; so holdings of any size nm.st yi't l)c in the far distance. Witli some exceptions on the Delta, Q>s. to 40v. per ton in the town, and 1G6'. per ton at the pit's mouth. Chickens fetch Gy. per couple ; buttci- '2.s\ a pound all the year DEFRAUDING THE CIUXAMAN, 127 round ; niillv 10^/. per gjillon ; eggs l.v. ji dozen in .sunmicr, and 'U. n do/en in winter. Horses in this country ;tp[)ear to hcjir fiitigue much better tlnin with us, iind will go h)ng distances witliout a rest; the drive to see tlie farms [»ears to have been a disappointment to many Victorians, who had hoped ft)r the terminus at Esquimalt, as originally settled by "Order in Council" of the Dominion Government; but in reality the new city has been of much benefit to the trade of Victoria, as attracting a [)()pulation, and thereby increasing the importanc^e and business of the province. j\lany Victorians are large owners of pro})erty in Vancouver, and are greatly interested in other waj'S in the advancement of the new town. INIy impression is that the prosperity of V^ictoria will be assisted by the growth of the terminal town, and she has the ' i rf ■ 1 i i >ii '1 1 130 T//E NEW FAR WEST. control of all the trade of the North- West coast, which is increasing in importance and value every year. The capital employed in the industries of the province is chiefly owned Ijy Victorians, and such manufacturing enterprises as exist are chiefly established in Victoria. The Albion Iron Works, with a capital of about 300,000 dollars employed, does an active business, and engages about 100 hands at high wages regularly. The l)Oot and shoe manufacturing employs Chinese labour almost entirely, and turns out a large amount of work. The collieries of the province are largely owned in Victoria. The lumber-mills and salmon fisheries are to a o-reat extent owned or controlled in Victoria, where also the steamship lines doing the inter-provincial carrying trade of the province have their headcjuarters. The people for the most pnrt are well-to-do, with a very few who could Ije termed wealthy ; and having attained com- fortable circumstances are disposed to take things easily as far as possible, and show a good deal of Conservative tendency. There are very few poor, and the sober, industrious, intelligent artisan is bound to thrive, and finds the place congenial in every way. Wages in 1888 for bricklayers and masons, five and six dollars per day ; carpenters, three dollars fifty cents, for good workmen. The public schools are free, but religious teaching prohibited. They are well attended l)y cliildren till I Esn unrA l t iia riu ) i n. •31 com- sasily ative and :es iu lollars crood licrious iUlrou of all classes, and the teaching power is good, and well remunerated. Religions sects arc fully represented. Church of Eno'land and Roman Catholics have l)otli a prominent influence, hut every sect has a meeting- house, including a Freethought Hall and Salvation Army Barracks. The tone of the place is still thoroughly Rritish, though pcrhnps, on account of the more recent accessions of [lopulation coming from Eastern C^anadian cities, there has been some falling off in that ret.^,.('t since my last visit, and the "old country" is not so much talked al)out. The natural beauties of the city's surroundings are so attractive, that they alone must command admiration, and secure for Victoria an ever- increasing importance as a city; and as to the advantages of climate I have already spoken my praises. Besides my inquiries as to different farms and lots near Victoria, I made an expedition by railway to Xanaimo and AVellington, a distance of 1^ miles. The line passes Escpiimalt harbour, where I visited the dockyard and the dry dock ; the latter is 431 feet long by 65 broad, and 28 feet deep, and must of course be of great service to the Pacific naval station. The harbour is a beautiful one in every sense of the word, with perfectly safe anchorage, and surrounded by finely timbered slopes. So much has been said and written about new fortifications along this coast, that a word IC 2 11 , if' ' lfi j ■ 1 flT i ' 132 THE NEIV FAR WEST. licre may not be out of place. In my opinion, whatever may Le decided as to Victoria and Vancouver City, Esquimalt Harljour at any rate should not remain unfortified. I'o leave such a maonificent position as this (the finest harbour on the Pacific excepting San Francisco) at the mercy of an enemy would be an error such as I can liardl)' l)elieve any Government could be short-sitrhted enouuh to allow. The rail tlien proceeds through the forest, running high u[) alongside Saanwich Arm (a salt-water inlet), and for the first 20 miles or so the country is interesting, and the views very fine ; but after that the forest becomes so dense that there is not much to be seen. As we passed Cowitchan Station I noticed that two small h(jtels were being run up there ; and the town of Nanaimo has certainly consideral)lv increased since mv last visit. Just before reaching the station there I saw the Vancouver C^olliery, where the lamentable accident had occurred the previous year by which 150 men had lost their lives. Six miles beyond Nanaimo we came to the Wellington (.^ollicry, belonging to ]Mr. Dunsmuir ; here a quantity of labourers' houses and one central house were being run up, but there is otherwise no actual town. The coal is loaded close by at Departure Bay. Althdugh very much jJcased with British Columbia, I fear it is not a farminir countrv, and in the winter H «m SCARCITY OF SERVANTS. I V tlie western coast is a decidedly wet climate (thouij,ii not so wet on Vancouver Island, where the rainfall is 254^ inches, as on the west coast of the mainland, where it reaches GO inches). Land here is also held at an unreasonal)ly high value, whether wood or cleared, and town lots at Vancouver arc as high as a person intend- ing to start there in business would find it prudent to liive. Nevertheless, had I to reside in the Colonies I should choose Victoria, for everything is purely English, and the upper classes are as entirely so in manners and speech as anybody residing in England itscif. The scarcity of servants is a drawljack. Chinese are mostly employed, but I expect the ladies of the establishment do a great deal beyond mere supervision, both in house- work and cooking ; and especially as regards the latter, when there is to be a dinner-party ; an example which miglit be followed by many young ladies in England with some advantage, at any rate to themselves. 1 1 'W=^ msmm mmm m 134 r/fE NEW FAR I VEST. il N 'H i ' ! i hi I I ' CHAPTER XL VICTORIA, B.C., TO SAX FRANCISCO, U.S.A. A New Town — An Opening for Farming Enterprise — A Fruit-raising District — Maize v. Wheat — A Coach-drive — "Shell out" — Head- (^narters for Tourists — Cable-cars — A Beautiful Park — Rocks and Seals — Effects of Irrigation — The Chinerio Quarter — The Failure of an expected "Boom" — A "Header" — Grapes at £2 a Ton — Eight Months without Rain — Re-importing Native Wine — A Great Future for San Francisco — A Desirable Loan for English Farmers. I LEFT Victoria, Vancouver Island, with feelings of great regret, starting on the s. s. Taconia for the town of that name in the United States — a run of 110 miles. We touched at Port Townsend, and then at Seattle, which latter place has made prodigious strides in the last four years, and is a thoroughly American town. Tacoma is also very much altered and improved, and where but four years ago only a few houses stood, a large new town has sprung up in a wonderful manner. This is due to the Northern Pacific Railway Company having declared it the Pacific terminus of their line. The A FRUir-RAISIXG DISTRICT. 135 company has also built a fine large hotel (as good a one as I have ever stayed in in America) to supersede the wretched accommodation I remembered so well experiencing four years before. We left Tacoma early the following morning by rail, bound for Portland, Oregon, and passed through a thickly-wooded country, very little cleared, where the farming was very primitive ; but still what little arable ■ we saw a})peared to be of good quality, and therefore })robably extensive farms might by dint of clearing be formed here. Presently the forest became very dense, l)Ut the trees were inferior in girth to those of JJritish Columbia. We followed the windings of the Cowlitz River for some distance, noticing clearings in different places, showino: that settlers were makimx the best use of their time ; fruit-trees had been planted in many places, and were bearing heavy and abundant cro})s. Near Kelso Station the improvements were especially remarkable, and it appeared to be a very thriving settlement. At Kalama we quitted Washington Territory, and were ferried, train and all, over the Columbia River into Oregon, through which State we continued our journey. Here ae soil appeared very good, and fruit-trees grew luxuriantly. We passed many large open homesteads, and the nearer we approached to Portland the better i f !i i., Dm* f li ■; i 1 . I 1 I IHfl' li, 1 > * - El ! M 136 r//E x/-:ir far west. the Iniid l)ernm(^ ; in fact, \ wns very iiin(']i plcscd with wliat I saw of Oregon State. From Portland the line folk) wed the valley of the A\ illamette (100 miles long by 40 broad), passing Oregon City and Aurora. After about :20 miles the valley widened out, and 1 could see that the farms here were of a first-class sort, very different from anything I had noticed for a long- time. The information as to prices varied, one man saying they ranged between 15 and 50 dollars an acre, and another putting them at from 30 to 250 dollars ; but, anyway, it is clear that this land can be bought at almost the same price as hind in British Columbia, and that it is of very superior quality. Some 15 nules from the line, under the Cascade Mountains (I suspect a spur of the Sierra Nevadas), land is still open for settlement at al)out one and a half dollars an acre, — but it is uncleared. There was a good deal of timbered land near the railway which could be turned to account for farming purposes, and I fancy there is an opening here for an enterprising man. It is said that the rainfall ^a Oregon is very heavy, but, whether this is so or not, I cannot help thinking the Willamette valley a most desirable place for farming operations, judging by the rich look of the soil and the surrounding prosperity. Night closed in, however, before I could see the valley thoroughly. February is, I am told, the worst month -I I mmmm In tor icre ifall Inot, iiost tl ic rity. liUoy oiitli ''SHELL out:' 137 % ill Oiv'goii State, iinil it is cold lierc tlicu for a short tiiiio. The next inorninG; we passed tlirough RoiT^ne Valley, a fjiiiious fruit-raising district ; laud here, though uot looking very good, is pronounced excellent for this purpose, and commands high prices, — from 100 to 300 dollars an acre. Maize is also }ji;ro\vn to a larije extent, and is said to pay better than wheat ; indeed then! were complaints that (piantities of wheat were lying idle at the stations, the owners being unable to sell at a profit. At the time of my journey the railway from Portland to San Francisco was not completed throughout ; ^ there was a gap of about 20 miles over the range of mountains called Siskiyous which had to be performed by stage ; but the line when finished will supersede the sea route. At a place called Ashland we were a(;cord- ingly transferred to three waggons and a couple of coaches of the "Buffalo Bill" description. Pretty tightly packed, we commenced our journey over at first a fairly smooth road ; but at the approach to the mountain " divide," a crv came from the driver on the box, "Shell out;" so accordingly out we all crawled, and the remaining portion of our j(jurney to the summit had to !)e performed on foot. Before reaching the summit we saw the new tunnel just finishetl ; the first 1 Opened throughout in 1887. r? 138 THE NFAV FAR WEST. I I ■\\ I I M: L'ligiuo li;ul pushed tlirout^h it dii the previous day — so prol^altly I have been one of the hist English tnivolleiy by the ohl stage route over the mountain. 1 had ;i sphjiidid view from tlie summit, and walked on alto- gether a1)out ten miles before the first staize cauixht me up. This Siskiyous range of mountains form a link between the Cascade Mountains (joining the Sierra Nevadas further south) and the Coast ranee. After crossing the mountains we were in California, and the change was very remarkable as we descended the slopes ; everything was parched up and as dry as ■a desert; but although so dry it was not dusty, and there was a certain amount of cultivation ap[arent. We frequently noticed large herds of pigs and cattle which appt'ared to be thriving, especially some of the latter near Montao'ue. Close to jNlontauue we obtained a capital view of Mount Shasta, 14,442 feet high, m the Sierra Nevada range ; and tlie scenery continued to improve, till from a place called Sessions the view was magnificent. Sessions is situated in Strawberry Valley, and would make good headquarters for tourists ; but any one wishing to see this beautiful route from San Francisco thoroughly, should go on beyond to Montague — 351 miles distant from San Francisco. Strawberry Valley is well- wooded, the sugar-pine being the principal tree, but there are also many spruce. Con- IB'i,' wmmmm^B tacfuc CD berry the Coii- AV T//E SACRAMENTO VALLEY. '39 tiiiuin^' our journey, we diisceiulcd the cnfioii of the ►Suenuneuto at a tremendous pnee, — faster iiidtcd than I .should tliink was really prudent on a new line which had only been completed six n )nths before. Night came on quickly, and 1 fear caused me to miss much of the beautiful scenery ; but early the followiiio- morninix I found we were still in the fertile Sacramento Valley. Everything- looked most prosper- ous ; we passed fine villages and several towns, and saw large herds of cattle grazing in the fields; but the stubl)le-fields and the hills were all of a uniform brown tint, for the country was parched and burnt up, as o£ (bourse must ha})i)en v;hen there has been no rain for six months, as had been the case here. The villages looked A'cry pleasant, and the fields around were all fenced in. Everything in the State of California appeared most prosperous, and I believe that such is really the case. AVe passed Benicia by its huge ferry- boat, which conveys the trains over l)odily, and soon reached Oaklands, from whence a ferry-boat took us across to San Francisco. Here I went to the Palace Hotel, where I arrived about 8 a.m., having safely accomi)lished my journey of 1030 miles from Victoria (British Columbia) in three days two hours. San Francisco is certainly a wonderful place ; it* growth is perfectly extraordinary, and it is impossible 'U ij ( !' Ml: t ( ^. !■' 140 77/A a7:;f /"/iA' ir/:s7\ to realize thoniuj^lily the fact that thirty-seven years n,L,'o tliore was al)8olutely nothing here, where now there is a city witli 300,000 inhabitants, and houses and shoi)s to rival anytliin'i' in London or Paris. The "caljle- cars" form a simply perfect means of locomotion, so rapid and so smootli ; the case witii which they travel onwards as the conductor aifixcs a catch to the under- ground rope, makes one pity the poor tram-car horses that one sees labouring along with tlie ordinary cai's. I made a little excursion by cable-car to the Golden Gate Park, a few miles out of 8an Francisco, at the f ntrance to the harbour ; it is formed out of desert by dint of irrigation. There is a large conservatory and some excellent carpet-bedding ; the trees and shrubs were all doiiifj well, and the grass was most beautiful, its bright green contrasting strongly with the brown vegetation around. Leaving the park I went on by train a few miles further to Clift' House to see the view again over the Pacific Ocean, and the rocks crowded with seals. Our little train consisted only of four or five open cars, and the line wound its way through the hills, landinsj us at about five minutes' walk from the hotel. Part of the return journey I performed by one of the cable-cars, which are great features in San Francisco ; indeed, they are almost a necessity of the place, for the city is built on a tier of hills, and without ■I P"* CAtlLE-CARS. 141 these cars coninmnicatioii betwcun tlic" diirorciit juirts Would he, VL'iy (liilicult. Tlie cable-cars arc maiiitaiuL'tl Ity tlie Californiaii lni])roveiiH'nt Conniaiiy, and, a.s is now pretty generally known, are worked hy an endless rope without horses, iiiid go up and down hill with the; greatest ease, at a pace of from six to eight miles an hour. The ofHeials connected with them are all of a superior chiss, and are most civil to Ijoth the citizens and strangers ; (contrasting in this respect very favourably with most of the railway ofHeials on the ditfereut American railway lines. Another day I drove out with a friend to th(5 Presidio — the military barracks, near the Golden Gate ; there are pretty detached houses for the officers, and capital barracks for the men, all in excellent order. The prison (whicli is situated on an island) was in full sioht, and a beautiful view of the harbour of San Francisco was obtainable. We proceeded past the (Jolden Gate towards Cliff' House, but before descending to it, drove round Mr. Sutio's grounds, which are admirably laid out, and will well repay a visit. The view from thence of the Pacitic Ocean and of the territory around was splendid. Trees, shrubs, flowers and grass are all most luxuriant in growth in this garden ; yet a short time aixo it was onlv a sandbank, and this charm- intr result is due to constant irriiration. We drove i4 ' !i '! I I T-f^ ' a m L ' MV-m s^sVHPn T 142 TNE NEW FAR WEST. t m \ ! i 1 '. L m !■ I HI; home past the Goklen Gate Park — wliere garcleners were waterhijx tlie «j:rass in all directions — illoll^' a road as level as a l)illiard-table, and quite 150 feet Ijroad. The roads about here were made by an American General named ^IcDowell, and certainly they do him credit, being most l)eautifully smooth and broad. The diinese quarter of San Francisco called " China Town " is quite distinct and well worth a visit. I went to see two " Joss-houses" there (their places of worship) ; also ca Chinese school for girls, kej)t by some benevolent ladies as a kind of refuge; a gambling-house, and some of the more respectable of the opium smokers' dens. We also visited the theatre, in the upstair part of which the actors reside"; it was filthily dirty, and as dry as tinder, so that if once ignited ca terril)le blaze would quickly ensue, and the passages are so narrow that I cannot see how it would be possible for the inmates to escape. Another day I made an expedition with my friend Mr. Gwin to Bay Point, to see the ran(;h there which had formerly belonged to his family, and which I had visited in 1883. We went by rail 34 miles to ^Martinez, wliere a " boom " was expected, which every one was talking about, and in consequence of which an excursion train had been run from San Francisco, and a free luncheon (of which of course wo availed ourselves) was given at C IK O) G Mr. luul dted leve nng :rain icon ^.V EXPECTED ''BOOM," 143 the j\Iartincz Hotel. In the window tlierc we snw dis- played a capital show of flowers, and of apples, pears, and black and white grapes, all grown in the open nir. The " boom," in town lots and land in the neiijhbour- hood, was being discussed with much laughter, and to judge by the number of passengers by the excursion train, it must have been a failure. jMartinez seemed rather an Italian -looking' place, with shade-trees lininix the streets and foot-hills risinu' on one side of the town. We drove from here to Bay Point, passing numerous holdings of from 15 to 30 acres with excellent houses. Great improvements had evidently taken phn^e during the years which had elapsed since my previous visit, for the country \*cis covered with orchards, vineyards, and pumpkin grounds. The people here make a good living by their own labour, without employing many (if any) extra hands. Land here which 25 or 30 years ago was sold by Government at 1^ dollars an acre, now com- mands from 50 to 200 dollars an acre ; the rise in value has, of late especially, been very great, and the district I recommended in 1883 — Passadora in Southern California — has gone up to an immense price, and is now sold by the foot. Arrived at Ikiy Point we went over the ranch which in 1883 had belono^ed ^-^ ^fr. Gwin, now sohl, an il '.< il \ ' F 1 i '.' i ' n , 1 1 I > I I In 146 TiV^ NEIV FAR WEST. the journey to an English traveller, but the country we travelled over by both routes was well worth seeing. The broad-gauge line took me back by the shore, past jNIontercy Bay, and then right along the promontory on which San Fiincisco is built. The route was entirely agricultural, with very large wheat-fields, orchards, and vineyards ; nicely timbered, though not enough to interfere with farming operations, and there were several towns dotted about. A fellow-traveller told me that when he first passed through the country between San Jose and San Francisco in 1851, in the course of his Inisiucss as a drover, there was but one house in the whole district. The country is productive and flat, with mountains bounding the distance. For nearly the whole of the way fine specimens of the American (evergreen) oak were dotted about in the stubble-fields. At Gilroy there were very large herds of cattle feeding in the stubbles. It must be understood that as no rain falls here for eight months of the year, and the country is consequently very dry, meadow lands are not nmch studied ; but all the land is cultivated as arable, fruit orchard, and vineyard. Even the steep hill-sides, which formerly escaped the plough and remained as grass, are now being utilized as vineyards. Though excellence in wine-making has not yet been achieved, there is a great improvement in the last few years, and the Califoruians m ail m lucli llVuit llucli are L'cat iiaus CALIFORNIAN WINES. 147 themselves now drink their own wines much more than was formerly the case. A red wine called Zinfandell, and a light one Schramsberger, are both good and cheap for ordinary drinking. The usual fault of the wine of this country is that it is too strong and heady, but there is no doubt that a large quantity is exported annually and mixed with French wines. Californians have been known actually to repurchase as French a wine of which the greater portion has been grown iji their own State. For both Italians and Frenchmen there is a great opening in California for wine-growing, and also for Eno-lishmen in the industries of fruit and vegetable raising, and corn-growdng. Comparing San Francisco for a moment with Van- couver City, we find that while the latter has practically no agricultural district to support it, San Francisco, on the contrary, has some of the best wheat-growing land in the world to form a home trade. Its harljour is about GO miles long, and must be the finest in the States, even surpassing that of Nr* - York. The cul- tivation of the vineyards and orchards, which are now rapidly supplanting the wheat-fields, will afibrd employ- ment to a large population ; the grapes are excellent, quite as good as many grown in our English hot-houses, and the pears are first-rate. In Southern California orange groves are much in vogue and answer well ; indeed, the L 2 1 1 I I 'I \> ii '■ i ' . 143 T//E NEW FAR WEST. whole of this State must have a great future l)efore it. Formerly it belonged to the Mexicans, who only used it for breeding horses, and did not attempt to develop its resources ; they sold it to the United States Govern- ment under the impression tliat its soil would not grow anything, nor had they discovered its mineral wealth. With respect to the climate here, the inhabitants consider it ])orfect ; there are eight montlis of dry weather without any rainfall at all, and this is succeeded by four montlis of wet. The nortli wind here is a dry and scorching one, the south wind brings rain ; and the west wind (which is as disagreeable as our east and c(|uivalent to it) IjIows for eight months of the year without intermission, and makes the climate trying t(j strangers ; for in the sun it may be very hot, while this cold wind is piercing in the shade. Fogs are very ])revalent during certain months ; the winter, I was told, is beautifid, and the most enjoyable ])art of the year ; l)ut I think tlie long drouofht in summer accom- panied by this cold west wind must be trying until one gets acclimatized. Still, it must be a great com- fort to be certain that there is never any danger of outdoor operations being marred by rain during so many months of the year ; and I am sure many of our English agriculturists would in some seasons be only too glad to borrow two months of Californian N , , ITPB^ t^-'^^. M ifi ■.teA«Milb««MMi»fl ■■ II >. .^uk^j-^ *S "■■"',1? ^ ^-^^V"-^-* nWm.I , ..' V. M.M" .X ^^"T::;.7'-p'''^^*- ' '' ..<.,,.iix '%:, t,r -i^K" J,' "^ C^^ l? ,\ ■^A ■'"■,. .„„rtT '■■■ ^ (h. ^' ,,,,,. .i'"'?iy G^.""H „.fi'i""' '' Jlrt'"' .1 .«■«" Jir \:, 10.5 loo J)l) l.or,.I.M. hUiii.l Sl.nil m p1ir->^«iliMMMll>l IP it ' t I ! " ! ( 1 r I ^u 1 1^ 1 I AN OP/:\/.\C FOR FKUlT-GROlVIiRS. '49 line wcatliLT. Altliougli at tlio time of my visit evciy- tliing — both grass jiml stubble — looked [)an'lie(.l ami burnt up, yet in the s[»riiig the mountains ure us green as possible, and the wild flowers are beautiful ; many of them arc carefully cultiv^ated in England as garden and greenhouse Howers. With good bread ami meat, excellent vegetal »les, an abundance of grapes and other fruits, and an eipiitabje climate, life in California must l)e very enjoyable. For a person with a little capital and a knowledge of fruit-growing it is just the place to come to ; but he must not expect to buy Lmd at the same [)rices now as when I first recommended this locality for small as well as large capitalists. California has had its " boom " in various districts, and the State generally has gone up considerably in value. ' il f 'p^ I If ', ,■ J 1 > ) • , ;i 1 i ^ 1 ' i 1 ) 1 i ^ 1 1 ' ,5^ !f I I M THE OLD FAR EAST. ! ! -wmm immsmm \ I V o il DOLWD lOK YOKOHAMA. '53 .^''1^ CIIAI'TKIi Xlf. TIIK I'ACil'IC OCKAN — VOKOIIA MA, .lAI'AN. The Ociiiiiir — ('liiiicsf, i'Vll'Av - |);iH,s<;ii^'(!rH, Kiviii':,' ;iipl I)i';i(l — AiiHTiiuii liiiiiii;^ratii)ii I/nvs — A I'rolitalili' I'miJ ('oiitunt — I)i)Il:u.s r. .Mi,s-i()iiaii(;H — " Fisli-lii»lii!H " — Si'Usii:l< I'i.'H — A (Jliiiii:.~(: Oiilliiciik — How b) i|iii'ii<:h a M..t.iiiy — TyiiliMoiiH — First (;iiiii]PK(; of .Japan — Saii|>ans ;iiii| .lin liki.sliaH - - lliiiii:iii J'onicH — Yokohama at Ni^^ht— Tin; Yo.Mliiwarii — A .lapaticMo Tlu-atn; — Makiii;^ u I )ay of it I'i(:tiiii'si|ii(! StriMls — Saclii': — itict! Cro]).s — A Nf.w I 'si: for a Hainlkf r(;lii<;f — A ('oiniiliiiii-iitary Toa — A Warm iJatli — I'apur Watcrjiroof Coats ami L'mhri^lla.s. It w.i.s only .'ifti'i' my aniv.il in S;m l"'r;in<-is(:<) tli;il I (Ifcidcd to iit (;in;unistan(;i s clianifcd my route, and I soon found myself hound for ^'okohama, the iN 'i^ If'T*-^" f^mm. '54 77//: O/J) FAf! FAST. \ [ ' ^ i ^w ■ M ! I t 1 ' '■ \ I ! ii I J \ It wliilst on my passage to the "land of tlie rising snn." I sailed in the Ocrnnic, 3808 tons burdisn, bcilonging to the (Jriental and Occidental Steamship Company ; in reality an old White Star Atlantic liiKT, which had found its way to the Pacific after completing its time on the Atlantic, i. c. being superseded there by vo:«cls of a more recent type. It was a good ship nevertheless, and an excellent sea-boat. To most readers an account of a sea voyage is now so familiar that 1 shall not weary them by repeating the old story. But there is a certain degree of novelty connected with a Pacific voyage which is not to bo met with on the Atlantic. To commence ^ith, I found myself to be the only P>ritish passenger on board, with the ex(!eption of one ; the rest of the saloon passengers were mostly Americans ; the steerage alnn^st exclusively Chinese, of whom there were no less than 900 on board. Their manners and customs soon attracted my attention, and fo!' choice I would rather not sail ai^ain under the same conditions, especially wdien we were to be fellow- shipmates for 4800 miles, an 18 days' passage. These Chinese were on th(!ir way home for ti.eir (Christmas holiday, which is held some tim(3 in February ; they have to start in good time on their journey, because on arrival in harljour they have to travel many hundreds of miles, often on foot, to reach their homes. Their ■*i AMERICA X IMMIGRATION LAWS. '33 ively i;iras,se.s to others; f<»r Chinese emiirralioii to the States is sto[)p(Ml, and oidy those arc alh)\V('d to i-eturn who ean prove tlicy came to America before tlie law prohil)iting- ;iny furthi-r emi- gration to th(; States was put in force. The present law in tlie St.itcs jigainst Chinese (miigration docs not aHow any ai-rival exccjtt in the case of nnircliants or of (■hinest! wlio were re8iefore starting on their homtiWJird route they are all measured, and upon their return have to go thrc gh a strict tixamination to show that they are not imi»o.stors. Each Chinaman pays .'io doll.irs (£10) for his passage from San Francisco to lloiiir K on ir, which includes food ; o' the latter 1 w;is told c-ost the com[>any ahout tenpen(;e per d;iy f'>r hrenkfast,, dinner, and supper; this would leave ;i profit of ahout; tli a htsad, say £8000 for tl lie present load. The dinners seemed t(j be of various 1 1 4 1 ■I;' ■ ■„•! 156 THE OLD FAR EAST. life I ; I VI iiiioi descriptions — some of the iugreilieiits I coukl not make out, but the cho[)-stiek.s played their part with all, and were most diligently and dexterously used. Rice (instead of bread) formed a i)art of every meal, and for dinner, tea, dried fish, potatoes, with a (hish of meat here and there. Every dish or bowl served the whole party in common (in scpiads of eight or ten), and the chop-sticks seized what was desired. Each of these Chinamen had saved more or less money, and some, I was told, as much as 2000 or ;3000 dollars ; and all had as much as 1000 dollars a-piece. The Chinese are all inveterate gamblers, so much so that when their money is gone they will play for their food, their clothes — everything they possess. We passed three Sundays on board the Ocomnr, and amongst our American fellow passengers there were a certain number of missionaries going out to Japan. It struck me as curious to see the latter conductinix an open-air service on the fore hatchway ; when within a few yards, really partly on the same tarpauling, and entirely oblivious of the performance of the service (of the object of which they probal)ly had no notion whatever), a numljer of Chinamen would be playing cardi, or what resembled dominoes, conducting their o[)erations to the contiimal accompaniments of those high-pit(,'h('d voices so well known to any one who hns »M iko all, \icc aiitl 11 cat ■liolc the these Mime, ul all se are their •lollies >, aiul Acve a n. It ii,i^ au thin a .. ami Uervie.e notion playiug- theii- I' those ho has THE ''HEATHEN CHINEE." 157 once been in China, and in o}»position as it wore to the missionaries. Query, wonid it not have l)een Ijctter for the missionaries to hav(3 souglit a (juieter part of the vessel for their meeting, instead of setting tliem- selves down in the centre of a kind of primitive gamhHug saloon? Or did they think l>y thfir example tliey might possibly convert a " heathen Chinee " by their proximity ? From what 1 have heard, a dollar would v'o much further than aiiv such catherinix as this, as a Chinaman will do anvthins; for money. The Chinese are very much afraid of water, and wlien one morning 1 heard of the death of one on board, and later on saw a colHn lashed to the upper deck by the; stern of the vessel, I iiKjuired why the ordinary burial at sea did not take place. I'he reply I received from one of the ship's officers was as follows: " There would Ite no more Cliinese passemjers for us if we did.'' We lost three Chinamen by death between San Francisco and Yokohama, so we had quite a line of coffins to meet our view at each turn of our morning walk. The Chinese are veiv particular about their bodies beiuir taken back to their native land, whether they are at sea or in a foreign country. Hence the agents who used formerly to import Cliinese labour to the States had to guarantee tl to re-convey them liomc alive or c h ali dead 10 1 f til ey 1 IN '^mmm 158 THE OLD FAR EAST. I 1 ' [ \W \ I- If should (lie in America tlieir l)oii('S have (jiftcr temporiiry l)urial) to be taken back again, and are shipped oflf in loni; wooden boxes under the desimiation of " fisli- bon(;s" — and of these 1 iielieve we had a hu'ge number in the ship. I'here was one rather amusing incident on board. Jolm Chinaman is very fond of ])ork, and it was tlie custom to su])ply him witli this meat for liis ►Sunday's dinner. Unfortunately wc had a gale, and nearly all the pigs died of sea-sickness. The result was that during our last Sunday at sea we were dis- turbed by a great commotion on the lower deck, and by the sudden appearance of the cook, who rushed into the saloon in a terrible fright, his pigtail Hying in the air, just eluding his pursuers, some frantic Chinese, who had been deprived of their mess of pork by the supi)ly running short. We rescued the cook, and saved him from the fate which his enemies evidently had in view ; tlieir object being, it appeared, to throw him overboard. The deck of the ship was crowded with (celestials, and it took the ofticers some little time to restore order once more. The row was, however, quite enouiih to make one feel how uncomfortable it would be to experience a mutiny on board amongst these p('<)[ile. Ihit their dread of water has a supreme effect iu such cases, and one valuable assistance to the en- \l the the ;iv cd (I ill him IwitU to |[uitc hese •iVrct ell- S rORM Y I VKA THER. forcemcnt of (lisoipliiu; is to turn a powerful water-hose oil the crowd, which is a sure, prompt, and efleetual means of restoring order ! Tlio voyage from San Francisco to Y(»k(jliama is across the widest part of the Pacific Ocean, and is too loiJiT and monotonous to be interesting. It is one of t\\o longest sea voyages without sigliting or touching land in the world ; for with the exception of a small island a short distance outside San Francisco harbour, no land is sio;]ited durin^^ the whole run of 4800 miles : neither was a single vessel to be seen during the whole time, and this is not the exception, but the rule. The Pacific Ocean is by no means tlie calm sea it is often su})posed to be ; on the contrary, it is sometin^*"* exceedingly rough, and we ex}»erienc('d three t re gales, one of which lasted five days ; and it was estinuited that the waves were at least thirty feet high, which may give some slight conception of the seas we had to go through. It afterwards transpired .at we had been just on the outskirts of one of those typhoons or cxcbmes which are the terror of these latitudes; and on arriviuL!' at Yokohamn. we found that the steamer preceding us (the Ci/^ of S//dii('>/) had been nearly wrecked in the typhoon we had 1jut just missed, and had ;iiTi\ed in harbour nunh damaged. During a part of the time the l)assengers luid to seek sheltei- in the smoking-room on ; I i I- I i6o THE OLD FAR EAST. (It.'ck, foi' the W.'itcr was two feet deep in (liii snlnnji ;iii(l st.'itt; cMhiiiH. Ill croHsiii'i; llic P.H'ilic it, slioultl Ix- iTiucnilMTCfl lliiit July, Aur^ust, S('[)1('1ii1mt, jiikI OcIoIkt art' iIh; iiiontlis (luring wliicli IIk'sc tyjilioons are most prevalent. 1 was up liy .sunrise wIkh noariiii^ the Japaiies(! coast, in order to obtain tlie first siirJit, of Japan ; we wen; oil' i'oiiit ( )sliiina, aliout 40 miles I'ro.n Vokoliaiiia. It was a bright dear niornine;, and the extinct vrdcmo. Mount l'\iji-ania, (10 miles ,* '-.'ay, was iM-aiililnJlv distinct with the sunrist; on it. Tliis niouiitain is l.'J.OHO feet hi<;h, and is clotlu'd with snow to its summit. The active vohtano Osliima, on the \-oIcaiiie island (»l" the saiiK! name, lay to our left, with its smoke (which I had at first taken for a cloud) ciirliii'^ upwards into theeleai' sky. Soon we dro^iped anchor in ^'oko- liama, harhour, and, after IS days' voya^i! from San l'Vancisc(), found ourselves salely in .lapaii at last, and ll.l)(il miles away from l*]nt,da,nd hy the I*, and ( ). route. There were a dozen (»r more lar^-e nicivhaiit .steaim-rs ami some .Ia[)anese nieii-ol-war in tin.' harbour; and the crowd of fishiiiu^-hoats was - Dltl > San 4. nn( iin i\cr( 1 O. •liaiit liarl>'»ni- ,:i si; .■111. V boiils ■nlH t') L. Iv scene, hiiany ony. Yokohama is di^lightfully situated ; 1 was much struck with the whole of its surround inu's, and every- thing showed activity and progress in the shipping department. The (irand Hotel is a good one, and stands well, overlooking the bay. The streets are broad, and in the European town many of the houses are detached villas surrounded by their own grounds. In the Japanese quarter the houses are but slenderly built. The population swarm ; many were nearly naked. Blue was the prevailing cohjur in what costumes were worn. I went with a friend for an eveuinix drive through the Japanese quarter — a sight well worth seeing. The I* K' %^ ^^' r^% ^> --^^ O^X^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V A v^ ^ //„. ^m /- U.x 7^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 li^ 12.8 2.5 1.4 M 1.6 V] <^ /a ^/) /A vV WW n 162 THE OLD FAR EAST. I ! I I ! 1: ! ( \ '\- streets were crowded with peoj^le, nnd tlie shops kept open till eleven o'clock at night. The hand lanterns add very much to the picturesqueness of the scene, being always carried by pedestrians, by the jin-rikisha runners, and also by the j^olice when visiting the theatres. We drove through the Yoshiwarn — the quarter in which the ladies of the locality sit behind wooden grills, all dressed up in the most gorgeous costumes — the most extraordinary sight I have ever seen. In front of each lady is a little square box or table for tobacco and pipe. We visited a Jai)anese theatre duriuo- our drive. One of these is much the same as another ; they open at eight or ten in the morning and the performance continues till eleven at night, the playgoers making a day of it, and takino* their food with them. A line of boxes runs round the house, raised about tw^elve feet above the pit ; each box is about five feet square with a board a few inches high all round on which you can sit — the natives all squat on the floor of the pit (for there are no benches), and hang up their clogs at the entrance. The music is perhaps rather better than in a Chinese theatre ; one or two instruments are employed (but no tune is perceptible to European ears), and a lad sits in a corner of the stage with two wooden clappers, with which he keeps an accompaniment to the music, beating them by turns upon the floor. Women do not act in the theatres ; in i i ^■■n" s kept 3S tadd being mners, . AVe which ills, all e most )f each lI pipe. One of it eight utinues f of it, es runs le pit ; a few latives iches), lusic is ne or ptible stasfc tiis an turns }s; in JAPANESE STREETS. 163 the [ilay I witnessed there were four men ballet-dancers about six feet hioh, who went throuu'li all a ballet-iiirl s movements in a very rough sort of way. We also saw a children's performance, and some very clever juggling. All these places, were of the most fragile description, and the scenery corresponded. In front of a theatre and oj)ening on to the street, a curtain is hung, which is drawn up or let down at the discretion of the rope- holder, so as to try and induce the lookers-on in the street to pay their cents and enter. Such attraction, however, is scarcely needed, for the theatres are always well filled. The streets in a Japanese town are very picturesque, l)oth by day and night; but I noticed with regret the ad\ance made by oil-lamps, which are rapidly superseding the old Japanese or Chinese lantern in the various shops ; most of these having now a })etroleum hanging lamp to show off their goods to the greatest advantao'c. But in the streets lanterns are still univer- sally used. On our way home we stopped at a restaurant and tasted some hot Saclie — the national liqueur, made of rice ; — possibly one might appreciate it better if more used to it. Tea is the connnon drink in Japan ; and this Saclie is their only liqueur. From Yokohama we made an expedition to ]\Iiyano- shita and the Hatone Pass ; oolnor 30 miles bv rail to rl . I !'l i M 2 ' In 1 ' \ > ill' ; : 1 ' . ^ ^m^^mm I \ iiij 'ijii ! il 1 , li^ . i 11 • 164 T//£ OLD FAR EAST. Hodzu and then 10 miles by road in jin-rikislias. As we passed along, the rice harvest was in full operation ; and this was my first acquaintance with this form of farming. Seen from a distance, it rather resembles any other straw crop, though of a rush-like description, growing in clusters with the ears dropping over. The grain is of course enclosed in a husk as in our own ears of corn ; the rice ears measure about seven inches in length. The plants were always profusely irrigated, therefore the fields of it that I saw were invariably on bottom land ; but I am told there is another kind of rice which does not require such constant inundation. In some of the fields the cn^ps were still growing, and in this staoe looked verv much like some kind of fine rush, natural to marshy land ; where cut it was placed in stooks like oats. The cultivated land ive passed was all bottom land, rather like an f tment ground ; beautifully neat without a weed to be seen ; all being done by spade labour. The wet land looked dark and loamy, probably saturated with manure, but the soil where higher and dry had a very sandy appearance. The low hills adjoining these bottom lands were mostly uncultivated, and covered with some kind of l)rushwood, or with pine. We passed several patches of cryptomerias, bamboo, &c., and one large orangery. Many of the people, both men and women, were out at work in the ■^v A LARGE AXD POPULOUS VILLAGE. 16:; 9. As ation ; )nn of cs any •iptioii, . The vn ears •lies ill ;i gated, Eibly on kind of idation. ng, and of fine )la(;ed passed !;round ; being k and le soil arance. mostly hwood, merias, of the in the P fields ; some of the men having no other clothing than a handkerehief. ]]al)ies were innumerable, carried about on the backs of children but little bifjfrer than them- selves. Soil or manure was ])eino; conveyed in a nettiiio; slung on to a ^)ole and carried by two men ; vehicular transit seemed (piite unthought of fur the })ur})().se, nor indeed would it be feasible where the holdings are so small and numerous, and so closely packed together as is tli(i case here. On reaching Ilodzu we procured three jin-rikishas for ourselves and our guide ; and the road being hilly we had two men to each vehicle and started off at a merry trot. Our coolies were all powerful men, with splemlid calves and loins, and ran famously ; they were all more or less unclothed. For the first four miles our route lav through one continuous villane, swarminu' with grown peo])le and numberless children. The younger population were more warmly clad tli;in their elders, so I expect fashions in dress will speedily change with the rising generation, and those who do not visit Japan soon will miss seeing it in its primitive state. Even already things are much altered, the better sort of peasantry are as a rule very respectably clothed ; the rage for imitating all European manners and fashions and ideas is very great, and at the present rate the "Land of the Eising Sun " will shortly become quite t' \ \ 11 Ij 1 1 66 THE OLD FAR EAST. If S ,' n.: : ' : Europeaiiizcd. The houses we passed were ull thateliecl with rice straw ; the windows were of rice or pith paper, and tlio interiors showed the sleeping accommodation, viz. : a straw mat on the floor, upon which a mattress is laid. No Japanese ever enters a house with his shoes, i.e. clogs on, and any European omitting to conform to this universal custom is guilty of discourtesy and gives mortal offence. How all the })eople we saw could be accommodated at night must remain a mystery. The whole sight w^as novel and strange and most impressive ; it made one almost fancy one had been transported back to the manners and customs of some nation living ' hundreds of years ago. Now and again a jin-rikisha would dash past us with a quarter-clad coolie (or runner) in the shafts, conveying a native lady lolling back with head erect and features set with an air of great importance, holding a large paper parasol. The people when together, appeared always happy, content, and friendly ; and their civility to strangeis is very marked. We halted at Odawara for our coolies to have some refreshment (which con.^^isted of boiled rice), and w^e ourselves were put to sit on three mats outside a tea- house, when tea and sjrae little cups and saucers and a charcoal-burner were immediately placed before us; this was called " complimentary tea," and no charge I thutclied •ith paper, niodatioi], I mattress liis slioes, > conform L'tesy and iiiw coukl 3ry. The pressive ; msported 3n livino- n-rikisha Jolie (or y lolling Ai air of i)l. The content, is very ve some and we 3 a tea- 's and a )re us ; charge im I- ^ n ^B r 'f I. 'l J t i I . :!' Tf 1 ii ■ 1 ! i t hIIi u. .^i ,iL. ^' < a. -1 I en O z < < rilE K ATONE PASS. 167 was made. Shortly afterwards we began the ascent to Tamanau, and passed some hot springs, travelling hy an excellent new road only lately completed. The valley was very pretty, a river running along the bottom, and the sides covered with trees. Arrived at jMyanoshita, we dismissed our jin-rikisha men after their ten-mile run (which only cost us four shillings each for two men), and walked on up })art of the Ilatone Pass, through several villages. It reseml)led a finely formed shrubbery more than anything else ; there were cryptomerias of all si^^es in abundance, growing most luxuriantly; also bamboos, orange trees, &c., &c. The scenery was very soft and pleasant, the weather as tine as possible — deliciously bright, and just warm enough ; so it was all the more disappointing to wake next morning to a pouring wet day. After an excellent warm bath, in water conveyed fresh from the hot springs through bamboo pipes, and so hot that I had to cool it, we soon started off for Hakone lake and village, seven miles distant, where the jMikado is erect- ing a new summer cottage. Our path was only a footway, winding up among the mountains, which were here covered with weeds and a low-jjrowino- shrub; lioth most luxuriant, though these liiL ' les are said to be unfit for cultivation. We were armed with umbrellas made of oiled paper, and had (beside our guide) a fl in !' 1. ,J - -^ ,( • ';'. 168 riVi? OZZ? /vi/? EAST. ^^ecoiid native to carry our " tiffin," or luncheon, and tlie woatlier l)e(;oming very bad we halted for this meal short of our destination, at a Japanese hotel. An open Verandah ran round the house, some sliding windows with rice paper instead of glass opened on to it; passing through one of these we came to a fair-sized room all matted over, and divided by moval)le sliding partitions made of slender frame-work and glazed with rice pajx'r, by means of which the rooms can quickly be made larger or smalhsr at will. A mattress thrown down on the mats constitutes a bed here, and the}' are com- paratively soft and comfortable. Tlie natives usually sit cross-legged on the matting at their meals ; l)ut in honour of their " barbarian " guests a frame table and a couple of chairs were produced, amid some laughter. The little run and continuous smile of our Japanese waitresses reminded one most ludicrously of the English play " The JMikado," but otherwise one could not but feel comfortable and at ease, with these little smilinix creatures skipping about. On either side of the room is a slightly raised bench for hats and cloaks ; a few shelves and some lengths of paper with writing and pictures, com[)leted the entire furniture. Everything was very clean, and neither in the passage nor the rooms could one venture to wear boots, for, as I said l)efore, these always have to be taken off before entering a '**'»w'wvri "*^-:r com- suiilly nit in G and liter. uiesc ilish l)Ut lilhiGf room few and thing ooms L?fore, ng a RE TURN JO URNE V. 1 69 house. The weather continuing very bad we had to give up our further trip, and with paper waterproof ehjaks and our oiled paper umbrellas started on our return journey. Our jin-rikislia men took us the ten miles to the station in splendid style, .scarcely stopping to walk during the whole distance ; and yet they never seemed to lose their breatli or their tempers. AVe traversed the same road as on the [)revious day, passinix through the strarru'liiiir town or villane of Odawani. It was evening, and many of the inhabitants had come in from their work ; they appeared a very fine set of men with splendid limbs and sinews ; several of them wore no clothes beyond a loin girth. We caught the train at Hodzu and reached Yokohama in the course of the evenina". 1 t . , t 1 i t i i :'"!l 1|I4 rr i> i 1 1 1 : ff' It 111 ! .1;, 170 y//J£ OLD FAR EAST. CHAITER Xlir. JAPAN {ct, I lined). Tlie Dai Ijiitsu — A Hollow Tiiiago — A Liui;^'liiiiH Laiitllady — A Sliinto Toinplc— A IIu,i,'(! l)ull— A AVoodun Drum— JJeaiitifiil Carving — Thii T.siini— Tlui Zon Soot — ^Irrcvcrcncc in Tonii)l('s — -Tmiiuik'sl' (li'L'eting.s — In l)ilficulties with Chopsticks — Shintoisin and I'.udd- hism — Divine Ilonoui's to Heroes and Scliolars — A brief Act of AVorship — European Dress — Japanese Ladies — A Japanese Dinner — Singing Girls and Dancers — Music without a Tune — Sweet- moats that please the Eye but grieve the Heart — ]\Iigratory Eurnituro. FouKlGNERS in Jiipiiu ai'c not allowed to travel outside the treaty limits without express permission; so I had to apply for a passport to enable me to visit the thirteen provinces round Yokohama and to see Fuji. xVrined with this, an English friend and I set off (accompanied Ly our native guide) for Enoshima — a delightful summer resort of the Japanese — intending afterwards to visit thi3 colossal bronze image of Buddha called "Dai Butsu," and the temples of Kamakura. We went by train as far as Fujisawa, where we procured jin-rikishas to take us on to Enoshima. We had siood runners, but r i BSTi i itside liiul I'teeii mod .1 met imor visit [tsu, Itrnin Is to but A ricruiiES(2UE village. 171 the roiid wji.s very l),id indeed, and it wna as miicli as the men could do to pull and [»ush our vehicles aloni;-. However, coolies or runners have an advantage; over horses in being able to talk to each other when necessary or call out to anyone else in their road, and to pick their own way with discrimination. About four miles of this sort of work brought lis to the coast, where we liad to cross by ferry to Enoshima, as this phice is an island at spring-tide. It is beautifully covered with trees, a great many of wliieh are camellias and cani[ilior trees ; the village is most picturesque, consisting almost entirely of a single and very narrow street running- down to the shore; but the effect is very pleasing on account of the pretty Jjipanese houses. The ferry boat which took us across was a large one, with one man l)untiug, and another wherrying with a stern oar ; their clothing was of a very scanty descri[>tion. As we could not quite approach the landing-place one of the men conveyed us there on his back — a back as strong to ride upon and as easy to sit as a good horse. We went to a tea-house for " tithn " or luncheon, but before cniGriuiX of course had t) take off our boots. We were shown up a ladder (the usual staircase here) to an uj^per floor ; there was no furniture in the room, except the usual matting on the floor, but being speedily recognized as " barbarians," a couple of chairs, a table, and a small m I 1 11 m i^^ % f 1 1: ; >i' 'si' i M 1 I ;i i :? f 17: 77/ir OLD FAR EAST. cli.'iR'oal stove were quickly l)rouglit for our accommofla- tion. Iluviiig (lone this, the hidy of tlic liouse and hi^r tliree assistants indulo-od in lauditer to tlx'ir hearts' content while taking stock of us (all in the greatest good nature), and tlu^n s(|uatted down on the floor to have another ooi^d look at us. The mistress then producctl her pipe, Jind commenced smoking, offering us a draw. After luncheon, we walked through the village up to the crest of the hill, where there is a Buddhist temple ; and descending to the sea on the other si(h', entered a large cave — the cave of Ana — saiil to have been made when diii'u'inii; for m)ld. It is about 124 yards in depth, and there is an altar at the entrance. Eeturniiig to the village, we re-crossed the ferry, and set off again in our jin-iikish is at a merry trot, over a bad road, to a place called llasemura, near which is the great image Dai-butsu, or Great Buddha, said to have been pi iced here between GOO and 700 years ago. It is made of bronze, and is an immense piece of work, standing nearly 50 feet high. It is out in the open air with no shelter whatever, and has been thus for a numl)er of years ; but it is said to have Tormerly had the protection of a temple roof which, however, was washed away by a tidal wave about the yesir 1494. Japan is celebrated for two such colossal images, the other one (which I did not see) being at Xara, near nas s tho have It is n air fi)r a had was 11)4. , the near 10 A SHINTO TEMPLE. Kioto. Dai-butsu is hollow, and the interior is decorated like a temple. From Dai-butsu our jin-rikisha men took us to Kamakura, the ancient capital of Jnpan, and wliilc they refreshed themselves with rice and tea, we went to see the celebrated Shinto temple. It is very well situated on a rising hill and is approached by a long flight of 58 steps, from the top of which thei'c is a very fine view of the avenue and of the town l)elow. The latter stands on flat ground, surrounded by hills well covered with trees and shrubs. It was now evenino- and findinii' that there was a great deal to see at Kamakura, and having been told that the country inns were (to our English ideas) very bad, we decided to return that night to Yokohama, but to take the earliest opportunity of revisiting the place. It gets quite dark in Japan about G P.M. at this time of year (November), and there is but little twilight. Our runners performed the distance of five miles to Totsuka, the nearest station, splendidly ; but the road was very bad, and the leatler often had to call out and warn the others wlien approaching some specially bad place. Perhaps the brid'jes over the irrigation ditches were the worst: these consisted generally of two and sometimes three ]ilanks or stones, with often a gap two or three inches between them — quite large enough to let a jin-rikisha \ ■ 1 II { !' it ^ tm !■ ii»i^— I I miwiMMMgaMii.^ii * I I h T' >' I i I" ( Itii t r, ■ ' «74 T//E OLD FAR EAST. wheel throuL;]i, and requiring great care in the dark. As usual in Japanese villages, Totsuka consists of one loner street of well-ordered cottages. Throusi;h this our coolies went at a pace of about eight miles an hour, shouting the whole time to keep the road clear. All the refreshment our men had after this work, was a little cup of tea ; this we also were offered at the various posting-houses we passed, always in little cups on a tiny tray ; once it was made of cherry blossoms instead of green tea. My second visit to Kamakura was made in tlie company of my two Japanese friends (Viscount Fujinami and Mr. Niiyama) and an Austrian gentleman. We went by train to Totsuka, and thence l)y jin-rikishas ; the weather was very fine and warm, and we had a most interesting day. The first of the Ikiddhist temples (that of Chojuji) was approached Ijy ii fine avenue of cryjDtomerias, each about 50 or GO feet high. This tree appears to grow to perfection in this part of Japan, and whether young or old its beautiful foliage never fails to atti'act one's attention. When near tlie temple we ascended a good many steps and reached a smaller building, in which is a huge bell G20 years old, the lai'gest in the Kamakura district. These temjJe ))ells are hung in wooden belfries, and the stiiker, instead of a tongue, is a large pole, which gives a very melodious ■ I l ium I t»' 11 BE A U TIFUL CA R VI NG. J75 lallt'L" , the bells Isteiul llioiis soiiiul. Close l)y were licaps of straw sandals left here by pilgrims who had come to pray for the cure of their ailments. We next visited the Kendioji temple, belonging to the Buddhist sect, 823 years old, a])proached also through an avenue of fine old trees (jf some species of juniper, which smells like cedar-wood, and is burnt for creating a sweet perfume. 'J'here is an immense drum in this temple, the outside of which is made of .Japanese camphor-wood ; it is swung up tind struck with wooden hammers in the same niiinner as one mioht strike a o;oni]j. Close bv is a laro;c bell, about five feet high, said to be GOO years old. The carving of the ceiling is beautifully executed. Just behind this is a large plain hall with some very fine wooden pillars. On a porch adjoining is some beautiful open-\\ork wooden carving, representing the Japanese bird " Tsuru." We were also taken over a Japanese monastery of the "Zen" sect, where we found 50 priests, who all, both young and old, took the greatest interest in us, and showed us everything they could ; but they {ip[)eared very inferior to the ordinary natives. The laxity pre- vailing was verv noticeable, and we were much struck at seeing our half-naked coolies climb up on to the altars and handle everything just as they pleased, if they wanted to draw our attention to any particular object. At one of the temples there were some floor boards of ■i 1 > III ii i i ■ 1 r; e f • <^^assu,s become a thiuo- nf fi f" 't n,u.st 1,0 u,uler.stooa tint it • f ^"'''■■ ladies, who hovp n ,• "" 'Japanese •^•''-■■-"g little „„Ho! """''=" "■'"> ''-• - -- reccved ,,t the doot- ,, ' i, ""' '■'""'"' 1---. t,.„,.,.,, ,,„„^ ,,; ^ ; -™-. .1. ""-' "■"•« given woollen case. A-.tl, , °" "'■'' to wear over our feet 1 l-tl'".g-.sl.oe«) d in holding a long piece of muslin, wliich they thi'ew about, keeping it off th(^ grcnmd all the time, and which was really very well done. After all this, dinner comnuniced, and the siuiiint;- girls turned themselves into waitresses. This, it ap- pears, is the custom of the country, and as far as talk- ing and laughing when they })lease with the diners is concerned, they are supposed to lie on a kind <>f equality. This dinner was very much the same in every particular as the one given by Viscount Fuji- nami, with the exception that one course consisted of a large lobster placed before each guest. I looked at my lobster, and then at my chop-sticks, and won- dered how I could succeed in tackling the former with the latter, without disgracing myself in the eyes of my friends. In the end I gave up attempting the battle, and ate no lobster ♦'hat day. The feast was concluded by the placing of a box of sweetmeats before each guest, with a parcel of coloured twine on the top ; this was intended to signify that it was a present for each to take home. I tasted some of the contents of one box and did not appreciate them ; in fact, all Japanese cookery is wanting in flavour, and is mostly prepared with a rather disagreeable sauce. The soup ! ti' 1 J 1 n! i . Is ' 1 ' 1 rW 1S4 77/ A- t;/,/; //^A' KAST. {il»]»('nrcarc(l. I\ic(j tiikcis the place of lircad, and is tlu; he.st thing ill llie iiiciiu : although all tho dishes ari' exceedingly elegant and pretty to the eye. The custom in drinking a IViciid's health is to drink a saucerful of .sac/ir, and then pass it to him emj)ty; he dips it into a howl of water for a moment and then refdls it with sac/n; and drinks in his turn. The same room serves for dining-room and drawing- room, so after dinner we turned round and witnessed a, variety of tricks played by a very good conjurc^r ; a man and woman induliring meanwhile in the most discordant music by way of accompaidment. LJidimited tea was going on the wlujle time ; the singing-girls, 00 ' 000' and I assume the rest of the establishment, took their places amongst the spectators. All this is purely in Ja[)anese style ; Ijut I fear as the country gets Europe- an ized, such scenes will become few and far between, to the ordinary traveller in this charming and hospitable country. These meals are interesting as a novelty, but for a continuance I prefer European food and fur- niture. As to the latter, it is scanty enough ; but what there is of it is (so I am told) changed every day — i.e., the hanging pictures, flowers, vases, &c. One of my Japanese friends has a fire-proof house on purpose l^'hlKATOKV FURXirURE. ,,, f'"' "tnrinj; l,i.s ,,„,„,, „„, „,„,.,„„„„, . ,_,^,, ^^ ^^|. ' " ^'■'•■''' ""''!''>' ''^ •^'■'"'■f-l '""-I' 'l.'.y, .so as t„ ..nsure a ™n..., .,.,„,,,,.,,,, a ,,,, i, ^,,^ ,,,^_,,, ^^^^^^_^_ ^^^^^^^_^^ the w,.ll.,„.,,o eksscs. Ti,. J,,,.,.,„„ ,,,,„.,„ „,^ = 1";-|"- to e„„tn,.st with tl,o ,oas«„,, ,„„, ;„ ,„„„„„,. "'II 1-vo a .„„nvy «ul,joet, a.,,! in winto,. „ ^u.nnery OIIG. •' I fk 186 THE OLD FAR EAST. CHAPTER XIV. JAPAN {oniuiupd). A Ch.'irmiiig Tca-liousc — A Horse Kaco — A Simu't Kcjuipngo — Japanese 8ul stitiito for (Jiiniag(! 1)oi,'h — Tlie Mikado — Tlio Asakusa — Vultures in Honour — A lliulilhist Service; — Cliiy.santliemuni Show — Curious J'laut Traininp^ — T\w. J(ifnnt (inzclfi — The New I'alaee at Tokio — Skilful (jranite "\Voikers-- Yasi-kunii Spirit Woi'sliij) — Nikko — Splendiil (^ryptorntfriaB— A Cool I*(;(lrooni — A Native V>^'\ — Kagos— IJass's Heer — Iiisipid Fruit — Th(! Temples — A I'riest in full (Janonieals — The Kaguia — A ]>uair of goot private. In the centre of these gronnds there was a i)retty liouse, approached on two sides by long woo(h'n bridu'es; in this General Grant resided diirinix his visit liere. l)0th gardens were in thorough Japanese style. JTaA^ing had luncheon at one of the hotels, we proceeded to the New Palace, whicii covers a large area, and will he completed this year. It is Itnilt entirely of Japanese woods and in the style of the country. It contains some very handsome rooms — the throne-room and dining-room being especially noticeable. A great deal of lacquer-work is used ; and the ceilings are very gorgeous and mostly in excellent taste, constructed of wood-panels or groining with highly-coloured paper of various styles and patterns let in between. Silk, ornamented with painted or eml)roidered pictures, is also being employed for these panellings on the walls, and on some of the ceilinojs ; this is ol)tained from Kioto, which towui is celebrated for the excellence of its wall-papers, lacquer-work, silks, and [)ottery. At the time of our visit, the sliding partitions of the bedrooms were being highly decorated with paintings, and it seemed curious to our ideas (accustomed as we in Eno'land are to an uncertain climate) to find all this decorative work being carried on before the open air was excluded from the building, for the outside frames were not in position. The Japanese appear to be great jY of Silk, ,rcs, i^ wall^, from of its lof tlie iitings, we in U this len air [i-ames b great SKILFUL GRANITE WORKERS. 193 adepts at tree-planting, and specimens of a size that we should not attempt to move are transplanted by them quite easily. The private gardens are usually formed with these transplanted trees ; but often many of them have defijrmed trunks, so that they do not present a very picturesque appearance. I noticed some excellent granite work which was being employed in the erection of a sustaining wall round the approach to the front entrance, huo-e blocks of G;ranite beino; fitted together to a nicety. The Mikado's Palace is placed in the centre of three lines of moats built with very solid masonry, and in olden times this position must have been an exceedingly strong one, but of course now it would soon succumb before Armstronsx suns. We went to the outskirts of the highest moat, from whence there is a fine view of the city below. After leaving the Palace, we visited the Fukiage ; this is the Imperial private garden, and is said to be in the best and purest Japanese style. Of course it was too late in the season for many flowers ; but the whole style seemed to me to be rather cold and wanting in colour, and the grass appeared to be badly kept. At one end was a fine rocker v, over which fell a stream of water brought from a river ten miles distant. Afterwards we went to see a Shinto temple called Yasi-kumi, situated on the platform above Ku-den-za-ka, built in 18G9, for the II ill II' ' 4 i 194 THE Of. I) FAR /-.AST. worship of the spirits of those vvlio had falh'U when fiirlitiiiir for the Mikado in the eivil war of 18(58. Like all other temples of this persuasion, it was very [)lain. JJehiud it were some grounds laid out as a garden, but apparently not mueh patronized by the public ; and Viscount Fujinami told us tlnit all the better-class people had gardens of their own, and did not use the public ones much. We slept at the British Li\gation at Tokio, having been invited to stay there in order to be ready for an expedition to Nikko the following day, and were up early and off by the 7 a.m. train to Utsu-no-miya (a distance of about GO miles), whence we were to take jin-rikishas to our destination. At Tokio station we met Viscount Fujinami, Mr. Niiynmn, and Dr. Stein (an Austrian gentleman), who had arranged to a(.'(;ompany us. We steamed at first through a flat Ijut highly cultivated country, with crops of rice, barley, wheat, cotton, millet, and daikon ; and plantations of mulberry trees and tea slirul)S. Some parts were thickly wooded, like English coppice land. On reaching Utsu-no-miya, we ordered tiffin (wdiieh, as usual, took about two hours to prepare and consume), and then proceeded on our 18 miles' drive to Nikko in seven jin-rikishas, over an excellent road, recently stoned with pebbles in some parts. Excepting when we passed through villages, but and [lages, A COOL nr.DRoo,\r. 195 there wa« a (;oiitiiiuous avenue of pines and cryptonierias almost tlic whole way. For the last ten miles of our drive this avenue extended witliout a 1)reak, and eon- sistcd of magnifh^ent eryptomerias, 80 to 100 feet liigli — the finest speeimens 1 have ever seen of this tree. Viscount Fnjinami said otlier country roads were])lantcd in a simihir manner, tlie object Ijeing to afl'ord tlie traveller protection in winter from the prevailing high winds. The roads are generally sunk to a de[)t]i of ten or twelve feet, so that the Jiigh banks on each sit hi may also serve the same purpose. On reaching Nikko we put up at the 8iixiiki Hotel, where our rooms were in the Japanese style, and had sliding rice-paper outside walls, and straw mattiuf/ on the floors. However, we had chairs, and a European dinner ; and w'cre very comfortable, though rather cold, for Nikko is 2000 feet al)ove the sea- level. In the evening we were l)esieged l>y an army of nntives anxious to displny and sell their wares. Thanks to our rice-pa[)er windows (in wliicli ventilation was further assisted by a few holes) it was very cold all uiffht. When first we had arrived the furniture of ni\' room consisted of a table, two chairs, a looking-glass, a bottle of water, and a tray — (pule in European fashion ! A frame-bed was put in for me, Ijut it was a good deal too short ; and a wTapper of quilts did not constitute a U 2 'I I ?i 11 li ' 8|| ' i^ ^ ill tV 1 1 ■ i , i ! ■!■: I it •'. l-i J « 196 /■///i OU) FAR EAST. ^■t'^v comfortaljlc pillow ; so altogether I pas.-cd an uneasy night, anil on the whole prefer the Japanese bed to sudi a l)a(l imitation of an i'jiglish one; so the next night [ slept on a native; one — i.r. thick mats laid on the Ihior — and found it very conifortalile. After hreakf^i.st we started for Lake Chiu/enji, ten miles distant. We had expected to walk, hut found that we were to be conveyed in kagos. This latter is a con\eyancc used in mountainous districts in Jai)an ; and is a very rough sort of palanrpiin ; the seat is a kind of basket open at both sides, witli an inclined back, and a cushion on which the traveller sits cross-lo2fi:cc!d if 2>ossi1tle (for he has no other means of disposing of his legs). Above is a sti'aw shade or roof as a protection from sun or rain, and the whole is swung by strips of bamboo on to a strong pole, which is carried at either end on the shoulders of coolies. A third man accom- panied each of these kagos as a rekay. Each bearer carried a bamboo stick, and on this he rested the pole very cleverly on coming to a halt. As we were all active men, we di ii' ' u .' ' I ; 'I 1 i l-f (1 to 1' i'. S h rt c: sc tl gi Vi S h r( LiWCJIKO^' IX A TEMri.E, Kjy a f^ood road, tlioiii:;!! (>ih3 part was very .st(!Cp. V|» this wo were ciirrii'd, tlioii^ii it \v;is p.iiii ;iiid grief to give.so inueli trouble wlicii wi; could have walked iij) (juit(3 easily ! The sc(,'uery was pretty but not grand, and \vc gradually gj lUed au elevation of 4;{()j feet above the 8cadevel and reached tlu; lake, which was also pretty enough, and, like all Ja[)anese scenery, its surroundings were very soft and velvety; but thei^ was notliing particularly grand al)out it. The autumnal tints of the foliage had been at their best only a fortnight previously, when all the maples wtu-e blood-red, and I much re- gretted having just missed seeing them. We had lunuicon at the Shinto temple as privileged guests; and, introduced l>y our escort, were waited on by the priests, who sent us a present of a dozen bottles of Bass's beer (evidently a high honour !) and some other refreshments. AVe had l)rought our own food, but these extras replenished our larder. Amoni]: the oifts were some apples, of a very turni[)-like fhivour ; and indeed, though fruit and vegetables grow in this country with great luxurian(;e, the general want of flavour in them is very remarkable. We lunched, as I have said, in a Shinto temple; but it nvcli more resembled a dwelling house, and after our meal we were taken up-stairs and seated on mats to smoke our cigarettes, an honour reserved only for distinguished strangers, but in any ! II I :U KjS THE OJJ) I'AR EAST. caso r.itlici" <»(1(1 in ;i lcin[»I('. Tlic [iiicsts took us over jiiioIIp Sliiiito Ifiiiplc ;i(ljoiiiiii;;', .sliowiiii:^' lis every )t;ir(, iiicliiiliiiL!" |>oi'ti(iii.s not \i.sii;ill\' seen Ity tlie juiMi*', ; tlie\' t'lM us lli(! \vorslii)t|M'rs ;is ;i j'ule (le|)((sit \\\\ otii'riii'j;, l)iit lliiit in most eases they ^^ivc! old coins of an int'''i'i(ii' \'alue, in.stt'.ad of modern ones ol" tiie presiMit daw Somo of tliesc old e()ins we pureliased from them. l)uriii[if the return journey we gradually, one by one, dismounted from our kagos, preferring to walk; indeed, I Av.dked nine out of llie ten miles, so my coolies had an e;i-v time of il. The next day, after the whole ])aity (inehiding the in coolies and tin; kagos) \\\\A Iteen photogra[»hed, we proei'cde*! to see tlie renowned temph^s of Nikko. Of tln.'Se there are thrci' — (I) the Tashogin temple (Shinto), with a ( hinese ])ago(la outside it called tlui (lujiiio-to; near this tem[tle is the tond) of the first Shognn (/. r. chief). (2) The Futara-yama .lingka (Ihiddhist), where the second Shogun is buried. (3) The iiiniioji tem]»le, also of tln^ lUiddhist ijersuasion. On leaving the hotel we crossed the river just below the Sacred Ih'idge, and proceech^d throuuh ;i ma<'nilieent avenue of cryjjtonu'rias, ea(di about lUO feet high and 200 years old. This hd us to the apj)roach to tin; Tashogin tem[)le, which was u}) some stejjs. I wus very much struck with the great beauty and enormous ■BCP ry^ 1 S J' LEX PI J) CR 1 1'TOMERIAS. 199 lor the iphoxl, Mkko. 1 tlie lirst iii;j;k;i 5) Tlu' Oil w the liceii^ 1 and tll(! iiious 8i/(! ol" the cryjttomerias ; I measureil one, wliioli at five icAtX, alxjve jn;roimtl wjis 22 fret in circiunferciice, and was alxjut 150 feet Jii.^li, and [»n)l)ahly from 200 to 300 y(iar.s old. TIk; t('nlpl('^; are .situated in groves of these IjeautifiU trees, which a,l)ound in tliis country; and tliough ! was very nuich inij)r('ss('d witii the tcnuih's, tonihs, and pa^(j(hi of IN'ikko, I think tlio beauty (jf these trees impressed me still more. All were line sti'ai.ght-gro\ving timhei-, and I have seen no trees I have admired so much since 1 visite(l the Mariposa Crove of Wellingt<»nias in tin! Sierra, Nevadas of Cali- fornia, — not even exc(;[)ting the Douglas piiU'S and h(!m- lock sju'uces of liritish C'olund)ia; ami this, I think, is the highest praise 1 can p(jssil»ly bestow on them. Jhit the Douglas pines near Vancouver City have more fia-n and more vegetation at their base than these Japanese ti'ues, whose roots dive straight into the bare earth. On ascending to the temple plateau, the first thing we noticed was the very handsome five-storied pagoda above-mentioned, erected in KJoO, made of wood; it has a, very graceful ajipcanmee, ami is b(!anti fully painted ; the lower story is adorned with the signs of the J:i,»ane3e zodiac. This buildini>; was the gift of one of th(! Daimios (or nobles) of Ohama. At the temple doors we were met by the priests in full dress, who took us over the whole of the building, including all . \ '!■» r I i, 200 THE OLD FAR EAST. the private portions. The head priest (of t]je Shinto sect) wore a high black gauze hchnet, and a bliK." o'auzo garment witli open wide sleeves, under wliieli was a white jacket, and below it appeared, like a kind of petticoat, a dark blue dress. White twill socks and straw or string sandals completed his costume. Outside a building, on a kind of platform or stage within the temple precincts, a person was performing the Kagura, or sacred dance ; the actual dance itself was not worth looking at, but the idea of a dance connectf.d with a religious place is curious to our Western notions, though of course very ancient in the East, and we gave tlie performer the usual donation in a piece of paper. We then proceeded to the tomb of lye-;isu (a renowned Shogun), which is a large 1)ronze erection, standing in the midst of a stoned courtyard, and guarded by an immense bronze figure of a stork holding a brass candlestick in his bill, a bronze incensed »urner, and a vase with artificial lotus-flowers and leaves worked in brass. Next came the temple of Futara-yama, where several divinities appeared to be worshipped. After this we visited the mausoleum of another departed liero called lyemitsu, passing by two red-lacrpiered laiildings on the wav, one of which is dedicated to the iijoddess of children, and the other is the resting-jilace of the bones of Yoritomo, the first Shogun, who flourished in A MOL'XT FOR A SPIRIT. 20 1 lings doss the in the twelfth cciiturv — Ivomitsu was the third Shoiiuii, or military ruh'r , two o'iijaiitic red figures in carved wood oceu})y iii(dies on either side of the })ortal.s of the building. Here we were met by the JJuddhist priests, who showed us the shi'ine of tlie chief, which is similar in style to that of lye-asu ; and took us all over the temple, displaying, among other things, a JJuddhist bible, beautifully written on rolls of silk, and carefully preserved in a laccpicred box. A curious custom con- nected with this tondj deserves to be mentioned. A "sacred" horse is kept here, well fed and carefully tended in a stalde near the tomb, so that the spirit of the departed Slioguu may come out and mouni and have a ride from time to time ! This is all the more remarkable, for, as I have said before, horses are not in ordinary use in Japan ; so I assume keeping this one is regarded as a great honour by the natives. Xext in turn came the Rinnoji temple, where the priests again were very polite, and showed us everything, even to their private residences. This temple and its gardens are very well situated ; the grounds are all laid out in the Japanese style, with several fountains and small lakes. The beautiful cryptomeria trees are only seen in the distance here, but the view from the priests' residence is exceedingly pretty, and commands a fine panorama of the Nikko mountains. I' : - , ,, 'i i^' I 4 I T"^ ■' ■, :i 'M^ M M I 1 202 r//A' OLD FAR EAST. Tlii.s C()m[)letecl the round of tlic temples, in wliicli we liad Itceu greatly interested. They are all huilt of wood, ]ai:(|Uered over, and their designs and arehitecture are (|uili' uni(|nc, and l)elong to a past age; — they are kept in repair at the expense of the Government. Round lliis (piiet spot cryptomcrias grow to perfection, and they in themselves arc worth the whole journey to see. Ascending a long flight of steps, und passing along a balustraded stone corridor, these trees make a fitting aeccmipaniment to the landscape, and I must say that, much as I appreciated their quaint and curious architecture, I yet preferred the natural loveliness of these trees to the skilful and very beautiful temples of this heathen land. After tiflin we set off on our return journey to Yokohama, taking jin-rikishas back to Utsu-no-miya station ; and our coolies ran the whole distance of 18 miles with only one short halt for a light refreshment of tea and rice. We again passed through the avenue of cryptomeria and pine trees ; and as the weather was rainy we experienced the benefit of their shelter. A journey of four hours and a half by rail brought us safely back to Yokohama again, which place we reaelied about 9 P.M., after a most enjoyable and interesting expedition. huilt of itecture licy are nmieiit. ■fectioii, journey passing make a lust say curious iness of temples rney to [no-niiya auce of I liirlit tliroui'li as the lof tbeii" l»y rail h place le anil HI. ASCENT TC A bHOuuNS TUMB THROUGH A GKOVE OF CRYPTOME Rl AS, NIKKO. i^ Ml I I ' ,, i, i ;i s Ml . ii 5 ^i ■;H J !ii i ! 1 i 1 ( m i« \ Ihfrn'hy A M;"i MAI' l(> IllK NKI(;ilUni nilOOl) (»F ^^)Ki)IIAMA, .)Ai'AN. Shiw nil/ Uii- Aiilfwr^ lunU- Ic Mikkn, ili'incNliild huiiitihiiixi dr "832 fViAiiiiiT t^Ci .V.KI.I (I'^miith Olntri v4rMiijlil ,*,■ ^Mlli iMli /,,./.! ,T / Uu >iilitii KiuvtMiiitii ?' .VhWIiiI.S ^ (»/,-, * > ' /t'lriri /,,„.) .1,, ;"TmuoU. .WoiriMi riaiMfiiiV'*"' |M?4 r~'"^ VhWIiiIS js ,,., ', ll,,,„: \\n^\tlktlto ■ III ^^■<" ^^V,*,'"* iHtirrii'M' Mi(* Ki'ri. ., N^ iKilbiiNiirm !• \ 'ifflMII"" \X 1 ^ V OMilH'd '> .Stttt«ll#vLI(JI/'(| /,,o tlMilMlllll>l« >, \ ' li^ 1' ,'■ MMs >■>'' MflllftHi f(J /(,..! //I'u-i j\*hihn(tt ft (i;,-.,.i.w., r^,, Viol.li 'J('IMI"i><' nIiiJ.c *. .s'lii/tn'iijfji^r >i. .,„/,, rir.c. In 'ril(l'l>ll\^lhlll -.t^ l-Mu'iiiu'i''- ,i",;,vrir-' , , lUiiHiijiiiMir-. "'7' 'jj f '■■'"'" ' I~^1 ^i (lAnL't^Vo""."* t ^^i,lMl.(^\ tltltiri .-1 rliMli J>>^.IWlllll KiMlllllll/ M,.-..,^--vp<'.ia...i _ . . ^ Y •' V, i'i((i '^dL.v,.. .,."*( }'J , jA*""*""""^ , r iMHiJiiiviiiriii Kjndi'i'i - Ilili , ',I>uuiirJii ' li'iiijJiii .S ~. Jlj'otiiKjii •J"" KitiniUiCtMffi'ri lriiiil»lllo fo/, M StMMJ.lt I'll rlii Mihiki- > V Xi •'JvVjji'Hivjiini I ,, , i / , ; V/ \ . / c'^ /V a>.,,,^, .V,. ,- *iV...„A 5 f 4. -,;,„..,„.^ \^^"^';: (VI .:..!,. ..I.I .11 .•! I... ^ & LC.I-.l ' MliilillW X I 0()i)ri(/iiriil,v(i .■iliircijj^iv^ \ (jAiAa ., M'lniil'' _V V* \*^"^ ^ i"* . \'' %0^* oHiifci-rnHM)-"''" .•^hltinitii'rhnti .c^.>.J' of Q^T >-* O , — ^ , ' '/eiiiiikii S. vSnilMtrfu &*''""'" ("1" tSt*'"*^'""'"'"'" '^'^-'^^ .V(lt-.IIM>- 1'«'l/"'"'w IW^ . , Inkiinlo i^^,„ \ Sfl ^x...»(.. ■^'„>.,r Nj'^'"," ^'-r'" !,' ..(„• r*>fJ."";>^ 'J*jiiVil Uii-hu'fi i.li.iulii ■U'k*' 4t.J ' '^;^'^Mii.'<<« , VVr. ilHtiukJ i's ;-'/i( pTl4l(;f)VV|bl^ fr(tfi«f< js.-i«;,i.) y'">/> tuij >. ---'V , I \ 12+00 ^■''* T«iiixiwiiii, . ;. - -- ' b60 ''A '/miki S A Q A Oviuii oc^l rr/irv iVuiiir) i)i» /jliSii k.W.i 55 I))!"''/:. . . . \, A w„ /ui#i('ll(>'lilf'&--r '^"''•i'^''^ii„„.h Ihitnli ■Chinirti \/ ?.',•. nnJi«" K the Inland, **'"\(J4uwi»ii«v ,y«i', IVaffasaJei ^^ ^ ^ '+.,"" iiliiri i„<,.„Wyiniodu ,/ *.Y(i/iiiiiAa l'J9 E .of Greenwich , /Swn tSan AVwnouc 14*0 SCALE OF ENGLISH MILES P 10 liB^^^ I.tiiuloii, lulwuril Staiifufd ii ''V; m;: '■a'.V Croa' ,':\ark Roofs — Cremation — Junks — The ]>ou Matsuri — Farewell to the Dead — A Festive Ceremony. Shopping in Japan is rather trying. Tlie amialilo Japanese have no idea of the vahie of time ; and indeed seem to look upon the transaction more in the light of an amusement to be prolonged as much as possible than anything else. I did a little shopping in Tokio, spending a great deal of time over the liurchase of a few articles : curios were all very dear, but silks Averc cheap, and besides these I bought some specimens of Japanese clogs, umbrellas and parasols, dresses, paintings on silk and rice-paper, toys, &c., &c. The chief difficulty is to find a good shop, the contents si /i • ■; 204 77/ A' 01. 1) FAR EAST. of which arc, iioL lUiiiiily intended for foreign f'xjtf)r(;itl(»n. TIk; shop fronts jiro .'ill open to the street ; ;i |»iiri has. r sits down ii.s it were on th(; <'ounter, aiid ge was narrow and the islands appeared to close in on all sides ; then again it broadened out into a widt,' expanse, with distant mountains to form a Ijacko-rouml to the picture ; but, however otherwise varied, there was still the same soft appearance before-mentioned comb'iued with the ru2:ii'ed outline ; and for the Vvhole of the distance the scenery was extremely pretty. Wi.' reached Kobe in the evening, a nice little settlement, with beautifully-kept streets as smooth and level as a Ijilliard- table. From here I went by train to a place calle^l Otsu, a distance of nearly GO miles. For the first 45 miles the country was a dead flat, though with mountains in the distance on the one side, rising to the height of I' I ■r \ ii THE OLD FAR EAST. about 1000 feet. I coukl not see any trees on them, nor was any pasture land visible — tliey appeared to be covered with bamboo-grass; but as Kobe is noted for its excellent beef, there must be pasture some' /here in its vicinity. On the cultivated plain a great quantity of rice was being grown ; tlie fields were as usual divided by little ridges of soil, and every scrap of ground was turned to account. Indeed the land was very highly cultivated, one might say it was gardened rather than firmed ; and ' I course nearly all was done by hand and spade labour. Cotton, tea, bamboo, daikon (the giant radish), beans, and mangolds are all grown here ; also turnips, which attain to an immense size. The fields were a little larger than those I had noticed before ; but the soil seemed stiffer and more clayey than that round either Yokohama or Tokio. The rice crop was dotted about in small stacks placed pretty close together, or else was being hung out on bamboo j)oles to drv. Men clothed in blue with handkerchiefs tied round their heads were busily cn!iao;ed workinii; in the •zoo O fields. Here and there ox-plouahs were beiuir used — the first I had noticed in Japan — but there was never more than a single ox to each plough. After passing Kioto the ascent is rapid to Mari, which is situated among foot-hills covered with pine-trees. In this district there were several tea plantations in full :^ JAPANESE RAILWAYS. 20.; bloom ; the tea-plant is a pleasant-lookiiifj shrub Qrowiiio- here iiboiit three or four feet high, with a very dark-oreeii leaf ami a i)retty white flower. Japanese tea is green, and this is the only sort the natives appreciate ; it is not liked in England, but meets with a very large sale in America. The railway was very well laid, and fur neatness and general tidiness could hold its own aaainst any English line, l)ut the gauge is narrower than ours. The stations are excellent, l)uilt of stone or lu-ick, with o'ood platforms and every convenience. The carriaut\s are imported from England, and altogether the Englisli railway system has been completely adopted ; but the lines, with one or two exceptions, belong to the Government. Presently we came to Yamashina — a pretty place in a l)road valley, surrounded by well-wooded hills. Rice and tea were here being extensively grown ; and we passi'd also some bamboo groves and larg. mulberry trees, urown for the benefit of the silkworms, — fur silk is largely made in this district. The town of Utsu is very prettily situated, nestled on the shore of Lid^e Biwa, abuut 285 feet above the sea, with pine-covered mountains all around. The water of the lake was almost as blue as that of Geneva. Fishing seemed the [irincipal industry, and many dilfercnt sorts of nets and boats are employed in this trade. Several small steamers ■% 1-^^ \ I i. 2IO THE OLD FAR EAST. r were also lying at the wharf, ready for a trip to the other end of the lake, about 50 miles off. On returning to Kioto, I invited a Japanese gentle- man (who had very kindly come to meet me, at the retjuost of a mutual friend) to tiltiii, or luncheon, at the hotel ; which meal we had to enjoy in solemn silence, as he knew no more of the Eiiu'lish lancfuajje than I of the Japanese. But after luncheon he procured an interpreter, and we set oft' in jin-rikishas to see various temples which I found very interesting. First I was taken to the Chi-on-su temple (Buddhist), which stood l)y itself in a large inclosure. It is a plain and massive-looking building. On each side of the ap- proach were the priests' houses, apparently very comfortable ones. About 70 priests are maintained here. Adjoining the temple is a very nice garden, with the tree-covered mountains rising immediately behind, and the contrasts of the foliage afforded a striking and most beautifid sight ; the blood-red of the maple combining eff'ectively with the dark green of the pine and the lighter green of the cr3'ptomeria and bamboo. We next ascended the hill by flights of stone steps, following a well-paved path, and came to the Buddhi.st temple of Iliyomidzu-dera, situated high up on the steep mountain-side. Part of the building is on piles, i1! ! :; CANDIDATES FOR MATRIMONY. 211 green steins, (Idliist u tlic piles, so tlitit one looks down al)Oiit 150 feet ; over here ladies who were unfortunate in their matrimonial pro- speets used formerly to throw themselves ; but this has now heen stopped by a spiked fencing. Unmarried peo[»le of botli sexes, desirous of matrimony, visit a small shrine dedicated to the patron saint of true lovers, and tie pieces of paper to the grill placed in front. This grill was pointed out to me, covered with little bits of paper tied in a knot ; and I was told that great perseverance and Ion., practice were re(|uired for the knot-tying, a.-;, if the ceremony is to be effectual, only the thumb and little finger of one hand must be used. Here was also an imaoe of the " god of streno;th," covered with pellets of papers ; for these Japanese have a curious superstition, that if they can spit a bit of paper in their devotions so that it remains upon the image or painting, this is a sign that their prayers will be heard ! In this, as in other temples I visited, priests were mumbling prayers which seemed to me to consist of one word repeated over and over again, sittinjj on their heels the while, and strikincj oongs from time to time. From the temple plateau there was a beautiful view of the city of Kioto, which lies on the plain below ; the KamaQ;awa river runnino; throuuh its centre, spanned by numerous bridges. At the time of my visit it was nearly dry ; and this is usually the V 2 t? ' ! 1 V.' I !i ! Kl! 1 212 THE OLD FAR EAST. I • '' Cease, except after heavy rains. We also saw the Shinto temple of Gion, at which (as had heen the case in the other temples) there were a great numher of pilgi'ims ; they were engaged in attempts to attract the attention of the "god" within, by sounding a brass gong or kind of clapper. It was painful to witness the evidently sincere devotion of these people, and it seems very sad that a nation a[)parcntly so free from vice, and so amiable and gentle in disposition, should have their eyes closed so long to better things and to a truer faith. Another day I was taken to see the JMikado's palace here ; this seems to have been by special favour, for a teleixram had been received from the Government with an order (unsolicited by me) for my admission. As a Japanese palace it was very interesting, l)ut there was not a scrap of furniture anywhere about the place ; probal)ly it was stored in some fireproof building near. The panel paintings were very gootl indeed, especially the life-size figures. Thick mats bound with red silk covered the floor ; the roofs were of cedar bark, and about 15 inches thick. One of these was underiroincf i-epairs, and the work was being wonderfully well and neatly executed, each piece of bark being be-iten flat and welded into the preceding layer, water being used to bind it well together. I admired the palace garden ( I e Shinto :' ill the Mlgrinis ; tteiitioii or kind k'idently reiy sad and so .'c their a truer 3 palace our, for 'rnmcnt mission. It there 3 place ; g near, pecially •ed silk rk, and Drc^oinir ell and en flnt ^ used garden ! AT KIOTO. 213 very much ; it was enlivened by having various coloured foliage trees planted in close proximity ; the contrast thus afforded relieved the monotonous appearance usually presented by landscape gardening at this 'ne of the year. I noticed a new Buddhist temple in course of erection in Kioto ; it was being built of the hardest native wood, called Hiyaki, and will take another ten years to complete. Perhaps funds come in but slowly, as Buddhism is said to be on the decline. There was a great similarity between all the Buddhist temples ; any amount of gorgeous gilding and lacquer work, beautifully carved ceilings, curious roofing, odddooking priests, and a perpetual sounding of gongs or beating of drums ; and always the inevitable " must" of " boots off" before enterino:. Kioto is the manufacturinq; centre of Japan, and is noted both for its silks and china ; I made several purchases of specimens of both, an() (3reinati()ns take place in one day at this hiiildin^', tlie most fashionable hour heino- ,'3 p.m. 1 watclicd the process ; there was nothinj:!^ whatever offensive ahont the premises, everythini^ was as ch'an and well kc[»t as could he desired; l)Ut a slight odour of cookiii_n' or roasting was perceptible when an oven was ojK'ued. Cremation is favourably received by the Japanese, but not universally adopted. Arguments may be used in its favour from a sanitary i)oint of view amoULi- a crowded population such as that of Japan ; and for l)eo})le in humble c'rcumstances it may l)e a saving of expense ; but as regards theory and sentiment it is (juitc a different thing, and it seems to me the practice is contrary to all the established customs, prejucbces, and ideas of modern western nations, and (;[in never gain ground in Europe to any extent. On returning to Kobe I went into the town and made a few purchases of silk uml)rellas, bamboo sticks, and Japanese fire-irons (which latter are only about eight inches long, and were mistaken for chopsticks by friends in England) ; and then went on board the P. and 0. steamer Teheran., bound for Hong-Kong. There were crowds of junks and fishing-boats outside Kobe ; in f'M.scil, or 8 to .'{0 liii,U', tli(! liod tho l»oiit tlio kept as kill,!'' or lese, 1)11 1 used ill inonij a 111(1 for viiig of is quite <'ticc is L's, and 3r gam k'li and sticks, t eiojit rioiids ,11(1 0. ! were e ; in J A PA SESE JUNKS. 2 . / fact, one of tlie most iioti(;('a,l)le tliin.uja liero on the const is tlir great numl)er of |)i(;tur('S((U(! little S(|iiar('-sjiil Itoals dotted about in all directions. Notwithstanding their ])roponsity for adopting European ways, \ should fi.iicy it will \)v. a long time before the .Ja]>anes(; give up their junks; though 1 am told they are by no means a safe kind of craft, but arc very liable to lu; overturned by a sudden s(piall. Our route lav aixain tliroiurh the Inland Sea; I had always heard su much in praise of its scenery, and 1 found it very pretty, but by no means grand. Tliere were mountains on all sides, but none of them bold in outline ; no elift's or rocks worthy of the name, merely a continuous volcanic u[»heava,l of the ground, with a scanty vegotation useless for stock. Wherever it was possible, the land was cultivated as arable, and every little nook or sheltered corner was carefully tilled ; in many places it was hud out in ridge above ridu'e of tiny fields rcsemblin' III! n f 2l8 THE Ol.n FAR /CAST. « m more timbered. Of course in Novenilu'i" the scenery i.s not seen to ;i(lv;int;ige, ;in(l the moiuitaiiis certainly slioweil their hackhones very visibly ; hut in >]iring time or summer everythini,^ wouhl Ix; greener and brighter. All the islands were of the conical shape so characteristic of Japan ; the heights of the mountains varied from about 800 to 3000 feet ; several villages were dotted about here and there, ))ut we saw no larsje towns, though the i)()pulation evidently was consich-rable, judging from the innumerable junks and fishing-boats which enlivened the scene throughout the 77//: O/.n FAR FAST. cmigr.'ititjn from tlic >Soutlioni to the nioro sparsely popuhiLcd Nortliorii Isliunl of Yczo ; l>iit tin; climate tlu'n3 is colder, and the project does not gain ground among the Southerners. Emigration to the Sandwich Islands has also l)ecn tried, and a party of 2000 people were shii)ped off thenj lately ; but 1 am ignorant of the result of this experiment. The country, however, can at pr(;s. ; chickens about 9r/, each. Fresh butter is either only made in very limited quantities or else imported in tins; salt butter costs about l.v. C)(/. per lb. Game is very })lentifnl, and pln;asants are sold at about 8^/. each, h;'res at about l.v. Ad. each ; the soil is too damp for rabbits to thiive. p 22' EXTRA- TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION. A Europoiiri must not, liowcvor, tliink that he is at lilxii'ty to slioot tlie i^amo, p](!ntiful tliougli it may Ix; ; for he is limited to the Tn.'aty ports, and to a radius of 25 mih;s round the,m, ;ind then only with leave; and within these limits Ik; will probably not me(;t with mueli sport. The J;ij)an('se an; anxious to throw open their country altogetli(;r to for(;igner.s, hut th(;y wish in return for the abolition of extra-territorial jurisdie- tion, and it is probable that no revisirni of the Treaty will take; plaee for a ye.ar or two, a reecnt atten)})t having fail(;d. I b(;li(;ve that about sixteen ditlV'rcnt fore'ign powers entered into this 'J'reaty. 'J'he (jlfcet of "extra-territorial jurisdietion " is, that in the event of a crime being committed by a foreign resident he can only be tri(;d by his own consul, to the entire exclu- sion of the Japanese authorities. This arrangement th(; latter naturally wish to alter, a!)d the matter has recently been engaging much attention, but at present the negotiations have licen suspended without any satisfactory conclusion being arrivetl at. When re- commenced, I hop(; there may be a successful solution of the difli(;ulty. However that may be, a nation with such elements of strength cannot long remain in leadiniT-strings. The Americans are (juite alive to the importance i 1.1 m: 224 THE OLD FAR EAST V !' 1 f \ I of being on fiieiully tenns \vitli their Japanese neigh- bours, and the hitter fully reeiprocate the friendly feelinir. It behoves Enuland to be careful, or the Americans will have the preference in Japan, and their customs and ideas will be ado])ted instead of ours. ^ The present policy of the Government a[)pears to lie to Europeanize everything; the mendjers of the Court are in European di'ess ; and the army, navy, police, and officials generally all wear European uniforms. These different l)rajiches of the State are all most etiicicntlv managed; the police especially are a highly-intelligent, superior class of men, and wherever you travel you may be sure of receiving any needful assistance and constant courtesy from them. Japan is on the brink of a u'reat chanixe. At present the ^likado and his Cabinet have supreme and absolute power, with no appeal ; but very soon there is to be a representative assendjly lor the first time, and the Houses of Parliament are now in course of erection. (Sin(ie this was written it is announced that on Monday, the 11th February, 1889, the Mikado publicly promulgated the mnv Constitution, in great state at Tokio.) '" The jMil^ado and his (Jovern- ment are the sole landowners in the country, and only urant leases so long as the ground-rent or land-tax is ^ 8ee Apiii'iiilix C. - Sl'L' Aii|icndi.\ ] ). A CULTURED PEOPLE. 22! fiic'iidly or the id their ,,} 11.0 » lie to ^urt iU'c ice, and These iicieiitly elliueiit, /oil may constant t^'- At supreme .'V .so(jn le first course louneed W), tiie itutioii, .Jovcrn- nd only 1-tax is X J ). paid to tlicm. Houses and buildings erected on the land belong to the occupier, but if the ground-rent is left unpaid they revert to the ^Mikado. Some little (demency may be shown as regards arrears in the case of valuable houses or premises, but if the lease is for land only the rent must be paid punctually to the day or the property is forfeited. One person is i)er- mitted to sell his holdino; to another, but it remains always subject to the Mikado's taxes, and the tenure would be forfeited in just the same way l)y any delay in the payment of the ground-rent, for his Imperial JMajesty would at once step in, claim the property, and resell it in order to obtain his due. The Japanese appear a nappy, contented, and amiable people ; most friendly and courteous to strangers, and very simple in their ways. The great rage for all European ways and customs, which now pervades the upper classes, may possibly have the unfortunate effect of introducing European vices as well, and of spoiling tlie present simplicity of the people. When the country is thrown open (which it undoubtedly will be on the revision of the present treaty), I question whether the Japanese nation will be much improved by the change, so far as content- ment and simplicity are concerned. Of course, more capital will then be introduced into the country, and f -1 If '1 5 r 1 1 [' 1 1 ' Ft 1 1 ' k 1 r . ,• ) ^ 1 * 1 1 'i hi! i \ 226 77/£' OZ/? FA A' EAST. in tills respect the nation, as a whole, will Ijenefit ; l)ut I fear that mueh of their peculiar charm will disappear. ''.' At present they all seem so gentle in their dealings with one another, always kind and helpful, and never rough or rude. I did not once sec anything resembling a quarrel l)etweon cither the grown-up people or the children in the crowded towns and villa cjes througli which I passed ; they all wore s.niling faces, and talked to each other with laughter in cverv tone. The number of children everywhere is ]ierfectly mar- vellous ; women with children on their hacks, and young children with infants almost as big as them- selves, abound at every turn ; old men and women being also made use of for this universal carrying. The younger men are mostly very upright and strongly made ; looking like pictures one has seen of the old Romans ; their (as a rule) single garment is wrapped loosely around them in a very picturesque fashion, and when taking exercise is usually tucked up to their thighs. Some of the men, however, wear a sort of blouse, with tight-fitting trousers, either cut short lielow the knee or extended over their ankles. They have cloaks besides in cold weather. Those who wear no cloi^s (or shoes) have a sole, or sandal, made of either string or straw. I bought a pair of these latter to wear Under mv boots when going on a mountain expedition and T L T )enefit ; in will in their liclpful, [lything p people villages ig faces, ry tone, ly mar- •ks, and s tliem- ^vomen carrying. strongly the old wrapped lion, and to their sort of t l)ehnv ey have no clogs er striug ar Under tion and )r HAIR-DRESSING. 227 found them most comfortable, keeping the stones from hurting my feet, and a safeguard besides in slippery places ; the price was equivalent to three-halfpence a pair. With the exception of the smiling little maids at the inns, whose manners are most taking, the women are not, as a rule, so prepossessing as the men, especially among the poorer classes. It has been the invariable custom in Japan (though a custom happily now on the decline) for the women to blacken their teeth on marriage. This has a most unbecoming effect, and makes them look much older than they really are. While they keej) their mouths shut they are often quite pretty and young-looking, but when laugliing this dis- figurement makes them appear old and hideous. Their mode of hair-dressincf is not a nice one to our notions — the hair is well larded with grease, and when once in position remains so for weeks ; a roll of wood being used instead of a pillow to support the neck at night, in order to prevent the hair from being disarranged. The Japanese are very fond of bathing ; both sexes often use the same bath, and at the same time. Until (juite recently there was an open bath for the public in one of the thoroughfares of Yokohama, where ladies and gentlemen indulged in a public wash quite regard- less of the passers-by, some of whom would perhaps take their turn subsequently. Occasionally after bathing, i!i I 1*1! ! K Pi'K- M 128 THE OLD FAR EAST. ft. uud very frc(|ueiitly after jiny severe exercise, the Japanese have recourse to shampooing; the operators being usually blind men and women who parade the streets for this purpose, and attract attention by whist- lino- on bamboc -sticks. One of them accosted me on one occasion. At the time I had no notion what she wanted, but afterwards I found that she had probably offered me her services as shampooer. The fashion of smoking is curious. The pipe-stem is long, with a very diminu- tive bowl at the end ; in this the tobacco is placed, and when lighted but one whilf is usually taken, and the remainder knocked out. Both sexes are fonci of smoking ; and every Japanese has his pipe and tobacco- pouch, let his clothing be ever so scanty. Wrestling is still much practised among the Japanese ; the champions ai~)pear to be selected for their size, and are always very tall, fat men ; so there can be no training to get into condition, according to the custom of western athletes. The wrestling matches are usually held in the open air, the ground being railed off with bamboo poles covered with mats. Fencing is also a very favourite amusement with all classes, and is indulged in by both sexes ; the ladies use a lance with a bent head, rather like a short scythe — this is carried point downwards, and with it they perform a series of evolutions and passes which are very pretty crease, the operutors )iirade the by wliist- me on one he wanted, )ly offered f smoking y dimiuu- is placed, akeu, and e fonu of I tobacco- iioiiJX the ccted for so there ordiiig to matches ing railed eneing is Lsses, and 3 a lance — this is erform a y pretty THE " HARA-KIRI." 229 to watch. With the other sex, the two-handled sword is the usual weapon, and the head and body are pro- tected by leather and l)amboo armour, and across the face bv iron bars, from the somewhat severe blows often inflicted. The Japanese are very dexterous 2:)erformers of all kinds of conjuring and jugglery; of this wc have often had proofs in England, and, as far as I could judge, their performances are much the same whether in London or Japan. In speaking of the native customs, I must not forget to mention the very curious one (now almost extinct) of the " hara-kiri." When a nol)le was con- demned to death for some crime, he had the i)rivilege of committing suicide by disembowelling himself, and thereby saving his own honour and that of his family, and often also the family possessions, instead of submitting to the indignity of an ordinary felon's deatli. This judicial suicide was performed with great ceremony before officers, witnesses, and relations, an intimate friend being in readiness witli uplifted sword to cut off the prisoner's head as soon as he should have made the fatal stab. There were other forms of "hara-kiri," besides this judicial one, and it was often resorted to voluntarily after reverses in battle or disappointments in love affairs, and also after insults received. As rcn^ards the latter, it is verv curious to note that one n \ i i >♦ li 1 II j 230 THE OLD FAR EAST. i i 'f ii Japanese having a grudge of spite against another wouhl purposely insult him, and the person so aflVonted had no other remedy than to perform *' hnra-kiri " on himself, instead of having reeoursc to legal proceedings (as might be done in Englnnd), or calling his adversary out in a duel (as in France). Religious festi.ciis are very frequent and great features in Japan. They are held in honour of the different gods — cj/., of the gods of hnppiness, mercy, fire, sun, war, medicine, writnig, &c., and of "the god who hears prayers." nicrc are also popular festivals, partaking of a religious character, in honour of the dead, of the stars, of girls, of boys, of spring, of farmers, of wealth, of chrysanthemums, &c. Many missionaries have been sent to Japan of late years, both from Europe and America, and though prol)ably the adults will keep to their old faith, it is very likely the rising generation will in time become Christians of some kind or another ; because a new religion is l)eino; sought for as well as a new Constitution. The dis- position to adopt all European habits will very possibly be a help in this respect. Since my return to England I have been told that, at the request of the Japanese authorities, several English high-school teachers have recently been sent out to undertake the education of the daughters of some of the nobility ; and with full niiother iiilVonted kiri " on cecding.s dvcrsary (1 great L' of the , mercy, the god festivals, ' of the ring, of Many irs, both ibly the kely the itians of is lieino; rhc dis- possibly England lapanesc irs have ation of ,^ith full MISSIOXAR V EFJ-VA' TS. 33i lil)erty to instruct tljeni in religious as well as secular knowledge. At present the more educated chisses are "iudifferentists" (if I may use the word) rath(,'r than anything else. Among the lower classes, however, there is much really sincere devotion, and it seems sad it should be so misdirected. M I 333 THE OLD FAR EAST. 71 I i) V i \ I CHAPTER XVI r. JAI'AN (cont'niKcd). ],(>\v Wages — A Clioap Working Suit — Courteous Officials — A Sliort- livi'il Class — Grain Crops — I'riinitivo Iiiiplcinonts — An Evil-.snioll- ing Delicacy — AV retched Ilursea — llayu and Magi — Creen Tea and Snclu' — A Possi1)I(' Field for Settlers — The Five Treaty Ports — Passports — Farewell to Japan. Foi: foreigners without means, such as artisans and lahourers, Japan is simply a blank, owing to the very low scale of wages. The natives are extremely neat- handed, skilful and clever, and quite capable of perform- ing all sorts of artisan's work, as well as the ordinary held labour : but carpenters, masons, and blacksmiths, only make from Is. 8c/. to 2y. per day ; painters and coolies from Iv. to Ls*. (yd. ; and ordiuiuy workmen in the towns from lOd. to Iv. (jd. In the country districts the })ny is even less, field-hd)ourers only receive from bd. to l.s'. a day (the latter is considered very good pay), and women in the fields earn from 2;}<'/. to Ad. a day. Indeed, people often work simpl}- for their food and i';i I .! I I A CHEAP irORK'ING SUIT. 133 -A Short- Eviksiuell- ireeii Toa roaty Ports aiLS Jiiid he very ly noat- lerform- ordiiiary ksmitlis, ;ers and emeu ill .listricts vc from jd pay), '. a day. )od and clotliiui;' ; Init the former is very cheap, and they are very frugal livers ; and as 1 saw a good nuiny lieKl- hil)ourcrs with no chitliea on at all, the latter item V tunot cost much either — and a Sunday suit cannot be needed in a country where no Sunday is kept, so clothes can only be required for grand ocieasions and (!old weather. Maid-servants in private establishments earn about Iv. 8r/. to 2.s'. ; good men-servants about Gv. 8«. a month ; and of course food is provided. To anyone accustomed to hear about American wages, these figures will seem surprising; and it must l»e under- stood thut tlie service rendered is really excellent ; indeed, I think the Japanese would make good European servants. On account, probably, of the low scale of wjiges, every establishment has an astonishing number of inmates. The lines of railway and the steamboat undertakings belong (as I have said Ix'fore) almost exclusively to tile Imperial Government, which is higlily to be praised for the good management everywhere visible. Com- munication between the different ports on the Japanese coast is admirably maintained by a constant line of steam-packets; many of wliidi av(» of English build. As regards the railways, the work has been solidly done, with due regard to permanence, and the best models have been selected for the roUino; stock. The M ' 231 THE OLD FAR IIAST. \ LI * ■ ^ guai'ds, ])ort(;rs, (;iigii)(;-(liiv(,'i'.s, «^c., anj :i!l (li(;.s.-.c(l in lOiiroiJcan I'asliioii ; many of llicm ('an talk a. Iittl(j Kniflisli, ;m ill J']n_^disli, with an O' isional .laparn'sc; translation. Tin; ollicials arii all models of courtesy anni an Mnglishniaii residing ihcjc, con- iie(;t(Mi with oik; of (he iailwa\s, who was also doing a little farming. As to i'ic(; cultivation, he told nui the seeN(J K()N(i. ("ANTON. A T^iiiid-lnckcd IIar})our — KfRict of Truoa on Climate — TMnj^'frous luillow-passi'ii'^iirs — A Kisky Visit — Niimnv stnM'ts— A Cat and l)o;4 UtjMliiiiianL — A Cliinost! Tciiiplc! — Walclicr.s on tho llousc-loiis — I'lacu of Kxcciition — A Chanilicr of Horrors — Kortuiitj-tcllfrs — A Clock tliat lias gonci for 500 yc-ars — Graves with a I'rosjxjct — Law Courts — Tho Rung — Shopiiing — Jado. My passiige from Japan to Hong K >>^ 7 z!;^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 1.4 ill 1.6 4 / o {./ § •■ % \ If > ??B^Hi«9^"*' .111 ft I r i: It ■ I 246 THE OLD FAR EAST. approach to Hong Kong wms very pretty ; the trees planted thickly on the island by the British Government Avere a most refreshing sight to the eye after the long ridires of barren mountains which here form the Chinese coast. I am told that these trees have a very beneficial effect on the Hong Kong climate ; they consist mostly of China pines. The harbour is completely land-locked. A great many ships were lying at anchor there, and among them about forty or fifty large merchant steamers. The town rises steeply tier upon tier above the harbour, Victoria Peak forming the summit, at tlie foot of which are the better class of houses, among wdiich Government House stands out as a conspicuous object. The commercial and Chinese part of the town lies on the flat below, and must be very hot in summer, entirely shut in as it is by hills. I did not make any stay at Hong Kong on this occasion, but went on at once with an English friend on an expedition up the Pearl River to Canton ; a distance of about 100 miles. We set ofl" in the eveninoj on board a Chinese steamer, and caught a glimpse of the surrounding scenery before dark. L;iter on there was a bright moon, and we continued on deck. At first the country was very mountainous, but higher up the river it became more level. Our vessel was armed — i. e., guns and revolvers were kept ready loaded in the -iillif I, ' f: ^^ w A RISKY VISIT. 247 le trees }rnmeiit he loug Chinese iciieficial t mostly 1 -locked, lere, and nerchnnt Ler above it, at the 5, among nspicuous the town . summer, g on this ish friend anton ; a le evening limpse of on there At first er up the 3 armed — led in the saloon in case of any emergency or riot with the Chinese.', on board, who occupied the lower deck. Un a former occasion the Chinese had attacked the saloon passengers, hence this precaution liad become necessary. The gun- rack is kept open, and a hirge notice, " Loaded," is placed in front. We reached Canton early in the morning. About four miles beiow the town an impediment is phiced across the river in the shape of sunken junks and pih's driven in ; only quite a narrow passage is left, just sufficient to allow of one vessel passing through at a time. This obstruction was phaced here as a protection some years ago, when we were at war with China. Canton is situated on a pkiin, and contains about 2,000,000 inhabitants. A given number of Chinese appear to have the faculty of making more noise than the same number of people of any other nation ; and as we approached we heard a clacking of tongues and no end of com- motion. On nearing the landing stage we noticed the hosts of house-boats for which Canton is so famous ; they were in rows of several boats deep, on the side of the river adjoining the town, and the various little creeks were full of them. Directly our vessel stopped, a multitude of junks and sanpans came up to the side of the ship ; for we had about 600 Chinamen on board. * ! If- 'A I ^-f^'^mimrmnmi'^Bi ■I i 24!> T//E OLD FAR EAST. and many of tliem wanted to go on further u]3 the river. The scene was an amusing and a very lively one, accompanied as it was the whole time by a tremendous jabbering and clattering of tongues. We decided on taking a couple of guides to show us the town, and having engaged an old man, by name " Ah Cum," and his son, we sallied forth, each in a palan(pnn (a kind of sedan chair), carried by three or four bearers, our guides being accommodated in the same manner. We were soon in the city ; such curious narrow streets, only six to eight feet wide, where the passers-by often had to stand on one side to let our chairs throuah. They were everywhere crowded with people, but we went on at a quick trot, our bearers hallooing and shouting the whole time so as to warn people to clear a way. The Chinese are said not to be very amiably disposed to the E slier, nor indeed to any other foreigner ; so we were rather uncertain as to their reception of us — we found, however, that our chairs were carried along so fast that they had not time to notice the inmates until we each individually came up alongside them. They then evidently often made remarks, and some of them gesticulated and did not look at us in an over-friendly manner ; but there was no attempt at following us. A large crowd gathered round directly we stopped anywhere ; but they dispersed w NARKOIV STREETS. 249 up the ^ lively l)y a s. We us the ne " Ah laiiijiiiii bearers, manner, streets, jy often :hrouoh. but we nu' and to clear amialjly y other o their r chairs time to 3anie up made did not icre was ratliered ispersed immediately we commenced to move on again. The children, especially, seemed very curious, and crowded round to have a good stare, at each opportunity. There is said to be always a certain amount of risk in visiting Canton ; but we were told it was safest either to go alone with a guide, or else only quite a small party ; for if there is a long string of chairs the people get impatient at tlie obstruction, and sometimes try to block the way — a very easy process in such narrow streets. However, we got on very well tliroughout the day, and were not at all molested. The streets them- selves form the most curious sight in Canton ; their extreme narrowness, and the immense jjopulation every- where thronging them, impressed me in a way not to be foro'otten. Numbers of the houses almost touched each other overhead in the upper stories, end in many instances mats and bamboo trellis-work were thrown across to effect a more complete union, and also to shade the street below. Canton is a very good specimen of a Chinese town, and one is told that having seen it, one has seen all Southern China. It must be remembered, however, that the Chinese Empire is a very large country, with an area of over 4,000,000 square miles, and a population of more than 400,000,000 ; and Pekin, in the north, is quite unlike Canton, the streets being of great width, il ill! il il r ■i 'I It I . ; J! •i ' 111 ISO THE OLD FAR EAST. and it may also be taken as a fair sample of all those in that part of China. The bustle and activity everywhere displayed were very striking, and the offensive smells were less than I had anticipated ; indeed I must own that I tliiid^ in this respect a Japanese town has the advantage (?). Our guides took us first to see a kind of a corn mill, where a number of oxen were at work grinding ; then past a cat and dog restaurant (delicacies much appreciated by the Chinese coolie) to the temple of the " Five hundred ffcnii." Here what constituted their morninnj service was g-oing; on, and seven or eio-ht ])uddhist priests were chanting four or five words over and over again, which seemed to be the whole ceremony. One of the priests, however, was not above leaving his place and his part in the service, to receive the custom- ary fee of ten sens from us. We had seen so many Buddhist temples in Japan that this one Chinese one w\'is quite sufKcient to satisfy us. It is protected by a guard of soldiers, and contains about 500 statues. The most prominent building in Canton is a Roman Catholic cathedral, which at the time of our visit was in course of construction. The houses are all merely wooden shanties, and if a fire occurred there must infallibly be immense destruction. Large vessels of water are placed on most of the roofs, and a sort of A ''CHAMBER OF HORRORS." 251 hose in ywherc smells .st own uis the a corn inding ; ? much nplc of 2(\ their r eight ds over •emony. ing his custom- 3 many ese one ted hy atues. Roman sit was merely e must sels of sort of wooden platform is run from house to house for the accomnKxhition of the eitv watchmen when on the look- out nightly for thieves or alarms of fire. Here and there among these wooden shanties were buildings of a greater height, an«l more solidly built ; these I was told were pawnbn^kers' establishments. We visited a silk- weaving manufactory, and a stone-cutting establish- ment ; in both of which everything was done by hand, — for the Chinese appear to have no more notion of machinery than the Japanese. Our guides also took us to the public execution ground, which, when not required for its special purpose, is used as a pottery. An execution had taken place here only two days previousl}^ and the criminal's head was hanging by a piece of string to the wall, while his blood was still drying on the ground. The man had been a noted Chinese pirate, of whom there are great numbers in these seas. We also saw what is called the " Chamber of Horrors," in which are certain figures representing various methods of torture either imagin- ary or real, which are shown here publicly, in order (we were toM) to awe the people into good behaviour, by the sight of what they nmst otherwise expect. In the space immediately adjoining about forty Chinese were sitting, cjich at a small table ; these were fortune- tellers. We noticed one young Chinaman having his t) 1 i i T r, i THE OLD FAR EAST. \ fortune told aa we passed by, and so serious was liis fane, and so earnest and absorbed his gaze, that I imagine he fully believed everything he was being told. At this place the crowd was greater than ever, and we had some ditticulty in making our way. We of course saw the celebrated water-clock, which is placed in a tower over a gateway, and consists of three Large tanks, very ancient and made of bronze, and rather like reversed bells placed obliquely one above the other. The time is calculated Ijy the water, which drops from the topmost tank into the second, and then through the third into a fourth placed lower down, and of rather a different shape. In this latter is an upright piece of flat iron, marked with the hours, which is fastened into a floatinij board. This board works gradually up as the lowest tank fills, and in this way the time is told. At certain intervals the person in charge writes down the hour on a piece of board, and exhibits it in a conspicuous place outside the tower ; the water is taken out of the fourth tank when full and put back into the uppermost one. Thus the operation continues from day to day, and this has been going on for 500 or 600 years. The city wall also was worthy of notice ; doubtless it was very strong in former days, but it would not be of much use now against modern artillery. The view /f 'I GRA VES WITH A PROSPECT. 253 was liis that 1 i being II (jvor, :, which isists of izc, and )ovc tlie , which lid then wn, and upright rhich is works his way 'rson in ird, and 'er ; the ■ull and aeration omii on oubtless not be he view of the city was very good from this point, and turning the other way we saw the cemetery situated outside its limits on the steep hill-sides. On tlie higher ground there were thousands of little headstones markint]: the Chinamen's graves ; but the lower portions were un- occupied, for Celestials have the greatest horror of a wet grave, therefore tlie higlier the spot the greater the value attached to it. The well-to-do classes have a stone or brick-built tomb, the exterior being always somewhat of horseshoe form. This horror of a wet grave is not, however, the only reason why a high situation is chosen ; the idea also is to secure a good view. In fact when a Chinaman has purchased his burial-place he claims the whole prospect ])efore him ; so much so that I know as a fact that at a place called Foo-chow, where a line of telegraph-wires put up by a private company ran in front of a Chinese cemetery, the natives combined and destroyed the wires, and refused to allow them to be re-erected ; giving as their reason that they had purchased a monopoly of the view, and would tolerate no obstruction of it — not even a tele- graph-wire ! rather a curious idea, especially as the Chinese are buried in quicklime. It must, however, be borne in mind +hat the Chinese are strongly opposed to any innovations, such as telegraphs, railways, &c. ; in which respect (n.s indeed in almost every other) they i- i J I • 1 11 ,1 ' !. r I 1 I in ■ I p. T 254 T//E OLD FAR EAST. !■ form a striking contrast to the Japanese. This dislike to anything fresh may very possibly liave had some- thing to do with their anxiety for the comfort of their deceased rehitives. We ascended the five-story Pagoda in order to sec the view, and noticed another Pagoda in the distance, but had not time to visit it. We returned through the Tartar quarter, and went into the law courts, where some prisoners were being tried. The trial was quite worth seeing ; the court was an open space only partially roofed over, the judge sat by a table at which was an official taking notes ; before him were the prisoners, five in number. They remained on their knees the whole time, with their heads bowed almost to the ground ; and everything the judge said had to be repeated to them through an interpreter, for although all were Chinese, tley spoke a different dialect from the judge. Both they and the other prisoners awaiting their turn for trial had chains on their arms and legs. Next we visited a prison, in which the poor men were undergoing a punishment called " Kangs," or " canques," which consisted of a large board, about three feet square, with a hole in the centre just large enough for a man's neck. Through this the head was placed. They stretched out their hands to us, hoping for presents : to one I gave a cigar, to another a few sens, and finally shook hands dislike . somc- )f their • to see i.stance, ucfh the , where IS quite )artially was an ers, five e whole Ground ; \ited to dl were e judge, eir turn ^ext we k'rf!;oin£f ' which ire, with I's neck, lied out '. I gave k hands /ADE. 255 with n third, or they would soon have had nil ni}" loose cash. Another prison we were taken to see was more crowded than the first-named, and numbers of hands were held out to us throuj^h the wooden bars. I divided all the cliange I had left among tliose poor fellows, many of whom I was told were condemned to death. jNly informant added that had I been in among them they would not be at all particular what they did to me as a stranger, and I should be just as likely to be murdered as not. During the whole of the day we were busy shopping whenever we had the opportunity, and I invested, among other things, in some nice ivory carving, some old bronzes, and a couple of old gongs. The system of bargaining is very bad and somewhat trying to the patience ; the tradesmen ask double, and even three times the sum they are really prepared to take : — for instance, I bought a bronze for five dollars for which fifteen had at first been asked. The jade market was crowded with people, and I saw there quantities of ornaments made of this stone, which is rather trans- parent and of a whitish or greenish shade according to value. It is a favourite ornament with the Chinese and is much prized by them ; in fact it is looked upon by them in the light of a charm, or a sacred stone. It is very expensive, but I did not admire it much, and t|. i' I! J 356 THE OLD FAR EAST. , : thought the wonder was when; the buyers were to come from to get tliroui];h all the stock exhibited. Our steamer sot off on iier return journey to Hong Kong in the evening, and we returned to the quay in time to catch her. Canton is very interesting, and is well worth a visit, but a short stay is quite sufficient, and we were glad to f'''t away without any mishap. As we had set off on ou, sight-seeinor before 7 a.m. we had had a good long day of it. We reached Hong Kong the following morning, when 1 went to Government House, to stay a few days with the Governor, Sir William des Voeux. i- ; C/JMATE OF 110 \G KOXC. 257 to come (I Oiir Kong in time to ■11 worth we were had set 1 a good bllowing :o stay a eux. CHAPTER XIX. IIOXG KONG— CEYLOX. A Pleasant December-An Unhealthy Settloment-A Generous JJeason for a Concession-A Lofty Peak and a Ifappy Valley-A Tasteful Cemetery-An Ineffective S-iuadron-Chinese Manners aud Cus- toms-Curious Contrasts-AVhy the Fish at Hong Jvon<^ are un- ^vholosome-A Serious lUness-Great Xecd of Train..! Xurses —A Clian.pagne Consuming Settlenient-A Comimlsory Turkish Bath-Increasiug Ilhiess-Ceylon-Tea and Cinchona-Coro- mandels-Cinghalese, Coromandels, and Veddahs-Kcaains cf Ancient Ptace^A Hospitable Bungalow. The climate of Hong Kong is warm and enervating ; at the time of my visit (December, wliich is considered to be the plcssantest month of the year there,) the weather was beautiful, quite cloudless, with a hot sun, and always a gentle monsoon blowiiig. It must be terribly hot and close in the summer, and I was told that a kind of haze then hangs ovur the town for weeks together, for there is no wind to blow it away, "lie place is, however, sometimes visited by typhoons, which do immense damnge to the shipping, and often unroof many of the houses on the Peak. A typhoon in Japan 111 '. I ' I'l %. ''w 'I 2 58 THE OLD FAR EAST. and China is equivalent to a cyclone in India, nnd is equally to be dreaded. Altliougli much improved from a sanitary point of view by judicious tree planting, Hong Kong is still an unhoaltliy place ; this is attributed in a great measure to the existence of a su])stratum of de(^omposed granite, which becomes exposed whenever Avorks are commenced and soil and stones removed. This infects the atmosphere and is almost sure to produce fever. All the mountains of IIonG; Kono- island are covered with plantations, and shade trees grow luxuriantly along the streets. The roads and patlis are kept up by the Government, and are patterns of neatness, being swept by coolies every morning. They are mostly made of some sort of hard composition, and are apt to 1)ecome very slippery ; Init the downpour of rain is so severe here at certain times of the vear that unless made in this manner they are liable to l)e washed away. The harbour is a magnificent one, and often as many as 40 or 45 large steamers are to be seen lying at anchor. As I have said before, the town is situated on the side of a hill, and the shade ':rees planted along its admirably- kei>t roads afford a charmincf shelter from the burnino; i-ays of the sun, but somehow, beautiful as it is, the whole place has an artificial appearance. It has been called the Ennjlishman's grave, and I fear still deserves - ~i*»^^>^"'»' -w'^ VICTORIA PEAK. 359 and is i from anting, ributed atum of iiencvcr 'moved, sure to covered uriantiy kept up s, being mostly e apt to in is so unless 1 awny. :is many anchor, the side mirably- burning t is, the las l)Ocn deserves the name in some measure, tliough now more healthy than formerly. Tiio Chinese Government handed it over to tlie English in 1843, having then to make some concession or other, and deciding on this place (so it is said) because of its unhealthiness, and thinking the Britisher would be sure to die. I went one day with a friend to the to^D of Victoria Peak (IGOO feet high), AVe had four coolies each to carry us up in palanquins, but after all we preferred walking the greater part of the distance ; a pretty stiff climb, though the road was in beautiful order. From the summit a very fine view is obtainable of Hong Kong harbour and of the surrounding country ; the Governor's summer-residence itj situated near the highest peak. A tramway was in course of construction a part of the way up the peak, but at the time of my visit it was not in working order. Another day a friend drove me out to see the " Happy Valley " race-course, which is well situated, quite flat, and surrounded l)y low mountains thickly covered with young ])lantations. 1 am told that the races held here are very good ones. On our way home we went to look at the cemetery, which is tastefully laid out, and planted with a profusion of trees, shrubs, and flowers ; altogether one of the prettiest I have ever seen. Numbers of British soldiers, and also a good many sailors, have t \ I ♦ f H 2 1 ! 26o THE OLD FAR EAST. there been laid to rest, having fallen victims to the unhealthiness of the climate. Another afternoon the Governor took me in his steam-launch for a cruise in the harbour, when 1 was much interested in seeing a Chinese squadron anchored there, consisting of four new ironclads and a steam torpedo boat just arrived from England. Any one of these new ships would be more than a match for half a dozen of the antiquated vessels comprising our Chinese fleet. As our vessels arrived in harbour during my stay, I had an opportunity of seeing chem all, and I fear, if the Chinese were to have a blow at them, they would be knocked to pieces in no time. A great part of Hong Kong is, of course ■'horoughly English ; but the Chinese quarter is a large one, and a few words on their peculiarities (taken from an American publication. Duo JJ'est) may be amusing, con- trasting directly as they do with our own manners and customs. " The Chinese mariners' compass does not point to the North Pole, but to the South : that is, the index is placed on the opposite side of the needle. When Chinamen meet each other in the street, instead of mutually grasping hands, they shake their own hands. The men wear skirts and the women wear pants. The men wear their hair as long as it will grow ; the women ir ^. nj CHINESE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 261 to the in his I was ichored steam one of for half Chinese ing my ill, and b them, :oiiti;hlv ne, and L'om an iig, con- lei's and point to e index When tcad of hands. . The women bind theirs up as snu^f^ as possible. The dressmakers are not women, but men. Tlie spoken language is never written, and the written languao-e is never spoken. In reading a book the Chinaman begins at the end and reads backwards ; all notes in the book appear at the top of the page in place of the bottom, as with us. White is the mourning colour, not black ; surnames precede the given names ; vessels are launched side- ways, not end-ways ; in mounting a horse the Chinese do so from the off-side. At dinner we commence the meal with soup and fish, they reverse the order and begin with the dessert. Grown-up men fly kites, and boys look on admiringly ; our bridesmaids are young and dressed in white, theirs are old women clad in black ; and so on." Fish and vegetables in China are both very plenti- ful ; but, as in Japan, they are singularly flavourless. The fish cauo;ht in Honix Konoj harbour should be avoided, as they are coarse feeders ; and their feeding- ground may possibly have been the receptacle for the dead bodies of children and others, especially in one particular locality. This is not peculiar to Hong Kong, but is the case all over China ; as among its teeming population many surplus children are made away with yearly. I cannot say that I have a pleasant recollection of Hong Kong, notwithstanding all the kindness and :i I I '\ 262 THE OLD FAR EAST. -^^ hospitality shown me there. For some days I did not feel at all well, and in the end I had to give in, and was a prisoner to my room and bed for more than a fortnight, suffering from what the doctor at first feared might 1)0 typhoid fever, but which proved to l)e Chinese malarial fever, probably caught going up the Pearl River at night, or perhaps througli tliis unhealthy climate. No nurse was procurable ; the Governor and his secretaries and aulc-dc-caiup were most kind, but of course they had their own duties to attend to. I was waited on by Chinese coolies, who were certainly attentive, and did all in their power for me ; but they could not in any way take the place of a nurse, and. had my illness taken a more serious turn, I do not know what would have been done. In fact, some kind of a nursino' establishment is a serious need in Ilonix Kong. In this large city of some 200,000 inhabitants, not a single trained nurse to go out to private families is to be had for love or money. Let those philan- thropical ladies and other persons who devote their lives to rendering valuable help in ameliorating the condition of people in so many parts of the world, give a passing thought to Hong Kong, and start an institution for trained nurses there. It contains a large mixed population, partly European and partly Chinese ; but so far as the European portion is con- ■ ■7r»' GREAT XEED OF TRALXEl) XURSES. 163 IIoDg rlcL ccnied, no assLstaiicc of a trained chara(;tor or lu»iu(3 iiurrfinu!; can Iju obtained in case of illness, alllioiiijli the place is recognized as unhealthy, and cases of fever arc very fre(|uent. It must be remembered that Hong Kong is a wealthy place, well able to support such an institution ; (in pivjof of which I may mention that its merchants arc reported to consume more champagne in the course of a year than is grown in one season in the whole of France ;) so the under- taking I advocate need not be of a charitabk' nature only, but fair wages could and ought to be earned if a proper nursing establishment were founded, and I am sure it would meet with hejirty support from the European residents, from the Governor downwards. If these lines should meet the eye of any person who may in consequence turn his or her energies to supply this great want, I feel some good will have been done by my thus drawing attention to the subject. After three weeks the doctor recommended a sea voyage as the best chance of getting rid of the fever, so I set off at last on l)oard the German Lloyd stcame" Bdiicni, intendino; to li'o straiiiht back to Enufla.. and heartily glad to leave Hong Kong. The Baijern was a fmc steamer of about 4500 tons burden, and very fast ; the passengers mostly Germans, and the food, I dare say, was well qualified to meet their wishes, 1 '^T' ' 1 ■4 1 I! - ) ! : I f- ■ ■k I 264 T//£ OLD FA A' EAST. but it was hardly suited to au invalid. There was also a band on board, which played usually twice a day, and at meals besides ; and this I found very try- ing. As we neared Singapore, the weather became extremely hot, almost unbearable to me in my weak state, and besides, the fever returned. We reached Singapore on the fourth day after leavino; Honfj Kong, having run 12G8 miles in that time — a very creditable performance. We lay in harbour all day, and the heat was intense ; such a steamy, hot sort of an atmosphere, with rain at intervals ; just like a vapour or Turkish bath. I was not well enough to go ashore, but lay on deck watching the native boys paddling about in their little canoes round the vessel, waitinir on the chance of a passeni^er throwing out coins into the sea for them to dive after ; when they would plunge in and bring them up in their mouths. There were also many Ijoats filled with beautiful shells collected in the neighbourhood. The country round Singapore is well wooded, with high hills in the ])aekground ; the banks become flatter near the shore. On leaving Singapore the weather was perfectly still and very 1 ot, but all the same a trifle cooler than in harbour, and I felt the comfort of the deck cabin to which I had been moved, thanks to the civility of the captain. We steamed along with the =901 (':' ARRIVAL AT COLOMBO. :65 IMalcay Peninsula to our right, and the island of Sumatra (belonging to the Dutch) on our left ; the latter appeared mountainous and very well wooded. Before leaving Singapore, the doctor on board told me that in my weak state I could not stauu the journey home, and should not reach England alive ; and acting on his very strongly expressed opinion and advice, I reluctantly agreed to land at Colombo, to stay a month i'( Ceylon at some sanatorium, to try and recruit my strength before continuing my journey home. I there- fore telegraphed from Singapore to a cousin of mine in Ceylon ^ to announce my approach, and I believe it to be due to him and his good wife that I ever returned to England at q,ll. Tlie distance from Singapore to Colombo (Ceylon) is 1570 miles. This we accomplished in four days and a half. There I was met by my cousin, and with his aid and that of the captain I was assisted down the side of the vessel and ferried ashore. I was very much surprised at Ceylon ; its climate varies very much in the different parts according to the level above the sea. Colombo was intensely hot, even early in January, and all the coast-line a few miles inland is notorious for malarial fevers, as in fact is the case more or less with the whole island. But the higher one goes among the hills, the healthier it 1 Mr. G. A. Talbot, of Wallalia, Lindula. i \ 'M .»■•. :06 THE OLD FAR EAST. r ' is ; and inland the country is very mountainous, and of oo irrcirular and runrnrcd a character that no one wlio has not bc-n there can ([uite pictuic it from description. I proceeded by train up tlic vaUey to TalaAvakells, my cousin's station, about 80 miles inland from Colombo. For the whole distance the scenery was all much alike, consisting of a succession of valleys, where almost unclothed natives were working their fields of paddy (/'. c. rice) under a broiling sun in January; while every bank and hill-top was cultivated by planters (mostly English) who had demolished the ancient bush and planted coffee instead, till that industry failed a few years ago, on account of the shrub being attacked by some disease. Tea and cin- chona ((|uininc) are now being suljstituted for coffee, and both are doing well, a,ud proving a great success. Tea seems to be an ever-growing crop, for the pickers go over the same ground every ten days during the season. Those employed for this purpose arc mostly natives of the Coromandel coast, and their almost total nudity is striking to a stranger ; yet they carry it off with such perfect innocence as they stand with arms akimbo, watching you with their bright ej^es. They are lithe and straight-limbed, well-made people ; but somehow you feel you are amongst a race who live, as it were, like butterflies ; nothing to be afraid of, '1. XA'ni'ES Of a:vLox. 267 iLis, and no one it from illcy to s inland leiy was valleys, lii" their sun ill iltivated lied the [11 that of the .nd cin- L' coffee^ success. pickers ■ing the ! mostly )st total •y it off til arms They le ; but ho live, ["raid of, nothing to lio[»e for; with no anxiety for the morrow, and requiring neither fuel nor clothes — nor (I had almost addetl) food, a little rice heiiig all tlicv care for. Yet sucli a life is not to he envied, and one cannot but feel a. kind of pity for a people who ap[)ear neither to think nor care for anything beyond tlie passing moment, and to l)e perfectly contented with such an existence. These Coromandel })eople are fast sup[»lant- ing the Cinghalese, who are the older race in (.'eylon. The pay they earn is al)Out 9^/. a day, but they arc more industrious and energetic than the Cinghalese, who belong to an ancient race now ver\' much degenerated, and are extremely indolent; and this failing is encouraged by the fertility of the country,- wdiich, in the lowlands, much resembles that of Japan. Each native family has its own plot of ground, and (what is most curious) often only one wife amongst all the brothers, in order to keep the property from being divided. The Cinghalese are usually looked upon as tin; native race of Ceylon ; but they, like the Tamil coolies, originally catne from the mainland. In the low country of Ceylon are the remains of vast cities, which must have been built many years l>efore Christ l)y a people wdio have now entirely disappeared, leaving no other trace of their existence than these ruins of almost I \W\ f >■ ! !■» % 268 THE OLD FAR EAST, unknown antiquity, wliic^li plainly show that they must have been a race immeasurably superior to the present inhabitants. In some parts of the island, also, are to be found a few specimens of another race, called Veddahs, who seem to approach as nearly as possible to the genuine wild man ; they are very small and quite naked, with long matted hair reaching to the ground ; tlu^y have no houses, but live in hollow trees, caves, and holes ; their food consists of game, honey, and wild fruits. Being, however, very shy, and also very few in number, they are but rarely met with. The buuGfalow where I was fortunate enough to find a welcome, and where I received more kindness and care than I can describe, is situated some 4000 or 5000 feet above the sea, built entirely of wood, surrounded by tea, coft'ee, and cinchona plantations, and the garden filled with all kinds of flowering shrubs and plants of varieties only seen carefully tended under glass in Enq;land. The house contained dinino; and drawino:- rooms, and some dozen bed-rooms ; but the great feature was the large and sf>acious verandah, comforta1:)ly furnished with arm-chairs, sofas, and tal)les, and more used by the inmates than any other room in the house. Behind the bungalow was the stable, where li\e " horse- keeper" also lives. The factory, where the tea-leaves are dried and prepared, and packed previous to export- ih // ROSE-WALK. 26y ey must present , are to , called possible lull and to the )w trees, , honey, md also with. 1 to find less and or 5000 ■rounded 3 garden )lants of glass in Irawing- e great ifortably lid more le house. " horse- :a-lea.ves ) export- ation to Endand and elsewliere, was al)0ut a niil(i distant. All through the estate surrounding a planter's house continuous foot[)aths are to be found ; one in particular at the place at which I was staying was called the rose-walk, and was planted on each side with rose-trees, which here, I believe, grow to perfection. l!' nil ii' X I ' ' 270 IHE OLD FAR EAST. CHAPTER XX. C'KYI.ON. Lifi' on ii Plantor'd Estate — Quiuiiio — (^olleo Disease — Cincliona — (icntloiiiun Settlers — Variation of Climate — Ceylon Tea tf» Hnper- sede Cliineso — Increase of Fever — Xeura Klyia — A Miserable Journey — A Native Nurse — Convalescence. Each planter's estate forms, as it were, a separate community, for on a plantation of say 300 acres about 150 hands will be requireil, and every morning a man ooes round soundino- the "toni-lom" at 4.30 A.M. to awaken the settlement ; this takes the place of clocks or watches. One morning, however, during my stav I heard the "tom-tom" at 3.30 instead of 4.30, the watchman havinc: ri'ade the mistake of an hour in commencing his morning walk. The hours at a planter's biaigalow are different from ours in England ; tea or some lio'ht refreshment is served at G a.m., l)reakfast at 11 A.M., and dinner at 7.30 r.M. ACt-.T liis morning tea, the planter goes to his mill or ])lantation, and returns before 11 a.m.; at that time the heat is very great, and he spends a considerable portion of the rest i ; 1; ^ .VALARIAL Fi:i'ERS. 27 1 ncliona — to .sui»cr- MisiTublo separate acres Hioriiiug at 4.30 place of ing my )f 4.30, lour ill laiiter's tea or eakfast noriiiuo; on, and is very the rest of the (lav in liis liouse oi* in tlie verandjili, ami does not y;o out a'jain until 4.30 or 5 I'.M. in the cool of the evening. During iny stay I used (wiieii able to do so) to g(j out lor half an hour's walk at 7 A.M. ; hut hy7.30 tile sun would he at its zenith, and I always had to heat a hasty ri'treat. This extreme heat is decidedly a great drawback to enjo)nient in Ce}'lon. Sitting all day (juietly in the verandah of a, jdeasaiit bungalow out c)f the rainy season is delightful enough ; but if one has to go al)out in the heat and see after one's business, there is always the risk of malaria ; and, as T have said, fevers are very prevalent, es})ccially in the low-lying lands about eight or ten miles away from the coast. Those \vho have occasion to visit this or an}' other country subject to malarial fevers should never be with- out (quinine in their possession ; and to travellers out of reach of a doctor, and recovering from an attack, 1 would say — when the fever leaves you, continue taking five grains of quinine a day lor a fortnight, otherwise the chances are it will return. I mention this because I fancy this is not generally known to English travellers. The .ajority of the estates in Ceylon are in the hands of Englishmen, but many arc noii-resideiit C)n account of the climate, and children have to be sent home to EiiiT:land at the ao-e of five or six, as is the case in India, or they become unhealthy. A few years I U, I r I THE OLD FAR EAST. ■ I V' \ \m ( I i; ago the viilue of the hiiul was much greater than it is at present. When first English planters settled here, nothing but cotfee was attempted ; and until the appearance of leaf-disease in this plant the colony was very flourishing, and a good deal of money was made. The disease is easily distinguishable, for if on turning up a cotfee leaf a, yellow spot is visible underneath, it is a sure sign that the plant is attackiul. Since it became so prevalent estates have gone down rapidly in value, and many of the settlers have been ruined. Those, however, who have had the pluck, energy, and above all the means, to stick to their work and adapt themselves to the altered circumstances, nre now meeting with their reward. They substituted tea- plants for the infected coffee-plants, and Ijctwecn these shruljs put in cinchona (quinine) ; the tall, uj>riglit stems of which are allowed to otow to about 15 feet ]iii>-h before being cut down. This is done every seven years — much as wi; might cut down ash-poles ; during the seven years' growth the bark (whicli constitutes the value of the plant) is stripped olf yearly, and then the cutting-down process is repeated. There is another method of growing cincrhona, by whi(;h they d(j not cut the tree down at all, but nu^rely shave off tlie outside bark which contains all the sulphates, &c., and then cover it up with moss. The bark then renews, GE.JTLEMEN SETTLERS. !73 111 it IS I here, :il the II y was ; made, ling up it is a e down a Leeii pluck, ir work ces, are ,ed tea- n tlu'se upriglit et liigh II years ig the es the cu th(i lother do not )ir the e., and renews, and is ready to l)e scraped agidii in two or tliree years ; but it will easily he understood th;i,t this continual scr;i[)ing gradually weakens the tree so much that in the end it kills it altotiether. As 1 liiive said, the centre of Ceylon is all moun- tainous, C()nver> ii ■• as it were to a sino'le hiuh summit (Adam's Teak) ; and over all this high ground tea and cinchona planting is hecoming universal. The ancient jungle still remains, liowevei', on some of the plains, and I saw a considerable number of tree trunks (mostly felled) still left in some of the i)laiitatioiis ; but thesi; are quickly disappearing, for although tiring is little needed in this warm climate, the factory furnaces for drying the tea-leaves have, of course, to be kept going. 1 was much struck by the number of gentlemen settled in (V'ylon ; and, besides this, an estate owner often, if not always, em})loys an assistant ; partly l)ecause he really requires help with so many hands to manage — say, perhaps, 150 men, women, and children on a single estate of 300 acres (for wages are low and the people not great workers) ; partly also for the sake of the companionship in his bungahnv, for the spending so much time in the house as is necessitated by the climate must be dull work for a man alone, and young planters cannot alford to keep a wife. These assistants often pay a premium, so as to get this training to the M ,11 m\ ■ . f "I*! 274 THE OLD FAR EAST. I' I W- teta plantation business ; and in tlie course of a year or two they are fit to take situations as managers or sub- managerson the estates of absentee landlords, or perhaps in the end aecpiire plantations of their own. In the course of all my travels I have never come across a country which offers similar advantages to gentlemen's sons, so long as a man's health will stand the climate ; but the hot burning sun, the risk of malarial fever, and the general uuhealthiness of the climate (except in certain favoured districts) constitute grave drawbacks. From what I have said, it wdll clearly be seen that Ceylon is in no way suited to our English agricultural labourer ; the climate, the style of living, and the very low rate of wages are all against it. It may seem scarcely necessary to say this ; but many people have not travelled, and have, perhaps, had no opportunity of hearing anything about this beautiful island — an island which is well suited as a field of labour for Asiatic coolies, but is perfectly unsuited to European workmen. The climate appears to vary considerably, as will be seen from the followino; table : — !" V \ Jan., Feb., and iMarcli . . . Hot sun, and dry cold nights. April and ^lay Hot, showery, and often muggy. June, July, and August . . South-west wind and rain — often cold in tlie day-time and windy. Siiptemher Same as above, but loss wind and rain. Oct., Nov., and Dcceniber . N.E. winds; mornings bright and hot ; rain usually in the , fternoon. i 1 I I » CEYLON TEA. 275 December and January are tlie best months for enjoyment. The rainfall at Dimbula (near which place I was staying) amounts to about 95 inches in" the year; this falls mainly in the months of June, July, October, and November ; but without this heavy rainfall neither the tea nor the cinchona crops would grow ; cotiee, however, does not require so much moisture. Now that tea is prospering there, Ceylon is looking up from a commercial point of view ; and it is to be hoped that those who risked their capital in the good days and met with disappointment and failure on account of the appearance of the coffee disease, may now be able to recoup themselves, and be rewarded for the many year.^, of anxiety they have experienced. Although said not to be so good as the best Darjeeling tea in India, Ceylon tea is to my mind excellent ; it is making rapid strides in popularity, and is now much appreciated in Europe, and finds a ready sale in the London market. The exportation of Chinese tea is falling off, partly from exhaustion of the soil, and want of care in the preparation generally, and also because it is loaded with an export duty of 2^d. per lb. As to the Japanese teas, I have already alluded to them. At present they are all green teas, and not liked in England ; but it must be remembered that black and green teas both come from the same plant, the ditFerence Ijcing T 2 11 II \i )/ >l Ijd THE OLD FAR EAST. only ill tlic age of tlie leaf, and in its preparation, .lapc'inese tea, however, has, besides, a peculiar flavour, and 1 do not thii.iv it will ever be largely consumed in Europe ; but its proper market is America, for it can easily be imported there, being considerably nearer than cither China, India, or Ceylon, and the countries being connected by a direct line of steamers; besides that, as I mentioned before, it suits the American palate. For every reason, therefore, it may be safely said that Indian and Ceylon teas have a gioat future before them ; and in my opinion it is probable that they will speedily supersede Chinese tea in the European market. Whilst staying at the bungalow above described, the fever from which 1 had before been sufierini>- returned with great severity, and by the doctor's advice I was taken to the rising sanatorium of Neura Elyia, situated some 7000 feet above the sea-level, in the centre of Ceylon. But I cannot give any description of that part of the island, for I was far too ill to take the sbghtest interest in the place. In the end it was decided by the doctors that the only chance of saving my life was to try the effect of sea-air, and to start me olf at once on the voyage to England. Never shall I forget the misery I suflered in being carried on a bed by twelve coolies from Neura Elyia to the nearest railway station, A NATIVE NURSE. ■'.17 ►aration. flavour, lined in I' it can rer than es being es tliat, I [)alate. jly said e before lat they uropean ])ed, the i-eturned e I was situated entre of hat part slightest \ by the ! was to at once rees in order to catch the train, the Wiiy 1 was rocked about on their shoulders was simply dreadful, and by the time we reached the station, and I was deposited on the ])latform (for I was too weak to walk or stand), J felt almost shaken to pieces. At Colombo my cousin engaged a native nurse (the head-attendant at Colombo Hospital) to accompany me to England. I was caTri(3d on Ijo.ard the s.s. Ihindi^l, and laid in a deck cabin, very kindly placed at my disposal l)y an almost total stranger ; a gentleman to whom I cannot (.'xpress too much gratitude, and who was most friendly and helpful to me during the journey liorae. The native engaged for me proved himself to be a most attentive and efficient nurse, and the fever from which I had been suffering intermittently for a period of six weeks, most providentially suddenly left me a (.'ouple of hours previous to the time of sailing, although I h.ad been delirious the night before with a, temperature up to 104". I mention this to convey some idea of the ecc-cntricities of Chinese malarial fever, of which 1 had had a very severe attack, reaching at times a temperature of 105", and losing over two stone lis P\ «i j^z ,H I i it ^ 1 "\ ■ f ■ ^ '" ' i ■ ■ ; ! i 1 ! ■ I ! 1 'i 1' J i.i > 278 r/Zi^ c/./:> /'//A' F/isr. ill weiglit in the coiu-sc of my illness ; and I will merely ji(I«l that I am tliankful to say after leaving Ceylon I exDerienecd no further return of it, hut j]ji'aduallv some- what regained strength during the voyage; ; though, of eour.se, it was weeks l^efore I could w^alk or even stand without assistance, and months before I was really anything like myself again. FROM COLOMBO TO ADEN. 179 CHAPTER XXL EN ROUTE HOME — CONCLUSION. A Voynpo of 7000 :Milos— Aden— An Iinmeiiso Cinder— Somali Boys — Tli(! Yellow Fla,^— Tho Suez Canal— The Electric Liglit— Three Acres vifhouf a Cow — Conclmlina P tlio coinpai'isoii hctwocn the Aufi[)otlt!.s ;iii«l North AincricM. would, I um Mn\\ have Ix-cii intorustiiig jukI iiistnictivo — at loast to my.sL'lf ; and from the introduc- tions I liad with \w\ and tho niiiny personal friends I already have in tliosc Colonies, 1 should have had every opportunity of gaining useful information. The tide of h]nglisli emigration (so far as our Colonies are concerned) is now Mowing mostly in the dire(5tion of Canada ; l)ut tlie more I scie of that country, the more (M)nvinced I am that it is not one in which an agricul- turist can make anytliing resemhling a Lirgc fortune ; iKutlicr do 1 consider the prairie farmer's a suitable life for our " vounti; jjentlemen " — so many of whom are on the look-out for a profession, and honestly wish for employment. With a few exceptions here and tliere, the general tendency of the gentleman's son settling in ^lauitoha or the North- West is to affect the ordinary emigrant in di'ess and manners ; and the task is easily accomplished. The enforced isolation from people of his own stany the U.S. agents to adopt the States for their home, and never reach Canada at all.^ It is impossiljle to make a journey round the world without jjeing struck by two or th'-ee lu-oad geographical facts, one of which is the vast proportion of water in (comparison with the dry land ; and, again, how small the quantity of cultivated land is when compared with the uncultivated or worthless tracts in existence. The immense power of the British Empire and the tremen- dous responsibilities thereupon ensuing are also forcibly ^ 8(;u Ai)i)eiKlix F. ^sBmammmmtmi^m BKIT/S II RESPONSIBIL 1 1 IKS. 28< bruught to onc'.s iKjticc. For example, take the route I followed. The English flag could have carried me the whole way, and wherever a cumuiaiiding isituatiiju was to be found, that spot was always under the c(jntr()l of England, or of those of English descent — excepting of C(jurse the Japanese empire. The tendency to emigra- tion is stronuer and of older date with us than with any other race, and English settlements are to lie jound everywhere. Great as our responsibilities are, it is satisfactorv to find that wherever the Hrili-ln'i- i-. located, there order is sure to follow; and ikj oihcr nation can thus far claim to comiiete witli our com- mercial men. It has often been said that French is the language of diplomacy; it m;iy now with eijual truth be said that English is becoming the uni\eL'sal language for commerce and telcgi'aphy. It b(3lioves us, howrscr, to b(,'stir ourselves, or we shall lose this su])r»'macv among the nations. Tlu; (Jt'iinans are increasing evciy- whei'e, and their luuiierous and hcaviU' suli-iili/Ci'd merchant steamers, and the lower [)ay f >r whi('h their artisans and clerks will work, are alike becoming s(mrces of anxiety and loss to oui' iiiti'ivsts, both in old England and all ovei- the civilizctl woiid. It is a curious fact that while these chapters have been in coufsi' of publii.Mtion, the waL-niug 1 gav<' in Chaptei- XVI., to the ell'ect that, specially friendly as zajo THE OLD FAR EAST. the Japanese were to the Enolisji. aw miiHt be on our u'uard, or another Power would 1h^ l)eforeliaiul witli us in tliat country, is about to Ite realized. News has lately reached England that the Americans have on their own aceount. and independent!}' of the other signatory l\)wers. sioiird a Sni>i)lementarv Treat\' of Commerce «^' XX. < *J with Japan, on l-'ebruary 20th last/ Its tcn-ms have not vet been anuouuced ; liut the result will prove to he that Americans will be aUe to settle and tradi' in any ]iart of Japan, and will ]»e allowed to travel anywhere without pass[i(irts : whereas the other treaty powers (England inchuled) have done nothing to revise the original arrangenn/ut, and a]'e therefore still confined to the tD'atv iKUts and treatv limits. %/ X « ^ See Appeuilix C. ' 1 llfl: \ m il \M-\ Tf'ii^mmmm E. Stanfoidi Oeoy'- Sstui\ HB .Hii7'yif}n' \ MAP OF Tire WOllLI), SHO 2«.> N TV TRANSVAAL. > fl V-^ I ■*■■ .'MArftAMIA I j OPCTOWN^I .'-^'t-L-t J jjL > ^^ **:% 1 j / '.*^ ''«'< '•*••' *^ ,i/wus,.»/i'>;'-; A I' s T 'ul.-'i. I ;yiii«5»A« ■«) J3l SI It., in, -I 1-^ i\ ■ ij ,l/il>I- rf^V" ^"—*~T^'' ■"■:"'• ZEAL, O K^isi (.1- ID Hi) TASMANIA /ir/n«/ tiuiifkuiy I'- III) .»)'/;,., » MHiyimrit' / 7 ■.■/|;|/^i•,f•( 'f',ttivnL 160 Louiloii: KJir. 1)11LI), SHOWUVG THE AUTHOR'S KOUTE. 100 1H(I <■.-///] r- JiehrJ^ig' Se.a ./.itilnuii- I'iiioliiu /' AMERICA. 1 ,j~^ I ■"'Si^^^ -WEST INDIES GipelfeYy /f J'iwtiinti'/ . ■ " "^ " ■' '- I |*,m^;rf^_^ .V,.,. HehivVA ■• ^i/'^'l /* O l V Jl <• V / ,/ .Mul.ien !. Sttu-hiirii I fr^i \l Sxrtiikl. i „ . , *>«; Uowrl. ■Aimiaiitvl ". 'S>*Tv> 4^/,;».,...v*,. NEW ^;^'"*»«"' , . cci>lrjf .Tiv|)io of ♦'jijuHi'iirn fill II ml' -^ hOBAHT Mmtfiturit. / I iQ^;ill)iinwJin "SU'Wxrl I. '.■hit'Aiitrtill •t ,lln/'f>i'ii I ./l;./^^..M■/.■Jy, ; ]-r^-- '/■tiwraJil I. ■i I 'hitluua f .liili/Kxify I . l(JO IHO Lnnilnii ; KJwai'cl Staiifonl . SturLfo'lii, Of:oy'- Kstui'. '» *^1 I 'wmm mim ■^ ;;i APPENDIX A. THE rif:l rebelliox. The Inst rebellion in the North-Wcst Territory w.as in 1885. Gencrcal Sir F. ]\[iddletou commanded the forces that (quelled it. The ringleader was Louis Kiel, a French-Canadian half-breed. The causes which led to the rebellion were disputes about land. The half-breeds made claims to free grants of land, and the time taken by the Government in dealing with tlieir claims exhausted their patience, and Kiel took advantage of this to incite them to rebel, liis object being to terrorize the Govern- ment into giving him money to use his influence in keeping them quiet. Riel had caused a previous rising in 1870, which was crushed by the " Red River expedition," under Colonel Wolscley — now Lord Wolseley — wlio made a rapid march to the scene of tin* trouble. Riel was never tried for the first rebellion ; he fled the country, being assisted to do this by the Roman Catholic authorities, who in turn received money from the Dominion Government to aid its being accomplished to avoid political complications. Riel was executed at Rcgina for the second rcbellinn, lint there was no previous conviction, tliough in the first affair he ordered a man (Scott) to be shot, and tlie poor man was murdered in that way, under peculiarly brutal circumstances. «ii U 2 292 APPENDIX B. I W, ■IH APPENDIX IJ. (From flw Ilfrrfonl Tlinc^, Fchrnxrij iS/v/, 1889.) ^lANITOP.A. To the E'h'/nr of tlic Hereford Times. Sir — The pGoj)le who write of Manitoba resemble tlic birds of that country in the respect that they arc chiefly summer visitors. Apparently a Manitoba winter, imagined, is sufficient for them, and it may be subtle though very wise instinct. Should he, however, have seen the present winter, he would be apt to carry away the impression that the Arctic wiuter, as generally conceived, is a myth, or as one of our most Avitless papers has it, " Lost, stolen, or strayed, a Manituba wiuter '. " The present weather — which is an occasional exccptiun — is vor}- mild, comparatively, although without such genialities as thaw- ing. As usual the "freeze up" occurred in the beginiung uf November, and since that time it has been, almost without interruption, calm, bright, crisp weather. The old settlers, whose word passes with more veni'ration than is sometimes due, relate former eccentricities of this kind, generally ten or eleven years apart, owing, some say, to the sun being most clear of spots at those periods. Of course this would not hold if warn\ weather were not universal. At all events the exception is better than the rule. ^lanitoba has suffered another blow in the last year's crop beinc: to a fi;reat extent frozen. To realize this calamitv vou must be aware that grain raising is the mainstay of the province for the long winters destroy much profit in cattle raising. The worst of the matter is, that instead of becoming more settknl, these desirable "park lands" are becoming depopulated, and upon a dreary journey of fifteen or twenty miles lialf of the w mt^ ArrENDIX B. 293 liuuses arc uninhabited, or «jven they tlicniselves liavo disap- l)uart'd. Being portable structures, the remaining inliabitants appropriate them, or tiie prairie fires consume every vestige of improvement. But, as usual, hope has found another El Dorado in a place called "Lake Dauphin." This place is upon the eastern Hank of the great ridge or " Riding Mountains," and being a thousand feet below the surrounding country, enjoys an immunity from summer fmst. The only drawback is the want of a railway, which here is a want indeed, for it is utterly use- less to produce "stuft'" without any means of getting rid of it, and as railway companies arc very cautious about always having a gootl settlement ahead of them in their projects, the settlers take the initiative. As a matter of fact, on an average, every other year escapes damage in the grain-freezing line. This has th(! etii'ect of annihilating all ambition save in very speculative and optimistic minds. When a year's lab:)ur is all destroyed in one short night, grain growing becomes a lottery. Certain parts of the province nearly always escape, but these have long ago been appreciated, and form but a small proportion to the more uncertain parts. Mr. Barneby's "Notes" are really very com- prehensive and valuable. Referring to the frosts in one issue of the Hereford Times, he mentioned a certain — now notorious — wheat called " Kubauka." This variety was claimed by a certain Mr. Field Johnson to have very early ripening qualities, and was to be the saviour of Manitoba. Having " boomed " the grain and otlierwise advertised it, this person put upon it the price of four times ordinary wheat, judiciously selling it in small ([uantities to widely disseminate the goose which should lay the golden eggs. But, alas! the product was not golden, it was frozen, worse than the late variety — "red fyfe," which was planted at the same time, and even in some cases it never even formed the kernel. Mr. Johnson has in consequence fallen into disrepute. America is the land of grain swindlers, grain " corners," " rings," and other uidioly alliances. If an early variety of wheat be forthcoming Manitoba may yet be saved, w ^* m 994 APPENDIX C. m In r i ^ I- f t' ■ i I ' m i ioi' lliiTo !iro nir'iny [M.Mijdc! .still left wlio ;uc tun pnor tn ;,'(> uriywlicro (jIsu. John (Jwii.i.im. ('li()'iir/'/:.\'/)/.\- c. ^Vj rulers ill tlic-ir tfrritorir-i. Ciidcr thr inw treaty it m.iv In- t'ikcii tor •^Manti'il that, AiinTicaiis will ln' tn'c to tr;i\il witliitiit, jKW.sport.s, aii'l lo i(.'>ii|i', ami tlispos*; ut' tlicir ^Dods, \;liiic tliry liiuuse. This, our fMrnsiHind nt, uj" tij-day btilicvcs, w ill \i>- in tho circuiiistaur-cs au rxrhisivc lihcrty. Tradrrs of ol Inr nation- alities, li(j ;issuiues, will he conlimil, as now. to tlnir iri-aty ports, 'i'hc only <[Ui'.-.tion is w iKjllier the lavourcd-uaiion clauries of the oMcr trcuti(,'s ilo not (ircvcut .la|ian Ironi the (;idar^i:nicut of Auicricfui rights without au idi'Mtii.'al hoon to States with which IIiom; conN'entions wen; courlud'd. Acrjordiun" to our currt'spondent, the iircvuiliui;' opinion oi' intei national Jurist.s is Jigiiin.st the ri'levani-y oi'thc lavoured-nat ion stipulations in >ucli a case. Of that, we caiHKjt, hut think tin re wonid lie a i^rave ((uestiou. ( )n t III' sui lace it, is somewhat, hard to perceive liow Japan is to make a, surrender of rest rid inns of w hidi any ally, uitli a tr(al\' in the ii>u;d lorni, will I)e deharreil from claiming t he ad\ aiita'^c. At the .-aiiie t inii', the j).parliiient of St.ite at. ^\'a^hillL;toll may he tiiisli'il, as our correspondent says, to support, the contrary ioii>lruct imi. It, i^ unlikely thai Japan in its present niooil will he d'h-rreil iVnin iii-i-l in.;' oii it> rr.ediHii. There can lie oiie issue alone to t he CMji! roversy. The I'nwcrs, to which Ulil'estriitcil inteivoiirse with Japan is of iinpuilaiice, will have event iialiy to .suicuiiiii li I he di-niand> ol' ihe .M ik ado's advisers. Thai will he aiTomplished iiuui'.'iciou-ly, and in a way io leave hehiiiil it a sense ol' sori'iiess. which ini'^ht, ha\i' heeil Used as all occasi no desire to siijar the pill ol' unpalalahk,- adinonil ion. Japan, he contends, lias hee.i haced iiiIm lhi.-> species •>! iiiider- liaiid compact, with one I'ower, to the inciilenlal y a <'andid arrange- ment with the whole- to escape lioiii a situation intolerahle to ;t.s piroper national pride, and no less generally incouvenii'iit than unnecessary. Jt had i.'sort to a, cont'erence ol' represeu'a-tives I , 2()C> Ari'ENnix c It ' If tl (jI till' trooj) nl' (;ountr;(.'S towards wliicli it li;is (li|tl()iiiiitic ()l)lii4'at iDiis. WIk'Ii it was fif-arly iiM)iracti('al)l(' tu (»l)taiii a i('asoiia))lc ami uiiitnl a'^ii't'inciit IVoiii tlic iiiciilicsi\t! mass, tliu iMika'lu's Miiii.stL'is would Ik'uc l)('(;ii coiitciit to prociiic tlio assi'iit ol' tin; four or five; ifroat Powers. No partial iiiianiiiiity of till' sort couM, it was discoVL-rod, Ix; arrived at. 'I'lio cotd'or- ciii'c at Tokii) rr,sidt('(| in a state of tliin^^s not unfairly ih.'scrihed liy our ('(HTcsiioiidont as one of li(j))i'loss and inconiprelieiisible cnt, .Lflcinent. Its sin<^l(! practical effect was tiic jxjlitical ov(,'r- tlirowdf the stroii;^(!st and most coi'dial advocate in the .Jaj)anese nation of unfettci-cd intimacy between Japan and tla; whole etween th'; .Jajianese and British peoples exists a peculiai- waiintli of kindliness and sympathy. There is no ('.\aiit,i.sli dipluiiKitists and Fcjrcii^ni Sc'crctiiiies had even with reason jn-oferred a cuntinuanri! of the actual relations between Ja[)ane.se authority and forei^ni irsidcnts within its tly attempted shortly aftt/rwaids. A slij,dit Iciven of the principle and practice of jiopular representation APPF.XDIX n. 299 was neveilhcless iiitrodiiCLMl, gradu.'illy and circunispc'tly, by .such later stcqis as the rrcation, first, of" a Council of I'ruvincial Autlioritics, and tlii;n of the; cxistinjf systoni of ( 'ity and I'roviiK'ial Assrniltlics, and of a Senate, a consnltal ivc l)iidv of officials without any ])o\V('r to initiate laws. At length in Issl tlio Kni|u'r()i' allirnicd his oriL;;inal assurance by a i(,'scri[)t jiroclaimini^f that a coiuidoti! I'arlianientaiy system sliould be carried into effect in the year IM)0. DuriuL;- the interval that has passed since that declaration, as in the peiioij precedinn' it, tlu; whoh; course of Japan's polity and nu'thod of L;i)Vi'rnnient has been directetl to the luw order ol' thinn's *' 't, is destined t(j arise next year under tln' ti/rnis ted from time to tiiiK.' as occasion i'e([uired, th(! pilots of the Jai)anes(j ark of Stati' ha\'(! kept steadily before them as their goal the sound estabji-hnnnt of a Constitutional ^^onarclly as understood in JMiropt.'. That the task was no easy one nom.' vaw doubt. Jt was. inde'eil, siMi'ounde 1 with grave ilit'ticulties an 1 ])erils, amid whiiji rasii- ness nn'ghl l)e irrepai'able and e) ror fatal, ^bdy by vigilance and fore-i^ht of I he hi'^hest oi'egan to reign in the year (»(»() 15. c. Yesterilay, then, was (diosen as an auspicious dav, on which the first monarch's descendant, tlu' Kniperor Mutsubito, nii.;ht fitly ratify his Imperial vow ainl 2'i''Jclaini and give the new ik ;oo APPEXDIX I). \ ,* Constitution to his subjects. And accordingly on tlie morning of yesterdiiy, amid the s^jlendours of the new Palace in the ancient castle of this capital, in the presence of a great assenihlage representing all the power, wealth, intellect, and higli lineage of tiie country and all classes of tlie people, and with the })omp and solemnity befitting so signal an occasion, the reigning Sovereign wrought the deed by which the 11th of February becomes henceforward in a double sense a red- letter day among the festivals of the Japanese calendar. Space forbids me to relate in this letter my experiences of the delightful details of yesterday's pageant and the Imperial entertainment which followed it, as well as of those general public rejoicings and demonstrations for which the Japanese people have a happy aptitude amounting to genius, combined with an artistic taste so perfect that their cities, parks, and gardens are turned as by magic on such occasions into very fairy-lands of brightness and beauty. For the present at least, therefore, I must confine myself to giving an outline of the general features of the Constitution now brouiir y<,';ii'.s, wliirli is tin; II()ii.s(/s liiiiit of lilr, is jilsu IIkj limit wl' iiii'ml)(!r.slii|». lint tin; loiiinr may he nvi)k(il witliin !i perio (' livi; niDiitlis. |''ni' cai'li llniise tlnrc; arc Id Ih', licsidcs !i (JliicC and ellirr Secretaries, ;i I'l'csident ;uid a, Vice-l'rcsident nendiiated ]\y the I'lmperur, with annual salai ic.s ol' SMIOO ami SiiUDi) I'cspect- i\c|y; while the com muneis in the Upper Honse ;uid all meiiihers I'l' the Lower House, those in tin; (loveriimeiit service exc(,'pl,c(|. ni'i' to ri;ci;iv'e SS(J(J per annum. iVmon-^' ;i host ol' otlicf ^enmal |ii'ovisions it, is laid duwn, for both 1 louses, that, except in special cases fol' which rides are pnA idc(|, ,dl deliati; shall be public; that, the I'resident is to ha Ve a castiu'i Veto; that the ni'ccssary <[Ui)iiini Ibr any didiale or \'ote is to be mie- third of the whole nundter ol' mend)eis; that, < 'abinet Ministers and («o\cniiiiciit Delegates— t he " ( Jiovermni'ut " mcaidiiM' the I'hnpeioi' and his ( 'abinet may sit ami speak in either House, but not vote theri'in imh'ss they jii'e meinbei's of it; and, lurthe)-, t hat, w henever the iMiiperor may pr< sent to the Diet aiiv project lor amendment ol' the (.'onstitut ion, no deliate thereon can take plac(.' unless two-thirds at least (d'tlie lufunbers ar(; present, and no auiendnu^nt can be can led by less than ;i two-thiids majority. As regards linanc<', the Diet is to discuss and vol(; the ]>ud^'et, and its ii{)])rova,l is reijuired in resp(-('t ol' any excesses upon th(! ap])iopriati Jki ii 304 APPENDIX D. of the country, and when tlio Diet cannot be convoked, the necessfiiy financial niciisures may ho taken under Imperial ordinances ; and, again, that the Govcrrnuent may carry out the Budget of a preceding year whenever a Budget has not been voted or brought into existence. The Privy Council is, as heretofore, to deliberate on important matters of State, at the instance of the Emperor ; ami the ten Ministers of State remain His Majesty's responsible advisers; and as to the Judicature, there is a satisfactory provision that tlie Judges, appointed by the Crown, can only be removo'l tnjm their office by law. It will be seen from the above outline that, while the Emperor's promise is being strictly fultilletl, the first plunge into Parliamentary representation will be made with befitting vitiilance and caution. Lookin<; to the averai^e means of the Japanese, the franchise is undoubtedly high — a jiiece of prudence to be much commfudL'il, seeing that an}'' precipitnte measure of enfranchisement at tliis cpocli might result in a popular despotism fraught with danger Xa the countiy. It is evident also, not only from the broad outlines of the sclienie, but from abundant internal evidence runninjc through the text of the new laws, that, besides a rareful avoidaice of any definition of tlie responsibility of the Cabinet Tis-((-vis the Diet, the whole intention is to follow the German princi[)]e (^f making the former responsible to the Crown alone, and to iviider the life of tlic Ministry independent, at least temporarily, of a hostile Parliament. At })resent cert-ainly these tactics are wise, whatever Japan, like some other countries under constitutional Monarchy, may come to in the future. Meantime, what a unique and interesting drama it is that is being enacted before our eyes in this island P2m}):re, so nigh upon the end of the 19th century 1 Not only is the spectacle that of a monarch presenting his 3S millions of subjects, released barely two decades ago from the bonds of feudalism, with a well tiiought-out Constitution, founded on European lines and APPEXDIX D. 30s 5s tliat fo nigli 'ctacle ■leasetl livitli a los and convoying to tliuni a substantial measure of political liberty, it is also tbo spectacle of tbe reigning Sovereign of tlie world's most ancient dynasty descending finally from tlie lofty roaliii occupied for so many ages by the " Sons of Heaven," and, while solemnly abdicating the supreme and autocratic power wielded by his ancestors, in theory at least, for more than 250(i years, otfering to his people henceforward a large share in the functions of government. That matters would sooner or later cume to this was, no doubt, in the nature of things inevitable, and foie- seen. To what ])nrpose, otherwise, the Restoration of iMOS, Seeing that the military class, by whom it was brought about, enjoyed under the feudal system a not unimportant share in the functions of government, which was wholly lost to them when, with the fall of feudalism, they beca!iie absorbed into the masses of the people ? If, however, the scene witnessed yester- day at the Imperial Palace was but one act of a drama, every part of which has followed in its anticipated order, it constituted, nevertheless, a most memorable and stirring occasion in the history of this interesting country — an occasion marked, more- over, by splendid ceremonial, intense po])ular joy and enthusiasm, public demonstrations on a scale of remarkable beauty as well fis magnitude, and countless tender prayers for the beloved and revered rider of Japan, and for his illustrious Consort from all classes of their subjects. Is not the present also an occasion to call forth the earnest hopes and good wishes of all friendly watchers of Japanese progress ? ! i i ) ; , : i I < M L m i'!^ ]! 'J! \ ; [ \ 306 APPENDIX D. NO. TI. {W'prhitcd Jnna " Tli>- rinx:^," Ainpi.-^f ')//,, 1889.) ENGLAND'S POSITION IN JAPAN. (Fnnii. oHt' Jiiiiiiii Coi'i'cxiioiKJriit). ToKii), JiDip 29. On tlio 12th inst. intelligence reached this capital that Count Bisniitrck had signed at Berlin on the j>re\'i(ius day a revised treaty between G(jrmiUiy and Japiin, (jn the same lines as the new covenant with the United States, the broad features of which were described in my letter of the 11th of March. ]f, then, any lingering doubts were felt as to the ultimate effect of America's initiative, they have been dispelled by this latest and highly important move. Now, at all events, it is beyond (jues- tion that t'le policy of combination has received its cert;. In death-blow. America broke down the first barrier. Germany, next, bas cleared the way in Europe. Russia, Austria, and France are understood to be on the eve of followiuii in Germany's wake. And, though Downing-street, apparently as indifferent as e^-er to British interests and prestige in this country, is meekly allowing ether powers to give us the go-by, it is impossible to doubt that the curtain has at length risen on the last act of the drama, that England's yielding can at most be a question of a few weeks or months, and that all the weary years that have opened and closerii,tr,1 frnin '' Th<' Sf>ni'f.o-J," An-jNsf ].>/, 1SS9.) JAPAN AND THE TOWERS. {From our Japan C(Ji'ri;-tpvi((lt!iif.) .SnAXGHAI. T AM informed on g0(xl authority that the real reason for the Japanese hesitation in consenting to a revision of the Treaties regulating the status of foreigners is the fear that China would at once claim equal jjrivileges with the other Powers, with the result that Japanese trade and commerce would fall irito Chinese hands. The opinion is general here that the United States and Oermany have been too precipitate in this matter, and that England is wise to wait. APPEXDIX E 311 No. IV. {n<'l>r!nt>il /ivm " Tlu: Tones," Aujiid \'2tl>, 1S89.) RUSSIA AND JAPAN. Philadelphia, Amj. 10/A. The Japanese Legation in Washington has received a teleoram announcing that the Government of Japan signed a Treaty with that of Russia on Thursday similar to the Treaties whicli Japan recently made with the United States and Germany. APPENDIX E. {Extnirf frum " TJx- TIuk's" Jnw- I2fh, 1889.) PECENT LEGLSLATIOX OF Til]': (JANADIAX GOVEPX- MEXT UX THE LAXJ) PEGULATPJXS OF MAXPi'OPA. The Canadinn Government are notifying an important chan<"e in tlie land regulations in Manitoba and the Ncjrth-Wcst terri- tories which will come into operation on January 1, l8!j<». From and after that date, in accordance with clause 4G of the Dominion Land Acts (luvmd ^tatatrs of Vawiihi, chap. .54), the privilege of pio-emption in connection with a homestead entry will be discontinued. Free grants of 160 acres will con- tinue to be given to all male settlers of the age of 18 and upwards, and to females who are the heads of families, and there i.s still an immense area of land available fur this purpose. Hitherto, however such persons have had the right to pre-empt the adjoining 1(50 acres, to bo paid for at the end of three years, and 's this conce.-.sion that is to be terminated at the coiu- meuceiuent of next year. Settlers will of course be able to purchase public and other lamls in the districts in question a.s heretofore. 312 APPENDIX F. APPENDIX F. {Extract from " The Times;' Jnhj 'Iml, 1889.) NKW LINE OF STEAMERS. Messrs. Anderson, tlio managers of the Orient Line of Steamers to Australia, liave entered into a contract with the Canadian Government to provide a weekly service of exjiress steamers between England and Canada. The subsidy is £100,000 yearly, and the steamers are guaranteed to be of nineteen knots speed and to complete the pas.sage withhi six days. They will sail fi'om London for Cherbourg, making Plymouth the final port of call before steaming away for Montreal or Halifax. The steam- ing time will be taken from or arriving at Plymouth, which will be the first and final port of call. It will be fully twelve months before the arrangements are sufficiently complete to permit of the service beini' started. It is stated that this route has been started in conjunction with the Canadian Pacific Railway. INDEX. At>am's Puak, 273 Ailoii, 270, 280, 281 A^assiz, 61 Alnmcdfi, 144 Alhoit Ilp.id, 124, 125 ApiH'uili.v A, 291 A])]H'iiilix li, 202 A|ipenilix f, 295 A])pun(lix D, .SOO ApiioiKlix K, 307 Ap]MMuli\- F, 308 Arabia, 2S0 Allien, 77 AsliHofr, 29, 3S, 42, 45, 61, 62 Aslilaiiil, 137 Assiniboint' liver, 92, 93 Aurora, 136 Baki-i;, Mniiiit, 47, 72 r.anir, 11, 16, 17,18, 19,20,21, 28,37 I'.attletonl, 93 ]5ay Point, 142, 143, 144 Bcantiriil Plains, the, 77, 112 IJcaver river, 28, 29 Jienieia river, 139 Binseartli, 74, 78, SO, 81, 83, 84, 86, 87, 90, 100, 103, 115 .... Bird-tail Creek, 95, 100 Birtle, 95, 96 Biwa, Lake, 209 Bow river, 18, 21 I'.randon, 12, 13 l?redenliury, 105 lirit«.sh Columbia, 10, 23, 38, 40, 50, 59 60,68, 105, 121,132, 135, 136,139,199 Bunch 1,'rass, disapiiearance of, 40, 62 Bnrnside, 12 lUirrard'.s Inlet, 47, 48, 55, 56, 57, 58, 64 CaixfAs a trip rn.uid the JForhl, 33 Cal-,'arv, 14, 15, 16 California, 138, 139, 144, 145, 147, 149 Californian wine, 146, 147 Canada, 10, 13, 15, 48,82, 99, 284, 286 Canada, coal-mines in, 15, 20, 21 Canada, emipratinn to, 284, 285, 286 Canton, 245, 246, 247, 249, 250, 256 Canton, old water-oioek at. 252 Cajulano, 48, 55, 57, 69, 71 Carberry, 12 Cariboo, 39, 42, 45 Carrol], Mount, 31 Cascade mountains, 17, 38, 43, 59, 60, 62, 136, 138 Castle mountain, 21 Ceylon, 265, 267, 270, 271, 273, 274 275, 276, 278 Cevlon, tea-i>lantations in, 270, 273 CliilJiwack, 61 China, 245, 276 Chinese, the, 142, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 248, 249, 251, 260, 261 Chinese teas, 275 (^liiuzenji. Lake, 196 Cliurehbridge, 92, 94, 95 Cinghalesc, the, 267 Coast mountains, 55, 56, 64 Colomlio, 265, 266, 277, 279 Columbia river, 23, 116, 135 Comox tlistriet, 128 Cordova Ray, 127 Coromandcf natives, 266, 267 Cowitehan, 132 Cowlitz river, 135 Dakota, 102 Dauphin, Bake, 293 Dejjarture Bay, 132 Dimbula, 275 Donald, 11, 24, 26, 37 Dunmore, 15 EOMONnON, 16 Fjl, 2-J, 23 Forest fans, 2, 5, 17, 23, 3(5 Forest sr.onoiy, 28,2!), 32, 3i], 13, 46, 47, 48, nd, (54, (•)."), 70, 145 Fort MoLeod, IP) Fort ■\VilliaMi, fi, 7 Fow-cliow, 2ri3 Fr.isiT river, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 58, 61, i;2, 63, 66, 68 Fniit-treis, 60, 137 Fuji, 1711 Fii'ji-aiiia, Mount, 160, 206 Fujisawa, 170, 241 n.MiiiKN jirnilucf), 60, 66, 68 (!eorL,'i,i, (JulF of, (52 (ieor'^iiiii l>ay, Ontario, 6 (Jerniau eolony, 93 (iiiroy, 146 <;iacier, 31, 32 (!olil inountaius, 38 Coldeii City, 23 ('...Men Cate Park, 140, 141, 142 Cordon Head, 122 tli'aiiviilo, fiO (ireat I'.itter F^ake, 283 IIakodatk, 230, 241 llakone, Lake, 167 Hakone Pass, 163, 167 Hannnond, 47, 61 H arrow liy, 81 Ifaseniura, 172 lleelor, 22 Hermit, iMouiit, 31 Heron liav, 5 llodzu, 164, 165, 169 lIoHKi for emiifrant boys, Dr. I'ar- tiardo's, 81, 86, 87 Honu' KouK, 245, 246, 256, 257, 258, 26(1, 261, 262, 263, 264 lIoii.L? I'^ong, 110 trained nurses in, 262 Hope, 47 Hot springs, 18, 19, 20 Huron, Lake, 3 ICKr-ANDKR sottloiiifnt, 05 Hiecill.'waet valley, 32, 35, 36 Indian Mission, 57, 61 Indian teas, 276 Inland Sea, 205, 207, 217, 218 Jack-fibii Bay, 5, 6 Jaj.an, 153, 160, 17(», 186, 203, 221, 232, 238, 24 C, 267 Ja|pan ami tlie United States, 205, 207, 208, -JitO Jajiaii, Anierieaiis in, 224, 200 Japan, Xi;\v Constitution at, 300 Japan, treaty jiorts in, 241 Japanese pass]iorts, 211, 242, 243, Japanese teas, 200, 275, 276 Ja)i:iliese temples, 171, 175, 177, 103, 1!>8, 100, 201, 202, 205, 211, 212, 213 Jaj.anese, the, 225, 227, 228, 229 230, 206, 214 ISO, 21M, " Kai:os," 196 Kalaiiia, 135 Kamaijowa river, 211 Kaniakura, 170, 173, 174, 176, 178 Kaministiipiia river, 7 Kaniloops, 37, 38, 41, 61, 62 Katsura-f,M\va rapids, 213 Keel'ers, 43 , Kelso, 135 Kiekiiif,' llorsi! Pass, 21, 23 Kioto, 173, 192, 208, 210, 211, 213, 238 Kisliu, 238 Kol.e, 205, 207, 208, 216, 238, 241 Koosliu, 238 Kooteiiay district, 24, 116 Lai;(!a\, 22 Lands for cultivation, 61 Laii;,'enl.ui;,', 74, 02, 93, 95 LuiKley, 61 Little hivdmluiry, 10 Little Saskatchewan river, 110 Little Saskiitchewan valley, 110, 111 IjOs Gatos, 1 1 5 Lulu Island, 61, 62, 03, 06 Lylton, 42 MACDnxAr.i), 76 Macdonahl, Mount, 22 Milay I'eiiiiisula, 265 Manitoha, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 49, 08, 74, K;, 84, 8(3, 89, 91, 92, 09, 101, 103, 105, 10(), 100, 112, 113, 115,116,117, 118, 119, 281, 202, 203, 294 Manitoha, t,'rain in, 203 ^lanitoha, land ref,'ulations in, 308 Maple Creek, 15 Mari, 208 Martiiii'Z, 142, 143 Medicine Hat, 15 Mikado's Palaces, 101, 192, 103, 212 J! iniiif,' district, IH!, 128 Minnedosa, 106, 100, 110, 115 Missifjii, 47, 61 Miyaiiosliita, 163, 167 Montague, 138 LXDJCX. 3', Moiitiiii;i, i; ^ll)llt (•rev li:iV 1 It! Political, 1, tl, 7, lii M DiKlyVllIC, u N.\(iAsAKi, liMil.oiir, 219, 220, 241 Naiiiiiiiio, 12H, l:il, 1;J2 iS'iini, 17 '2, 21:5 Niitioiiiil I'liik, 18 Nc'cpawii, 77, 7H, 10«i, 112, 111, 11'. Nf/jii;,'!)!! Kay, r>, 6 Ni']iij,'oii, l,aki', 5 lS'('|iii.'oii river, f) NiMiia l''.lyia Miiiatoviiiin, 276 Ni'U' I.oiiiiWDitli, 127 Niw Wcstiiiiiisti T, 'U5, 47, 50, 57, 59, til, fi2, IM Kicoja, t)2 Kii^ala, 241 Nikko, 194, 105, 201 _ Ni|iissiii,L,', Lake, ], 2 North I Say, 1, 4, (!, 7 Oak liver, V)'-',, 111, 115 Odawara, Itltj, KJ'j Oui, 2:i8 Oiiaiiia, 199 Okaiia^'uii, 02 Olymiiiaii iiHJUiitains, 125 C)iia]iiin,', 4 Ontario, (i, 114, 118 Ojieii lUiiirii', St! Oiv/^'on, i:i5, i:iG, 137 Osaka, 2i:!, 241 Osliiina Island, 20C O.sliiina I'.iint, 160 Osovoos, tj2 Olsw, 207, 209 OttiThonrnc, 9 Owen Souml, 6 I'AdKic Ocean, 153, 159, 160 ]'alli-er, 23 I'assafloia, 143 l'(Ni(:i; rivtir, 16 I'earl river, 246, 262 i'ekin, 249 I'criin Island, 281 I'itt river, 61 rojHinn, 61 Port, Artiiiir, 6 Port Haney, 61 Port Moody, 42, 45, 47, 48, 52, 57 Port Said, 282, 283 Port Townsend, 134 Portaire-Ia-Prairie, 12, 74, 7ij, 77,78, 92, 95, 109, lit) Portland, 135, 136. 137 I'raiiiu tiru.s, 12, 107 Prairie land, 12, 15, 97 Prineu Alhcrt tolony, 75, 93 QiiNiNK jdaiits, 272, 273 JlAi'ii. ( ity, 101, 102, lOi!, 110, 111 Itei konin^,' time, im'W niodi;, 6 Ited liiver Valley, 10, 115 jtiil i.'iiik P>ay, 5, 6 Ker, I/iko, 8, ,^), 6, 43 Siisli\va|i, fiiike, lif), 38 Swift. I'uii'i'iit, 15 Syiulicati; Peak, 32, 36 Tacoma, 131, 135 Tanianau. In-: KudI'; und Ihkk X'pi.kkk. I'l-'iiuii'i'iUiii A. 11. KI\.IXI\ M.A.I. A Series of Six Volumes Descriptive of the Great Divisions of the Globe. Lar^'c Tost Svo, Clntli Hilt, witli M:i|is, HtliiiDlo^iral Ai)imiiiliccs, and sovural huiidrcil Illustrations. rriiM! £0 tJs. tlio sut, or 21 s. each Volume. "Till' six Vnllllii'S I'liiitiiill, nil till' wliiilr, II tiinri' I'liliVrliirllt llinl illstrilctivi' I'nllri't inn iif facts In ii'liitiiin ti) iliysic'il mill ]iiilitii';il (icnjiiiiiliv tliaii iiiiv ntlirr wmk of tlii' kiml I'lilplislinl in Kn^rliiiiil. .'iinl tln' iiii]i;ii'iitiis nf iiiiiiis iiiiil iliii'.'V.iiiis with wliii'li tliry iil'o luniittlu'il is fxtifiiifly I'tt'tlitiiblf tip llinse' roiii'uiniil in its I'Xci'Utioli." — Halunlotj Heiitui. EUROPE, r.v F. Vf. KuDLKH, F.C1.8., ami a. O. Ciiisin.t.M, r..Sc. ivlitcil hy Sii: ANniiKW V. Uamsay, I-L.D., F.R.S. With Kth ili^iral Ai'iM'uilix liy rrol'csfior A. 11. Kkank, il.A.I. With ]'> .Maps .mil t50 Illustrations. "Tiikiiij; it IIS a whnli', this volunii! cui ' Kiiio]"' ' is tlir ln'St nf thi' soriis, iiml in sniiii' rcsjH-i'ts inilt'cil is CDiiiiuinibli; witli tliu very best wmks on thu .sitiacivaioii in uoiimtturwliat hiiif.'UM}.'i'.'' .inifli iifi^ ASIA. Willi Ktlinoloj^Moal Aiipi'udix. IJy A. 11. Ki:ani:, :\r.A.I. Kiliti'iMiy Sii! itiriiAiM) 'ri-,Mi'i,K, P.art., C.C.S.I., C.I.K. 2nil Ivlilioii. With 12 Jlaps ami "iW Ulustnitions. "Till! il('si;.'li, lit the WDik is tn siijiiily nn t'xliniistivi' anaount of the n('n;;r!i]iliy ns wrll iis of tlm liiiiti'riiil mill JMilitii'iil rnliilitidii nf till' I'liiitiiii'iit, mill to lui'Si'iit llir iiinlr' -.ii ns rniirisr ii form ns tin' iiiiiniiitU'lr nf tlir siiliii'<'t will ii.linit nt, with ii t'liithlul mnl iiltriirtivr iiictinr nf thr couiitrirs nf Asiit. In this Sir Uich.'inl Triiiiili' mi'l tlii' luithnr, .Mr. Ki'iiiii', Uiivl' iittiiiiiril a I'niiilik'tu siU'i'i'Ss." — St. Jiiiiii:.-i' (j(i:ctk. AFRICA. Editeil ami Kxtcinli'd by Kiurri .TonxsTox, F.IJ.G.K., latn Li':ulfr of till' lloyal (Ji'ii.niapliiial Sorii'ty's East AtViran K\'|ii'ilition. With Kthiio!oi,'ii'al Appondi.K liy A. 11. Ki.axk, .M.A.I. Fouith l'".dition. Kevisfd and corii'ctL'd by K. G. Kavj:nsi£in, F.K.G.S. With 16 .Maps and 08 Iilu.sti'ations. " Whili' it will 1h' fnniiil of ri'.il value ns a nfiTenrc bnok for tin- toaelicv iiiiil tin- stintoiit nf geoyniiihy, it is as inturfstiiii; as a well-written niirrative of travel." — Tiiwu. NORTH AMERICA. UXITKI) STATES.— K.litca and Enlarged Ly ri'ot'essor F. V. Haydf.n, of the United States Geolonii;al Suivuy. CANADA. — I?y Proiessor A. \l. V. m:uvyn, F.R'.S., Diitictor of the Geo- logical Survey of Canada. With 1<3 Mips and iS lUustralinns. " The niaiis are excellent, ami nltoj,'ether this vnliiinc is mie nf the best and iiinst widely interesting nf the series." — Adteaatna. CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA. Edited and Extended by II. W. Ii.vrEs, Assistant Secretary of tlie Royal (ieographical Society ; Author of "The Xaturalist on the River Amazon." Willi Fthnological Appemlix hy A. 11. Keank, M.A.I. Tliird l-:dItion. With 1:3 .Majis and 73 lllu.stration,s. " Ojien it where ynii will the attentinn is iirresteil, ninl you are irresistibly teiii]iteil to reail on; while its iiiethn.licnl arrmi-eiiieiit, with the eniiinus imlex, must iiiiike it exeeeiliiijily viiluiiblo iis 11 wnrk ofreierenee. Tlievnlume is iiiliiiitcly more eutertiiiniuf,' tlimi iiiiiiiy nnvels that mo far above the average, while it eoiitaias in itself the iimterials for aiiv amount of romnnce." Vail Mall (ja:tll':. AUSTRALASIA. Edited and Extended by Alfred R. Wallack, F.R.G.S., Author of "The Malay Archipelaj^o," " Oe()gni].hieal Distrihutiou of Animals," etc. With F'.thuological Aiipendix by A. II. Kkank, JI.A. I. Fourth Edition. With 20 .Maps aiid '>r, Illustration.s. "We iliabt if in miy one work so much triistwortliy information is olitainablc nn a jmrt of the wnrlil iilways interesting, and about which knowledge generiilly is dufeetive, nnd most; inaccurate. ■Tiiiiis. London: EDWARD STANFORD, 20 c^- 27, COCKSPUR St., S.W. s 1m ti STANFOl iB'S LIBllAIiY A TLASES. DEDICATED BY PERMISSION TO HER MAJESTY THE aUEEN. Jiiiliciiiil fiilid, liiiir iiiiiiocco (jxtra, iirici; illli ; lull iiimocco, illo. STANFOKD'S LONDON ATLAS IINIYERSAL GEOGRAPHY. EX11I1UTIN(; TIIK niVSK'AI, AND rOLITICAL DIVISIONS OF Tl'lK VAUIOUS CUl'XTKlKS OF TilK WOULD. NINKTV MAPS, WITH A G'EOOJlAPJflCAL IXDEX. " Mv. Stiinfniir.s ' r.oiiilon Atliis,' wliicluva-; Uiidwn tn lii' inTiDivin- for inililicjitinii for iiiniivyc.'irs Jiiist, li; s lit Ictivtli sciii the lii;]it, lUnl is lint likely to cliMHi.|M.iiit (HIV icMsiiTiiilili' cxiicctaticiiis." .Mr. HI iiiloril ilfscrvcH y.Vfnt cri'ilit for liriii^riii^ out so I'laliornfc iiml costly ii woik \\\ tin- liifi' of fori'imi unci nutivT ruinlirtitioii, jiiiil of till' uiilillfiriin' of till' luililif, who I'lm liiinllv iis \it lie saiil to (lis- iTimiiiati' liclWfuii ^; 1 am! liail iiiaiis," — Allu lui am, " Wc i\U' so apt to iiiia^jiiif lliat the CSoMni A;,'c of Clcoirraiihy j.r 'liil this ccnturv tliat it is well to itisahiisi- oursc'lMs of thr iilia liv a jjlaiicc at the law (■(iitioii of tla' ' l.olnloii Atlas' xvliicli .\lr. Staiifonl has just issiRil. liascil to some r\tiiit on that prcliaricl uiali'r thi' saim- title hy the late .John Arniwsinith in the early days of Iler Majesty's rei^n, it is in reality an almost entiri'ly new woiU. Mr. .Stan onl's ^-reat Atlas may thus lie n u'aiileil as ii sort of niihstone in the luoj^ress of Keoj;raiihy. It marks the staj/e to \\ hieh, aftei' twi nty eentnries of inaii-makii^.', onr knowledge of the ;;lolie lias !■■ ac'lied. In some resjierts also it is a ri'eoiil of the ]iei t'eition to whieh the alt "f en'^'ravilij; eal-tO'-'ral'liieal ie|ireseiitat'ons aftei- Mere.ator's Jirojeet'on has altaiiu-d. ('om]iareil With the V'ork on whieh it is iirofessiilly foiimhil, the .liihilee Atlas shows how husv the worM has lieen in the lil'ty years which have elajiseil since .lolm .\rrowsmilh imhlisheil what was at that time iej,'ari!cil lis a masti ri'iece of j;eoj;raiiliieal research." — Slini'lin-il, " It is eeitainlya very siileiiilid atlas, jirinted lieaiitifiilly, and so nrrim^red tliat the jdaee of all the seiiariite majis can he ascertained at oni'c I'roiii the marginal titles, without reference to any inuii(l(M- nf flie alvstnisc results of tin' lii^jlii'.st scimtilir ri'siarcli is Iht nwii iiiastiiy of tlii' ]>1'ol'i'ssi'> and icsiiltM. Slic is ('(mtcnt witli no scuond-liiind knowlcdj^e ; hIh; has in u' casi's j,'()ne to the fountain-ht'iul." — Timcn, A SHORT HISTORY OF NATURAL SCIENCE, and uf the Piogivss of Discovory from tlie Tiiiif of the GrcekH to the Pn'scnt I)iiy. For the I'sc (if Schools fiiid Yoiiiii;- PcrsoiiK. Fniirtli Edition, Kfvisty the division of this |iopularwork into Two Volumi^s— Vol. I. Fishes and Birds, and V^id. II. Mammalia — sold separately, it is hoped tliat the convenience and taste of purchasers may be better met. ANIMALS FROM THE LIFE. Two Hundred and Fifty-five Coloured Illusfratidris, drawn by Hi'.lNitn u Lkitticm.^nm. With I»i'scri|)tive I.elte. press. Edited by Ait.MiKi.i.A B. BU( KLKY (Mrs. Fisher). Crown 4to, haiidsdiup (dotli binding, 10s. fir/. LoxNDON: EDWARD STANFOKD, 26 & 27, COCKSPUK St., S.W. if) storn» i>f tlio nlistnise (if llii' |in)ct'.s.si's ; hIk! h.is in all f tilt' Progress rrit I)iiy. For 1. Ki'viscil and It'l'XtMl, I'J.s.O*/. [eneml revision, 1(! to Iii'in,i4 i'l'o niciNt ii'cent re- li'il in ii .su|i|ili'- 1 (•iiliiTeni't; and tliy of the liij,di OUIIf,'. 1. Post, Svo, calf ixtra, lis. Timffi. ife from the , with ii|i\vai(lH -•nlf extra, ll,v. ;w will read tliu he hook's chief h runs tlirou;,di iind the truly Work hirnis a living things — aed Family. lis, tdoth, yilt kley has sjiarod ntific rt'sciirch. arc numerous, tied Family. qierial lOiiio. ihes and IMrds, inveiiiencc and ive Coloured I Descrifitive her). Crown St., S.W.