Sandford Fleming and The Inveraray Time Lord

8/14/2019 Sandford Fleming and The Inveraray Time Lord

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SANDFORD FLEMINGand THE INVERARAY TIME LORD

With the introduction of regular Clyde Steamers services came the introduction of 'standardLocal (Glasgow) Time' to the main towns and villages around The Firth of Clyde.

In the spring of 1816, the "Rothesay Castle", whose engineer, three years later, would showthe pioneering James Watt how to make a steamship's engine reverse, began a regularservice between Glasgow and Inveraray and by the early 1820's a number of ships werealmost daily plying the route up and down Loch Fyne.

With the coming of the railways came 'Railway Time', The Caledonian and too The London andNorth-Western Railway Companies scheduling their services according to 'railway time', set to'Greenwich Mean Time', from December 1, 1847 and all the other railway companiesfollowing their lead a month later, Inveraray and the other Clyde steamer ports of call,

though not on any railway line, generally and quickly following The Caledonian Railway's lead. Though never itself served by any railway system, Inveraray and its Freemasons,'historically', would play an important part in getting 'The World' to agree to a standardsystem of Time Zones, that story, the story of Sandford Fleming and the part played by JohnGeorge Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll (August 6, 1845 -May 2, 1914), then Marquis of Lorne and fourth Governor-General of Canada (1878 to 1883),unfolded here along with the story of Kirkcaldy-born Sandford Fleming's genius in driving 'TheVictorian Internet' around The World.Our story, properly, begins with Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay (June1682 - April 15, 1761), born in Petersham, Surrey, he known as Lord Archibald Campbell,from 1703 to 1706 and as the Earl of Ilay from 1706 until October 1743, when he succeeded

his brother to the title of Duke of Argyll.

Though Campbell, an enthusiastic gardner, who had established an estate at Whitton Park, atWhitton in Middlesex in 1722, decided to demolish the existing castle and start from scratchwith a new building, he never lived in it, the new castle taking some forty years in itsfinishing and Campbell dying in 1761, his legacy perhaps not so much in the building of thenew castle but lying rather on the fact that, on his death, many of the trees from his Whittonestate were moved by his nephew, the third Earl of Bute, to The Princess of Wales' newgarden at Kew, today Kew Gardens and one of his imported shrubs, the 'wolfberry', namedafter him as 'The Duke of Argyll's Tea Tree', becoming quickly established in the hedgegrowsin some parts of England, especially in coastal areas.

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Prior to the reconstruction of the new castle, Inveraray was little more than a collection of humble cottages adjacent to the castle site and, wishing that the populace be moved toimprove the appearance of his new castle, Campbell has his architect William Adam draw upplans for the creation of a new Inveraray in 1747, that very year, the construction of the newcastle well underway, also seeing the founding of one of the oldest Masonic Lodges inScotland, Lodge Inveraray, No 50.

During the years that followed, the successive Dukes of Argyll freemasons, many of theguests and foreign dignitaries atInveraray Castle were to attended Inveraray's masonic meetings, not least the many Russiandignitaries who came as visitors to the little Lochfyneside village and its castle from the late1700's onwards.

Like the rest of his forebears, John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9thDuke of Argyll, was also a freemason and, as fourth Governor-General of Canada, from 1878to 1883, his links with freemasonry were to prove of immense help to Kirkcaldy-born SandfordFleming, whom he first would appear to have met when Fleming was Chief Engineer of TheCanadian Pacific Railway, the railway being driven across Canada from The Atlantic to ThePacific and Fleming focused on the need to 'rationalise' the new railway's timetables, from

east to west, across Canada, Fleming instrumental in promoting a scheme of 'time zones',based on longitude, across Canada and indeed 'The World' and too on introducing a 24-hourclock system of timetabling, to avoid the confusions and mis-readings of a.m. versus p.m.,which had left Fleming stranded on an Irish railway platform, at Bundoran, in July 1876.

Thanks to his links with freemasonry and Fleming too a freemason, The Marquis of Lorne, asGovernor-General of Canada of course, was able to promote a series of conferencespromoting Fleming's proposals for today's system of 'World Time Zones'.

The adoption of Fleming's proposals was helped along in no small way by the the fact thatRussia's then Astronomer Royal, Otto Strüve, another, one suspects, freemason that hadvisited or heard of the gatherings and meetings at Inveraray and its masonic lodge, also

became one of the leading advocates for Fleming's proposals, the breadth of Russia itself traversing eleven different 'time zones'.

Too, Fleming would be instrumental in promoting a route for the trans-Pacific submarinetelegraph cable, the missing link in the round-the-world telegraph cable routes, known as'The All Red Line', which linked The British Empire together, the cable links to some seen asthe eqivalent of 'The Victorian Internet'.

Fleming, it must be said, was ever conscious of the weaknesses of relying on routes throughthe eastern Mediterranean and The Middle East, his concerns perhaps well justified even tothis day.

Sandford Fleming, son of Andrew Greig Fleming, a carpenter and Elizabeth Arnot, brother of John Arnot Fleming, was born on January 7, 1827 in the Fife town of Kirkcaldy.

Educated first at his nearby local school in Kennoway and then in Kirkcaldy itself, at the age of 14 Sandford Fleming became a pupil of Scottish engineer and surveyor John Sang, where helearned how to ornately decorate maps.

In 1845, at the age of 18, he emigrated with his older brother David, aboard the "Brilliant",to Ontario, then the western half of the British province of United Canada, at that time called

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Canada West, the voyage across The Atlantic beset with storms and anxieties about reachingtheir destination.

Their route took them through many cities of the Canadian colonies, Quebec City, Montrealand Kingston, Ontario, before settling in Peterborough, Ontario with their cousins in 1847,Fleming securing employment with local surveyor Richard Birdsall but, in order to berecertified, as required under Canadian law, Fleming then contracted with John Stoughton

Dennis, a surveyor in Weston (Toronto) and, to generate income before his certification,Fleming prepared town street maps of Peterborough, Hamilton, Cobourg and Toronto, the Toronto map, made jointly with John Stoughton Dennis, was published by Hugh Scobie's in1851.

In 1849 Fleming went to Montreal to sit his examinations as a junior surveyor and whilst therewitnessed the Elgin riots and the burning of the Parliament buildings, Fleming rescuing animportant painting of Queen Victoria from the fires.

In 1851 the highly talented Fleming also designed Canada's first postage stamp, which woulddo much to publicize the beaver as a distinctly Canadian emblem.

Like most businessmen, Fleming was a regular postal patron and, growing weary of standingin line at the post office to have his letters individually rated, Fleming determined to dosomething about "this post office nuisance". The idea of postage stamps being used in Canada was not a new one and references can befound in the Journals of The Legislative Assembly of Canada in 1849 calling for 'the issuance of postage stamps'. Great Britain and the United States had postage stamps in use since 1840and 1847 respectively and a visionary was needed to see the process through in Canada andmore importantly to act when the timing was right, the moment coming in August, 1850,when the new Post Office Act transferred the operation of The Post Office to the ProvincialGovernment with effect from April 6, 1851.

The Honorable James Morris was appointed Postmaster-General on February 22, 1851 andimmediately on his appointment, Morris had verbally authorised Toronto lithographic printerHugh Scobie to prepare a lithographed 3d postage stamp but, some members of Parliamentraised their concerns over the ease of counterfeits being made, "these stickers would becounterfeited instantly and the government would be carrying free mail in 30 days" and, scanttwo days later, on February 24, 1851, Morris, searching for an alternative, a steel plateengraved stamp design, met for breakfast with his friend Sheriff Rutter and the youngSandford Fleming.

Writing to Postmaster-General Morris' son on January 2, 1888, Fleming says, "I was then ayoung man about 24, ready for anything whatever. I had been making designs of some sortfor Sheriff Rutter, an intimate friend of your father. Your father had, in conversation,

mentioned what he had in view with the issue of three pence postage stamps. The Sheriff referred him to me as a person who would make a design. I was sent for and was introducedto your father one morning at Toronto's Ellah's Hotel, on King Street, now occupied by theRomain Building. According to my recollection you were present, 37 years younger than youare now. The design was made, engraved, approved and used for years. The first proof taken from the plate by the engraver, is as I have stated in my collection of scraps".

Fleming's design for the three-pence Venetian Red Beaver stamp was inspired by a 1780woodcut of "A Beaver Family at Work in Canada" and he would later design a twelve pence

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stamp, its design inspired by his rescue of Queen Victoria's portrait from the fires inMontreal's Parliament building.

Throughout this time he was fully employed as a surveyor, mostly for The Grand TrunkRailway and his work for them eventually gaining him the position of Chief Engineer of TheNorthern Railway of Canada in 1855, where he tirelessly advocated the construction of ironbridges instead of wood for safety reasons.

Three years later, in 1858, Fleming proposed a coast-to-coast railway line spanning all of British North America but, the timing not yet quite right, he took up an appointment as thesole engineer to supervise the survey of the proposed Intercolonial Railway, linking theMaritime provinces with Quebec and, moving for a time to Halifax, Nova Scotia, during itsconstruction, he built a house at the seaward end of town.

Then, in 1872, the newly formed Canadian government decided to build a rail link to ThePacific Ocean and, naturally, the job of surveying the route fell to Fleming, he immediatelyorganising an expedition to The Pacific that included surveyors as well as the naturalist JohnMacoun and his own Church of Scotland clergyman, George Monro Grant, from the St.Matthew's Presbyterian "kirk" from Halifax, Grant's story of the expedition, "Ocean to Ocean",following here.

Before the Canadian Pacific Railway, 1870–1881

Creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway was a task originally undertaken for a combination of reasons by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. BritishColumbia had insisted upon a transport link to the east as a condition for joining theConfederation of Canada, British Columbia initially requesting a wagon road. The governmenthowever, proposed to build a railway linking the Pacific province to the eastern provinceswithin ten years of July 20, 1871. Macdonald also saw it as essential to the creation of aunified Canadian nation that would stretch across the continent. Moreover, manufacturinginterests in Quebec and Ontario desired access to sources of raw materials and markets inCanada's west. The first obstacle to its construction was economic.

The logical route went through the American Midwest and the city of Chicago, Illinois. Inaddition to this was difficulty of building a railroad through the Canadian Rockies, an entirelyCanadian route would require crossing 1,000 miles of rugged terrain of the barren CanadianShield and muskeg of Northern Ontario and, to ensure this routing, the government offeredhuge incentives including vast grants of land in Western Canada.

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OCEAN TO OCEANSandford Fleming's Expedition Through Canada in 1872

BY THE REV. GEORGE M. GRANT of Halifax, Nova Scotia

TORONTO : ROSE BELFORD PUBLISHING COMPANY

MDCCCLXXIX

George Monro Grant quickly gained a high reputation as a preacher and as an eloquentspeaker on political subjects. In 1867, Nova Scotia was the province most strongly opposed tofederal union. Grant threw the whole weight of his great influence in favour of Canadianconfederation, and his oratory played an important part in securing the success of the

movement.When the consolidation of the Dominion by means of railway construction was underdiscussion in 1872, Grant traveled across Canada, from the Atlantic Ocean to the PacificOcean, with the engineers, including lifelong friend, Sir Sandford Fleming, who surveyed theroute of The Canadian Pacific Railway. Grant's book Ocean to Ocean (1873) was one of the firstthings that opened the eyes of Canadians to the value of the immense heritage they enjoyed.

Grant never lost an opportunity, whether in the pulpit or on the platform, of pressing on hislisteners that the greatest future for Canada lay in unity with the rest of The British Empire;and his broad statesmanlike judgment made him an authority which politicians of all partieswere glad to consult.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I Introductory from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Thunder Bay, Lake Superior

CHAPTER II

Halifax. — Intercolonial Railway. — Moncton. — Miramichi. — Restigouche. — Matapedia. —Cacouna. — Lord Dufferin. — Riviere du Loup. — Quebec. — Montreal. — Toronto. —Collingwood. — A man overboard. — Owen Sound. — Steamer Frances Smith. — Provokingdelays. — Killamey. — Indians. — Bruce Mines. — Sault Ste. Marie. — Lake Superior. — Sunset.

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— Full Moon. — Harbour of Gargantua .— The Botanist. — Michipicoten Island. — Nepigon Bay.— Grand Scenery. — Sunday on Board. — Silver Islet. — Prince Arthur's Landing

CHAPTER III FROM THUNDER BAY TO FORT GARRY

Shebandowan Road. — Rich Vegetation. — Rivers Kaministiquia and Matawan. —

Shebandowan Lake. — Luggage. — Emigrants. — Canoe Train.— Iroquois Indians.— Sir GeorgeSimpson's Guide. — Lake Kashabowie.— The Height of Land.— Lac des Mille Lacs — BarilPortage and Lake.— First Night under Canvas. — Lake Windigostigwan.— Indian Encampment.— Chief Blackstone's Wives. — The Medicine Man. — Lake Kaogassikok. Shooting MaligneRapids.—Lake Nequaquon.— Loon Portage. — Mud Portage. — American Portage. — LakeNameukan. — Rainy Lake.— Fort Francis.— Rainy River. — Hungry Hall — Slap-jacks. — Lake of the Woods. — The North-West Angle. — A Tough Night. — Oak Point. — First glimpse of ThePrairies. — Floral Treasures. — The Dawson Route. — Red River

CHAPTER IV PROVINCE OF MANITOBA

Extent. — Population. — Land Claims of Original Settlers. — Sale of Lots in Winnipeg. —

Hudson's Bay Company. — Clergymen of the Settlement. — Military Camp. — Archbishop Taohe. — United States Consul — Conflicting opinions respecting the Fertile Belt. — Our outfitfor The Prairies. — Chief Commissioner Smith. — Hudson's Bay Company. — Lieut.-GovernorArchibald. — Departure from Silver Heights. — White Horse Plains. — Rev. Mr. McDougal. —Portage la Prairie. — The Last Settler. — Climate, etc., of Manitoba, compared with the olderProvinces. — Sioux Indians in war Paint. — General remarks on Manitoba. — Emigrants and theUnited States' Agents. — Treatment of the Indians

CHAPTER V FROM MANITOBA TO FORT CARLTON ON THE NORTHSASKATCHEWAN

Fine Fertile Country. — The water question. — Duck Shooting. — Salt Lakes. — Camping on the

Plains. — Fort Ellice. — Qu'Appelle Valley. — "Souzie." — The River Assiniboine. — The Buffalo.— Cold Nights. — Rich Soil. — Lovely Country. — Little Touchwood Hills. — Cause of PrairieFires. — A Day of Rest. — Prairie Uplands. — Indian Family. — Buffalo Sculls. — Desolate Tract.— Quill Lake. — Salt Water. — Broken Prairie. —Round Hill. — Prairie Fire. — Rich Black Soil. —Magnificent Panorama. — Break-neck Speed. — The South Saskatchewan. — Sweethearts andWives. — Fort Carlton. — Free Traders. — The Indians. — Crop Raising

CHAPTER VI ALONG THE NORTH SASKATCHEWAN TO EDMONTON

The Thickwood Hills. — The Soil. — Slough of Despond. — Bears' Paddling. — Lake. — IndianMissions Result. — Pemmican. — Jack-fish Lake. — The-Crees and Blackfeet. — Change inVegetation. — Resemblance to Ontario. — The Red deer Hills. — Rich Uplands and Valleys. —

Fort Pitt. — The Horse Guard. — Fresh Buffalo Meat. — Partially Wooded Country. — CreeGuests Shaganappi. — Glorious View. — Our Longitude. — The Isothermal Lines. — ScalpingRaids. — The Flora. — Victoria Mission. — Indian School. — Crops Raised. — A Lady Visitor. — Timber. — Horse Hill. — Edmonton. — Coal. — Wheat and other Crops. — Gold-Washing. —Climate. — Soil. — Indian Kaces. — Water. — Fuel. — Frosts

CHAPTER VII FROM FORT EDMONTON TO THE RIVER ATHABASKA

False Report. — Souzie's Farewell. — St. Albert Mission. — Bishop Grandin. — Small-pox. —Great Mortality. — Indian Orphans. — The Sisters of Charity. — Road to Lake St. Ann's. —

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Luxuriant Vegetation. — Pelican. — Early Frosts. — Pack Horses. — Leaving St. Ann's. —Indians. — Vapour Booths. — Thick Woods. — Pembina River. — Coal. — Lobstick Camp. —Condemned Dogs. — Beaver Dams. — Murder. — Horse Lost. — A Birth-day. — No Trail. —Muskegs. — Windfalls. — Beavers. — Traces of Old Travellers. — Cooking Pemmican. —Crossing the McLeod. — Wretched Road. — Iroquois Indians. — Slow Progress. — Merits of Pemmican. — Bad Muskegs. — Un Beau Chemin. — A Mile an Hour. — Plum-pudding Camp. — Ten Hours in the Saddle. — Athabaska River. — The Rocky Mountains. — Bayonet Camp

CHAPTER VIII THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

The Flora. — The Mountains. — Prairie River. — Grilled Beaver. — Roche a Myette. — Roche a.Perdrix. — Roche Ronde. — Jasper House. — Roche Jacques. — Roche Suette. — Roche Bosche.— First Night in the Mountains. — Crossing the Athabaska. — Magnificent Mountain Scenery. —Pyramid Rock. — Jasper Lake. — Snaring River. — Jasper Valley. — We meet Pacific Men. —Hyiu muck-a-muck ! Hyiu iktahs ! — Old Henry House. — The Caledonian Valley. — A Rough Trail. — Desolate Camping Ground. — Good Cheer. — The Trail Party. — Yellow Head Pass. —Nameless Mountain Peaks. — Sunday Dinner in "The Pass."

CHAPTER IX YELLOW HEAD PASS TO THE NORTH THOMPSON RIVER

Plants in Flower. — The Water-shed. — Entering British Columbia. — Source of the FraserRiver. — Yellow Head Lake. — Serrated Peaks. — Benighted. — Moose Lake. — Milton andCheadle. — Relics of The Headless Indian. — Columbia River. — The Three Mountain Ranges.— Horses Worn Out. — First Canyon of the Fraser. — The Grand Forks. — Changing LocomotionPower. — Robson's Peak. — Fine Timber. — Tete Jaune Cache. — Glaciers. — CountlessMountain Peaks. — A Good Trail. — Fording Canoe River. — Snow Fence. — Camp River. —Albreda. — Mount Milton. — Rank Vegetation. — Rain. — A Box in V's Cache for S. F. — TheRed Pyramid. — John Glen. — The Forest. — Camp Cheadle

CHAPTER X ALONG THE NORTH THOMPSON RIVER TO KAMLOOPS

Breakfast by Moonlight. — The Belhorse. — Mount Cheadle. — Blue River and Mountains. —

Goose Creek. — The Headless Indian. — Porcupine Breakfast. — The Canyon. — Mule Train. —At Hell Gate, meet Friends. — Gathering at Camp U. and V. — Good Cheer. — Still Water. —Round Prairie. — Exciting News two months old. — Change in the Flora. — Bunch Grass. — RaftRiver. — Clearwater. — Boat to Kamloops. — Assiniboine Bluff. — Last Night under Canvas. —Siwash Houses. — Signs of Civilization. — Stock Raising. — Wages in British Columbia. — AridAspect of Country. — Darkless on the River. — Arrival at Kamloops.

CHAPTER XI FROM KAMLOOPS TO THE SEA

Under a Roof again — Kamloops Beef. — Sermqn. — John Chinaman. — No Letters. — LakeKamloops. — Savona's Ferry. — A Night Ride to Ashcroft. — Farming Country. — Sage Brush.— Irrigation. — A Broken Leg. — The Judge and the Miners. — Gold Mining. — Siwashes and

Chinamen. — Indian Graves. — The Waggon Road. — Canyons of the Thompson. — Big-bugs.— Lytton. — The Rush to the Gold Mines. — Obstacles to Settlement. — Effects of UneducatedSalmon. — Boston Bar. — Jackass Mountain. — TheRoad along the Canyons. — Grand Scenery.— Suspension Bridge. — Spuzznm's Creek. — Yale. — Letters from Home. — Travelling bySteam Again. — Steamer "Onward." — Hope. — The Judiciary of British Columbia. — NewWestminster. — Salmon. — Assaying Office. — Burrard's Inlet. — Grand Potlatch. — The "Sir James Douglas." — General Remarks

CHAPTER XII THE COAST AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND

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On the Waters of The Pacific. — Bute Inlet. — Valdes Island. — The Fiords of British Columbia.— Waddington Harbour. — Glaciers. — Chilcoten Indians. — Massacre. — Party X. — Salmon.— Arran Rapids. — Seymour Narrows. — Menzies' Bay. — Party Y. — The Straits of Georgia. —New Settlements on Vancouver's Island. — Nanaimo. — Coal Mines. — Concert. — MountBaker. — Pujet Sound. — San Juan Island. — The Olympian Mountains. — Victoria. — EsquimauHarbour. — A Polyglot City. — The Last of Terry. — The Pacific Ocean. — Barclay Sound. —Alberni Inlet. — Sunset on the Pacific. — Return to Victoria. — The Past, Present, and Future. — The Home-stretch. — The Great American Desert

CHAPTER XIII CONCLUSION

Crossing and recrossing the Continent. — Writers on the North-west. — Mineral Wealth behindLake Superior. — The "Fertile-belt." — Our Fellow Travellers. — The "Rainbow" of the North-west. — Peace River. — Climate compared with Ontario. — Natural Riches of the Country. — The Russia of America. — Its Army of Construction. — The Pioneers. — Esprit de corps. —Hardships and Hazards. — Mournful Death-roll. — The Work of Construction. — Vast Breadth of the Dominion. — Its Varied Features. — Its Exhaustless Resources. — Its Constitution. — ItsQueen

APPENDIX

Delays in Constructing Canada Pacific & Intercolonial Railways. First Link of the Canada Pacific.— Yellow Head Pass. — Difficulties in the Cascade Range. — Population required for localtraffic. Causes of delay in settling the North-west. — The grasshoppers. Utilization of waterstretches. — Telegraphic Communication. Productiveness of Manitoba in 1876. — Surveys. —Red Deer and Bow Rivers. — Place River as seen in 1875. — Water supply. Treeless areas. —Indian Question. — Mounted Police. — Treaties. True Indian Policy. — Indian troubles in BritishColumbia. Character of the Indians on Pacific Slope and Coast. — Progress.

OCEAN TO OCEAN - THROUGH CANADA IN

1872CHAPTER I Introductory

Travel a thousand miles up the St. Lawrence; another thousand on great lakes and awilderness of lakelets and streams; a thousand miles across prairies and up the valley of theSaskatchewan; and nearly a thousand through woods and over great ranges of mountains, andyou have travelled from Ocean to Ocean through Canada. All this country is a single Colony of the British Empire; and this Colony is dreaming magnificent dreams of a future when it shall bethe Greater Britain, and the highway across whieh the fabrics and products of Asia shall becarried, to the Eastern as well as to the Western sides of the Atlantic. Mountains were oncethought to be effectual barriers against railways, but that day has gone by; and, now that

trains run between San Erancisco and New York, over summits of eight thousand two hundredfeet, why may they not run between Victoria and Halifax, ovei' a height of three thousandseven hundred feet ? At any rate, a Canadian Pacific Railway has been undertaken by theDominion; and, as this book consists of notes made in connection with the survey, anintroductory chapter may be given to a brief history of the project. For more than a quarter of a century before the Atlantic was connected by rail with the Pacific public attention had beenfrequently called, especially in the great cities of the United States, to the commercialadvantage and the political necessity of such connection; but it was not till 1853 that theSecretary of War was authorized by the President to employ topograph ical engineers andothers "to make explorations and surveys, and to ascertain the most practicable andeconomical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean."

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From that time the United States Government sent a succession of well-equipped parties toexplore the western half of theContinent. The reports and surveys of these expeditions fill thirteen large quarto volumes,richly embellished, stored with valuable information concerning the coiintry, and honestlypointing out that, west of the Mississippi Valley, there were vast extents of desert or semi-desert, and other difficulties so formidable as to render the construction of a railroad well nighimpracticable. Her Majesty's Government aware of this result, and aware, also, that there wasa fertile belt of undefined size, in the same longitude as the Great American Desert, but north

of the forty-ninth degree of latitude, organized an expedition, under Captain Palliser, in 1857,to explore the country between the west of Lake Superior and the Rocky Mountains; and also "to ascertain whethei?-^ny practicable pass or passes, available for horses, existed across theRocky Mountains within British Territory, and south of that known to exist between MountBrown and Mount Hooker," known as the "Boat Encampment Pass." It was unfortunate that thelimitation expressed in this last clause, was imposed on Captain Palliser, for it prevented himfrom exploring to the north of Boat Encampment, and reporting upon the Yellow Head Pass,which has since been found so favourable for the Railway and may soon be used as thegateway through the mountains to British Columbia and the Pacific. The difficulties presentedby passes further south, and by the Selkirk Mountains, led Palliser to express an opinion uponthe passage across the Mountains as hasty and inaccurate as his opinion about the possibilityof connecting Ontario or Quebec with the Eed River and Saskatchewan Country is now found

to be.

After stating that his expedition had made connection between the Saskatchewan Plains andBritish Columbia, without passing through United States Territory, he added : — "Still theknowledge of the country, on the whole, would never lead me to advise a line of communication from Canada, across the continent to the Pacific, exclusively through British Territory. The time has forever gone by for eflfecting such an object ; and the unfortunatechoice of an astronomical boundary line has completely isolated the Central Americanpossessions of Great Britain from Canada in the east, and also almost debarred them from anyeligible access from the Pacific Coast on the west." The best answer to this sweeping opinion,is the Progress Report on the Canadian Pacific Railway exploratory survey, presented to theHouse of Commons, in Ottawa, in the Session 1872, in which the advantages of the Yellow

Head Pass over every other approach to the Pacific are shown ; and as complete an answer tothe second part is to be found in subsequent reports. The journals of Captain Palliser'sexplorations, extending over a period of four years, from 1857 to 1860, were printed inextenso by Her Majesty's Government in a large Blue Book, which shared the fate of all similarliterature. There arej probably, not more than half a dozen copies in the Dominion. A copy inthe Legislative Library at Ottawa is the only one known to the writer. They deserved a betterfate, for his own notes and the reports of his associates. Lieutenant Blakiston, Dr. Hector, M.Bourgeau and Mr. Sullivan, are replete with useful and interesting facts about the soil, theflora, the fauna, and the climate of the plains and the mountains. M. Bourgeau was thebotanist of the expedition. On Mr. Sullivan, an accomplished mathematician and astronomicalobserver and surveyor, devolved the principal labours of computation. Dr. Hector, to whoseexertions the success of the expedition was chiefly owing, had the charge of making the maps,

both geographical and geological; and, whenever a side journey promised any result, nomatter how arduous or dangerous it might be, Dr. Hector was always ready. His name is stillrevered in our Northwest, on account of his medical skill and his kindness to the Indians, andmost astonishing tales are still told of his travelling feats in mid-winter among the mountains.

After printing Captain Palliser's journal, Her Majesty's Government took no step to connect theEast of British America with the Centre and the West, or to open up the Northwest toemigration, although it had been clearly established that we had a country there, extendingover many degrees of latitude and longitude, with a climate and soil equal to that of Ontario.In the meantime, the people of the United States, with characteristic energy, took up the work

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that was too formidable for their government. Public-spirited men, in Sacramento and otherparts of California, embarked their all In a project which would make their own rich State thelink between the old farthest East and the Western World on both sides of the Atlantic. Thework was commenced on the east and west of the Rocky Mountains. Congress grantedextraordinary liberal subsidies in lands and money, though in a half sceptical spirit, and asmuch under the influence of Rings as of patriotism. When the member for California wasurging the scheme with a zeal that showed that he honestly believed in it Mr. Lovejoy, of Dlinois, could not help interjecting, "Does the honourable member really mean to tell me he

believes that that road will ever be built," "Pass the Bill, and it will be constructed in tenyears," was the answer. In much less than the time asked for it was constructed, and it is atthis day as remarkable a monument to the energy of our neighbours as the triumphantconclusion of their civil war, or the re-buildins of Chicago. Three great ranges of mountains hadto be crossed at altitudes of eight thousand two hundred and forty seven thousand onehundred and fifty, and seven thousand feet; snow sheds and fences to be built along exposedparts, for miles, at enormous expense ; the work, for more than a thousand miles, to becarried on in a desert, which yielded neither wood, water nor food of any kind. No wonder thatthe scheme was denounced as impracticable and a swindle. But its success has vindicated thewisdom of its projectors; and now no fewer than four different lines are organized to connectthe Atlantic States with the Pacific, and to divide with the Union and Central Pacific Railways,the enormous and increasing traffic they are carrying.

While man was thus triumphing over all the obstacles of nature in the Territory of the UnitedStates, how was it that nothing was attempted farther North in British America, where a fertilebelt stretches west to the base of the Rocky Mountains, and where river-passes seem to offernatural highways through the mountains to the Ocean ? The North American Colonies wereisolated from each other ; the North-west was kept under lock and key by the Hudson BayCompany; and though some ambitious speeches were made, some spirited pamphlets written,and Bulwer Lytton, in introducing the Bill for the formation of British Columbia as a Province,saw, in vision, a line of loyal Provinces, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the time had not comefor a consummation so devoutly to be wished. Had the old political state of things continued inBritish America, nothing would have been done to this day.

But, in 1867, the separate Colonies of Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, became theDominion of Canada ; in 1869 the Hudson Bay Company's rights to the North-west werebought up ; and, in 1871, British Columbia united itself to the new Dominion; and thus thewhole mainland of British America became one political State under the segis of the Empire.

One of the terms on which British Columbia joined the Dominion wajs, that a railway should beconstructed within ten years from the Pacific to a point of junction with the existing railwaysystems in the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and surveys with this object in view were atonce instituted.

What did this preparatory survey-work in our case mean ? It meant that we must do, in one ortwo years, what had been done in the United States in fifty. To us the ground was all new. Pew

of our public men had ever looked much beyond the confines of their particular Provinces; ourNorth-west, in some parts of it, was less an unknown land to the people of the States along theboundary line than to the people of the Dominion; and, in other parts, it was unknown to thewhole world. No white man is known to have crossed from the Upper Ottawa to Lake Superioror Lake Winnipeg. There were maps of the country, dotted with lakes and lacustrine rivershere and there ; but these had been made up largely from sketches, on bits of birch-bark orpaper, and the verbal descriptions of Indians, and the Indian has little or no conception of scale or bearings. In drawing the picture of a lake, for instance, when his sheet of paper wastoo narrow, he would without warning, continue the lake up or down the side, and naturally anerroneous idea of the surface of the country was given. A lake was set down right in the path

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of what otherwise was an eligible line, and, after great expense had been incurred, it wasfound that there was no lake within thirty miles of the point. In a word, the country betweenOld Canada and Red River was utterly unknown, except along the canoe routes travelled bythe Hudson Bay men north-west of Lake Superior.

Not many years since, a lecturer had to inform a Toronto audience that he had discovered agreat lake, called Nepigon, afew miles to the north of Lake Superior. When so little was known, the task was no light one.

Engineers were sent out into trackless, inhospitable' regions, obliged to carry tieir provisionson their backs over swamps, rocks, and barriers, of all kinds, when the Indians failed them;with instructions simply to do their best to find out all they could, in as short a time aspossible.

Far different was it with our neighbours. They could afford to spend, and they did spend, half acentury on the preparatory work. Their special surveys were aided and supplemented byreports and maps extending back over a long course of years, drawn up, as part of their duty,by the highly educated officers of their regular army stationed at different posts in their Tendtories. These reports, as well as the unofficial narratives of missionaries, hunters, andtraders, were studied, both before and after being pigeon-holed in Washington. The wholecoirn try had thus been gradually examined from every possible point of view; and, among

other things, this thorough know ledge explains the success of the United States' Governmentin all its treaty-making with Great Britain, when territory was concerned. The history of everysuch treaty between the two powers is the history of a contest between knowledge andignorance. The one Power always knew what it wanted. It therefore presented, from the firststep in the negotiation to the last, a firm and apparently consistent front. The other had only adim notion that right was on its side, and a notion, equally dim, that the object in dispute wasnot worth contending for.

Was it wise, then, for the Dominion to undertake so gigantic a public work at so early a stagein its history ? It was wise, because it was necessary. By uniting together, the British Provinceshad declared that their destiny was, not to ripen and drop, one by one, into the arms of theRepublic, but to work out their own future as an integral and important part of the grandest

Empire in the world. They had reason for making such an election. They believed that it wasbetter for themselves and for their neighbours; better for the cause of human liberty and trueprogress, that it should be so. But it ia not necessary to discuss the reasons. No outside powerhas a right to pronounce upon them. The fact is enough, that, on this central point, the mind of British America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is fixed. But, to be united politically anddisunited physically, as the different parts of Prussia were for many a long year, is an anomalyonly to be endured so long as it can not be helped; and when, as in our case, the remedy is inour own hands, it is wise to secure the material union as soon as possible.

On the twentieth of July, 1871, British Columbia entered the Dominion. On the same daysurveying parties left Victoria for various points of the Rocky Mountains, and from the UpperOttawa westward, and all along the line surveys were commenced. Their reports were laid

before the Canadian House of Commons in April, 1872. In the summer of the same year,Sandford Fleming, the Engineer in Chief, considered it necessary to travel overland, to see themain features of the country with his own eyes, and the writer of these pages accompaniedhim, as Secretary. The expedition started from Toronto on July 16th, and on October 14th, itleft Victoria, Vancouver's Island, on the home stretch. During those three months a diary waskept of the chief things we saw or heard, and of the impressions which we formed respectingthe country, as we journeyed from day to day and conversed with each other on the subject.Our notes are presented to the public, and are given almost as they were written so thatothers might see, as far as possible, a photograph of what we saw and thought from day today. A more readable book could have been made by omitting some things, colouring others,

11



and grouping the whole , but the object was not to make a book. The expedition had specialservices to perform in connection with one of the most gigantic public works ever undertakenin any country by any people; it was organized and conducted in a businesslike way, in orderto get through without disaster or serious difficulty; it did not turn aside in search of adventures or of sport; and therefore an exciting narrative of hair-breadth escapes andthrilling descriptions of "men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders" need scarcely beexpected.

CHAPTER II

Halifax. — Intercolonial Railway. — Moncton. — Miramichi. — Restigouche. — Matapedia. —Cacouna. — Lord Dufferin. — Riviere du Loup. — Quebec. — Montreal. — Toronto. —Collingwood. — A man overboard. — Owen Sound. — Steamer Frances Smith. — Provokingdelays. — Killamey. — Indians. — Bruce Mines. — Sault Ste. Marie. — Lake Superior. — Sunset.— Full Moon. — Harbour of Gargantua .— The Botanist. — Michipicoten Island. — Nepigon Bay.— Grand Scenery. — Sunday on Board. — Silver Islet. — Prince Arthur's Landing

1st July, 1872. — To-day, three friends met in Halifax, and agreed to travel together throughthe Dominion from the Atlantic to the Pacific. All three had personal and business matters toarrange, requiring them to leave on different days, and reach the Upper Provinces by different

routes. In these circumstances it was decided that Toronto should be the point of rendezvousfor the main journey to the Far West, and that the day of meeting should be the 15th of July.One proposed to take the steamer from Halifax to Portland, and go thence by the Grand TrunkRailway via Montreal ; another, to sail up the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Pictou to Quebec; andit was the duty of the third, the chief of the party, to travel along the line of the IntercolonialRailway. This narrative follows the footsteps of the Chief, when more than one path is taken.But, though it was his duty to make a professional examination of all the engineering works inprogress on the Intercolonial, the Eastern link of that great arterial highway which is toconnect, entirely through Canadian Territory, a Canadian Atlantic port with a Canadian Pacificport, the reader would scarcely be interested in an account of the culverts and bridges, builtand building, the comparative merits of wooden and iron work, the pile driving, the dredging,the excavating, the banking and blasting by over 10,000 workmen, scattered along 500 miles

of road. The Intercolonial links, with rails of steel, the Provinces of Nova Scotia and NewBrunswick with the Province of Quebec ; the Grand Trunk unites Quebec and Ontario; and theCanadian Pacific Railway is to connect the latter with Manitoba and British Columbia, as well aswith the various unborn Provinces which, in the rapid progress of events, shall spring up in theintervening region. But the work of actual railway construction is an old story-; and, if told atall, must be served up at some other time in some other way. It has now been told bySandford Fleming, the Engineer-in-chief, in an interesting and well written volume, "TheIntercolonial; a Historical Sketch of the Inception, Location, Construction, and Completion of the Line of Railway uniting the Inland and Atlantic Provinces of the Dominion." The object of the present narrative is to give an account of what was observed and experienced in out-of-the-way places, over a vast extent of Canada little known even to Canadians. It will besufficient for our purpose, therefore, to begin at Toronto, passing over all that may at any time

be seen on the line from Halifax to Truro,and northerly across the Cobequid Mountains to Moncton.

From Moncton, westward, there is much along' the line worthy of description; the deep forestsof New Brunswick, the noble Miramichi river with its Railway bridging on a somewhat giganticscale, the magnificent highland scenery of the Bale des Chaleurs, the Restigouche, and thewild mountain gorges of the Matapedia. But, without delaying even to catch a forty or fiftypound salmon in the Restigouche, we hasten on with the Chief up the shores of the great St.Lawrence. Passing the cliffs of historic Quebec, we cross the broad St. Lawrence by thatmagnificent monument of early Canadian enterprise and triumph of engineering skill, the

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Victoria Bridge. Two days are necessarily spent at Ottawa in making final arrangements and Toronto is reached at the time appointed for the rendezvous.

July 15th. To-day, the various members of the overland expedition met at the Queen's Hotel,the Chief, the Adjutant General, the boys Frank and Hugh, the Doctor and the Secretary, andarranged to leave by the first train to-morrow morning. On the Chief devolved all the labour of preparation. The rest of us had little to do except to get ourselves photographed in travellingcostume.

July 16th. Took train for CoUingwood, which is about a hundred miles due north from Toronto. The first half of the journey, or as far as Lake Simcoe, is through a fair and fertile land; too flatto be picturesque, but sufficiently rolling for farming purposes. Clumps of stately elms, withnoble stems, shooting high before their fan shape commences, relieve the monotony of thescene. Here and there a field, dotted with huge pine stumps, shows the character of the oldcrop. The forty or fifty miles nearest Georgian Bay have been settled more recently, but giveas good promise to the settlers. Collngwood is an instance of what a railway terminus does fora place. Before the Northern Railway was built, an unbroken forest occupied its site, and thered deer came down through the woods to drink at the shore. Now, there is a thriving town of two or three thousand people, with steam saw-mills, and huge rafts from the North that almosttill up its little harbour, with a grain elevator which lifts out of steam barges the corn from

Chicago, weighs it, and pours it into railway freight-waggons to be hurried down to Toronto,and there turned into bread or whiskey, without a hand touching it in all its transportations ortransformations. Around the town the country is being opened up, and the forest is giving wayto pasture and corn-fields. West of the town is a range of hills, about one thousand feet high.originally thickly wooded to their summits, but now seamed with roads and interspersed withclearings. Probably none of us would have noticed them, though their beauty is enough toattract passing attention, had they not been pointed out as the highest mountains in the greatProvince of Ontario !

We reached Collngwood at midday, and were informed that the steamer Frances Smith wouldstart for Fort William, at two P.M. Great was the bustle, accordingly, in getting the baggage onboard. In the hurry, the gangway was shoved out of its place, and when one of the porters

rushed on it with a box, down it tilted, pitching him head first into the water between the pierand the steamer. We heard the splash, and ran, with half a dozen others, just in time to see hisboots kicking frantically as they disappeared. "Oh it's that fool S ," laughed a bystander, "thisis the second time he's tumbled in." "He can't swim," yelled two or three, clutching at ropesthat were tied, trunks and other impossible life-preservers. In the meantime S rose, but, inrising, struck his head against a heavy float that almost filled the narrow space, and at oncesank again, like a stone. He would have been drowned within six feet of the wharf, but for atall, strong fellow, who rushed through the crowd, jumped in, and caught him as he rose asecond time. S , like the fool he was said to be, returned the kindness by half throttling hiswould-be deliverer; but other bystanders, springing on the float, got the two out. The rescuerswung lightly on to the wharf, shook himself as if he had been a Newfoundland dog, andwalked off; nobody seemed to notice him or to think that he deserved a word of praise. On

inquiring, we learned that he was a fisherman by name Alick Clark, on his way to the UpperLakes, who, last summer also had jumped from the steamer's deck into Lake Superior, to savea child that had fallen overboard. Knowing that Canada had no Humane Society's medal tobestow, one of our party ran to thank him and quietly to offer a slight gratuity; but the pluckyfellow refused to take anything, on the plea that he was a good swimmer and that his clotheshadn't been hurt.

At two o'clock, it being officially announced that the steamer would not start until six, westrolled up to the town to buy suits of duck, which were said to be the only sure defenceagainst mosquitoes of portentous size and power beyond Fort William. Meeting the Eector or

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Rural Dean, our Chief, learning that he was to be a fellow-passenger, introduced the Doctor tohim. The Doctor has not usually a positively funereal aspect, but the Rector assumed that hewas the clergyman of the party and a D.D., and cottoned to him at once. When we returned tothe steamer, and gathered round the tea table the Rector nodded significantly in his direction :he, in dumb show, declined the honour; the Rector pantomimed again, and with more decisionof manner; the Doctor blushed furiously, and looked so very much as if an "aith would relievehim," that the Chief, in compassion, passed round the cold beef without a grace. We were veryangry with him, as the whole party doubtless suffered in the Rector's estimation through his

lack of resources.

The Doctor, however, was sensitive on the subject and threatened the secretary with adeprivation of sundry medical comforts, if he did not in future attend to his own work. At sixo'clock it was officially announced that the steamer would not start till midnight.

July 17th. The Frances Smith left Collingwood at 5.30 A.M. "We're all right now," exclaimedHugh, and so the passengers thought, but they counted without their host. We steamed slowlyround the Peninsula to Owen Sound, reaching it about eleven o'clock. Leith, a port six milesfrom Owen Sound, was reached at 6.30, and we walked round the beach and had a swim,while two or three men set to work leisurely to carry on board a few sticks of wood from, eightor ten cords piled on the wharf. Half a dozen of the passengers volunteered help, and the

Royal Mail steamer got off two hours after midnight. An inauspicious beginning to our journey.Aided all the way by steam, we were not much more than one hundred miles in a direct linefrom Toronto, forty-four hours after starting.

At this rate, when would we teach the Rocky Mountains ? To make matters woise. thesubordinates seemed also to have learned the trick of how not to do it. Seemingly the FrancesSmith wanted a head, and, as the Scotch old maid lamented, "its an unco' thing to gangthrough the warld withoot a held."

June 18th. To-day, our course was northerly through the Georgian Bay towards the GreatManitoulin Island. This island and some smaller ones stretching in an almost continuous linewestward, in the direction of Lake Superior, form in connection with the Saugeen Peninsula,

the barrier of land that sep'arates the Georgian Bay from the mighty Lake Huron.

These two great inland waters were one, long ago, when the earth was younger, but thewaters subsided, or Peninsula and Islands rose, and the one sea became two. Successiveterraces on both sides of Owen Sound and on the different islands showed the old lakebeaches, each now fringed with a firmer, darker escarpment than the stony or sandy flatsbeneath, and marked the different levels to which the waters had gradually subsided.

The day passed pleasantly, for, as progress was being made in the right direction, all thepassengers willingly enjoyed themselves, while on the two previous days they had onlyenjoyed the Briton's privilege of grumbling. Crossing the calm breadth of the bay, past LonelyIsland, we soon enijered the Strait that extends for fifty mUes between the North shore and

Manitoulin. The contrast between the soft, rounded outlines of the lower Silurian of Manitoulin,and rugged Laurentian hills with their contorted sides and scarred foreheads on the mainlandopposite, was striking enough to justify the declaration of a romantic fellow-passenger, "Why,there's quite a scenery here !" The entrance to the Strait has been called Killarney, accordingto our custom of discarding musical expressive Indian names for ridiculously inappropriateEuropean ones. Killarney is a little Indian settlement, with one or two Irish families to whomthe place appears to owe veiy little more than its name. On the wharf is an unshingled shantyor the store, the entrepot for dry goods, hardware, groceries, Indian work and everything elsethat the heart of man in Killarney can desire.

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The Indians possessed, until lately, the whole of the Island of Manitoulin as well as theadjoining Peninsula; but, at a grandpow wow held with their chiefs by Sir Edmund Head while he was Governor of Old Canada, itwas agreed that they should, for certain annuities and other considerations, surrender allexcept tracts specially reserved for their permanent use. Some two thousand are settledaroiind those shores. They are of the ereat Ojibbeway or Chippewa nation, the nation thatextends from the St. Lawrence to the Red River, where sections of them are called Salteauxand other names. West from the Red River to the Rocky Mountains, extend the next great

nation of the Algonquin family, the Crees. The languages of these two nations are so muchalike, that Indians of the one nation can understand much of the speech of the other. Thestructure is simple, there being about a hundred and fifty monosyllabic radical roots, thegreater number of which are common to Ojibbeway and Cree, ajid on these roots the languagehas grown up. Most of the Ojibbeways on Manitoulin are Christianized. At one point on theIsland, where the steamer called, we met Mr. Hurlbnrt, a Methodist Missionary, a thoughtful,scholarly man, who has prepared, with infinite pains, a grammar of the language, and whogave us much interesting information. He honestly confessed that there was little if anydifference in morals between the Christianized Indians around him and the two or threehundred who remain pagan; that, in fact, the pagans considered themselves superior, andmade the immorality of their Christian countrymen their great plea against changing from theold religion.

July 19th. This morning we entered a beautiful islandstudded bay, on the north shore of whichis the settlement round the Bruce and Wellington Copper Mines. The mines have been veryproductive, and give employment now to three or four hundred men and boys, whosehabitations are, as is usually the case at mines, mere shanties. One, a little larger than theothers, in which the Gaffer lives, is dignified with the title of "Apsley House.'' From the BruceMines we sailed westerly through a channel almost as beautiful as where the St. Lawrenceruns through the thousand islands. A silver streak of sea, glittering in the warm sun, filled withrounded islets of old Huronian rock, that sloped gently into the water at one point, or moreabruptly at another, and ofiered every variety and convenience that the heart of bather coulddesire; low, rugged, pine clad shores; soft bays, here and there, with sandy beeches; all that isrequired to make the scene one of perfect beauty is a back-ground of high hills. Everywhere

through Ontario we miss the mountain forms, without which all scenery is tame in the eyes of those who have once learned to see the perpetual beauty that clothes the everlasting hills.

St. Joseph, Sugar, and Neebish Islands, now take the place of Manitoulin; then we come to theSte. Marie River, which leads, up to Lake Superior, and forms the boundary line between theDominion and the United States. At the Sault, or rapids of the river, there is a village on eachside; but as the canal is on the United States side, the steamer crosses to go through it to thegreat Lake.

The canal has two locks, each three hundred and fifty feet long, seventy feet wide, twelvedeep, and with a lift of nine feet. It is well and solidly built. The Federal Government hascommenced the excavations for the channel of another. Though the necessity for two canals

on the same side is not very apparent, still the United States Government, with its usualforethought, sees that the time will soon come when they shall be needed. The commerce onLake Superior is increasing every year ; and it is desirable to have a canal large enough formen-of-war and the largest steamers. We walked along the bank and found, among the menengaged on the work, two or three Indians handling pick and shovel as if to the manner born,and probably earning the ordinary wages of 12.25 per day. The rock is a loose and friablecalciferous sandstone, reddishcoIoured,easily excavated. Hence the reason why the Sault Ste.Marie, instead of being a leap, flows down its eighteen feet of descent in a continuous rapid,wonderfully little broken except over loose boulders. The water is wearing away the rock every

15



year. As it would be much easier to make a canal on the British side of the river, one ougBt tobe commenced without delay.

The most ordinary self-respect forbids that the entrance to our North-west should be wholly inthe hands of another Power, a Power that, during the Riel disturbances at Red River, shut theentrance against even our merchant ships. In travelling from Ocean to Ocean through theDominion, four thousand miles were all our own. Across this one mile, half-way on the great journey, every Canadian must pass on sufferance. The cost of a canal on our side is estimated

by the Canal Commissioners, in a blue-book, dated February 2nd, 1871, at only $550,000.Such a canal, and a Railway from Nepigon, or Thunder Bay, to Fort Garry, would giveimmediate and direct steam communication to our North West within our own territory.

At the western terminus of the canal, the Ste. Marie River is again entered. Keeping to thenorth, or British side, we come to the Point aux Pins, covered with the scrub pine {PinusBanhsiana) which extends away to the north from this latitude. Rounding the Point aux Pins,the river is two or three miles wide; and, a few miles further west, Capes Gros and Iroquoistower up on each side. These bold wardens, called by Agassiz "the portals of Lake Superior,"are over a thousand feet high; and rugged, primeval Laurentian ranges stretch away fromthem as far back as the eye can reach.

The sun is setting when we enter the portals, and the scene is well worthy the approach to thegrandest lake on the globe. Overhead the sky is clear nd blue, but the sun has just emergedfrom huge clouds which are emptying their buckets in the west. Immediately around is a placidsea, with half a dozen steamers and three-masted schooners at different points. And now theclouds massed together rush to meet us, as if in response to our rapid movement towardsthem, and envelope us in a squall and fierce driving rain, through which we see the sunsetting, and lighting up now with deep yellow and then with crimson glory the fragments of clouds left behind by the heavy columns. In ten minutes the storm passes over us to the east,our sky clears as if by magic, and wind and rain are at an end. The sun sets, as if sinking intoan ocean; at the same moment the full moon rises behind us, and under her mellow light LakeSuperior is entered.

Those who have never seen Superior get an inadequate, even inaccurate idea, by hearing itspoken of as a ' lake,' and to those who have sailed over its vast extent the word soundsludicrous. Though its water are fresh and crystal, Superior is a sea. It breeds storms and rainand fogs, like the sea. It is cold in mid-summer as the Atlantic. It is wild, masterful, anddreaded as the Black Sea.

July 20th. Sailed all night alonf the N. E. coast of the great Lake, and in the morning, enteredthe land-locked harbour of Gargantua.

Two or three days previously the Chief had noticed, among the passengers, a gentleman outfor his holidays on a botanical excursion to Thunder Bay, and, won by his enthusiasm, hadengaged him to accompany the expedition. At whatever point the steamer touched, the first

man on shore was the Botanist, scrambling over the rocks or diving into the woods, vasculumin hand, stufiingit full of mosses, ferns, lichens, liverworts, sedges, grasses and flowers, tillrecalled by the whistle that the captain always obligingly sounded for him. Of course such anenthusiast became known to all on board, especially to the sailors, who designated Mm as 'theman that gathers grass' or, more briefly, 'the hay picker' or 'haymaker.' They regarded him,because of his scientific failing, with the respectful tolerance with which fools in the East areregarded, and would wait an extra minute for him or help him on board, if the steamer werecast loose from the pier before he could scramble up the side.

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This morning the first object that met our eyes, on looking out of the window of the state-room, was our Botanist, on the highest peak of the rugged hills that enclose the harbour of Gargantua. Here was proof that we too had time to go ashore, and most of us hurried off for aramble along the beach, or for a swim, or to climb one of the wooded rocky heights. Everyday since leaving Toronto we had enjoyed our dip.

Half a dozen fishermen, Alick Clark among them, had come from Collingwood to fish inSuperior for white-fish and salmontrout, and having fixed on Gargantua for summer head-

quarters, they were now getting out their luggage, nets, salt, barrels, boats, &c. We wentashore in one of their boats, and could not help congratulating them heartily on the beauty of the site they had chosen. The harbour is a perfect oblong, land-locked by hills three or fourhundred feet high on every side except the entrance and the upper end, where a beautifulbeach slopes gradually back into a level of considerable extent. The beach was covered withthe maritime vetch or wild pea in flower, and beach grasses of various kinds. Our Botanist wasin raptures over sundry rare mosses, and beautiful specimens of Aspidium fragrans, Woodsiahyperborea, Cystopteris montana, and other rare ferns, that he had gathered. The view fromthe summit away to the north, he described as a sea of rugged Laurentian hills covered withthick woods.

From Gargantua we steered direct for Michipicoten Island. In the cozy harbour of this Island,

the & & Manitoba lay beached, having run aground two or three days before, and a little tugwas doing its best to haul her off the rock or out of the mud. For three hours the Frances Smithadded her efforts to those of the tug, but without success, and had to give it up, and leave herconsort stranded. In the meantime some of the passengers went off with the Botanist tocollect ferns and mosses. He led them a rare chase over rocks and through woods, beingalways on the look-out for the places that promised the rarest kinds, quite indifferent to thetoil or danger.

Scrambling, puffing, rubbing their shins against the rocks, and half breaking their necks, theytoiled painfully after him, onlyto find him on his knees before something of beauty that seemed to them little different fromwhat they had passed by with

indifference thousands of times. But if they could not honestly admire the moss, or believethat it was worth going through so much to get so little, they admired the enthusiasm, and itproved so infectio us that, before many days, almost every oneof the passengers was bitten with 'the grass mania,' or 'hayfever,' and had begun to formcollections.

July 21st. Sunday morning dawned calm and clear. The Rural Dean read a short service andpreached. After dinner weentered Nepigon Bay, probably the largest and safest, and certainly the most beautiful,harbour on Lake Superior. It is shut off from the Lake by half a dozen islands, of which thelargest is St. Ignace, that seem to have been set on purpose to act as break-waters against themighty waves of the Lake, and form a safe harbour ; while, inside, other islands are here and

there, as if for defence or to break the force of the waves of the Bay itself; for it is a stretch of more than thirty miles from the entrance to the point where Nepigon River discharges into theBay, in a fast flowing current, the waters of Nepigon Lake which lies forty miles to the north.

The country between the Bay and the Lake having been found extremely unfavourable forrailway construction, it will probably be necessary to carry the Canadian Pacific Railway fartherinland, but there must be a branch line to Nepigon Bay, which will then be the summerterminus for the traffic from the West, (unless Thunder Bay gets the start of it) just as Duluthis the terminus of the Northern Pacific.

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The scenery of Nepigon Bay is of the grandest description. There is nothing like it elsewhere inOntario. Entering from the east we pass up a broad strait, and can soon take our choice of deep and capacious channels, formed by the bold ridges of the islands that stud the Bay.Bluflfs, from three hundred to one thousand feet high, rise up from the waters, some of thembare from lake to summit, others clad with graceful balsams. On the mainland, sloping andbroken hills stretch far away, and the deep shadows that rest on them bring out the mostdistant in clear and full relief. The time will come when the wealthy men of our great North-west will have their summer residences on these hills and shores; nor could the heart of man

desire more lovely sites.

At the river is an old Hudson Bay station, and the head-quarters of several surveying partiesfor the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The Chief therefore has business here, and the Doctor also finds some ready to his hand, forone of the engineers in charge is seriously ill; but the captain can spare only an hour, as hewishes to be out of the Bay by the western channel, which is much narrower than the eastern,before dark. We leave at 5.30, and are in Lake Superior again at 8.30. The passengers beinganxious for an evening service, the captain and the Rural Dean requested our secretary toconduct it. He consented, and used, on the occasion, a form compiled last year specially forsurveying parties. The scene-was unusual and, perhaps, therefore all the more impressive. Our

Secretary, dressed in grey homespun, read a service compiled by clergymen of the Churchesof Rome, England, and Scotland; no one could tell which part of it was Roman, which Anglican,or which Scottish, and. yet it was all Christian. The responses were led by the Dean and theDoctor, and joined in heartily by Romanists, Episcopaliaiis, Baptists, Methodists andPresbyterians. The hymns were, "Rock of Ages" and "Sun of my Soul;'' these, with the "GloriaPatri," were accompanied on a piano by a young lady who had acted for years as the leader of a choir in an Episcopal Chapel, and she was supported right and left by a Presbyterian and aBaptist. The sermon was short, but, according to the Doctor, would "have been better, if it hadbeen shorter;" but all listened attentively.

The effect of the whole was excellent; when the service was over, many remained in thesaloon to sing, converse, or join in sacred music, and the evening passed delightfully away.

The ice was broken; ladies and gentlemen, who had kept aloof all the week, addressed eachother freely, without waiting to be introduced, and all began now to express sorrow that theywere to part so soon. It was riear the "wee sma' hour" before the pleasant groups in the saloonseparated for the night.

At one A. M., we arrived at Silver Island, a little bit of rock in a Bay studded with islets. Themost wonderful vein of silver in the world has been struck here. Last year, thirty men took outfrom it $1,200,000; and competent judges say that the mine is worth perhaps hundreds of millions. The original $50 shares sell for $25,000. The company that works it is chiefly a New York one, though it was held originally by Montreal men, and was offered for sale in London fora trifle.

Such a marvellous find as this has stimulated search in every other direction around LakeSuperior. Other veins have been discovered, some of them paying well, and, of course, theprobability is that there are many more undiscovered; for not one hundredth part of themineral region of Lake Superior has been examined yet, and it would be strange indeed if allthe minerals had been stumbled on at the outset. Those rocky shores may turn out to be therichest part of the whole Dominion.

The steamer arrived at Thunder Bay early in the morning, and so ended the first half of our journey from Toronto to Fort Garry; by rail ninety-four miles, by steamboat five hundred andthirty miles. The second half was to be by waggons and canoes; waggons at the beginning and

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end; and, in the middle, canoes paddled by Indians or tugged by steam launches over a chainof lakes, extending like a net work in all directions along the watershed that separates thebasin of the great Lakesand St. Lawrence from the vast Northern basin of Hudson's Bay.

The unnecessary delays of the Frances Smith on this first part of our journey had beenprovoking; but the real amiari aliquid was the Sault Ste. Marie Canal. The United States ownthe southern shores of Superior, and have therefore only done their duty in constructing a

canal on their side of the Ste. Marie River.

The Dominion not only owns the northern shores, but the easier access to its great North-westis by this route; a canal on its side is thus doubly necessaiy. The eastern key to two-thirds of the Dominion is meanwhile in the hands of another power; and yet, if there ought to be onlyone gateway into Lake Superior, nature has declared that it should be on our side. So long agoas the end of the last century, a rude canal, capable of floating large loaded canoes withoutbreaking bulk, existed on our side of the river.

The report of a N. W. Navigation Company in 1858 gives the length of a ship canal around theSte. Marie rapids on the Canadian side as only 838 yards, while on the opposite side the lengthis a mile and one-seventh. In the interests of peace and commerce, because it would be a

convenience to trade now, and may be ere long an absolute national necessity, let us have ourown roadway across that short half mile. Canada can already boast of the finest ship canalsystem in the world; this trifling addition would be the crowning work, and complete her inlandwater communication from the Ocean, westerly, across thirty degrees of longitude to the farend of Lake Superior.

[May 30th (1800), Friday, Sault Ste. Mario. Here the North-West Comnanv another haveestablishment on the North side of the Rapid - Here the North West Company have built locksin order to take up loaded canoes, that they may not be under the necessity of carrying themby land, to the head of the Rapid, for the current is too strong to be stemmed by any craft -Ramorn's Journal].

CHAPTER III FROM THUNDER BAY TO FORT GARRY

Shebandowan Road. — Rich Vegetation. — Rivers Kaministiquia and Matawan. —Shebandowan Lake. — Luggage. — Emigrants. — Canoe Train.— Iroquois Indians.— Sir GeorgeSimpson's Guide. — Lake Kashabowie.— The Height of Land.— Lac des Mille Lacs — BarilPortage and Lake.— First Night under Canvas. — Lake Windigostigwan.— Indian Encampment.— Chief Blackstone's Wives. — The Medicine Man. — Lake Kaogassikok. Shooting MaligneRapids.—Lake Nequaquon.— Loon Portage. — Mud Portage. — American Portage. — LakeNameukan. — Rainy Lake.— Fort Francis.— Rainy River. — Hungry Hall — Slap-jacks. — Lake of the Woods. — The North-West Angle. — A Tough Night. — Oak Point. — First glimpse of ThePrairies. — Floral Treasures. — The Dawson Route. — Red River

July 22nd. At 5 A.M., arrived at Prince Arthur's Landing, Thunder Bay, a fine open harbour,about four miles from the mouth of the Eaministiquia river, with dark cliffs of basaltic rock andisland scenery second only to Nepigon. Population is flowing rapidly to these shores of LakeSuperior. Already more than a hundred stores, shanties, or houses are scattered about 'theLanding.' The chief business is silver mining, and prospecting for silver, copper, galena, andother valuable minerals known to exist in the neighbourhood.

The engineer of the surveying parties between Ottawa and Red River, and the assistantsuperintendent of the Dawson Road to Fort Garry met us at the Landing and invited us tobreakfast in their shanty. After breakfast, our baggage was packed on a heavy waggon, and

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instructions were given to the driver to keep moving till he reached Shebandowan Lake, thefirst of the chain to be traversed in canoes. Shebandowan is forty-five mUes from LakeSuperior, about 800 feet higher, and near the summit or watershed of the district. At 10.30A.M., we started for that point, the Chief and the Doctor in a buggy, the others in a lightwaggon. Drove in three hours to "Fifteen-mile shanty" through a rolling country with a steadyupward incline, lightly wooded for the first half and more heavily for the latter half of thedistance. The flora is much the same as in our Eastern Provinces; the soil light, with a surface-covering of peaty or sandy loam, and a subsoil of clay, fairly fertile and capable of being easily

cleared. The vegetation is varied, wild fruit being especially abundant, raspberries, currants,gooseberries, and tomatoes; flowers like the convolvulus, roses, a great profusion of asters,wild kallas, water-lilies on the ponds, wild chives on the rocks in the streams, and generally arich vegetation. It is a good country for emigrants of the farmer class. The road, too, is first-rate, a great point for the settler; and a market is near. Whatever a settler raises he can easilytransport to the ready market that there always is near mines. Miners are not particular abouttheir lodging, but good food and plenty of it they must have.

At the fifteen-mile shanty, we stopped for an hour and a half to feed the horses and to dine.Bread, light and sweet as Parisrolls, was baked in Dutch ovens, buried in the hot embers of a huge fire outside, near the door.

The Scotch boss of the shanty accepted the shower of compliments on its quality with thecanny admission that there were "waur bakers in the warld than himsel.' "

We walked on for the next three or four miles till the waggon overtook us. The soil becamericher, the timber heavier, and the whole vegetation more luxuriant. Six miles from the fifteenmile shanty we crossed the Kaministiquia, a broad and rapid river, which, at this point, is, byits own course forty-five miles distant from where it falls into Lake Superior.

The valley of the river is acknowledged to be a splendid farming country. A squatter, who hadpitched camp at the bridge end last year, on his way to Red River, and had remained insteadof going on because everything was so favourable, came up to have a talk with us, and togrumble, like a true Briton that the Government wasn't doing more for him. Timothy was

growing to the height of four and five feet, on every vacant spot, from chance seeds. A busheland a-half of barley, which seemed to be all that he had sown, was looking as if it could takethe prize at an Ontario Exhibition.

The soil, for the next five miles, was covered luxuriantly with the vetch, or wild pea. The roadled to the Matawan, a stream that runs out of Lake Shebandowan into the Kaministiquia.

Both rivers are crossed by capital bridges. The station at the Matawan was in charge of a Mr.Aitken and his family, from Glengarry. He had arrived exactly two months ago, on the 22nd of May, and he had now oats and barley up, potatoes in blossom, turnips, lettuce, parsnips,cucumbers, etc. all looking healthy, and all growing on land that, sixty days before, had beenin part covered with undergrowth, stumps, and tall trees, through which fires had run the year

previous. Mr. Aitkett was in love with the country, and, what was of more consequence, so wasMrs. Aitken, though she confessed to a longing for some neighbours. They intended to make ittheir future home, and said that they had never seen land so well suited for farming.Bverything was prospering with them.

The very hens seemed to do better here than elsewhere. One was pointed out with a brood of twenty strong healthy chickens around her ; Guinea hens and turkeys looked thriving.Everything about this part of the country, so far, has astonished us. Our former ideasconcerning it had been that it was a barren desert ; that there was only a horse trail, and notalways that, to travel by ; that the mosquitoes were as big as grasshoppers, and bit through

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everything. Whereas, it is a fair and fertile land, undulating from the intervales of the river upto hills and rocks eight hundred feet high. The road through it is good enough for a king'shighway, and the mosquitoes are not more vicious than in the woods, and by the streams of the Lower Provinces; yet, not half a dozen settlers are on the road for the first twenty-sixmiles; and for the next twenty, not half that number. How many cottars, small farmers, andplough boys in Britain, would rejoice to know that they could get a hundred acres of such landfor one dollar an acre, money down; or at twenty cents per acre after five years' settlement onit ! They could settle along the high road, take their produce to a good market, and be

independent landholders in five years. This was the information about the price of land thatthe settlers gave us. Why free grants are not offered, as in other parts of Ontario or inManitoba, it is impossible to say.

From the Matawan to Shebandowan lake was the next stage, twenty miles long. We passedover most of it in the dark, but could see, from the poor timber and other indications, that thelatter half was not at all as good as the first. The road was heavy, varying between corduroy,deep sand, and rutty and rooty stretches, over which the waggon jolted frightfully. So passedthe first day of our expedition, for we counted that the journey only began at Thunder Bay.

July 23rd. Rose at sunrise, and found that the baggage waggon had not arrived. An hour afterit came in, and, along with it, two young gentlemen, M . . . . and L . . . with a canoe and Indians

on their way to Red River. They were traveling for pleasure, and as they had been on the roadall night, and were tired, seedy and mosquito-bitten, they represented very fairly, in their ownpersons, the Anglo-Saxon idea of pleasure.

At 8 A. M., the baggage having been stowed in the canoes, the Indians paddled out, andhooked on to a little steam tug, kept on the lake for towing purposes; a line was formed, andafter a few preliminary puffings, the start was made and we proceeded along the lake. Themode of locomotion was, to us, altogether new, and as charming as it was picturesque. Thetug led the way at the rate of seven knots, towing first a large barge with immigi-ants, seconda five fathom canoe with threeof our party and seven Indians, third a four fathom canoe with two of us and six Indians, fourthsame as number three, fifth M . . . and L . . . .'s canoe. We glided along with a delightful

motion, sitting on our baggage in the bottoms of the canoes. The morning was dull and grey,and the shores of the lake looked sterile and fire-swept, with abundant indications of mineralwealth. Gold and silver have been found at Shebandowan and prospecting parties are nowsearching all accessible spots.

Our Indians were Iroquois from Caughnawaga near Montreal, and a few native Ojibbeways. Their leader was Ignace Mentour, who had been Sir George Simpson's guide for fifteen years;and the steersman of his canoe was Louis, who had been cook to Sir George on hisexpeditions, and looked every inch the butler of a respectable English family; we fell in lovewith him and Ignace from the first. Another of the Iroquois had been one of the party whichsought for Franklin by going down the McKenzie River to the Arctic Sea. Two old pupils of Ignace, named respectively Baptiste and Toma, were the captains of the two smaller canoes.

All were sinewy, active, good looking men. Ignace's hair was gray, but he was still as strong asany of the young men; he paddled in the bow of the big canoe, leading the way, and quietlychewing tobacco the whole time. In his young days he had been a famous runner, and hadwon foot races in every town on both sides of the St.Lawrence. These Iroquois, and most of the Ojibbeways we have met are men above themedium size, broad shouldered, with straight features, intelligent faces, and graceful, becausenatural, bearing.

At the west end of the lake we came to a camp of seventy or eighty Ojibbeways, two-thirds of them children. They had been there for three weeks, of course doing nothing, and the camp

21



was very dirty. More were expected, and when all assembled, a grand pow-wow would be held,and a Treaty made between them and the Indian Commissioner of the Dominion. So at leastthey hoped and they declared themselves willing to cede, for a consideration, all their rights tothe land that would hinder settlers from coming in. Poor creatures ! not much use have theyever made of the land; but yet, in admitting the settler, they sign their own death warrants.

Who, but they, have a right to the country; and if a man may do what he likes with his own,would they not be justified in refusing to admit one of us to their lakes and woods and fighting

us to the death on that issue.

Three hours' steaming brought our flotilla to the west end of the lake. A portage of threequarters of a mile intervenes between it and Lake Kashaboiwe. The Indians emptied thecanoes in a trice; two shouldered a canoe, weighing probably three hundred pounds, andmade off at a rapid trot across the portage. The others loaded the waggon of the station withthe luggage, and carried on their backs, by a strap passed over their foreheads, what thewaggon could not take. This portage strap is three or four inches broad in the middle, where itis adjusted to the forehead ; its great advantage to the voyageur is that it leaves him the freeuse of his arms in going through the woods. A tug has been placed on Kashaboiwe, but as themachinery was out of gear the Indians paddled over the lake doing the ten miles of its lengthin two hours. The wood on this lake is heavier than on Shebandowan : poplars, white birch,

red, white and scrub pine, all show well. The second portage is between Kashaboiwe and Lacdes Mille Lacs, and is the Height of Land where the water begins to run north and west insteadof east and south. The lakes, after this, empty at their west ends. At the east end of Lac desMille Laos a little stream three yards wide, that flows in a tortuous channel with gentle currentinto the lake, eventually finds its way to Hudson's Bay. The Height of Land is about a thousandfeet above Lake Superior.

We now entered Lac des Mille Lacs, a lovely lake twenty two miles long ; its name explains itscharacteristic. As the steam launch, stationed on it, happened unfortunately to be at the westend, the Indians again paddled for about four miles, when we met the launch coming back; itat once turned about and took us in tow. After a smart shower the sky cleared, and the sunshone on innumerable bays, creeks, channels, headlands, and islets, which are simply larger

or smaller rocks of granite covered with moss and wooded to the water's brink. Through theselabyrinths we threaded our way, often wondering that the wrong passage was never taken,where there were so many exactly alike. An Indian on his own ground or water is nevermistaken, and we went on as surely as if on a king's highway.

Fortunately, the fire-demon has not devastated the shores. The timber, in some places, isheavy : pine, aspen, and birch being the prevailing varieties. Every islet in the lake is woodeddown to the water's edge. Our Botanist exulted in his holiday and looked forward with eagerhope to the flora of the plains. As we drew near our third portage for the day, his face clouded."Look at the ground burnt again." One asked if it was the great waste of wood he referred to."It's not that, but, they have burned the very spot for botanizing over.''

What is a site for shanty and clearing compared to botany ?

At the end of Lac des Mille Lacs is Baril Portage, less than a quarter of a mUe long. No steamerhas been put on Baril lake; but the Indians paddled over its eight miles of length in an hourand forty minutes. The bluffs around Baril are bolder than those rising from the previous lakes,and the vegetation very similar. We hurried over the next portage, and, at the other end metthe station-keeper, who had a comfortable tent pitched for the emigrants, strewn with fragrantpine and spruce branches.

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It was impossible to avoid admiring the activity and cheerfulness with which our Indiansworked. They would carry as heavy a load as a Constantinople porter, at a rapid trot across theportage, run back for another load without a minute's halt, and so on till all the luggage wasportaged, and everything in readiness for starting on the next lake. The canoes were alwaystheir first care. As a jockey cherishes his horse, and a shepherd his collie,so do they care forand actually love their canoe.

A fire was quickly kindled, and search made for the eatables blankets, and everything needed

for the night, when the discovery was made that, though the colonel had his blankets and thebotanist his pair, a big package with the main supply had been left behind, very probably asfar back as the "Height of Land." The frizzling of the ham in the frying pan, and the deliciousfragrance of the tea, made us forget the loss for the time. We all sat around the fire, gipsy-like,enjoying our first gipsy meal, and very soon after threw ourselves down on the water-proof that covered the sweet-smelling floor of the tent and slept the sleep of the just.

July 20th. The Chief awoke us in the grey misty dawn. It took more than a little shaking toawaken the boys; but the botanist had gone off, no one knew when, in search of new species.As we emerged from our tent, Louis and Baptiste appeared from theirs, and kindled the fire. They next took from a wallet scented soap, brush and comb; went down to the stream,washed and made their toilettes, and then set to work to prepare for breakfast. It never

seemed to occur to our Ojibbeways to wash, crop, or dress their hair. They let it grow, at itsown sweet will, all around their faces and down their necks, lank and stiff, helping the growthwith fish oil.

Every one of the Iroquois had a good head of hair, thick, well cropped, and, though alwaysblack, quite like the hair of a civilized man instead of a savage. Our Ojibbeways had silverrings on their fingers, broad gaudy sashes and bedraggled feathers bound round their felthats. The Iroquois diessed as simply and neatly as blue jackets.

It had been chilly through the night, and the cold mist clung heavily to the ground in themorning. The air is colder than the water from evening till morning. Hence the evening andmorning mists, which disappear an hour or two after sunrise, rise and form into clouds, which

sooner or later empty themselves back again on the land or lakes.

After breakfast we embarked on the mist-covered river that runs into Lake Windegoostigwan. The sun soon cleared away the mists and we glided on pleasantly, down long reaches of lake,and through narrow winding reedy passages, past curved shores hidden by rank vegetation,and naked bluffs and islets covered with clumps of pines. Not a word fell from the Indians' lips,as they paddled with all the ease and regularity of machinery. The air was delightful, and allfelt as if out on a holiday. In three hours the fifteen miles of Windegoostigwan were crossed,and we came to a portage nearly two miles long. This detained us three hours,' as the waggon had to make two trips from lake to lake, over anew road, with our luggage. A man from Glengarry was in charge of the portage; he had livedhere all winter, and said that he preferred the winter weather to that of the Eastern Provinces.

Great as is the summer rainfall, it is quite different in winter; then the days are clear andcloudless, and so sunny and pleasant that he was accustomed to go 'about in his summerclothing, except in the mornings and evenings. Three feet of snow fell in the woods afterChristmas, and continued dry and powdery till April when it commenced to melt, and soonafter the middle of May it was all gone, and vegetation began to show itself at once.

At the west end of the portage is a small encampment of Ojibbeways, around the wigwam of Blackstone, said to be their most eloquent chief, and accordingly set down as a great rascal bythose who cannot conceive of Indians as having rights, or tribal or patriotic feelings. He wasabsent, but we saw one of his three wives sitting on a log, with two or three papooses hanging

23



round her neck, and his oldest son, a stout young fellow, who could not speak a word of English or French, but who managed to let us know that he was ill.

The Doctor was called and he made out that the lad had a pain in his back, but, not being ableto diagnose more particularly, was at a loss what to do for him. Our Chief suggested a bit of tobacco, but the Doctor took no notice of the profane proposal; luckily enough, or the wholetribe would have been ill when the next Medicineman passed their way. Blaokstone's wife wasnot more comely than any of the other Indian women; that is she was dirty, joyless-looking and

prematurely old. All the hard work falls to the lot of the women; the husband hunts, fishes,paddles, or does any other work that a gentleman feels he can do without degradation; hiswife is something better than his dog, and faithfully will he share with her his last morsel; butit's only a dog's life that she has.Our next lake was Kaogassikok, sixteen miles long. The shores of this, too, were lined withgood-sized pine, white, red, and scrub. To-day more larch and cedar shewed among the birchand pine than yesterday. When the country is opened up, all this timber will be very valuable,as sleepers and ties for the Pacific Railway, and lumber, for building purposes, can be obtainedhere in abundance, if nowhere nearer the plains.

Numbers of fine trees are now growing in the water; for, by damming up the outflow of thelakes to make the landing places, the water level has been raised and the shore trees have

thus been submerged several feet. They will rot, in consequence, and fall into the lakes sooneror later, and perhaps obstruct the narrow channels. The timber gets heavier as we go on; atthe west of Kaogassikok are scrub pines, three feet in diameter; but, unfortimately, about one-third of them are punky or hollow.

Here are two portages, Pine and Deux Rivières, separated by only two miles of water;consequently much detention owing to our magnificent quantities of baggage. Two Indianssuffering from dysentery, applied for relief at Pine Portage, and received it at the hands of theDoctor : he has already had about a dozen cases, either of white or red men, since we leftOwen Sound. Our party have, thus far, received little at the Doctor's hands, sundry medicalcomforts always excepted.

After paddling over four miles of the next lake the Indians advised camping, though the sunwas more than an hour high.

As we had experienced the discomforts of camping in the dark the night before, and as themen were evidently tired, we landed and pitched the tents on a rocky promontory at the footof a wooded hill. Scarcely were our fires lighted, when M's canoe came up, and then anotherwith a stray Indian, his wife, papooses, dog, that looked half wolf, and all their traps. After agood swim, we sat down to our evening meal, which Louis had spread on a clean table-clothon the sward. In front of us was the smooth lake ; on the other side of it, two miles off, the sunwas going down in the woods. The country ahead broke into knolls, looking in many parts likecultivated parks; around us the white tents and the ruddy fires, with Indians flitting between,or busy about the canoes, gave animation to the scene and made up a picture that will long

live in the memory of many of us.

The Indians never halt without at once turning their canoes upside down, and examining them. The seams and crevices in the birch bark yield at any extra strain, and scratches are made bysubmerged brushwood in some of the channels or the shallow parts of the lakes. Thesecrevices they carefully daub over with resin, which is obtained from the red pine, till thebottom of an old canoe becomes almost covered with a black resinous coat. Of course, themore uniform the blackness, the harder the service the canoe has seen.

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The stray Indian pitched camp a hundred yards off from us; and, with true fndian dignity, didnot come near to ask for anything, though quite equal to take anything that was offered or leftbehind.

July 25th. Up before four A.M., and, after a cup of hot tea, that always has a wondrousfragrance in the wilderness, started in excellent spirits. Our three canoes had tried a race thenight before, over the last four miles of the day's journey, and they renewed it this morning. The best crew was in the five-fathom boat, of which Ignace was captain, and Louis steersman.

The captains of the other two, Baptiste and Toma, pushed their old master hard to-day; as oneor the other stole ahead, not a glance did Ignace give to either. Doggedly, and with avertedhead, he dug his paddle deeper in the water, and pegged away with his sure, steady stroke,and though the others, by spurting, forced themselves half a canoe length ahead at times,they had not the stay of the older men, and every race ended with Ignace leading. Then hewould look up, and with sunshine on his broad handsome face, throw a good humoured jokeback, which the others would catch up with great glee.

These races often broke the monotony of the day. "Up, up," or "hi, hi," would break suddenlyfrom one of the canoes that had fallen behind. Everyone answered with quickened stroke thatsent it abreast of the others. Then came the tug of war. The graceful, gondola-shaped canoes

cut through the water as though impelled by steam. The Buffalo or Ignace's canoe, so calledfrom the figure of an Indian with a gun standing before buffalo that he had painted on the bow,always led at the first; but often the Sun, Baptiste's lighter craft, would shoot ahead, andsometimes Toma's, the Beaver, under the frantic efforts of her crew, seconded by one or twoof us snatching up a paddle, would lead for a few minutes. The chivalry of our Indians in theheat of the contest contrasted favourably with that of professionals. No "ibul " ever took place,though the course often lay through narrow winding reedy channels.

Once, when Baptiste at such a place might have forced ahead by a spurt, he slacked speedgracefully, let Ignace take thecurve and win. Another time, when neck and, neok, be saw a heavy line dragging at the stemand called Louis' attention to it. No one ever charged the other with being unfair, and no angry

word was ever heard; in fact, the Indians grow on us day by day.

It is easy to understand how an Englishman, travelling for weeks together with an Indianguide, so often contracts a strong friendship for him; for Indian patience, endurance, dignity,and self-control, are the very qualities to evoke friendship.

The sun rose bright but was soon clouded. Ten good miles were made and then the halt calledfor breakfast, at a beautiful headland, just as it commenced to rain. Now we got some idea of what a rainy day in these regions means. After breakfast we put on our water-proofs, coveredup our baggage and moved ahead, under a deluge of rain that knew no intermission for fourhours. Most of the water-proofs proved to be delusions ; they had not been made for theselatitudes. The canoes would have filled, had we not kept bailing, but, without a word of

complaint, the Indians stuck to their paddles.

From the lake we passed into the Maligne river, and there the current aided us. In this short,but broad and rapid stream, are six or seven rapids, which must be shot or portaged round; wepreferred the shooting, wherever it was practicable for such large and deeply-laden canoes asours.

To shoot rapids in a canoe is a pleasure that comparatively few Englishmen have everenjoyed, and no picture can give an idea of what it is. There is a fascination in the motion, asof poetry or music, which must be experienced to be understood. The excitement is greater

25



than when on board a steamer, because you are so much nearer the seething water, and thecanoe seems such a fragile thing to contend with the mad forces, into the very thick of whichit has to be steered. Where the stream begins to descend, the water is an inclined plane,smooth and shining as glare ice. Beyond that it breaks into curling, gleaming rolls which endoff in white, boiling caldrons, where the water has broken on the rocks underneath. On thebrink of the inclined plane the motion is so quiet that you think the canoe pauses for aninstant. The captain is at the bow, a broader, stronger paddle than usual in his hand, his eyekindling with enthusiasm, and every nerve and fibre in his body at its utmost tension. The

steersman is at his post, and every man is ready. They know that a false stroke, or too weak aturn of the captain's wrist, at the critical moment, means death. A push with the paddles, and,straight and swift as an arrow, the canoe shoots right down into the mad vortex; now into across current that would twist her broadside round, but that every man fights against it; thenshe steers right for a rock, to which she is being resistlessly sucked, and on which it seems asif she would be dashed to pieces; but a rapid turn of the captain's paddle at the right moment,and she rushes past the black mass, riding gallantly as a race horse. The waves boil up at theside, threatening to engulf her, but except a dash of spray or the cap of a wave, nothing getsin, and as she speeds into the calm reach beyond, all draw long breaths and hope that anotherrapid is near.

At eleven o'clock we reached Island Portage, having paddled thirty-two miles, the best

forenoon's work since taking to the canoes, in spite of the weather. Here a steam launch isstationed ; and, though the engineer thought it a frightful day to travel in, he got ready at ourrequest, but said that he could not go four miles an hour as the rain would keep the boiler wetthe whole time. We dined with M's party, under the shelter of their upturned canoe, on tea andthe fattest of fat pork, which all ate with delight unspeakable, for every one had in himself theright kind of sauce. The day, and our soaked condition, suggested a little brandy as a specific;but their bottle was exhausted, and, an hour before, they had passed roundthe cork for each to have a smell at. Such a case of potatoes and point moved our pity, andthe chief did what he could for them. The Indians excited our admiration; soaked through, andover-worked as they had been, the only word that we heard, indicating that they wereconscious of anything unusual, was an exclamation from Baptiste, as he gave himself a shake,"Boys, wish I was in a tavern now, I'd get drunk in less than tree hours, I guess."

At two o'clock, the steam launch was ready. It towed us the twenty-four miles of LakeNequaquon in three and a quarter hours.

Next came Loon portage; then paddling for five miles; then Mud portage, worthy of its name;another short paddle; and then American portage, at which we camped for the night, the sunhaving at last come out and this being the best place for pitching tents and the freest frommosquitoes. Tired enough all hands were, and ready for sleep, for these portages are killingwork. After taking a swim, we rigged lines before huge fires, and hung up our wet things todry, so that it was eleven o'clock before anyone could lie down. The Doctor and Secretary hadstowed their luggage in water-proof bags, kindly lent them by the Colonel; but the bags provedas fallacious as our waterproofs ! Part of the Botanist's valise was reduced to pulp, but he was

too eager in search of specimens to think of such a trifle, and, while all the rest of us werebusy washing and hanging out to dry, he hunted through woods and marshes, and, though hegot little for his pains, was happy as a king.Our camping ground had been selected by the Indians with their usual good taste. A rockyeminence, round two sides of which a river poured in a roaring linn; on the hill sombre pines,underneath which the tents were pitched; and lower down a forest of white birch.

More than one of the party dreamed he was in Scotland, as he was lulled to sleep by thethunder of the waterfall.

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July 26th. Up again about three A.M., and off within an hour, down a sedgy river, with lowswampy shores, into Lake Nameukan, The sun rose bright, and continued to shine all day; buta pleasant breeze tempered its rays. At mid-day, the thermometer stood at 80° in the shade,the hottest since leaving Owen Sound. One day on Lake Superior it was down to 48°, and theaverage at mid-day since we landed at Thunder Bay was from 55° to 60°.

After twelve miles paddling, halted at a pretty spot on an islet for breakfast. Frank caught alarge pickerel and M shot a few pigeons, giving us a, variety of courses at dinner.

M's Indians tried a race with us to-day, and after a hard struggle got ahead of Toma andBaptiste, but Ignaoe proudly held his own and would not be beaten. However, among themany turns of the river, Toma, followed by Baptiste, circumvented their old master, by dashingthrough a passage overgrown with weeds and reeds instead of taking the usual channel.

When Ignace turned the corner he saw the two young fellows coolly waiting for him a hundredand fifty yards ahead. They gave a sly laugh as he came up, but Ignace was too dignified totake the slightest notice. Baptiste was so pleased that he sang us two Iroquois canoe songs.

Eighteen miles, broken by two short portages (for we took a short-cut instead of the publicroute), brought us about mid-day to Rainy Lake.

The engineer of the steam launch here promised to be ready in two hours, and to land us atFort Francis, at the west end of Rainy Lake, forty-five miles on, by sundown. But in half an hour the prospect did not look sobright, as, across the portage,by the public route, came a band of eighteen emigrants, men, women and children, who hadleft Thunder Bay five days before us, and whom we had passed this forenoon, when we tookour short cut. They had a great deal of baggage, and were terribly tired. One old woman,eighty-five years of age, complained of being ill, and the doctor attended to her. As we hadsoup for dinner, he sent some over to her, and the prescription had a good effect. Whilewaiting here wo took our halt dried clothes out of the bags, and, by hanging them on linesunder the warm sun, got them pretty well dried before starting.

At three P.M., at the cry of "All aboard," our flotilla formed at once, the steam launch towingtwo large barges with the emigrants and their luggage, and the four canoes. The afternoonwas warm and sunny, and there was a pleasant breeze on the Lake. In half an hour everyIndian was asleep in the bottom of his canoe.

The shores of Rainy Lake are low, especially on the northern side, and the timber is small ; theshores rocky, with here and there sandy beaches that have formed round little bays; scenerytame and monotonous, though the islets, in some parts, arebeautiful.

By nine o'clock, we had made only thirty miles. Our steamer was small, the flotilla stretchedout far and the wind was ahead.

We therefore determined to camp ; and, by the advice of the engineer, steered for the northshore to what is called the Fifteen Mile House from Fort Francis, said house being two desertedlog huts. Our botanist, learning that we would leave before day-break, lighted an old pinebranch and roamed about with his torch to investigate the flora of the place. The others visitedthe emigrants to whom the log-huts had been assigned, or sat round rousing fires smoking, orgathered bracken and fragrant artemisia for the beds.

July 27th. Had our breakfast before four A.M.,and in less than half an hour after, were en routefor Fort Francis. Two miles above the Fort the Lake ends and pours itself into Rainy River, over

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a rapid which the emigrants' barges had not oars to shoot. They were cast off', and we wenton to the Fort and sent men up to bring them down. The Fort is simply a Hudson's BayCompany's trading post; the shop and the cottages of the agent and employes in the form of asquare, surrounded by stockades about ten feet high. From the Fort is a beautiful view of theChaudiere Falls which have to be portaged round.

These are formed by the river, here nearly two hundred yards wide, pouring over a graniteridge in magnificent roaring cascades. A sandy plain of several acres, covered with rich grass

extends around the Fort, and wheat, barley, and potatoes are raised; but beyond this plain ismarsh and then rock. A few fine cattle, in splendid condition, were grazing upon the level. On the potato leaves we found the Colorado Bug, that frightful pest which seems to be movingfurther east every year. Half a dozen wigwams were tenanted in the vicinity of the Fort, andthere were scores of roofless poles, where, a fortnight ago, had been high feasting for a fewdays. A thousand or twelve hundred Ojibbeways had assembled to confer with Mr. Simpson,the Dominion Indian Commissioner, as to the terms on which they would allow free passagethrough, and settlement in the country. No agreement had been come to, as their terms wereconsidered extravagant.

Justice, both to the Indians and to the emigrants who are invited to make their home in this

newly opened country, demands that a settlement of the difficulty be made as soon aspossible.

It may be true that they are vain, lazy, dirtyj and improvident. The few about Fort Francis didnot impress us favourably. They contrasted strikingly with our noble Iroquois. The men werelounging about, lolling in their wigwams, playing cards inthe shade, or lying on their faces in the sun; and, though not one of them was doing a hand'sturn, it was a matter of some difficulty to get four or five to go with us to the North-west Angle,to replace those who had come from Shebandowan and whose engagement ended here. Therewere some attempts at tawdry finery about them all. The men wore their hair plaited into twoor more long queues, which, when rolled up on the head, looked well enough, but whichusually hung down the sides of the face, giving them an effeminate look, all the more so

because bits of silver or brass were twisted in or ringed round with the p'aits. One young fellowthat consented to paddle, had long streamers of bright ribbon flying from his felt hat. Anotherpoor looking creature had his face streaked over with red ochre, to show how great a brave hewas. Some wore blankets, folded loosely and gracefully about them, instead of coats andtrousers. Indeed, every one had some good clothes; the construction of the road being thecause of this, for all who wish can get employment in one way or another in connection with it.At Fort Francis the hulls of two steamers, to be over a hundred feet in length, for use on Rainyriver and Lake of the Woods, are now being buUt; and Indians who cannot work at bringing intimber or at ship carpentering, can be employed as voyageurs, or to improve the portages, orto fish or hunt, or in many other ways. But whatever the benefits that have been conferred onthem, or whatever their natural defects, they have rights to this country, though they havenever divided it up into separate personal holdings. They did not do so, simply because their

idea was that the land was free to all. Each tribe had its own ground, which extended overhundreds of miles, md every man had a full right to all of that as far as he could occupy it.Wherever he could walk, ride, or canoe, there the land and the water were his. If he went tothe land of another tribe, the same rule held good. There he might be scalped as an enemy,but he ran no risk of being punished as a trespasser.

And now a foreign race is swarming over the country, to mark out lines, to erect fences, and tosay "this is mine and not yours," till not an inch shall be left the original owner. All this may beinevitable. But in the name of justice, and of the sacred rights of property, is not the Indianentitled to liberal and, if possible, permanent compensation ? What makes it difficult to

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arrange a settlement with the Ojibbeways is, that they have no chiefs who are authorized totreat for them.

This results from their scattered and dispersed state as a nation. The country they live in ispoorly supplied with game, and produce but little of itself, and the Indian does not farm. It isthus impossible for them to live in large bodies. They wander in groups and families from placeto place, often suffering the extreme of hunger, and sometimes starved outright. Each grouphas generally one or more men of greater moral or physical power than the rest, and these are

its chiefs, chiefs who have no hereditary rank, who have never been formally elected, and whoare quietly deposed when greater men than they rise up. Their influence is indirect, undefined,wholly personal, and confined to the particular group they live witti. They canscarcely speak for the group, and not at all for the nation.

"When anything has to be done for the nation as a whole, there is then no other way but forthe nation to meet en masse. Even then they elect no representative men, unless speciallyrequested. Those of greatest age, eloquence, or personal weightspeak for the others; but decisions can be come to only by the crowd. Of course they could nothave existed, thus loosely bound together, had they lived in large bodies, or being pressed bypowerful enemies. But they are merely families and groups and their lands have no specialattraction fer other Indian tribes. Neither can they be formidable as enemies to settlers on this

same account, should the worst come to the worst; but their feebleness makes it the moreincumbent on the Government of a Christian people to treat them not only justly butgenerously.

After breakfast we paddled down the river, till overtaken by the steam launch with theemigrants. The day was very warm; when we landed, about twelve miles on, to dine, thethermometer stood at 87 ° in the shade.

Rainy River is broad and beautiful; flowing with an easy current through a low-lying andevidently fertile country. For the whole of its length, about eighty miles, it forms the boundarybetween Canada and the United States. For the first twenty-five miles, twenty or thirty feetabove the present beach or intervale, rises in terrace form another, evidently the old shore of

the river, which exxends far back like a prairie The richness of the soil is evident from theluxuriance and variety of the wild flowers. Much of the land could be cleared almost as easilyas prairie; other parts are covered with pines, elms, maples and aspens.

Thirty-five miles from Fort Francis we ran the Manitou rapids and, five miles further on, theSault, neither of them formidable. A moderately powerful steamer could easily run up as wellas shoot them. Beyond the Sault we landed to take in wood for the tug, and dinner forourselves. The Botanist came up to us in a few minutes with wild pea and vetch vines eightfeet high, which grew so thickly, not far off, that it was almost impossible to pass throughthem. The land is a heavy loam, once the bed of the river, and the luxuriance of the vegetationshows that it is of the best quality. He made a list of the following plants while we halted, "andthese," he truly remarks "are only an index to the vast profusion of nature's beauties in this

region :

Lilium Canadense, Lathyrus venosus, "Philadelphicum," ochroleucns, Vicia Americana,Monarda fistulosa, Calystegia spithamea, Viburnum pubescens, Calystegia sepium, AstragalusCanadensis, Aralia hispida. Erysimum chieranthoides. Lobelia Kalmii, Asarum Canadensis,Similacina steUata, Lopanthus anistatus.

Besides these there were grasses and sedges in abundance and many other species not worthmentioning. Enough was seen, however, to satisfy the writer thai Rainy River will yet support alarge population, mainly composed of agriculturists. On we swept, down the broad pleasant

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river, with its long reaches, beautiful at night as they had been in the bright sunshine At timesa high wall of luxuriant wood rose on each side, and stretchBd far ahead in curves that lookedin the gloaming like cultivated parks. Occasionally an islet divided the river; and, at suchplaces, a small Indian camp was usually pitched. Of the seventy-five miles of Rainy River,down which we sailed to-day, every mile seemed well adapted for cultivation and the dwellingsof men. At eleven o'clock the moon rose; at half-past twelve we reached Hungry Hall, a post of the H. B. Company and a village of wigwams, out of which all the natives rushed, some of them clothed scantily and others less than scantily, to greet the new comers, with "Ho ! Ho ! "

or "B'jou, B'jou." Baptiste urged us not to stop here, as the Indians of the place were suchthieves that they would "steal the socks off us,'' and spoke of good camping ground a mile anda half further on. We took his advice, after getting a supply of flour, pork, and tea from thestore.

July 28th. This morning, for the first time since leaving Lake Superior, we enjoyed the luxuryof a long sleep, and the still greater luxury of an hour's dozing, that condition betweensleeping and waking in which you are just enough awake to know that you are not asleep.

At 8.30 A.M., a distinguished visitor appeared, an old stately looking Indian, a chief, we wereinformed, and the father of Blackstone. He came with only one attendant ; but two or threecanoes made their appearance about the same time, with other Indians, squaws, and

papooses who squatted in groups on the banks at respectful distances. The old Indian came upwith a "B'jou, B'jou," shook hands all round, and then drawing himself up, knife in one hand,big pipe in the other, the emblems of war and peace, commenced a long harangue. We didn'tunderstand a word ; but one of the men roughly interpreted, and the speaker's gestures wereso expressive that the drift of his meaning could be easily followed. Pointing, with outstretchedarms, north, south, east and west, he told us that all the land had been his people's, and thathe now, in their name, asked for some return for our passage through it, The bearing andspeech were those of a born orator. He had good straight features, a large Roman nose,square chin, and, as he stood over six feet in his moccasins, his presence was mostcommanding. One great secret of impressive gesticulation, the free play of the arm from theshoulder, instead of the cramped motion from the elbow, he certainly knew. It was astonishingwith what dignity and force, long, rolling, musical sentences poured from the lips of one who

would be carelessly classed by most people as a savage, to whose views no regard should bepaid. When ended, he took a seat on a hillock with the dignity natural to every real Indian, andbegan to smoke in perfect silence. He had said his say, and it was our turn now. Withoutanswering his speech, which we could only have done in a style far inferior to his, the Chief proposed that he should have some breakfast. To show due respect to so great an O-ghe-mah,a newspaper was spread before him as a tablecloth, and a plate of fried pork placed on it, witha huge slapjack or thick pancake made of flour and fat, one-sixth of which was as much as anywhite man's stomach could digest.

A large pannikin of tea, a beverage the Indians are immoderately fond of, was also brought,and, by signs, he was invited to fall to. For some moments he made no movement, either fromoffended pride or expectation that we would join him, or, more likely, only to show a

gentleman-like indifference to the food. But the fat pork and the fragrant tea were irresistible.Many a great man's dignity has been overcome by less. After he had eaten about half, hesummoned his attendant to sit beside him and eat, and to him too a pannikin of tea wasbrought. We then told the old man that we had heard his words; that we were travellerscarrying only enough food for ourselves, but that we would bring his views to the notice of theGovernment, and that his tribe would certainly receive justice, as it was the desire of our GreatMother the Queen, that all her children, red as well as white, should be well cared for. He atonce assented, though whether he would have done so with equal blandness had we givenhim no breakfast is questionable. He was entitled to the breakfast and perhaps to somethingmore ; for as no treaty had been made we were certainly trespassers on his domains.

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At ten o'clock the steamer came along.

A few miles through long reaches of wide expanding sedge and marsh brought us to the Lakeof the Woods. An unbroken sheet of water, ten miles square, called The Traverse, is the firstpart of this Lake that has to be crossed; but, as a thunder storm seemed brewing behind us,the taptain steered to the north, behind a group of islets that fringe the shore. In half an houran inky belt of cloud stretched over us from north to south, and, when it burst, the torrent was

as if the lake had turned upside down. The storm moved with us, as in a circle, flashes of lightning coming simultaneously from opposite quarters of the heavens. First we had the windand rain on our backs, then on the left, then in our faces, and then on the right.

The captain made for a little bay in an islet near at hand, and, though the weather cleared, itlooked threatening enough to make him decide to put the steamer's fire out and wait. The isletwas merely a sand dune, covered with coarse grasses and small willows, though in a stormthese sand hills might be mistaken for formidable rocks. As there was not enough wood on itfor both parties, we gave it up to the crew and the emigrants, and paddled to another a mileahead. This islet was of gneissoid rock, and had a bold headland covered with good wood.

The botanist found the ash-leaved maple, the nettle tree, and twenty-four kinds of wild flowers

that he had not seen since joining the expedition, and, of these, eight with which he wasunacquainted.

Scarcely were our canoes hauled up, when the Colonel came along. His men had been soanxious to have all their party together that they had paddled steadily at their hardest forseven hours. Louis at once set to work to get dinner; and, it being Sunday, several delicacieswere brought out in addition to the standing dishes of pork, biscuit and tea. From the Colonel'sstores came Mullagatawny soup, Bologna sausage, French mustard, Marmalade, and, as eveiyone carried with him an abundant supply of " black sauce," we had a great feast.

After dinner, all the party, except the pagan Ojibbeways, assembled for divine service. Theform compiled for the surveying parties was read; the "Veni Creator" sung in Iroquois by the

Indians ; and a short sermon preached. Although the Iroquois understood but few words of English, they listened most devoutly, and we listened with as much attention to their singing. To hear those children of the forest, on a lonely isle in a lake that Indian tradition says is everhaunted by their old deities, chanting the hymn that for centuries has been sung at the greatCouncils and in the high Cathedrals of Christendom, moved us deeply.

After tea, candles were lit in the tents, as this evening we were not too tired to read. Ourcandlestick was a simple and effective Indian contrivance. A stick of any length you desiredwas slit at the top and then stuck in the ground. A bit of birch-bark or paper was doubled ; inthe fold the candle was placed, and the ends were then inserted in the slit. The stick thus heldthe ends tight, and the candle upright. "We spent a quiet pleasant evening, and about teno'clock turned in.

July 29th. There was a heavy sea on The Traverse, and, as the little steamer was not veryseaworthy, it was doubtful if she would attempt the passage. But, while we were at breakfast,she was announced as making in our direction. Orders were at once given to take down thetents and embark the stores, but the Indians showed some reluctance to move. They said thatit would be safer to trust to the paddles; that the waves in the middle of The Traverse wouldbe heavy, and that, if the canoes were forced through them, the bow or side would be brokenin. We overruled their doubts, with a show of confidence, and started at 7.30 A.M.

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Instead of the long single line of canoes that had been formed on previous days, they werenow formed two abreast, andthe connecting lines of the first two were shortened, and tied to the middle bench of the bigbarge which contained the emigrants' luggage. This worked admirably, as the barge broke thewaves, and, in the comparatively smooth water immediately behind her, the two canoes rodeeasily, the five-fathom one to windward and a smaller one under her lee; close after thesecame the other two canoes. The passage was made safely, and the water for the rest of theday was only rippled slightly, as we took a circuitous route through innumerable islets, instead

of the short and direct one over the unbroken part of the lake.

The forenoon was cold and cloudy, but occasionally the sun shone cheerily out. All werethankful for the clouds and coolness, as they could note and enjoy the changing scenery,whereas the day before yesterday, in coming down Rainy River, they had suffered from therays of the sun beating down fiercely, and reflected on every side from the water. To sit still inthe canoes and suffer headache and drowsiness was a heavy price to pay for the pleasure of aglowing sun. The Indians who seemed able to do without sleep, if necessary, but willing to takeany quantity when they could get it, slept soundly in the bottom of the canoes.

At mid-day we landed for dinner in a bay on a fire-swept islet. The Colonel and the boys madethe circuit of the islet with their guns; but saw nothing worth shooting at except a solitary

duck, which they did not get. Lake of the Woods has been shorn of much of its beauty by fires. The fires have also revealed the nakedness, as far as soil is con(!erned, of its shores and isletswhich are low, hard, gneissoid rocks, covered with but poor timber even where it has beenspared.

In the afternoon a favourable wind helped us on; the barge hoisted a sail, and between windand steam we made seven or eight miles an hour. The tug stopped twice for wood; but suchdespatch was shown that though there was neither wharf nor platform, and the tug had to beheld by boat hooks to the rocks, and at the same time kept from dashing against them, thewhole thing was done at each place in ten minutes.

The last eight or nine miles of the Lake, which were to be the last of our journey by water, led

up a long bay to what is called the North-west Angle, a point from which a road has been madeto Fort Garry, so that travellers by this route now escape the terrible portages of the Winnipegriver and the roundabout way by Lake Winnipeg. The breeze chased us up finely, and wecongratulated ourselves on having started in the morning, as the passage across The Traversewould have been an impossibility with the afternoon's wind. The land became lower as wesailed west. We were approaching the Eastern boundary of the great prairies, that extend tothe west for the next thousand miles. A vast expanse of reeds lined both sides of the channel,and beyond these the wood looked poor and scrubby. The Indians, however, assured us thatthe land was good, indeed that it was the only lake of all that we had seen that had any goodland.

At sunset, the North-west Angle was reached. This point, though far North of the 49th degree,

the boundary line between the Dominion and the United States, is claimed by the Republic,and their claim is sustained by an evident verbal mistake in the Treaty that defines theboundary. "Northwest" has been inserted instead of "South-west."

This is only another instance in which the diplomatists of the Empire have been outwitted bythe superior knowledge and unscrupulousness of our neighbours. A glance at the map revealsto any one the ugly jog in the boundary line here, and the absurdity of the claim which nowcannot be gainsaid.

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As we rounded out of the Bay into a little creek, the Angle appeared a place of importance inthe eyes of travellers who had not seen anything like a crowd in their last four hundred milesof travel. Fifty or sixty people, chiefly Indians, crowded about the landing place, and thebabble and bustle were to us like a return to the world ; but, after having satisfied themselveswith a good look at us, and a joyous boisterous greeting to our Ojibbeways, whom they carriedoff to an Indian and half-breed ball in the neighbourhood, we were left alone in the dirtiest,most desolate-looking, mosquito-haunted of all our camping grounds.

In such circumstances it was indispensable to be jolly; so Louis was sumnioned and instructedto prepare for supper everything good that our stores contained. The result was a grandsuccess, and the looks of the place improved materially.

The chief received two letters at this point; one from Governor Archibald inviting us to comedirect to Government House at Fort Garry; another fromsjihe District Superintendent of theroad, putting his half-breed cook at our disposal. As cook had taken advantage of his master'sabsence to treat and be treated up to the hUarious point, his services, much to hisamazement, were quietly dispensed with. At 11 o'clock we turned in under our canvas, havingarranged that waggons should be ready at 4 a. m. July 30th. Waked at 4.30, by the sound of heavy rain. Drank a cup of tea and were off in anhour on the hardest day's journey that we had yet had. It was two o'clock the following

morning when we got out of the waggons for the night's rest, having travelled eighty miles inthe twenty hours.

Those eighty miles, between the North-west Angle and Oak Point, were through a countryutterly uninteresting in appearance.

The first twenty miles are across a flat country, most of it marshy, with a dense forest of scrubpine, spruce, tamarack, and, here and there, aspens and white birch. On both sides of theroad, and in the more open parts of the country, all kinds of wild fruit grow luxuriantly;strawberries, raspberries, black and red currants, etc., and, as a consequence, flocks of wildpigeons and prairie hens are numerous. The pigeons rest calmly on the branches of dead treesby the roadside, as if no shot had ever been fired in their hearing. Great difficulties must have

been overcome in making this part of the road, and advantage has been skilfully taken of dryspots and ridges of gravel or sand, running in the same general direction as the road. All thispart of road has been corduroyed and covered over with clay and sand, or gravel. The land isloam with clay underneath, like prairie ; with the prairie so near, it is not likely to be sooncultivated ; but the wood on it will be in immediate demand.

The next section of the country is of a difierent character. It is light and sandy, getting moreand more so every ten miles further west. This change in the character of the soil afforded afeast to our Botanist. In the course of the day he came on two or three distinct floras ; andalthough not many of the species were new, and in general features the productions of theheavy and the light soils were similar to those of like land farther east in Ontario and theLower Provinces, yet the luxuriance and variety were amazing. He counted over four hundred

different species in this one day's ride. Great was the astonishment of our teamsters, whenthey saw him make a bound from his seat on the waggon to the ground, and rush to plain,wood, or marsh. At first, they all hauled up to see what was the matter.

It must be gold or silver he had found ; but when he came back triumphantly waving a floweror bunch of grass, they exclaimed, "Did you ever see the like of that ?" they looked angry oramused, according as they were sober minded teamsters or the reverse. The internalcachinnation of a Scotch lad, from the kingdom of Fife, over the phenomenon, was so violent,that he would have exploded had he not relieved himself by occasional witticisms; "Jock," hecried to the teamster ahead, "tell yon man if he wants a load o' graiss, no' to fill the buggy

33



noo, an' a'll show him a fine place where we feed the horse." But when one of us explained tothe Soot that all this was done in the interests of science, and would end in something good forschools, he ceased to jibe, though he could not altogether suppress a deep hoarse rumblingfar down in his throat, like that of a distant volcano, when the Professor would come back withan unusually large armful of spoil. The bonny Scot was an emigrant who had been a farmservant in Fife five years ago. He had come to the Angle this spring, and was getting thirtydollars a month and his board, as a common teamster. He was saving four-fifths of his wages,and intended in a few months to buy a good farm on the Red River among his countrymen,

and settle down as a Laird for the rest of his life. How many ten thousands of Scotch ladswould follow his example if they only knew how.

At our first station. White Birch river, thirty miles from the Angle, the keeper of the Station wasa very intelligent man, a Scotchman, who had once been a soldier. He was studying hard atthe Cree and Ojibbeway languages, and gave us much interesting information about thecountry and the Indians. He attributed the failure of Mr. Simpson to make a treaty with theIndians at Fort Francis, in great measure to the fact that Indians from the United States hadbeen instigated by parties interested in the Northern Pacific Railway to come across andinflame their countrymen on our side to make preposterous demands. The story does notsound improbable to those who know the extremes which Railway Kings and companies inNew York, and elsewhere in the Republic, have gone to in pushing their own line and doing

everything <per fas atqv^ nefas to crush opposition. It is a little remarkable that the Indiansall over the Dominion are anxious to make Treaties, and are easily dealt with, except in theneighbourhood of the boundary line.

Mr. Simpson, in his Report dated November, 1871, states that he had no difficulty with theIndians in Manitoba Province, except near Pembina; and there he says, "I found that theIndians had misunderstood the advice given them by parties in the settlement, well disposedtowards the Treaty, or, as I have some reason to believe, had become unsettled by therepresentations made by persons in the vicinity of Pembina whose interests lay elsewherethan in the Province of Manitoba; for, on my announcing my readiness to pay them, theydemurred at receiving their money until some further concession had been made by me."

Seventeen miles further on, at White Mud river, we dined. Had we known what was before us,some would have voted forremaining all night.

The next stage was to Oak Point, thirty-three miles distant. The first half was over anabominable road, and, as we had to take on the same horses, they lagged sadly. The sun hadset before we arrived at Broken Head creek, half-way to Oak Point. Hereabouts is the easternboundary of Manitoba, and we are not likely to forget the rough greeting the new Provincegave us. Clouds gathered, and, as the jaded horses toiled heavily on, the rain poured downfuriously and made the roads worse. It was so dark that the teamsters couldn't see the horses;and, as neither of them had been over this part of the road before,they had to give the horses free rein to go where they pleased, and, as they were dead beat,

at the rate they pleased.

The black flies worried us, and we were all heavy with sleep. The hours dragged miserably on,and the night seemed endless; but, at length emerging from the wooded country into theprairie, we saw the light of the station two miles ahead. Arriving there wearied and soakedthrough, we came to what appeared to be the only building—a half-finished store of theHudson Bay Company; entering the open door, barricaded with paint pots, blocks of wood;tools, etc., we climbed up a shaky ladder to the second story, ihrew ourselves down on thefloor, and slept heavily beside a crowd of teamsters whom no amount of kicking could awake. That night-drive to Oak Point we made a note of.

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July 31st. Awakened at 8 A. M., by hearing a voice exclaiming, "thirty-two new speciesalready; it's a perfect floral garden." Of course it was our botanist, with his arms full of thetreasures of the prairie. We looked out and beheld a sea of green sprinkled with yellow, red,lilac, and white, extending all round to the horizon. None of us had ever seen a prairie before,and, behold, the half had not been told us ! As you cannot know what the ocean is withoutseeing it, neither can you in imagination picture the prairie. The vast fertile beautiful expansesuggests inexhaustible national wealth. Our uppermost , thought might be expressed in the

words, "thank God, the great North-west is a reality."

Oak Point is thirty miles east from Fort Garry, and a straight furrow could be run the wholedistance, or north all the way up to Lake "Winnipeg. A little stream, the Seine, runs from OakPoint into the Red River. The land along it, in sections extending two miles into the prairie, istaken up by the French half-breeds ; all beyond is waiting for settlers.

After breakfast we started in our waggons for Fort Garry. Tall, bright yellow flowers, as goldenrods; red, pink, and white roses; asters, and an immense variety of compositse, thickly beddedamong the green grass, made up a bright and beautiful carpet. Further on, the flowers werefewer ; but everywhere the herbage was luxuriant, admirable for pasturage, and, in thehollows, tall enough for hay. Even where the marshes intervened, the grass was all the thicker,

taller and coarser, so that an acre of marsh is counted as valuable to the settler as an acre of prairie.

The road strikes right across the prairie, and, though simply a trail made by the ordinarytraffic, is an excellent carriage road. Whenever the ruts get deep, carts and waggons strike off a few feet, and make another trail alongside; and the old one, if not used, is soon covered withnew grasses. Immense numbers of fat plover and snipe are in the marshes, and prairie henson the meadow land.

At 3 P. M., we reached the Red River, a broad, deep, muddy coloured stream, windingsluggishly and tortuously through a land fat and level as Holland, till it empties itself into thegreat lake Winnipeg. At a point below its junction with the Assiniboine we crossed in a scow ;

drove across the tongue of land, formed by it and the AsiSniboine coming from the west, intothe village of Winnipeg, and from there to the Fort, where the Government House is atpresent.

Thus we finished our journey, from Lake Superior to Red River, by that Dawson road, of whichall had previously heard much, in terms of praise or disparagement. The total distance is aboutfive hundred and thirty miles ; forty-five at the beginning and a hundred and ten at the end byland ; and three hundred and eighty miles between, made up of a chain of some twenty lakesand lacustrine rivers, separated from each other by spits, ridges, or short traverses of land orgranite rocks, that have to be portaged across. Over those three hundred and eighty miles theonly land suitable for agriculture is along Rainy River, and, perhaps, around the Lake of theWoods. North and south the country is a wilderness of lakes, or tarns on a large scale, filling

huge holes scooped out of primitive rock. The scenery is picturesque, though rathermonotonous, owing to the absence of mountains; the mode of travelling, whether the canoesare paddled or tugged, novel and delightful; and, if a tourist can afford a crew of Indians andthree or four weeks' time, he is certain to enjoy himself, the necessity of roughing it addingzest to the pleasure.

The road has been proved on two occasions to be a military oecessity for the Dominion, until arailway is built farther back from the boundary line. If Canada is to open up her Northwest toall the world for colonization, there must be a road for

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troops, from the first : there are sufficient elements of disorder to make preparedness anecessity. As long as we have a roadof our own, the United States would perhaps raise no objection to Canadian volunteers passingthrough Minnesota ; were we absolutely dependent, it might be otherwise.

In speaking of this Dawson road it is only fair to give full credit for all that has beenaccomplished. Difficulties have been overcome, insomuch that, whereas it took ColonelWolseleys force nearly three months to reach Fort Garry from Thunder Bay, a similar

expedition could now do the journey in two or three weeks.

But, as a route for trade, for ordinary travel or for emigrants to go west, the Dawson road is farfrom satisfactory. Only by building a hundred and fifty-five miles or so of railway at thebeginning and the end, and by overcoming the intervening portages in such a way that bulkwould not have to be broken, could it be made to compete even with the present route byDuluth and the railway thence to Pembina. The question, then, is simply whether or not it iswise to do this, at an expenditure of some millions on a road the greater part of which runsalong the boundary line, after the Dominion has already decided to build a direct line of railway to the North-west. The station-masters and other agents on the road, as a rule, do theirutmost; they have been well selected, and are spirited and intelligent men; but the task giventhem to do is greater than the means given will permit. The road is cdmposed of fifteen or

twenty independent pieces; is it any wonder if these often do not fit, especially as there cannotbe unity of understanding and of plan, for there is no telegraph along the route and it would beextremely difficult to construct one ?

CHAPTER IV PROVINCE OF MANITOBA

Extent. — Population. — Land Claims of Original Settlers. — Sale of Lots in Winnipeg. —Hudson's Bay Company. — Clergymen of the Settlement. — Military Camp. — Archbishop Taohe. — United States Consul — Conflicting opinions respecting the Fertile Belt. — Our outfitfor The Prairies. — Chief Commissioner Smith. — Hudson's Bay Company. — Lieut.-GovernorArchibald. — Departure from Silver Heights. — White Horse Plains. — Rev. Mr. McDougal. —Portage la Prairie. — The Last Settler. — Climate, etc., of Manitoba, compared with the older

Provinces. — Sioux Indians in war Paint. — General remarks on Manitoba. — Emigrants and theUnited States' Agents. — Treatment of the Indians

August 1st. Fort Garry. The Province of Manitoba, in which we now are, is the smallestProvince in the Dominion, being only three degrees of longitude, or one hundred and thirty-five mQes long, by one and a half degrees of latitude, or a hundred and five miles broad ; but,as it is watered by two magnificent rivers, and includes the southern ends of the two greatlakes, Winnipeg and Manitoba, which open up an immense extent of inland navigation, and asalmost every acre of its soil is prairie, before many years it may equal some of the largerProvinces in population At present the population numbers about fifteen thousand, of whomnot more than two thousand are pure whites. One-fifth of the number are Indians, either livingin houses or wanderers, one-third English or Scotch half-breeds, and rather more than a third

French halfbreeds.

Order reigns in Manitoba, though wise ruling is still required to keep the conflicting elements intheir proper places. By the legislation that made Manitoba a Province, nearly one-sixth of theland was reserved for the half-breeds; owing to some delay in carrying out this stipulation, theMetis, last year, got suspicious and restless, and the Fenians counted on this when theyinvaded the Province from Pembina and plundered the Hudson's Bay Company's post near tlieline. As the half-breeds live along the Red River from Pembina north, the situation was full of danger; had they joined the Fenians, the frontier would have been at once moved up to FortGarry.

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Everyone can understand the serious consequences that would have followed the slightestsuccess on their part. Happily the danger was averted by prompt action on the part of theGovernor. The whole population rallied around him, and the Fenians, not being able toadvance into the country, were dispersed by a company of United States regulars, after beingcompelled to disgorge their plunder. A battalion of Canadian militia, stationed at differentpoints along Red River, now keeps the peace and guarantees its permanence. The landdifficulty has been settled by faith being kept with the half-breeds; a treaty has been made

with the Indians that extinguishes their claims to the land ; and, as the whole of the Provincehas been surveyed, divided off into townships, sections and sub-sections, emigrants as theycome in can either get accurate information in the Winnipeg Land-office as to where it wouldbe best for them to settle, or they can visit and then describe the piece of land they wish tooccupy. There is room and to spare for all, after doing the fullest justice to the old settlers.Even the one-sixth reserved for them cannot, in the nature of things, be permanently held bythose among whom it may now be divided. There is no Jewish law preserving to each family itsinheritance forever. The French half-breeds do not like farming, and they therefore make butpoor farmers; and, as enterprising settlers with a little capital come in, much of the land issure to change hands. The fact that land can be bought from others, as well as from theGovernment, will quicken instead of retarding its sale.

After breakfast this morning, we had an opportunity of conversing with several gentlemen whocalled at Government House : the United States Consul, the Land Commissioner, Officers of the Battalion, Dr. Schultz, and others. All spoke in the highest terms of the climate, the land,and the prospects of the Province and of the North-west. Nothing shows more conclusively thewonderful progress of Manitoba and the settled condition into which it has emerged from thechaos of two or three years ago, than the fact that the Hudson's Bay Company sold at auction,the other day, in building lots, thirteen acres of the five hundred of their Reserve around FortGarry, at the rate of $7,000 per acre. At half the rate, for the rest, the Hudson's Bay Companywill receive for this small reserve more than the money payment of .£300,000 stg., whichCanada gave for the whole territory; and, if a few acres favourably situated bring so much,what must be the value of the many millions of acres transferred to the Dominion. The policyof the Company now is exactly the opposite of what it used to be; formerly all their efforts

were directed to keep the country a close preserve; now they are doing all in their power toopen it up. The times have changed and they have changed with them. And, regarding themmerely as a Company whose sole object has them and is to look after their own interests andpay good dividends to the shareholders, their present policy is as sagacious for to-day as theformer was for yesterday. While a fur trading Company with sovereign rights, they did not lookbeyond their own proper work; they attended to that, and, as a duty merely incidental to it,governed half a continent in a paternal or semipatriarchal way, admirably suited to the tribesthat roamed over its vast expanses. But, as they can no longer be supreme, it is their interestthat the country should be opened up; and they are taking their place among newcompetitors, and preparing to reap a large share of the fruits of the development. For many ayear to come they must be a great power in our North-west.

To-day was spent in seeing men and things, the land and the rivers, in and around Fort Garry. The Chief drove twenty miles down the Red Eiver, to the Stone Fort, the Governor and the restof the party accompanying him five miles to Kildonan, where they called on the Rev. Mr. Black. The farms have a frontage of eight chains on the river, and run two miles back, with theprivilege of cutting hay on two miles more in the rear. The people are Highlanders fromSutherland-shire, and, they knew but little about scientific fanning when they settled: theexcellence of the land and their own thrifty habits have stood them in good stead. They haveall saved money, though there was no market for produce, except what the Hudson's BayCompany required, till within the last two or three years. Mr. Black has been their minister fortwenty years. All the original emigrants were Presbjrterians, but as ao minister was sent to

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them from the Church of Scotland, the missionaries of the Church of England attracted greatnumbers to their communion, by wisely adapting their service to Scottish tastes. Till recently,the Scottish version of the psalms was sung in the Cathedral, and the afternoon service wasaltogether on the Presbyterian model. The missionaries, archleacons, and bishops have beenearnest evangelical men, sevsral of them Scotchmen too. It is, therefore, no wonder if evenScottish dislike of prelacy gave way before such a combination.

There are now Methodist and Presbyterian clergymen in the Province, as well as Roman.

Catholic and Episcopal. They all have missions to the Indians, and report that, while the greatmajority of the Crees and other tribes to the north-west are Christianized, the majority of theOjibbeways around Fort Garry and to the east are still pagans. The Ojibbeway seems to havemore of the gipsy in him than any of the other tribes, and to cling more tenaciously to thecustoms, traditions, and habits of life of his ancestors. It may be that the rivalry of theChurches that he sees at Red River, and the vices of the white men that he finds it easy to pickup, drunkenness especially have something to do with the obstinacy of his paganism. Thedrunkenness of Winnipeg is notorious; the clergy do all in their power, by precept andexample, to check it, but they accomplish little The Roman Catholic bishop and his priests, allthe Presbyterian and Methodist ministers, the Episcopal archdeacon and several of his clergyare teetotalers; but the saloons of "Winnipeg are stronger than the Churches.

In conversation with the archdeacon and Mr. Black, we learned that the various denominationswere building or preparing to build colleges. A common school system of unsectarianeducation has been established by the Local Government, one-twentieth of the land reservedas a school endowment, and power given to the townships to assess themselves; but strangeto say, nothing has been done to establish a common centre of higher education. The littleProvince with its fifteen thousand inhabitants will therefore soon rejoice in three or fourdenominational Colleges.

We called on the Wesleyan minister and Archbishop Tache; but as both were from home, wewent to the camp and saw the battalion reviewed. After the review the Adjutant-Generalcomplimented the men deservedly on the order and cleanliness of the camp, the excellence of the galley, and their good conduct in their relations with the citizens. The men were smart,

stout, clean-looking soldiers, and went through various movements with steadiness andactivity. Many of them settle in thecountry, as their term of service expires, free grants of land being given to all who haveserved for a year.

August 2nd. Archbishop Tache called this morning, and delighted us with his polishedmanners and knowledge of the country. He does not think very highly of the Saskatchewanvalley as a future grain-producing country, differing in this respect from every other authority;but he speaks in glowing terms of the Eed-deer Lake and River which runs into the Athabaska,sometimes called Lac la Biche, a better name, because there are innumerable "Red-deer"lakes. In that far away country, extending to the north of the North Saskatchewan, the wheatcrops of the mission have never suffered from summer frosts but once. It certainly is one of

the anomalies of the North-west, that the way to avoid frosts is to go farther north. To hear onthe same day the U. S. Consul and the Archbishop speak about the fertile belt is almost likehearing counsel for and against it. The Consul believes that the world without theSaskatchewan would be but a poor affair; the Archbishop that the fertile belt must have beenso called because it is not fertile. But how explain the Archbishop's opinions ? The evidence headduced in support of them suggests the explanation ; he confined himself to facts that hadbeen brought before him ; but his induction of facts was too limited.

It doubtless is true that at Lac la Biche wheat is raised easily, and that at the R. C. Missions,near the Saskatchewan, it suffers from summer frosts ; but the only two R. C. settlements that

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we heard of in the Saskatchewan country,viz. : those at St. Albert's and Lake St. Ann's, wevisited, and could easily understand why they suffered. They are on the extreme north-west of the fertile belt, at an altitude above sea-level of from 2000 to 2500 feet, and were selected bythe half-breeds not with a view to farming, for the French half-breed is no farmer, but becauseof the abundance of white-fish in the lake, and sturgeon in the river, and because they wereconvenient for buffalo hunting and trapping, as well as for other reasons. The substance of thedisputed matter seems to be this : every one else believes in the fertile belt of theSaskatchewan; the Archbishop believes that there is a belt farther north much more fertile. At

Fort Garry farewell greetings had to be exchanged with the Colonel and his son. Military dutiesrequired his presence in the Province for ten days, and we could not wait. Horetski, who hadbeen sent on ahead to make the necessary arrangements for the journey westward, joined us;so that our party from this date numbered six. A French half-breed, named Emilien, had beenengaged to conduct us across the plains as far as Fort Carleton, after the approved style of prairie travel. Emilien's cavalcade for this purpose was, in our ignorant eyes, unnecessarilylarge and imposing ; but before many days we found that everything was needed. The caravanis not more needed in the East, across the deserts, than it is in the West, across the fertile butuninhabited prairies. Provisions for the whole party and for the return journey of the men mustbe carried, unless you make frequent delays to hunt. Your tents and theirs, in other words,house and furniture; kitchen, larder and pantry; tool-chest and spare axle-trees; clothes,blankets, water-proofs, arms and ammunition, medicine-chest, books, paper boxes for

specimens to be collected on the way, and things you never think of till you miss them, all areor may be required.

Our caravan consisted of six Red River wooden carts, in which were stowed the tents, baggageand provisions; a horse to each cart, and three drivers, one of them the cook for the party, twobuckboards, or light four-wheeled waggonettes, for any of us to use when tired of the saddle;saddle horses, and two young fellows with Emilien to drive along a pack of eighteen horses, asa change of horses is required once or twice a day when it is intended to travel steadily at therate of twohundred and fifty miles a week. The native horsos are small, except those that have beencrossed with Yankee or Ontarian breeds, but, though small and often mean-looking, it isdoubtful if the best stall-fed horses could keep up with them on a long journey.

Emilien started from the Fort with his carts and bands of horses at 10 A.M. We followed at mid-day, the Governor accompanying us to Silver Heights, six miles up the Assiniboine.

This had been his own country residence, but is now owned by D. A. Smith, Esq., M. P., thehead of the H. B. Company in America, We met here Mr. Christie, late chief factor atEdmonton, Mr. Hamilton, of Norway House, Mr. McTavish and others from different parts of thegreat Northwest; and received from Mr. Smith assistance and highland hospitality, of the samekind that every traveller has experienced, in crossing the continent, wherever there is an H. B.post.

A few words about this Hudson's Bay Company may be allowed here, not only because of the

interest attaching to it as the last of the great English monopolies, but because, to this day, itis all but impossible for a party to cross the country from Fort Garry to the Pacific without itsco-operation. Its forts are the only stations on that long route where horses can be exchanged,provisions bought, and information or guides obtained. The Company received its charter inthe year 1670. The objects declared in that charter were fur-trading and the Christianizing of the Indians. The two objects may be considered incongruous in these days; but history musttestify that the Company as a rule sought to benefit the Indians as well as to look after its owninterests. At first, and for more than a century, it displayed but little activity, though its profitswere enormous. Its operations were chiefly confined to the shores of Hudson's Bay; but in1783, a rival Company called the Northwest, consisting chiefly of Canadians, disputed their

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claims, entered the field, and pushed operations so vigorously that the old Company wasstirred into life and activity. A golden age for the red man followed.

Rival traders sought him out by lake and river side; planted posts to suit every tribe; coaxedand bribed him to have nothing to do with the opposition shop; assured him that ThomasCodlin and not Short had always been the friend of the Indian; gave him his own price for furs,and, what he liked much better, paid the price in rum.

Over a great part of North America the conflict raged hotly for years, for the Territory overwhich the Hudson's Bay Company claimed jurisdiction was the whole of British America,outside of the settled Eastern Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, New Brunswick, andNova Scotia, a territory twenty-six hundred miles long and fourteen hundred broad. The rivalCompanies armed their agents' servants, and half-breed voyageurs, and many a time thequarrel was fought out in the old-fashioned way, in remote wilderness, where there were noCourts to interfere and no laws to appeal to. In 1821 the two Companies, tired of thisexpensive contest, agreed to coalesce, and the present Hudson's Bay Company wasincorporated. Some details as to its constitution may be gleaned from a work published in1849, entitled "Twenty-five years in the Hudson's Bay Territory," by John McLean. Theshareholders elected a Governor and Committee to sit in London and represent them. Thisbody sent out a Governor to the Territory, whose authority was absolute. He held a Council at

York Factory in Hudson's Bay, of such chief factors and chief traders as could be present; butthese gentlemen had the right only to advise, they could not veto any measure of theGovernor. The vast territory of the Company was divided into four departments, and thosedepartments into districts. At the head of each departmentand district a chief factor or chief trader generally presided, to whom all oificials within its bounds were amenable. The disciplineand etiquette maintained were of the strictest kind, and an esprit de corps existed betweenthe 3,000 officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, voyageurs and servants, such as isonly to be found in the army or in connection with an ancient and honourable service. TheCompany wisely identified the interests of its agents with its own, by paying them not in fixedsalaries, but with a certain share of the profits; and the agents served it with, a, devotion andpride honourable to all parties. The stock of the Company was divided into an hundred shares,sixty of these belonging to the capitalists, and forty being divided among the chief factors and

chief traders.

The first territory lost by the Company was two-thirds of that lying between the RockyMountains and the Pacific. Oregon was lost to them when yielded in 1846 to the United States,after the ten years' joint occupancy; and Vancouver's Island and British Columbia, when theywere formed into Provinces. The fertile plains along the Red River, the Assiniboine, and thetwo Saskatchewans ought to have been opened up by the Empire and formed into Colonieslong ago : but their real value was not known. It was not the business of the Company to callattention to them as fitted for any other purpose than to feed bufialo : for those plains weretheir hunting grounds, and their posts on them were kept up chiefly for the purpose of supplying their far northern posts with pemmican or preserved bufialo-meat. The Company didwhat every other corporation would have done, attended simply to its own business.

The more sagacious of its leading men knew that the end was coming, as the country couldnot be kept under lock and key much longer. They could not enforce their monopoly; for theyhad no authority to enlist soldiers, they were not sure of their legal rights, and the tide of emigration was advancing nearer every day. Eight or nine years ago, when Governor Dallaswas shown some gold washed from the sand-bars of the Saskatchewan, his remark was, "thebeginning of the end has come." Gold would bring miners, merchants, farmers, and free-trade,so that fur-bearing animals and monopolies would need to fall back to the frozen north ; still,the end would have been longer delayed had the British Provinces not united.

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But, in 1869, the Company's rights to all its remaining territories were bought up, underImperial authority, by the Dominion of Canada, and, as a monopoly and semi-sovereign power,the Company ceased to exist.

To return to our diary. A walk in the garden at Silver Heights was sufficient to prove to us thewonderful richness of the soil of the Assiniboine valley. The wealth of vegetation and the sizeof the root crops astonished us, especially when informed that no manure had been used. Thesoil all along the Assiniboine is either a dark or light-coloured loam, the vegetable or sandy

loam that our gardeners are anxious to fill their pots with; a soil capable of raising anything.After dinnerwe said good-bye to the Governor, a statesman of whom even opponents .will hereafter recordthat he deserved well of the country, because on all great occasions he preferred country toself or party, and of whose work in Manitoba we ought to say and would say much more, wereit not for the fact that we had partaken of his hospitality. Driving rapidly on for five or sixmiles, we overtook our cavalcade, which had made but indifferent progress on account of sundry leave-takings by the way. The country along the road is partly settled, but, with few exceptions, the farmers do not farm. Till lately they had not much inducement, for there was no market : but they have neither theknowledge nor the inclination to farm systematically; and, in a few years, most of the presentoccupants will be bought out and go west.

As specimens of what may be done here, the farm of one Morgan was pointed out. He hadbought it some years ago, for .£50; and this year, he had already been offered £450 for thepotatoes growing on it. A Wesleyan missionary told us that, last year, he had taken theaverage of ten good farmers near Portage la Prairie, and found that their returns of wheatwere seventeen bushels to one, and that on land which had been yielding wheat for ten yearsback, and which would continue to yield it, on the same terms, for the next thirty or forty. Wedrove on in the quiet, sunny afternoon, at a pleasant rate, over a fine farming but unfarmedcountry, to the White Horse Plains, and rested at "Lane's Post," about twenty-five miles fromFort Garry. Lane is a North of Ireland man, a good farmer, and, like all such, enthusiastic inpraise of the country. "What about wood and water we asked. "Plenty of both everywhere,"was his answer. Wherever wells had been dug on the prairie near to his place, water had been

found.

On the Assiniboine and the creeks running into it, or north into Lake Manitoba, there wasabundance of good timber; and, where none existed, if aspens were planted, they grew in fiveyears big enough for fence poles.

Our first evening on the prairie was like many another which followed it. The sky was a clearsoft unflecked blue, save all around the horizon, where pure white clouds of many shapes andmasses bordered it, like a great shield of which only the rim is embossed. The air wassingularly exhilarating, yet sweet and warm, as in more southern latitudes. The road was onlythe trail made by the ordinary traffic, but it formed nevertheless an excellent carriage road.Far away stretched the level prau'ie, dotted with islets of aspens; and the sun, in his going

down, dipped beneath it as he does beneath the sea.

Soon after sunset, we reached our camping place for the night, an open spot on the banks of the river, thirty-three miles from Fort Garry, on the east side of Long Lake, with plenty of drywood for our fires, and good feed for the horses near at hand.

Scarcely were our fires lighted when another traveller drove up, the Rev. Mr. McDougal,Wesleyan missionary at Fort Victoria near Edmonton. We cordially welcomed him to our camp,and asked him to join our party. He was well known to us by reputation as a faithful minister,and an intelligent observer of Indian character. He had been nine times over the plains, and

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evidently knew the country better than our guides. On this occasion, he was accompanied onlyby his Cree servant Souzie, which being interpreted is Joseph.

August 3rd. "We found this morning that it was not so easy to make an early start with a packof horses as with canoes. Two or three of the pack were sure to give trouble, and the youngfellows in charge had at least half an hour's galloping about, which they didn't seem to regretmuch, before all were brought together. Watering, harnessing, saddling, and such like, all tooktime. To-day the Chief and Secretary drove on ahead twenty-seven miles to Portage la Prairie.

The rest followed more slowly, and the whole party did not reunite for the second start of theday till four P.M.

The road and the country were much the same as yesterday. We were crossing thecomparatively narrow strip of land between the Assiniboine and Lake Manitoba. Long Lake, ora creek that is part of it, is near the road for the greater part of the distance. It is difficult toget at the water of the lake, because of the deep mire around the shores; and so we took theword of one of the settlers for it, that it is good though warm. Water from a well by theroadside was good, and cold as ice. All the land along this part of the Assiniboine, north towhat is called the "Ridge,'' for eight miles back has been takes up, but a great part is in thehands of men who do not understand the treasures they could take out of it; and there isabundance of the same kind of land farther back, for new settlers. As we drove on in the early

morning, prairie hens and chickens rose out of the deep grass and ran across the road, withina few feet of us ; while, on mounds of hay in a field lately mown, sat hawks looking heavy andsated as if they had eaten too many chickens for breakfast. On the branches of oaks andaspens sat scores of pigeons, so unmoved at our approach that they evidently had not beenmuch shot at. We asked a farmer who had recently settled, and was making his fortune at tentimes the rate he had done in Ontario, if he ever shot any of the birds. "No," hecontemptuously answered; " he was too busy; the half-breeds did that sort of thing, and didlittle else."

Day after day, he would have for dinner fried pork or bacon, and tea, when he could easilyhave had the most delicious and wholesome varieties of food. He told us that, in the spring,wild geese, wavies, and ducks could be shot in great numbers, but he had eaten only goose in

Manitoba.Portage la Prairie is the centre of what will soon be a ttriving settlement. On the way to thelittle village, we passed, in less than ten miles, three camps of Sioux, each with about twentywigwams, ranged in oval or circular form. The three camps probably numbered three hundredsouls. The men were handsome fellows, and a few of the women were pretty. We did not seemany of the women, however, as they kept to the camps doing all the dirty work, while themen marched about along the road, every one of them with a gun on his shoulder. The Indianwould carry his gun for a month, though there was not the slightest chance of getting a shot atanything. These Sioux fled here nine or ten years ago, after the terrible Minnesota massacre,and here they have lived ever since. One amiable-looking old woman was pointed out ashaving roasted and eaten ten or twelve children. No demand was made for their extradition,probably because they had been more sinned against than sinning. Frightful stories are told of

the treatment of Indian by miners; and there are comparatively few tales of Indian atrocities tobalance them. When the Sioux entered British territory they had with them old George IIImedals, and they declared that their fathers had always considered themselves Britishsubjects and that they would not submit to the rule of the "long knives.'' They are and alwayshave been intensely loyal to their great mother, and during Riel's rebellion, were ready andanxious to fight for the Queen. We were told that the United States authorities had offeredpardon if they would return to their own lands, for the Government at Washington is desirousnow to do justice to the Indians, though its best efforts are defeated by the cupidity andknavery of its agents; but the Sioux would not be charmed back. The settlers all around thePortage speak favourably of the Sioux.

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They are honest and harmless, willing to do a day's work for a little food or powder, and givinglittle or no trouble to anybody.

The Doctor at the portage entertained us hospitably. He spoke highly of the healthiness of theclimate, showing himself as an example. There seems nothing lacking in this country, bnt goodindustrious settlers.

At four P.M. we started for the next post, Rat Creek, ten miles off. The sky was threatening,but, as we always disregarded appearances, no one proposed a halt. On the open prairie,when just well away from the Hudson Bay Company's store, we saw that we were in for astorm. Every form of beauty was combined in the pky at this time. To the south it was suchblue as Titian loved to paint : blue, that those who have seen only dull English skies say isnowhere to be seen but on canvas or in heaven; and the blue was bordered to the west withvast billowy mountains of the fleeciest white. Next to these and right ahead of us andoverhead, was a swollen black cloud, along the under surface of which greyer masses wereeddying at a terrific rate. Extending from this, and all around the north and east, the expansewas a dun-coloured mass livid with lightning, and there, to the right, and behind us, torrents of rain were pouring, and nearing us every moment. The atmosphere was charged with electricityon all sides, lightning rushed towards the earth in straight and zigzag currents, and the

thunder varied from the sharp rattle of musketry to the roar of artillery; still there was no rainand but little wind. We pressed on for a house, not far away; but there was to be no escape.With the suddenness of a tornado the wind struck us, at first without rain, but so fierce thatthe horses were forced again and again off the track. And now, with the wind came rain, thickand furious, and then hail, hail mixed with angular lumps of ice from half an inch to an inchacross, a blow on the head from one of which was stunning. Our long line of horses and cartswas broken. Some of the poor creatures clung to the road, fighting desperately, others weredriven into the prairie, and, turning their backs to the storm, stood still or moved sidewayswith cowering heads, their manes and long tails floating wildly like those of Highland shelties.It was a picture for Rosa Bonheur; the storm driving over the vast treeless prairie, and the menand horses yielding to or fighting against it. In half an hour we got under the shelterof the loghouse a mile distant; but the fury of the storm was past, and in less than an hour the sun burst

forth again, scattering the clouds, till not a blot was left in the sky, save fragments of mist tothe south and east.

Three miles farther on was the camping place. The houses of several settlers were to be seenon different parts of the creek. One of them was pointed out as the big house of Grant, a NovaScotian, and now the farthest west settler. We were on the confines of the "Great Lone Land."

August 4th. Enjoyed a long sleep this morning. Had intended to rest all day, but Emilienrefused. He had contracted to do the journey in so many days, and would do it in his own way;and his way was to travel on all days alike. He agreed, however, to make a short journey sothat we might be able to overtake him, though not starting till late in the afternoon.

At 10 a. m., we went over to Grant's house to service. Mr. McDougal and a resident Wesleyanmissionary officiated. About fifty people were present, and in the afternoon a Sunday School of thirty children was held in the same room. Some of us dined at Grant's, and the rest with oneof his neighbours, McKenzie. Both these men seem to be model settlers.

They had done well in Ontario, but the spirit of enterprise had brought them to the newProvince. One had come three years ago, and the other only last year; and now one had ahundred and twenty acres under wheat, barley and potatoes, and the other fifty. In five yearsboth will have probably three or four hundred acres under the plough. There is no limit to theamount they may break up except the limit imposed by the lack of capital or their own

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moderation. This prairie land is the place for steam ploughs, reaping, mowing and threshingmachines. With such machinery One family can do the work of a dozen men. It is no wonderthat these settlers speak enthusiastically of the country. The great difficulties a farmerencounters elsewhere are non-existent here. To begin with, he does not need to buy land, fora hundred and sixty acres are given away gratuitously by the Government to every hcmafidesettler; and one-third of the quantity is a farm large enough for any one who would devotehimself to a specialty, such as the raising of beets, potatoes, or wheat. He does not need touse manure, for, so worthless is it considered-, that the Legislature has had to pass a law

prohibiting people from throwing it into the rivers. He has not to buy guano, nor to makecompost heaps. The land, if it has any fault, is naturally too rich. Hay is so abundant that whenthreshing the grain at one end of the yard, he bums the straw at the other end to get rid of it.He does not need to clear the land of trees, stumps or rocks. Very little fencing is required, forhe can enclose all his arable land at once with one fence, and pasture is common andillimitable.

There is a good market all over Manitoba for stock or produce of any kind, and if a settler isdiscontented he can sell his stock and implements for their full value to new comers. And whatof the Indians, the mosquitoes, and the locusts. Neither Crees nor Sioux have given thosesettlers the slightest trouble. The Sioux ask only for protection, and even before GovernorArchibald made the Treaty with the Salteaux and Crees by which they received a hundred and

sixty acres of land per family of five, and three dollars per head every year for their rights tothe country, they molested no one. Poor whites, were they about in equal numbers, would giveten times as much trouble as the poor Indians, though some of the braves still paintferociously and all carry guns. And the mosquitoes, and the grasshoppers or locusts, no oneever spoke of, probably because the former are no greater nuisance in Manitoba than inMinnesota or Nova Scotia, and the latter have proved a plague only two or three times in half acentury. Every country has its own drawbacks. The question must always be, do theadvantages more than counterbalance the drawbacks. Thus, in returning home throughCalifornia we found that the wheat crop, this year, amounted to twenty millions of bushels. Thefarmers told us that, for the two preceding years, it had been a failure owing to long continueddrought, and that, on an average, they could only count on a good crop every second year but,so enormous was the yield then, that it paid them well to sow wheat. Take, too, the case of the

great wheat-raising State of what, as distinguished from the Pacific, may be called the EasternStates. The wheat crop of Minnesota this year amounts to twenty millions of bushels. But, upto 1857, enough wheat was not raised in the State to supply the wants of the few thousands of lumbermen who first settled Minnesota.

Flour had to be sent up the Mississippi from St. Louis, and the impression then was verygeneral that one half of Minnesota consisted of lakes, sandhills, sandy prairies and wilderness,and that the winters were so leng and so cold in the other half that farming could never becarried on profitably. Severe remarks could be made with truth against Minnesota, but it isalso the truth that twenty years ago its population was five thousand, and that now it is fivehundred thousand. The soil of Minnesota is not equal in quality to the soil of Manitoba.Calcareous soils are usually fertile. And Manitoba has not only abundant limestone

everywhere, but every other element required to make soil unusually productive. Whereas,when you sail up the Red River into Minnesota, the limestone disappears, and the valleycontracts to a narrow trough, only two or three miles wide, beyond which the soil is often thinand poor. But, notwithstanding all difficulties, most of the emigrants to Minnesota areprospering. Hundreds of thousands of hardy Welshmen and Scandinavians poured into thenew State, secured land under the Homestead Acts or bought it from Railway Companies, livedfrugally, chiefly on a bread and milk fare, for the first few years, and they are now well-to-dofarmers. Seeing that all the conditions for prosperous settlement are more favourable inManitoba, is it not easy to foresee a similarly lapid development, if those entrusted with its

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destinies and with the destinies of our great North-west act with the energy and public spirit of which our neighbours show so shining an example.

It is not hard to trace the sources of those alarming rumours, that we heard so much of at adistance, concerning the soil and climate of Manitoba. Our friends on Rat Creek gave us aninkling of them. On their way from St. Paul's, with their teams and cattle, at every post theywere repeatedly warned not to impoverish their families by going to a cold, locust-devoured,barren land, where there was no market and no freedom, but to settle in Minnesota. Agents

offered them the best land in the world, and when, with British stupidity, they shut their earsto all temptations, obstacles were thrown in the way of their going on, and costs and chargesso multiplied, that the threatened impoverishment would have become a fact before theyreached Manitoba, had they not been resolute and trusted entirely to their own resources.Even when they arrived at Winnipeg the gauntlet had still to be run. In that salooncrowdedvillage were certain touters and indefatigable sympathizers with American institutions, menwho had always calculated that our North-west would drop like a ripe pear into the lap of theRepublic, who had been at the bottom of the halfbreed insurrection, and who are now bitterlydisappointed to see their old dream never likely to be more than a dream.

These worthies told Grant's party confidentially that they had been years in the country, andhad not once seen a good crop. Who could doubt such disinterested testimony ? But what of

the terrible frost, the deep snow, and the long winters. These must be stern realities. Theanswer of every man and woman we spoke to, in town or country, was that the winter waspleasanter than in Ontario, Quebec, or the Maritime Provinces. There is no severe weather tillthe beginning of December. The average depth of snow from that time is two feet, and there isno thaw till March. The severity of the intervening months is lessened by the bright sun, thecloudless skies, the stillness and dryness of the air. On account of the steady cold the snow isdry as meal, and the farmers' wives said that "it was such an advantage that the childrencould run about all winter, without getting their feet wet." They could not say as much in NovaScotia. This dryness of the snow is also an important fact as regards railway construction.

Let the rails be raised two or three feet above the level of the prairie, and they are sure to bealways clear of snow. In fact there is much less risk of snow blockades in the winter on our

western plains than in the older Provinces or in the Northeastern States. In March, and even inApril, there are sometimes heavy snow-storms. But the snow soon melts away. It is what wasintended for spring rain. Hay is needed in those months more than in the winter, when thehorses and even the cattle can paw off the snow and eat the nutritive grasses underneath;whereas, in March and April a crust is often formed, too hard for their hoofs to remove ; andthe more hay that is cut in the autumn the less risk from prairie fires, sis well as the betterprovision for the live stock.

This hopeful, even enthusiastic, language about Manitoba may be discounted by somereaders, in view of the locust plagues that have retarded the prosperity of the Province since1872. Our hopes were founded not only on what we saw, but on the descriptions of the settlersand on their brave and cheery tone. They ignored rather than anticipated difficulties. They had

a pride in the new land they had made their own, and faith in its future. Everywhere, inconversation with them, we found combined with this confidence, the rising of that nationalsentiment, that pride in their country, which is both a result and asafe-guard of national dignity and independence, as distinguished from a petty provincialism. This Great West will, in the future, probably manifest this spirit more than even the EasternProvinces, and so be the very backbone of the Dominion; just as the prairie States of theneighbouring republic are the most strongly imbued with patriotic sentiments. The sight, thepossession of these boundless seas of rich land stirs iu one that feeliag of, shall we call itbumptiousness, that Western men have been accused of displaying. It is easy to ridicule and

45



caricature the self-sufficiency, but the fact is, a man out West feels like a young giant, whocannot help iadulging a little tall talk, and in displays of his big limbs.

At 4 P.M., we prepared to follow our party, but at this moment, a body of sixty or eighty Sioux,noble looking fellows, came sweeping across the prairie in all the glory of paint, feathers, andIndian warlike magnificence. They had come from Fort Ellice, had recently travelled the longroad from Missouri, and were now on their way to Governor Archibald to ask permission to liveunder the British flag, and that small reserves or allotments of land should be allowed them, as

they were determined to live no longer under the rule of "the long knives.'' Some of them rodehorses, others were in light baggage-carts or on foot. All had guns and adornment of one kindor another. A handsome brave came first, with a painted tin horse a foot long hanging from hisneck down on his naked brawny breast, skunk fur round his ankles, hawk's feathers on hishead, and a great bunch of sweet-smelling lilac bergamot flowers on one arm. An Indian bravehas the vanity of a child.

We went forward to address him, when he pointed to another as O-ghe-ma (or chief); and, asthe band halted, the O-ghe-ma then came up with the usual "Ho, Ho; B'jou, B'jou,'' and shookhands all round with a dignity of manner that whites in the new world must despair of everattaining. His distiuction was a necklace of bears' claws, and mocassins belted with broadstripes of porcupines' quills dyed a bright gold. Next to him came the medicine man, sis feet

three inches in height, gaunt and wasted in appearance, with only a single blanket to cover hisnakedness. They would have liked a long pow wow, but we had time only for hasty greetingsand a few kindly words with them.

It was late before we reached the tents, for Emilien had gone on to "the three creeks," twenty-two miles from Rat Creek, or"crick," as the word is universally pronounced in the Northwest.

Every stream, too small to be dignified with the name of river, is a ''crick."

In to-morrow morning's journey we are to pass out of the Province of Manitoba. This, then isprobably the best place for a few additional words on it as. a home for emigrants; on the

subject of emigration generally; and on the settlement of theIndian difficulty in the Province.

How is it that the United States have risen so rapidly from the condition of a fringe of provinces along the Atlantic to that of a mighty nation spreading its arms across a continent ? The question is one that the New Dominion ought to ask, for the Dominion also aspires togreatness, and believes that it has within its borders all the resources required to make anation materially great. A principal cause of the rapid development of the United States is thatit has absorbed especially within the last quarter of a century, so many millions of thepopulation of the old world. It had a Great West, boundless expanses of fertile land, and hadthe wisdom to see that, while the soil is the great source of wealth, untilled soil is valueless;and that therefore every inducement should be held out to the masses, overcrowded in

Europe, to seek homes within its borders. Each emigrant who landed at Castle Gardenrepresented the addition of hundreds of dollars to the wealth of the country. He representedthe cultivation of some land and an increased value to more, additional imports and exports,taxes, and national strength. With the same apparent generosity, but with as cool a calculationof profits as that which sent Stanley to discover Livingstone, free grants of land were thereforeoffered to the whole world. Homestead laws provided that those farms should not be liable tobe seized for debt. As it was necessary that the emigrant should be able to get easily to hisfarm and to send to market what he raised, companies wore chartered to build railways inevery direction, the State subsidising them with exemptions, money bonuses, and enormousland grants. The ancient maxim had been, "settle up the country and the people will build

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railways if they want them." The new and better maxim is, "build railways and the country willsoon be settled." These railway corporations became the emigration agents of the UnitedStates, and well have they done the public work, while directly serving their own interests.With the one aim of securing settlers, whose labour on parts of their land would make theother parts valuable, they organized, advertised, and worked emigration schemes with abusiness-like thoroughness that has attracted far less attention than it deserves. What a proudposition the United States, as a country, was thus made to occupy in the eyes of the wholeworld ! "Ho, every one that wants a farm, come and take one," it cried aloud, and in every

language. Poor men toiling for a small daily wage in the old world, afraid of hard times,sickness and old age heard the cry, and loved the land that loved them so well, and offered sofair. They came in thousands and found, too, that it kept its word; and then they came in tensand hundreds of thousands, till now less liberal offers have to be made, because most of thepublic domain that is worth anything has been absorbed. Those hardworking massesprospered, and they made the country great.

Some of them who had been rudely expatriated, who had left their mother land with bitternessin their hearts, vowed vengeance and bequeathed the vow to their children. Others attributingtheir success to the new institutions, began to hate the forms of government that theyidentified with their days of penury and misery. Others were wiser, but their interests werebound up with their adopted country, and, when it came to the question, they took sides

against the old and with the new. Had the State held aloof, maintaining that any interferenceor expenditure on its part in connection with emigration was inconsistent with politicaleconomy, that the tide of population must be left to flow at its own sweet will, and railways bebuilt only where there was a demand for them, the great west of the United States would nothave been filled up for many a year to come. And had the Imperial authorities thought lessabout imaginary laws of political economy and more about pressing practical necessities,millions, who are now in a strange land bitter enemies of the British crown, would have beenits loyal subjects in loyal colonies.

The past is gone; but it is not yet too late to do much. We now stand on a more favourablevantage ground than before, not only positively but comparatively, for our vast virgin prairiesare thrown open, while there is but little good land left in the United States available for

settlement under the homestead laws. The great lines of communication from the sear-boardare beginning to touch our North-west territory; and, if we act with the vigour and wisdom of which our neighbours have set the example, the ever-increasing current of emigration fromthe old world must flow into Manitoba, and up the Assiniboineand Saskatchewan rivers.

We must act, to bring about such a result. It will not come of itself While we stand looking atthe river, it flows past. Labour is required to divert it into new channels, or it will flow over thecourses that have been made for it, or simply overflow them. We are now able to offer betterland, and on easier terms, to immigrants than the United States or any of its railwaycompanies offer, but they will continue to attract them if we fold our arms while they work. They have many influences on their side; the gravitating force of numbers; past success on a

grand scale; grooves worn smooth by the millions tramping westward, a vast army of agentspaid in proportion to their success; every principal railway station in Europe, and even in theDominion, papered with their glowing advertisements; floods of pamphlets in every language;arrangements perfected to the minutest details for forwarding the ignorant and helplessstranger from New York and Chicago to any point he desires; and perhaps a comfortable logshanty ready for him when he gets there.

They offer great inducements to men to organise colonies; advise neighbours to club theirresources and emigrate together, so that one may help the other; lay off village plots anddraw beautiful sketches of future cities; and cheer the drooping spirit of the foreigner, when he

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is discouraged with difficulties that had not been advertised, with brilliant prophecies and aninfusion of the indomitable Yankee spirit. They make the doubter believe that it is better topay their company from $5 to $15 an acre for "the best land in the world," "rich in minerals,""no long winters," accompanied with free passes over the railway, and long credits, "one-tenthdown, and the rest when it suits you," than to take up free grants elsewhere.

In all this business, for it is purely a business transaction, though gilded with soft hues of buncombe, references to downtrodden millions, American generosity, free institutions, and

such like, they have hitherto had no competitor; for, until our Northwest was opened up andproved to contain farms for the million, we could not well compete. What the mass of emigrants wanted was prairie soil; land that they could plough at once without the tedious andexhausting labour of years required in woodland farming, chopping, rolling, burning, grubbing,stumping, and levelling. Such land the Dominion can now offer, and it is therefore the greatand immediate duty of the Government to see that it be opened up, and brought within reachof the ordinary class of settlers.

To what point in the Dominion should the emigrant turn his eyes ? Each province presentsspecial inducements, but no part of America now offers so many as Manitoba. The land fartherwest and to the north-west is equally good, but, until opened up by railway or steamboats, it iscomparatively valueless to the settler; for there is little use in raising stock, wheat, or

potatoes, if they cannot be conveyed to market. But Manitoba is now within reach of theemigrant, and there is a good market in Winnipeg.

This little village is becoming a town; houses are springing up in all directions with a rapidityknown only in the history of Western towns; and the demand for provisions, stock, farmimplements, and everything on which labour is expended, is so much greater than the supply,that prices are enormously high. The intending settler, therefore, should bring in with him asmuch of what he may require as he possibly can.

Besides a rich soil, a healthy and, for the hardy populations of northern and central Europe, apleasant climate, law and order, and all the advantages of British connection, Manitoba offersother inducements to the emigrant.

The Government of the Dominion has opened the country for settlement on the most liberalterms possible. Any.person, the subject of Her Majesty by birth or naturalization, who is thehead of a family or has attained the age of twenty-one years, is entitled to be entered for onehundred and sixty acres, for the purpose of securing a homestead right in respect thereof.

To secure this land he has only to make affidavit to the above effect, and that he purposes tobe an actual settler. On filing this affidavit with the land officer, and on payment to him of $10,he is permitted to enter the land specified iu his application.

Five years thereafter, on showing that he has resided on or cultivated the land, he receives apatent for it; or any time before

the expiration of the five years he can obtain the patent by paying the pre-emption price of one dollar an acre. This farm, no matter how valuable it may become, and his house andfurniture, bams, stables, fences, tools, and farm implements are declared free from seizure fordebt ; and in addition to the exemption of all those, there are also exempted, "one cow, twooxen, one horse, four sheep, two pigs, and the food for the same for thirty days."

There are, and can be, no Indian wars or difficulties in Manitoba. This is a matter of the utmostimportance to the intending settler. When we returned from our expedition, the Chief wasinterviewed at Ottawa by a deputation of the Russian sect of Mennonites, who are looking outfor the best place in America for their constituents to settle in, and one of their first questions

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referred to this. He answered it by pulling a boy's knife out of his pocket, small blade at oneend cork-screw at the other, and told them that that was the only weapon he had carried whiletravelling from Ocean to Ocean; adding that he had used only one end of even so insignificanta weapon, and that end not so often as he would have liked.

As the mode of settling with the Indians adopted in Manitoba is based on the system that hasbeen long tested in the older provinces, and that will probably be extended to the whole of theNorth-west, a few words on the general question may not be out of place.

There are three ways of dealing with the less than half-million of red men still to be found onthe continent of America,each of which has been tried on a smaller or larger scale. The first cannot be put more clearlyor badly than it was in a letter dated San Francisco, Sept. 1859, which went the round of theAmerican press, and received very general approval.

The writer, in the same spirit in which Roebuck condemned the British Government's shilly-shally policy towards the Maories, condemned the Federal Government for not having ordereda large military force to California when they got possession of it, "with orders to hunt andshoot down all the Indians from the Colorado to the Klamath," Of course the writer adds thatsuch a method of dealing with the Indians would have been the cheapest, "and perhaps the

most humane."With regard to this policy of no nonsense, thorough-going as selfishness itself, it is enough tosay that no Christian nation would now tolerate it for an instant.

The second way is to insist that there is no Indian question. Assume that the Indian mustsubmit to our ways of living and our laws because they are better than his; and that, as he hasmade no improvement on the land, and has no legal title-deeds, he can have no right to it thata civilized being is bound to recognize. Let the emigrants, as they pour into the country, shovethe old lords of the soil back; hire them if they choose to work; punish them if they break thelaws, and treat them as poor whites have to be treated. Leave the struggle between the tworaces entirely to the principle of natural selection, and let the weaker go to the wall. Thiscourse has been practically followed in many parts of America. It has led to frightful atrocities

on both sides, in which the superior vigour of the civilized man has outmatched the nativeferocity of the savage.

The Indian in such competition for existence, soon realizing his comparative weakness, hadresource to the cunning that the inferior naturally opposes to the strength of the superior. Thisirritated even the well-disposed white, who got along honestly, and believed that honesty wasthe best policy. It was no wonder that, after a few exchanges of punishment and vengeance,the conviction became general that the presence of the Indian was inconsistent with publicsecurity; that he was a nuisance to be abated; and that it was not wise to scrutinize too closelywhat was done by miners who had to look out for themselves, or by the troops who had beencalled in to protect settlers.

The Indians had no newspapers to tell how miners tried their rifles on an unoffending Indian ata distance, for the pleasure of seeing the poor wretch jump when the bullet struck him; orhow, if a band had fine horses, a charge was trumped up against them, that the band might bebroken up and the horses stolen; or how the innocent were indiscriminately slaughtered withthe guilty; or how they were poisoned by traders with bad rum, and cheated till left withoutgun, horse, or blanket. This policy of giving to the simple children of the forest and prairie, theblessings of unMmited free-trade, and bidding ftem look after their own interests, has not beena success.

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The frightful cruelties connected with it and the expense it has entailed, have forced many toquestion whether the fire and sword plan would not have been "cheaper and, perhaps, morehumane."

The third way, called sometimes the paternal, is to go down to the Indian level when dealingwith them; go at least halfway down; explain that, whether they wish it or not, immigrants willcome into the country, and that the Government is bound to seek the good of all the racesunder its sway, and do justly by the white as well as by the red man; offer to make a treaty

with them on the principles of allotting to them reserves of land that no one can invade, andthat they themselves cannot alienate, giving them an annual sum per family in the shape of useful articles, establishing schools among them and encouraging missionary effort, andprohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors to them.

When thus approached, they are generally reasonable in their demands; and it is thetestimony of all competent authorities that, when a treaty is solemnly made with them, that isaccording to Indian ideas of solemnity, they keep it sacredly. They only break it when theybelieve that the other side has broken faith first.

Such has been the policy of the old Canadas and of the Dominion, and it is now universallyadopted in America. True, the agents of the United States Government have often defeated its

attempts to do justice and show mercy, by wholesale frauds; and the Indians, believingthemselves deceived, have risen with bursts of fury to take vengeance; and, like all children, if deceived once, they are very unwilliag to believe you the next time. General Howard hastherefore advised the removal of many of the Indian agents, with the remark that "whenagents pay $15,000 for a position, the salary of which is only $1500, there must be somethingwrong." But this corruption of individual agents is a mere accident, an accident that seems tobe inseparable from the management of public affairs in the Republic. The great thing is thatthe United States Government has taken its stand firmly on the ground that the Indians are tobe neither exterminated nor abandoned to themselves, but protected and helped.In a letter to George H. Stewart, dated October 28th, 1872, President Grant writes with hiscustomary directness and plainness of speech : "If the present policy towards the Indians canbe improved in any way, I will always be ready to receive suggestions on the subject; but if

any change is made, it must be made on the side of the civilization and christianization of theIndians. I do not believe our Creator ever placed the different races of men on this earth withthe view of the stronger exerting all his energies in exterminating the weaker."

It may be said that, do what we like, the Indians as a race, must eventually die out. It is notunlikely. Almost all the Indians in the North-west are scrofulous. But on the other hand, in theUnited States and in Canada, they exist, in not a few cases, as christianized self-supportingcommunities, and have multiplied and prospered. These are beginning to ask for full freedom.It was all right, they argue, to forbid us to sell our lands, when we did not know their value,and to keep us as wards when we could not take care of ourselves; but it is different now; weare grown men; and it is an injustice to prevent us from making the most we can out of ourown.

At all events, there are no Indian difficulties in our North west. For generations the H. B.Company governed the tribes in a semi -paternal way, the big children often being rude andnoisy, sometimes plundering a fort, or even maltreating a factor, but in the end alwaysreturning to their allegiance, as without the Company, they could not get tea or tobacco, gunsor powder, blankets or trinkets.

Since the transfer of the country to the Dominion the Indians, except when operated on byforeign influences, have been anxious for treaties. In the year 1871, Governor Archibald madea treaty at the Stone Fort or Lower Fort Garry, with the Ojibbeways and Swampy Crees, the

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only two tribes in his Province, and a second treaty with the Indians further north, as far asLake Winnipegosis and Beren's River, and to the west as far as Fort Ellice. This second treatycomprises a tract of country two or three times as large as Manitoba.

About four thousand Indians assembled on those occasions, and, after a good deal of preliminary feasting, consulting, and pow-wowing, arrangements were made with them. Theobjects aimed at by the Governor and the Indian Commissioner were to extinguish the Indiantitle to the land, and, at the same time, do substantial justice and give satisfaction to the

Indians.

The treaty-making process is interesting, as illustrative of several points in the Indiancharacter. Though it took ten days to make the first, yet, in the light lately thrown on thedifficulties of drawing up a treaty that shall express the same thing to both parties, the timecannot be considered unreasonably long.

The Indians first elected chiefs and spokesmen to represent them. On these being dulypresented and invited to state their views, they said that there was a cloud before them whichmade things dark, and they did not wish to commence the proceedings till the cloud wasdispersed. It was found that they referred to four Swampies who were in prison for breach of contract, and the tribe felt that it would be a violation of the brotherly covenant to enter upon

a friendly treaty, unless an juit of indemnity were passed in favour of the four. As they beggedtheir discharge on the plea of grace and not of right, theGovernor acceded to their petition; and the Indians thereupon declared that henceforth theywould never raise a voice against the law being enforced.

The real business, then commenced. Being told to state their views on reserves and annuities,they did so very freely, and substantially, to the effect that about two-thirds of the provinceshould be reserved for them. But when it was explained that their great mother miist do justlyto all her children, "to those of the rising sun as well as to those of the setting sun," and that itwould not be fair to give much more than a good farm for each family, they assented.Fortunately the Governor could point out to them a settlement of Christianized Ojibbewaysnumbering some four hundred, between the Stone Fort and the mouth of Red River, as a proof

that Indians could live, prosper, and provide like the white man. This mission was establishedby Archdeacon Cochrane, and has now a fullblooded Indian for its clergyman. Many of themhave well-built houses and well-tilled fields, with wheat, barley and potatoes gvowing, andgiving promise of plenty for the coming winter. The Indians of this district form a parish of theirown, called St. Peter's, and return a member to the House of Assembly; they have the honourof being represented by a gentleman who has successively held the offices of Minister of Agriculture,Provincial Secretary, and who is now Provincial Treasurer.

In the end, it was agreed that reserves should be allotted sufficient to give one hundred andsixty acres to each family of five; that the Queen should maintain a school on each reservewhen the Indians required it; and that no intoxicating liquors be allowed to be introduced or

sold within the bounds of the reserves; also, that each family of five should receive an annuityof $15, in blankets, clothing, twine, or traps; and, as a mark of Her Majesty's satisfaction withthe good behaviour of her Indians, and as a seal to the treaty, or Indian luckpenny, a presentof $3 be given to each man, woman, and child. Every one being satisfied, the treaty wassigned, the big ornamented calumet of peace smoked all round, and the Governor thenpromised each chief a buggy, to his unbounded delight. One important consequence of theseIndians being pleased is that the Indians forther west, having heard the news, are all anxiousfor treaties, and have been on their good behaviour ever since.

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CHAPTER V FROM MANITOBA TO FORT CARLTON ON THE NORTHSASKATCHEWAN

Fine Fertile Country. — The water question. — Duck Shooting. — Salt Lakes. — Camping on thePlains. — Fort Ellice. — Qu'Appelle Valley. — "Souzie." — The River Assiniboine. — The Buffalo.— Cold Nights. — Rich Soil. — Lovely Country. — Little Touchwood Hills. — Cause of PrairieFires. — A Day of Rest. — Prairie Uplands. — Indian Family. — Buffalo Sculls. — Desolate Tract.— Quill Lake. — Salt Water. — Broken Prairie. —Round Hill. — Prairie Fire. — Rich Black Soil. —

Magnificent Panorama. — Break-neck Speed. — The South Saskatchewan. — Sweethearts andWives. — Fort Carlton. — Free Traders. — The Indians. — Crop Raising

August 5th. This morning it rained heavily, and delayed us a little; but by the time we had ourmorning pannikin of tea, the carts packed, and everything in its place, the weather cleared up.We got away at 5 A.M., and rode sixteen miles before breakfast, reaching Pine Creek, afavourite camping ground; still following up the course of the Assiniboine, though nevercoming near enough to get a sight of it, after leaving our first camp from Fort Garry. The nextstage was fourteen miles to Bog Creek; and after dinner, eleven miles more, making forty onefor the day. Instead of the level pi-airie of the two preceding days and the black peaty loam,we had an undulating and more wooded country, with soil of sandy loam oi vailing degrees of richness. Here and there ridges of sand dunes, covered with vegetation, sloped to the south,

having originally drifted from the north, probably from the Riding Mountains, of which theymay be considered the outlying spurs. Prom the top of any one of these a magnificent viewcan be had. At our feet a park-like country stretched for out, studded with young oaks; vastexpanses beyond, extending on the north to the Riding Mountains, and on the south to the Tortoise Mountain on the boundary line; a beautiful country extending hundreds of squaremil§s without a settler, though there is less bad land in the whole of it than there is in, thepeninsula of Halifax, or within five or ten miles of any of our eastern cities. This almost entireabsence of unproductive land is to us very wonderful. If we except the narrow range of sandhills, there is actually none; for the soil, even at their base, is a light sandy loam, whichwould jdeld a good return to the farmer. The soil about these hills is not equal to prairie. Itsflora is not that of the prairie. Both soil and flora are like those of the Rice Lake plains, and theCounty of Simcoe in Ontario, where excellent wheat crops are raised. The only question,

suggestive of a doubt, that came up was the old one of "Is there plenty of water ?" The riversare few; the creeks small. Along their banks there is no difficulty, but what of the iaterveniagground ? We had heard of wells sunk in different places, and good water found from four tofifty feet down. But, yesterday, Grant informed us that a beautiful stretch of prairie,immediately to the west of his location, which had been taken up by a friend of his, had beenabandoned because no water could be got. They had sunk wells in three places, one of themto the depth of seventy-five feet, but pierced only hard white clay. Grant believed that thisstratum of clay extended over a limited area, and that, under it, water would be tapped if theywent deep enough. But the matter is of too great importance to be left to conjecture.

Test wells should be sunk by the Giovemment in different places; and where there are salineor brackish lakes, or even should the first water tapped prove saline, artesian wells might be

tried, so as to get to the fresh water beneath. Till it is certain that good water can be easilyhad all over the prairie, successful colonization on a large scale cannot be expected. The general belief is that there is water enough everywhere. There is an abundant rain fall,and the water does not form little brooks and run off, but is absorbed by the rich, deep, porousground. Still the claims of our North-west on the attention of emigrants would be rendered allthe stronger, were they assured that the -water supply was unfailing everywhere.

Up to this time the question has not been started, because much of the land on the river-banks has not yet been taken up. But it would be well to be prepared with an answer.

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Nothing could be more exhilarating than our rides across the prairie, especially the morningones. The weather, since our arrival at Fort Garry, had been delightful, and we knew that wehad escaped the sultry heat of July, and were just at the commencement of the twopleasantest months of the year.

The nights were so cool that the blanket was welcome, and in the evenings and mornings wecould enjoy the hot tea. Theair throughout the day was delicious, fresh, flower scented, healthful, and generally breezy, so

that neither horse nor rider was warm after a fifteen or twenty miles' ride. We ceased towonder that we had not heard of a case of sickness in the settlers' families. Each day was likea new picnic. Even the short terrific thunder storm of the day before yesterday had beenenjoyed because of its grandeur. Grant told us that it was the heaviest he had ever seen ia thecountry, and that we had felt its full force. Three miles away there had been no hail.

August 6th. Up before four A. M., but were delayed some time by the difficulty of lassoing thehorses that were wanted. The Doctor had, meanwhile, some shooting round the little lake bywhich we had camped; and getting some more on the way, Terry the cook was enabled toserve up plover duck and pigeons, with rice curry, for breakfast. Our morning's ride wassixteen miles, and brought us to the Little Saskatchewan, a swift-flowing pebbly-bottomedstream, running south iato the Assiniboine. Its valley was about two miles wide and two

hundred and fifty feet deep. All the rivers of the North-west have this peculiarity of widevalleys, and it constitutes a serious difficulty in the way of railroad making ; they must becrossed, but regular bridging on so gigantic a scale is out of the quesion. The hill sides slopingdown into the valley or intervale of the river are green and rounded, with clumps of trees,most of them fire scorched, in the depressions.

"We hailed the sight of this flowing stream with peculiar delight; for it was the first thing thatlooked, to our eyes, like a river in all the hundred and twenty miles since leaving theAssiniboine. The creeks crossed on the way were sluggish and had little water in them, andmost of the swamps and lakelets were dried up, and their bottom .overed with rank coarsegrass, instead of the water that fills them in the spring. This morning, however, we passedseveral pretty-well-filled lakes, plover and snipe about most of them, on the height of land

from which the ground slopes toward the little Saskatchewan.

Our second stage for the day was only eleven miles; but the next was fourteen, and we droveor rode along the winding road at a rattling pace, reaching our camping ground, at Salt Lake,an hour before sunset. This lake is bitter or brackish, but, on the opposite side of the road,there is good water; and, although the mosquitoes gave us a little trouble, we fared well as atall our camps. This was the first salt lake we had seen, but farther on the way there are manysuch; and grievous has been the disappointment of weary travellers, on drawing near to one of them and preparing to camp. The causes are probably local, for good water is found near, and,all around the grass is luxuriant. A white crust forms on the dried up part of the bottom andthe shores are covered with saline plants, chiefly reddish-coloured, thick, succulent samphireand sea-blite growing together and extending over several acres of ground.

The following are the principal plants : Scirpus maritimus, L., Salicornia herbacea, L.; Glauxmaritima, L.; Suada maritima, Dumot, var. prostrata; Pall. Glyceria distans. These have a widerange over the whole interior wherever salt lakes are found."

A bathe in the little Saskatchewan before breakfast was our first good wash for two or threedays, and we enjoyed it proportionately. Our horses did their forty-one miles to-day, seeminglywith greater ease than they had any previous day's work. Most of them are of pure nativebreed; some of them the largest-have been crossed with Canadian, and the swiftest with Yankee breeds. In all our pack there are only two or three bad horses ; none of them looked

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well at first, but, though small and common looking, they are so patient, hardy andcompanionable, that it is impossible for their riders to avoid becoming attached to them.

Hardly two of the saddles provided for our party were alike. There was choice of English,American, Mexican, and military, the first being the favourite.

August 7th. Made a good day's journey of forty-five miles, firom the Salt Lake to the junctionof the Qu'Appelle and Assiniboine rivers. The first stage was ten miles, to the Shoal Lake-a

large and beautiful sheet of water with pebbly or sandy beach-a capital place for a halt or forcamping. The great requirements of such spots are wood, water, and feed for the horses ; thetraveller has to make his stages square with the absence or presence of those essentials. If hecan get a hilly spot where there are few mosquitoes, and a sheet of water large enough tobathe in, and a resort of game, so much the better. Arrived at the ground, the grassiest andmost level spots, gently sloping, if possible, that the head may be higher than the feet, areselected. The tents are pitched over these, one tent being allotted to two persons, whencomfort is desirable, though sometimes a dozen crowd inside of one. A waterproof is spread onthe ground, and, over that, a blanket. Each man has another blanket to pull over him, and hemay be sound asleep ten minutes after arriving at the ground, if he has not to cook or wait forhis supper.

The horses need very little attention, the harness is taken off and they are turned loose theleaders or most turbulent onesbeing hobbled, i.e. their fore feet are fettered with intertwined folds of shagannappi or rawbuffalo hide, so that they can only move about by a succession of short jumps. Hobbling is thewestern substitute for tethering.

They find out, or are driven to the water, and, immediately after drinking begin grazingaround; next morning they are ready for the road. A morning's swim and wash in Shoal Lakewas a luxury, and the Doctor had some good shooting at loons, ducks, yellowlegs, and snipe.

Our second stage was twenty-one miles to Bird's Tail Creek, a pretty little running stream, withvalley nearly as wide, and banks as high as the Little Saskatchewan. It is wonderful to see the

immense breadth of valley that insignificant creeks, in land where they have not to cut theirway through rocks, have eroded in the course of ages.

At this creek, we were only twelve miles distant from Fort Ellice. The true distance from FortGarry, as measured by our odometer, is two hundred and fifteen miles. As our course lay tothe north of Fort Ellice, the Chief and two of the party went on ahead to get provisions and ahalf dozen Government horses that had been left to winter there, and to attend to somebusiness, while the rest followed the direct trail and struck the edge of the plateau overlookingthe Atssiniboine, which was running south, just where the Qu'Appelle joined it from the west. The view from this point is magnificent; between two and three hundred feet below, extendingfar to the south and then winding to the east, was the valley of the Assiniboine, at least twomiles wide.

Opposite us, the Qu'Appelle joined it, and both ran so slowly, that the united river meanderedthrough the intervale as circuitously as the links of the Forth, cutting necks and promontoriesof land that were almost islands, some of them soft and grassy, and others covered withwillows or timber. The broad open valley of the Qu'Appelle stretched along to the west, makinga grand break in what would otherwise have been an unbroken plateau of prairie. Three milesto the south of this valley, and therefore opposite us but farther down, two or three smallwhite buildings on the edge of the plateau were pointed out as Fort Ellice. To the north of theQu'Appelle, the sun was dipping behind the woods far away on the edge of the horizon, andthrowing a mellow light on the vast expanse which spread around in every direction.

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We descended to the intervale by a much-winding path, and moved on to the crossing, threemiles above the Fort, and immediately above where the Qu'Appelle flows into the main river.Scarcely had the tents been pitched and the fires lighted, when the Chief appeared bringingsupplies of flour, pemmican, dried meat, salt, etc., from Fort Ellice. He reported that therewere several parties of Indians about the Fort, who had emigrated two or three years ago fromthe United States, anxious to settle in British territory. One of them, from Ohio, spoke goodEnglish, and from him he had gained the information about them.

This portion of our journey from Fort Garry to Fort Ellice, we had accomplished in less than sixdays. The last stage had been over the worst road-a road winding between broad hillsidesstrewn with granite boulders, and lacking only brawling streams and foaming fells to make itlike Mofiatdale, and many another similar dale in the south of Scotland. But here there neverhad been bold moss troopers, and no Tales of the Borders had ever been written : Crees,Sioux, and Ojibbeways may have gone on the war path against each other, and hunted thebuffalo over the plains to the west, but there has been no Walter Scott nor even Wilson togather up and record their legends, and hand down the fame of their braves. And there are nosheep grazing on those rich hill-sides, and there was neither wigwam, steading, nor shieling onthe last hundred and sixty miles of road. Silence reigned everywhere, broken only by the harshcry of wild fowl rising from lakelets, or the grouse-like whirr of the prairie hen on its short

flight. We had seen but a small part, and that by no means the best of the land. The trailfollows along the ridges, where there is a probability of its being dry for most of the year, as itwas not part of its object to show the fertility of the country or its suitableness for settlers.

But we had seen enough to show that, even east of Fort Ellice, there is room for a largepopulation. Those great breadths of unoccupied land are calling "come, plough, sow, and reapus." The rich grass is destroyed by the autumn fires, which a spark kindles, and which destroythe wood, which formerly was of larger size and much more abundant than now. Thisdestruction of wood seriously affects the water supply. Lakes that once had water all the yearround are now dry, except in the spring time. But, when settlers come in, all this shall bechanged. The grass will be cut at the proper time, and stacked for the cattle, and then thereshall not be the wide spreading dried fuel to feed the fires, and give them ever increasing

force.

Fields of ploughed land, interspersed here and there, shall set bounds to the flames, andtourists and travellers will be less likely to leave their camp-fires burning, when they know thatthere are settlers near, whose property would be endangered,and who would not tolerate criminal carelessness on the part of strangers.

8th August. Being in the neighbourhood of a fort, and having to re-arrange luggage and lookafter the new horses, we did not get away till nine o'clock. An hour before, greatly to thesurprise of Emilien, who had calculated on keeping in advance the twenty-two miles he hadgained on Sunday, and greatly to our delight, Mr. McDougal drove up and rejoined us with hisman Souzie. Souzie had never been east before, and the glories of Winnipeg had fairly dazzled

him. He was going home heavy laden.with wonderful stories of all he had seen; the crowdhearing Mr. Punshon preach and the collection taken up at the close, the review of thebattalion of militia, the splendour of the village stores, the Bed River Steamboat, the quantitiesof rum, were al] amazing. When the plate came round at the church Souzie rejoiced, and wasgoing to help himself, but, noticing his neighbours put money in, he was so puzzled that he letit pass. He chuckled for many a day at the simplicity of the Winnipeggers : "Who ever beforesaw a plate handed round except to take something from it !" The review excited his highestadmiration : "Wah, wah ! wonderful ! I have seen a hundred men turned into one !" Our firstwork this morning was to cross the Assiniboine.

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country in which we were, extending north-west from Fort Ellice, light frosts were not unusualin July or August. They are not so heavy as seriously to injure grain crops; but still they are anunpleasant feature in this section of the country.

The general destruction of the trees by fires makes a recurrence of these frosts only too likely.If there were forests, there would be a greater rainfall, less heavy dews, and probably nofrosts. But it will be little use for the government to issue proclamations in reference to theextinguishing of camp fires, until there are settlers here and there, who will see to their

observance for their own interest. Settlers will plant trees, or give a chance of growing to thosethat sow themselves, and prevent the spread of fires.

Our second stage for the day was sixteen miles over an excellent road and through anundulating country that evoked spontaneous bursts of admiration from every one. The prairiewas broken into natural fields by rounded hillocks and ridges crowned with clumps of aspens-too often fire-seathed. In the hollows grew tall r'ich grass which would never be mowed;everywhere else, even on the sandy ridges, was excellent pasture.

We met a half-breed travelling, with dried meat and buffalo skins, to Fort Garry, in his woodencart covered with a cotton roof, and he informed us that men were hunting, two days' journeyahead, about the Touchwood Hills. This excited our men to the highest pitch, for the buffalo

have not come on this route for many years, and eager hopes were exchanged that we mightsee and get a shot at them. Wonderful stories were told of the buffalo hunts in former days,and men hitherto taciturn, perhaps because they knew little English, began explaining volubly,eking out their meaning with expressive gesticulation the nature of a buffalo hunt. Fine fellowsall our half-breeds were as far as riding, hunting, camping, dancing and such like wereconcerned ; though they would have made but poor farm-servants. Two of them had belongedto Kiel's bodyguard in the days of his little rebellion. The youngest was Willie, a boy of sixteenwho rode and lassoed and raged and stormed and swore on the slightest provocation betterthan any of them. He looked part of the horse when on his back, and never shirked theroughest work. We were horrified at his ready profanity, and the Doctor rowed him up about itbut, though they all liked the Doctor, for he had physicked two or three of them successfully,and had even bound up the sore leg of one of the korses better than they could, the jawing

had no effect. The Secretary then tried his hand. Finding that Willie believed in his father, anadventurous daring Scot who had married a squaw, he accosted him one day when none of the others were near, with : "Willie, would you like to hear me yelling out your father's name,with shameful words among strangers ?" He looked up with a half-puzzled, half-defiant air, andshook his head. "Well, how can I like to hear you shouting out bad language about my bestfriend ?" A few more words on that line, and Willie was converted. We heard no more oathsfrom him except the mild ones : "By George," "by Jing" or "by Golly,'' and in sundry ingeniousways thereafter he showed a sneaking fondness for the Secretary.

We rested to-day for dinner on a hillock beside two deep pools of water, and the Doctor madeus capital soup from preserved tomatoes and mutton. Ten or eleven miles from our diningtable brought us to the end of this section of wooded country, where we had intended to camp

for the night, but the ponds were empty and no halt could be made. We therefore pushed onacross a vast treeless plain, twenty miles wide, with the knowledge that if there was no waterin a marsh beside a solitary tree four miles ahead, we would have to go off the road for fivemiles to get some, and, as the sun was setting, the prospect for the first time looked gloomy.Making rapidly for the lonely tree, enough water for ourselves and horses was found, and withhurrahs from the united party, the tents were pitched. Forty-two and a half miles the odometershewed to be our day's travel.

August 10th. The night of the 8th having been so cold, we divided out more blankets thefollowing evening by dispensing with one tent, and sleeping three, instead of two, in each.

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The precaution turned out to be unnecessary, though we kept it up afterwards, for the nightswere always cool. This feature of cool nights after hot days is an agreeable surprise to thosewho know how different it usually is in inland countries, or wherever there is no sea breeze. Itis one of the causes of the healthy appearance of the new settlers even in the summermonths. In the hottest season of the year the nights are cool, and the dews abundant, exceptwhen the sky is covered with clouds. No wonder that the grass keeps green.

Our morning's ride was across sixteen miles of the great plain, four miles from the easterlyedge of which we had camped. The Secretary walked the distance and got to the breakfast-place ten minutes after the mounted party. A morning's walk or ride across such an open has awonderfully exhilarating effect. The air is so pure and bracing that little fatigue is felt, even after unusual exertion; seldom is ahair turned on horse or man.

The plain was not an unbroken expanse but a succession of very shallow basins, enclosed inone large basin, itself shallow from the rim of wliich you could look across the whole, whereas,at the bottom of one of the smaller basins, the horizon was exceedingly limited. No soundbroke the stillness except the chirp of the gopher, or prairie squirrel, running to his hole in thegound. The character of the soil every few yards could be seen from the fresh earth, that the

moles had scarcely finished throwing up. It varied from the richest of black peaty loam,crumbled as if it had been worked by a gardener's hand for his pots, to a very light sandy soil. The ridges of the basins were often gravelly. Everywhere the pasturage was excellent, thoughit was tall enough for hay only in the depi-essions or marshy spots.

Our two next stages carried us over twenty-five miles of a lovely country, known as the Little Touchwood Hills; aspens were grouped on gentle slopes, or thrown in at the right points of valley and plain, so as to convey the idea of distance and every other effect that a landscapegardener could desire. Lakelets and pools, fringed with willows, glistened out at almost everyturn of the road, though unfortunately most were saline.

Only the manor-houses and some gently-flowing streams were wanting, to make out a

resemblance to the most beautiful parts of England. For generations, all this boundless extentof beauty and wealth had been here, owned by England ; and yet statesmen had beenpuzzling their heads over the "Condition of England, the Poor, the Irish Famine, the Land andLabour, and similar Questions," without once turning their eyes to a land that offered apractical solution to them all. And the beauty in former years had been still greater, for thoughthe fires have somehow been kept off this district for a few years, it is not very long since bothhardwood and evergreens as well as willows and aspens, grew all over it; and then, at everyseason of the year, it must have been beautiful. Of late years fires have been frequent; andthey are so disastrous to the whole of our North-west that energetic action should be taken toprevent them. Formerly, when the Hudson's Bay Company was the only power in this GreatLone Land, it was alive to the necessity of this, and very successful in impressing its views onthe Indians as well as on its own servants. Each of its travelling parties carried a spade with

which the piece of ground on which the fire was to be made was dug up, and as the partymoved off, earth thrown on the embers extinguished them. But since miners, traders, touristsand others have entered the country, there has been a very different state of affairs. Some of the spring traders set fire to the grass round their camps, that it may grow up the better andbe fresh on their return in autumn. The destruction of forests, the drying up of pools, and theextermination of game by roasting the spring eggs, are all nothing compared to a little selfishadvantage.

And the Indians and the Hudson's Bay parties seeing this, have become nearly as reckless.

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This afternoon we had some idea of the lovely aspect that this country would soon assume, if protected from the fire-demon.

The trees grow up with great rapidity ; in five or six years the aspens are thick enough forfencing purposes. There was good sport near the lakes and clumps of trees, and Prank shotprairiehen, partridge and teal, for dinner and next day's breakfast. As he was confined to theroadside, and had no dog, he had but; indifferent chances for a good bag. "We had to push onto do our forty-one miles, and could not wait for sportsmen. At sunset the camp was selected,

by a pond in the middle of a plain, away from the bush so as to avoid mosquitoes; and asEmilien was tired enough by this time, he agreed readily to the proposal to rest on thefollowing day.

August 11th. Breakfast at 9 a.m., having allowed ourselves the luxury of a long sleep on theDay of Best. The water beside our camp was hard and brackish, scarcely drinkable, not goodeven to wash with. It gave an unpleasant taste to the tea, and even a dash of spirits did notneutralize its brackishness. Here again the necessity of finding out the real state of the water-supply of this country was forced on our attention.

Even if the pools do not dry up, the water in them at this time of the year is only what is left of melted snow and the spring and summer rains, tainted with decayed vegetable matter, and

filled with animalculæ.

This was a grand day for horses and men. Most of the latter rose early and had theirbreakfasts and then went to sleep again; others did not rise from under the carts and shakethemselves out of their buffalo blankets, till after ten o'clock. At 11:15 all assembled forservice, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians. The Secretary sat on abox in front of the tents, with Frank by his side holding an umbrella over both heads, as thesun shone fiercely. The congregation, thirteen in number, sat in the doors, or shade of thetents.Mr. McDougal led the responses, and all joined in devoutly.

After the service had been read and hymns sung, a short sermon was preached.

The advantages of resting on the Lord's Day, on such expeditions as this, and of uniting insome common form of worship, are manifest. The physical rest is needed by man and beast.

All through the week there has been a rush; the camp begins to be astir at three in themorning, and from that hour till nine or ten at night, there is constant high pressure. At thehalting places, meals have to be cooked, baggage arranged and rearranged, horses looked to,harness mended, clothes washed or dried, observations and notes taken, specimens collected,and everything kept clean and trim ; rest is therefore impossible.

From four to six hours of sleep are all that can be snatched.

The excitement keeps a mere tourist up, so that on Saturday night he feels able to go ahead;and possibly grudges what seems the unnecessary loss of a day; but if he insists on pushingon, the strain soon becomes too much, and he loses all the benefit to his health that he hadgained : and as the men have none of the excitement of novelty, they need the periodic restall the more.

But the great advantages of the day, to such a party, are lost if each man is left the wholetime to look after himself,as if there was no common bond of union, and no sacredness aboutthe day. They then sleep or gamble, ramble or shoot, snare gophers or prairie dogs, read orwi'ite, eat and drink, are benefitted as their horses are, but nothing more, perhaps less.

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There is a more excellent way, for the Sabbath was made for the whole man. Let the head of the party ask them to meet for common prayer or some simple service, ever so short; all willcome if they believe that they are welcome. The question, what denomination are you of ?need not be asked. The singing of a hymn will bring them round the tent or hillock where theservice is held. The kneeling together, the alternate reading, a few earnest kindly words, domore than anything else to awaken old blessed remembrances, to stir the better nature of all,to heal up the little bitternesses and squabbles of the week and give each that sentiment of

common brotherhood that cements into one the whole party. They have been brought into thepresence of the Great Preserver and the rest of the day and of the week is hallowed by thathour. Cut off from the world of men, they are made to feel their dependence on Him and oneach other ; and master and man are all the better for is.

The large body of Canadians that preceded Milton and Cheadle in their journey across thesesame plains ten years ago, would hardly have held together, had it not been for theirobservance of the Sunday rest. In an account of their arduous expedition by this route to theCariboo gold mines, one of themselves gives this earnestly-worded testimony : "The fatiguesof the journey were now beginning to have an injurious efiect upon our animals, as well asupon the tempers and dispositions of the men, and especially towards the end of the weekwere these effects more apparent, when frequent disar greements and petty disputes or

quarrels of a more serious kind would take place, when each was ready to contradict theother, and, at the slightest occasion or without any occasion, to take offence. But to-morrowwould be the Sabbath; and no wonder that its approach should be regarded with pleasurableanticipations, as furnishing an opportunity for restoring the exhausted energies of both manand beast, for smoothing down the asperities of our natures, and by allowing us time forreflection, for regaining a just opinion of our duties towards one another ; and the vigour withwhich our journey would be prosecuted, and the cordiality and good feeling that characterizedour intercourse after our accustomed rest on the first day of the week, are sufficient evidenceto us that the law of the Sabbath is of physical as well as moral obligation, and that itsprecepts cannot be violated with impunity. We certainly have had much reason gratefully toadore that infinite wisdom and goodness that provided for us such rest." All which is soundcommon sense. Crede expertis ! Our Sunday dinner was a good one. Terry had time and did

his best. The Chief gave a little whiskey to the men, to take the bad taste from the water andkill the animalculæ; and Emilien took as kindly to resting as if he had never travelled onSundays in his life.

The afternoon was sultry and thundery. Heavy showers, we could see, were falling ahead andall around, but although the clouds threatened serious things, we got only a sprinkling, and theevening cleared up with a glorious sunset.

After tea Mr. McDougal led our family worship. "We did not ask the men to come, but thesound of the hymn brought them round, and they joined in the short service with devoutness,Willie, who had done a good day's work in snaring fat gophers, being particularly attentive. They were all thankful for the rest of the day.

August 12th. "The 12th" found us up early, as if near a highland moor, and away from camp afew minutes after sunrise.

Another delightful day; sunny and breezy. First stage, thirteen miles; the second, sixteen; andthe third, fourteen miles, or forty-three for the day; every mile across a country of unequalledbeauty and fertility; of swelling uplands enclosing in their hollows lakelets, the homes of snipeplover and duck, fringed with tall reeds, and surrounded with a belt of soft woods; longreaches of rich lowlands with hillsides spreading gently away from them, on which we werealways imagining the houses of the owners; avenues of whispering trees through which werode on, without ever coming to lodge or gate.

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Our first "spell" was through the most beautiful country, simply because longest spared by fire.[The term "spell" is commonly used, all over the plains, to indicate the length of journeybetween meals or stopping-places; the latter are sometimes called spellingplaces, by half-breeds and others].

Many of the aspens were from one to two feet in diameter. Most of the water was fresh, butprobably not very healthy, for the lakes or ponds were shallow, and the water tainted by the

annual deposition of an enormous quantity of decomposed organic mattei-. In summer whenthe water is low, it is difficult to get at it, because of the depth of the mire. When the buffaloranged through this country and came to ponds to drink, they often sank so deep in the mudthat they were unable to extricate themselves, especially if the foremost were driven out bythose behind, or the hunter was pressing them. The harder the poor beasts struggled, thedeeper they sank; till, resigning themselves to the inevitable, they were trampled over byothers of the herd. The old deeply indented trails of the herd, iu the direction of the salinelakes, are still visible. They used to lick greedily the saline incrustations round the border, asthey do still when near such lakes. Like domestic cattle, they instinctively understand themedicinal value of salt. From this point of view, it is doubtful if the saline lakes will prove aserious disadvantage to the stock-raising fanner. In British Columbia and on the Pacific Coastgenerally, such lakes are found, and the cattle that are accustomed to the water, receive no

injury from drinking it.

On our way to dinner, two large white cranes rose swan-like from a wet marsh near the road.Frank with his gun and Willie with a stone made after them. The larger of the two flew high,but Willie's stone brought down the other. As he was seizing it, the big one, evidently themother, attacked him, but seeing the gun coming, flew up in time to save herself.

The young one was a beautiful bird, the extended wings measuring over six feet from tip totip. As soon as Willie had killed his game, he rode off in triumph with it slung across hisshoulders.

In twenty minutes after his arrival at camp, he and his mates had plucked, cooked and

disposed of it, all uniting in pronouncing the meat "first class." After dinner a good chance of killing a brown bear was lost At a turn of the road he was surprised on a hillock, not twentyyards distant from the buckboard that led our cavalcade. Had the horsemen and guns been infront as usual, he could have been shot at once; but before they came up he was off, at ashambling but rapid gait among the thickets, and there was not time to give chase. This was' adisappointment, for all of us would have relished a bear-steak.

The low line of the Touchwood Hills had been visible in the forenoon; and, for the rest of theday's journey, we first skirted them in a north-westerly direction, and then turning directlywest, we gained the height by a road so winding and an ascent so easy, that there was nopoint at which we could look back and get an extended view of the ground travelled in thecourse of the afternoon. It is almost inaccurate to call this section of country by the name of

Hills, little or big.

It is simply a series of prairie uplands, from fifty to eighty miles wide, that swell up in beautifulundulations from the levelprairies on each Mde. They have no decided summits from which the ascent and the plainbeyond can be seen ; but everywhere are grassy or wooded rounded knolls, enclosing fields,with small ponds in the windings, and larger ones in the lowest hollows.

The land everywhere is of the richest loam. Every acre that we saw might be ploughed. Though not as well suited for steamploughs as the open prairie, in many respects this section

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is better adapted for farming purposes, being well wooded, well watered, and with excellentnatural drainage, not to speak of its wonderful beauty. All that it lacks is a murmuring brook orbrawling burn; but there is not one, partly because the trail is along the watershed. On aparallel road farther north passing by Quill Lake, Mr. McDougal says that there are runningstreams, and that the country is, of course, all the more beautiful.

Our camp for the night was beside two lakelets near forks where the road divides, one goingnortherly from our course to

the old Touchwood trading-post, fifteen miles distant.

So passed the 12th with us. If we had not sweet-scented heather and Scotch grouse, we hadduck and plover and prairie hen ; and, beside the cheery camp^res under a cloudless starlitsky, we enjoyed our feast as heartily as any band of gypsies or sportsmen on the moors.

August 13th. Heavy rain this morning which ceased at sunrise. Got off an hour after, anddescended, in our first stage of fourteen and a half miles, the western side of the TouchwoodHills. This side is very much like the other; the descent to us was so imperceptible thatnowhere could we see far ahead or feel certain that we were descending, until the mostwestern upland was reached, and then, beneath and far before us, stretched a seeminglyendless sea of level prairie, a mist on the horizon giving it still more the look of a sea.

Early in the morning we came upon two buffalo-tents by the roadside. In these were the firstIndians we had fallen in with since meeting the Sioux at Rat Creek, with the exception of twoor three tents at the crossing of the Assiniboine. They were two families of Bungys (a sectionof the Salteaux or Ojibbeway tribe) who had been hunting buffalo on the prairie to the south-west. They had a good many skins on their carts, and the women were engaged at the door of a tent chopping up the fat and meat to make pemmican. Marchaud, our guide, at once strucka trade with them, a few handfuls of tea for several pieces of dried buffalo meat. The menseemed willing that he should take as much as he liked, but the oldest squaw haggledpertinaciously over each piece, and chuckled and grinned horribly when she succeeded insnatching away from him the last piece he was carrying off. She was the only ugly being intheir camp. The men had straight delicate features, with little appearance of manly strength in

their limbs; hair nicely trimmed and plaited. Two or three young girls were decidedly pretty,and so were the pappooses. The whole party would have been taken for good looking gypsiesin England.

The road on this stage was the worst we had travelled over; so full of ruts and boulders thatthe axle of one of the carts snapped, and as there was not time to make another, the cart hadto be abandoned by the road-side till Emilien's return from Carlton. It was a marvel how wellthose Red River carts stood out all the jolting they got. When any part broke before, a thong of shaganappi or buffalo raw-hide thong had united the pieces. Shaganappi in this part of theworld does all that leather, cloth, rope, nails, glue, straps, cord, tape, and a number of otherarticles are used for elsewhere. Without it the Red River cart, which is simply a clumsy lookingbut really light box cart with wheels six or seven feet in diameter, and not a bit of iron about

the whole concern, would be an impossibility.

These small-bodied high-wheeled carts cross the miry creeks, borne up by the grass roots, andon the ordinary trail the horses jog along with them at a steady trot of four or five miles anhour. Ordinary carts would stick hopelessly in the mud at the crossings of the creeks andmarshes, and travel slowly on a good trail. A cart without an ounce of iron was a curiosity to usat first, but we soon foimd that it was the right thing in the right place.

After breakfast we entered on a plain that stretched out on every side, but the one we had left,to the horizon. This had once been a favourite resort of the bufialo, and we passed in the

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course of the day more than a score of skulls that were bleaching on the prairie. All the otherbones had been chopped and boiled by the Indian women for the oil in them.

The Chief picked up two or three of the best skulls to send as specimens to Ottawa. Great wasSouzie's amazement at such an act. He had been amused at the Botanist gathering flowersand grasses; but the idea of a great O-ghe-ma coming hundreds of miles, to carry home boneswithout any marrow in them, was inexplicable.

He went up to Frank and explained by gestures that they were quite useless, and urged him tothrow them out of the buckboard, and when Frank shook his head he appealed to Mr.McDougal to argue with us. All his efforts failing, he gave it up; but whenever his eyes caughtsight of the skulls it was too much for even Indian gravity, and off he would go into fits of laughing at the folly of the white men.

Our second spell was nineteen, and the third, nine miles across this treeless desolate-lookingprairie. Towards evening the country became slightly broken and wooded, but we had to campon a spot where there was not enough wood to make the fires for the night. Knowing this,Marchaud passed the word to the men on horseback, two or three miles before arriving at thecamp. They dashed into the thicket, pitched some small dead dry wood into the carts, andthen each throwing an uprooted tree from fifteen to twenty-five feet long, and four to six

inches in diameter across his shoulders or on the pommel of his saddle, cantered off with it,Sancho Panza like, as easily as if it was only a long whip. They had done this several timesbefore, Willie generally piekiiig out the biggest tree to carry. No matter how unwieldy the load,they rode their horses firmly and gracefully as ever.

The prairie crossed to-day extends north-easterly to Quill Lake, the largest of the salt lakes. Just on that account, and because all the ponds on it are saline, clearly shown even wheredried up by the reddish samphire or white incrustations about the edges, one or two test wellsshould be sunk here.

To-day we had two opportunities of sending to Red River letters or telegrams for home, and-lest one should fail-availed ourselves of both. Tying our packets with red tape, to give them an

official look and thus impress Posty with due care, and sealing the commission with a plug of tobacco, we trusted our venture with the comfortable feeling that we had re-established ourcommunications with the outer world. [It is only fair to mention that both messengers, one of them a French, and the other a Scotch half-breed and parishioner of Mr. McDougal's, provedtrusty. Every letter or telegram we sent from the plains reached home sooner than we hadcounted on].

All day our men had been on the outlook for buffalo but without result. Marchaud rode inadvance, gun slung across his shoulders, but although he scanned every comer of the horizoneagerly, and galloped ahead or on either side to any overhanging lip of the plateau, no herd orsolitary bull came within his view. They were not far off, for fresh tracks were seen.

The tracks of former times are indented in the ground like old furrows and run in parallel linesto the salt lakes, as if in those days the prairie had been covered with wood, and the beastshad made their way through in long files of thousands.

August 14th. The thermometer fell below freezing point last night, but the additionalallowance of blankets kept us warm enough. At sunrise there was a slight skiff of ice on somewater in a bucket; and, in the course of the morning's ride, we noticed some of the leaves of the more tender plants withered, but whether from the frost or blight, or natural decay theyhaving reached maturity, we could not determine.

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The sun rose clear, and the day like its predecessors was warm and bracing, the perfection of weather for travelling.

"We had hitherto been on the height of land that divides the streams running into theAssiniboine from those that run into the Qu'Appelle, and this, in part, accounted for theabsence of creeks near our road. To-day we got to a still higher elevation, the watershed of theSouth Saskatchewan, and found, in consequence, that the grass and flowers were in anadvanced stage as compared with those farther east. The grass was grey and ripe, and

flowers, that were in bloOm not far away, were seeding here. The general upward slope of theplains between Red River and Lake Winnepeg, and the Rocky Mountains, is towards the west. The elevation at Fort Garry is 700 feet, at Fort Edmonton 2088 feet, and at the base of theMountain Chain 3000 feet above the sea. This rise of 2,300 feet is spread over a thousandmiles, but Captain Palliser marked three distinct steppes in this great plain. The first springsfrom the southern shore of the Lake of the "Woods, and, tending to the south-west, crossesthe Red River well south of the boundary line; thence it runs irregularly in a north-westerlydirection, by the Riding Mountains towards Swan River, and thence to the Saskatchewan-where the north and south branches unite.

The average altitude of this easterly steppe is from 800 to 900 feet above the sea level. Thesecond or middle steppe, on which we now are, extends west to the elbow of the South

Saskatchewan, and thence northwards to the Eagle Hills, west of Port Carlton. Its meanaltitude is 1608 feet. The third prairie steppe extends to the mountains. Each of these steppes,says Palliser, is marked by important changes in the composition of the soil, and consequentlyin the character of the vegetation. [For an exceedingly clear description of the boundaries of these three stenuea and ofthe Western, Eastern and transverse watersheds of the whole area,see "Report of the Geology and Resources of the region in the vicinity of the 49th parallel byGeorge Mercer Dawson," p. 2-10].

Our first spell to-day was fifteen, and our second, twenty miles, to the Round Hill , over rollingor slightly broken prairie, the loam was not so rich as usual and had a sandy subsoil.

Ridges and hillocks of gravel intersected or broke the general level, so that, should the railway

come in this direction, abundant material for ballasting can be promised.

The prairie to-day had an upward slope till about one o'clock, when it terminated in a range of grassy round hills. For thenext hour's travelling the road wound through these; a succession of knolls enclosing cup-likebasins, which in the heart of the range contained water, fresh and saline. Wood also began tore-appear; and, when we halted for dinner, at the height of the range, the beauty that wood,water, and bold hill-sides give was blended in one spot. We were three or four hundred feetabove the prairie; the scenery round us was bolder than is to be found in any part of Ontario,and resembled that of the Pentlands near Edinburgh. The hill at the foot of which we campedrose abniptly from the rest, like the site of an ancient fortalice. Horotski described it as a NewZealand pah; one hill like a wall enclosing another in its centre, and a deep precipitous valley,

that would have served admirably as a moat, filled with thick wood and underbrush, betweenthe two.

Climbing to the summit of the central hill, we found ourselves in the middle of a circle, thirty toforty miles in diameter, enclosing about a thousand square miles of beautiful country Northand east it was undulating, studded with aspen groves and shining with lakes. To the southand west was a level prairie, with a sky line of hills to the south-west. To the north-west, ourdirection a prairie fire, kindled probably by embers that had been left carelessly behind at acamp, partly hid the view. Masses of fiery smoke rose from the burning grass and willows, andif there had been a strong wind, or the grass less green and damp, the beauty of much of the

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fair scene we were gazing on would soon have vanished, and a vast blackened surface alonebeen left.

It was nearly 4 P.M. before we left the "Round Hill, and then we passed between the remaininghills of the range, and gradually descended to the more levej prairie beyond, through abeautiful, boldly irregular country, with more open expanses than in the Touchwood Hills, andmore beautiful pools, though the wood was not so artistically grouped. Passing near the fire,which was blazing fiercely along a line of a quarter of a mile, we saw that it had commenced

from a camping ground near the roadside. Heavy clouds were gathering that would soonextinguish the fiames. As there was the appearance of a terrific thunder storm, we hurried to asheltered spot seven or eight miles from Round Hill, and camped before sunset, just as heavydrops commenced to fall. The speed with which our arrangements for the night were madeastonished ourselves.

Every one did what he could; and in five minutes the horses were unharnessed, the tentspitched, the saddles and all perishable articles covered with waterproofs ; but, whileexchanging congratulations, the dense black clouds drove on to the south, and, though the skywas aflame with lightning, the rain scarcely touched us.

August 15th. Early in the morning rain pattered on our tents, but before day-light it had

passed off, and we started comfortably at our usual hour, a little after sunrise. Our aim was toreach the south branch of the Saskatchewan, forty-six miles away, before night ; the distancewas divided into three spells of thirteen, seventeen and sixteen miles.

The scenery in the morning's ride was a continuation of that of last night ; through a lovelycountry, well wooded, abounding in lakelets, swelling into softly-rounded knolls, andoccasionally opening out into a wide and fair landscape. The soil was of rich loam and thevegetation correspondingly luxuriant; the flora the same, and almost at the same stage as thatwe had first seen on the prairie, a fortnight before, near Red River; the roses just going out of bloom ; the yellow marigolds and golden-rods, the lilac bergamot, tlie white tansey, blue-bellsand hare-bells, and asters of many colours and sizes, in all their splendour. We were quitebeyond the high and dry region; and again in a country that could easily be converted into an

earthly paradise.

We met or passed a great many teams and "brigades" today; traders going west, and half-breeds returning east with carts well-laden with buffalo skins and dried meat. A number of RedRiver people club together in the spring, and go west to hunt the buffalo. Their united caravanis popularly called a brigade, and very picturesque is its appearance on the road or round thecamp-fire. The old men, the women and little children are engaged on the expedition, and allhelp. The men ride and the women drive the carts. The children make the fires and do choresfor the women. The men shoot buffalo; the women dry the meat and make it into pemmican.

Hundreds of half-breeds often start together on these expeditions with horses and carts, oxenand dogs, and remain out in the plains for two months at a time. The discipline maintained by

the half-breeds on these occasions is enough to prove what formidable enemies they could beif they were determined to prevent the settling of the country. They are all supplied with arms,they shoot and ride well, and could find food and water where regular troops would starve. They elect their own captains and policemen when out on the plains, set outposts, makecamping laws and laws for the hunt, and strictly enforce them by fines, or the destruction of the clothes and gear of the offender, or by expulsion from the band. When near a great herd of buffalo, the excitement becomes intense. The approach is made cautiously, but not till thecaptain gives the word is the charge made. Then like hounds slipped from the leash, in thehunters' dash, their horses quivering with the excitement of the riders. Each man selects hiscow or bull, and unless his horse trips in a mole or badger hole and throws him, he is taken

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safely within a few yards of its flanks. Aim, is seldom missed, and the hunter dashes off instantly after another, and so on till the herd is far away. The half-breed would not exchangethe pleasure of one such "run" for a whole year's profitable farm work. After the hunt the workof the women and children begins. They have to prepare the dried meat and pemmican, anddress the hides. And when the carts are well filled, the band returns home.

Our breakfast place was a neck of land between two lakes, one of them sweet, the other bitter. The elevation of the two seemed to be the same, but, on a closer look, the fresh lake was seen

to be the higher of the two, so that when full it would overflow into the other. This wasinvariably the case, as far as we saw, when two or more of such lakes were near each other.

The salt lakes had no outlet, the natural drainage passing off only by absorption andevaporation.

The country between this first halt and the Saskatchewan consisted of three successivebasins; each bounded by a low ridge, less or more broken. Everywhere the ground wasuneven, not so well suited as the level for steam agricultural implements, but tha very countryfor stock raising or dairy farms.

The road was bad, and no wonder, according to the axiom that good soil makes bad roads. The

ruts were deep in black loam, and rough with willow roots. Even when the wheels sank to theaxles, they brought up not clay, but moist dripping black muck, that would gladden the eyes of a farmer.

Soon after dinner, we came to the last ridge, and before us spread out a magnificentpanorama. Fifteen miles further west rolled the South Saskatchewan. We could not see theriver, but the blue plateau that formed our sky line was on the other side of it. And thosefifteen miles at our feet, stretching to an indefinite horizon on the south, and bounded fivemiles away to the north by Minitchenass or "the lumping hill of the woods," showed everyvariety of rolling plain, gentle upland, wooded knoll, and gleaming lake. Where hundreds of homesteads shall yet be there is not one. Perhaps it is not to be regretted that there is somuch good land in the world still unoccupied.

The intense saltness of many of the lakes was the only doubtful feature in the landscape. Oneat our feet several miles long had a shore of brightest red, sure sign of how it would taste.

All at the foot of the ridge with one exception are saline; after going on a few miles andmounting a slope, they are fresh.

The sun set when we were still five miles from the river.

Another axle had broken and heavy clouds threatened instant rain. Some advised halting; butthe desire to see the Saskatchewan was too strong to be resisted, and we pushed on at arattling rate over the rutty uneven road. Never were buckboards tested more severely, and no

carts but those of Red River could have stood for ten minutes the bumps from hillock tohillock, over boulders, roots and holes, as we dashed forward at a break-neck rate. The lastmile was down hill. The Doctor and the Chief put their horses to the gallop, and only drew reinwhen, right beneath, they saw the shining waters of the river.

The rest of us were scarcely a minute behind, and three rousing cheers sent back the news tothe carts. In twelve working days, we had travelled five hundred and six miles, doing on thislast forty-six ; and the horses looked as fresh as at the beginning of the journey; a fact thatestablishes the nutritious properties of the grasses, their only food on the way, as well as thestrength and hardihood of the breed.

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Mr. Clark, the agent, received us with customary Hudson's Bay hospitality. The eighteen milesbetween the two rivers is a plateau, not more at its highest than three hundred feet aboveeither stream. The soil looked rather light and sandy, but suf.ficiently rich for profitable farming. There is capital duckshooting on lakes near the road. Fromthe ancient bank of the river, above the Fort, is a good view of the course of the north stream.It is a noble river, rather broader, with higher banks and a wider valley, than the south branch.

The usual square of four or five wooden buildings, surrounded by a high plank fence,

constitutes "the Fort," and having been intended for defence against Indians only, it is of littleconsequence that it is built on the low ground, so immediately imder the ancient bank of theriver that you can look down into the inclosure, and almost throw a stone into it from a pointon the bank.

Fifty miles down stream is the Prince Albert Presbyterian Mission to the Crees, where there isalso the nucleus of a thriving Scotch settlement. Fifty miles farther down, in the same north-easterly direction, the two Saskatchewans unite, and then pursue their way with a magnificentvolume of water-broken only by one rapid of any consequence, to Lake Winnipeg.

We dined with Mr. Clark on pemmican, a strong but savoury dish, not at all like "the driedchips and tallow" some Sybarites have called it. There is pemmican and pemmican however,

and we were warned that what is made for ordinary fare needs all th» sauce that hungersupplies to make it palatable.

A few hours before our arrival, Mr. Clark had received intelligence from Edmonton, that Yankeefree-traders from Belly River had entered the country, and were selling rum to the Indians inexchange for their horses. The worst consequences were feared, as when the Indians have nohorses they cannot hunt. When they cannot hunt they are not ashamed to steal horses, andhorse-stealing leads to wars. The Crees and Blackfeet had been at peace for the last two orthree years, but, if the peace was once broken, the old thirst for scalps would revive and thecountry be rendered insecure. Mr. Clark spoke bitterly of the helplessness of the authorities, inconsequence of having had no. force from the outset to back up the proclamations that hadbeen issued. Both traders and Indians, he said, were learning the dangerous lesson that the

Queen's orders could be disregarded with impunity. We comforted him with the assurance thatthe Adjutant-General was coming up to repress all disorders and see what was necessary to bedone for the future peace of the country. ' Making allowances for the fears of those who see noprotection for life or property within five hundred or a thousand miles of them, and for theexaggerated size to which rumours swell in a country of such magnificent distances, wherethere are no newspapers and no means of communication except expresses, it is clear that if the government wishes to avoid worrying, expensive, murderous difiiculties with the Indians,"something must be done." There must be law and order all over our Northwest from the first. Three or four companies of fifty men each, like those now in Manitoba, would be sufficient forthe purpose, if judiciously stationed. Ten times the number may be required if there is longdelay. The country cannot afibrd repetitions of the Manitoba rebellion. The Crees are anxiousfor a treaty. The Blackfeet should be dealt with firmly and generously ; treaties made with both

oa the basis of those agreed upon in the east; a few simple laws for the protection of life andproperty explained to them, and their observance enforced; small annuities allowed; the spirit-traffic prohibited, and schools and missionaries encouraged.

On asking Mr. Clark why there was no farm at Carlton, he explained that the neighbourhood of a fort was the worst possible place for farm or garden ; that the Indians who come about a fortfrom all quarters, to trade and to see what they can get, would, without the slightest intentionof stealing, use the fences for firewood, dig up the potatoes and turnips, and let their horsesget into the grain-fields. He had therefore established a farm at the Prince Albert Mission, fiftymiles down the river. With regard to crops, barley and potatoes were always sure, wheat

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generally a success, though threatened by frosts or early drought, and never a total failure. This year, he expected two thousand bushels of wheat from a sowing of a hundred. The land atCarlton, and everywhere round, is the same as at Prince Albert. Its only fault is that it is rathertoo rich.

After dinner, three or four hours were allowed for writing letters home, and makingarrangements for the journey farther west. We got some fresh horses and provisions from Mr.Clark; said good-bye to Emilien, Marchaud, Willie, Frederick, and Jerome; and taking two of our

old crew, Terry and Maxime, along with two half-breeds and a hunch-backed Indian fromCarlton, crossed the North Saskatchewan before sunset.

In addition to Mr. McDougal, two Hudson's Bay officers joined us-one of whom, Mr. Macaulay,had been long stationed at Jasper House and Edmonton, and the other, Mr. King, far north onthe McKenzie River. The scew took everything across in two loads, and the horses swam theriver ; but it was after dark before the tents were pitched on the top of the hill, and nearlymidnight when we got to bed.

CHAPTER VI ALONG THE NORTH SASKATCHEWAN TO EDMONTON

The Thickwood Hills. — The Soil. — Slough of Despond. — Bears' Paddling. — Lake. — Indian

Missions Result. — Pemmican. — Jack-fish Lake. — The-Crees and Blackfeet. — Change inVegetation. — Resemblance to Ontario. — The Red deer Hills. — Rich Uplands and Valleys. —Fort Pitt. — The Horse Guard. — Fresh Buffalo Meat. — Partially Wooded Country. — CreeGuests Shaganappi. — Glorious View. — Our Longitude. — The Isothermal Lines. — ScalpingRaids. — The Flora. — Victoria Mission. — Indian School. — Crops Raised. — A Lady Visitor. — Timber. — Horse Hill. — Edmonton. — Coal. — Wheat and other Crops. — Gold-Washing. —Climate. — Soil. — Indian Kaces. — Water. — Fuel. — Frosts

August 17th. The distance from Fort Garry to Edmonton is nine hundred miles, and is usuallyregarded as consisting of three portions; two hundred and fifteen miles to Fort Ellice on theAssiniboine; three hundred and nine more to Fort Carlton; and about three hundred and eightyup the North Saskatchewan to Edmonton. On this third part of the journey we were now

entering.

It rained this morning, but we rose early, as usual, and prepared to start. There was a gooddeal of confusion and delay, as Horetsky, who had employed the new men and made thearrangements, had remained over night at the fort. The new horses could not be found forsome time ; and, with one thing and another, it was seven o'clock before we got off on thisstage of our journey. The sky soon cleai-ed and the day turned out as sunny and breezy as anyof its predecessors.

The road follows the upward course of the Saskatchewan, but as the river soon makes analmost semi-circular sweep, firstsouth and parallel to the South Saskatchewan, then northerly as far as Fort Pitt, the road

strikes across the chord of the arc, over a broken and hilly country called the Thickwood Hills.

Lakes are always in sight, one of them very large and very salt-and extensive views of finepasture lands are had from every elevation. The soil and its productions, greatly to thedisappointment of our Botanist, resembled what we had everywhere seen for the lastfortnight. The soil in some places was equally rich and deep ; but generally not quite as good.Everything indicated a cool and moist climate. There were few of the prairie flowers, but agreat variety of grasses, of wild peas, and beans, all green succulent herbage; a country betteradapted for stock raising than for wheat. The road was rough with roots, stones, andoccasionally deep ruts, and so hilly that the jog-trot had often to be exchanged for a walk. Mr.

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Clark's horses, with the exception of a span attached to a large waggon of his own that he hadlent us, turned out to be miserable beasts; stiff-jointed or sore-backed, and obstinately lifeless;so that we would have fared badly, had it not been for the six government horses brought onfrom Fort Ellice, The two Carl, ton half-breeds, employed to drive the carts or horses, were oldand stupid, incurable smokers and talkers. The one called Legrace was dried up as a mummy;the other fat and greasy, popularly known among us as "Haroosh.'' He owed the name to Terry, who, hearing him drive his red horse with frequent howls of "Ho Rouge ! Ho Rouge !"took for granted that this was the "Haroosh" familiar to himself in early days, and the proper

north-west cry to lazy horses. Terry, accordingly, never whacked his unfortunate white nagwithout yelling "Haroosh !" The only acquisition to the party from Carlton, was the younghunchbacked Indian called Keasis or the little bird.

Our breakfast-place was fifteen miles from camp, beside a marsh or pool on the road, twentyfeet wide, and so deep that the water came into the buck-boards and up to the axles of thecarts. It is well enough named the Slough of Despond. Often have carts stuck, and wholebrigades come to grief in it. Why the H. B. Company has never bridged it is a puzzle, except onthe principle that no private company cares to do any work that will be a public benefit, for ithas lost enough by it to build ten bridges. Where there is any considerable traffic, nothing is soexpensive as a slough, a hole, or any serious obstruction on the road.

We took dinner fifteen miles further on, beside a pretty little running stream, and campedbefore sunset, after making only eight miles more, beside The Bears Paddling Lake, a goodplace to stay over Sunday, as there is abundance of wood, water and pasture. The lake is veryshallow but has a firm sandy bottom and the Indians have often seen bears about its shores,enjoying themselves in the water. Hence its name, a translation of which is sufficient for us.

Every one from the Saskatchewan that we previously met, had spoken so enthusiastically of this river and of the great country it waters, that we were somewhat disappointed with whatwe had seen to day. True, we had passed over only a speck, and that so elevated that muchcould not be looked for from it. The soil appeared good, and the grasses were so thick thatthey almost formed a sward ; but the larger wood had been burnt, and willow bushes,scattered all round, indicated an indifferent sub-soil. Besides, we had not got rid of the salt

lakes.

Mr. McDougal, however, ridiculed our doubts : we had only to go out of our road a little, to finda rich and beautiful country, extending north to the line of continuous forest, and to-morrowand every successive day, as we journeyed west, would show pretty much the same.

Faith in the future of the Saskatchewan and its fertile belt is strong in the mind of almost everyman who has lived on it, and it is impossible to see even the little of the two great branches of the river that we saw, without being convinced that they are natural highways along whichmany steamers will soon be pljTng, carrying to market the rich produce of the plains thatextend to the east, west, and north. When the tents were pitched Souzie went down to thelake and shot four or five ducks, as a contribution to our Sunday dinner. The night was cool, as

we had expected at the elevation ; but there was no frost.

August, 18th. Took a much-needed long sleep, as usual on Sunday mornings; breakfasted atnine o'clock, and had service at eleven, Mr. McDougal assisting. We think ourselves fortunatein having fallen in with Mr. McDougal. He is thoroughly acquainted with the country, a man of ready resources and an obliging fellow traveller.

Widely diflferent opinions have been expressed, about the value of missionary work amongthe Indians, by the half dozen persons we have hitherto met, who profess to be less or moreacquainted with the subject. One gentleman's information was very decided : "The Protestant

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missionaries had made no converts; the Roman Catholic missionaries had made some, andthey were the greatest scoundrels unhung.'' Another was equally emphatic on the other side.One witness was doubtful, thinking that something could be said on both sides, and he wastherefore subjected to a little cross-examination : "Many of the Indians are now professingChristians; but, no doubt, some of them are great hypocrites." Asked if there was not a shareof hypocrisy in all of us, and if such a charge was not made against Christians everywhere.Admitted that it was so. Pressed on the point, whether the old child-like frankness on the partof the Indian along with a vast fund of reserve on the part of the trader, made commercial

transactions equally fair to both parties; admitted that it did not, and that thus the charge of hypocrisy might be retorted in the wigwam on the trader, or explained in the store on the partof the Indian. Asked if he could name any positive improvement in morality, that had resultedfrom missionaries' labours. "Yes; Christianized Crees would not steal your horses, at least notopenly when you were passing through their country." Well, you could not say more forChristianized Englishmen, or Yankees, if so much. Could he mention any other improvement."Yes; they had all been polygamista to as great an extent as they could afford (a new wifebeing bought for a horse or a blanket) and they used to exchange wives to suit each others'convenience; but such practices among several tribes had passed away, or were consideraddisreputable." Urged to remember what they were when he first went among them, so as tosay fairly if there was any other gain. "Yes; away to the north the Dogribs and other tribes onthe McKenzie, had a practice of strangling or smothering all their infant daughters after the

first; even the mother would stuff a handful of grass into the mouth of the poor little thing andchoke it ; now the practice was unknown." A decided gain for the daughters. Any more ? "Yes;some of them did keep the Lord's Day after a fashion, treated their women rather better, weremore comfortable, a little cleaner, sent their children to school for a while, and-well, there hadbeen improvement, but after all, if you only knew how superstitious they still are, how dirty,vicious, miserable, you would not consider them much better than pagans." The style of argument seemed ungenerous. Here were men, self-exiled, toiling all their lives withoutprospect of earthly promotion or reward, from the Blackfeet on the Bow River to the Loocieuxon the Yucan, from Winnipeg to where the McKenzie empties into the Arctic sea; among theIndians of the lakes and the plains, and the still more degraded Indians of the woods; living,many of them, in frozen wildernesses, where the year is made up of a six weeks' summer of West India heat, six or seven weeks more of warm days and cold nights, and nine months of

stern and dreary winter ; and when they see some results of their labour, some smallimprovements struggling to show themselves in spite of all the dismal surroundings, they findthat the necessarily slow process has made men forget the raw materiaJ they had to beginupon; they are sneered at as making hypocrites, or are pointed only to what remains to bedone, because their converts are not equal to the descendants of fifty generations of Christianforefathers. It is so easy to forget what once was, or to kick away the ladder by which weourselves have risen. Changes take place so imperceptibly that even those "living amongthem do not notice there has been change, and they assume that nothing has been done,when a great work is going on around them. Missionaries on the plains say, that now there hasbeen peace for the last two or three years, they can call to mind only with an effort the oncefamiliar scenes of bloodshed, and the universal craving for scalps.

The uniform policy of the Hudson's Bay Company was to encourage missionary effort amongthe Indians. Their charter bound them to this, and especially since 1820 they have done so toaconsiderable extent. Sir George Simpson always offered the protection of the Company tomissionaries, on condition that they attended to their own business and did nothing prejudicialto the interests of the Company. When a missionary was stationed near a Hudson's Bay Fort,he had the position also of Chaplain to the Fort, free passage in and out of the country by theCompany's boats, and £50 a year. For some time the Anglican and the Roman Catholic werethe only Churches that entered on the work, perhaps because the Compa ny was most readyto invite and assist these. During the last quarter of a century the Wesleyans also have workedin this field with their usual energy. They have now nine missionaries, and it is much to the

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credit of the two Protestant Churches, that they do not interfere with the stations of oneanother.

The Presbyterians have only one mission, that at Prince Albert, and, though in a prosperousstate, its work is in a great measure confined to a congregation of half-breed and whitesettlers.

A practical vindication both of the general dealings of the Company with the Indians and of

missionary work among them is the fact that the survey of the Canada Pacific Railway, fromthe Upper Ottawa to the Pacific coast, has in no case been interfered with. The engineers andothers have been welcomed; and very often, the Indians have proved extremely serviceable. The contrast with the state of things on the other side of the boundary line,-where surveyshave been summarily stopped, engineers killed, and where every Indian scalp is estimated tohave cost the country $100,000, is marked indeed.

Of course the missionary work has another and altogether higher aspect, from which it is onlyfair to look at it also. We must judge it from its own as well as from the world's standpoint.

Christian men and women give their means, their labours, and their lives to the heathen, notfor social, political, or

economical results, though they believe that such results follow their success, but for Christ'ssake, because the heathen are their brethren, dear to them because dear to their Lord. It isnot fair, thererefore, to leave the decision as to the value of their labours wholly to men of theworld, who judge only from the lower point of view, whose immediate interests may be injured,or on whose passions a bridle may be put by "the impertinent intermeddling" of missionaries,or who may be bitterly opposed to true Christianity for it is not extravagant to suppose thatthere have been such men. To preach the Gospel of the wonderful love of God to a fewdegraded Indians, may seem a small thing in the eyes of tourist or trader, in comparison withthe gospel of plenty of tobacco for peltries.

Far otherwise is it in the eyes of the missionary and his Master; far otherwise when weighed inthe balances of eternity.

August 19th. Rose at 3 a.m., thanks to the Sunday rest, and got away from camp beforesunrise.

Our first spell was thirteen miles, over a rich undulating country, little wooded, but, judgingfrom the strong green passes and vetches, well suited either for stock-raising or cereals. Webreakfasted in a lovely hollow, watered by springs of delicious water the banks lined withbalsam, poplars from one to two feet in diameter. The road here is about forty miles from theriver on account of the bend, to the south, that the latter makes. The Thickwood Hills are notmore than two hundred feet high.

Terry gave us pemmican for breakfast, and, from this date, pemmican was the staple of each

meal. Though none of us cared for it raw at first, we all liked it hot. Cooked for a few minutesin a frying pan with a little water and flour, and a dust of pepper and salt, onions added if youhave any, it is called r6chaud, and a capital dish it is, looking like Rodney, and tasting not verydifferently from well roasted beef Pemmican and sun-dried thin flitches of buffalo meat are thegreat food staples of the plains, so much so that when you hear people speak of provisions,you may be sure that they simply mean buffalo meat, either dried or as pemmican.

The second spell was twenty miles over round or sloping hills, enclosing lakes aud affordinggood pasturage, though the most of the land was sandy or gravelly and not up to the average.

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The country resembled the Cheviots and the south of Scotland-two or three places remindingus of Drumlanrig.

The road followed the high lands where the streamlets or creeks that flow into theSaskatchewan, take their rise. We crossed one of these three times, and then halted beside itfor dinner.

In the afternoon we followed along its course, through a succession of very pretty lakes, that

are almost covered with wild fowl, till it issued from the largest, Jack-fish Lake. We should havecrossed it there, but the water was too high, and we had to follow down its left bank to a fordthree miles to the south. When within a quarter of a mile of the ford, the big waggon and buck-boards going before, the carts following at some distance, and the horses driven behind them,the humpbacked Indian galloped to the front, and pointed back. There was Souzie crossing theriver in his light waggon, and the carts and the horses following lead. They floundered acrosspretty well, except the cart of Haroosh, which stuck in the mud.

Though angry at the check of the thing, it was thought best to follow, and Souzie beingrecalled and rowed up for his impudence, most of the articles that a wetting would damage,were transferred from the buckboards to his waggon and sent safely across. The big waggon,with the Chief and the Doctor mounted on the highest pinnacle, followed; but when near the

other side, its iron wheels sank in the black muddy bottom, and the horses, while struggling toextricate them, broke the whippletree and parts of the harness, leaving the waggon andcontents in the middle of the stream. Maxime and Keasis rushed to the rescue and untackledthe horses. The Chief and the Doctor, stripping from feet. to waist jumped down into the water,and putting their shoulders to the wheels while the other two pulled, amid cheers from the restof us on the other side, and countless bites from the mosquitoes, shoved the big thing to thebank.

The buckboards followed, and then Greasy, who had been left all the time in the middle of thestream, cudgelling his horse, and yelling "Ho Kouge ! Ho Rouge !" supplicated help, as his armand throat had quite given out. He was told to help himself, and to our great satisfaction, theold fellow had to jump down into the water and shove his caxt out. Ail got safely across,

nothing had been hurt, only Souzie looked woebegone for the night, and Greasy continuedsulky for two days.

We camped at once on the bank, though the mosquitoes, that always haunt woods andstreams, tormented our horses so much that the poor brutes could not eat, but crowded roundthe smoke of our fires, making the place look even more like agipsy encampment than usual.

The Jackfish-lake River runs, through a beautiful park-like country from this point into theSaskatchewan, fifteen miles to the south. It would be a good location for a missionary orgeneral settlement, for the lakes above are filled with jackfish or pike, and with white fish, thefinest fresh water fish, perhaps, in the world. There is also good water power, as the stream

descends about a hundred and fifty feet in the course of the next fifteen miles, and the land isslightly rolling and of excellent quality. It is the favourite ground of a large mixed band of Crees and Salteaux, who were away hunting buffalo.

On a little hill, near the stream, a great annual pow-wow is held in the spring, by the heathenCrees and Salteaux who come from long distances to have a high time. Their medicine menwho have still much influence among them, take the lead and hold a revival meeting. All theold incantations and wild dances are practised, and as the excitement gets up, they abandonthemselves to the foulest licentiousness.

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We had driven forty-eight miles to-day, the longest journey yet made. Except the first and lastpart, the land was apparently not very good.

August 20th. Instead of following up the right bank of the stream to the main road near Jack-fish Lake, we struck a new trail direct for Tortoise River, twenty-five miles distant. On the waywe saw a fine buck and two or three antelopes, but they were too far off for a shot. In thespring, several varieties of deer are abundant hereabouts, but at this season, most of them areaway with their young on the treeless prairies to the south. Halted on the road for breakfast;

but, to our disgust the water was salt. A breakfast of dry bread and dry pemmican washurriedly made; and we found that, on the plains, any meal without tea, is as poor an affair asbacon and beans without the bacon.

At Tortoise River we had a most reviving swim and a long halt. Beyond it is Horse Hill, so calledfrom a fight between the Crees and Blackfeet forty years ago. The Crees were encamped neara thicket at the foot of the hill, and a party of Blackfeet, that had made a successful raid farfrom their own borders, discovered them and charged. But the Cress were prepared, and, astill larger body of them on the slope of the hill, hidden by a ravine, swept round and drovetheir enemies into the ravine; and though many of the Blackfeet escaped, all their spoil wasretaken and forty horses were killed; an extraordinary number, for the aim is always tocapture the horses, horses and buffalo being the all-in-all to the Indians of the plains. In their

wars the Blackfeet often suffered from similar haste and over-boldness. Not long ago, a party ahundred strong, out raiding in the winter time, discovered a Cree camp among the hills, andrushed on it; but when they entered the pass, a second and a third camp appeared on eachside. Their only hope was escape, and they dashed straight on, to find that they had rushedinto a deep hollow, the opposite rim of which was topped high with snow-banks curling over infolds, so that there was no possibility of mounting it. The Crees closed with yells of triumph,and for once they hadtheir will on their enemies It was not a fight but a massacre. Seventywere killed in a few minutes, and then the Crees, in a fit of generosity, or because they wereglutted with blood, opened out and let the rest go.

Not that the Blackfeet disdain to exercise strategy. Cunning is natural to every Indian, in warand peace, in hunting and trading. We were told of a successful ambuscade of theirs at the

Round Hill so like a New Zealand pah, on the other side of the Saskatchewan. A large body of Crees had camped by one of the lakes near the open. Towards evening they espied a buffalograzing on the top of the inner hill. He fed so quietly, that they were a little suspicious at first,but soon others emerged from the coppice in the dip between the two hills.

Hungry Crees could be suspicious no longer. They drew near quietly, and were all ready to runthe bufialo, when every bush opened fire and a score of them dropped. The buffalo becameBlackfeet and turning the tables ran the Crees to some . . . (?)

The characteristic of the Blackfeet braves, however, is daring.

Many a stirring tale of headlong valour they tell round their camp tires, as, long ago in moated

castles, bards sang the deeds of knights-errant, and fired the blood of the rising generation.

Such a story we heard of a chief called the Swan, once the bravest of the bravo, but now, tho'in the prime of life, dying of consumption. Dressing himself one day in all his bravery, hemounted his fleet horse and rode straight for the Cree camp. A hundred warriors werescattered about the tents, and in the centre of the encampment two noted braves satgambling.

Right up to them the Swan rode, scarcely challenged, as he was alone, clapped his musket tothe head of one and blew his brains out. In an instant the camp was up; dozens of strong arms

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caught at the reckless foe, dozens of shots were fired, while others rushed for their horses. Buthe knew his horse, and, dashing through the encampment like a bolt, made good his escape,though chased by every man that could mount.

Many a story of this kind we heard from poor old mummy Legrace, who boasted for himself ina dignified way that in his time he had killed two Blackfeet, but how much is truth and howmuch fiction, deponent saith not.

This afternoon we drove sixteen miles, from Tortoise River to English River, another streamrunning south into the Saskatchewan, so called from the fact that an Englishman had beendrowned while crossing it in the spring time, when very insignificant creeks are dangerous. The soil all the way was sandy and mossy, except in patches or near either river, where it wasexcellent ; the country was undulating and suited for sheep grazing. At one point, the road ranwithin two or three miles of the Saskatchewan, and a prominent hill on the other side wasrecognized by Souzie. "Ah ! " said he to his master, "I know now where I am"; and, on arrivingat the camp, he went up to Frank and formally shook hands with him, to indicate that hewelcomed him to his country. He had established confidential relations with Frank from thefirst, taught him Cree words, and told him long stories, explaining Ms meaning bygesticulations of fingers, hands, shoulders, mouth, and eyes, so expressive that Frankunderstood as well as if all had been broad Lowlands.

A clump of tall pointed white and branching poplar spruce, on the banks of English River, wasthe first variety from the universal aspen or occasional balsam poplar, that we had seen sinceleaving Fort Garry, with the exception of a few white birches on the banks of theSaskatchewan. The aspen is the characteristic tree, just as the buflfalo is the characteristicanimal of our North-west; the other trees have in great measure been burnt out. Fortunatelythe aspen is good wood for carpenter work ; good also for fuel, being kindled easily andburning without sparks.

In the course of the afternoon, the Little Bird having gone in too extensively for pemmicanbecame so ill that he gave out altogether. This generally happens with the new men that arepicked up at the forts along the route. They are often halfstarved, except when employed, and

then it takes them a week to go through the surfeiting and sick stages before shaking downinto proper condition. Legrace and Haroosh were far too old hands to suffer any evilconsequences, no matter what the quantity they ate. One of us took the Little Bird's work, andmade him get into a buckboard where he lay prone, head wrapped up in his blanket, till thecamping ground was reached.

Then he stretched himself beside the fire, the picture of utter wretchedness. The Doctorprescribed castor oil, and Terry put the dose to his mouth. As the Little Bird took the first taste,he looked up ; noticing the comical look about Terry's amorphous mouth, he thought that apractical joke was being played at his expense, and with a gleam of fire in his eyes spit it outon him. The Doctor had now to come up and with his most impressive Muskeekee ohnyou(chief medicine man) air, intimate that the doae must be taken. The Little Bird submitted,

drank it as if it were hemlock, and rolled himself up in his blanket to die. But in the morning hewas all right again, though weak; and gratefully testified that castor oil was the mostwonderful medicine in the world.

August 21st. Our destination to-day was Fort Pitt on the Saskatchewan, but learning that avisit to it involved twelve or fifteen miles additional travelling, as the main road keeps well tothe north of the river, it was decided that Horetzky and Macaulay-one of the Hudson's Bayofficers that joined our party at Carlton-should ride ahead to the Fort for supplies, and meet usif possible in the evening at the guard. Every station of the Hudson's Bay Company has aguard, or judiciously selected spot, well supplied with good water, wood, pasturage, and

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shelter, where the horses are kept. From this depot we expected to be furnished with freshhorses and men in place of those brought from Carlton.

To-day's travel was through a hilly well-watered country.

The first spell brought us to the base of the Red Deer Hill, close to a spring of cold clear waterbeside a grove. The soil was a deep loam all the way. The grasses and flowers resembledthose of Ontario and the Lower Provinces rather than the prairie flora. Such common wild fruits

as currants, goose-berries, choke-cherries, &c., were in abundance.

We seemed to have taken leave of the prairie and its characteristic flowers since crossing theNorth Saskatchewan. The road from Carlton to Fort Pitt runs among the sandy hills, that skirtthe course of the river. The nearer the river the more sandy the soil, and the less adapted fbrcereals, because of droughts, and early frosts which are attributed to the heavy mists thatcling about the river banks.After breakfast, the road ran through a still more broken country and along a more elevatedplateau. The windings of the Red Deer and its little tributaries have cut out, in the course of ages, great valleys and enormous "punch bowls," resembling the heaviest parts of the south of Scotland, on the rich grassy sides of which thousands of cattle or sheep ought to be grazing tomake the resemblance complete. At a point where the plateau is about 400 feet above the

level of the Saskatchewan, a round sugar-loaf hill rises abruptly from the road nearly 200 feet,called the Frenchman's Knoll, because long ago a Frenchman had been killed here. Wecantered or walked to the top, and had a far extending view of level, undulating, and hillycountry. Most of the wood was small because of recent fires, and it was all aspen, except a fewclumps of pines far away. The sky line beyond the Saskatchewan was an elevated range withdistinct summits, several of which must have been as high as the Mountain behind Montreal. The smallness and sameness of the wood gave monotony to the view, which was redeemedonly by its vastness.

Near this, the trail to Fort Pitt branched oflf. Keeping the main road for a mile, we halted fordinner ; then moved on, first descending the long winding slopes of a hill to the south, andafterwards going west, up a valley that must have been formerly the bed of a river, or cut out

by an overflow of the Saskatchewan. In the course of the afternoon, we crossed three clearstreamlets running over soft black bottoms ; in spite of this abundance of good water thelakelets in the lowest hollows were saline. The soil everywhere was of the rich loam that hadbecome so familiar to our eyes; uplands and valleys equally good. The grasses were thick andshort, almost forming a sward ; green and juicy, though they had been exposed to all thesummer's heat. In the marshes the grass was from four to six feet high, and of excellentquality for hay.

After crossing the last creek, a handsome young Indian came galloping towards us, to say thatHoretzky and Macaulay were already at the guard ahead, with Mr. Sinclair, the Hudson's Bayagent at Fort Pitt. This was good news, for we had calculated on having to wait several hoursfor our two outriders Getting to the guard before sunset, tents were at once pitched.

We had ridden more than 40 miles, and our avant-couriers about 52, besides attending to allour commissions at the Fort.

This was the first guard we had seen. They are usually at a distance from the Forts, and it sohappened that this one, although ten miles from the Fort, was by the roadside. We could nothave seen a better specimen, for, on account of the grasses being so good, more horses arekept at Fort Pitt than at any other post on the Saskatchewan. There are 300 now, and theyincrease rapidly, though the prairie wolves destroy many of the foals. All were in primecondition and some of them very handsome. Not one in ten of those horses had ever got a

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feed from man. They cropped all their own food ; and sleek and fat as they are now, they areequally so in midwinter : pawing oft the dry snow they find the grasses abundant andsucculent beneath. Better witnesses to the suitableness of this country for stock raising on anextensive scale, than those 300 horses, could not be desired. When weak or sickly, or returnedfrom a trip, knocked up with hard driving and cudgelling, for the half-breed looks uponcudgeling as an essential and inevitable part of driving, they may be taken into the bam at theFort for a time and fed on hay, but not otherwise.

At the guard only one Indian is in charge of the whole herd.

The horses keep together and do not stray, so gregarious are they. The chief difficulty inobtaioing some for a journey is to detach them from the pack. There is a thick grove of aspenswhere they take shelter in the coldest weather, and near it is the tent of the keeper. His chief work seems to be making little inclosures of green logs or sticks, and building fires of greenwood inside to smoke oflf the mosquitoes. Round these fires the horses often stand in groups,enjoying the smoke that keeps their active tormentoi-s at a little distance. In considering thisfact of horses feeding in the open all winter, it is well to remember that Fort Pitt is betweentwo and three hundred miles farther north than Fort Garry.

After inspecting the horses, we were taken into the keeper's tent to see how he was housed. It

was a roomy lodge, called a fourteen skin, because constructed of so many buffalo hidesstretched and sewed together ; the smallest lodges are made of five or six, and the largest of from twenty to twenty-five skins.

The fire is in the centre, and the family sleep round the side, each member having his or herappointed comer, that nobody else ever dreams of encroaching upon. The smoke of the firedries the skins thoroughly, keeps out the mosquitoes, and gives the inmates sore eyes. We allpronounced it very comfortable, but many people would probably prefer a house with morethan one room.

Mr. Sinclair showed us the utmost kindness, giving us good advice, good horses, good men,and with no more show than if

he had merely run down to the guard on his own business.

The kindness we appreciated most at the time, it jnust be confessed, was a huge shoulder of fresh buffalo meat, some tongues, and a bag of new potatoes. Terry was at once set to workon the fresh meat, with orders to cook enough for twenty, with a corresponding allowance of potatoes. None of us had ever tasted fresh buffalo before, nor fresh meat of any kind sinceleaving Red River ; and as we had resolved not to go out of our way to hunt, though Mr.Sinclair told us that buffalo were in vast numbers twenty miles to the south of Fort Pitt, it wasonly fair that our self-denial should be repaid by a good supper at the guard. And that supperwas an event in our journey.

Falling to with prairie appetites, each man disposed of his three portions with ease. The prairie

wolves were yelping not far off, but nobody paid any attention to them. Tender buffalo steak,and new potatoes in delicious gravy, absorbed everyone's attention. The delights of the tablewhen you are in the best of health and keen-set are wonderful, as a junior member of theparty remarked, handing in his plate for a fourth or fifth helping, " man, what a lot more youcan eat when the things are good" ! Getting out of the tent after supper with an effort, aspectacle to gladden a philanthropist's heart was presented round Terry's fire. The men werecooking and eating, laughing and joking, old Haroosh presiding as king of the feast. He sat ona hillock, holding tit-bits to the fire on a little wooden spit, for Terry's frying pan could not keepup to him, and his greasy face shone in the ruddy light. So they continued till we went to bed. That they were at it all night cannot be positively affirmed, out in the morning the first sight

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that met our eyes was Haroosh in the same place and attitude, cooking and eating in a semi-comatose state.

August 22nd. There was at least an hour's racing and chasing of the guard horses thismorning, before our quota could be caught; but, we got such good horses in exchange for ourpoorest that the delay was not grudged; and three smart Indians, Louis, Cheeman (the littlefellow), and Kisanis (the old man), instead of the Carlton three. We breakfasted at sunrise andsaid good-bye to Mr. Sinclair at 7 o'clock. On account of the lateness of the start, we divided

the day's journey into two spells, one of nineteen, and the other of twenty-one miles.

The country round the guard is fertile, and beautiful in outline; Mr. Sinclair said that it wouldyield anything. At the Fort and along the sandy banks of the river, their crops often sufferedfrom Indians, droughts, and early frosts; but it was impossible to have their farm ten milesaway from where they lived.

Our first spelling-place to-day was Stony Lake; after dinner we crossed Frog Creek, MiddleCreek, and Mooso Creek, and camped on the banks of the last named.

This was one of our best days. Everjrthing contributed to make it supremely enjoyable. We hadfresh spirited hoi-ses under us, a cloudless sky and bright sun above; and an atmosphere

exhilarating as some pure gentle stimulant. The country was of variable beauty; rich in soil,grasses, flowers, wood, and water ; infinitely diversified in colour and outline. From elevatedpoints, far and wide reaches could be seen. Here was no dreary monotonous prairie such asfancy had sometimes painted, but a land to live in and enjoy life. Last but not the leastimportant item, Terry had in his cart new potatoes and bufialo steak, good as any porter-houseor London rump steak ; man could want nothing more for animal enjoyment. In the forenoon,we rode up two or three hill-sides to get wider views With all the beauty of former days, therewas now what we had often craved for, variety of wood. Clumps and groves of tall whitespruce in the gullies and valleys, and along lake sides, branching poplars with occasional whitebirch and tamarack, mingled with the still prevailing aspen. The sombre spruces were thegreatest relief. They gave a deeper hue to the landscape, and their tall pointed heads brokethe distant sky line. Recent fires had desolated much of the country, but there was enough of

the old beauty left to show what it had been and what it could soon be made. Sometimes ourcourse lay across a wide open, or up or down a long bare slope ; sometimes through a forestwhere the trees were far enough apart for easy riding, while a little beyond the wood seemedimpenetrably close. In the afternoon we crossed plateaux extending between the differentstreams that meander to the south ; and here the trail ran by what looked like well cultivatedold clearings, hemmed in at varying distances by graceful trees, through the branches of which the waters of a lake, or the rough back of a hill gleamed, while high uplands beyondgave a definite horizon. The road was not very good in many places because of the steep littlehills near the creeks, or boulders, deep ruts mole and badger holes ; but ten dollars a milewould put it in good repair, and, as it was, our carts did their usual forty miles easily.

After dinner we came on our first camp of Cress-a small body, of five or six tents, that had not

gone after the bufialo, but had remained quietly beside some lakes, liviag on berries and wildducks, Two broad-backed healthy young squaws met us first, coming up from a lake with half-a-dozen dogs. One squaw had a bag, filled with ducks, on her neck, and the other had tied hergame around the back of a dog. Some of the men came up to shake hands all round and toreceive the plug of tobacco they looked for. Others, manly looking fellows, lounged round indignified indifference, with blanket or buffalo robe folded gracefully about them,-evidentlyknowing or hoping that every attitude was noticed. Not a man was doing a single hand's turn,and not a woman was idle. The women wished to trade their ducks for tea or flour ; but if westopped the carts and opened the boxes there would be no getting away from them that night,so the word was passed to push ahead.

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We were not to be let off so easily. Eight or ten miles further on, two elderly men onhorseback-evidently Chiefs-overtook us, and riding up to our Chief with all the grace of gentlemen of the old regime, extended their hands. Being welcomed and invited to ride on andcamp with us, they bowed with an ease and self-possession that any of us might have envied,and joined our party. At the camp, the Chief treated them with great civility, orderingpemmican, as they preferred it to fresh buffalo, and handing them the fragrant tea they loveso well; not a muscle of their faces moved, though their souls were rejoicing; a soft smile when

they first came upon us, and a more melancholy smile in the morning when departing, werethe only indications of feeling that either gave. With the exception of the dull halfopenedMongolian cross-eyes, they had all the appearance of Italian gentlemen, and they were reallyhandsome fellows, with well cut refined features-handsomer than any of us, or even than theyoung English trader, who "never allowed an Indian to enter his rooms; if a Chief came along,he might sit in the kitchen awhile." So far below the salt have the son.s of the soil to sit now.But "Rolling Mud" and the "Walker with out-turned feet," as our two guests were called, wereentitled to move in the highest circles, as far as appearance and a perfect nil admirari mannerwere concerned. They could be guaranteed to look on, without opening their eyes at a modernball.

After supper, one of our party lolling lazily on a hillock, happened to stretch out his long legs

between the two and the big open fire. In an undertone, the Chief called his attention to theundesigned rudeness. "Oh" said he "they'll never mind." And certainly they smoked on andlooked as tho' they saw not. "They will not say. anything, but they will mind and not forget,"quietly remarked Mr. McDougal. The long legs were withdrawn.

Our Chief always treated the poorest Indian with perfect courtesy. So as a rule do the H. B.officials, and much of their success in dealing with the Indians is due to this simple fact.

We Anglo-Saxons are apt to sneer at French politeness. I verily believe that the chief reasonwhy the French have often succeeded better than ourselves with the North American Indianswas in virtue of that same politeness of theirs. The average Briton seems incapable of understanding that "a nigger" that is, any man whose skin is not white, has exactly the same

rights as, and perhaps finer feelings than, he himself But prick the redskin and he'll bleed jusf as if he were white and a Christian.

In the afternoon's drive, the big Carlton waggon, drawn by the span, broke down. The iron bolt,connecting the two fore wheels with the shaft, broke in two. Shaganappi had been sufficientfor every mishap hitherto, but this seemed too serious a case for it; but, with the ready help of Mr. McDougal, shaganappi triumphed, and we were delayed only an hour. No one ever seemsnon-plussed on the plains; for every man is a Jack of all trades, and accustomed to make-shifts. When an axle broke, the men would haul out a piece of white birch, shape it intosomething like the right thing, stick it in, tie it with shaganappi, and be jogging on at the oldrate, before a professional carriage builder could have made up his mind what was best to bedone. Mr. McDougal in particular was invaluable.

In every difficulty we called upon him and he never failed us.

He would come up with his uniform sober pleasant look, take in the bearings of the wholecase, and decide promptly what was to be done. He was our detis ex machina. Dear old fellowtraveller ! how often you are in our thoughts ! ,Tour memory is green in the heart of every onewho ever travelled with you.

Both yesterday and to-day, the saskatoon berries, that are put in the best of berry pemmican,were pointed out to us, and the creeper which the Indians make into kinni-kinnick, when theycan't get the bark of the red willow to mix with their tobacco.

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The sasketoon are simply what are known in Nova Scotia as Indian pears, and the kinni-kinnickcreeper is our squaw-berry plant.

Just as the sun was setting behind the Moose Mountain, we had ascended the high ridge thatrises from Middle Creek, andwere crossing the narrow plateau that separates it from Moose Creek. Getting across theplateau to the edge of the descent to Moose Creek, a glorious view opened out in the glowing

twilight. To our immediate left, coming from the west, and winding south and east, theSaskatchewan, not quite so broad as at Carlton, but without any break or sand-bar, flowed likea mass of molten lead, between far extending hills, covered with young aspens; like the Rhinewith its vine-clad slopes near Bingen. Right beneath, was the deep rugged valley of MooseCreek, broken into strange transverse sections by its own action and by swirling overflows of its great neighbour, and running round north and north-west into the heart of the mountainthat fed it, and that formed our horizon. Crossing the creek we camped on its bank. Our tentsvreie pitched and fires burning brightly, long before the twilight had forsaken the west. Then amighty supper of buffalo steak for us, and limitless pemmican for our Cree visitors, rounded off one of the pleasantest days of the expedition.

August 23rd. Away from camp before sunrise. The sun usually rose and set in so cloudless a

sky on the prairies that the Chief had all along roughly determined the longitude of our campsand the local time in a simple way that may as well be mentioned. His watch kept Montrealtime, and he knew that the longitude of Montreal was 73 ° 33'. Sunset last night was at 0.34p.m., and sunrise this morning at 7.26 a.m., by his watch. That gave fourteen hours and eightminutes of sunlight : the half of that added to the hour of sunrise made 2.30 p.m., on hiswatch, to be mid-day. We were thus two hours and a half behind Montreal time, and as fourminutes are equal to a degree of longitude, we learned that we were 37 ° 30' west of Montreal,or in longitude 111°. At the same time we were in latitude 54 °, 350 miles north of theboundary line, and 700 miles north of Toronto. Yet the vegetation was of the same generalcharacter as that of Ontario; and Bishop Tache had told us that at Lac la Biche, 100 milesfurther north, they had their favourite wheat ground, where the wheat crop could always hedepended on. But we can go still farther north. Mr. King, the second H. B. officer who had

joined our party at Carlton, told us that he had never seen better wheat or root crops than areraised at Fort Liard on the Liard river, a tributary of the MacKenzie, in latitude 60 °. Thistestimony is confirmed by Sir John Richardson who says "wheat is raised with profit at FortLiard, latitude 60° 5' North, longitude 122 ° 31' West, and four or five hundred feet above thesea." And numerous authorities, from MacKenzie in 1787, whose name the great river of theArctic regions bears, down to H. B. officers and miners of the present day, give similartestimony concerning immense tracts along the Athabaska and the Peace rivers.

There are several reasons why the isothermal lines should extend so far north in thislongitude, and why there should be the same flora as farther south, though the summers areshorter.

The low altitude of the Rooky Mountains, as they run north, permits the warm moisture-ladenair of the Pacific to get across; meeting then the colder currents from the north, refreshingshowers are emptied on the plains. These northern plains of ours have also a comparativelylow elevation, while farther south in the United States, on the same longitude, the semidesertrainless plateaux are from five to eight thousandfeet high.

Combined with these reasons, another may be suggested, that the summer days being muchlonger as you go north, plants get more of the sun, that is, more light and warmth within thesame period of growing weather. The summer days where we are now, for instance, must betwo hours longer than at Toronto.

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But these and such like general reasons by no means determine the fitness of every section of the country for cereals. Much land south of 54 ° is unsuited for wheat because of drought orearly frosts. Probably this is so with much along the banks of the Saskatchewan. It has beenproved at any rate that there is less or more risk, in places; but those places are as a ruleadapted for stock-raising, and, in such a country as this, cattle and sheep are as much neededas flour.

To-day we travelled 42 miles. The first spell, ten miles to the Little Lake, was over a cold andmoist soil as shown by the more northern character of the vegetation. The ground wasprofusely covered with the low scrub birch, which is found everywhere in the extreme north. The second spell was fourteen miles, over ground that improved as we journeyed west, acrossDog-rump Creek, up the opposite hill, and four miles farther on to two beautiful lakes wellstocked with wild fowl. The creek gets its peculiar name from a bluflf, projecting beyond a boldridge that bounds the valley to the west. A lively fancy sees in the bluff a resemblance to adog's rump. Beavers had built a dam a few days before across the creek below the road, andin consequence the water was too deep for the buckboards.

Untackling the horse we ran the buckboards across a slight bridge of willow rods that somegood Samaritan had made for foot passengers. The road then wound up to the top of the ridge

and gained the plateau beyond, through an extremely picturesque narrow steep pass. Fromthe summit we had a good view of the creek meandering through valley and lake towards theSaskatchewan.At the second spelling-place we caught up to a large brigade of Hudson's Bay carts, that hadleft Carlton for Edmonton a week before us, heavily laden with stores. They were dnven byseveral of Mr. McDougal's people, half-breeds and Crees from Victoria, an united family of husband, wife and half-a-dozen young children being at the head of the brigade. The expendof bringing anything into or sending anything out of the country by this old-fashioned way isenormous. The prime cost of the articles is a bagatelle. Transport swallows up everything.

No wonder that the price of a pound of tea, sugar, or salt is exactly the same. The weight isthe same, and the cost for carriage the same, and that determines the price. One of the Crees

in this brigade, called Jack, was pointed out to us as having in the last Indian war done a veryplucky thing. A company of Crees and half-breeds from Victoria were hunting buffalo on theplains. One morning Jack and an old man were left behind to bring up the kitchen and baggagecarts, whUe the main body started ahead for another camp. Just as the main body got over thefirst ridge, a war-party of Blackfeet swooped down on them with their usual terrific yells. Theyturned campwards, from the mere instinct of flight, though knowing that no relief could bethere. The Blackfeet had just got up to them, shot and scalped the two hindmost, and wouldsoon have massacred every one, when Jack, who had heard the yells, appeared over the ridge,and firing his gtin at the enemy, shouted to an imaginary force behind him, "hurrah ! here theyare boys; we've caught them at last." The old man at the same moment was seen hurrying up,and the Blackfeet imagining that they had fallen into a trap, turned tail and fled precipitately.

With the best intention in the world, we voted Jack the Victoria Cross.

The third spell was eighteen miles, over fine meadow land, covered with rich pasturage thatextended without break for fifty miles to the north. On the road the Doctor shot some ducksfor the pot. Every lakelet had at least one flock among the reeds, or swimming about ; but nothaving a dog to bring theta out, it was unsatisfactory work shooting them, unless they wereclose to the shore. A little after sunset, we camped near t lie Riding or Snake Lake.

As we were now only 110 to 120 miles from Edmonton, it was proposed at supper thatHoretzky should ride ahead with our letters of introduction to Mr. Hardisty; order pack-saddles,

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secure a guide, and make as many arrangements as possible, for our journey over themountains. At Edmonton, or at any rate at Lake St. Ann's, fifty mUes farther west, wheels mustbe discarded and everything carried on pack horses.

A different outfit is required and as some of it has to be made to order, time would be gainedfor the whole party if one got to the Fort before the others. Macaulay who had been away on avisit to Scotland for the last twelve months, and whose wife and family were at Edmonton,offered to accompany Horetzky. So it was decide 1 that after an early breakfast next morning,

the two should ride on rapidly, each taking two horses, a blanket, and some pemmican.

August 24th. Rose early, but as for the sake of Horetzky and Macaulay, breakfast was servedbefore our first spell, it was 6 o'clock before we got away. Our two couriers preceded us by half an hour, but expected to be at Edmonton a day and a half before us. Passing the Riding or, asit is called on Palliser's Map, the Snake Lake, the smell of decaying fish-offal explained theobject for which a number of log shanties had been erected at two points near its shores. Thelake swarms with white-fish.

Soon after, we crossed the creek that issues from the lake. The cellar of a deserted shanty bythe roadside showed the character of the soil; eighteen inches of black loam, and thensuccessive layers of tenacious clay, through the uppermost of which the tissues of plants

extended.

The country now became more hilly ; the hill-sides covered with heavy wood, and the hollowswith marshes or lakelets.

Vegetation everywhere was wonderfully luxuriant. Flowers re-appeared, but the general colourwas blue in place of the former yellow or lilac; mint, blue bells, a beautiful tall larkspur, butprincipally light and dark blue asters. Our Botanist was disappointed to find that, amid suchwealth of vegetation, there were few new species. The same plants have kept by us for athousand miles. Mint and a saxifragaceous plant had accompanied us from Rainy Lake;gentians, asters, castilia, anemones, and golden rods from the eastern verge of the prairie.

We divided the day into two spells,-sixteen miles of the richest soil and pasturage ; andtwenty-four miles to Victoria over a great deal of inferior ground. One large section of thisshowed little but scrub birch. Another, ten miles broad, near Victoria, was a sandy ridgeproducing scrub pine, or as the people here call it cypress, very like the country betweenBathurst and Miramichi, that was burnt over by the great Miramichi fire, and where in theLower Provinces the scrub pine is chiefly found. The ground was literally covered withcranberries, bearberries, the uva ursi, and other creepers.

In the forenoon the water was in the lakes ; in the afternoon m streams, all of whichfortunately for us were bridged, roughly indeed, but the worst bridge was a great improvementon deep black quagmire. Pine, White Mud, and Smoking Lake Creeks were the suggestivenames of the chief streams, names that we had heard before and probably would hear again.

America has been called the country of inventions,-but it cannot invent names. In the North-west, there are half-a-dozen "Red Deers," "White Muds," "Vermilions"; next in popularity tothese come the names of members of the Royal Family.

The first part of the day was bright and pleasant; but at two o'clock heavy clouds gathered inthe north-west. The wind drifted the thickest masses completely to our right, while all to theleft the sky remained a clear bright blue. It thundered on the right ; and then we could see therain falling in half-a-dozen different places while intervening districts escaped. At one point,not very far from us, the rain must have been terrific, and right thankful were we that our

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course had not taken us there, or we would have had Rat Creek over again. The central massof cloud hung over this point, and all at once seemed to have the bottom knocked out of it,when a deluge either of rain or hail-probably of both-descended, like a continuous pillar, to theground for a quarter of an hour, uniting the earth to the clouds as if by a some band. The endof the tail of this cloud swept round over our heads, and gave us first a gust of wind, and thena smart shower of rain and hail for two or three minutes.

The sky cleared completely at 3 o'clock; but, two hours later, as we crossed Smoking Lake

Creek, and entered again on good land, thundery clouds rose the second time from thewestern horizon, and soon covered the sun and sky befoi'e lis. We were now in the bounds of Mr. McDougal's old mission settlement; and at his word we "hustled up," or pushed our horsesto their utmost speed to reach a good camping ground before the storm would burst. We gotto the spot aimed at in time, our course for two miles being up a rich valley that is now behindthe northern ridge or bank of the Saskatchewan, but that formerly, when the river was higher,must have been one of its beds, the intervening ridge being then an island. The settlementand Hudson's Bay fort of Victoria is on the river slope of this ridge, and thus travellers, passingalong the main trail up the valley, might be in entire ignorance that there was a settlementnear. When we rode up, however, two or three men were making hay in the valley, and,hailing the sight as a sure sign that civilized beings and dwellings must be not far off, wecamped at a spring beside them; and, with a rapidity, that astonished them and ourselves, had

everything made tight before the rain commenced. After all the threatening the shower did notamount to much. In half an hour the sky was clear again and the Doctor and Mr. McDougaldrove over to the fort, a mile distant, for supplies, and to announce that there would beservice in the church next day. They returned after dark with beef, bread, and milk. Mr. Tait,the Hudson's Bay agent, had no fresh meat; but, hearing of our arrival, he with orientalhospitality had ordered a young ox to be killed and a quarter sent over for our use.

August 25th. Another day of rest, and a long sleep to begin it with. At 10 A. M. walked overthe ridge to service, at Victoria. The church is also used as a school-room, the Mission House,and Fort are all at the west end of the settlement. The log-houses of the English and Scotchhalf-breeds, intermingled with the tents of the Crees, extend in a line from this west end alongthe bank of the river, each man having a frontage on the river, and his grain planted in a little

hollow that runs behind the houses, beneath the main rise of the ridge. Most of their hay theycut in the valley, on the other side of the ridge, where we had camped.

The farming is on a very limited scale, as the men prefer hunting buffalo, fishing, or freightingfor the Company to steady agricultural labour, and neither farming nor gardening can succeedwell, when the seeds are merely thrown into the ground in spring, and the ground is notlooked at again till autumn, when every thing is expected to be ripe and ready for ingathering. The settlement is seven years old, and consists now of between twenty and thirty famDies of half-breeds and from ten to a hundred tents of Crees, according to the time of the year, eachtent housing on an average seven or eight souls.

It owes its origin to Mr. McDougal who selected the place as a mission field because the Crees

resorted to it; and as a suitable locality for a half-breed settlement, on account of itsadvantages of soil, river, lakes abounding in fish and wild fowl, and nearness to the plainswhere the buffalo are always found. Last year Mr. McDougal was removed to Edmonton, andthe charge of Victoria given to Mr. Campbell who had been conducting a successful missionamong the Stonies at Woodville to the southwest.Mr. Campbell was at present on his way home from Red River, where he had gone to attendthe first Wesleyan conference of Manitoba, and consequently there had been no one attendingto the mission for some weeks, except the schoolmaster.

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This removal of missionaries from one tribe or even station, where they have gained theconfidence of the Indians, to another locality, seems a mistake to outsiders. The personalinfluence of the missionary is the only thing that can be counted upon in work among heathen,or any rude and primitive people, and personal influence can be gained only after a longintercourse with them.

When we arrived at the church it was almost filled with about eighty whites, half-breeds, andCrees. The men sat on one side, the women on the other, and the children in a little gallery or

loft with the schoolmaster and monitors. The service was in English, but some Cree hymnswere sung, and Mr. McDougal announced that there would be service in Cree in the evening,through the medium of an interpreter. The conduct of all present from first to last was mostdevout, notwithstanding that many present understood English imperfectly. The children ledthe singing, and though there was lack of bass voices on account of the absence of theprincipal members of the choir, it was singularly sweet and correct. Some of us were movedmore than we cared to show, when we heard the first Cree hymn sung.

Service over, two of our party dined at the Mission House, and the others at the Fort; and,after a walk through the settlement along the bank of the river, we returned to the church tosee the Sunday School. Mr. McKenzie, the teacher, was about to leave for another mission, andhis successor Mr. Snyder was also present. There were sixty names, forty of them half-breeds,

and twenty Indians, on the roll ; but only thirtytwo were present, as whole families wereabsent, freighting or hunting. "We examined the three advanced classes, numbering twenty-one, of the biggest boys and girls. All read the English Bible more or less fluently and withunderstanding, for they answered every question put to them. Their knowledge of hymns wassuch as could be found only in a Methodist school; if any of us named a hymn in the collection,the tune was at once raised and all joined in without books. The more ambitious tunes were of course the favourites with the children.

The Indians delight in hymn singing, and the missionaries take advantage of this, making itone great means of reaching their hearts. Heathen Crees who come to Victoria only for a fewweeks send their children to the school; they pick up some hymns at any rate, and sing themwhen far away on the plains.

Mr. Snyder had been schoolmaster for the last few years at White-fish Lake, a settlement of Crees fifty miles to the north, where good work has been done. He had eighty Cree children athis school. When the Indians moved out to the plains to hunt buffalo, the master would packup his spelling books and slates, and go off with them, setting up his establishment whereverthey halted. He spent from two to six months of tlie year, teaching in this rotary style,-huntinghalf the day, teaching the other half. The Crees at White-fish Lake are all Christianized andvalue the school highly. They are beginning to settle down to steady farming-work too, severalfamilies not going to the plains now, but raising wheat, barley and potatoes instead. At Victoriawheat has been sowed for seven successive years, and was a failure only once, the cause thenbeing an extreme local drought. At White-fish Lake it has never been a total failure.

Victoria is on the most northerly bend of the North Saskatchewan; the plateau is veryelevated; and many of the plants in the country round, have more of the sub-arctic characterthan in any other part of the fertile belt; so that we were not surprised when told that therewere generally light frosts in July and August. Indeed Mr. McDougal had been warned inplanting the settlement, that he was choosing one of the worst spots on the river. The futuremay show that he was wiser than his friends.

In the evening, we went to church again; more Crees were present than in the forenoon, butnot so many of the half-breeds.

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Mr. Tait acted as interpreter and also led the meeting, with moclesty and fervour, in prayer inCree. It must be a great advantage to a missionary to have such a man in charge of the Fort.

"We had seen enough to-day to convince us, more than all the arguments in the world, thatmissionary labour among the Indians is a reality, and that the positive language on the otherside is the language of ignorance, self-interest, or downright opposition to the Gospel. Theaims of traders and missionaries with regard to the Indians are different ; the former wish thatthey should continue hunters, the latter that they should take to steady employment. It is not

wonderful then that some traders should feel annoyed at what they regard as a steadyworking against their interest. But, as the Indian has no chance of existence except byconforming to civilized ways, the sooner that the Government or the Christian people awake tothe necessity of establishing schools among every tribe the better. Little can be done with theold, and it may be two, three or more generations before the old habits of a people arechanged; but, by always taking hold of the young, the work can be done. A mission withoutschools is a mistake, almost a crime. And the Methodists deserve the praise of having seenand vigorously acted on this, and they can point to visible proofs of success in their Indianmissions.

It is greatly to the credit of the Indians in British America, that they have never injured orstolen from any missionary.

They have plundered posts, stripped traders naked, and murdered some who perhaps hadgiven them cause; but even when at war, the missionary is allowed to enter and speak in theirgreat councils and is everywhere treated with respect. Reverence is a strong trait in the Indiancharacter. His own language supplies no words for profane swearing; if he wishes toblaspheme, he must borrow from the French or English. Is not his dignity of speech andmanner connected with this veneration for Deity ? We invited Mr. Tait and the schoolmastersto walk over the ridge and have supper with us. Mrs. Campbell also did us the honour of coming, and, so for the first time, our camp was graced with the presence of a lady. Herpresence lighted up everything, and had a very appreciable effect on our style of passingthings round the table ; every one was as anxious to help her to something as if she had beenHer Majesty in person; Terry, naturally and nationally the soul of politeness, was especially

attentive. Rather than let her put preserved peaches on the plate beefsteak had been on, heremoved the plate and whipping out his pocket handkerchief, that had not been washed sincehe left Fort Garry, proceeded to clean it. Luckily the Doctor noticed him in time to snatch theplate away, or but we must draw a veil over Terry as cook or table-maid ; in no house is itwise to look too closely into how things are done in the kitchen.

Since the commencement of our journey, Sundays had inariably been our most pleasant andprofitable days, and this was no exception. The kindness of every one at Victoria wasomething not soon to be forgotten. They welcomed us for ur own sakes, and for the end theexpedition had in view, as hey had iong prayed for the opening up of the country. It was in ourfavour also here as elsewhere that a Doctor was with us. He visited and prescribed for all thesick in the ettlement, and finding in the Fort a medicine chest that had leen sent out as a

present by Dr. Ray but had never been used, he explained to Mr. Tait how and when to givethe different aedicines, and wrote out general directions that could be easily understood andacted upon.

August 26th. Rose very early, the Doctor acting as camplaster and making every one flyaround, so that we got off half an hour before sunrise. The thermometer then stood at thirtydiegrees, and heavy hoar-frost lay on the rich deep grass. A [ense fog rose as the frostexhaled in dew, and, the sun's rays triking on this, formed a beautiful fog-bow that hungbefore us luring more than an hour's travelling. Passing up the valley larallel to the river, wethen skirted the edge of the plateau hat bounded it on the north, going through tall heavy

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grass ,nd a country which seemed to possess every qualification for tock-raising. The roadshowed the influence of recent rains hat, the Victoria settlers told us, had been so heavy thisAugust as to have completely stopped haying operations. Every marsh was a bog, every creekswollen, and as good soil makes lad roads, our progress was slow. Still by pegging away weaade forty-four miles in our three spells. The first was to the Vassetenow, (or opening in thebank) so called from the cleft it has made in the ridge to get to the Saskatchewan. The left,instead of showing the usual broad rounded valley, is cut harp and clean as if with a knife,partly by the force of the tream and partly by land slides.

We next passed successively Bucker, Vermilion and Deep Creeks, besides several smallerones, and camped at the last named. The road descended twice to the Saskatchewan, whichshowed the same clayey look as at Carlton, and ran with almost as great a volume, thoughmore than three hundred miles nearer its source.

For thirty miles to-day the trail was through thick woods of span, poplars, birch, tamarack,spruce and pine. Much of the rood was good timber, from one to two feet in diameter with allstraight shafts, as thick fifty or sixty feet up as when five ir six feet from the ground. There areoccfisionally alternate actions of aspen and spruce for half a mile or so; in one place heunderbrush thick and green; in another the soil so bare and he trees so branchless, thatmovement in any direction is easy.

Camped before sunset within twenty-seven miles of Edmonon, and in honour of the eventbrought out our only bottle of laret. As we had no ice, Terry shouted to Souzie to bring omecold water, but no Souzie appearing he varied the call to Pemmican !" This brought Souzie, butgreat was his indignaion when a bucket was put into his hands, instead of the rich emmican hewas never tired of feasting on. Terry had a deidedly Irish contempt for Indians, half-breeds, orcoloured genemen of any kind; and Souzie was especially obnoxious, because of hismagnificent appetite, and because with Indian carelessness he often mislaid the belongings of the party, "as if," marked Terry confidentially to the Secretary, "I carried telegraph wires in myhead."August 27th. Off this morning again before sunrise, and breakfast fourteen miles from campat a little creek near Horse Hll, where the guard of Edmonton was formerly located. On the way

crossed a strong rapid-running stream called Sturgeon reek, from which twenty-five pound fishare often taken. We had left the thick woods last evening, and the country to-day as open andelevated. Thirty miles to our left the Beaver Hills on the other side of the Saskatchewan,formed a bold background of deep blue. Mr. McDougal pointed out a spot near our breakfastspelling place, where his predecessor had a remarkable escape when travelling. He hadintended to camp on Horse Hill, but when within a mile of it, so furious a storm came on thathe dismounted and crouched for protection under a bank with overhanging low willow bushes.When the storm passed over, he rode on to the hill and found on the very spot where heintended to have camped, a horse that had just been killed by the lightning.

At eleven o'clock, arrived at Edmonton and found that Horetzky had made arrangements toenable us to start next day. Mr. Hardisty, in the quiet business-like way, and with the kindness

that many a traveller has experienced before, had done everything to forward our views. Wepitched tents on the bank three quarters of a mile down the river from the Fort, near Mr.McDougal's house and the new church he is building, and had the whole party photographed;tents, carts, buckboards, with Terry, seated on his pots and pans, mending his pants andsmoking the inevitable cutty, in the foreground.

The first great half of oiu- journey from Fort Garry, the prairie as distinguished from themountain part, was over. It had not been all prairie or anything like it, and the second partwould not be all mountain. We would not discard our carts for another fifty miles, and themountains were still two hundred miles distant.

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But, Edmonton may be considered the end of the journey across the plains and the beginningof the woods, and is the point at which to prepare for crossing the Rocky Mountains.

It is the headquarters of the Company's posts on the Saskatchewan, and here we were to takeour leave of the great river Up to this point it had been all plain sailing, but now we were toldto expect toil and trouble.

At Edmonton we looked with great interest for the section of coal that crops out on the riverbank. " Is it coal or not was the question, no matter whether it was called bituminous shale orlignite. A bushel or two was brought up from the river side at our request. Trying it in thesmiddy, it burnt well and gave a good heat when the bellows was applied, but it would be verydifficult to kindle without the bellows. It keeps burning a long time and leaves a great deal of dirt, dust and ash, "at the rate of two ton of ashes to one of coal." The section at Edmonton isthree feet thick, and it crops out in several places, with a conglomerate beneath it thatresembles ironstone in nodules; at the Pembina river, seventy miles to the west, there is aseam ten feet thick; and Mr. Hardisty informed us that at the Rocky Mountain House, onehundred and forty miles to the south-west, the seam is ten feet, the coal of a superior quality,and used regularly in the forge. Many other seams are found over a wide extent of country,and it is reasonable to infer that several of these will yield good fuel, for even in the richest

coal countries there is no such abundant outcrop as here. What we tried was picked up fromthe river or from the outcrop, and was hard, shaly and inferior as fuel; but had it not been veryhard it would have crumbled away by exposure to the rain, snow and frost, and its face beencovered up completely with earthy and vegetable matter, so that no traces of its presencewould have been left. A little boring would settle the matter, for the beds are horizontal andnot very deep. The Company works a large farm at Edmonton, and with a success that is encouraging,especially when it is remembered that the methods are comparatively rude. They have raisedwheat for thirty years, and it has failed only two or three times; barley and potatoes andturnips are sure crops. The usual difficulties from the Indians camping near a fort have beenexperienced.

A band of strange Indians come along, and, without the slightest idea that they are doinganything objectionable, use the fences for tent poles or fuel ; and their horses then getting intothe fields destroy much of the crop. But in spite of these and other hindrances, a thousandbushels of -wheat are isually stored from a sovsring of a hundred; and last year, two lundredand fifty kegs of potatoes (eight gallon kegs used instead of bushels) were planted, and aboutfive thousand were dug.

The same land has been used for the farm for thirty years, without any manure worth speakingof being put on it. Part is intervale and part upland.

The uplands do not yield such good crops because there is a slight infusion of alkali in thesurface soil, which subsoil ploughng would probably do away with.

In the evening the Secretary held Divine service in the ballroom of the Fort. About fifty men,most of them employed about the post, were present. There were also some miners vho hadrecently arrived from Peace River, and whose reports of the Ominica gold-mines were not veryencouraging. The nen who wash the Saskatchewan sand bars for gold make on an iverage fourdollars per day, but that does not satisfy them; five dollars a day is called wages. This yearthere are only fifteen miners on the Saskatchewan.

Three or four intend starting to-morrow for the Red Deer, a Tibutary of the Bow River, in somecanyons of which heavier; rains of gold than usual have been found.

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On the North Saskatchewan the gold miners or washers range up and down for about onehundred and thirty miles, Edmonon beiag the central point of this distance. It was for a longtime supposed that all the gold in the Saskatchewan and the other rivers in the samelongitude came from the Rocky Mountains, and these were diligently prospected near theirsources. But not a trace of gold has been found there, and it is now thought probable that astratum of gold-bearing quartz extends across the country, some distance on the west side of the mountains. Float silver is also found in some of the rivers, but not in sufficient quantities to

encourage prospecting.

This seems the proper place, before going on with our diary, for some general observations onthe country, between the North-West Angle of the Lake of the Woods and Edmonton;particularly with a view to its capabilities as a great field for colonization. We can speakpositively only of what we saw, and that includes a very narrow strip. All admit that the line of our route does not show the best land, however much they difier as to the quantity that isavailable for settlement. Some observers, long resident in the country, declare that the fertilebelt practically means the whole distance between the North and South Saskatchewan, andother vast regions to the east, north, and west, especially a broad belt along the basis of theRocky Mountains to the south of Edmonton, two hundred miles long by fifty broad, the home of the Blackfeet, and pronounced by many to be the garden of the North-west. Others maintain

that, as far as the Saskatchewan country is concerned, only a narrow belt along such rivers asthe Battle, Vermilion, and Red Deer can be cultivated with success. It is not necessary todecide between those views now. We know on the authority of Captain Palliser, who crossedand re-crossed the plains several times, that the central American desert does extend intoBritish Territory,forming a triangle, having for its base the forty-ninth parallel from longitude100° to 114:° W. with its apex reaching to the fifty-second parallel of latitude.

But the first emigrants will select land along the courses of streams, especially the navigablerivers, and they will soon find out all about the intervening districts.

Speaking generally of Manitoba and our North-west, along the line we travelled, it isimpossible to doubt that it is one of the finest pasture countries in the world, and that a great

part of it is well adapted for cereals. The climatological conditions are favourable for bothstock raising and grain producing. The spring is nearly as early as in Ontario; the summer ismore humid and therefore the grains, grasses, and root crops grow better; the autumn brightand cloudless, the very weather for harvesting; and the winter has less snow and fewer snow-storms and though, in many parts colder, it is healthy and pleasant because of the still dry air,the cloudless sky, and bright sun. The soil is almost everywhere a peaty or sandy loam resting on clay. Its only fault is that it istoo rich. Crop after crop is raised without fallow or manure.

As regards the practical experience of farmers on the subject there is little to appeal to, andthat little is chiefly favourable.

The only large settlement is about Red River. The farms there are most inconveniently shaped,beiug very narrow long strips; none of the people were skilled farmers to begin with, and, tillthe last two or three years, they had no market except the H.B. Company. But the Scotchfarmers there are all making money now, and their testimony is uniformly in favour of thecountry for farming purposes.

The other settlements are few and far between, on the edges of rivers or lakes, where woodand water are easily obtainable.

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The population of these consists entirely of half-breeds, and their method of farming is unique. They are farmers, hunters, fishermen, voyageurs, all in one; the soil is scratched, three inchesdeep, early in May, some seed is thrown in, and then the whole household go off to hunt thebuffalo. They get back about the first of August, spend the month haying and harvesting, andare off to the fall hunt early in September. Some are now so devoted to farming that they onlygo to one hunt in the year. It is astonishing that, though knowing so well how not to do it, theyraise some wheat and a good deal of barley, oats and potatoes. There is a great difference,however, between the Scotch and French half-breeds. The French who intermarried with the

Indians, often became as the Indians; just as the Spaniards in Mexico and South America whointermarried with the natives sank to their level. The squaw was treated as his wife. Herpeople became his people, but his God her God. The children have Indian characteristics, thehabits, weaknesses, and ill-regulated passions of nomads. They excel the Indian in strength of body and endurance. They beat him on his own field of hunting, running, riding, power of eating, or when necessary of abstinence; with these are united much of French vivacity, loveof amusement, hospitality, patience, courtesy of manner, and warmth of affection. When aScotchman married a squaw, her position, on the contrary, was frequently not much higherthan a servant's. He was the superior person of the house. He continued Christian after hisfashion, she continued pagan. The granite of his nature resisted fusion ia spite of family andtribal influences, the attrition of all surrounding circumstances, and the total absence of civilization; and the wife was too completely separated from him to be able to raise herself to

his level. The children of such a couple take more after the father than the mother. As a rulethey are shrewd, steady, and industrious. A Scotch half-breed has generally a field of wheatbefore or behind his house, stacks, bam, and provision for a year ahead, in his granary. TheMetis has a patch of potatoes or a little barley, and in a year of scarcity draws his belt tighteror starves. It is interesting as one travels in the great North-west to note how the two old alliesof the middle ages have left their marks on the whole of this great country. The name of almost every river, creek, mountain, or district is French or Scotch.

The climate and the soil are favourable ! What about water, fuel, and the summer frosts, thethree points next in importance.

A large population cannot be expected unless there is good water in the form of rivers, lakes,

springs, or wells. In many parts of the prairies of the U. S., dependence is placed mainly onrain water collected in cisterns; but such a supply is wholesome, and to it may be attributedmuch of their prairie lickness. In connection with this question of water, the existence of thenumerous saline lakes, that has been again and again noted, forces itself on our attention; thewonder is that fcmner observers have said so little about them. Palliser marks them on hismap in two places, but they are really the characteristic feature of the country for hundreds of miles. In many parts they so completely outnumber the fresh water lakes, that it is "Water,water, everywhsre And not a drop to drink." Some of them are from five to twenty miles long,others only little pools. Some are so impregnated with salt that crystals of sulphate of soda areformed on the surface, and a thick white incrustation is deposited round the shores. Others arebrackish or with a salt taste that is scarcely discernible. We noted several facts about theselakes that may be stated. (1) That they have no outlet. (2) That they are often side by side

with fresh water lakes, and that in these cases the latter occupy the higher situation and theiroutflow consequently falls into the former. (3) That a few feet away from their immediateshores, on which marine plants grow, the usual flora and grasses of the country flourish. (4) That the tracks of the bufialo show that the water is drunk by them, and horses drink it whenthey oiinnot get fresh water, though it acts medicinally on them.

Whence have they originated ? Several theories may be suggested. Here is one that explainsall the facts so far as known to us. Suppose that formerly a superabundant quantity of alkalinematter was diffused through the soil generally, over our Northwest, as we know it is over awide extent of the American desert and in sections on the Pacific coast. We found it so in some

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places where there are no lakes, and where it could be carried off by rivers. On the bank of theAssiniboine near Fort Ellice, similarly on the Saskatchewan near Edmonton, and at other pointsit was observed. If it had once been generally diffused through the soil, what must havehappened in the course of centuries wherever there was an ordinary rainfall ? The water,percolating throngh the Boil, would cany off the alkaline matter into lakes and rivers, and itwould be retained only in those lakes that had no outlet. This theory explains all the featuresof the case, and starts no new difficulties. It suggests too, that the one great reason why theAmerican Desert must remain both desert and bitter is, that there is no rainfall on it, whereas

farther north in the same longitude there is abundance of rain.

Apart from those saline lakes, is there a sufficient supply of water ? In brief we must answerthat, in many parts there is, in others we do not know yet. Test wells must be sunk and thenwe can speak positively.

The question of fuel is next in importance in a country where the winters are severe, for comcannot be grown for fuel in our North-west as it has been on the prairies of Illinois. At presentthere is little wood except along the rivers and creeks, and on some of the hills, until we goback to the continuous forest on the north, or to within two hundred miles of the RockyMountains.

This scarcity of wood is of little consequence, if the vast coal-measures, that extend from theRed Deer and Bow Rivers to the McKenzie, prove to contain good coal in large enough seamsto be worked with profit. By river or rail, coal can becarried in all directions for every purpose ; and it is highly probable that we have the mostextensive coal fields in the world. The importance of definitely ascertaining the quality of each prominent seam is very great. Buteven though wood may not be absolutely required for fuel, every encouragement for itsgrowth should be given. Wood is needed for many purposes, and the plains would be warmerin winter, if they were not treeless.

The remaining difficulty is the recurrence of summer frosts. In many localities these aredreaded more than anything else. At one place in June or July, at another in August, sharp

trosts have nipped the grain, and sometimes even the potatoes.

At Edmouton, 2088 feet above the sea, there is invariably a night or two of frost between the10th and 20th of August. At Victoria and Fort Pitt to the east, and still more so at the R..C.mission of Lake St. Albert and Lake St. Ann to the west of Edmonton, the grain has sufferedmore or less frequently from the same cause. This enemy is a serious one, for against it manseems powerless. But admitting that there are frosts that cannot be avoided, and that noimprovement will ensue on the general cultivation of the land, the draining of bogs, and thepeopling of the country, there remain large and fertile tracts free from them, and, where thefrosts are frequent, other crops than wheat can be raised, and the pasturage remainsunrivalled.

It is only fair to the country to add, that the power of those frosts to injure must be judged notby the thermometer, but by actual experience. It is a remarkable fact, that frost which wouldnip grain in many other countries is innocuous on the Red River and Saskatchewan.

Whatever the reason, and Mr. Spence in a recent pamphlet on "Manitoba and the Northwest of the Dominion," has assigned several,-such as the dryness of the atmosphere, the heat-retaining character of the soil, and the sudden change of temperature that enables vigorousplants to bear an atmosphere at 20° better than at 35° when the latent heat of the earth andthe plants has been given off, the fact is undoubted. Due regard to times and seasons will alsoenable the farmer to escape very often the dangers peculiar to a locality. Thus, at Edmonton,

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if they sow late and the wheat is in the milk when the frost comes it is injured. The remedy isto sow early.

Looking fairly at all the facts, admitting all the difficulties and what country has notdrawbacks ? it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that we have a great and fertile North-west a thousand miles long and from one to four hundred miles broad, capable of containing apopulation of millions. It is a fair land; rich in furs and fish, in treasures of the forest, the fieldand the mine; seamed by navigable rivers, interlaced by numerous creeks, and beautified with

a thousand lakes; broken by swelling uplands, wooded hill-sides, and bold ridges; andprotected on its exposed sides by a great desert or by giant mountains.

The air is pure, dry, and bracing all the year round; giving promise of health and strength of body and length of days. Here we have a home for our own surplus population and for thestream of emigration that runs from northern and central Europe to America. Let it be openedup to the world by rail and steamboat, and in an incredibly short time the present gapbetween Manitoba and British Columbia will be filled up, and a continuous line of loyalProvinces extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

CHAPTER VII FROM FORT EDMONTON TO THE RIVER ATHABASKA

False Report. — Souzie's Farewell. — St. Albert Mission. — Bishop Grandin. — Small-pox. —Great Mortality. — Indian Orphans. — The Sisters of Charity. — Road to Lake St. Ann's. —Luxuriant Vegetation. — Pelican. — Early Frosts. — Pack Horses. — Leaving St. Ann's. —Indians. — Vapour Booths. — Thick Woods. — Pembina River. — Coal. — Lobstick Camp. —Condemned Dogs. — Beaver Dams. — Murder. — Horse Lost. — A Birth-day. — No Trail. —Muskegs. — Windfalls. — Beavers. — Traces of Old Travellers. — Cooking Pemmican. —Crossing the McLeod. — Wretched Road. — Iroquois Indians. — Slow Progress. — Merits of Pemmican. — Bad Muskegs. — Un Beau Chemin. — A Mile an Hour. — Plum-pudding Camp. — Ten Hours in the Saddle. — Athabaska River. — The Rocky Mountains. — Bayonet Camp

August 28th. It is proverbially difficult to get away in a hurry from a Hudson's Bay fort,especially if outfit is required; but, we were furthered, not only by the genuine kindness of Mr.

Hardisty but by a false alarm that quickened every one's movements, and so we got off earlyin the afternoon.

A report reached Edmonton in the forenoon, that the Crees and Blackfeet were fighting on theother side of the river, areport based, as we afterwards learned, on no other ground than that "some one" had heardshots fired, at wild duck, probably enough. Where there are no newspapers to ferret out andcommunicate the truth to every one, it is extraordinary what wild stories are circulated; andhow readily they are believed, though similar on dits have been found to be lies time andagain. As we would be detained with long pow-wows, if either party crossed the river, everyone helped us to hurry off. We had to say good-bye not only to the Indians who had come fromFort Pitt, and to Mr. McDougal and the gentlemen of the Fort; but also to Horetzky and to our

botanist, as the Chief had decided to send these two on a separate expedition to Peace River,by Fort Dunvegan, to report on the flora of that country, and on the nature of the northernpasses through the Rocky Mountains. We parted with regret, for men get better acquaintedwith each other on shipboard, or in a month's travel in a lone land, than they would underordinary circumstances in a year.

Souzie was more sorry to part with Frank than with any of the rest of us. He had been teachinghim Cree, and Frank had got the length of twenty-four words,which he aired on every possibleoccasion, to his tutor's unbounded delight. Souzie mounted his horse and waited patiently atthe gate of ther Fort for two hours, without our knowledge. When Frank came out he rode on

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with him for a mile to the height of a long slope; then he drew up and putting one hand on hisheart, with a sorrowful look, held out the other; and, without a word, turned his horse and rodeslowly away.

Our number was now reduced to four. We were to drive out fifty miles to Lake St. Ann's, and"pack" our travelling stores and baggage on horses there; taking with us three new men, andthe faithful Terry, to whose cookery we had become accustomed, as eels are said to getaccustomed to skinning. Mr. Hardisty kindly accompanied us ten miles out, to the guard at

Lake St. Albert, to see that we got good horses. The road is an excellent one, passing througha rolling prairie, dottedwith a great number of dried marshes on each side, from which immense quantities of naturalhay could be cut.

Crossing the same Sturgeon River that we had crossed yesterday morning on our way toEdmonton, a hill rose before us crowned with the Cathedral Church of the mission, the houseof the Bishop, and the house of th& Sisters of Charity ; while up and down the river extendedthe little houses and farms of the settlers. We called on Bishop Grandin and found him athome, with six or seven of his clergy who fortunately happaned to be in from various missions. The Bishop is from old France. The majority of the priests, and all the sisters, are FrenchCanadians.

The Bishop and his staff received us with a hearty welcome, showed us round the church, theschool, the garden, and introduced us to the sisters. The church represents an extraordinaryamount of labour and ingenuity, when it is considered that there is not a saw mill in thecountry, and that every plank had to be made with a whip or hand saw. The altar is a beautifulpiece of wood-work in the early Norman style, executed as a labour of love by two of theFathers. The sacristy behind was the original log church and is still used for service in thewinter.

This St. Albert mission was formed about nine years ago, by a number of settlers removingfrom Lake St. Ann's in hope of escaping the frosts which had several times cut down theirgrain. It grew rapidly, chiefly from St. Ann's and Red River, till two years ago, when it

numbered nearly one thousand, all French half-breeds. Then came the small-pox that raged inevery Indian camp, and, wherever men were assembled, all up and down the Saskatchewan. Three hundred died at St. Albert.

Men and women fled from their nearest and dearest. The priests and the sisters toiled withthat devotedness that is a matter of course with them ; nursed the sick, shrived the dying, andgathered many of the orphans into their house. The scourge passed away, but the infantsettlement had received a severe blow from which it is only beginning to recover. Many arethe discouragements, material and moral, of the fathers in their labours. Their congregation ismigratory, spends half the year at home and the other half on the plains. The children are sentto school only when they have no buffalo to hunt, no pemmican to make, or no work of greaterimportance than education to set them at. The half-breed is religious, but he must indulge his

passions. It is a singular fact that not one of them has ever become a priest, though several,Louis Riel among the number, have been educated at difierent missions, with a view to thesacred office. The yoke of celibacy is too heavy ; and fiddling, dancing, hunting, and a wildroving life have too many charms.

The settlement now numbers seven hundred souls. The land is good, but, on account of itselevation, and other local causes, subject to summer frosts ; in spite of these, cereals, as wellas root crops, succeed when care is taken. Last year they reaped on the mission farm twentyreturns of wheat, eighteen of barley, sixteen of potatoes. Turnips, beets, carrots and such likevegetables, grow to an enormous size. A serious drawback to the people is that they have no

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grist mill; the Fathers could not get them to give up the buffalo for a summer and build one onthe Sturgeon. They would begin it in the fall and finish it in the spring; but the floods swept itaway half-finished, and the Fathers have no funds to try anything on a solid and extensivescale. The sisters took us to see their orphanage. They have twentyfour children in it, chiefly girls;two-thirds of the number halfbreeds, the rest Blackfeet or Crees who have been picked up intents beside their dead parents, abandoned by the tribe when stricken with small-pox. The hairof the Indian boys and girls was brown as often as Black, and their complexions were as light

as those of the half-breeds. This would be the case with the men and women also, if theyadopted civilized habits. Sleeping in the open air, with face often turned upward to a blazingsun, would soon blacken the skin of the fairest European.

Last Sunday we noticed, in the congregation at Victoria, that while some of the old Indians hadskins almost as black as negroes, the young men and women were comparatively fair. Theexplanation is that the young Crees are taking to civilized ways. People at Fort Garry told usthat when the troops arrived under Colonel Wolseley, some of them, who had slept or rowedthe boats bare-headed under the blazing sun, were quite as dark-complexioned as averageIndians. The gentle Christian courtesy and lady-like manners of the sisters at the missioncharmed us, while the knowledge of the devoted lives they lead must impress, with profoundrespect, Protestant and Roman Catholic alike. Each one would have adorned a home of her

own, but she had given up all for the sake of her Lord and His little ones. After beingentertained by the bishop to an excellent supper, and hearing the orphans sing, we wereobliged to hurry away in order to camp before dark. The Doctor remained behind for an hourto visit three or four who were sickly their rooms, and arrange their dispensary. Taking leaveof Mr. Hardisty also, we drove on three miles and camped. Eive of us occupied one tent; ourown party of four and Mr. Adams, the H. B. agent at Lake St. Ann's, who was returning fromEdmonton to his post.

August 29th. Some of the horses were missing this morning, but an hour after sunrise all werefound except Mr. Adams and another whose tracks were seen going in the St. Aim's orhomeward direction. Knowing that we would overtake them the start was made. After a thirdand fourth crossing of the Sturgeon river, we halted for breakfast. We then crossed it for the

fifth and last time, caught up to the two horses quietly feeding near the wayside,«dined atmid-day, and rode on in advance with Mr. Adams to St. Ann's, leaving the two carts to followmore leisurely. We reached the post an hour before sunset, having ridden nearly forty miles,though, as we had presented the odometer to Mr. McDougal, our calculations of distanceswere now necessarily only guess work.

The carts got in an hour after, and the tent was pitched and the earts emptied for the lasttime. From St. Ann's the road is only a horse-trail through the woods, so often lost in marshesor hidden by windfalls that a guide is required. Tents, for the sake of carrying as little weightas possible, were discarded for the simple "lean to''; and wheels for pack horses.

Our guide was Valad, a three-quarters Indian, and our packers Brown, a Scotchman, and

Beaupré, a French Canadian, old packers and miners, and both first-rate men. They said thatthe whole of the next day would be required to arrange the pack-saddles, but they were toldthat we must get away. The road travelled over to-day was throngh a beautiful country, hillyand wooded, creeks winding round narrow valleys, and others that beaver dams hadconverted into marshes, on which were growing great masses of natural hay. The vegetationon the hill-sides was most luxuriant. The grass reached to the horses' necks, and the vetches,which the horses snatched at greedily as they trotted past, were from four to six feet high. Thelast twelve miles of the day's journey resembled a pleasure drive; the first half amid tall woodsthrough which the sunlight glimmered, with rich green underbrush of wild currant mooseberryJand Indian pear, the ripe fruit of which we plucked from our saddles. Through these our road

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led down to the brink of Lake St. Ann's, a beautiful sheet of water, stretching away before usfor miles, enlivened with flocks of wild duck and pelican on the islets and promontories thatfringed it; and then round the south-west side of the lake, for the last sis miles, to Mr. Adams'house. Mrs. Adams had a grand supper ready for us in half an hour, and we did ftdl justice tothe cream and butter, and the delicious white-fish of Lake St. Ann's. This fish (cdbuscoregonue) is in size, shape and taste very like the shad of the Bay of Fundy; but very unlike itin the number and intricacy of its bones. It is an infinite toil to eat shad; with all possible carelittle prickly bones escape notice and insinuate themselves into the throat; but with white-fish

a man may abandon himself to the simple pleasure of eating. Lake St. Ann's is the greatstorehouse of white-fish for this part of the country. It provides for all demands up toEdmonton. Last year thirty thousand, averaging over three pounds each, were taken out andfrozen for winter use.

This was the worst place for summer frosts that we had yet seen, A field of potatoes belongingto the priest was cut down to the ground, and Mr. Adams pointed out barley that had beennipped two or three times, but from which he still expected half a crop.

August 30th. "Packing" the horses was the order of the day till two o'clock, and Brown andBeaupré showed themselves experts at the work. A pack-saddle looks something like theminiature wooden horse used in our back yards for sawing sticks of cordwood. Wooden pads

suited to the shape of the horse's back, with two or three plies of buffalo robe or blanketunderneath, prevent the cross legs and packs from hurting the horse. All baggage, blankets,provisions, and utensils are made up into portable bundles as nearly equal in size and weightas possible. Each of the packers seizing a bundle places it on the side of the saddle, anotherbundle is put on the top between the two, where the log of wood to be sawed would be placed,and then the triangular-shaped load is bound in one by folds of shaganappi twisted firmly, butwithout a knot, after a regular fashion called the diamond hitch.

The articles which experience had shown to be not indispensable or not required for themountains were now discarded, the object being to give as light loads as possible to thehorses, that they might travel the faster. A horse with a hundredweight on his back can trotwithout racking himself : when he has from one hundred and sixty to two hundred pounds he

must be content to walk. If the horse is at all restive and breaks from the path, he crashesthrough dead wood and twists through dry till he destroys the load, or is brought up allstanding by trees, that there is no getting through. In the Mexican and United States RockyMountains, where a great deal of business has long been done with pack-horses, the saddlesare of a much superior kind, called appara-hoes.

"With those the horses carry over three hundred pounds, and a day's journey is from twelve tofifteen miles. As our object was speed we dispensed with tent, extra clothing, tinned meatbooks, etc., and thus reduced the loads at the outset to a hundred or a hundred and thirtypounds per horse. That weight included food for thirty days for eight men, and everything else. There was now before us a journey of five or six hundred miles, through woods and marshes,torrents and mountain passes; for we could not depend on getting supplies of any kind or fresh

horses on this side of Kamloops; though there were probabilities of our meeting with parties of engineers between Jasper House and Yellow Head Pass.

Mr. Adams was of infinite service in all these arrangements.

The luxuries of white-fish, fresh eggs, cream, butter and young pig bountifully served up for usat his table, were duly appreciated, but we valued still more highly the personal exertions,made with as much simplicity and thoughtfulness as if he had been preparing for his own journey. He was the last of the Hudson's Bay officers that we would be indebted to till we gotto the Pacific slope, and parting from his post was like parting from the Company that has long

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been the mainstay of travellers, the only possible medium of communication, and the greatrepresentative of civilization in the vast regions of the North and North-west. From ourmeetiag with the chief Commissioner at Silver Heights until our departure from St. Ann's wehad experienced the hospitality of its agents, and had seen the same extended to all whoclaimed it, to the hungry Indian, and the unfortunate miner, as well as to those who boreletters of recommendation. It was on such a scale as befitted a great English corporation, theold monarchs and still the greatest power in the country.

At two P. M. all was ready ; eight horses packed, eight others saddled for riding, and a sparehorse to follow. Mr. Adams accompanied us a short distance; but, as the line of march had tobe Indian file, we soon exchanged the undemonstrative good-bye with him, and plunged intothe forest. For the first five miles the trail was so good that the horses kept at theiraccustomed jog-trot, though some of them were evidently unused to, and uneasy under theirpack saddles. Valad rode first, two pack horses followed. Brown next, and so on till the Chief orsome other of the party brought up the rear of the long line on the seventeenth horse. If any of the pack-horses deviated from the road into the bush, the man immediately behind had tobring him back. The loud calls to the obstinately lazy or straying "Rouge," "Brun," "Sangri,""Billy," "Bischo," varied with whacks almost as loud on their backs, were the only sounds thatbroke the stillness of the forest; for conversation is impossible with a man on horse-back infront of or behind you, and there is little game in these woods except an occasional partridge.

After the first day, the horses gave little trouble, as they all got accustomed to the style of travelling, and recognized the wisdom of keeping to the road.

Two or three old hands at the work always aimed at getting one of their companions betweenthem and a driver, ao that their companions might receive all the occasional whacks, and theyshare the benefit only of the loud calls and objurgations but the new ones soon got up to thetrick, and their contentions for precedence and place were as keen as between a number of old dowagers before going in to dinner. These old hands carried their burdens with a swinging,waddling motion that eased their backs, and saved them many a rude jar.

In the course of the afternoon we passed one or two deserted tents, and "sweating booths,''but no Indians. Three miserable starved-looking Stonies or Wood Indians had entered Mr.

Adams' house while we were there, and, in accordance with invariable Indian etiquette, shookhands aU round, before squatting on the kitchen floor and waiting for something to eat; butwith the exception of the few scattered round each of the Company's posts, who, as a rule, areinvalids or idlers, we had not seen an Indian since leaving the Assiniboine, except the smallcamp near Moose-Creek and the Crees at Victoria.

That they were buffalo hunting, or that their principal settlements are off the line of the mainroad does not give the whole truth. The Indians are dying out before the white man.

Now that the Hudson's Bay monopoly is gone, "free traders," chiefly from the south, arecoming in, plentifully supplied with a poisonous stuff, rum in name, but in reality a compoundof tobacco, vitriol, bluestone and water. This is completing the work that scrofula and

epidemics and the causes that bring about scrofula and epidemics were already doing toosurely : for an Indian will part with horse and gun, blanket and wife for rum. There is law inabundance forbidding the sale of intoxicating liquor to Indians, but law, without force toexecute law, is laughed at by rowdies from Belly River and elsewhere.

The sweating booths referred to should have been explained before. They are the greatnatural luxury of the Indian, and are to be found wherever Indians live even for a week. Therewas scarcely a day this month that we did not pass the rude slight frames. At first we mistookthem for small tents. They are made in a few minutes of wiUow wands or branches, bent so asto form a circular enclosure, with room for one or two inside; the buffalo robe is spread over

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the frame work so as to exclude the air as much as possible, and whoever wants a Russianbath crawls into the round dark hole. A friend outside heats large stones to the highest pointattainable, and passes them and a bucket of water in. The insiders pour the water on thestone, steam is generated, and, on they go pouring water and enjoying the delight of a vapourbath, till they are almost insensible. Doctor Hector thought the practice an excellent one, asregards cleanliness, health and pleasure; but the Indians carry it to an extreme that utterlyenervates them. Their medicine-men enlist it in aid of their superstitions. It is when under theinfluence of the bath, that they become inspired; and they take one or two laymen in with

them, that these may hear their oracular sayings, and be able to announce to the tribe wherethere is a chance of stealing horses or of doing some other notable deed with good prospectofjeuccess. It is easy to see, too, what a capital opportunity tte medicine-man has, whea thusinspired to gratify his private malice or vengeance, or any desire. Many a raid and many adeed of darkness has been, started in the sweating booth.

The first five miles of the road, this afternoon, was a broad easy trail, through open woodswhich showed fine timber of spruce, aspen, and poplar, some of the spruce being over twotfeet in diameter ; but had we formed from it any conclusion as to our probable rate of speed,the next four miles would have; undeceived us. Crashing through windfalls or steering amid,thick woods round them, leading our horses across yielding morasses or stumbling over rootsand into holes, with all our freshness we scarcely made two miles an hour, and that with an

expenditure of wind and limb that would soon have exhausted horse and man. But the roadagain improved a little, and by 6.30 p.m.., we had accomplished about twelve miles, andreached a lake called Chain of lakes, or Lac des lies, out of which the Sturgeon river flowsbefore it runs into Lake St. Ann's. In an open ground near the lake, covered thick with vetches,a simple lean-to or screen for the whole company was constructed.

In the morning all decided that the lean to was a preferable home to the round or closed tentswe had hitherto used. You require for the former only a large cotton sheet in addition to whatthe forest supplies at any time. Two pairs of gross-poles are stuck in the ground, as far apartas you wish your lodging place for the night to be long; a ridge pole connects these, and thenhalf-a-dozen or more poles are placed slanting against the ridge pole. Caver the sloping fjamewith your cotton sheet, or in its absence, birch bark, and your house is made. The ends are

open and so is the front, but the back is covered, and that, of course, is where the wind comesfrom. The ventilation is perfect, and as your fire is made immediately in front, there is no lackof warmth.

From this date the whole party had one tent of this description to sleep under, and one tableto eat from. The days were getting shorter, the horses could not go fast, and time had to beeconomised in every possible way.

August 31st. As packing eight horses takes twice as long as harnessing twice the number, itwas 6.30 P.M., before we started. Hereafter, and for the same rea.son-the time needed topackj and unpack,-only one halt and two spells per day were to be made.

Six hours' travel at an average rate of three miles an hour, brought us to the Pembiaa river. The road was through thick woods and along the Chain of lakes, with an upward incline untilwe came to the watershed between the Saskatchewan, and the rivers running north-east intothe McKenzie and through it into the Arctic sea. The country then opened, and we could seebefore us four or five miles to a ridge, on the other side of which the guide said was thePembina. The timber became smaller as we advanced, till in the open it was poor and scrubby,and the land here and over the drive to the Pembina looked cold and hungry, with occasionalgood spots. In the neighbourhood of coal the land is usually poor, and we had been told thatthe banks of the river showed abundant indication of coal for sixty miles up and down fromwhere the trail strikes.

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After passing the Chain of lakes the road led along a small round lake that empties on theother side; and, soon after, over a ridge from which a fine ampitheatre of hills, formed by abend of the river beneath, opened out before us, in the valley of which we saw the broadshallow Pembina flowing away to the north. The under-brush on the hill-sides had decidedautumn tints, the red and yellow showing early frosts. The top of the opposite bank was a boldface of sandstone, with what looked like enormous clusters of swallows' nests running alongthe upper part; underneath the sandstone, clay that had been burnt by the spontaneous

combustion of the coal beneath, ash and burnt pieces of shale like red and white pottery onthe surface, half hidden by vegetation; and down at the water's edge a horizontal bed of coal.We forded the river which is about a hundred yards wide, and looking back saw on the eastside a seam of coal about ten feet thick, whereas on the west side to which we had crossedonly about four feet showed above the water. Pick in hand the Chief made for the coal, andfinding a large square lump that had been carried down by the river, he broke some piecesfrom it to make a fire. In appearance it was much superior to the Edmonton seam; instead of the dull half-burnt look, it had a clean, glassy fracture like cannel coal. Carrjdng a number of pieces in our hands we proceeded to make a fire and had the satisfaction of seeing them burn,and of cooking our pemmican with the mineral fuel. It was evidently coal, equal for fuel, weconsidered, to inferior Cape Breton kinds, burning sluggishly, and leaving a considerablequantity of grey and reddish ash, but giving out a good heat. Beaupré, who all this while had

been washing sand from the river in his shovel for gold, and finding at the rate of half a cent'sworth per shovel full, was amazed at our eagerness, or that there should have been any doubtabout its being coal.

He and his mates when mining on difiierent rivers, had been in the habit of making fires with itwhenever they wished the fire to burn all night; and Brown said, that the exposure of coal onPembina was a mere nothing compared to that on the Brazeau or North Fork of the NorthSaskatchewan ; that there were seams eighteen feet thick there; that in one canyon was a wallof seam on seam as perpendicular as if it had been plumbed, and so hard that the weatherhad no effect on it; and that on all the rivers, for some distance east of Edmonton, and west tothe Rocky Mountains, are abundant showings of coal.

This is perhaps the proper place to mention that on our return to the east, ex-GovernorArchibald presented the Secretary with a little box full that had been sent him as a samplefrom Edmonton; the sample was exactly like what we picked up in the Pembina and tried withthe results just stated.

The Secretary submitted it to Professor Lawson of Dalhousie College, Halifax, for analysis, andreceived a letter of which the following is an extract, and may be regarded as settling thequestion more favourably than we could have hoped for :

" My analysis of your coal is by no means discouraging :

Combustible matter 97.835 %

Inorganic Ash 2.165 % Total 100.000 %

"The proportion of sulphur, chlorine, and other obnoxious impurities, is quite small. The coalburns with a flame, and also forms a red cinder, but is a slow burner; and, although theabsolute amount of ash is so small, yet a much larger amount of apparent ash will be left inthe grate from imperfect combustion. Yet, if we view this as a surface sample and such areinvariably of inferior quality, I think it offers great encouragement, for the percentage of ash isless than the average of the best marketable coals in Britain. Of course this analysis of a very

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At morning service the whole party attended. We took for granted that all could join incommon prayer, and hear witlr profit the simplest truths of Christianity. With none of omformer crews had we been on such friendly terms as with this one. The relation seemed morelike that of a family than ol master and servant.

The weather was beautiful. Last night it clouded up and in the early morning there was a lightdrizzle of rain, but not enough to wet the grass as much as if there had been the ordinary

heavy dew of a clear night. The forenoon was cool enough to keep the black flies away, butthey came out with the sun and the mosquitoes in the afternoon. At sunset the black fliesvanish, but the mosquitoes keep buzzing round till the night is sufficiently cold to drive themoff to the woods; this usually happens about nine o'clock. The nights were so cold, thoughthere was no frost, that we usually kept our clothes on, in addition to the double blanket. Ourbag or boots served for pillow, and none of us was ever troubled with wakefulness, orcomplained in the morning that there had been a crumpled rose leaf under blanket or pillow.

There was little to mark this Sunday except the pleasant peaceful enjoyment of it. Themurmuring of the river over its pebbly bed was the only sound that broke the Sabbathstillness.

The rest was peculiarly grateful after the week's hurry and changes ; and the horses looked aswell pleased with it as we. They ate till they could eat no more : and then they affectionatelyswitched or licked the flies off one another, or strolled up to the camp to get into the smoke of the fire. Had they been able to speak, they would certainly have given thanks for theinstitution of a day of rest for beast as well as man.

We had one source of annoyance however. Two stray dogs had joined our party uninvited, abrown one at Edmonton, and a black at St. Ann's. They had been hooted, pelted and drivenback, but after going on a mile or two further we would see them slinking after us again.Pemmican could not be spared, as we had sufficient for our own wants only, and to-day theylooked particularly hungry. What was to be done with them ? Go back they would not. To takethem to Kamloops was out of the question. To let them die of starvation would be inhuman.

There seemed nothing for it but to shoot or drown them, and though each and all of uspromptly decliued the part of executioner, their prospects looked so gloomy that Frank, whohad pleaded for them all along, resolved to try and provide for them outside of our regularsupplies. Getting permission to do what he could, he rigged a fishing line, and persuadedBrown and Valad to take a gun and try for beaver or duck. While all three were away, thebrown was caught in the act of stealing pemmican. This aggravated their case, but, though allcondemned, none would shoot. The hunters too came back empty handed, except with a pan-full of cranberries that Brown had picked, and that he stewed in a few minutes into a delicious jam. The dogs puzzled us, so we postponed further consideration of the problem till next day.

Instead of the usual three meals of pemmican, bread and tea, we had only two to-day, and a

simple lunch at one o'clock. At six, dinner was served with all the delicacies we could muster.Berry-pemmican, pork and cranberry jam made a feast so delicious that no one thought of thedogs.September 2nd. Up at four and away at half-past five, or twenty minutes after sunrise.Another bright and sunny day, though the woods were so thick in some places that at oneo'clock the dew was still on the grass.

Our first spell was six hours long. We crossed the Lobstick a little above our camp, andfollowed up its course without seeing it again to Chip Lake, from which it flows. The road ranthrough a fertile undulating country at first, then through inferior land which forest fires had

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desolated. There were few flowers or berries and no large trees. The dogs roused a greatmany partridges, but no one felt disposed to follow them into the bush. Brown shot a fine fatone from the saddle with his revolver and divided it between the dogs, so that they had a mealand therefore a respite for another day.

Our progress was so slow, averaging two miles an hour, that we were all dreadfully tired. Thetrail was not bad in itself, with the exception of a few small morasses, some of black muck,and others of a tenacious clay, but at every four or five yards a tree, or two or three branches

were lying across, as firmly set by having been trodden on as if placed in position, and theyprevented the horses from getting into a trot. These obstacles were not recent windfalls. Theyhad evidently been there for years, and an expenditure of ten dollars a mile would clear mostof them away. But the H. B. Company could hardly be expected to make a road for free-traders to Jasper House, and as it is everybody's business, not a hand is put to the work. Ourdining place was at a small creek that runs into Chip Lake, a lake half as big as St. Ann's thatthe thick woods prevented our seeing. The ground was plentifully covered with creepers thatyielded blueberries smaller and more pungent than those in the Eastern Provinces.

A little after two P. M., we crossed the creek, and wound np the opposite hill-side into a brokenwell-wooded country, thfr hollows in which were furrowed with beaver dams. After an hour of this we reached a hill top, from which a great extent of thickly wooded country opened out,

first level and then with an undulating upward slope to the watershed of the McLeod. Thehorizon far beyond this slope in a due westerly direction was bounded by dim mountains, thatwe hailed with a shout as the long sought Rocky Mountains, but Beaupré checked the cheer bycalling back that they were only the foot hills between the McLeod and the Athabasca. At anyrate they were the outliers of the Rocky Mountains, and in exactly a month from our sayinggoodbye to Governor Archibald at Silver Heights wehad our first glimpse of them.

The road now descended to lower ground, and passed over the beds of old creeks destroyedby beavers. Had it not been for half-decayed logs lying across the path, the horses could havetrotted the whole way. As it was, they made fully four miles an hour, in the afternoon spell of three-and-a-quarter hours. Before five o'clock we came to a beautiful stream, and Valadadvised camping, but the Chief, learning that there was a suitable place with good water and

feed four miles farther on gave the word to continue the march. This ground, like much goneover in the morning, consisted of dry marsh, or sandy and gravelly ridges covered with scrubpine. It was part of the level region we had seen from the hill-top, and it had a decidedlypoverty-stricken look. In an hour we had reached the camping place and prepared our lodgingfor the night, well pleased with the progress that had been made during the day.

The spare horse, however, which as usual had been left to himself to follow in his own way,was missing. Terry, who had brought up the rear, had seen him lounging and looking back,when within a mile of the camp. Beaupr6 at once started in pursuit, bridle in hand, butreturned at dusk without him.

He had seen him near the creek we had crossed at five o'clock, evidently on his way home, or

in a state of bewilderment, not knowing where he was going. Beaupré had tried to drive himinto camp, but he plunged into the woods and refused to be driven back; so Beaupré afraid of losing the trail in the darkness, returned. As the horse could not well be spared, Valad wasasked to go after him early next morning, try his luck and catch up to us before dark, while hewent on under the guidance of Beaupré for the day.

The evenings were getting long now, and, after our slow and tedious journeying, it waspleasant to sit in the open tent before a great pine fire and talk about the work of the day, theprospects of to-morrow, and hear some story of wild western life from the men. Brown gave usthe particulars of the horrible massacre of the Peigan Indians by Colonel Baker, the kindly

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views of it taken by the Montana citizens, and their memorial to Washington in his favourwhen he was threatened with court-martial. Brown and Beaupré themselves judged themassacre from a miner's standpoint.

But none of their stories of lawless and cruel deeds roused in us such indignation as what theytold concerning villainies done recently in our own North-west. Perhaps the worst hadhappened only three weeks before our arrival at Edmonton, within one hundred yards of thePort. A young Métis of eighteen summers, son of a well known hunter called Kiskowassis (or

"day child," bom in the day) had murdered his wife, to whom he had been married only a fewmonths and who was enceinte Last year he had slashed a woman with his knife in the wristand made her a cripple for life. That was a small affair. But, having gone to the plains andformed an intimacy with another girl, he wanted to get rid of his wife. Luring her down to theriver side, so that suspicion might fall on a party of Blackfeet camped on the other side, hestabbed but only wounded her, and she fled up the hill, he chasing and striking at her.

Some of the Blackfeet on the opposite bank cried manoyo, manoyo (murder), but there was noone near to help the poor creature, and soon a surer blow stretched her dead. This was tooserious to be altogether passed over, so her brothers promptly called on Kiskowassis about it.Charley-the murderer was not at home, but Kiskowassis acknowledged that he had gone toofar, and proffered two horses that he extoUed highly, the one as a hunter and the other as a

carter, in atonement.

The elder brother went out and came back in a few minutes, saying: "They're pretty goodhorses, I guess we'd better take them." And thus the affair was amicably settled; at the sameprice, as far as law on the Saskatchewan is concerned, Charley may go on and have his sixwives more easily than Henry the eighth. An uncle of Charley, on the plains two months ago,shot a man who had offended him; and Beaupré extolled the whole family as "very brave.''Charley had tried to enlist Beaupre last year in a promising enterprise of killing some Surseeswho owned good horses; but Beaupré was not brave enough. There is a young brother, agedfourteen, who Beaupré says is sure to beat even Charley : "He is bound to steal a horse thisvery summer from the Blackfeet.'' We asked Brown why at any rate the miners did not lynchCharley, since no one else acted. He said that there was such a proposal, but it was decided

that as they were strangers enjoying the "protection" of the country, it would not be seemly tointerfere.

September 3rd. Awoke at four A.M., and found the fire burning brightly and Valad away inpursuit of the missing horse. Partly owing to his absence the start was an hour later thanyesterday's. Leaving his saddle and some bread and pemmican on a tree we moved on. Thetrail was a continuation of the willow and alder marsh of last evening, but instead of being dryit was swampy, and the travelling heavy.

The brown dog caught a musk-rat that made a meal for the two, and gave them another day'srespite. For the first eiglit or ten miles the road was almost wholly swamp, till a creek wascrossed that runs into Chip or Buffalo Lake, and from it by the Lobstick into the Pembina. The

water-shed of the McLeod then rose in a long broken richlyclothed slope. In five hours fromcamp, at an average rate of three miles an hour. Root River that runs into the McLeod wasreached. The trail, which at no time was better than a bridle path, was so heavily encumberedin places with fallen timber that no trace of it could be seen. A rough path had to be brokenround each obstacle, and sometimes Beaupré had difficulty in finding the trail again. Indianpears and mooseberries the largest we had seen grew along the hill-side, in such quantitiesthat you could often fill your hand by leaning from the saddle, as the horse brushed past thebushes. We halted two hours and a half at Root River, and, as there was a birth-day at home,slap-jacks mixed with berry pemmican were made as a substitute for plumpudding, and, atdinner, the Chief produced a pint bottle of Noyeau, which had been stored for some great

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occasion, and Minnie's health was drunk in three table-spoonfuls a piece. Just as dinner wasover, Valad made his appearance. He had a hard day of it following the track of the horse, butcame up to him at our yesterday's dining place, moving quietly home-wards. Three times heturned him, but the horse always got away by dashing into the brush.

Valad then went ahead and set a wooden trap on the road, but the horse avoided it, and Valadgave up the chase. On his way back he found that the squirrels had eaten his breakfastShouldering his saddle, he followed our trail, and rejoined us at two P.M., having walked forty-

one miles and eaten nothing.

His moccasins had been cut with the stumps and thorns ; but though footsore in consequence,he made light of it and went to work with his usual promptness. Beaupré had been looking forhalf an hour, but quite in vain, among the long grass and shrubs, for a bit that had dropped off one of the bridles.

"We're all right now" was his judicious remark, when Valad appeared, "the old man will smell itif he can't see it." Our afternoon spell was heavy work; crossing a branch of the Root River, wecame on a barren swamp, burned over so thoroughly that there was not a trace of water nor of the trail for two miles; the once heavily-timbered slopes all round had been devastated. On ourright a forest of bare poles, looking in the distance like a white cloud, clung to the hill-side.

Dead logs, poles, branches, strewed the ground so abundantly that the horses could pick theirsteps but slowly. After the barren, came the last ascent, and so gradual was it that we did notknow when we were at the top, and then instead of a rapid descent to the McLeod, stiff marshsucceeded that got stiffer every mile. The sun set before wfe got through half of the marsh,but at one spot, a dry ridge intervening with good water near, Valad advised camping. Inanswer to our question, "how far off is the McLeod still ?" he pointed to the sky saying "the sunwill be over more than half of that again before we see it." This settled the question, though ina disappointing way, as it put an end to the hope of getting to Jasper's this week. Three of thehorses, too, were a little lame, and things did not look quite as bright as when we started inthe morning.

September 4th. The three lame horses were looked at immediately after breakfast. The cause

of lameness in all three cases was, that sharp strong stops or splinters had run into or justabove their unshod hoofs; we half wondered that some of them had not pulled their hoofs off,in struggling to extricate them from tough and sharp fibrous roots. The splinters were easilyextracted from two, and, the third horse, allowing no one near his hind leg, was manageddexterously by Yalad. Passing one end of his shaganappi lasso twice round nis neck, he madetwo turns of the other end round his body, and gradually slipped those turns down over hishind legs, and tightened them.

Tightening the rope at his neck now, the horse resisted, but his legs being tied, his ownstruggles with a little shove threw him and when thrown he lay quiet as a lamb.

It had rained during the night, and the morning was cloudy.

At 9 a.m. the rain came on again, after we had been two hours on the road, if the expression isallowable when there was no road. The rain made travelling across the muskeg still moredifficult and uncomfortable. In six hours and a quarter we fought through ten miles, six orseven of them being simply over a continuous muskeg covered with windfalls. The horsesstumbled over roots and timber to sink into thick layers of quaking moss, and sometimesthrough these to the springs underneath. The greater part of the ground bore tall beautifullyshaped spruce and poplar, chiefly spruce, from one to three feet in diameter.

After crossing a little creek, the trail improved somewhat till it led to the ancient bank of theMcLeod, at the foot of which yawned a deep pool with a bottom of tenacious clay, that had to

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be struggled through somehow. The horses sinking almost to their bellies, floundered in themud at a fearful rate, with such effects on our clothes as may be conceived; fortunately by thistime we were quite indifferent on the subject of appearances.

The river was only a hundred yards from this, but the trail led for half a mile up through awooded intervale to the crossing.A little creek seamed the intervale, and the first open spot was strewed with as many chips aswould furnish a carpenter's shop, beside several logs, two of them stripped of their bark and

others cut into junks for transportation. We had disturbed a colony of beavers in their work of building a dam across the creek and of laying in their winter supplies.

The sight of the McLeod was a relief, for we had found the way to it a hard road to travel, asthe Canadians who preceded Milton and Cheadle evidently had. The Chief came upon their ,testimony chalked with red keil on a large spruce tree in the swamp, five or six miles to theeast of the river. Only the following words and half-words could be made out;August 10th, 1862, ****** / * * *********** / * * * * East Tilbury * * * / * ***** and * * * / * ** * * Robert Campb */ ** *« *»************* for Cariboo * / * * * * a hard road to travel

poor fellows ! some of them found the North Thompson a harder road.

The McLeod heads inside of the first range of the Rocky dountaina. Where we crossed, it is abeautiful stream about 10 yards wide, running north-easterly with a rapid current ver a pebblybed. Its breadth is not much greater than the Pembina, but it has three times the volume of water. At this eason of the year, it can be forded at almost any point where here is a littlerapid, the water in such places not coming up the horses' necks. Crossing, we came upon afew acres of prairie, to the rich vetches on which the horses abandoned hemselves as eagerlyas our party did to the rechaud and tea hat Terry hurried up. Fortunately too, the rain ceased,hough the sky did not clear, and Valad made a big fire at which we dried ourselves partially.Brown advised that, as his was a good place, some provisions should be cached for hose of theparty who were to return from Jasper's; and Valad, selecting a site in the green wood, he andBeaupré went off to it from the opposite direction, with about twentyive pounds of pemmican

and flour tied up, first in canvas ,nd then in oil-skin, as the wolverine-most dreaded plundererof caches-dislikes the smell of oil. Selecting two suitable )ine trees in the thick wood, theyskinned (barked) them to )revent animals from climbing; then placing a pole between the wo,some eighteen feet from the ground, they hung a St. Andrew's Cross of two small sticks fromthe pole, and suspendid their bag from the end of one, that the least movement or even puff of wind would set it swinging. Such a cache Valad guaranteed against bird and beast of whatever kind. "And now," Beaupré summed up, " if no one finds that, we will be in good luck;but if somebody finds it, we will be in bad luck; that's all." Our course from this point was to beup the McLeod for nearly seventy miles of very bad road. As we had had enough of that forone day, we listened eagerly to Beaupré saying that it was possible to dodge the first eightmiles by creeping along the shore of the river, and crossing and recrossing wherever thebanks come down too close to permit travelling. Though Valad didn't know this way and

Beaupré himself had not tried the crossings, having on a former occasion made the trip up theriver in a canoe, and not by the shore, it was decided to try. A pleasant change on theforenoon's journey it proved to be, and quite a success; for we arrived at the proposedcamping ground, after four crossings, before sunset. The river was low and the shore wide,consisting of rough pebbly stretches or sand bars, covered, near the bank, with wild onions,sand grasses, and creepers. Beaupré said that the sand would yield gold at the rate of a cent ashovelful, but that would give only $2 or $3 per day. Where the banks came near the river inbold blufis, they showed sections cjiiefly of difierent kinds of clay and sand, stone separated byblack slate. No coal beds appeared except a four-inch seam that looked like coal, but mayhave been only a roof of shale to the coal beneath.

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At the camp a roaring fire of pine logs was soon kindled, and a line hung along one side for ourwet clothes; but the steadydrizzling rain recommenced and continued all night. We warmed ourselves at any rate, andturned in as comfortably as the circumstances permitted.

September 5th. It rained steadily through the night and was drizzling in the morning. Thoughit hurts the horses' backs to saddle them when wet, there was no alternative, and so after

getting ready with great deliberation, in hopes that it would clear up, we moved away at 7.30A.M.

Our first spell was tke hardest work of the journey, so far, with the least to show for it. Wemade about five miles, and it took as many hours to make the distance. The road followed theupward course of the McLeod, crossing the necks of land formed by the doublings of the river. These so called portages were the worst part of the road, though it was all so bnd that it isinvidious to make comparisons. The country was either bog or barren-both bad, for the wholehad recently been burned over, and every wind had blown down its share of the burnt trees. There was no regular trail. Each successive party that travelled this way, seemed to have triedto make a new one in vain efforts to escape the difficulties. Valad went ahead, axe in hand,and between natural selections and a judicious use of the axe, made a passage; but it looked

so tangled and beset, that the horses often thought they could do better; off they would go,with a swing, among the bare poles, for about two yards before their packs got interlaced withthe tough spruce. Then came the tug; if the trees would not give, the packs had to, and' therewas a delay of half an hour to tie them on again. We often wondered that the packs came off so seldom; but Brown understood his business; besides the trees had been burnt, and some of them were uprooted or broken with comparative ease.

Of course the recent rains had not improved the going. Beaupre said that it had not beenworse last summer, after the spring frosts had come out and the spring rains gone in. Take itall in all, the road was hopelessly bad,-deserving all the hard things that had been said of it,and called for a large stock of the Mark Tapley spirit, especially when, by wandering from thetrail, the horses got mired in muskegs or stuck between trees, or when the blackened tough

spruce branches, bentforward by a pack horse,swung back viciously in the face of the unfortunate driver.

The road could only have been worse by the trees being larger; but then it would have beensimply impassable, for the windfalls would have barricaded it completely. The prospect, too,was dismal and desolate looking enough for Avemus or the richest coal fields : nothing but aforest, apparently endless, of blackened poles on all sides. Only when an angle or bend of theriver came into view, was there any relief for the eye.

Towards midday, when every one's thoughts were on pemmican, "ho," "ho,'' was heard ahead,and two Indians appeared holding out hands to Valad. They had left Jasper's four days ago,and were bound for Edmonton, trusting to their guns or the berries to supply them with food

on the way. The offer of a pemmican dinner turned them back with us for a quarter of a mile,to a little creek where the halt had to be called, though there was but poor feed for the horsesamong the blackened trees. The Indians had no dog, and were glad to take the black-as hewould be useful in treeing partridges-back to Mr. Adams. They promised also to drive homethe spare horse if they could track him. We wrote a note by them to Mr. Adams, telling himwhat commissions we had entrusted them with. These Indians had straighter features and amanlier cast of countenance than the ordinary Wood-Indians. On inquiry, we learned that theywere Iroquois from Smoking River, to the north of Jasper's, where a small colony has beensettled for fifty years back. Their ancestors had been in the employment of the North-west FurCompany, and on its amalgamation with the Hudson's Bay, had settled on Smoking River, on

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account of the abundance of fur-bearing animals and of large game, such as buffalo, elk,brown and grizzly bears, then in that quarter.After dinner, the march was resumed at the mile per hour rate. More discouraging was the factthat scarcely two-thirds of that modest speed was progress; for the trail twisted like a shiptacking, so that at times we were actually progressing backwards. In struggling across creeksthe difference between the Lowland Scot and the Frenchman came out amusingly.

Brown continued imperturbable, no matter how the horses went. Beaupré, the mildest

mannered man living when things went smoothly, could not stand the sight of a horsefloundering in the mud. Down into the gully he would rush to lift him out by the tall. Of coursehe got spattered and perhaps kicked for his pains. This made him worse, and he had to let outhis exjitement on the horse. Gripping the tail with his left hand, as the brute struggled up theopposite hill, swaying him from side to side as if he had been tied to it, he whipped with hisright; till he reached the top. Then feeling that he had done his part, he would let go andsubside again into his mildest manners.

Towards evening the road improved so that the luxury of a smart walk was indulged in withoccasional breaks for an tour or two. When we camped, the tally for the day was twelve miles,representing perhaps an air line of six or eight, or ten hours' hard work. A bath in the McLeod,and a change of socks followed by supper, put us all right, although the hope of seeing

Jasper's before next Wednesday had completely vanished.

September 6th. It rained last night, but the morning gave signs of a fair day. Renewed themarch at 6.45 a.m. Yesterday's experiences were also renewed, except that the road as wellas the lay was better-enabling us to make two miles an hour. The road kept closer to the river,revealing many a beautiful bend or ong reach. The timber was larger and less of it burnt.Poplar, cottonwood, and spruce, chiefly the latter, predominated. The opposite bank hadescaped fires. Before noon, we got a glimpse of the mountains away to the south, and soonafter reached a lovely bit of open prairie covered with vetches, honey-suckle, and rose-bushesout of flower. Here, the McLeod sweeps away to the south and then back to the north, and thetrail instead of following its long circuit cuts across the loop. This portage is twenty miles long,and a muskeg in the noddle-on one or the other side of which we would have to camp to-night-

is the worst on the road to Jasper's. Halted for dinner at the bend of the river, having travellednine oi ten miles, Frank promising us some fish, from a trouty looking stream hard by, as achange from the everlasting pemmican. Not that any one was tired of pemmican. All joined inits praises as the right food for a journey, and wondered why the Government had never usedit in war time. It must be equal or superior to the famous Prussian sausage, judging of thelatter as we needs must, without having lived on it for a month.

As an army marches on its stomach, condensed food is an important object for thecommissariat to consider, especially when, as in the case of the British Army, long expeditionsare frequently necessary. Pemmican is good and palatable uncooked and cooked, though mostprefer it in the rechavd form. It has numerous other recommendations for campaign diet. Itkeeps sound for twenty or thirty years, is wholesome and strengthening, portable, and needs

no medicine to correct a tri-daily use of it. Two pounds weight, with bread and tea, we foundenough for the dinner of eight hungry men. A bag weighing a hundred pounds is only the sizeof an ordinary pillow, two feet long, one and a half wide, and six inches thick. Such a bag thenwould supply three good meals to a hundred and thirty men.

Could the same be said of equal bulk of pork ? But as Terry indignantly remarked : "The BritishGovernment won't dream of pimmican till the Prooshians find it out." Frank came back todinner with one small trout though Beaupré said that he and his mate last summer had caughtan hundred in two hours, some of them ten pounds in weight. Perforce we dined on pemmican,and liked it better than ever.

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The sun now shone out, making the day warm and pleasant, as September usually is inAmerica. At 2 p.m. got into line again to cross the long portage. The course was westerly, bythe banks of the stream called the Medicine, at the mouth of which we had dined. A great partof the road was comparatively free from fallen timber, so that we enjoyed the novelty of a trot,and, except near two creeks that ran into the Medicine, free from the still worse obstruction of muskegs. An hour before sunset, the Medicine itself had to be crossed, and on the other sideof it was the bad muskeg. Beaupré drew a long face when he saw the river,. for the recent

rains had made it turbid and swollen to an unusual height, and this argued ill for the state of the ground on the other side. For the first mile, however, we got on well enough, as the roadtook advantage of a ridge for two-thirds of that distance; but then came the dreaded spot. Itlooked no worse than the rest, but the danger was unseen. Deep holes formed by springsabounded underneath the soft thick moss, in which horses would sink to their necks. The taskwas to find a line of sure ground, and by avoiding Scylla not to fall into Oharybdis. As Valadwith Indian, and Brown with Scotch caution were trjring the ground all round, Beauprfe,leading his horse by the bridle dashed in close to the swollen river, at a most unlikely spot,exclaiming : "I'll chance it, any way." The words were only out of his lips when he fell into apool up to his middle; but undismayed, he scrambled out, and keeping close to beds of willowand alder, actually found a way so good that the rest followed him. Only one pack-horse sankso hopelessly deep, into a hole, that he had to be unpacked and lifted out, Beaupre hoisting by

the tail with a mighty hoist-for the man had the strength of a giant. An hour after sunset, wearrived at an ascent where it was possible to camp, though the bare blackened half-burntpoles all round gave a cheerless aspect to the scene. All were too tired to be critical; thankfulbesides that the worst was over, and that to-morrow, according to Valad there would be "unbeau chemin." To-day we had travelled twenty miles, representing probably fourteen on themap. As more could not hare been done no one grumbled, though all devoutly longed for amore modem rate of speed. Crossing muskegs, it is impossible to hurry horses, and whenfallen timber cannot be jumped or scrambled over, a single tree on the path cnay necessitatea detour of fifty yards to make five. How the heavily laden pack-horses of the Hudson's BayCompany get along such a road, is rather a puzzle.

September 7th. Away from camp at 6.45 A.M.; and in less than two hours came again in view

of the McLeod; narrower and much more like the child of the mountains than at the firstcrossing. Instead of sand bars as there, ridges and masses of rounded stones and boulders arestrewn along its shores, or piled up with drifted trees and rubbish in the shallower partsof itsbed. The trail led up stream near the bank, descending headlong to the river two or threetimes, and then ascending precipitous bluffs that tested the horses' wind severely.

From these summits, views of a section of the Rocky Mountains, sixty or seventy miles away tothe south-west, rewarded our exertions, and were the only thing that justified Valad's phraseof "beau chemin." The deep sides of the mountains and two or three of the summits werewhite with snow, and under the rays of the sun one part looked green and glacierlike.

We should have crossed and then recrossed the McLeod hereabouts to escape the worst part

of the road, but Valad, to his intense mortification, missed the point where the traU led off tothe ford. There was nothing left therefore but to keep pegging away at the rate of a mile anhour, up and down hill, through thick underbrush of willows and aspens that had sprung upround the burnt spruce and cotton-wood, which still reared aloft their tall blackened shafts.

At 1 o'clock, we dined beside the river on the usual breakfast and supper fare, having travelledtwelve or thirteen miles in six hours and a quarter. Muskegs and windfalls delayed us most,the former being always near creeks, and worse than the latter. The only hard ground was onthe sandy or gravelly ridges separating the intervening valleys, and on these, windfalls had

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accumulated from year to year, so that the trail in many places was buried out of sight. Whileat dinner clouds gathered in the west and quickly overspread the whole sky.

This hurried our movements, but the rain was on-with thunder and lightning-in ten minutes.After the first smart shower, a lull followed which the men took advantage of to pack thehorses, drying their backs as well as possible before putting on the saddles.

A little after 3 P.M., we were on the march and on rather a better road. Heavy thunder showers

broken by gleams of sunlight dispelling the leaden clouds from time to time, gave a sky of wonderful grandeur and colour. The river and the finely wooded hilly country beyond, forhereabouts too the opposite banks had escaped the ravages of fire-probably because therewas no trail and no travelling on that side, displayed themselves in magnificent panoramicviews from every bluff we climbed, while far to the west and south-west beyond the hills,masses of clouds concealing the mountains but assuming the forms and almost the solidity of the mountains, made an horizon worthy of the whole sky and of the foreground. At sunset wedescended for the last time to the river, and skirting it for two miles or crossing to long isletswhere the current divided itself, reached a beautiful prairie and camped under the shade of agroup of spruce and poplars. This was the point Valad had aimed for, as a good place for theSunday rest, chiefly because of the feed; and here we were to take leave of the McLeod, andcross to the Athabasca "No more by thee our steps shall be for ever and for ever," or at least

until there is a better road. From the watershed of the McLeod to this point was less thaneighty miles, and to get over that distance had occupied four and a half days of the hardesttravelling. The tally of the week was 120 miles, and every one was satisfied with it becausemore could not have been done. And when, on the only occasion in the week on which spiiitswere used, the whole party gathered round the camp-fire after supper to have the Saturdaynight toasts of "wives and sweethearts" and "the Dominion and the Railroad," immediatelyafter "The Queen," the universal feeliug was of thankful content that we had got, on withoutcasualties, and that to-morrow was Sunday. The men being without waterproofs had not aninch of dry clothing on them, but they dried themselves at the big fire as if it was the jolliestthing in the world to be wet. Valad, under the influence of a glass of the mildest toddy, relaxedfrom his Indian gravity and taciturnity, and smiled and talked benignantly. "When withgentlemen" he was pleased to inform us, "he was treated like a gentleman; but when with

others he had a hard time of it." Poor Valad ! what a lonely joyless life he lived, yet he did hisduty like a man, and bore himself with the dignity of a man who lived close to and learned thelessons of nature. Some will blame us for giving toddy to an Indian, or for taking it ourselves,and perhaps more severely for not suppressing all mention of the fact.Our only answer is that a little did us good and we were thankful for the good, and that theone merit this diary aspires to is to be a frank and truthful narrative. It would have been meanto have left Valad out; and to show an Indian that it was possible to be temperate ia all things,possible to use a stimulant without abusing it, seemed to us on the whole a better lesson toenforce practically, than to have preached an abstinence that he would have misunderstood.

September 8th. Another day of rest, with nothing to chronicle save our ordinary Sundayroutine. But no, this is doing great injustice to the Doctor who eclipsed all his former eflforts, in

the way of providing medical comforts, by concocting It plum-pudding for dinner. The Doctor'sprescriptions smelled of the pharmacopoeia as little as possible. Was an old woman that hemet on the way complaining of ''a weakeness." Send her a pannikin of hot soup. Were Valad'slegs inflamed by rubbing all day against his coarse trowsers in the saddle ? Make him apresent of a pair of soft flannel drawers. Was a good Father at the mission in failing health ?Fatten him up with rich diet, even on fast days. And finally, were we ail desirous of celebratinga birth-day, and did the thought make us a little homesick, the only sickness that our ownparty ever suffered from ? Get up a plum-pudding for dinner. But how ? We had neither bag,suet, nor plums. But we had berry pemmican, and pemmican in its own line is equal to

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shaganappi. It contained buffalo fat that would do for suet, and benies that would do forplums. Only genius could have united plum-pudding and berry pemmican in one mental act.

Terry contributed a bag, and when the contribution was inspected rather daintily, he explainedthat it was the sugar bag, which might be used, as there was very little sugar left for it to hold.Pemmican, flour and water, baking soda, sugar and salt were surely sufficient ingredients; as alast touch the Doctor searched the medicine-chest, but in vain, for tincture of ginger to give aflavour, and in default of that, suggested chlorodyne, but the Chief promptly negatived the

suggestion, on the ground that if we ate the pudding the chlorodyne might be required a fewhours after.

At 3 p.m. the bag was put in the pot, and dinner was ordered to be at 5. At the appointed houreverything else was ready; the usual pièce de resistance of pemmican, flanked for Sundaygarnishing by two reindeer tongues. But as we gathered round, it was announced that thepudding was a failure ; that it would not unite ; that buffalo fat was not equal in cohesivepower to suet, and that instead of a pudding it would be only boiled pemmican. The Doctormight have been knocked down with a feather; Frank was loud and savage in hislamentations : but the Chief advised "more boiling," as an infallible specific in such cases, andthat dinner be proceeded with. The additional half hour acted like a charm. With fear andtrembling the Doctor went to the pot; anxious heads bent down with his ; tenderly was the bag

lifted out and slit, and a joyous shout conveyed the intelligence that it was a success, that atany rate it had the shape of a pudding. Brown, who had been scoffing, was silenced; and theDoctor conquered him completely by helping him to a double portion. How good that puddingwas ! A teaspoonful of brandy on a sprinkling of sugar made sauce; and there was not one of the party who did not hold out his plate for "more,'' though, as the Doctor belonged to theorthodox school of medicine, the first helping had been no homoeopathic dose. To have beenperfect the pudding should have had more boiling; but no one dared hint a fault, for was notthe dish empty ? We at once named the place Plum-Pudding Camp, and Brown was engagedon the spot to make a better if he could at the Yellow Head Pass Camp.

In all respects save weather the day was aa pleasant as our former Sundays; but gusts of windblew the smoke of the fire into the tent, and the grass was too thoroughly soaked with rain for

pleasant walking. The sun struggled to come out, but scarcely succeeded, and towardsevening a cold rain, that would be snow on the mountains, set in. Valad had pitched aseparate camp for himself under a grove of pines, that sheltered him beaufifully from the windand rain. So cozy was it that during the day one after another resorted thither, for a pipe or aquiet read, when eyes could no longer endure the big tent's smoke.

The usual morning and evening services were attended by all. Each time that we united as onebody in worship, our thoughts were raised from earth, and the bond that united us becamestronger.

September 9th. Up very early this morning, but it was 7 before we said goodbye to PlumPudding Camp and the McLeod river. In packing horses, the more haste the less speed. Any

twist of the shaganappi omitted is sure to avenge itself at the most inconvenient place. And asnone but Brown and Beaupré could do this work, it took a long time.

The night had been cold, and the grass in the morning was crisp with frost, but the sun rosebright and soon dissolved the hoar into dew. We started in high spirits, under the warm rays of the sun, with good hopes of soon seeing the Athabaska. The trail to it leads up an intervals of the McLeod for a mile, and then crosses a hilly portage thirteen miles long. The portageconsists of ridges of gravel intermixed with clay, supporting a growth of pines and spruce largeenough for railway or building purposes. At the bottom of each ridge is a creek of clear coldwater, running over black muck or whitish clay. Half way across, a lake that empties into the

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Athabaska lies under the shadow of the Foot Hills; and from this point successive steepdescents lead to streams running in deep valleys over pebbly beds, and through the woodsglimpses are had of blue wooded heights on the other side of the Athabaska. Instead of goingdirectly west to the river, the trail winds more to the south, ascending the river at a distancefrom it, and we thus missed the large alluvial flat a little north called Le Grand Bas-fond, whereis the only good grass for miles. At 1 o'clock we got our first sight of the Athabasca, from ahigh bluff, and beyond it to the south-west, fifty miles off, but seemingly close at hand, theRocky Mountains covered with snow. It was time to halt, but the pasture under the pines and

spruces was so scant that it would have been a mockery to turn the horses loose. We resolvedtherefore to keep moving and make only one spell for the day. For two hours longer thepatient creatures toiled on, as willingly as when fresh; the trail winding for five or six nules upand down the steep banks of the river, and crossing several mountain streams, and for thenext five going along a smootb terrace of shingle, now a hundred feet above the river, butonce its bed. Here the trail was so good that, with few interruptions the jog trot wasmaintained. At length on a burnt tract, rich heavy bunch-grass, enough for the night-showed,and the trail descending to another bench only ten feet above the present bed of the river, wecamped on the lower and drove the horses back to the upper terrace after watering them. In acontinuous march of ten hours about twenty-five miles had been travelled.

Valad shook his head when he saw the white peaks and the river. He had never known the

former so covered with snow, nor the latter so swollen at this season of the year. There musthave been severe weather in the mountains, with the probable consequence for us, thatinstead of fording we would have to construct a raft opposite Jasper House.

The Athabasca at this early point of its course is nearly as large as the Saskatchewan atEdmonton, of the same clay colour, and running with a more rapid current. It varies in breadthaccording as it is hemmed in by cliffs of sandstones, shales, and clay; or as its shores expandinto intervales or broad terraces rising one above the other. These successive terraces aremarked very distinctly in several places on both sides of the stream. Dr. Hector measured theirheights with the aneroid at Le Grand Bas-fond, and found that the three lowest and mostdistinctly marked were fifteen, a hundred, and two hundred and ten feet above the alluvialbottom of the valley, while one still higher, not so uniformly distinct, was three hundred and

seventy feet. These terraces are covered with spruce and pine.

From the terrace above our camp, the mountains seemed immediately beyond the wood onthe opposite side of the river.

They towered up in a grand silver-tipped line closing the western horizon so high up, that thesun always sets here more than half an hour sooner than on the plains.

At length we had come to the bases of the Rocky Mountains, and the sight of them wassufficient reward for all the toil of the preceding fortnight.

While hacking with his axe at brush on the camping ground, just where our heads would lie,

Brown struck something metallic that blunted the edge of the axe. Feeling with his hand hedrew out from near the root of a young spruce tree, an ancient sword bayonet, the brazen hiltand steel blade in excellent preservation, but the leather scabbard half eaten as if by the teethof some animal. It seemed strange in this vast and silent forest wilderness thus to come upona relic that told, probably, of the old days when the two rival fur companies armed their agentsto the teeth, and when bloody contests often took place between them. Brown presented thetreasure trove to the Chief, for his museum, as a memento of the Athabasca, and from it, thisour forty-fourth camp, since leaving Thunder Bay, received the name of Bayonet Camp. To-night we rest under the protection of the Rocky Mountains.

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CHAPTER VIII THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

The Flora. — The Mountains. — Prairie River. — Grilled Beaver. — Roche a Myette. — Roche a.Perdrix. — Roche Ronde. — Jasper House. — Roche Jacques. — Roche Suette. — Roche Bosche.— First Night in the Mountains. — Crossing the Athabaska. — Magnificent Mountain Scenery. —Pyramid Rock. — Jasper Lake. — Snaring River. — Jasper Valley. — We meet Pacific Men. —Hyiu muck-a-muck ! Hyiu iktahs ! — Old Henry House. — The Caledonian Valley. — A Rough Trail. — Desolate Camping Ground. — Good Cheer. — The Trail Party. — Yellow Head Pass. —

Nameless Mountain Peaks. — Sunday Dinner in "The Pass."

September 10th. The Athabasca fell six inches during the night. Got away from camp at 7:30A.M., and for two hours had a delightful ride to Prairie River. The trail ran along a terrace of shingle or alluvial flats, and was free from fallen timber and muskegs. Most of the flowers wereout of blossom, but in the spring and summer these open meadow-like places must be gaywith anemones, roses, vetches, and a great variety of composite-none now in bloom, except alight-blue aster that had accompanied us from the North Saskatchewan, and all the waythrough the wooded country. The burnt ground shewed a brilliant crimson flower from whichred ink is made, and which we had seen on the Matawan.

Few, however, thought of plants to-day or of anything but the mountains that stood in massive

grandeur, thirty miles ahead, but on account of the morning light, in which every point cameout clear, seemingly just on the other side of each new patch of wood or bit of prairie beforeus.

They rose bold and abrupt fi.ve or six thousand feet from the wooded country at their feet, thewestern verge of the plains, the elevation of which was over three thousand feet additionalabove the sea,-and formed in long unbroken line across our path, save where cleft in thecentre down to their very feet, by the chasm that the Athabasca, long ago forced, or found foritself.

"There are no Rocky Mountains'' has been the remark of many a disappointed traveller by theUnion and Central Pacific Railways. The remark will never be made by those who travel on "the

Canadian Pacific; there was no ambiguity about these being mountains, nor about where theycommenced.

The line was defined, and the scarp as clear, as if they had been hewn and chiselled for afortification. The summits on one side of the Athabasca were serrated, looking sharp as theteeth of a saw ; on the other, the Roche a Myette, immediately behind the first line, reared agreat solid unbroken cube, two thousand feet high, a "forehead bare," twenty times higherthan Ben An's; and, before and beyond it, away to the south and west, extended ranges withbold summits and sides scooped deep, and corries far down, where formerly the wood buffalo,and the elk, and now the moose, bighorn, and bear find shelter. There was nothing fantasticabout the mountain forms. Everything was imposing. And these too were ours, an inheritanceas precious, if not as plentiful in corn and milk, as the rich plains they guarded. For mountains

elevate the mind, and give an inspiration of courage and dignity to the hardy races who ownthem and who breathe their atmosphere.

For the strength of the hills we bless thee Our God, our fathers' God. Thou hast made ourspirits mighty With the touch of the mountain sod.

The scene had its effect on the whole party. As we wound in Indian file along the sinuous trail,that led across grassy basfonds under the shadow of the mountains that were still a day's journey distant, not a word was heard, nor a cry to the horses for the first half-hour. Valad ledthe way, clad friar-like in blue hooded capote which he wore all regardless of the fact that the

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sun was shining; Brown next, in rugged miner costume half-leathern half-woollen, and Beaupréin the same with a touch of colour added; the Chief and the Doctor in their yellow moose-hide jackets; even Terry, who of late invariably brought up the rear, ceased to howl "git out o' that"to the unfortunate animal he sat upon, dropped his stick, and put his pipe in his waistcoatpocket. He had seen Vesuvius, the Himalayas and the Hill of Howth, but they were "nauthin tothis.'' Before us, at times, a grove of dark green spruce, and beyond the sombre wood, theinfinitely more sombre grey of the mountains; where the wood had been burnt, the bareblackened poles seemed to be only a screen hung before, half revealing, half concealing, what

was beyond. The mountains dwarfed and relieved everything else. There was less snow thanhad appeared yesterday, the explanation being that the first and least elevated mountaiurange only was before us now that we were near, whereas, when at a greater distance, manyof the higher summits beyond had been visible. Soon after crossing Praiiie Eiver, the trail ledaway to the east from the Athabasca among windfalls of the worst kind, or muskegs, and upand down steep banks. Little progress was made for the next two hours, but the mountain airtold so on our appetites that at midday a halt of an hour and a half was imperativelydemanded, although it had to be on the borders of a swamp among blackened poles.

After dinner we resumed the march and soon crossed another Prairie River, formed apparentlyby the union of three streamlets, winding by difierent valleys down a wooded range that lies atthe foot of the mountains, and extends east by north for some distance. The view of the

mountains all this afternoon more than made up for the difficulties of the road. Instead of being clearly outlined, cold, and grey as in the morning, they appeared indistinct through awarm deep blue haze; we had come nearer, but they seemed to have removed further back.

When on the other side of Prairie River, the wooded range from which it flowed was on our left,and the high wooded hills beyond the Athabasca on our right. Woods and hills in front closedup the lower part of the gorge from which the Athabasca issued, and completely divided theRocky Mountains into two ranges, right and left; thus an amphitheatre of mountains closedround while we were making for the open that yawned right in front.

At 4.30 P.M., the order was given to camp; Frank and Valad went off to hunt, and the Chief andthe Secretary to climb a hill and note the surrounding country. Bear and fresh moose tracks

were seen by the latter two, and fresh otter trails leading down into the river. On their returnthey fell in with Frank carrying a beaver; he and Valad had fired at two and shot one. TheDoctor in their absence had fished in primitive style, with a tent pole and twine and a hookbaited with pemmican, and had caught two fine trout. Having this varied provision, supperwithout rSehaiid was unanimously decreed, and Valad set to work on the beaver and Terry onthe fish. In fifteen minutes Valad had the animal skinned, boned, the whole of the meatstretched out in one piece on a brander of sticks and exposed to the fire to grill ; the tail onanother stick, and the liver on a third. We waited impatiently for supper, the Secretary makingtoast of Terry's under-done bread to keep himself from murmuring. In due time everything wasready, and the five who had never tasted beaver, prepared themselves to sit in judgment. Theverdict was favourable throughout; the meat tender, though dry, the liver a delicious morsel,and the tail superior to moose-muffle. Within an hour after that beaver had been industriously

at work on his dam, he formed part of the interior economy of eight different stomachs, andscavcely a scrap was left to show what he once had been. More sudden and completemetamorphosis is not in Ovid. The trout were excellent, so that it may be understood that astraight meal was made. In honour of the event of the evening, this, our forty-fifth, was namedBeaver Camp. Having lost an hour and a half of sunlight to-day, we made airangements tostart early to-morrow for a long spell.

This was to be our last night on the plains. To-morrow night we would be in the embrace of themountains.

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September 11th. Away this morning at 6.15 a. m., and halted at 1 p.m., after crossing theRivière de Violon or Fiddle river, when fairly inside the first range. It was a grand morning formountain scenery. For the first three hours the trail continued at some distance east from thevalley of the Athabasca, among wooded hills, now ascending, now descending, but on thewhole with an upward slope, across creeks where the ground was invariably boggy, over fallentimber, where infinite patience was required on the part of horse and man.

Suddenly it opened out on a lakelet, and right in front, a semicircle of five glorious mountains

appeared; a high wooded hill and Soche i Perdrix on our left, Roche a Myette beyond, RocheRonde in front, and a mountain above Lac Brulé on our right. For half a mile down from theirsummits, no tree, shrub, or plant covered the nakedness of the three that the old trappers hadthought worthy of names; and a clothing of vegetation would have marred their massivegrandeur. The first three were so near and towered up so bold that their full forms, even to thelong shadows on them, were reflected clearly in the lakelet, next to the rushes and spruce of its own shores. Here is scene for a grand picture equal to Hill's painting of the Yosemite Valley.A little further on, another lakelet reflected the mountains to the right, showing not only themassive grey and blue of the limestone, but red and green colourings among the shales thatseparated the strata of limestone. The road now descended rapidly from the summit of thewooded hill that we had so slowly gained, to the valley of the Athabasca. As it wound frompoint to point among the tail dark green spruces and over rose bushes and vetches, the soft

blue of the mountains gleamed through everywhere, and when the woods parted, the mightycolumn of Roche a Perdrix towered a mile above our heads, scuds of clouds kissing its snowysummit, and each plication and angle of the different strata up its giant sides was boldly andclearly revealed. We were entering the magnificent Jasper portals of the Eocky Mountains by aquiet path winding between groves of trees and rich lawns like an English gentleman's park.

Crossing a brook divided into half a dozen brooklets by willows, the country opened a little andthe base and inner side of Roche à Perdrix were revealed; but, it was still an amphitheatre of mountains that opened out before us, and Roche a Myette seemed as far off as ever. Soon theRiviere de Violon was heard brawling round the base of Roche à Perdrix and rushing on like atrue mountain torrent to the Athabasca. We stopped to drink to the Queen out of its clear ice-cold waters, and halted for dinner in a grove on the other side of it, thoroughly excited and

awed by the grand forms that had begirt our path for the last three hours. We couldsympathise with the enthusiast, who returned home after years of absence, and when askedwhat he had as an equivalent for so much lost time, answered : "I have seen the RockyMountains." After dinner, a short walk enabled us to take bearings. The valley of theAthabasca from two to five miles wide, according as a sandy bas-fond or intervale along itsshore varied in width, extended up to the west and south, guarded on each side by giantforms. We had come inside the range, and it was no longer an amphitheatre of hills, but avalley ever opening, and at each turn revealing new forms, that was now before us.

Roche Ronde was to our right, its stratification as distinct as the leaves of a half opened book. The mass of the rock was limestone, and what at a distance had been only peculiarly bold andrugged outlines, were now seen to be the different angles and contortions of the strata. And

such contortions ! One high mass twisting up the sides in serpentine folds; another bent ingreat waving lines, like petrified billows. The colouring, too, was all that artist could desire. Notonly the dark green of the sprace in the corries, which turned into black when far up, butautumn tints of red and gold as high as vegetation had climbed on the hill sides; and abovethat, streaks and patches of yellow, green, rusty red, and black, relieving the grey mass of limestone; while up the valley, every shade of blue came out according as the hills were nearor far away, and summits hoary with snow bounded the horizon.

There was a delay of three hours at dinner, because the horses, as if allured by the genii of themountains, had wandered more than a mile up the valley; but at four o'clock all was in order

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again and the march resumed. A wooded hill that threw itself out between Roches k Perdrixand h Myette had first to be rounded. This hill narrowed the valley, and forced the trail nearthe river. When fairly round it, Roche k Myette came full into view, and the trail led along itsbase.

Myette is the characteristic mountain of the Jasper valley. There are others as high, but itsgrand bare forehead is recognized everywhere. It is five thousand eight hundred feet abovethe valley, or over nine thousand feet above the sea. Doctor Hector with the agent in charge of

Jasper House climbed to a sharp peak far above any vegetation, three thousand five hundredfeet above the valley, but the great cubical block which formed the top towered more than twothousand feet higher.

A hunter who has given his name to the mountain, is the only one that ever ascended thiscube. He made the ascent from bhe south side, every other being absolutely inaccessible.Doctor Hector gives the following description of the composition of Myette : "It is composed of a mass of strata, which have at one time formed the trough of a huge plication, viz.

a) Hard compact blue limestone and shale, with nodules of iron pyrites = 2,000 feet.b) Fossil shales almost black = 300 feetc) Hard grey sandstone = 100 feet

d) Shales towards the upper part with green and red blotches = 500 feete) Cherty limestone and coarae sandstone obscured by timber = 3,000 feet

The ridge we had ascended is formed of cherty limestone, and capped by yellow shales withbeds of black sandstone forming the highest point.''

The views this afternoon from every new point were wonderfully striking. Looking back onRoche à Perdrix it assumed more massive proportions than when we were immediatelybeneath. A huge shoulder stretched up the valley, one side covered with bare poles grey asitself, and the other with sombre firs. From it the great summit upreared itself soconspicuously that it filled the back ground and closed the mouth of the valley.

Valad in grave tones told the story of his old partner, an unfortunate half-breed, who, whenhunting bighorn on its precipitous slopes, twenty-two years ago, was carried over one of themon a snow-slide and dashed in pieces.

A good photographer would make a name and perhaps a fortune, if he came up here and tookviews. At every step we longed for a camera. On the opposite side of the river a valley openedto the north, along the sides of which rose mountain after mountain with the clearly definedoutlines that the secondary formation of the rocks gives to them. On the same side the Rangefrom Roche Ronde was continued further up the Athabasca by a hump-shaped rock, and thenby a vast mass, like a quadrilateral rampart, with only two sides of the square visible, the sidesfurrowed deep, but the line of the summit unbroken.

At the base of this Roche Suette is Jasper's House, and opposite Roche Jacque's showed asgreat a mass, with two snow-clad peaks, while the horizon beyond seemed a continuous bankof snow on mountain ranges. But the most wonderful object was Roche a Myette, right aboveus on our left. That imposing sphinx-like head with the swelling Elizabethan ruff of sandstoneand shales around the neck, save on one side where a corrugated mass of party-colouredstrata twisted like a coil of serpents from far down nearly half way up the head, haunted us fordays. Mighty must have been the forces that upreared and shaped such a monument. Verticalstrata were piled on horizontal, and horizontal again on the vertical, as if nature haddetermined to build a tower that would reach to the skies.

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As we passed this old warder of the valley, the sun was setting behind Roche Suette. A warmsouth-west wind as it came in contact with the snowy summit formed heavy clouds, that threwlong black shadows, and threatened rain; but the wind carried them past to empty theirbuckets on the woods and prairies.

It was time to camp, but where ? The Chief, Beaupré, and Brown rode ahead to see if the riverwas fordable. The restfollowed, going down to the bank and crossing to an island formed by a slew of the river, to

avoid a steep rock, the trail along which was fit only for chamois or bighorn. Here we weresoon joined by the three who had ridden ahead, and who brought back word that theAthabasca looked ugly, but was still subsiding, and might be fordable in the morning. It wasdecided to camp on the spot, and send the horses back a mile for feed. The resources of theisland would not admit of our light, cotton sheet being stretched as an overhead shelter, so weselected the lee side of a dwarf aspen thicket, and spread our blankets on the gravel ; a goodfire being made in front to cook our supper and keep our feet warm through the night.

Some of us sat up late, watching the play of the moonlight on the black clouds that driftedabout her troubled face, as she hung over Roche Jacques; and then we stretched ourselves outto sleep, on our rough but enviable couch, rejoicing in the open sky for a canopy, and in thecircle of great mountains that formed the walls of our indescribably magnificent bed chamber.

It had been a day long to be remembered. Only one mishap had occurred; the Chiefs bag got acrush against a rock, and his flask, that held a drop of brandy carefully preserved for the nextplum-pudding, was broken. It was hard, but on an expedition like this the most serious lossesare taken calmly and soon forgotten.

September 2nd. We slept soundly our first night in the mountains, and after a dip in theAthabasca and breakfast, Valad went off on horse-back to try the fords. Though the river hadfallen six inches since last night, he found it still too deep for pack horses, and there wasnothing for it but to construct a raft, a work of some difficulty when there is no auger and onlyone axe to cut down the wood. We had time now to take a good view from our Island Camp.Looking forward, Roche Jacques closed the horizon on the left; to his right and further up the

river, the Pyramid Rock barred the way, a graceful conical shaped mountain like SchiehalKon,but grander, his front-face a mass of snow. Between these two our road lay after crossing theriver. Opposite the camp to the north, the hump of Roche a Bosche, stood out prominently;separated from it by the Indian Snake River, and two or three miles further up stream, thegreat wall of Roche Suette, at the foot of which Jasper House is situated, blocked the westernway.

The forenoon looked as if it meant rain. Sunrise gilded with fire the tops of the mountains; butthe light soon died away.

Clouds and mists gathered round Roches Jacques and Suette, but hung there instead of coming down, and the white face of the Pyramid Rock, that divided the two, stood out clear

and untouched by the rolling vapour.

The Chief made some pencil sketches, while the men went up stream a mile to a suitable partof the river and worked hard preparing a raft till 10.30 A.M., by which time they had enoughlogs for the purpose cut and carried down to the bank.

Returning to camp for an early dinner of tea and cold pemmioan, they then packed the horses,carried everything up to the raft and unpacked there. Fifteen or sixteen logs bound togetherby three strong crosspoles, and tied each to each with folds of rope, composed the raft.Between the crosspoles a number of smaller ones were laid, to serve for a floor and keep the

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luggage from getting wet. The Chief and the two packers were then left to manage the raft,and the rest stripped to the middle and rode across, Centaur like, driving before them theunsaddled pack-horses. At the crossing the river is divided by sand bars into three parts, andat two of these the water reached to the pommel of the saddle. All got over safely, thoughthere was some danger on account of the strength of the current ; and the raft followed, aftera delay caused by the weight of the cargo necessitating the addition of two big logs to makethe ship float lightly enough. A ride of two miles took us to Jasper's, where we arrived exactlyfifteen days after leaving Edmonton, two of them days of rest and a tliird lost by the

obstruction of the Athabasca. It is hardly fair to speak of it as lost however, for there was nopoint at which the delay of a day was so little unacceptable to us. The mountains of the Jaspervalley would have repaid us for a week's detention.

This station is now all but abandoned by the Hudson's Bay Co. It was formerly of considerableimportance, not only from the number of fur-bearing animals around, but because it was thecentre of a regular line of communication between Norway House and Edmonton on the oneside, and the Columbia District and Fort Vancouver on the other. An agent and three or fourmen were then stationed at it all the year round. Even in Dr. Hector's time the house musthave been of a somewhat pretentious order, for he speaks of it as "constructed after the Swissstyle, with overhanging roofs and trellised porticoes." Now there are only two log houses, thelargest propped up before and behind with rough shores, as if to prevent it being blown away

into the river or back into the mountain gorges.

The houses are untenanted, locked and shuttered. Twice a year an agent comes up fromEdmonton to trade with the Indians of the surrounding country and carry back the furs. The Chief expected to meet at this point, or to hear some tidings of one of his parties that hadbeen instructed to explore from the Pacific side of the mountains in the direction of the Jaspervalley. As no trace of any recent visit could be found, vre moved on up the Athabasca ; thetrail leading along the sandy beach of Lake Jasper for two miles to a little opening on the hillside above, where as there was a species of small bunch-grass growing, and no one knew of feed farther on, camp was pitched for the night.

Our four miles' travel to-day on the west bank of the river was a succession of magnificent

mountain views. After crossing the Athabasca the valley of Rocky River, which runs into it,opposite Jasper House, opened out, extending away to the southeast, bordered on both banksby ranges of serrated bare peaks, while seemingly in the very centre rose a wooded conicallull.

Round all these, masses of mist were enfolding themselves, and the sun shining at the sametime brought out the nearest in clear relief.

Jasper House itself is one of the best places for seeing to advantage the mountains up anddown the valley. It is situated on a pretty glade that slopes gently to the Athabasca,sufficiently large and open to command a view in every direction.

Roche à Myette, distant five or six miles, is half concealed by intervening heights and is hereless conspicuous than elsewhere even when seen from greater distances, but a gleam of sunlight brightens his great face and makes even it look lightsome. A score of miles to thesouth, the Pyramid Rock gracefully uplifts its snowy face and shuts in the valley, the spacebetween being filled by the mountains of Rocky River and the great shoulders of Roche Jacques. Looking westerly, and behind the House, is Suette, his rampart rising cold, stern, andgrey above his furrowed sides. Other peaks overhang the valley to the north, and betweenthem deep wooded valleys are dark as night. Separated from these by the Snake Indian River,the true proportions of Eoche k Bosche are seen for the first time. Away to the south themasses of snow on the Pyramid speak of coming winter.

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encumbered with fallen timber, and from this point to the halting place for dinner at twoo'clock we travelled slowly, doing altogether not more than eighteen or nineteen miles in theseven and a quarter hours.

At the end of Lake Jasper, a strath, from two to five miles wide, which may stiU be called the Jasper Valley, bends to the south. Our first look up this valley showed new lines of mountainson both sides, closed at the head by a great mountain so white with snow that it looked like asheet suspended from the heavens. That, Valad said, was "La montagne de la grande

traverse," adding that the road to the Columbia country up the formidable Athabasca Pass, layalong its south-eastern base, while our road would turn west up the valley of the River Myette.He mentioned the old local titles of the mountains on this side, but every passer-by thinks thathe has a right to give his own and his friends' names to them over again.

In going through the woods we saw several broken traps.

This was a famous place in the olden times for trappers, and on that account a foaming torrentthat comes down between Pyramid Rock and three great crags to the north, like SalisburyCrags, Edinburgh, on a large scale, is called Snaring River.

Some of the timber here is three feet in diameter, chiefly fir but near Snaring River a growth of

small pines has sprung up on burnt ground.

This torrent will be remembered by us because of the danger in crossing it, and becausebeside it we found the first traces of one of the parties we expected to meet in the Jaspervalley. It is a foaming mountain torrent, with a bed full of large round boulders which it pilesalong its banks, or hurls down its bed to the Athabasca. These make the footing so precariousthat if a horse falls, there is little hope for him or his rider. Valad crossed first. As the watercame up to his horse's shoulder, and the horse stumbled several times, it was evidently risky. Just at this moment, Brown who had gone down stream to loot for another ford, called out thathe saw footprints of men and horses.Off went the Chief, and at the same moment Valad screamed across the torrent that whitemen had just been there. All followed the Chief, and Valad came back at a lower crossing.

The traces of three men and three shod horses (showing that they did not belong to Indians)were clearly made out going down in the direction of the Athabaska; but though guns werefired as a signal, no response was heard ; and the word was passed to cross at the lower ford.Beaupré took some pemmican in his pocket, as a precaution, in case all hands but himself were lost ; notwithstanding the omen, we reached the other side safely, and pushed across apine flat, and then a quaking bog like Chatmoss to a little lake, with treacherous quicksands onits shore and in its bed. On the other side is an extensive sandy bas-fond where we halted fordinner, sorely regretting that the men who were on their way to Jasper's for the very purposeof meeting us, had missed us by being on a different trail or on no trail, for as the old one hadbeen burnt over, neither party had found it. But the packs were scarcely off the horses' backswhen a Shuswap Indian rode up the bank so quietly, that he was in our midst before we saw

him, and after the usual hand-shaking, delivered a slip of paper to the Chief Hurrah ! it wasfrom Moberly, and stated that he had just struck fresh tracks and had sent back this Indian tolearn who we were. Valad spoke to the Indian in Cree, and Beaupré in French, but he was fromthe Pacific side and only shook his head in answer. Brown then tried him in Chinook, abarbarous lingo of one or two hundred words, first introduced by the Hudson's Bay agents, forcommon use among themselves and the Pacific Indians; and generally spoken now all throughOregon, B. Columbia, and the north, by whites, Chinese, Indians, and all nationalities. TheShuswap's face brightened, and he answered in Chinook to the effect that Moberly was five orsix miles back : that they had come three days' journey from their big camp, where there werelots of men and horses.

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Brown asked if they had enough to eat at the camp; "Oh ! hyiu, muck !, muck ! hy-iu iktahs !""Lots of grub, lots of good things" was the ready answer. He was offered some pemmican andtook it, but said that he had never seen such food before. A note was at once sent back toMoberly that we would move on, and that he would probably overtake us on the morrow.

After dinner the march was resumed for seven miles up the valley. On the east side asuccession of peaks resembling each other with the exception of one, Roche a Bonhomme,

hemmed us in : while on the west, with lines of stratification parallel to lines on the east side,the solid rampart at the base of the Pyramid rose so steep and high, that the snowy summitbehind could not be seen. The valley still averaged from two to five miles wide, thoughhorizontal distances are so dwarfed by the towering altitude of the naked massive rocks onboth sides, that it seemed to be scarcely one fourth of that width. What a singularly easyopening into the mountains, formed by some great convulsion that had cleft them asunder,crushed and piled them up on each side like cakes of ice, much in the same way as may beseen in winter on the St. Lawrence or any of our rivers, on a comparatively microscopic scale,in ice-shoves ! The Athabasca finding so plain a course had taken it, gradually shaped andfinished the valley, and strewn the bas-fonds, which crosstorrents from the hills have seamedand broken up. It looks as if natitre had united all her forces to make this the natural highwayinto the heart of the Rocky mountains.

Myette and all his companions of the first range, that had become so familiar to us in the lastfew days, were completely hidden by the turn of the Athabasca ; and the mountains ahead,that had shown at the bend, were also hidden from view ; but at sunset we came to anotherbend that the river makes again to the west, and La grande montagne de la traverse camefully out in his snowy raiment, and the Pyramid peeped over the great wall, that girds his bodyand flows down over his feet, to see our backs. We turned with the river and, after goinganother mile encumbered with fallen timber, camped on a terrace overlooking the river andsurrounded on all sides with snowcapped mountains. As this was to be our last night by theAthabasca, and perhaps the last on the eastern slope of the mountains, we named this camp,the forty-eighth from Lake Superior, Athabasca.

September 14th. The trail this morning led along the Athabasca for seven miles, to where theMyette runs into it, opposite the old Henry House. With the exception of a difficulty soon afterstarting, caused by the disappearance of the trail near the river, and the forcing a paththrough thick brush till we found it again, the road was excellent ; passing for four or five milesover beautiful little " prairies," which had not been touched as yet by the frost, and on whichbunch grass grew,-and for the next two or three miles through pines, so well apart from oneanother that it was easy to ride in any direction. The day was warm and sunny, and the blackflies that had left us for a week reappeared here. This valley, which seemed as beautiful on theother side of the river, is so completely sheltered, that the winter in it must be very mild.

The highest mountains that we had yet seen, showed this morning away to the south in thedirection of the Athabasca Pass, and "the Committee's Punch Bowl" This Pass is seven

thousand feet high, and snow lies on its summit all the year round, but our road led westwardup the Myette; and, as the Athabasca here sweeps away to the south, under the name of Whirlpool river, the turn shut out from view for the rest of our journey, both the valley and themountains of the Whirlpool.

With the Myette bad roads began again. Just as they commenced, Moberly caught up to us,having ridden on in advance of his men. He had left Victoria, Vancouver's Island, for theColumbia, having organized large provision-trains in the spring on pack-horses, and broughtthem on over incredible difficulties to "Boat Encampment," at the most northerly bend of theColumbia. From Boat Encampment they were to cross to the Athabasca Pass and move on to

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the Jasper valley, to afford autumn and .winter supplies to the parties operating from thatcentre. He himself had crossed in advance direct to the lake on the other side of the YellowHead Pass, where he met one of the parties under his command, making a trail in the directionof the Pass from the west. Hearing nothing about us from them, he had loaded three horseswith flour and bacon, and come on to meet us; but by taking the river trail from Snaring River,ho had missed us yesterday. Except the two Iroquois on the MacLeod, his was the first face wehad seen since leaving St. Ann's, and to meet him was like re-opening communication with theworld, although we, and not he, had the latest news to give. How welcome he was, we need

not say ! The first five miles up the Caledonian valley, as the valley of the Myette is called inthe old maps and in Dr. Hector's journals, we made in about three hours, and a little aftermidday halted for dinner. Fallen timber was the principal cause of the slow rate, though thesteep sharp rocks hurt the horses so much, that they had to tread softly and slowly. The rocksare hard rough sandstone, with a slaty or a peculiar pebbly fracture.

The trail so far was scarcely worthy of the bad name travellers had given to it, and we beganto imagine that the remaining fifteen miles to the Yellow Head Pass could be made beforenightfall. Moberly quietly said that it was a fond imagination, and that if the next five mileswere got over by dark he would be satisfied, as it had taken him a whole day to make sevenmiles on his way down. Myette has such unpretending portals especially when compared witlithe magnificent ranges about the Athabasca, it's current is so quiet near the mouth, and the

valley so short that no one would forecast any formidable difficulties, in ascending it to thePass. But the afternoon proved that the valley is worthy of its old name Caledonian, if thename was meant to suggest the thistle or the "wha' daur meddle wi' me!" The Myette has awonderful volume of water for its short course. It rushes down a narrow valley fed at everycornerjby foaming fells from the hill-sides, and by several large tributaries.

A short way up from its mouth it becomes simply a series of rapids or mad currents, hurlingalong boulders, trees and debris of all kinds. The valley at first is uninteresting, but five milesup and for much of the rest of the way, is picturesque, two prominent mountains, that riseright above the Pass and the lake at the summit, closing it in at its head.

Moberly's three men and horses came up as we were rising from dinner, and they passed on

ahead, axes in hand, to improve the trail a little. It certainly needed all the improvement it got,and a good deal more than they could give in an afternoon. Long swamps that reminded us of the muskegs on the McLeod, covered with an under-brush of scrub birch, and tough willowseight to ten feet high, that slapped our faces, and defiled our clothing with foul-smelling marshmud, had to be floundered through. Alternating with these, intervened the face of a precipice,the rocky bed and sides of the river, or fallen timber stumps and blackened poles, to climb,scramble over, or dodge. No wonder that Milton and Cheadle bade adieu to the ankindlyMyette with immense satisfaction. We had to cross and reoross the river or parts of it seven oreight times in the course of the afternoon, for the train sought low levels and avoidedascending the blufis and walls of rugged rock that rise sheer from the water. The middle tenmiles of the Caledonian valley present formidable difficulties for a road of any kind.

Four hours' hard work took ua over five miles, and by that time every one was heartily sick of it, and full of longing to reach Moberly's camp. As we stumbled about on a patch recentlyburnt over, one of his Indians, whom he had thoughtfully sent back, met and guided us to adesolate looking spot, the best camping ground he had been able to find. Some little grass hadsprung up on the blackened soil, and no one was disposed to be particular. Supper was left inthe hands of Tim, Moberly's Indian cook, and he prepared a variety of delicacies that made upfor all other deficiencies; bread light as Parisian rolls, Columbia flour being as different fromKed River as Tim's baking from Terry's; delicious Java coffee, sweetened with sugar from theSandwich Islands, that now supply great part of the Pacific coast with sugar; and crisp bacon,almost as great a luxury to us as pemmican to Moberly's men. All the hardships of the

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afternoon were forgotten as the aroma of the coffee steamed up our nostrils, and when Timannounced that be had oatmeal enough to make porridge for breakfast, our luck in meetinghim was declared to be wonderful, and Caledonia Camp was voted the jolliest of our forty-nine.An hour after, the united party gathered round the kettle to drink the three Saturday nighttoasts, with three times three and one cheer more.Consulting Moberly about the programme for next day, he advised that we should move on inthe morning four miles to the last recrossing of the river, and rest there for the day, for thetwo reasons, that by so doing we would get good feed for the horses, and probably fall in with

the camp of his trail makers, who worked in advance of the surveying party. Both reasonswere so good thut the advice was taken nem. con.

September 15. Had the promised porridge for breakfast, and found it quite up to ouranticipations. Left the Caledonia Camp at eight a.m. for our Sabbath day's journey. As everyone needed rest and was tired of the Myette and its swamps, willows and rocks, the sight of the crossing was hailed with general joy, and all the more when those in front called out thatthere was a fresh trail on the other side. Sure enough, as Moberly had expected, the trail partyhad reached the river, and their camp was only a quarter of a mile off. Our difficulties hadcome to an end, we supposed, for there would be a reasonably good trail now all the way toKamloops; and the North Thompson canyons need no longer be dreaded. The conclusionproved to be somewhat hasty, but it cheered us at the time. We rode up to the camp, and

gave and received hearty greetings.

An old countryman named McCord was at the head of the trail party. He had pitched tents forthe Sunday rest on a gentle incline beside the river, which flowed without rapids all the wayfrom our last camp. We had been at the entrance of the Yellow Head Pass then, for though theactual summit is six miles farther west than where we met McCord, there was little of a risefrom our last night's camp. The two mountains that we had seen from near the bottom of thevalley, closing its head, now appeared as the southern peaks of a noble ridge that boundedthe pass to the north. The nearer to us of the two was almost conical and the other resembledthe frustum of a cone, serrated into a number of peaks, like a cross-cut saw, the big teeth inthe centre and the small ones at the ends. These two mountains on which the snow rests thewhole year are still nameless. As to the most prominent points on the Canadian Pacific

Railway, we would suggest that the statesmen who have been most identified with the projectshould have the honour of giving names to them.

After a hearty lunch, on pork and beans-favourite dish of miners and axemen-divine servicewas held. The congregation consisted of twenty-one men, including English, Scotch, Irish,Indians from both sides of the Rooky Mountains, and representatives of all the six provinces of the Dominion. We joined in singing Old Hundred and in common prayer, and a sermon wasthen preached-not very short on the plea that the majority of the congregation had not hearda sermon for three months.

As usual the worship had the effect of awakening hallowed associations, and making us feelunited in a common sacred life. In the evening all hands of their own accord gathered round

our tent to share in the family worship.

McCord had selected his camping ground judiciously. Good wood, water, and pasture in hisimmediate neighbourhood ; a beautiful slope covered with tall spruce, amid which the tentswere scattered ; an open meadow and low wooded hills to the northwest round which the lowline of the pass winding in the same direction, could easily be made out; and the horizon,bounded by a bold ridge which threw out its two great peaks to overhang the pass. This wasone of the most picturesque spots in the Caledonian Valley, combining a soft lowland andwoodland beauty, with stern rocky masses, capped with eternal snow. We were 3,700 feetabove the sea, but the air was soft and warm. Even at night it was only pleasantly cool. We

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were all delighted with this our first view of the Yellow Head Pass. Instead of contractedcanyon or savage torrent raging among beetling precipices as we had half feared, the Pass isreally a pleasant open meadow. So easy an ingress into the heart of the Rocky Mountains asthat by the Jasper Valley, and so favourable a pass as the Yellow Head could hardly have beenhoped for.

Dinner was ordered for six o'clock and Brown set to work on his pemmican plum pudding. Ithad to be made so large, that at six o'clock it required at least another hour's boiling.

Fortunately McCord's cook, in ignorance of what Brown was about, had prepared at his fire agenuine old fashioned plum-pudding; and full justice was done to this, till the pemmican onewas ready. It was then proposed to keep it for breakfast, but the Dr. was impatient to putBrown's skill to the proof, and an liour after dinner, all gathered around our tent, to try thesecond pudding and decide on Brown's reputation. Terry in preparing the sauce had used saltinstead of sugar, and the Dr. was accused of having put him "up to the mistake to spoil thedish ; but the pudding was a decided success, though eaten under the great disadvantage of no one being very hungry.

Altogether this was a great day. The pleasure of meeting friends, of believing that ourdifficulties were practically at an end, the establishment of communication with the Pacificparties, the beauty or the prospect, the.general good feeling, the quiet Sunday rest, the

common worship, all contributed to heighten our enjoyment; and to make us rise from oursecond plum-pudding with the plough boy's sentiment in our hearts if not on our lips : "I'm fu,'and as thankfu'."CHAPTER IX YELLOW HEAD PASS TO THE NORTH THOMPSON RIVER

Plants in Flower. — The Water-shed. — Entering British Columbia. — Source of the FraserRiver. — Yellow Head Lake. — Serrated Peaks. — Benighted. — Moose Lake. — Milton andCheadle. — Relics of The Headless Indian. — Columbia River. — The Three Mountain Ranges.— Horses Worn Out. — First Canyon of the Fraser. — The Grand Forks. — Changing LocomotionPower. — Robson's Peak. — Fine Timber. — Tete Jaune Cache. — Glaciers. — CountlessMountain Peaks. — A Good Trail. — Fording Canoe River. — Snow Fence. — Camp River. —Albreda. — Mount Milton. — Rank Vegetation. — Rain. — A Box in V's Cache for S. F. — The

Red Pyramid. — John Glen. — The Forest. — Camp Cheadle

September 16. Our aim to-day was to reach Moose Lake where Mohun's party was surveying. The distances given us were : six miles to the summit of the Pass, six thence to Yellow HeadLake, four along the Lake, and fourteen to Moose Lake.

These we found to be correct except the last which is more like sixteen than fourteen, andunfortunately Mohun's party was near the west end of Moose Lake, and this added eight more,so that instead of thirty, we had to do forty. Besides, not having been informed that thesecond half of the trail was by far the worst, no extra time was allowed for it, and hence wehad five hours of night travelling that knocked up horses and men, more than a double day'sordinary work would have done. The day began well and ought to have ended well, but instead

of that, it will always be associated in our minds with the drive to Oak Point from the North-west Angle on July 30th. Worse cannot be said of it.

The first half of the day was more like a pleasure trip than work. The six miles to the summitwere almost a continuous level, the trail following the now smooth-flowing Myette till the mainbranch turned north, and then a small branch till ittoo was left among the hills.

A few minutes after, the sound of a rivulet running in the opposite direction over a red pebblybottom was heard.

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We had left the Myette flowing to the Arctic Ocean, and now came upon this, one of thesources of the Fraser hurrying to the Pacific. At the summit, Moberly welcomed us into BritishColumbia, for we were at length out of "No-man's land," and had entered the western provinceof our Dominion. Round the rivulet running west, the party gathered, and drank from itswaters to the Queen and the Dominion. No incline could be more gentle than this from theAtlantic and Arctic to the Pacific slope. The road wound round wooded banks, a meadow withheavy marsh grass extending to the opposite hill. There had been little or no frost near the

summit, and flowers were in bloom that we had seen a month ago farther east. The flora wasof the same character on both sides of the summit ; eight or nine kinds of wild berries,vetches, asters, wild honey-suckle, &c. Good timber, the bark of which looked like hemlock,but that the men called pine, covered the ground for the next few miles to Yellow Head Lake. This beautiful sheet of water, clear and sparkling up to its firm pebbly beach, expanding andcontracting as its shores recede or send out promontories, was called Cowdung Lake formerly,but ought to bear the same name as the Pass. Towards the western end where we halted fordinner, its woods have been marred by fires that have swept the hill sides, but wherever thesehave kept off', its beauty is equal to, though of a different kind from, Lake Jasper. Low woodedhills intersected with soft green and flowery glades rise in broken undulations from its shores.Above and behind the hills on the south side, towers a huge pinnacle of rock, the snow onwhose summit is generally concealed by clouds or mist. On the north, the two mountains that

we had seen yesterday, bounding the pass on that side, and which had been hidden all theforenoon by the woods at their base, through which the trail runs, now looked out from rightover our heads; riven masses of stratified rock, in a slightly curved line, forming a giganticcross-cut saw. Through the Pass, slate cropped out in several places, and boulders of granitestrewed the ground, but granite was not observed in situ. Probably, slate is what gold minersterm the bed rock, and Brown and Beaupr6 pointed out quartz veins that they had no doubtwere gold-bearing.

After dinner the trail, from the nature of the soil, was so rough that the horses could go only ata walk of three miles an hour. It ran either among masses of boulders, or through new woods,where the trees and willows had been cut away, but their sharp stumps remained. It was darkbefore we reached the east end of Moose Lake, and if all our party had been together, we

would certainly have camped beside one of the many tributaries of the Fraser, that run downfrom the mountains on both sides, after it emerges from Yellow Head Lake, and make it a deepstrong river before it is fifteen miles long. One of those mountain feeders that we crossed wasan hundred feet wide, and so deep and rapid in two places, that the horses waded across withdifficulty. Our company, however, was unfortunately separated into three parts, and noconcerted action could be taken. Moberly and the Doctor had ridden ahead t6 find Mohun'sCamp and have supper ready; the pack-horses followed three or four miles behind them ; andthe Chief, Frank, and the Secretary were far in the rear, botanising and sketching. Every hourwe expected to get to the Camp, but the road seemed endless. In the dense dark woods, themoon's light was very feeble, and as the horses were done out, we walked before or behindthe poor brutes, stumbling over loose boulders, tripped up by the short sharp stumps androotlets, mired in deep moss springs, wearied with climbing the steep ascents of the lake's

sides, knee-sore with jolts in descending, dizzy and stupid from sheer fatigue and want of sleep. A drizzling rain had fallen in showers most of the afternoon, and it continued at intervalsthrough the night; but our exertions heated us so much that our clothes became as wet, onaccount of the waterproofs not allowing perspiration to evaporate, as if we had been throwninto the lake ; and thinking it less injurious to get wet from without than from within, we tookctf the waterproofs, and let the -whole discomfort of the rain be added to the otherdiscomforts of the night. The only consolation was that the full moon shone out occasionallyfrom rifts in the clouds, and enabled us to pick a few steps and avoid some difficulties.

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At those times the lake appeared at our feet, glimmering through the dark firs, and shut in twoor three miles beyond by precipitous mountains, down whose sides white torrents werefoaming, the noise of one or another of which sounded incessantly in our ears till the soundbecame hateful.

At length the camp-fire glimmered in the distance. But to crown this disastrous day, there wasno feed about Mohun's camp, and his horses had left a few days previously for Tete JauneCache. His men had a raft made on which to transport their luggage and instruments up to the

east end of the lake, as their first work for to-morrow. They had completed the survey alongthe west end and centre. Our poor horses most of which had now travelled eleven hundredmiles, and required rest or a difierent kind of work, had had a killing day of it, and there wasno grass for them. Reflecting on the situation was not pleasant, but a good supper of corned-beef and beans made us forget our own fatigue. After supper, at 2 p.m., wrapping dry blanketsround our wet clothes, and spreading waterproofs over the place where there were fewestpools of water, we went in willingly for sweet sleep.

The Doctor had completely forgotten his fatigue before our arrival under the influence of apresent of the spoon and fishing line of Milton and Cheadle's "Headless Indian." One of thepackers had found the skeleton, and had also found the head lying under a fallen tree, ahundred and fifty yards from the body. As the body could not have walked away and sat down

minus the head, the explanation of the packers was that Cheadle's Assiniboine on hisunsuccessful hunt for game had killed and eaten the Shuswap, and turned the affair into amystery by hiding the head. Poor Mr. O'B., of whom we heard enough at Edmonton to provethat his portraiture is faithfully given in "the North-west Passage by land," will accept thissolution of the mystery if no one else will. The Doctor put the old horn spoon, and the fishingline-a strong native hemp line, among his choicest treasures, and took minute notes of theposition of the grave that he might dig up the head.

The two descriptions in Milton and Cheadle that haive been generally considered apocryphal,and that have discredited the whole book to many readera, are those concerning Mr. O'B., andthe headless Indian. Not only did we find both verified, but the accounts of the country and thetale of their own difficulties are as truthfully and simply given as it was possible for men who

travelled in a strange country, chiefly in quest of adventures that they intended to publish, andwho naturally wished to get items with colour for their book. The pluck that made themconceive, and the vastly greater pluck that enabled them to pull through such an expeditionwas of the truest British kind. They were more indebted than they perhaps knew as far as"Slaughter Camp," to the trail of the Canadians who had preceded them, on their way toCariboo; but from that point, down the frightful and unexplored valley of the North Thompson,the journey had to be faced on their own totally inadequate resources. Had they but known it,they were beaten as completely as by the rules of war the British troops were at Waterloo. They should have submitted to the inevitable and starved. But luckily for themselves and fortheir readers they did not know it; and thanks to Mrs. Assiniboine, and their own intelligenthardihood that kept them from giving in, they succeeded where by all the laws of probabilitiesthey ought to have disastrously failed.

We had now crossed the first range of the Rocky Mountains, and were on the Pacific slope, onthe banks of the river that flows into the Pacific Ocean. One or two of our party seemed thinkthat difficulties were therefore at an end; that all that had to be done now was to follow theFraser to its mouth, as great a river would be sure to find the easiest course to the sea. A partyof gentlemen ignorant of the geography of the country, and deserted by their guides inendeavouring to cross the Rocky Mountains a few years ago, farther south, argued dilarlywhen they struck the Columbia River. "So great a river cannot go wrong : its course must bethe best; let us follow it to the sea." And they did follow its northerly sweep and the Kootanieor Selkirk mountains, for one or two hunsd mUes, till inextricably entangled among fallen

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timber, and cedar swamps, they resolved to kill their horses, make rafts or canoes, and trustto the river. Had they carried this out, they would have perished, for no raft or canoe can tthrough the terrible canyons of the Columbia. But foraately two Suswap Indians came uponthem at this juncture, and though not speaking a word that they knew, made them derstandby signs, that their only safety was in retracing their steps, and by getting round the headwaters of the Columbia, reach Fort Colville by the Kootanie Pass.

Just as the Columbia has to sweep round the Selkirk group, in a similar way far north or north-

west, the Fraser loops and the Gold Mountains. Those two groups may be considered one, witha gap or long break between the northern arm of the Columbia and the point called Tete JauneCache, lere the Fraser has to turn to the north. It is evident then it the true course for atraveller, from Yellow Head Pass to the west, since he cannot cross the Gold Mountains, whichstretch in line across his direct path, is to turn south-east a little, try for a road by this gap, andovercome the Gold Mountains by flanking them.

The reader must understand that besides intervening groups and spurs with distinct names,and important enough to be often considered distinct ranges, there are two main mountainchains that have to be traversed in going to the Pacific, the Rocky Mountains proper and theCoast Chain or Cascades These two run apparently parallel to each other, but they reallyconverge towards the north till they ultimately become one chain. "The distance between the

axis of the two chains on the line of the Union and Central Pacific Railways is about 900 miles,while on the lines surveyed for the Canadian Pacific it varies from 300 to 400 miles." Withregard to a passage over or through these great ranges, the railway in the United States hasto climb to plateaux that are nearly as high as the summits.

On Canadian territory the mountains themselves are higher than in the south, but they arecloven by river passes. We have seen how easy is the passage from the east through theRocky Mountains proper by the valleys of the Athabasca and Myette. The average height of the mountains above the sea is nine thousand feet; but the height of the Yellow Head Pass isonly three thousand seven hundred feet. On each side of the valleys the mountains act asnatural snow-sheds.

Is there a similar pass through the Cascades ? Passes in abundance, but unfortunately not onelike the Yellow Head.

We can get to the Cascades only by a long detour north or south, and the nearer we get themore formidable they look.

And first, how to reach them ? We follow the Fraser from the Yellow Head Pass, to Tete JauneCache. There we expect to see the Gold range stretching in unbroken line before us, forcingthe Fraser far to the north, and us somewhat to the southeast and then the south. Oh ! for adirect cut through to the Cariboo gold fields like that which the Athabasca cleaves the RockyMountains with. ! In the mean time our course from Tete Jaune Cache, will be to slip inbetween the Gold and Selkirk groups till we strike tlie North Thompson, and continue the

flanking process, by going down its banks southerly till we get to Kamloops at the junction of the North and South Thompson, where we can recommence our westerly course, along thecomparatively low lying fertile plateau, extending between the western slope of the first chainand the Cascades. West of this plateau we rejoin the Fraser, and accompany it through theCascades to the Sea.

September 17. We are now in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, nearly a day's journey onfrom Yellow Head Pass, with jaded horses, and a trail so heavy that fresh horses cannot beexpected to average more than twenty miles of travel per day.

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This morning the consequences of last night's toil and trouble showed plainly by a multitude of signs. Breakfasted at 9 a.m., started from Moose Lake Camp at midday, and crawled aheadabout four mfles, the horses lifting their feet so spiritlessly that at every step we feared theywould give out.

At an open glade here, the feed was pretty good, though cropped close by the dozen homedcattle, kept for the purpose of furnishing fresh beef for Mohun's party, and it was decided thatit would be wise to camp.

The delay was not loet time, however vexatious the mismanagement that necessitated it. Thechief had to receive reports about all that had been done by the engineers in this quarter,inspect the line of survey and the drawings that had been made ; and give instructions notonly for Moberly's parties, but through him for others. Besides, we needed a long night's rest,and a big fire to dry our clothes and blankets before going farther. For assurances werevolunteered all round that we had a full fortnight of no holiday travel before reachingKamloops.

Mohun accompanied us until we should fall in with the pack train on its way up from theCache, in order to aiTange about an exchange of our jaded and unshod horses for others freshand shod.

Moose Lake that we struck last night, is a beautiful sheet of water, ten or eleven miles long, bythree wide. It receives the Fraser, already a deep strong river fully a hundred and fifty feetwide, and also drains high mountains that enclose it on the north and south. The survey for therailway is proceeding along the north side, where the bluffs though high appeared not so sheeras on the south. The hillsides and the country beyond support a growth of splendid spruce,black-pine, and Douglas fir, some of the spruce the finest we had ever seen. So far in ourdescent from the Pass, the difficulties in the way of railroad construction are not formidablenor the grades likely to be heavy. Still the work that the surveyors are engaged on requires apatience and forethought that few who ride in Pullman cars on the road in after years will everappreciate.

September 18th. Away from camp at 8 o'clock. Soon after, struck the Fraser, rushing greenand foaming through a narrow valley, closed in by high steep rocks wooded beneath, and barefrom half-way up. As we advanced, a change in the vegetation, marking the Pacific slope,began to show distinctly. The lighter green of cypress mingled with the darker woods till itpredominated-white birch and small maples also coming in.

Our jaded horses walked quietly along, at the two-and-a-half miles per hour step, on a trailheavy at the best, across mountain streams rushing down to join the Fraser, the worst of themroughly bridged with logs and spruce boughs; around precipitous bluffs and hills, and throughmud-holes sprinkled heavily with boulders. Frequently we came on the stakes of the surveyingparty who had used the trail where there was bub one possible course for any road. Aftertravelling nine miles Mohun invited us to tie our horses to the trees, and go down two hundred

yards to see the first canyon of the Fraser. A canyon is simply a mountain gorge in which theriver is obliged to con' tract itself, by high rocks closing it in on both sides. A river, however, isnot needed to form a canyon ; for walled rocks, enclosing a narrow waterless valley constitutea canyon.At this first canyon, the rocks closed in the river for some hundred yards to a width of eightfeet, so that a man could jump across.

Down this narrow passage the whole of the water of the river rushed a resistless current,slipping in great green masses from ledge to ledge, smashing against out-jutting rocks,eddying round stony barriers, till it got through the long gate-way. In some cases these

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canyons are merely rocks near the stream ; ia others they are blufis extending far back, orperhaps one great bluff that had formerly stretched across the river's bed, and had been rivenasunder. In either case they present formidable obstacles to railroad construction.

A mile beyond, we came to the Grand Fork of the Fraser, where the main stream receives fromthe north-east a tributary important enough to be often considered its source. It flows in threegreat divisions, through a meadow two miles wide, from round the bases of Robson's Peak-themonarch of the mountains hereabouts-and his only less mighty satellites whose pyramidal

forms cluster in his rear. A mile from the first division we came to the second, and found thefirst section of Mohun's pack-train in the act of crossing it towards us. The first sectionconsisted of horses; the second-of mules led by a bell horse-under the supervision of Leitch,the chief packer, followed a mile behind. A general halt was called, and Leitch sent for. Nodifficulty was found in making new arrangements.

He gave us four fresh pack horses, five saddle horses, and two packers, and took all ourhorses, and Brown, Beaupré and Valad to help him, Valad being specially entrusted with theduty of taking back six horses of the Hudson's Bay that were not ours. This was an entirereorganization, and again Terrv was the only one of the old set that remained with us. Hewished to go on to Cariboo to make his fortune at the mines there. A vision of gold nuggets,picked up as easily as diamonds and rubies in Arizona, more than any sentimental attachment

to us was at the root of his steadfastness. But it grieved all to part from the other three, andthey seemed equally reluctant to turn their backs on us. Beaupré's only consolation was thathe would get pemmican again, for he declared that life without pemmican was nothing butvanity; and we had made the huge mistake of exchanging our pemmican with McCord forpork. The next day and every day after we rued the bargain, but it was too late. Beaupré and Yalad had suffered grievously in body from the change, and for an entire day had been almostuseless. The Doctor was reduced practically to two meals a day, for he could not stand fat porkthree times. Indeed all, with the single exception of Brown, lamented at every meal, as theypicked delicately at the coarse pork, the folly of forsaking that which had been so true a stand-by for three weeks. The Chief gave Brown and Beaupré letters to Hoberly, the latter havingreturned to the Jasper valley two days ago. Valad made his adieus, and received the gratuitythat the Chief gave him, with a dignity that only an Indian or a gentleman of the old school

could manifest. And so exeunt Brown, Beaupré and Valad.

It was only two P.M. when Leitch came up; but his horses had been travelling all day, and aswe were in a good place for feed, he advised that camp should be pitched, and no movementonward made till the morrow. This was agreed to, the more readily because the Chief hadfurther instructions to write and send back by Mohun, and because the clouds that had beenfloating over the tops of the lulls all day, and obscuring the lofty glacier cone of Bobson's Peak,began to close in and empty themselves. Looking west down the valley of the Fiaser thenarrow pass suddenly filled with rolling billows of mist. On they came, curling over the rockysummits, rolling down to the forests, enveloping everything in their fleecy mantles. Out of them came great gusts of wind that nearly blew away our fires and tents ; and after the gusts,the rain in smart showers.

Once or twice the sun broke through, revealing the bill sides, all their autumn tints fresh andglistening after the rain, and the line of their summits near and bold against the sky; all,except Robson's Peak which showed its huge shoulders covered with masses of snow, but onwhose high head clouds ever rested.

September 19th. It rained during the night, and the morning looked grey and heavy withclouds; but the sun shone before eleven o'clock, and the day turned out the finest sincecrossing the Yellow Head Pass. At 7.30 A.M. got off from the camp, giving a last cheer toBrown, Beaupré and Valad; and casting many a longing look behind to see if Robson's Peakwould show its bright head to us. But only the snow-ribbed giant sides were visible, for the

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clouds still rested far down from the summit. Three miles from camp, beside the river, at aplace called Mountain View, his great companions stood out from around him; but he remainedhidden, and reluctantly we had to go on, without being as fortunate as Milton and Cheadle.

Our new horses were in prime condition; but the road for the first eleven mUes was extremelydifficult; and last night's rain had made it worse. The trail follows down the Fraser to Tete Jaune Cache, when it leaves the river and turns'south-east to go to the North Thompson, atright angles to the main course we had followed since entering the Caledonian Valley. The

Fraser at the same point changes its westerly for a northerly course, rushing like a race horse,for hundreds of miles north, when it sweeps round and comes south to receive the unitedwaters of the North and South Thompson, before cutting through the Cascade Range andemptying into the ocean.

Tete Jaune Cache is thus a great centre point. From it the valley of the Fraser extends to thenorth, ahd the same valley extends south by the banks of the Cranberry and of the CanoeRivers to the head of the Columbia, a continuous valley being thus formed parallel to theRocky Mountains, and separating them from the Gold and Selkirk groups.

Our first spell to-day was eleven miles over a road so heavy that it cost our fresh horses threeand a half hours' tough work.

The trail hugged the banks of the river closely, passing through timber of the finest kind-spruce, hemlock, cedar (a different variety from the white or red cedar in the easternprovinces), white birch and Douglas fir. An old Iroquois hunter, known in his time as Tete Jauneor Yellow Head, probably from the noticeable fact in an Indian of his hair being light coloured,had wisely selected this central point for cacheing all the furs he got in the course of a seasonon the Pacific slope, before setting out with them to trade at Jasper House. He has given hissobriquet forever, not only to the Câche, but to the pass and the lake at the summit. At theCâche, lofty, glacier clothed mountains rise in all directions up and down the valley of theFraser, the Cranberry, and the Canoe, enough peaks to hand down to posterity the names of all aspiring travellers and their friends for the next century. The Gold Mountains form inunbroken line right across our path, forbidding any further progress west, and forcing us to gosouth-east to flank them, as they force the Fraser to the north. To our great comfort there is

stationed at the Câche a large boat of the C. P. R. S. Into it were pitched saddles and packs,and we rowed ourselves across while the horses swam. The Fraser, at this early stage of its jourse, is as broad and strong as the Athabasca below the Jasper valley. As the packs were off the horses, we halted for dinner, and at one o'clock were on our way again, hustling at a greatfate to mate up for the slow progress of the last two days. Jack ind Joe, our new packers,proved to be no idlers. The one was a New Brunswicker who had spent years among the RockyMountains, chiefly in the United States; the other an Ontarian settled in British Columbia, bothsharp active fellows knowing a good deal of human and still more of horse nature.

Our second spell was twenty miles, south-east and south to the crossing of the Canoe River. The trail here was in excellent condition, and for the great part of the way a buggy might havebeen driven on it. A sandy ridge like a hog's-back runs up the east side of the valley of the

Cranberry, and the trail is along it's top. This valley is the connecting link between the Fraserand Canoe rivers. The valley of the Canoe is another and larger link, extending to Boatencampment ; at the northern end of the valley of the Columbia. Before us, as we journeyedsouth with a little easting, snowy peaks rose on each side of the valley, dwarfing it inappearance to an extremely narrow width ; while right ahead a great mountain mass thatmarked the beginning of the main valley of the Canoe, seemed to close our way. The treesstruggled tar up the sides, fighting a battle with the bare rooks and the snows, the highesttrees heavily dusted with last night's snowfall. Crossing a little stream called the McLennanthat issues from a pass in Ihe side hills, we rounded Cranberry Lake and saw the valley of the

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Broad gravel benches, supporting a growth of small black pines, rose one above another liketerraces, the highest attaining a height of four or five hundred feet. Up these the trail led,heading across to Camp River. Similar benches of sand or gravel, or of sand mixed withboulders, are a characteristic of all the rivers of British Columbia. They are distinctly defined asthe successive banks of the smallest as well as of the largest i-ivers. Those along the Canoeshow that a much greater volume of water once flowed over or rested in the valley. It may bethat the Columbia, before the present canyons through which it now runs to the south wereriven, flowed thus far or farther north.

It seemed to us a great mistake that the old Indian trail had not been abandoned here, and anew trail made. The terraces are so steep and high, and the descent on the other side to thevalley of Camp River so sudden, that the only explanation we could suggest of the trail facingup and down instead of rounding them, was that Tete Jaune had first made it when chasing achamois or bighorn, and that he and all others thereafter, McCord's party included, were tooconservative, to look for another and better way.

At the summit of the divide, Camp River flows opposite ways from the two ends of a sluggishlake, the part that runs down to the Thompson assuming the name of the Albreda. The valleyis narrow and closed in at its south-west end by the great mass of Mount Milton which frontedus the whole day.

This mountain that Dr. Cheadle selected to bear the name of his fellow traveller is a mass of snow-clad peaks that feed the little Albreda with scores of torrents, ice-cold and greencoloured, and make it into a river of considerable magnitude before it flows into the Thompson. It is on the south of the Albreda and not on the north as stated by them, and thetrail winds round its right or north side, leaving it on the left. Soon after entering the valley of Camp River we saw it before us, towering high above the hills that enclosed the narrow valley,and seeming to bar our further progress to the south and southwest.

A semi-circle of five peaks, enclosing a snowy bosom, forms the left side; and, next to these,four much higher rise, the highest and largest in the centre showing a broad front of snow likea field, inclined down till hidden by a forest of dark firs on a range of lower hills. Our roadwhich at first was up a narrow fire-desolated stony valley, led next round the base of these

lower hills, and from the difierence of soil and of elevation, changed from a succession of bare,stony ridges, into a succession of mud-holes and torrents bridged, fortunately for us, by thetrail party-till we came to the first crossing of the Albreda. The timber here was of the largestsize, but many of the noblest looking cedars were evidently not of much worth from internaldecay. It was after sunset when we passed over the wooded slopes and along the banks of theriver, and as the dark forest opened here and there, one white peak after another came outthrough a broad rift in the wooded hills. The underbrush consisted chiefly of a great variety of ferns of all sizes, from the tiniest to clusters six feet high, or of the broad aralea which somonopolized all light and moisture where it grew that there was no chance for grass. In somemarshes a water-lily, with leaves three feet long, in seed at this season, hid the water ascompletely as the aralea the ground. Everything on the Pacific slope is on a large scale,-themountains, the timber, the leaves, the ferns, and the expectations of the people.

It was still eight miles to the crossing of the Thompson.

Since starting in the morning we had halted only once, yet had made barely twenty-five miles.But as the fast gathering darkness, twice as deep because of the forest, compelled it, our fifty-fifth camp from Lake Superior was pitched beside the Albreda.

September 21st. Up this, morning at 4.30, in the dark, and on the road two hours later. Thedays were now so short, because of the season of the year and the mountain-limited horizon,

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that as it was impossible to travel on the trail after nightfall, the most had to be made of thesunlight.

The trail for the first eight miles was as bad as well could be, although a great amount of honest work had been expended on it. Before McCord had come through, it must have beensimply impassable except for an Indian on foot, worse than when Milton and Cheadle forcedthrough with their one pack-horse at the rate of three miles a day for the large Canadian partyhad immediately preceded them, whereas no one attempted to follow in their steps till

McLellan in 1871, and in the intervening nine years much of the trail bad been buried out of sight, or hopelessly blocked up by masses of timber, torrents, landslides, or debris. Our horses,however, proved equal to the work.

Even when their feet entangled in a network of fibrous rotts, or sunk eighteen inches in amixture of bog and clay, they would make gallant attempts at trotting; and by slipping overrocks, jumping fallen trees, breasting precipitous ascents with a rush, and recklessly dashingdown the hills, the eight miles to the crossing of the Thompson were made in three hours.

The early morning was dark and lowering, and at eight o'clock a drizzle commenced whichcontinued all the forenoon.

Struggling through sombre woods and heavy underbrush, every spray of which discharges itslittle accumulation of rain on the weary traveller as he passes on, is disheartening andexhausting work. The influence of the rain on men and horses is most depressing. The ridersget as fatigued as the horses; for jumping on and off at the bogs, precipices, and boulderslides thirty or forty times a day is as tiresome as a circus performance must be to the actors.

We crossed the Thompson at a point where it divides into three, the smallest of the threesections being bridged with long logs, the two others broad and only belly deep, as Jackphrased it. Riding down the west side, too wet and tired to notice anything, the men inadvance passed a blazed tree with a piece of paper pinned to the blaze; but the Secretary,being on foot, turned aside to look; and read, "In V's Cache There is a box for S. Fleming or M.Smith." He at once called out the good news, and V's Cache in the shape of a small log shanty

was found hard by.

Jack unroofed it in a trice and jumped in; and among other things, stored for differentengineering parties, was the box. A stone broke it open, and aa Jack handed out the contents,one by one, a general shout announced their nature.-Candles and canned meats; food."Hooray," from the rear ! Two bottles of Worcester muce and a bottle of brandy ! better; saucefor the fat pork and for the plum-pudding next Sunday. Half a dozen of Bass Pale Ale with thefamiliar face of the red pyramid brand ! Three times three and one cheer more ! After thiscrowning mercy, more canned meats, jams, and a few bottles of claret evoked but faintapplause. The wine and jams were put back again for Mr. Smith. Four bottles of the ale, a canof the preserved beef, and another of peaches were opened on the spot, and Terry producingbread from the kitchen sack, an impromptu lunch was eaten round the Cache, and V's health

drunk as enthusiastically as if he had been the greatest benefactor of his species.

As the finale, we deposited the empty bottles and cans at the foot of the blazed tree, andwrote " Gratefully received The above; Vide infra." On one side, " God bless Y !" and on theother, "Se vis monumumentun, despice," and decorating the paper with red and blue pencilmarks as elaborately as time and our limited resources permitted, we rode off with merryhearts, the rain ceasing and the sun shining out at the same time as if to be in unison with ourfeelings. Is it necessary here to implore the ascetic and the dignified reader to be a little kindto this ebullition on our part ? It was chUdish, perhaps, but then what were we but babes in thewood ?

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Circumstances alter cases; and our circumstances were peculiar. We would have gushed overa mere acquaintance, had he come upon us in that inhospitable valley, those melancholywoods, under those rainy skies. Probably we might have fallen on the neck and wept over anold friend. Is it wonderful that the red pyramid looked so kindly, and touched a chord in ourhearts ?

Two miles farther on, the sound of a bell was heard. Jack baid that it must be the bell-horse of

another pack-train ; but in a few minutes a solitary traveller, walking beside his two ladenhorses, emerged from the woods ahead. He turned out to be one John Glen-a miner on his wayto prospect for gold on hitherto untried mountains and sand-bars.

Here was a specimen of Anglo-Saxon self-reliant individualism more striking than that picturedby Quinet of the American settler, without priest or captain at his head, going out into thedeep woods or virgin lands of the new continent to find and found a home.

John Glen calculated that there was as good gold in the mountains as had yet come out of them, and that he might strike a new bar or gulch that would pan out as richly as WilliamsCreek, Cariboo; so putting blankets and bacon, flour and fryingpan, shining pickaxe and shovelon his horses, and sticking revolver and knife in his waist, off he started from Kamloops to

seek fresh fields and pastrires new. Nothing to him was lack of company or of newspapers;short days and approach of winter; seas of mountains and grassless valleys, equallyinhospitable j risk of sickness and certainty of storms; slow and exhausting travel throughmarsh and muskeg, across roaring mountain torrents and miles of fallen timber ; lonely daysand lonely nights; if he found gold he would be repaid. Prospecting was his business, and hewent about it in simple matterof course style, as if he were doing business on change.

John Glen was to us a typical man, the modem missionary, the martyr for gold, the advanceguard of the army of material progress. And who will deny or make light of his virtue, his faith,such as it was ? His self-reliance was sublime. Compared to his, how small the daring andpluck of even Milton and Cheadle ! God save thee, John Glen ! and give thee thy reward ! Glenwas more than a moral to us. He brought the Chief a letter from the Hudson Bay agent at

Kamloops, of date August 24th, informing him that our personal luggage from Toronto via SanFrancisco had arrived, and would be kept for us. This was another bit of good fortune to markthe day.

In hopes of getting to Cranberry marsh, twenty-two miles down from the crossing, we pushedon without giving the horses any rest except the lunch half-hour at Vs Cache; but the roadswere so heavy that when within four miles of the marsh the packers advised camping. Thehorses continued to go with spirit; but the long strain was telling on them, and they had to beour first consideration. The road had seemed to us, if not to the horses-to improve from V'sCache; but it was still a hard road to travel, the valley of the Thompson being almost as bad asthe valley of the Albreda. In our eighteen miles along it to-day, there was not a mile of level. Itwas constant up and down, as if we were riding over billows. Even where the ground was low,

the cradle hills were high enough to make the road undulating.

The valley of the Thompson is very narrow for a stream of its magnitude; in fact it is amountain gorge rather than a valley. Only at rare intervals is there a bit of flat or meadow oreven marsh along its banks. High wooded hills rise on each side; and, beyond these, a higherrange of snowy peaks, one or another of the highest of which peeps over the woods at turns of the river, or when the forest through which you are toiling opens a little to enable you to see. The forest is of the grandest kind, not only the living but the dead. Everywhere around lie theprostrate forms of old giants, in every stage of decay, some of them six to eight feet through,and an hundred and fifty to two hundred feet in length. Scarcely half-hiding these are broad-

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leaved plants and ferns in infinite variety, while the branchless columnal shafts of moremodern cedars tower far up among the dark branches of spruce and hemlock, dwarfing thehorse and his rider, that creep along across their interlaced roots and the mouldering bones of their great predecessors.

It was not five o'clock when we camped; but the sun had set in the narrow valley, and it wasquite dark before the horses had been driven to the nearest feed, and the tent put in order forthe night. Terry set to work as usual to hurry up the tea; but to his and our dismay there was

no tea kettle. It had fallen by the way from the pack to which it was tied. Jack was sure he hadseen it on, four miles back; but as "Nulla vestigia retrorstmi," was our motto, whatever the losssustained, no one proposed to turn back and look for it ; and our only other pot-the one usedfor pork and porridge boiling and all other purposes-was laid under requisition for the tea. Thetwo frying pans had also had their handles twisted off; but Joe tied the two handles togetherand made a pair of pinchers out of them that would lift one; and Terry notched a crooked stickand made a handle for the other. Supper was prepared with these extemporised utensils. TheDoctor and Frank fried slapjacks and then boiled canned goose in the one pan. Terry fried porkin the other; and boiled dried apples in the pot before making the tea in it. The Chief and theSecretaiy assisted with bland smiles and words of encouragement, and by throwing a fewchips on the fire occasionally : and a jolly supper between the open tent and the roaring fire,was the grand finale.

September 22nd. The first meal this morning, there being only one pot, was a plate of porridge, eaten after a dip in the ice-cold Thompson. Two hours after Terry announceddéjeuner à la fourchette. The Doctor and Frank roused themselves from their second sleep toenjoy it; but Jack was absent. Not taking kindly to the porridge, he had gone off without sayinga word, in search of the missing kettle, and service was postponed till his return.

Looking round at the site of our camp, we could see nothing on our own side of the river but awillow thicket, and the dense forest rising beyond. On the other side, and up stream, a snow-clad, round topped mountain looked over the lower hills. Four or five mUes down stream alofty pyramid showed us its snowy face, with a twin peak a little to the souifh, and a greatshoulder also snow-covered, extending farther beyond in the same direction. This "biceps

Parnassus" we inferred was Mount Cheadle, and in honour of the man the camp was dubbedCamp Cheadle.

Before mid-day Jack returned in. triumph with the tea kettle, which he had found less than fourmiles back, slung across his shoulders. A cup of tea was at once made in it for him as reward. The Dr. now prepared the pudding, and when it was deposited in the pot for its three hours'boil, the bell was rung for divine service.

Just as the Secretary commenced, the pot to the dismay of every one tumbled over. Half-a-dozen hands were instinctively stretched out, but Terry put it right, with the coolness of aveteran, and the service proceeded with no more trouble, except that gusts of wind blew thesmoke into our eyes, making Jack in particular weep enough to gratify any preacher.

Dinner was ordered for four o'clock, and it need hardly be said, the pudding was a success. Itrolled from the bag on to the plate, in the most approved fashion of oblong or rotundpuddings. The Dr. garnished it with six ferns for the six Provinces of the Dominion. The Chief produced V's brandy, poured some over the pudding and applying a match, it was set on thetable in a blaze of blue light, that gladdened every one with old niemories.

Before sunset, the wind had blown away the clouds and the snowy mist that had been fallingup on the mountains. When it was dark the stars came out in a clear sky, promising fineweather on the morrow. After some general talk and calculations as to whether we could get

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to Kamloops for next Sunday, in which hope weighed down the heaviest improbabilities, allgathered round the hearthstone fire for family worship. It was the time that we always feltmost solemnized; thankful to God for his goodness to us, praying His mercy for our far awayhomes, and drawn to one another by the thought that we were in the wilderness, withcommon needs, and entirely dependent on God and each other.

CHAPTER X ALONG THE NORTH THOMPSON RIVER TO KAMLOOPS

Breakfast by Moonlight. — The Belhorse. — Mount Cheadle. — Blue River and Mountains. —Goose Creek. — The Headless Indian. — Porcupine Breakfast. — The Canyon. — Mule Train. —At Hell Gate, meet Friends. — Gathering at Camp U. and V. — Good Cheer. — Still Water. —Round Prairie. — Exciting News two months old. — Change in the Flora. — Bunch Grass. — RaftRiver. — Clearwater. — Boat to Kamloops. — Assiniboine Bluff. — Last Night under Canvas. —Siwash Houses. — Signs of Civilization. — Stock Raising. — Wages in British Columbia. — AridAspect of Country. — Darkless on the River. — Arrival at Kamloops.

September 23rd. Jack rose this morning at 3 a.m., and made up the fire by kicking the emberstogether and piling on more wood. In a quarter of an hour after, all hands were up-foldingblankets and packing. We breakfasted bymoonlight, and would have been off at once, but twopf the horses had wandered, and it was some time before they were found. Jack tracked them

to an island in the river, and had to wade across for them.

This was the first occasion on which any of the horses had strayed even a short distance fromthe bell. They had always kept within sound of it on the journey and during the night.

The bell is hung round the neck of the most willing horse of the pack, and from that momenthe takes the lead. Till he moves on, it is almost impossible to force any of the others forward.

If you keep back your horse for a mile or two when on the march, aiM then give him the rein,he dashes on in frantic eagerness to catch up to the rest. Get hold of the bell-horse when youwant to start in the morning, and ring the bell and soon all the others in the pack gatherround.

We had never seen the gregariousness of horses so strongly exhibited as in the case of thosePacific pack-trains. And the mule shows the sentiment or instinct still more strongly. A bell-horse is put at the head of the mule train, and the mules follow him and pay him the mostdevoted loyalty. If a strange dog comes up barking, or any other hostile looking brute, themules often rush furiously at the enemy, and trample him under foot, to shield their sovereignfrom danger or even from insult.

Altogether the bell-horse was a novelty to us, thougli his uses are so thoroughly understoodhere, that Jack and Joe were astonished at our asking any questions about so well establishedan institution.

The night had been frosty, and the ground in the morning was quite hard, but after we hadbeen on the road for an hour, the sun rose from behind Mount Cheadle, and warmed the airsomewhat, though it continued cold enough all day to make walking preferable to riding. Forthe first four miles the road was similar to Saturday's. We then came to a mountain stream,towards the mouth of which the view opened and showed us Mount Cheadle rising stately andbeautiful from the opposite bank of the Thompson. What had seemed yesterday a greatshoulder stretching to the south was now seen to be a distinct hill, but in addition to the coneor pyramid with the twin heads of Mount Cheadle, a third and lower peak to the north-eastappeared. Beyond the stream is Cranberry marsh. The trail here goes along the beach for ashort distance, and then turns into the woods and hills, giving us a repetition of Saturday's

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experiences. Eight miles from camp we crossed another and larger stream on the other side of which the valley widened and the country beyond opened. The landscape was softer and thewild myrtle and the garden waxberry mixed with the ruder plants that had held entirepossession of the ground farther up.

Eight miles more brought us to open meadows along the banks of the river, overgrown in partby willows and alders, and in part covered with marsh grass. Here a halt of two hours fordinner was called. We had travelled about sixteen mUes in five hours, and had only ten more

to travel, to reach Goose Creek where camp was to be pitched for the night. It was expedientto get there as early as possible, that the horses might have a good feed, for there woxild beno grass along to-morrow's road, which was said to be the worst between Yellow Head Passand Kamloops.

During the last two or three days the river had fallen very much, and at our halting place itwas eight or nine feet below its high water mark. The valley was wide enough to enable us forthe first time to see on both sides the summits of the moun tains that enclosed it. At this pointthey are remarkably varied. A broad deep cleft in the heavily timbered hills on the west side of the river, showed an undulating line of snowy peaks, rising either from or behind the woodedrange; and the opposite side was closed in nearer the river by a number of separatemountains, from four to six thousand feet high, that folded in upon or rose behind one

another.

The afternoon drive was along a level, for the next six or seven miles to Blue River, where ourprogress was slow from the stubs or short sharp stumps of the alders, that dotted andsometimes completely filled up the trail. Blue River gets its name from the deep soft blue of the distant hills, which are seen from its mouth well up into the gap through which it runs. Araft is kept on this river for the use of the survey. We made use of the Cache or shanty on thebank, opening it for a small supply of beans and of soap. A diligent search was made for cofieebut without result.

The timber here is small and much of it has been destroyed by fires. After crossing the river,the trail winds round a bluff that extends boldly to the Thompson. Timber that had fallen down

the steep face across the trail delayed us several times.

Frank shot a large porcupine as it was climbing a tree, and pitched it on the kitchen pack to betried as food. Three miles more brought us to Goose Creek, where we camped an hour beforesunset. This was the spot the Doctor had been told to examine for the bones of the headlessIndian, and therefore as soon as he had unsaddled his horse, he selected a shingle shapedstick, and, without saying a word, set off on his exploration with all the mystery anddeliberation of a resurrectionist. In a few minutes he came on a bit of board with the followinginscription pencilled on it : "Here lie the remains of the 'Headless Indian,' discovered by LordMilton and Dr. Cheadle, A.D. 1863. At this spot we found an old tin kettle, a knife, a spoon, andfishing line; and 150 yards up the bank of river we also found the skull, which was sought for invain by the above gentlemen. T. Party, C. P. E. S. June 5th, 1872." Scratching the ground with

his wooden spade the Dr. was soon in possession of the skull, and of the rusty scalping knifethat had been thrown in beside it, and finding the old kettle near, he appropriated it too, anddeposited all three with his baggage as triumphantly as if he had rifled an Egyptian tomb.

Terry did not like the proceedings at all, and could only be reconciled to them on the plea thatthey might lead to the discovery of the murderers; for nothing would persuade him that theman's head had dropped off, and been carried to a distance by the wind or some beast. Hehad seen heads broken, or cut off, but he had never heard before and neither had we as far asthat goes, of a head rolling off; and therefore concluded that "there had been some bad workhere." Frank and Jack skinned the porcupine, and prepared it for cooking. A leg being spitted

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and broiled before the fire as a test morsel, was pronounced superior to beaver; and thecarcass was consigned to Terry, who decided to cut it up, parboil, and fry it for breakfast.

September 24th. There was no need to look at the thermometer when we got up to know thatthere had been frost. Every one felt it through the capote and pair of blankets in which he waswrapped. The Chief rose at midnight and renewed the fire. Frank then got up and curledhimself into a ball within a few inches of the red embers. At 3 A.M. all rose growling, gtampingtheir cold feet, lingering about the fire, lighting pipes, and considering whether washing the

face wasn't a superstitious rule to be occasionally honoured in the breach rather than theobservance. Everything was done slowly. It was nearly sunrise before any one even thought of looking at the thermometer, which then indicated 17 ° : not so very low, but we had beensleeping practically in the open air, and in a cold wind with rather light covering. Three-quarters of an hour were spent in cooking the porcupine; and as it did not come up to ourexpectations, from inherent defects or Terry's cooking, very little of the meat was eaten ; andno one proposing to carry a piece in his pocket for lunch, it was left behind,-the only thing inthe shape of food that had been wasted by us on the journey.

At 6.15 we were on the march, expecting a heavy day's work, as the road lay over the GreatCanyon that had all but defeated Milton and Cheadle's utmost efforts, and past the "ported'enfer " of the Assiniboine. The first three miles after crossing the Creek were partly round

and partly over a heavy bluff; and the next five along the river, which ran like a mill-racebetween high hills. These hills on our side afforded space for the road either along their bases,or on the first bench above.

The next ten or twelve miles were to be through the dreaded canyon; a pass as much moreformidable than Killiekrankie as the Thompson is greater than the Garry. While climbing thefirst bluff near the entrance to the canyon, the bell-horse of a pack-train was heard ahead.Fortunately there was space for us to draw aside and let the train pass. It was on its way up to Tgte Jaune Cache with supplies, and consisted of fifty-two mules led by a bell-horse, anddriven by four or five men, representing as many different nationalities. Most of the muleswere, with the exception of the long ears, wonderfully graceful creatures; and though ladenwith an average weight of three hundred pounds, stepped out over rocks and roots firmly and

lightly as if their loads were nothing. This was the first train that had ever passed through thecanyon without losing at least one animal. The horse or mule puts its foot on a piece of innocent looking moss ; underneath the moss there happens to be a wet stone over which heslips; at the same moment, his broad unwieldly pack strikes against a rock, outjutting from thebluff, and as there is no room for him to recover himself, over he goes into the roaring Thompson, and that's the last seen of him unless brought up by a tree halfway down theprecipice. Two months before a mule fell over in this way. The packers went down to the riverside to look for him, but as there was no trace to be seen, resumed their march. Five daysafter, another train passing near the spot heard the braying of a mule, and guided by the noiselooked, and found, that he had fallen on a broad rock half way down, where he had lain forsome time stunned. Struggling to his feet, fortunately for him the apparaho got entangledround the rock, and held him fast till he was relieved by the men of the train from his razor

bridge over the flood. This was a more wonderful deliverance than that of Bucephalus whenabandoned by Mr. O'B.

For several miles, the river here is one long rapid, dashing over hidden and half-hidden rocksscattered over every part of its bed. The great point of danger is reached at "Hell Gate." Ahuge arch had once stretched across the present channel, and had been rifted asunder,leaving a passage for the river not more than thirty feet wide. The rock looked as if it hadrecently parted, a depression on the one side exactly fitting into an overhanging rookopposite, looking as if a counter convulsion might groove and tongue the two together again. Through this passage the river raged, and the whole force of the current ran under the

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overhanging black rock, so near its roof that at high water the river is forced back. From thispoint the canyon continues for six or seven miles down, at one point the opposing rooks beingonly fifteen feet apart The river there boils and spurts up as if ejected from beneath out of ahydraulic pipe.

Half a mile below Hell Gate, a bell was again heard ahead.

This to our great delight belonged to a mule train accompanying Mr. Marcus Smith-the deputy

of the Engineer-iu-Chief on the Pacific side. Our pack-horses were sent on while we halted toexchange greetings and news. Mr. Smith was on his way to Tete Jaune Cache to try and find apass across the Gold range.

He had spent the greater part of the summer on the Pacific coast, in the Cascades, and theChilcoten district in order to find a practicable line for the railway from Bute Inlet through to Tete Jaune Cache. After a long consultation and a lunch of bread and cheese-cheese producedby Smith and eaten so freely by us who had not tasted any for two months, that Smith ruefullydeclared our lunch to be "cheese-and bread," the Chief advised him to return with us toKamloops, as it was too late in the season to adventure into the heart of the Gold range fromthe east side. The two parties accordingly became one.Following up our pack-horses, we came in the course of the next few miles to the bottom of

the canyon, and all at once to a totally different aspect of the river and road. The river ceasesto descend rapidly for the next twelve miles, and the valley opens out to a breadth of two orthree miles. The road runs along this level; but, though a great improvement on the breakneckhills we had been going up and down all day, the clumps of willow and alder stubs and rootskept the horses from venturing on much beyond a walk, except the Secretary's, a mad brutecalled the Tool which dashed on after the bell at such a rate that the rest of the party infollowing more slowly looked round to pick up the remains. The river here, as if exhausted withits furious racing, subsides into a smooth broad lake-like appearance, calmly reflectingeverything on its banks.

Hence the name of this district, "Stillwater." Four miles along this brought us to our menunpacking the horses at the point agreed on in the morning. Half a mile ahead, they said, were

the tents of the U. and V. parties who had been surveying all summer between Kamloops and Tete Jaune Cache. They had met at this central point, the work on both sections being justfinished. Going on to their camp, we found Mr. John Trutch, the engineer in charge of bothparties, and our friend V. Their encampment seemed to us a great affair, unaccustomed as wehad been for weeks to new faces. Each party consisted in all of sixteen or eighteen men, withtwo Indians, one the cook's slavey, and the other-slavey to the officer in charge, and generalmessenger. Besides the two parties there was a third in charge of the pack train, so that thevalley was alive with men and mules; all busy packing up to start for Kamloops in the morning.Most cordial were the greetings on both sides. They at once set to work to prepare supper forus, though they had had their own already, and men were sent back to bring our tent downbeside their encampment. The latest news was eagerly asked and given. The news thatdelighted us most was the victory of the Canadian team at Wimbledon in the competition for

the Rajah of Kolapore's cup against eight picked shots of the United Kingdom. The names of the eight were read out, and a special cheer given for Shand of Halifax who scored highest Amighty supper was soon announced. Never were men in better condition for the table.Beefsteak, bacon, stuffed heart loaf bread, and a bottle of claret ; a second course of friedslices of the remains of a plum-pudding, seasoned with blueberry-jam made by themselves, afeast the memory of which shall long gladden us !

There was so much to talk and hear about, such a murmur of voices, the pleasajat light of somany fires, the prospect of a

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warm, sound sleep, and of more rapid journeying hereafter, that there was nothing wanting tomake our happiness complete, except letters from home, and those were at Kamloops, not faraway.

September 25th. Rose refreshed, and as ready for a Highland breakfast as if we had not eatenan English dinner last night. It was arranged that Mr. Trutch should accompany us toKamloops, V. remaining behind to bring on everything, and that at the Clearwater River, sixty-two miles distant, we should take the survey boat and go down the Thompson for the

remaining seventy-three miles to Kamloops.

As the Chief had letters to write to different parties, it was nine o'clock before we got awayfrom the pleasant Stillwater Camp. Our pack-horses had gone on two hours before withinstructions to camp at Round Prairie, twenty-five miles from Stillwater.

Soon after starting, we caught up to the beef-cattle and the pack-train of mules that had gonein advance with U's camp.

As the trail is narrow, and mules resent being passed on the road-occasionally flinging theirheels back into the face of the too eager horse, it took some time and engineering to getahead; but when this was accomplished we moved at a rapid walk, breaking now and then into

a trot. From the canyfin to Clearwater the trail steadily improved. Our morning journey was forten miles along the grassy or willow covered meadow on the west side of the Thompson'sStillwater. The river looked like a long lake. The sand over the trail and the debris strewnaround showed that, in some years at any rate, the river overflowed the low meadow.

We halted for lunch at the south end of the Stillwater, fortunately coming on U's advanceparty, who supplied us with some bread, while the Doctor produced two boxes of sardines hehad prudently "packed." One of the men gave Mr. Trutch a pair of willow grouse he had shotthe day before. British Columbia boasts of having seven or eight varieties of the grouse kind,the most abundant being the sage hen, the blue grouse, the ptarmigan, and the sprucepartridge or fool-hen, that is oftener knocked over with a stick than shot.

After its long repose the Thompson now begins to brawl and prepare for another rush downhill. Its height above sea level at the bottom of the canyon is 2,000 feet, and at Kamloops1,250. It falls more than two-thirds of this 750 feet of difference in the forty-five milesimmediately above Clearwater. In the seventy-three miles below Clearwater the fall is only 240feet. The meadow now ceased, and the valley contracted again.

We could easily understand the dismay with which Milton and Cheadle beheld such a prospect. The valley had opened below Mount Cheadle as if the long imprisonment of the river, and withit their own, was coming to an end ; but the Great Canyon had hedged it in again more firmlythan ever. Next at Stillwater, and down for twelve or fourteen milles, everything looked as if the river, wearied with its long course between high overhanging hills, was at last about toemerge into an open country of farms and settlements; but again the hills closed in, and the

apparently interminable narrow valley recommenced.

There was no gloom, however, in our party. No matter what the road, the country or theweather, everything was on our side; fair trail, friendly faces, commissariat all right, and theprospect of a post office before the .end of the week. The day was warm and sunny; theclimate altogether different from the rainy skies and cold nights higher up the slope; and wewere assured that an hundred miles farther down stream, no rain ever fell except anoccasional storm or a few drops from high passing clouds, an assurance more welcome to usthan to intending settlers.

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The aspect of the hills too was changing. They were lower and more broken, with undulatingspaces between, giving promise of escape to the imprisoned traveller, sooner or later.Distinctly defined benches extended at different points along the banks, and on these the trailwas comparatively level. About 4 p.m. we came to a bit of open called Round Prairie, andfound the men unpacking for the night, as there was no other good place for the horses nearerthan sixteen miles off.

This had been the easiest day's journey since entering the mountains, for though we had

travelled twenty-four miles, there was no fatigue, so that it was really like one of the picnicdays of the plains. The early camping gave another chance to read the papers, of which everyone took advantage, devouring with avidity papers nearly two months old.

September 26th. It rained heavily this morning, and the start from camp was made with thedelays and discomforts that rain produces. The cotton tent weighs thrice as much as when dry. The ends of the blankets, clothes, some of the food, the shagauappi, etc., get wet. The packsare heavier and the horses' backs are wet; and it is always a question whether or not water-proofs do the riders any good. This morning one of the pack-horses could not be found.Everything had to be packed on the three others; Jack remained behind to look for the fourth,and soon found the poor brute sheltered from the rain, in a thicket near where the bell hadbeen.

The country to-day resembled that of yesterday ; but even where it opened out, the steadydrizzle and the heavy mists on the hills hid everything. Cedars had entirely disappeared, andthe spruce and pines were comparatively small. The aralea gave place to a smaller leavedtrailer with a red berry like the raspberry ; and a dark-green prickly-leaved bush like Englishholly, called the Oregon grape, and several grasses and plants new to us covered the ground.

Six miles from camp we came to Mad River, a violent mou tain affluent of the Thompson,crossed by a good bridge ; and ten miles farther on to Pea Vine Prairie, where as the rainceased and enough blue sky "to make a pair of breeches'' showed, the halt for dinner wascalled. Here we saw for the first time the celebrated bunch-grass, which has no superior asfeed for horses or cattle ; especially for the latter, as the beef that has been fed on it is

peculiarly juicy and tender. The name explains its character as of grass. It consists of smallnarrow blades-ten to fifty of them growing in a bunch from six to eighteen inches high, and thebunches so close together m places that at a distance they appear to form a sward. Theblades are green in spring and summer, but at this season they are russet grey, apparentlywithered and tasteless, but the avidity with which the horses cropped them, turning aside fromgreen and succulent marsh grass and even vetches, showed that the virtue of the bunch-grasshad not been lost.

The clouds now rolled up like curtains from the hills, and the sun breaking out revealed theriver, three or four hundred feet below, with an intervale on each side that made the valley atleast two miles across to the high banks that enclosed it.

There was a bend in the river to the west, so that we saw not only a little up and down, whichis usually all that can be seen on the North Thompson, but round the corner; a wide extent of landscape of varied beauty and soft outlines. The hills were wooded, and the summits of thehighest dusted with the recent snow, that had been rain-fall in the valley. Autumn hues of birch, Cottonwood, and poplar blended with the dark fir and pine, giving the variety andwarmth of colour that we had for many days been strangers to, and which was thereforeappreciated all the more. The face of the bank on which we stood presented a singularappearance. It was of whitish clay mixed with sand, the front hard as cement by the action of the weather; there had been successive slides of the bank behind in different years, but theold front had remained firm, and was now standing out along the face, away from the bank, in

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pyramidal or grotesque forms, like the trap of basalt rocks, spires, and columns along the eastcoast of Skye, springing from debris at the base. Similar strange forms of cemented whitishclay are to be found in several places on the Fraser.

As Smith and Trutch now messed with us, the different cooks contributed to the common stockand to the cooking, with the two advantages of greater variety to the table, and greater speedin the preparation. After a short halt at Pea Vine we got into the saddle again, and made tenmiles before sunset; the trail leading across sandy benches intersected by numerous little

creeks, the descent to which was generally so direct that every one had to dismount, both forthe dowa and the up hill stretch.

Camp for the night was pitched at one of these creeks, twelve miles to the north of theClearwater, and Frank who had become quite an adept at constructing camp fires, built up amighty one, at which we dried wet clothes and blankets. Our camp presented a lively scene atnight. Great fires before each tent lit up the dark forest, and threw gleams of light about, thatmade the surroumding darkness all the more intense.

Through the branches of the pines, the kindly stars, the only spectators-looked down ongroups flitting from tent to tent or cumbered about the many things that have to be cared foreven in the wilderness, cooking, mending, drying, overhauling baggage, piling wood on the

fire, planning for the morrow, or taking notes. How like a lot of gypsies we were in outwardappearance, and how naturally every one took to the wild life ! A longing for home and for restwould steal over us if we were quiet for a time, but a genuine love for camp life, for itsfreedom and rude happiness, for the earth as a couch and the sky for a canopy, and the wideworld for a bed-room, possessed us all; and we knew that, in after days, memory would return,to dwell fondly over many an old camping ground by lake or river side, on the plains, in thewoods, and among the mountains.

September 27th. Six miles travel like yesterday's brought us this morning to Raft River, abroad stream, whose ice-cold pellucid waters indicated that it ran from glaciers, or throughhard basalt or trap rock that yielded it no tribute of clay to bring down; and six miles morealong gravelly benches to the Clearwater, whose name is intended to express a similar

character, and the difference between itself and the clay coloured Thompson it empties into. The Clearwater is so large a stream that after its junction, the Thompson becomes clearerfrom the admixture. At the junction there is a depot of the C.P.R. Survey, with a man in charge,and a three ton boat used to bring up supplies from Kamloops, which we had arranged with V.to take down, leaving Jack and Joe to bring along the horses, at a leisurely pace. FromClearwater to Kamloops by the trail is between seventy and eighty miles, and by the riverprobably ninety.Aided by the current we hoped to row this in a day and a half, and so get to Kamloops onSaturday night. V. had given us four men to row the boat, and as she lay at the river bank, theloads were taken from the horses' backs, and thrown in without difficulty.

After dining in front of the shanty, we said good-bye to Jack and Joe, and gave ourselves up to

the sixth lot of men we had journeyed with since leaving Fort Garry, and the fourth variety of locomotion; the faithful Terry still cleaving to the party, and really seeming to get fond of us,from force of habit, and the contrast of his own long tenure of service with the short periods of all the others.

At two P.M., twelve got into the boat; our five, the crew, Smith, Trutch, and his man Johnston,who was to steer and help Terry. Up to two o'clock the day had been cloudy and cold, but thesun now came out, and we could enjoy the luxury of sitting in comfort, talking or reading,knowing too that no delay was occasioned by the comfort. The oars were clumsy, but the menworked with a will, and the current was so strong that the boat moved down at the rate of five

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or six miles an hour, so that after four and a half hours, Trutch advised camping, though therewas still half an hour's twilight, for at the same rate we would easily reach Kamloops on themorrow.

In this part of its course the river did not seem materially larger, or diiferent from what it wasmuch farther up. It still ran between high rugged hills, that closed in as canyons at intervals.

Its course was still through a gorge rather than a valley. Any expanse was as often up on a

high terrace, that had once been its bed, as down along its present banks. Seventeen milesfrom the Clearwater we passed the Assiniboine's bluff, a huge protuberance of slate thatneeds only a similar rock on the other side to make it a formidable canyon. At some points theforms of the hills varied so much that the scene was picturesque and striking, but these hillsare merely outliers, and not high enough to impress, or to do away with the feeling of monotony.

Our crew were expert in managing a boat and. in putting up a tent. Before dark everythingwas secured, and we lay down for the last time in this expedition in our lean to, sub Jovefrigido. This, our Thompson River Camp, was the sixtieth from Lake Superior, and as wewrapped the blankets round us, a regretful feeling that it woiild probably be the last, stole intoevery one's mind.

September 28th. Raining this morning again, but as there were no horses to pack, it was of less consequence. By 7:30 the boat was unmoored and we were rowing down the river, havingfifty-two miles by the survey line and probably sixty-five by the river to make before night.Behind and above us the clouds were heavy, but we soon passed through the rainy region tothe clearer skies that are generally in the neighbourhood of Kamloops. For the first half of ourway the river scenery was very similar to that of yesterday, except that the flats along thebanks were broader and more fertile, and the hills covered more abundantly with bunch grass.A few families of Siwashes, as Indians on the Pacific slope are called, in barbarous Chinook,probably from Sauvages, are scattered here and there along the flats. Their miserable littletents looked like salmon smoking establishments; for as the salmon don't get this far up theriver till August and September, the Siwashes catch and dry them for winter use very late in

the year.

Small pox has reduced the number of Siwashes in this part of the country to the meresthandful. A sight of one of their winter residences is a sufficient explanation of thedestructiveness of any epidemic that gets in amongst them. A deep and wide hole is dug inthe ground, a strong pole with cross sticks like an upright ladder stuck in the centre, and thenthe house is built up with logs, in conical form, from the ground to near the top of the pole,space enough being left for the smoke and the inmates to get out. Robinson Crusoe-like theyuse the ladder, and go in and out of the house during the winter by the chimney. As this is aninconvenient mode of egress, they go out as seldom as possible; and as the dogs live with thefamily, the filth that soon accumulates can easily be estimated, and so can the consequence,should one of them be attacked with fever or small pox. They boast that these houses are

"terrible warm," and when the smoke and heat reach suffocation point, their remedy is to rushup the ladder into the air, and roll themselves in the snow for a few minutes. In spring theyemerge from their hibernation into open or tent life; and in the autumn they generally find iteasier to build a new house or bottle to shut themselves up in, than to clean out the old one. This practice accounts for the great number of cellar-like depressions along the banks of theriver; the sites of former dwellings resembling the sad mementoes of old clans to be seen inmany a glen in the Highlands of Scotland, and suggesting at the first view that the populationin former years had been very large. But as one Siwash family may have dug out a dozenresidences in as many years, the number of houses is no criterion of what the tribe numberedat any time.

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For the first ten or fifteen miles of to-day's course, the river ran rather sluggishly. The currentthen became stronger, and as it cut for several miles through a range of high hills that hadonce stretched across its bed, there was a series of rapids powerful enough to help us onnoticeably. The valley here became a gorge again. Emerging from the range at mid-day, Trutch pointed out blue hills in the horizon, apparently forty or fifty miles ahead, as beyondKamloops. We halted for twenty minutes to take a cold lunch, and then moved on.

An hour before sunset we came to the first sign of settlers, a fence run across the intervalefrom the river to the mountain, to hinder the cattle from straying. Between this point andKamloops there are ten or eleven farms, "ranches" as they are called on the Pacific slope, allof them taken up since Milton and Cheadle's time. The first building was a saw-mill aboutfifteen miles from Kamloops, the proprietor x)f which was busy sawing boards to roof in hisown mill, to begin with.

Small log cabins of the new settlers, each with an enclosure for cattle called "the corral" closeto it, next gladdened our eyes, so long unused to seeing any abodes of men. For all time thenames and technical expressions on the Pacific coast are likely to show that settlementproceeded from the south and not across the mountains. But such Califomian terms as ranch,corral and others from the lips of Scotchmen sounded strangely in our ears at first.

Stock raising is the chief occupation of the farmers here; for though the ground produces thebest cereals and vegetables, irrigation is required as in. the fertile plains and valleys of California; and the simplest method of irrigating-even where a stream runs through the farm,is expensive in a country where farm labourers and herdmen get from $30 to $75 a month andtheir board; and where stock raising pays so well on account of the excellence of the naturalgrass. Common labourers on the roads in British Columbia get $50 a month, about $20 of which they pay for board ; and teamsters and packers from$100 to $150.

The farmers who have settled on the North or South Thompson are making money ; and beef commands higher prices every year. As there are very few white women most of the settlers

live with squaws, or Klootchmen as they are called on the Pacific; and little agriculturalprogress or advance of any kind can be expected until immigration brings in womenaccustomed to dairy and regular farm-work, to be wives for white men.

The ranches taken up are near little creeks that supply water to irrigate them. In the valley of the South Thompson are largeextents of excellent land, ready for the plough, that will not be settled on till it is proved thatwater can be profitably raised from the river, or be had from wells in sufficient quantity.

Neither way has yet been tried, simply because all the land along the creeks has not yet beentaken up, and there has been no necessity for experimenting.

As we drew nearer Kamloops, characteristics of a different climate could be noted withincreasing distinctness. A milder atmosphere, softer skies, easy rolling hills; but the totalabsence of underbrush and the dry grey grass everywhere covering the ground were the moststriking differences to us, accustomed so long to the broad-leaved underbrush and dark-greenfoliage of the humid upper country. We had clearly left the high rainy, and entered the lowerarid, region. The clouds from the Pacific are intercepted by the Cascades, and only those thatsoar like soap-bubbles over their summits pass on to the east. These float over the interveningcountry till they come to a region high enough to intercept them. Thus it is that while cloudshang over Kamloops and its neighbourhood, little rain or snow falls. The only timber in thedistrict is a knotty red pine, and as the trees grow widely apart, and the bunch-grass

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underneath is clean, unmixed with weeds and shrubs, and uniform in colour, the country has awell-kept park-like appearance, though there U too little of fresh green and too many signs of aridity for beauty.

The North Thompson runs smoothly for ten miles above Kamloops, after rippling over a suddendescent, und making a sharp bend round to the north-west and back again to the south.

In the afternoon a alight breeze had sprung up, and a tent was hoisted for a sail : but the wind

shifted so frequently that more was lost than gained by it, and at sunset we took it down andtrusted to the heavy oars. We had only four or five miles to make when it became so dark thatthe shoals ahead could not bj seen; and as none of the crew knew this part of the river thesteering became mere guess-work, and the Doctor as the lucky man was put at the helm. Wegrounded three or four times, but as the boat was flat-bottomed, and the bed of the river hardand gravelly, she was easily shoved off. The delays were provoking, all the more becausethere might be many of them; but about 8 o'clock, the waters of the South Thompson, runningeast and west, gleamed in the darkness at right angles to our course. The North branch,though the largest, runs into the South branch. A quarter of a mile down stream from the junction is Fort Kamloops.

The boat was hauled in to the bank; and Trutch /went up to the Fort. Mr. Tait, the agent, at

once came down, and with a genuine H. B., which is equivalent to a Highland, welcome,invited us to take up our quarters with him. Gladly accepting the hospitable offer, we weresoon seated in a comfortable room beside a glowing fire. We were at Kamloops ! beside a PostOffice, and a waggon road; and in the adjoining room, the half dozen heads of families residentin or near Kamloops were holding a meeting with the Provincial Superintendent of Education,to discuss the best means of establishing a school. Surely we had returned to civilization andthe ways of men ! Were we to judge from what we have seen of the country along the Fraserand Thompson rivers, the conclusion would be forced on us that British Columbia can never bean agricultural country. We have not visited, however, the Okanagan and JSTicola Districts, orthe Chilcoten Plains; and we have heard good accounts of the fertility of the former, and therich parklike scenery of extensive tracts in the latter. But the greater part of the mainland is,"a sea of mountains"; and the Province will have to depend mainly on its rich grazing

resources, its valuable timber, its fisheries, and minerals, for any large increase of population. The part of the country lying between the western slope of the Rocky Mountains and theCascades is an elevated plateau "varying in breadth but probably averaging over one hundredand twenty miles," and in length extending from the boundary line north to Chilcoten lake. This extensive intervening plateau or series of pleateaux is extremely valuable as a stock-i-aising country, and with the aid of irrigation would produce great quantities of cereals.

The indications are that it once was submerged under water, with the hill tops then showing asislands, and with the long line of the Cascades separating the great elevated lake from thesea. In process of time clefts riven in the Cascades made ways for the waters to escape. Bythese clefts the Fraser, the Homathco, the Skeena, and the Bella Coala now run in deep gorgesthrough granite and gneissic or trap and basalt rocks to the sea. Originally the waters emptied

by a series of falls the magnificence of which it is scarcely possible to conceive. The successivesubsidences of the water are now shown by the high benches of gravel aud silt along the rivervalleys, and on account of the great depth cut down by the rivers, there are no bottom landsor meadows worth speaking of. As a general rule, with only a few exceptions, all the waterchannels are found in deep gorges, and for this reason the great rivers of the Province cannotoverflow their banks. They must be content with rising higher up the steep hill-sides, betweenwhich, for the greater part of their course, they are pent.

CHAPTER XI FROM KAMLOOPS TO THE SEA

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Under a Roof again — Kamloops Beef. — Sermqn. — John Chinaman. — No Letters. — LakeKamloops. — Savona's Ferry. — A Night Ride to Ashcroft. — Farming Country. — Sage Brush.— Irrigation. — A Broken Leg. — The Judge and the Miners. — Gold Mining. — Siwashes andChinamen. — Indian Graves. — The Waggon Road. — Canyons of the Thompson. — Big-bugs.— Lytton. — The Rush to the Gold Mines. — Obstacles to Settlement. — Effects of UneducatedSalmon. — Boston Bar. — Jackass Mountain. — TheRoad along the Canyons. — Grand Scenery.— Suspension Bridge. — Spuzznm's Creek. — Yale. — Letters from Home. — Travelling bySteam Again. — Steamer "Onward." — Hope. — The Judiciary of British Columbia. — New

Westminster. — Salmon. — Assaying Office. — Burrard's Inlet. — Grand Potlatch. — The "Sir James Douglas." — General Remarks

September 29th. A long sleep in real beds under a rafted roof, and a dip in the Thompsonprepared us for such a breakfast as we never expect to eat again. Turtle soup out of a goldspoon is meagre fare compared to Kamloopg beef. After a few samples at breakfast, we werewilling to subscribe to all that had ever been said in favour of bunch-grass as feed for the cat.tie of kings. Mealy potatoes, eggs, and other luxuries that need not be mentioned, lest thosewho never knew want should scorn our simple annals, explained satisfactorily the process bywhich Dr. Cheadle added forty-one pounds to his weight in a three weeks' stay at Kamloops. The dip was a pleasure too and not merely the duty it had sometimes been felt. Though thebranches of the river are united, the currents of the two keep distinct for several miles down ;

and the Fort being on the south side, we bathed in the South branch, whidh is so much warmerthan the North that in summer, people who are anxious for cold water often cross in a canoe tothe other side for a bucketful.

Soon after breakfast, people began to assemble for the public worship that had been intimatedimmediately on our arrival. The service was held in the dining room of the fort. About thirtyattended : our own party, several gentlemen from other parts of the Province, the seven oreight inhabitants of Kamloops, and four or five farmers from the neighbourhood. Mr. Tait's twolittle girls represented the female population of the place; for the three or four white women of the settlement were either absent from home or otherwise unable to attend; and the men wholived with Klootchmen did not bring them to church. It may seem wonderful that theseprosperous farmers should not have white wives; but the remoteness of the place must be

remembered, and they say, too, that the Victoria girls are unwilling to give up the pic-nics andgaieties of the capital for farm life and hard work in the interior. Of course there are no servantgirls at Kamloops. A young Chinaman, answering to the common name of John, was cook andmaid of all work at the fort; and he did the work in a quiet, pleasant, thorough way, that madeus wish to steal him for our own use.

Lunch at one, and dinner at five o'clock came in not too rapid succession, though a walk to thenearest hill-top was all that even the most energetic of the party took in the interval.

From the hill-top is a magnificent view of the country around Kamloops : the North Thompsonvalley for twenty miles up;the South Thompson extending to the east, and the united stream running west for seven

miles, when it expands into a beautifiri sheet of water, eighteen miles long, called KamloopsLake. The hills in the neighbourhood have the clean, cultivated, park-like appearance that wenoticed yesterday ; and several farms on the flats, at the junction of the two branches, gave alook of life and field work, to which, as well as to the universal soft mellow colouring impartedby the bunch grass, our eyes had long been unaccustomed. Ten miles away among the hills,on the opposite or north side of the Thompson, is the guard, with the four or five hundredhorses of the fort, which, had time allowed, we would have visited, to compare the horses withthose of the plains. One keeper suffices for the guard, for the horses cluster in bands roundtheir own stallions, and give no trouble except when some, being required for use or sale,have to be separated from the rest. On such occasions, the whole guard has to be corralled or

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On those broken narrow winding plateaux, and the hill sides that bound them, is abundantgrazing for ten times the number of cattle or sheep now seen on themi While rounding thegreat bluff on the south side of the Lake, the wind, which generally blows directly either up ordown stream-blew so freshly up that the boat made little or no headway. We landed atmidday, resolving to take to the horses if they could be seen on the other side of the bluff, andleave Terry in the boat to look after the luggage. Fortunately Mr. Tait had accompanied Jack(who had made a forced march from Clearwater, arriving at Kainloops on Sunday afternoon),

and noticing that the wind kept the boat back, they waited for us in a little cove beyond thebluff, nine miles from the ferry.

We gladly mounted into the saddle again, and in an hour and a half reached the end of thelake, where the Thompson issues from it as a broad deep noble-looking river. Ferrying across,a council was held at Savona's to decide what was to be done.

It would be sunset before refreshment could be taken ; and it looked a little Dick Turpin-ish tostart at such an hour for a thirty mile ride over a new road in a cloudy moonless night.

Learning, however, that the Governor had been on his way to Kamloops to meet us, but hadturned back to Ashcroft on hearing that we would probably be there to-night, our usual word

"Vorwarts" was given. A jolly-lookiag Boniface and Mrs. Boniface hurried up a capital supper of Kamloops beef and vegetables, coffee and cake; and promised one "that would make the haircurl" to any who could remain over night.

Such a temptation, aided by a variety of circumstances, induced Smith to remain; but at 6o'clock the rest of us were in the saddle.

Four hours after, we reached Cache Creek, having rested only ten minutes on the way at thehouse of a French Canadian settler.

The road followed the course of the Thompson, except for the last six or eight miles, when itturned a little northerly up the valley of the creek that runs into the Buonaparte, a tributary of

the Thompson. There are good farms along the road, but night and the fact that it was afterbarest made it necessary to accept the testimony of others on the point, The ground is asandy loam, and will produce anything if irrigated, and nothing without irrigation. At CacheCreek the hotel was full, as it generally is, because at a junction of several roads.

There was a letter for us from the Governor, and his trap waiting to take us on to Ashcroft.After waiting a little at Cache Creek to give the Doctor time to examine a patient, we got intothe trap, and reached Ashcroft Hotel at 11 o'clock, and in half an hour after were in bed. TheGovernor had taken up his quarters at Senator Cornwall's, hard by, and would see us in themorning.

October 1st. After breakfast, a decision had to be come to with regard to our future

movements in British Columbia. The Governor, not expecting our arrival so soon, hadconcluded that we would not be able to take the steamer to San Francisco till the 27th inst. Hehad aranged to accompany us to Bute Inlet on the 11th, and advised us to visit in the intervalthe Upper Fraser river and Cariboo. It was important, however, that we should leave Victoria afortnight earlier, if at all possible, and that necessitated our going on directly to NewWestminster.

No special object would be served by the Chief visiting Cariboo.

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if there's shooting in Kootanie, there will be hanging." Such a speech was after the miners'own heart, and after it there were no disturbances in Kootanie.

The judge in his turn praised the miners, as manly, law abiding fellows. He never had the leastdifficulty in preserving order among the thousands gathered from all quarters of the earth,though the available force at his back usually consisted of two constables.

Left this morning for Lytton, forty-eight miles down stream, in an express, as the mail waggon

from Cariboo was sure to be full of passengers at this season of the year. The waggon road onwhich we travelled is the principal public work of British Columbia; constructed as agovernment work with great energy soon after the discovery of the Cariboo gold mines. It wasa very creditable undertaking, for most formidable engineering difficulties had to be overcomeat the Canyons of the Fraser and the Thompson, and the expense to an infant colony wasnecessarily heavy. The waggon road is an enduring monument to Sir James Douglas, the firstGovernor of the Province a man worthy to rank with those Roman generals and governors whowere the great road-makers of the old world.

Before its construction there was only a trail to Cariboo, along which the gold hunters toilednight and day, driving pack-horses that carried their blankets and provisions, or if too poor to afibrd horse or mule, packing

everything on their own backs. Men have been known to start from Yale on foot, for the goldfields, with 150 lbs. weight on their backs, and wlien they got to their destination, theirdifficulties only commenced. Gold was and is found in every sandbar of the river and in everycreek; but it had to be found in large quantities to enable a man to live, A pound of flour cost adollar and a half, and everything else sold at proportional prices. The gold was in largestquantities near the bed rock, and this was generally covered with a deposit of silt from five toforty feet thick, containing but little of the precious metal near the surface. The countrypresented every obstacle to prospecting. Range upon range of stern hills wooded from base tosummit, through which a way could be forced only with incredible toil, and at the daily risk of starvation ; it is little wonder that the way to Cariboo, and the country itself proved to be thegrave of many an adventurous gold seeker. A few made fortunes, in a week or a month, whichas a rule they dissipated in less than a year; hundreds gathered moderately large sums, which

they took away to spend elsewhere; thousands made wages; and tens of thousands, nothing.It had been the «ame in California, when gold was discovered there; but then the masses wtowere unsuccessful could not get out of the country, and they had, fortunately for themselves,to hire out as farm servants and herdmen. In British Columbia they could get back to Oregonand California, and back they went, poorer than they had come, but leaving the Province littlethe better for their visit.

At various points on the river, all down the road, miners are still to be found. These are chieflySiwashes and Chinese, who take up abandoned claims, and wash the sand over again, beingsatisfied with smaller wages than what contents a white man.

Their tastes are simple and their expenses moderate. None of them dream of going to the

wayside hotels, and paying a dollar for every meal, a dollar for a bed, a dollar for a bottle of ale, or twenty cents for a drink. The Chinaman cultivates vegetables beside his claim; theseand his bag of rice suffice for him, greatly to the indignation of the orthodox miner. The Siwashcatches salmon in his scoop net from every eddy of the river, and his wife carries them up tothe house and makes his winter's food. These two classes of the population, the onerepresenting an ancient civilization, the other scattered nomads with almost no tribalrelationships, resemble each other in appearance so much that it would be difficult todistinguish them, were it not for the long tail or queue into which the Chinaman braids his hair,and which he often folds at the back of his head, instead of letting it hang down his back. ThePacific Indian is Mongolian in size and complexion, in the shape of the face, and the eyes. He

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has neither the strength of limb, the manly bearing, nor the dignity so characteristic of theIndians on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, but he is quite as intelligent, and takes morereadily to civilized ways.

Salmon are the staple of the Siwash's food, and these are so abundant that they generally sellthem for ten to twenty-five cents apiece; and ten cents in British Columbia is equivalent to apenny elsewhere, for there is no smaller coin than the ten cent piece in the Province. Servantshere and on the Fraser river would probably bargain as they used to bargain when hiring in

Scotland, that they were not to be expected to eat salmon oftener than four times a week, if there was the slightest necessity of their making any stipulation. But masters and mistressesknow their places too well to dream of imposing that or any other condition on them. Wepassed several Chinamen travelling along the road, each man carrying all his worldly goodssuspended from the ends of a pole slung across one of his shoulders. So habituated are theyto this style of carrying weight, that when they possess only one bundle, inconvenient todivide, they are said to tie a stone to the other end of the pole to balance the load. Whetherthis is meant as a joke or not, I shall leave as a puzzle to my readers.

Next to the bold and varied scenery, the chief objects of interest to a stranger travelling downthe Thompson and the Fraser, especially after entering the Cascade range, are the Indiangraves. Whatever these poor people can accomplish in the way of architecture or art, is

reserved for their dead. A house better than they live in is built, or a good tent erected, and init are placed the valuables of the deceased, his gun, blanket, food ; in front hang scalps, orbright shawls, and white flags; his canoe placed outside, and beside it the hide of his horse ormule over a wooden skeleton; rude painted images representing the man, woman, or family,as the case may be, are ranged in front. It is an article of faith with them that no Indian everdesecrated or robbed a grave ; and this is probable enough, for seldom has an Indian beenknown to steal or disturb even the cache of another, though the cache of dried salmon on thePacific slope is usually hung on a tree by the wayside.

The provincial law very properly imposes severe penalties on those who violate Indian graves ;but that the temptation may not be too strong, the canoe is generally riddled, and th« lock of the gun taken off, before being deposited beside the dead. All those possessions so valuable in

the eyes of a Siwash are left exposed to the winds of heaven and the beasts of the forest, andthe age of the grave can be read in the condition in which you find them. Driving for threehours over a country resembling that round Ashcroft, we came to Cook's Bridge, where the Thompson is crossed, and soon after to the foot hills of the Cascade range.Everywhere the soil looked poor and arid; yet everywhere that cultivation was attempted, itproduced cereals, roots, and fruits of the best kind. Tomatoes, water and musk melons ripenedin the open air ; and no farmer has fewer than fifty head of cattle, while some have ten timesas many. Now, however, we were about to enter another rainy region, and the heavy mistsresting on the hill-tops ahead, were the first indications of the change. The river's narrownessabout Ashcroft had astonished us; but here it contracted still more, looking smaller than eitherits North or South branch away up at Eamloops. What it is forced to lack in breadth it makesup in depth. As the rocky outliers of the mountains cannot be levelled into meadows, the river

has to dam itself up their sides or dig a deeper ditch. The road followed its course, windingalong the bases of the hills, or climbing over the cany6ns, while far down, so immediatelyunder us, that a stone could be dropped into the deep water, the river lay, like a greenserpent, now at peace, and now rearing a crested head to pierce deeper into the over lappingbarriers before it.

Towards sunsetting, cold rain with strong gusts of wind came on ; and as the road was oftenonly a narrow ledge, out out of the side of a precipice, we were thankful when the driverpointed out a hill in front, as the one on the other side of which was our resting place, thevillage of Lytton, at the junction of the Thompson with the Fraser.

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We soon saw the lights of the village, and drove up to a houas, the mean outside of whichgave little promise of the good tilings for the inner man, in the dining room. M. Hautier, aFrenchman, and his pretty little Flamand wife, kept the house, and had comfortable roomsprepared for us, and a petit goût de mouton for supper.

October 3rd. The village of Lyrtton can scarcely be considered worthy of its aristocratic name.A single row of frail unpainted sheds or log shanties, the littleness and rickettiness of which

are all the more striking from the two noble rivers that meet here and the lofty hills thatenclose the two valleys, is the sum total of Lytton. Its population of perhaps an hundred soulsis made up of Canadians, British, Yankees, French, Chinamen, Siwashes, half-breeds; allreligions and no religion.

To judge by the outside appearance of the village, there must be something rotten in its state.No sign of progress; the use of paint or whitewash considered a sin; though perhaps, evenwhitewash would be too good for such tumble down little huts.

But go into the hotel, and all is changed. The inside is as different from what the outside wouldlead you to expect, as if it was the house of a rich Jew, in the middle ages. All the comforts of the Saut-market are to be had, and everyone, inside and outside the house, appears able to

pay for them. A dirty looking miner caUs for drinks all round, at twenty-five or fifty cents adrink, and considers himself half insulted if any one in the room declines the friendly invitation."Go through the form so as not to give offence," whispered a gentleman to the Doctor, as hesaw him backing away from the freely proffered claret, champagne and brandy. The meat,fish, vegetables, and sweets on the table are all excellent, and well cooked. There are no poormen in the Province, and no such thing as bad living known. The explanation of this contrast,huts in which the tenants live like fighting cocks-is that none of the people came here to stay. They came to make money and then return home. Therefore it is not worth their while to buildgood houses or furnish them expensively; but they can afford to live well, and the gold miner'smaxim is eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we die.

This state of things has been the millstone round the neck of British Columbia. The discovery

of gold in 1858, on the Fraser, brought the first rush of people to the mainland, and resulted inthe formation of the colony. All California was delirious.

Thirty thousand men left the States for the Fraser, or, as it was more popularly called, "theCrazy River." The rush to Pike's Peak was nothing to the rush for Victoria. But in the course of the next two or three years, the thousands died or drifted back again, and only the tensremained. Then, in 1862 the Cariboo mines were discovered, and the second rush was greaterthan the first; but again, not an emigration of sober, steady householders, whose aim was toestablish homes, and live by their own industry, but of fever-heated adventurers from all partsof the world-men without a country and without a home.San Prancisco was deserted for a time. Thousands sold their lots there, and bought others inVictoria or claims in Cariboo.

Cariboo was four hundred miles from the sea, and there was no road but an old Indian trail,winding up and down mountains and precipices, across deep gorges and rivers, through thickwoods without game; but the obstacles that would have stopped an army were laughed at byminers. Of course the wave soon spent itself.

From that day, until recently, the colony has been going back, or as some gloomily say,getting into its normal condition.Within the last ten years, millisons of dollars in solid gold have been taken out of the colony.No one thought of remaining in it except to make a fortune; no one was interested in its

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summer and winter, day-light and dark, storm and shine, and who had never once misaedtime or come to grief in any way.

Steve and a brother New Brunswicker, who drove the mailcoach, were now, as they deservedto be, partners in the concern.

Better whips there are not; and we cordially recommend tourists who wish to travel over aroad far more grand and picturesque than the celebrated Cornicé between Genoa and Nice, to

trust themselves to either of them.

We dined at Boston Bar; and by one o'clock were on the road again, hoping to get over theremaining twenty-four miles to Yale before dark. The scenery all the way was of the samefrightfully grand character as it had been for most of the forenoon, with the exception of asmall patch of open ground here and there, cultivated by an enterprising settler, and on whichfruits and roots of the finest kinds grow readily. Eleven mUes from Yale we crossed to the westside of the Fraser over a pretty suspension bridge, and, a mile beyond had to halt. A gang of men were busy rebuilding the bridge over a strong mountain torrent, called Spuzzum's Creek,from a patriarchal Siwash chief of that ilk, who had gathered a colony around him near thebridge, in decent looking huts superior to those of the town of Lytton; and as only the stringershad been laid, there seemed nothing for it but to camp, or cross on foot and walk to Yale

through a thick drizzle which has commenced. Several of the huge freight waggons used inBritish Columbia, each drawn by twelve or sixteen oxen, and fully a hundred pack mules hadcome on before us, to cross; but having been told that there was no chance, their drivers hadunharnessed, or unpacked them, and were idling about. Steve, however, was equal to theoccasion. He offered ten dollars if the men would stop their work and place loose planks acrossthe stringers. The bargain was struck, and in an hour the job was done.

Steve unharnessed his horses and walked them across, and the men dragged after him notonly his waggon, but also the mail coach which by this time had caught up to us. A number of Siwashes were engaged on the bridge, and seemed to work on a footing of equality with thewhites, with the grand exception that their wages were only $20 a month, while the whites gotfrom $40 to $60 and their board. The general report was that the Siwagh was a good fellow,

obedient and in dustrious as long as he had a mind to work, if liquor could be kept from him ;but that liquor made him mad. He could neither resist it nor stand it. Again we were struckwith the Asiatic cast of countenance; and some of them were handsomer, from havingdecidedly straighter noses, than any Chinaman we saw. But the Eraser and Lilloet Indians aresaid to be the best in the Province, the best featured and the most industrious.

It was not quite dark when we saw the lights of Yale. Our first resort was to the Post Officearmed with authority from the Governor to open the Kamloops bag. No difficulty was made,and in it were found letters and papers for everyone of the party but the Secretary.Unfortunate man ! Never did Briton look more like pariah than he as he sat looking gloomily atthe others.

October 4th. At Tale, we said good bye to horses. Henceforth, steam, the nineteenth centuryhorse,would carry us down the river, along the coast, and across the continent homewards.

Canoe and barge, buck-board and cart, saddle and pack-horse, buggy and express waggonbelonged to the past of the expedition.

To-day the steamer Onward, that runs twice a week down the Fraser from Yale, was to take usto New Westminster, the Capital of British Columbia previous to its union in 1866 withVancouver's Island. There, another steamer connects for Victoria, but our intention was toexamine some of the harbours on the mainland before crossing to Vancouver's Island. The

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Onward's usual hour of starting is 7 A.M., but she delayed to-day till noon to oblige severalgentlemen who had come up the river as far as Hope, to examine a new silver lead discoveredin the mountains seven miles back from that settlement, and who wished to get back toVictoria this week. The delay gave us time to walk round Yale and up the river. The villageitself has a neat, clean, thriving appearance, as if its inhabitants had settled down to live in thecountry. The scenery in the neighbourhood is of the grandest kind, varying with every bend of the river. Hills rise in gradual wooded slopes for five, six or eight hundred feet; and above, baldrocks shoot up plumb for ten or twelve hundred feet higher. The valley is narrow, afibrding but

little room for the farmer.

The steamer started at noon, and nine hours after reached New Westminster, distant 95 miles. The current is so strong that she could run down in six hours, while it takes two days to workup. None of the stopping places are of much importance, though one or two are reported to begrowing, especially the agricultural settlement of Sumass, which is beginning to supply NewWestminster and Victoria with beef cattle. A little more work on that line is what the Provinceneeds most; for at present, instead of keeping her gold within her own borders, she has toexport it all to buy the necessaries of life.

Soon after passing Hope, where every one got specimens of the new silver mine, the Fraserturns from its southerly to a south-westerly and then a westerly course; and the valley begins

to broaden and give some room and verge for farms. But the good land near the river does notamount to much.

The Fraser has gold in its sandbars, and Salmon by the hundred thousand in its pools andchannels; .but spite of its great length and force, the mountains between which it forces itsway are too powerful for it to accomplish the usual work of rivers. It cannot overflow, nomatter how immense the volume of water it rolls down to the sea; it can only rise higher upthe sides of its rocky barriers. We could see the high water mark twenty-five feet above thepresent level.

On board tlie Onward we met Chief Justice Begbie, another name held in profound respect bythe miners, Siwashes, and all others among whom he has dealt out justice. Judge Lynch has

never been required in British Columbia, because Chief Justice Begbie did his duty, and maintained the dignity of his Court as effectually as if it hadbeen held in Old Westminster.

It is a grand sight to a rightly constituted mind when two or three policemen scatter a streetmob. It must have been a grander to see a British Judge backed by one or two constablesmaintaining order at the gold mines among the tag-rag and bobtail, the rough and tumble,fever-heated classes of miners, gamblers, claim jumpers, and cutthroats who congregate atsuch places. For "the yellow fever" seizes upon the most daring and the most abandoned of humanity, the strongest and the weakest. And where there is no previously settled populationto enforce order, what can be expected round every rich creek and gulch but a miniatureNorfolk Island without the keepers ? In such communities, especially at the outset, justice or

even a little more than justice is true mercy. That Scotch Lord Braxfield who gleefully told anunfortunate wretch that "he would be nane the waur o'a little hanging," would have been avery guardian angel in California in 1849. It is a proud thought to us that Br'itish America hasproved herself a worthy daughter of the Old Mother in her judiciary; that in no Province has a judge ever been accused as corrupted or corruptible. In British Columbia the difficulties in theway of preserving order were greatest, yet the laws have always been respected andenforced, and two or three constables proved sufficient for every emergency. Tlie results havebeen simply marvellous. The Times Cariboo correspondent could write in 1862 : "As to securityof life, I consider it just as safe here as in England." Every week for the last nine years the mailcoach has carried a box or boxes of gold dust from Cariboo with no defender but, Steve or his

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partner; and though running through a country roamed over by the lawless of every nation,where ambuscades could be planned at every turn, where for long stretches there is neitherhouse nor shanty, it has never been plundered nor even attacked. Though comparisons areodious, they ought to be made sometimes. It is almost impossible to take up a newspaper,published on the other side of the line, without reading accounts of violent deeds in the goldfields or of mail-coaches plundered. One fact that came under our own notice is sufficientlyillustrative. On our return, the train stopped for an hour at Ogden, in the Utah Territory. Thefirst thing that attracted our attention was a series of placards on the railway station

describing four different cases of highway robbery in the territory that month, and offeringrewards varying from hundreds to thousands of dollars for the discovery of the highwaymen.

They tell many good stories in British Columbia of the Chief Justice's dignity on the Bench, andthe terror he inspires. The last we heard ought to be true. He sternly told a witness whohesitated considerably, that he believed he was prevaricating. -"And h-how can a fellow h-helpprevaricating who has 1-lost his front teeth ?' was the half-frightened response of the poorman, expecting nothing less than an order for his instant execution.

On our arrival at New Westminster several gentlemen of the place waited on the Chief to offerhim a public dinner. He felt obliged to decline, with thanks for the courtesy; and after makingarrangements to start for Burrard's Inlet in the morning, we turned into our berths in

preference to going to an hotel.

October 15th. The programme for the day was to drive nine miles across the spit of land, onone side of which is New Westminster, to Burrard's Inlet; see as much of the inlet as possible;and when the steamer that the Governor had telegraphed for arrived, proceed in her to ButeInlet, visiting on the way the surveying parties who had been at work all summer on the coast.Several New Westminster gentlemen accompanied us to Burrard's Inlet; and as the memberfor the distilbt, the senior member for Victoria, and a senator from Cariboo were in town, theChief invited them to join us in our coasting trip to the north.

As this enlargement of the party occasioned an hour's delay, there was time to look round NewWestminster, before starting.

The population of the little town is less than a thousand, but the importance of a town inAmerica is not estimated so much by its population, as by its position and the extent of country it supplies. New Westminster is the only town on the delta of the Fraser, and as thedelta may be said to extend east and west from Sumass to the sea, and from Boundary Bay onthe south to Burrard's Inlet on the north, or over sixty miles in length by twenty in breadth, adistrict including much land fit for agriculture, the population and importance of the countryand town are sure to increase. Its being near the mouth of the Fraser, a river seven hundredmiles long, does not help it much, not only because the Fraser drains comparatively little landadapted for cultivation, but because the entrance is intricate on account of the tortuouschannel and shifting shoals that extend out for some distance into the Gulf of Georgia. Theexcellent harbour of Burrard's Inlet, nine miles to the north, will therefore be generally

preferred for shipping purposes. This has been already proved to a certain extent. The NewWestminster proprietors of a large steam saw-mill finding Burrard's Inlet the fitter port for theirshipments of lumber, transferred the machinery and set up their mill on the north side of theInlet; so that now little or nothing is exported from New Westminster, except fish and cattlefrom the neighbouring settlements.A practically unlimited quantity of fish ought to be exported; for salmon go up the Eraser fromthe sea in countless numbers. They are said to be inferior in quality to those of the Atlanticcoast, though we did not think so, and they would probably be quite as good for canning. Thefirst trade we saw this morning was a Klootchman selling four salmon for twenty-five cents;and that in a country where twenty-five are less valuable than ten cents in the Eastern

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Provinces. A sturgeon in the fish market weighed over 300 lbs. They are sometimes caughtfrom six to nine hundred weight, and the flavour of this fish is considered by many superior tosalmon.

But the Province is young, and requires capital and exterprise before it can compete on a largescale with the fish-curing establishments on the Columbia River.

We paid a visit to the assaying office, and the agent in charge explained the process by

practical illustrations. Where there is no assay office, the miner in selling his gold is at themercy of itinerant dealers. Now he takes his precious dust or nuggets to the office, where it isfused into ingots and the exact market value of each ingot stamped on it for a quarter percent, or $1 for $400. The New Westminster office assayed last year of the products of theFraser mines $100,000. The Cariboo office of course does a much more extensive business.

At 10 A.M. the united party started for Burrard's Inlet, and arrived in two hours. A lover of fernswould be charmed with this bit of road, so surprising a variety can be gathered, especiallynear the Inlet. Many, such as the shield, the winter, the rock, the lady fern and the bracken,are similar to those found in the Atlantic provinces, but other varieties were altogether new tous. A small collection chiefly made about Burrard's Inlet, includes the following varieties,besides two new ones that we could not make out : Polypodium vulgare; P. Dryopteris;

Asplenimn Trichomanes; Allosorus crispus; Cystopteris montana; Cystopteris fragilis; PterisAquilina; Blcohnum boreale; Polystichumacrostichoides; P. Lonchitis Lastrea dilatata;Botrychium Virginicum; Botrychium Lunaria; Botrychium lunarioides.

A steamer, so diminutive and toy-like that each man stepped on board tenderly for fear of upsetting or breaking her, was in waiting to take us across the Inlet to the large saw-mill of Messrs. Moody, Diety and Nelson. Thirteen million feet, of lumber were exported last year fromthis, and about as much from another mill on the south side of the inlet owned by a company.All the lumber is the famous Douglas Fir Logs four to five feet in diameter were being hauledup and sawed by two circular saws, the one placed vertically over the other, as it is easier towork on such huge subjects with two ordinary sized than with one very large saw. Theworkmen represented the various nationalities scattered everyivhere along the Pacific coast,

Whites, Chinese, Siwashes and Kanakas or Sandwich Islanders.

Tlie aborigines work well till they save enough money to live on for some time, and then theygo up to the boss and frankly say that they are lazy and don't want to work longer. They aretoo unsophisticated to sham sickness, or to strike. Another habit of the richer ones, which tothe Anglo-Saxon mind borders on insanity, is that of giving universal backshish or gifts to thewhole tribe, without expecting any return save an increased popularity that may lead to theirelection as Tyhees or chiefswhen vacancies occur. An old fellow, big Greorge, was pointed out to us as having workedindustriously at the mill for years till he had saved $2,000. Instead of putting this in a SavingsBank, he had spent it all on stores for a grand "Potlatch," summoning Siwashes from far andnear to come, eat, drink, dance, be merry, and receive gifts. Nearly a thousand assembled; the

festivities lasted a week ; and everyone got something, either a blanket, musket, bag of flour,box of apples, or tea and sugar. When the fun was over, big George, now pennyless, returnedto the mill to carry slabs at $20 a month. His reputation mounted to an extraordinary heightbecause of so magnificent a potlatch, and he stood a good chance of the Tyheeship; but tworivals. Supple Jack and Old Jim, were preparing to outdo him; and if Siwashes are at all likecivilized beings, the "popularis aura" shall fill their sails before long.

Very naturally Siwashes measure all excellence by the grub or gifts they get. It is said thatwhen a Bishop lately visited a tribe that one of his missionaries had laboured among for sometime, they all gathered to meet him, being told that he was "hyass Tyhee" or great chief of the

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praying men. The Bishop addressed them at great length, and apparently with eflfect, butwhen done, a ,grave and reverend fellow rose and snuffed out his lordship with half a dozenwords, which in vernacular Chinook, are even more emphatic than in any slang English theycan be rendered into, "lots of gab; no grub, no gifts; all gammon." A delightful gentleman toconvert, certainly ! The workmen at the mill live in comfortable little houses, perched on rocksat the foot of a lofty wooded hill overhanging the shore. There is no soil except what has beenmade on the beach from chips and sawdust. Bound the nearest point is a small tract diligentlycultivated by a few Chinamen. The men have a large reading-room with a harmonium, and a

well selected library. No intoxicating liquors can be sold on the premises. Their pay is good andthey save money. The manager of the mill on the other side of the Inlet told us that he wouldgive $200 a month to any competent overseer we would send him. The woods all round these shores are well stocked with deer.

The usual way of hunting is to send the dogs into the woods, and drive the deer down intd theharbour, where they are at the mercy of the sportsman. The overseer informed us that in thisway he could shoot a deer any day within two hours.

After lunch, we embarked on a large steamer belonging to the mill for a sail round the Inlet. Atthis moment, the Sir James Douglas, the steamer the Governor had telegraphed for, arrivedfrom Victoria. The captain came on board to put himself at the orders of the Chief, and it was

arranged to start with him as soon after midnight as possible. In the meantime he proceededwith us down the Inlet.

Burrard's Inlet is naturally divided into three divisions, that are really three distinct harbours. The saw-mills are on the opposite shores of the middle one. This middle harbour narrows atboth extremities, and an outer and a further inner harbour are thus made. We had time to visitonly the outer and the middle, both safe and capacious harbours, with easy entrance and goodanchorage. At seven P.M. we got back to the mill, and after dinner said good-bye to the NewWestminster gentlemen who had kindly accompanied us. The little cabin of the Sir JamesDouglas was to be our dining and sleeping room for the next week, our last week, for after itthe home stretch would begin.

The little that we saw of the mainland of British Columbia does not warrant us to say muchabout it as a field for emigiants. There can be no reasonable doubt that it can support incomfort a much larger population than it now has. The resources of the colony areconsiderable, but all its industries are in their infancy, cramped from want of capital, andobliged to compete with the immense and consolidated establishments of similar industries onthe other side of the boundary line. Its distance from the countries that supply emigrants, andthe expense of travelling from place to plaoe, on account of the magnificent distances withinthe Province itself, are great drawbacks.

But on the other hand, the high price paid for labour, the ready market for all products of thesoil, and the healthiness of the climate are immense attractions to the ordinary class of emigrants. While lumbering, mining, and the fisheries ofier the richest prizes to men of capital

and experience, mechanics and the laboui-ing classes can command such wages that theeconomy of a few years puts them in the position of small capitalists. Farm labourersespecially ought to be able to buy and stock good farms of their own out of the savings of fouror five years; and then they are comfortable and independent for life. We heai-d the provincestyled the poor man's paradise; and as 10 per cent is given everywhere, with undoubtedsecurity, for the use of money, the rich man has no reason to be dissatisfied.

CHAPTER XII THE COAST AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND

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On the Waters of The Pacific. — Bute Inlet. — Valdes Island. — The Fiords of British Columbia.— Waddington Harbour. — Glaciers. — Chilcoten Indians. — Massacre. — Party X. — Salmon.— Arran Rapids. — Seymour Narrows. — Menzies' Bay. — Party Y. — The Straits of Georgia. —New Settlements on Vancouver's Island. — Nanaimo. — Coal Mines. — Concert. — MountBaker. — Pujet Sound. — San Juan Island. — The Olympian Mountains. — Victoria. — EsquimauHarbour. — A Polyglot City. — The Last of Terry. — The Pacific Ocean. — Barclay Sound. —Alberni Inlet. — Sunset on the Pacific. — Return to Victoria. — The Past, Present, and Future. — The Home-stretch. — The Great American Desert

October 6th. Before any of us came on deck this morning, the good Sir James Douglas hadsteamed out of Burrard's Inlet, and past the lofty mountains that enclose the deep fiords of Howe Sound and Jervis Inlet, into the middle of the Straits of Georgia. Our first sight was of theIsland of Texada on our right, and the bold outline of Vancouver's Island farther away on ourleft.

After "breakfast, divine service was held in the cabin. On those inland waters of the Pacific thatfolded themselves round rocky mountain and wooded island, we, who had come four thousandmiles from the Atlantic, united our voices in common prayer with fellow subjects who callthese shores of the vaster Ocean of the West, their home. Again, all found that prostrationbefore Him, who is our Father, and also King of Nations, not only evokes the deepest feelings

of the human heart, but purifies them. The tie of a common nationality, especially if the nationhas a great history, is holy. The aim of our work was to bind our country more firmly together,and thB thought elevated the work ; while worshipping together made us feel more powerfullythan any amount of feasting and toasting the flag that inhabitants of the same Dominion,subjects of the same Sovereign, and heirs of the same destinies, must ever be brothers.

Towards mid-day, our course took us out of the Straits of Georgia, north-easterly up into ButeInlet, another of those wonderful fiords of unknown depth that seam this part of the Pacificcoast. The chart makes it 40 fathoms deep, with a mark over the figures signifying that thenaval surveyors had sounded to that depth without finding bottom.

The object of going up this Inlet, the proposed terminus for the Railway, was to enable the

Chief to get such a birds-eye view of it as he had already obtained of the prairie and themountain country, and at the same time to meet two parties of the Survey, who had been atwork in this quarter all summer.

On the question of which is the best western terminus, there are two great parties in BritishColumbia, one advocating the mainland, the other Yancouver's Island. On the mainland,Burrard's Inlet is the favourite. If a harbour on Vancouver's Island be chosen, then the railwaymust eventually cross to the shores of Bute Inlet. The advocates of the Island termini Victoria,Esquimalt, and Alberni, asserted that it was a simple matter to cross the Straits of Georgia tothe mouth of Bute Inlet by Valdes Island, which on the map does seem to block them upalmost completely ; then, that the line could be made along the shore of the Inlet to the mouthofthe Homathco Eiver, and up its course, through the Cascades, to the Chilcoten plains. Two

main routes had therefore to be surveyed : one, from the mouth of the Fraser River, and upthe Thompson; the other, from Vancouver's Island across to Bute Inlet, and, up the Homathcoto the upper Eraser, whence the line could be carried to Fort George or the North Thompsonvalley, if no direct passage across the Gold-range to the Canoe River, or Tgte Jaune Cachecould be found.

A short time after the latter survey was commenced, the entnneer reported that Valdes Island,although represented on the charts as one, really consisted of a group of three islands.

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The naval surveyors had seen channels piercing into Valdes Island, but had not followed themup, their business being to lay down the soundings only along the through channels, andValdes Island, not having been explored, had always been considered an unit. The discovery of the true state of the case complicated the question, and necessitated a hydrographic survey of four or five instead of two Narrows. This was work for one party, the line up Bute Inlet beingassigned to another, and up the Homathco through the Cascades to a third. On board the Sir James Douglas we had the member for New Westminster, a zealous advocate of Burrard'sInlet, and the member for Victoria, a true believer in an Island terminus.

To a student of human nature it was amusing to notice with what different eyes each looked ator refused to look at the difficulties of the rival routes. The former gazed exultingly on the highbluffs and unbroken line of mountains, that rose sheer from the waters of Bute Inlet. But hissarcasms were invariably met by a counter reference to the canyons of the Fraser and the Thompson.

There was not one of us who had ever seen anything like the Inlet we steamed up thisafternoon. The inlets which cut deep into this coast, from the straits of Fuca northward fortwelve degrees of latitude, probably resemble the fiords of Norway, but none of our partycould speak of those from personal observation.

It is a singular fact that, while there is not a single opening in the coast for seven hundredmiles north of San Francisco, except the bad harbour of Astoria at the mouth of the Columbiariver, the next seven or eight hundred miles should be broken by innumerable inlets. The caseis paralleled on the Atlantic side of North America. From Florida to Maine there are very fewgood ports, while north of Maine, embracing the coast of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia thereare scores.

The openings in the iron-bound coast of Nova Scotia are not unlike those on the Pacific side,except that on the Atlantic the indentations do not cut so deep iato the land, and the shoresare low.

Up into the very heart of the Cascade range through a natural passage, which could not have

been formed by the ocean, for the coast is protected here from its erosions by Vancouver'sIsland, we sailed to-day for forty miles, over water almost as deep under our keel as the snow-capped mountains that hemmed the passage were high above our heads. The Inlet varies inbreadth from one to two-and-a-half miles, and for the greater part of its length a ship may sailclose enough to the shore for a man to jump to the rocks.

A mist, allowed by a drizzling rain, came on early in the afternoon, and hid the summits of themountains, but the gleam of scores of white cataracts could be seen ; and, like furrows amidthe dark spruce, the clean sides of the rocks in long straight lines showed where avalancheshad swept everything before them into the deep waters below. Half way up the Inlet we saw atent on the shore. A whistle brought its tenant out to us in a canoe ; he proved to be acommissary who had preceded X party a few miles, in order to make necessary arrangements

for their advance. An hour after, we passed camp X., but as the mist had thickened and ourcaptain had never been in these waters before, he steamed on without stopping, forWaddington harbour at the head of the Inlet. This point he reached after dark, and at oncesent a boat's crew ahead to sound for an anchoring place. After some delay, between sevenand eight P.M., the boatswain held up a lantern in the boat to indicate where soundings hadbeen found. Steaming up to the light the anchor was let go in twenty-five fathoms, quarter of amile from the shore and from the head of the Inlet.

October 7th. A magnificent view awaited those early on deck this morning. Nearly two hourswere spent in weighing anchor, and then the steamer went round the harbour to enable us to

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see it on all sides. Rain had fallen steadily through the night, and, now that it had ceased, mistclouds hung about the great masses of rock that on all sides rose perpendicular into the regionof eternal snow. Here and there, rifts in the mist, as it was broken by projecting peaks,revealed mountain sides curtained with glaciers. The only sojind which broke the awfulstillness was the muffled thunder of cataracts, multiplied by last night's rain, gleaming far upamong the scanty pines, washing down the slippery rocks in broad white bands, or leapingfrom bluff to bluff an hundred feet at a time, for more than a thousand feet down to the sea.We were at the head of Bute Inlet.

The salt sea water could cut no deeper into the range that guards the western side of ourcontinent. The mountains stood firm except where the Homathco cuts its way through, in adeep gorge, sentinelled on each side by snow-clad warders.

By this water-highway the late Mr. Waddington had urged the Government of British Columbiato make their road to Cariboo. On their adopting the Fraser River route, he organized a privatecompany and began construction of Bute Inlet Road, so convinced was he, that its superioritywould attract the travel between Cariboo and the outside world, and that a toll on goodscarried over it would repay the Company. His project was a steamer from Victoria to the headof Bute Inlet, and a waggon road thence up the Homathco to Cariboo; the distance being 175miles less this way than by the Fraser.

After spending $60,000 on surveys and on trail making, his men were murdered in 1864 by atribe of Indians to whom provocation had been given. The Government secured the arrest of the murderers, and had them hung up at Quesnel mouth but, from that day, the Coast andChilcoten Indians have been regarded as dangerous and blood-thirsty. The C. P. R. parties whotravelled the country this year, had no trouble however; and Mr. Smith reports that theChilcotensare the manliest and most intelligent Siwashes he has seen in the Province.

From the description that Mr. Smith gave us of the scenery on the Homathco, we would fainhave landed and gone at least a few miles up the river : but time did not permit. He hadworked up from the head of the Inlet through the Cascades in July last, overcoming by sheerdetermination not to be beaten all dilEculties of forest, canyons, torrents, and Indians; getting

surveys at great risk of neck and limb, by felling trees across deep chasms from one to twohundred feet wide, and letting men down by ropes to the foot of high cliffs. The followingextracts from one of his private letters to the Chief give more vivid pictures than any platecan, of scenes up the river.

Here is what he says of the canyons, 31 miles from the head of the Inlet, and immediatelyabove the rope ferry used by Mr.Waddington : "I commenced the survey of the canyon, following the river on the new trailcommenced by Waddington, as far as it went,-about half a mile,-when it terminated at aninaccessible bluff on which blasting had been commenced. The scene here is awfully sublime. The towering rocks, thousands of feet high ; serrated and broken by dark chasms-far abovethese again the snow-clad peaks, connected by huge glaciers; out of which issued torrents

that fell in cascades; and in a deep gorge beneath a mountain torrent-whirling, boiling,roaring, and huge boulders always in motion, muttering, groaning like troubled spirits, andever and anon striking on the rocks, making a report like the booming of distant artillery. Butwith all this wildness, there is the fresh beauty of vegetation.

Wherever there is a crevice, to the base of the snow-clad peaks were clumps of evergreentrees, and lower down wherever a handful of soil could rest it was sprinkled with wild flowersamongst which bloomed the sweet lily of the valley. After getting through "the core of theCascade range," he came upon "the murderers' camp, where thirteen of Waddington's men

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were murdered eight years ago. The spot looks as if it had never before been visited by mansince the massacre.

The number of tents could be counted by the cedar bark forming the beds. Strewed aroundwere various tools, a blacksmith's anvil, sledge-hammers, crowbars, grindstone, vice, picks,and half a dozen shovels carefully placed against a tree ready for the morrow's work; alsopieces of clothing, amongst which were at least one pair of woman's boots, too surelyindicating the source of the trouble." This last clause suggests the origin of more than one

"Indian atrocity." It's always a fair question to ask : "Who struck the first blow ?" The forenoonwas spent by us in coasting down the northerly side of the Inlet until we came to camp X. Afterinspecting their work we proceeded on our way down, Mr. Gamsby, the engineer in charge,accompanying us. He reported that the Indians, far from giving any trouble, had been of material assistance in many ways, acting as servants or messengers, and selling deer, wildfowl, and fish, at moderate prices. He pointed out a stream, running into the Inlet on the eastaide, at the mouth of which, on a recent visit, he had seen hundreds of thousands of deadsalmon strewn along the shore; while thousands of crows, kites, vultures, and eagles filled theair. In similar places, such sights must have been common when white men first came to thecountry. These Pacific waters swarm with fish, that struggle up brawling streamlets to spawn,in spite of rapids, cascades, rocks, and shallows. No wonder that people, who have only eatensalmon caught inland, say that the Pacific varieties are inferior. They were good when they

entered the river's mouth; but, when caught a few hundred miles up the Fraser, often the headis bruised by rocks and falls,, and the scales, fins, and even the tail rubbed or worked off. Nowonder that half of them perish by the way, and that none return to the sea. It is assertedeverywhere in British Columbia, that none of the salmon entering the Frasejr river, and eventhe smaller streams, ever return to the sea.

We were struck with the beauty of Gamsby's canoe, and indeed of all the Indians' canoes onthis coast. Each is a model of architectural grace, although the lines reminded us of Chinese or Japanese rather than of British models. The canoes are generally made out of a single largelog, formerly scooped out with chisel and stone mallet, gimlet, from bird's bone, and muscleshell or stone adze. After scooping out the log, they used to steam it in the following primitivemanner : Fill it with water, throw in heated stones to make the water boil, and at the same

time build a bark-fire round the outside. The wood gives several inches, until the central partof the canoe is made broader at the top, and the requisite curvature secured to its sides. Lightcross pieces are inserted from side to side to improve the form; outside and inside are thenpainted; ornamented figure-head and raised stem piece set on; and the canoe is complete.

By midday the mouth of Bute Inlet was gained, but instead of returning in the direction of Burrard's Inlet, we ran through Arran Rapids in order to pass round the north side of Valdes Island. At every turn, the beautiful views which an archipelago affords, met our eyes. Tiie islandsof every possible variety of form, were wooded from lofty summits to the brink of deepchannels. At one time we were in cross-roads where four different channels opened out, north,south, east, and west; soon after in a narrow winding strait, or shooting swiftly through tidalrapids, or in a broad bay where snowy peaks could be seen behindthegreen foothills. After

passing thraugh Seymour Narrows, where, if there is to be a continuous line from an Islandterminus, the bridge betweenValdes' and Vancouvermustbe built, we rounded into a beautifulland-locked harbour, called Menzies Bay, and cast the anchor for the night. Between theNarrows and the Bay, the tents of Y. party were picturesquely pitched, on an open easy slope,under the shadow of the forest. A whistle from the steamer brought Mr. Michaud on board,and, after dinner all rowed off to his encampment, the Chief to inspect plans, the rest to seethe camp. As compared with the others, Y. party has been in clover from the beginning of theirwork. They were near Victoria, had a monthly mail, and could renew their supplies as they ranout. Their storehouse filled with bags of flour, flitches of bacon, pork, molasses, split peas,beans, pickles, and a keg of beer, suggested good cheer; while any day, they could buy from

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the Indians a deer, weighing from 120 to 160 lbs., for one or two dollars; and salmon, trout,wild-geese, duck, or mallard, for trifling sums.

They had no deer-meat in camp to-day, but they generously presented us with two wild geese,each weighing ten or eleven lbs.

October 8th. Our programme for the day was to reach Nanaimo Coal Mines as soon aspossible, for the steamer's bunkers needed replenishing, and we wished to see something of

the mines, which promise to be of more benefit to British Columbia than the gold-fields.Accordingly at 4 a.m. the anchor was weighed.

We were now getting into waters familiar to our captain; for strange as it may appear, not oneon board with the exception of Mr. Smith, had ever been up Bute Inlet or round Valdes Islandbefore this trip. Nothing shows more clearly the imperfectly developed condition of theProvince than such a fact.

Her representative men, those most likely to be best acquainted with her resources, know littlebeyond their own neighbourhood or the line of their one waggon-road. Distances are so great,the means of communication so limited, and the mountainous character of the country renderstravelling so difficult, that the dwellers in the few towns and settlements have hitherto seen

but little of the Province as a whole.

When we appeared on deck about 7 o'clock, the steamer was running down the Straits of Georgia, over a rippling, sun-litsea. The lofty Beaufort range, on our right, rose grandly in the clear air, every snowy peakdistinct from its neighbour, and the blue sky high above the highest. Victoria, and the twinpeaks Albert Edward and Alexandra, ranging from 6,000 to over 7,000 feet in height, were themost prominent; but the noble serrated range as a whole, more than separate peaks, caughtthe eye. The smaller Islands to the left were hidden by a fog-bank that gradually lifted. Thenstood out, not only islet after islet in all their varied outline, but also the long line of theCascade range behind. Yesterday had been charming from 10 o'clock, when the sun piercedthrough the mists; but to-day was all white. A soft warm breeze fanned us, and every mile

disclosed new features of scenery, to which snow-clad mountain ranges, wooded planes, and asummer sea enfolding countless promontories and islands, contributed their different forms of beauty. The islands are composed of strata of sandstone and conglomerate; the sandstone atthe bottom worn at the water line into caves and hollows; the conglomerate above forminglofty cliffs that are wooded to the summit and overhang winding inlets and straits mosttempting to a yachtsman.

From the southern point of Valdes Island down to Nanaimo, a considerable area of low lyingand undulating land extends between the central mountain range of Vancouver's Island andthe Straits of Georgia, well adapted for farming purposes. At two points, Comox and Nanoose,settlements have been formed within the last few years, but where there is one settlementthere ought to be twenty, if the island is to raise its own grain and hay, and to cease sending

out of the country all its wealth.

There is little or no immigration to Vancouver's Island, and little has been done to induce it, orto smooth the way for those who arrive. When an immigrant reaches the country, he finds itdifficult to obtain information as to where there is good land to take up; and how is it possiblefor him to go out among a sea of mountains to search for a farm.

The island should be thoroughly surveyed according to the simple system long pwctised in theUnited States, and lately adopted in Manitoba; the amount of good land known, divided intosections and subsections, and numbered; so that, on arriving at Victoria, the immigrant could

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go into the Crown Land office, learn what land was preempted, and where it would beexpedient for him to settle.

There are many obstacles in the way of immigrants reaching this distant colony, and thereforespecial efforts are required to bring them, and to keep them when they come; for, until thereis a large agricultural population, the wealth of the country must continue to be drained out of it, to buy the necessaries of life and every other article of consumption, from Oregon,California, Great Britain, and elsewhere.

We were sorry at not being able to visit Comox. Testimony was unanimous concerning thegood quality of the land, the accessibility to markets, and the prosperity of the settlers,notwithstanding the short time they have been in the country.

By noon we had left the Beaufort range behind, and Mount Arrowsmith came into view; whilefar ahead on the mainland, and south of the 49th parallel, what looked a dim white pyramidrising to the skies, or a white cloud resting upon the horizon, was pointed out to us by theCaptain as Mount Baker. Soon after we rounded into the northern horn of Nanaimo harbour,called Departure Bay, and drew alongside the pier, where a lately organized Company isshipping coal from a new seam that has been opened, three miles back from the point of shipment.

Landing, and leaving the steamer to coal, most of us walked by a trail to Nanaimo through thewoods, along a channel that connects Departure Bay with the old mines. The channel, which isan excellent roadstead, is between the mainland of Vancouver and a little island calledNewcastle, on the inner side of which another excellent coal mine, within ten feet of navigablewater, has just been opened. There are two seams at Newcastle, averaging three feet each,and separated by three feet of fire clay, which, ft8 the miners proceed, becomes thinner, thecoal seams becoming thicker. From this convergence it is supposed that the clay will soon giveout, and the two seams of coal unite into one. Near this Newcastle mine is a quarry of light-coloured freestone of excellent quality, which is sure to be of immense service and value inthe near future. There is no such freestone quarried on the Pacific coast; and its conveniencefor shipping makes it doubly valuable.

At Nanaimo proper is a population of seven or eight hundred souls,-all depending on the old orDouglas mine. The manager informed us that they wouldprobably ship fiftythousand tons thisseason, while last year they shipped less than thirty thousand; and that, next year, they wouldbe in a position to ship an hundred thousand or more. They could give employment to fifty orsixty additional men at once, at wages averaging from two to three dollars a day. A new seam,nine feet thick, had lately been discovered below the old one; and we went down the shaftthree hundred feet to see it. The coal was of the same excellent quality as that of the oldmine, which is the best for gas or steam purposes on the Pacific coast. But the miners hadcome upon a fault in the seam, caused by the dislocation of the strata, immediately above andbelow, intruding a tough conglomerate rock that they were now cutting away in the hope of itssoon giving out. The coal measures, which these few seams now worked represent, extend

over the whole eastern coast of Vancouver Island, and, like those on the east of the RockyMountains, are cretaceous or of tertiary age. They are considered as valuable as if they werecarboniferous.

It is provoking to know that the agricultural settlements in the neighbourhood, which, thoughsmall, are the most extensive on the island, are not able to supply the present population of Nanaimo with food; and that no steps are taken to bring in new settlers, though there isabundance of good land all round.

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If this state of things continues, even though the mining population of Vancouver's Islandincrease ten fold in as many years, most of the wealth will be sent out of the county, as wasthe gold of Cariboo, and the country in the end be as poor as ever.

Nanaimo does not look like a coal mining place. The houses are much above the average of miners' residences in Britain or in Nova Scotia. They are scattered aboxit, often in picturesquesituations, with gardens, and not in long, mean, soot-covered rows, laid out with the idea thatmen who see nothing of beauty underground cannot be expected to appreciate it above.

The view of the Cascades range, on the other side of the Straits, is almost equal to the view of the long semi-circular line of the Alps from Milan. At sunset, when warmed with the roseatelight, or, a little later, when a deep soft blue has displaced the couleur de rose, the beautycontrasts painfully with the ash heaps and tenements of a mining village. Though not abeliever in the "God made the country; man made the town '' sentiment, the contrastirresistibly suggests the words.

October 9th. Another day of glorious weather; such weather as Vancouver's Island has, almostwithout interruption, from March till October or November ; warm enough for enjoyment, andcool enough for exercise. Our course was down the Gulf of Georgia to Victoria ; past theagricultural districts of Cowichan and Saanich on the Vancouver side, and the various islands

that line the mainland on our left. Mount Baker was the great feature in the landscape all day.We could hardly help feeling envious that the United States instead of ourselves possessed soglorious a landmark ; especially as it still bears the name of the British Naval Officer in Capt.Vancouver's ship who first saw it, and is in the country that was formally taken possession of for the British Crown in 1792, and that had been, up to 1846, held by a British Company.Indeed, it is difficult to conceive of any plausible excuse that the United States could havebrought forward, in claiming the country round Puget's Sound. They knew its value, and theBritish Premier, not only did not, but his brother had said that the whole country was not worthmuch, for the salmon wouldn't take a fly.

On the fourth of April, 1792, the birthday of King George III., after whom he had named theStraits of Georgia, Captain Vancouver took formal possession for His Majesty of all the waters

of Puget Sound, and of the coast north and south along which he had sailed. All the prominentcapes, points, harbours, straits, mountains, bear to this day the names of his lieutenants andfriends, just as he named them on his great voyage. He changed nothing. As the oldPortuguese navigator, Juan de Fuca, had discovered the Straits of Fuca, his name washonourably preserved, and as "Vancouver met a Spanish Squadron that had been sent out togive up Nootka and other SpanisB claims on the coast of Great Britain, he adopted the namesthat the Dons had given to any channels or islands, such as Valdez, Texada, Straits of Melaspina, etc.

Puget Sound he named from his second lieutenant; Mount Baker from his third; Cape Mudgefrom the first; Mount Rainer from Rear Admiral Rainer; Capes Grey and Atkinson, Burrard, Jervis, and Bute Inlets, Fort Discovery, Johnstone's Channel, and a hundred others, were all

alike named by him; and if Britain had no right to those south of the 49th parallel, she had noright to those farther north.

Still more astonishing; in 1846 when Britain yielded the Columbia River and the whole Pacificside of the continent up to the 49th parallel, not a single citizen of the United States hadsettled to the north of the Columbia. Swarms from the Western States had flocked into Oregonin the ten preceding years of joint occupation, and so the Government at Washington mightplead the will of the settlers against the Imperial rights of Britain; but that plea could havecarried them, at the farthest, only to Astoria. If Oregon had to be ceded, the Columbia Rivershould have been the boundary.

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It may be said that all this is a reviving of dead issues, out of place and useless now. But thehistory of the past thro-ws light on the present, and is a beacon for the future. Had the San Juan difficulty been viewed, not merely in the light of the literal wording of the Treaty of 1846,but in the light of all the facts, the decision of the Emperor of Germany must have beendifferent.

Before noon we entered the Haro Strait that separates San Juan from Vancouver's Island.

Between the northern part of the Haro Channel and Vancouver's Island, are several islets andtxo narrow channels, that ships going to Victoria may take. South of these, there is nothingbetween San Juan and the southern extremity of Vancouver, but the Haro Strait, six or sevenmiles wide. It is therefore evident that while San Juan would be useless to Britain for militarypurposes, its possession by the United States is a menace to us; for it commands the entranceto British waters, British shores, a British river, and British Province. There is a lull on San Juanabout a thousand feet high, a battery on which would command the whole Strait.

The sail down the Straits of Haro was all that a pleasure party on board a steam yacht couldhave desired. On the mainland, the long line of the Cascades or Coast range broken by theDelta of the Fraser extended to the south, though dwarfed into comparative insignificance bythe mighty mass of Mount Baker, rising up in the midst. Farther south, the line swept round

the deep gulf of Puget Sound, then north-westerly and away as far west as the entrance of theStraits of Fuca under the name of the Olympian range. When under the lee of San Juan thesnowy pyramid of Mount Baker looked out on us over the Island, while far to the south, in theback ground of the Olympian range, the dim form of Mount Rainer was seen lifting itself up inthe sky. Rounding the southern point of Vancouver's Island, we came to the spit of land that iscut into by the harbour of Victoria and four miles further west by too much superior harbour of Esquimalt. We steamed first into Victoria to get letters and telegrams, and proceededimmediately to Esquimalt, returning by land, over a good macadamized road.

The harbour of Victoria has a narrow entrance, is small, inconveniently shaped, andaccommodates only vessels of eighteen feet draught of water; but as Esquimalt is nearenough to serve as an additional harbour, Victoria does not suffer. Esquimalt harbour is a gem;

not very large, but the anchorage is excellent, and it has all the other requisites of a first-classharbour; and in the Royal Roads outside, along the coast as far as Race Rocks, any number of ships can ride safely. In Esquimalt, one U. S. and four British men-of-war lay, two of the latterhaving been just paid off. Not Esquimalt, but the foreign port of Valparaiso is the headquartersof the Pacific squadron. Esquimalt is our own, our interests are along the coast, coal is near,China and Japan only fifteen days distant, and the Admiral could be in daily communicationwhen necessary with the Home authorities. The only reasons assigned on the other side arethat British Commercial interests in South America are paramount, and that sailors desert atEsquimalt and get off easily to the States. The same reasons ought to be conclusive againstHalifax as the head-quarters of the North American squadron, and in favour of adopting Rio orsome other South American port in its stead.

The terms of confederation with the Dominion included a guarantee of the iuterest on£100,000 stg. for ten years from the completion of the work, for a first-class Graving Dock atEsquimalt, and the Provincial Government has taken steps to commence its construction.

On our return to Victoria in the afternoon, one of the first persons we met in the street was Terry. Having no further need of his services, we had parted with him last week at NewWestminater. He had gone on to Victoria direct and had monopolized the lionizing intended forthe whole party; Lad been interviewed about our marvellous north-west passage by land, withresults as given in the newspapers, that spoke quite as much for Terry's imagination as for hismemory. He had conjured up a Canyon on the Canoe River twenty miles long, where no

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Canyon is or ever had been; had described us as galloping down the Yellow Head Pass tillarrested by the sight of quartz boulders gleaming with gold, and rocks so rich that Brown andBeaupre had deserted to go back and mine; and, with many another fact or fancy equallyreadable, made the hearts of reporters glad. Drinks had been the reward, and theconsequences to Terry proved serious. For on the first day after being paid in full at the officein Victoria for his long trip, he had been plundered of every dollar. He was now looking roundfor work; and before we left Victoria, hired as general servant on board a ship going north. Thus disappeared Terry into space. Should any one in future wish to engage him, we hereby

certify him as a good servant, a good tailor, a good cobbler, and indeed anything but a goodcook, the post which, unfortunately for us, he filled. But even of cookery he knows something;for he engaged with us as cook in order that he might learn the business; and heexperimented on us long enough to learn the rudiments. In his own words, "he never likedbeing boss; but could be understrapper to any one," and such a man is a treasure in America.

A walk through the streets of Victoria showed the little capital to be a small polyglot copy of the world. Its population is less than 5,000; but almost every nationality is represented. Greekfishermen. Kanaka sailors, Jewish and Scotch merchants, Chinese washermen, French,Grerman and Yankee restaurant-keepers, English and Canadian officeholders and butchers,negro waiters and sweeps, Australian farmers and other varieties of the race, rub against eachother, apparently in the most friendly way. The sign-boards tell their own tale; "Own Shing,

washing and ironing;" "Sam Hang," ditto; "Kwong Tai & Co., cigar store;" "Magasin Frangais;" Teutonic Hall, lager beer;" "ScotchHouse;" "Adelphie" and "San Francisco'' saloons; "Oriental"and "New England" restaurants; "What Cheer Market," and "Play me off at tenpins,'' are foundwithin gunshot, interspersed with more common place signs.

The senior member for the city had invited several gentlemen to dine with us at the ColonialHotel at 5 o'clock. A better dimier could not be served in Montreal. We were only sorry that wehad to leave at 7, to go on board the Sir James Douglas and proceed to Alberni Channel, one of the proposed termini on the west coast of Vancouver's Island. But time was precious, as theSan Francisco steamer was expected to be in every hour. Parting with Mr. Smith, and addingthe second member for Victoria to our number, we went down to our little steamer and startedon this, our last expedition.

October 10th. The distance between Victoria and the Pacific by the Straits of Fuca is sixtymiles. The Sir James Douglas made that by midnight, and then turned north for the spaciousArchipelago of Barclay's sound, from the head of which Alberni Canal, or to use the modemword Channel, a deep narrow fiord like those on the main land, cuts its way up into the interiorof Vancouver's Island. Barclay sound has three entrances, separated from each other bygroups of islets and rocks, and as the nearest is the best for ships from the south, the Captainintended to run up by it into Alberni. The weather during the night was so favourable that heover-ran his distance, and never having been in the sound before, he waited for daylight tocompare the coast with the charts.

Those who came early on deck had thus an opportunity of seeing the Pacific breaking oiv the

iron shores of Vancouver.

Away behind us the great ocean stretched unbroken to Japan and China, sleeping peacefully-under the morning light that was shining over the mountains to the east, with no motion savea slow voluptuous roll of long billows that seemed gentle enough to be stayed by a child'shand. But to know their strength, even in a calm, turn and look where these same billows meetthe headlands. Over the first they break with a heavy roar; and then, as if amazed to beresisted, they gather up their forces and rush with a long wild leap, like white-maned war-horses charging, among the inner breakers, to meet the fate that a gallant ship would meet if it mistook the entrance to the sound. When a gale is blowing from the west, the surf must be

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tremendous, for there is nothing to break the rollof the Pacific for 2,000 miles; but theentrances into the Sound are wide, and one or two lighthouses would obviate all risk.

The most prominent mark about the southern entrance at present is Ship Island, probably socalled from a number of bare trees on it like the masts of a ship. Beyond the coast line a boldrange of serrated mountains runs along the centre of the island, like a backbone, north andsouth, into the heart of which Alberni Channel pierces.

Passing up the sound, several canoes with from two to half-adozen Indians in each hailed uswith friendly shouts. They are squat in shape, dirtier, more savage, with a more decided cross-eye than the Indians on the maioland. In all probability this side of America was peopled fromAsia, and not necessarily round by Behring's Straits and the Aleutian Islands. Even in thiscentury Japanese junks, dismasted in a typhoon or otherwise disabled, after drifting for monthsabout the North Pacific have stranded on the American continent or been encountered bywhaling ships, and the survivors of the crews rescued, in cases where all had not perished of hunger.

There are two or three trading posts and several Indian villages on Barclay Sound. The traderscome to the posts in schooners at certain seasons of the year, and trade for peltries, seal-oil,and fish. The sceneiy along the sound and up the channel resembles Bute Inlet, except that

the hills do not rise so sheer and high from the water and the yood is better.

There are also larger extents of open alluvial ground at the mouths of the streams that raninto the sea, and along the valleys between the hills that they drain. At the head of Alberni isthe Sumass, a river of considerable size that drains large lakes in the interior and is said to bebordered by extensive tracts of fertile soil. At its mouth is enough good land for several farms,but there are no settlers. An English Company formerly worked saw mills at this point, fromwhich in 1862 over eight million feet of lumber were exported.

The working of the mills has been abandoned, as the speculation did not pay, and thepremises are now going to ruin. A walk round showed us one reason at least of the failure. Toomuch money had been sunk in house, orchard, outhouses, and other fixtures and

improvements that yielded no return. No sane man would have started on such a scale withhis own money. It was a sorry spectacle to see so many good buildings doorless andwindowless, falling into decay or broken up by the Siwashes for wood to burn. In a countrywhose lumbering interests require development it is too bad that capitalists should bedeterred by such an example.

Alberni harbour offers such decided advantages as a terminus that it may prove a formidablerival even to Esquimalt.

After a bath in the harbour, the water being wonderfully warm for the time of year, westeamed out into the Ocean again, and got back in time to see a glorious sunset on the Pacific. The twilight continued for an hour after; a band of carmine that shaded into orange and,

higher up, into mauve, lingering so long over the horizon that we ceased to look at it, and onlywhen turning into our berths, noticed that it had given way to the universal deep blue of thenight sky. The sea was smooth and the night calm and beautiful as the preceding J and inconsequence we were at the wharf in Victoria harbour between four and five A. M., to tbeastonishment of the citizens who had not expected us back till the afternoon or next day.

October 11th to 14th. It had been assumed that the Prince Alfred steamer would leaveVictoria for San Francisco on the twelfth; but her day was changed to the fourteenth as shehad to go to Namaimo to coal. We had thus three days to spend in Victoria instead of one, andso great was the hospitality of the people that three months might have been spent enjoyably.

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Various as are the nationalities and religions represented in Victoria, the people arewonderfully fused, and there is a general spirit of mutual toleration, kindness, and active goodwill that makes it a pleasant town to live in. Like the whole colony it is a poor man's paradise.Everyone seems to have plenty of money; and every kind of labour receives enormous prices. There is no copper currency, and the smallest silver piece is what is called "a bit"; the ten centand the English sixpence, though of diflferent values, being alike called bits, and given tochildren or put in church-door plates (there are no beggars) as cents or coppers are in other

countries. This absence of small coins has much to do with the general cost of living, and theindifference to small profits characteristic of all classes here. The merest trifle costs a bit; andthough there are 25 and 50 cent pieces in currency, yet, if anything is worth more than a bit,with a lofty indifference to the intermediate coins, the price is generally made a dollar.Emigrants on landing, and men with fixed incomes, are the chief sufferers from this state of things; for as mechanics, labourers, and servants are paid accordingly, they like it, and speakwith intensest scorn of the unfortunates who would divide a bit because they perhaps think ittoo much to give for a paper of pins or an apple. "John" who comes across the Pacific to makemoney and then return to the flowery land doesn't heed their scorn; and so, most of it wasreserved before Confederation for canny Canadians who received the flattering appellation of North American Chinamen; Californians being as well supplied with gold and as lavish with itas the Victorians themselves.

All this was very well in the halcyon days of the young Province, when gold-dust wasaccounted as nothing; when miners who had been six months in Cariboo would come down tothe capital and call for all the champagne in an hotel to wash their feet; eat £10 notes as pills,or as a sandwich with a slice of pork, or light their pipes with them; and when town lotscommanded higher prices for the moment than in 'Frisco. But the tide turned; the gold flowedout of the country to buy the champagne, and more necessary articles, instead of beingspread abroad among resident farmers, or manufacturers; Cariboo yielded less abundantharvests; and the inflated prosperity of Victoria collapsed. Lots that had been bought at from$10,000 to $25,000 have been sold since, it is said, for $500; the 15,000 people who livedaround the city in tents have taken flight, like wild geese, to more southern climates; and thethen reputed millionaires are now content with a modest business. The virus, however, is still

in the blood of the Victorians. They half expect that the good old times, when every man gotrich without efibrt on his part, will come again ; that something will turn up; new mines or therailway being now the chief objects of reliance, to make business brisk. This delusion, whichbelongs to the gambling rather than the true trading spirit, retards the growth of the city; for itmakes men hold on to house and business lots, or demand sums for them far beyond theirvaliie. Great part of the four miles between Esquimalt and Victoria is owned by a companycalled "the Puget Sound." This land is held at prices too high for settlers or gardeners to buy,and thus it is that the suburbs do not present the cultivated appearance that might have beenexpected from the soil and fine climate. High prices for land and for everything else in andaround the town, and extreme difficulty of obtaining information about good land elsewhere ;what condition of affairs could be more discouraging for emigrants or intending settlers ? Aninfusion of new blood is required. At present the classes that ought to come are servant girls,

labourers, mechanics, miners, farm-servants, and such like, for these would get remunerativeemployment at once; and, gradually, land would be taken up, and money be diffused in somany hands that there would be a healthy flow instead of the present comparative stagnationand universal waiting for better times.

In looking at Victoria and the surrounding coast the situation is so commanding that it isdifficult to avoid speculating a little as to its probable future. The island is at the end of thewest and the beginning of the east. Behind it, over the mountains, stretch the virgin plains of our North-west, extending to the Great Lakes. Fronting it are the most ancient civilizations andthe densest masses of humanity on the surface of the globe. With such a position, the

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harbours, minerals, fish, and timber of this colony become important. If the "golden gate" beone passage-way between the Old World and the New, the straits of Fuca and its harbours, thechannels of Vancouver's Island and the inlets of the mainland are many. To our railwayterminus will converge the products of Austi-alia and Poljnaesia, as well as of China and Japan;and all that the busy millions of Great Britain need can be sent to them aci'oss their ownterritory, independently of the changing phases of the Eastern question.

Let there be a line of communication from the Pacific to the St. Lawrence through a succession

of loyal Provinces bound up with the Empire by ever-multiplying and tightening links, and thefuture of the Fatherland and of the Great Empire of which she will then be only the chief part issecured. With such a consummation in view, should not he be considered an enemy to theCommon-weal who would dissever the western or American portion of so great an Empire fromits foundation, from its capital and centre, simply because a belt of ocean intervenes; a belttoo that is becoming less of an obstacle every year. For in a few years we shall have a railwaywith but one break from the Pacific coast to the extreme easterly side of Newfoundland, andthence daily steamers will cross the Atlantic in a hundred hours. Canada will be as nearLondon as Scotland and Ireland were forty years ago. It will be easier to make the journey fromVictoria to London than it was to make it from the North of Scotland at the beginning of thecentury. These results, however marvellous, will be due to steam alone. How much nearer tothe core of the Empire may not Canada be considered with the means of instantaneous

telegraphic communication extended to every part of the Dominion? But it would be unworthyof our past to think in this connection only of material progress and national consolidation andsecurity. Loftier have ever been the aims of our forefathers.

It is not enough for us to allow Chinamen to come to our shores merely that, while living, theymay do our rough work cheaply, repelled the while from us by injustice and insult, and thatwhen dead a Company may clear money by carrying their bodies back to their own land. Anation to be great must have great thoughts; must be inspired with lofty ideals; must havemen and women willing to work and wait and war for an idea.

To be a light to the dark places of the earth ; to rule inferior races mercifully and justly ; toinfuse into them a higher life; to give them the good news that makes men blessed and free,

believing that as the race is one, reason one, and conscience one, there is one Gospel iov andunto all ; nothing less than this was the thought-deeply felt if sometimes inarticulatelyexpressed of our great ancestors in the brave days of Old. And it is ours also.

By the possession of British Columbia and Vancouver's Island we look across into the veryeyes of four hundred millionsof heathen, a people eager to learn, acute to investigate, and whom the struggle for existencein thronged centres has made tolerant, patient, and hardy. Can we do nothing but trade withthem ?

October 14th. To-day we left Esquimalt by the Prince Alfred on the home stretch, friends onthe wharf giving us kindly parting cheers. A delightful voyage df four days down the coast

brought us to San Prancisco; a wonderful city for its age, though not equal to Melbourne, theonly other city in the world it ought to be compared with. Doubtless it is a fine thing to escapefrost and snow; but some people would endure all the snow-storms of Quebec or Winnipegrather than one sand-storm in ' Frisco.

On Saturday morning, Oct. 16th, we breakfasted at the Lick House, San Francisco. OnSaturday the 26th we breakfasted at home in Ottawa.

And how does the country crossed by the Union and Central Pacific Railways compare with ourown North-west, has been asked us since our return ? Comparisons are odious and therefore

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the answer shall be as brief as possible. The Pacific slope excepted, for there is nothing inBritish Columbia to compare with the fertile valleys of California, everything is so completely inour favour that there is no comparison except the old racing one of "Eclipse first and the restnowhere." California itself, though its yield of wheat in favourable years is marvellous, is not acountry to rear a healthy and hardy race. There is no summer or autumn rain-fall ; the air iswithout its due proportion of moisture; and the lack of moisture is supplied by dust.

The people look weary, and used up. In the course of a generation or two, unless a constant

infusion of fresh blood renews their strength, the influences of climate must tell disastrouslynot only on their physique but on their whole spirit and life.

Are Anglo-Saxons secure from falling into the same sleepy and unprogressive state, that theenergetic Spaniards, who first settled the country, soon sank into ? But when we leaveCalifornia and travel from twelve to fifteen hundred miles, through Utah, Nevada, Wyoming,and Eastern Nebraska, the contrast with our North-west is startling.

Certainly population has been attracted to various points over this vast region. The Mormonswith infinite toil and patience, have made the deserts of Utah bring forth food for man andbeast, but they are deserts nothwithstanding, and yield nothing unless carefully irrigated; andthe mean houses of logs or adobe or sun-dried clay bricks,-and the unintelligent careworn

countenances of the people do not testify very eloquently in favour of Utah. The State of Nevada is rich in minerals, especially in silver ; and the railway has been the means of developing these to a great extent, while the export of the bullion supplies to the railway aconsiderable local traffic. Along the Humboldt, and in side valle3fs, large herds of stock arefed; and in parts of Wyoming and Eastern Nebraska stock raising is carried on with profit. Butwhat a country to live in ! Everywhere it has a uniform dry, dusty, what an Australian writerwoiild call "God-forsaken" look. For more than a thousand miles not a tree or shrub exceptsage-brush or grease-wood, relieves the desolation. And yet this is the country that guidebooks describe as if it were the garden of the Lord, and to which they summon the millions of Europe. As we sat in the railway train and read the description of the land we were passingthrough; read of boundless tracts of the finest pasturage in the world; of free soil on whichanything and everything could be raised, of slopes that would yet be clad with vines and bear

the rarest fruits; and then looked out of the window and saw limitless stretches of desert orsemi-desert, high, arid, alkaline plateaux, dotted scantily with miserable sage-brush, hundredsof miles without a blade of grass, a soil composed of disintegrated lava and hard clay, ordisintegrated granite or sandstone, or a conglomerate of the two, we could hardly believe oureyes. The American desert is a reality. It is unfit for the growth of cereals or to support in anyway a farming population, because of its elevation, its lack of rain, and the miserable quality,or to speak more correctly, the absence of soil. The enterprise that ran the pony express, thatconstructed telegraphs and a line of Railway across such a country is wonderful; but not half so wonderful as the faith that sees in such a desert an earthly paradise, or the assurance thatpublishes its vision of what ought to be, for a picture of what is, or the courage that volunteersthe sacrifice of any number of foreigners to prove the sincerity of its faith.

In a word, after reaching the summit of the first range of mountains, from the Pacific, theRailway in the United States has to cross more than a thousand miles of desert or semidesert.

According to the evidence of our senses, whatever guide-books may say to the contrary, wediscovered on thp home stretch that the great west of the United States practically ceaseswith the valley of the Missouri and of its tributary, the Platte.

CHAPTER XIII CONCLUSION

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Crossing and recrossing the Continent. — Writers on the North-west. — Mineral Wealth behindLake Superior. — The "Fertile-belt." — Our Fellow Travellers. — The "Rainbow" of the North-west. — Peace River. — Climate compared with Ontario. — Natural Riches of the Country. — The Russia of America. — Its Army of Construction. — The Pioneers. — Esprit de corps. —Hardships and Hazards. — Mournful Death-roll. — The Work of Construction. — Vast Breadth of the Dominion. — Its Varied Features. — Its Exhaustless Resources. — Its Constitution. — ItsQueen

The preceding chapters are transcribed, almost verbally, from a Diary that was written fromday to day on our journey from ocean, ocean-ward. The Diary was kept under difficulties.Notes had to be taken, sometimes in the bottom of a canoe and sometimes leaning against astump or a tree; on horseback in fine weather, under a cart when it was raining or when thesun's rays were fierce : at night, in the tent, by the light of the camp-fire in front ; in a crowdedwayside inn, or on the deck of a steamer in motion.

As may be seen by a reference to the Itinerary in the Appendix, our Diary commenced atHalifax on the Atlantic coast on July 1st, the sixth anniversary of the birth-day of the Dominion,and closed at Victoria on the Pacific coast on October 11th. The aggregate distance travelledby one mode of locomotion or another was more than five thousand miles, a great part of itover comparatively unknown, and therefore supposed to be dangerous country. We recrossed

the Continent to our starting point by rail, the Secretary arriving at Halifax on November 2nd,having thus accomplished the round trip of nine or ten thousand miles in four months. None of us sufiered from Indians, wild beasts, the weather, or any of the hardships incidental to travelin a new and loae land. Every one was physically better on his return than when he had setout. And yet there had been no playing on the road.We cannot charge ourselves with having lost an hour on the way ; and Manitobans, Hudson'sBay Officers, and British Columbians all informed us that we made better time between LakeSuperior and the Pacific than ever had been made before.

It is only fair to the public to add that the writer of the Diary knew little or nothing of our North-west before accompanying the expedition. To find out something about the real extent andresources of our Dominion; to know whether we had room and verge for an Empire or were

doomed to be merely a cluster of Atlantic Provinces, ending to the west in a fertile butcomparatively insignificant peninsula in Lake Huron, was the object that attracted a busy manfrom his ordinary work, on what friends called an absurd and perilous enterprise. All that isclaimed for the preceding chapters is, that they record truthfully what we saw and heard. Andhaving read since the works of Professor Hind, Archbishop Tachfe, Captain Palliser and others,we find, that though these contain the results of much more minute and extended enquiriesand scientific information which renders them permanently valuable, they bring forwardnothing to make us modify our own conclusions, or to lessen the impression as to the value of our North-west, that the sight of it produced in our minds.

We are satisfied that the rugged and hitherto unknown country extendiag from the UpperOttawa to the Red River of the North, is not, as it has always been represented on maps

executed by our neighbours, and copied by ourselves, impracticable for a Railway ; butentirely the reverse ; that those vast regions of Laurentian and Huronian rocks oncepronounced worthless, are rich in minerals ; and that in the iron background to the basin of theSt. Lawrence, hitherto considered valuable only for its lumber, great centres of mining andmanufacturing industry, shall in the near future spring into existence. Beyond theseapparently wilderness regions we came upon the fertile belt, an immense tract of the finestland in the world, bounded on the west by coal formations so extensive that all other coalfields are small in comparison. Concerning this central part of the Continent, we have testifiedthat which we have seen, and as a summary it is sufficient to quote Hind's emphatic words.Vol. II., p. 234 : "It is a physical reality of the highest importance to the interests of British

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North America that a continuous belt, rich in water, woods and pasturage can be settled andcultivated from a few miles west of the Lake of the Woods, to the passes of the RockyMountains; and any line of communication, whether by waggon road or railroad, passingthrough it, will eventually enjoy the great advantage of being fed by an agricultural population,from one extremity to the other."

Concerning the country from the mountains to the sea, it is unnecessary to add anything here.

The mountains in British Columbia certainly offer obstructions to Railway construction; butthese obstacles are not insuperable, and, once overcome, we reach the Canadian Islands inthe Pacific, Vancouver and Queen Charlotte, in many respects the counter parts of GreatBritain and Ireland, the western outposts of Europe, rich in coal, bituminous and anthracite,and almost every variety of mineral wealth, in lumber, fish, and soil, and blessed with one of the most delightful climates in the world.

And now we might take farewell of the reader who has accompanied us on our long journey,but before doing so, it seems not unfitting to add a few words concerning the routes of ourfellow-travellers who parted from us at Forts Garry and Edmonton; concerniug those menwhom we found engaged on the survey and the general impressions left on our minds by allthat we saw and experienced.

The Colonel spent ten days in Manitoba. Leaving Fort Garry, he travelled rapidly to Edmontonby the same trail that we had taken, in the hope of overtaking us before we had left for themountains. Finding on his arrival that we had started seven days previously, he decided toproceed 145 miles southwest to the Rocky Mountain House; thence through the country of theBlactfeet, to cross the mountains lay North Kootenay Pass; and thence into Washington Territory, U.S., and viz, Olympia to Victoria. He accomplished the journey successfully, thoughdetained for two or three days by a snow-storm at the foot of the mountains; but as the delayenabled him to shoot a large grizzly bear that approached within a few yards of his camp, hehad no reason to regret it much. His southerly march from Edmonton gave him the opportunityof seeing the western curve of the fertile belt, the rainbow of the Northwest and he speaks of it, especially of that portion through the Blackfeet country, extending for about 300 miles

along the eastern bases of the Rocky Mountains towards the international boundary line, witha varying breadth of from 25 to 80 miles, as the future garden of the Dominion; magnificent inregard to scenery, with soil of surpassing richness; and in respect of climate, with an averagetemperature during the winter months, 15 ° higher than that of the western portion of theProvince of Ontario.

We are now able to speak concerning the northwestern curve of the fertile belt as positively asof the district to the south which the Colonel traversed. At Edmonton, the Chief sent Botanistand Horetzky northwards, with instructions to proceed by Forts Assiniboine and Dunvegan andacross the Rocky Mountains by Peace River, the one to make then for the Upper Fraser, andthe other to go still farther north arfd reach the sea by the Skeena or Nasse River. They alsosucceeded in their journey; and their reports more than confirm the statements of previous

writers with regard to the extraordinary fertility of immense prairies along the Peace River, thesalubrity, and the comparative mildness of the climate. It is quite clear that exceptionalclimatic causes are at woik along the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains, north as well assouth of Edmonton.

Whether the chief cause be warm moist winds from the Pacific or a steady current of warm airunder the lee of the mountains, analogous in the atmosphere to the Gulf stream in the ocean,or whatever the cause, our knowledge is too imperfect to enable , us to say. But the salientfacts are undoubted. At Fort Dunvegan, six degrees north of Fort Garry, and nearly thirteennorth of Toronto, the winters are milder than at Fort Garry; and as for the seven months, from

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April to October, the period of cultivation, according to tables that have been carefullycompiled, Dunvegan and Toronto do not vary more than about half a degree in meantemperature, while as compared with Halifax, N.S., the difference is 1 ° 69 in favour of Dunvegan. Our two fellow-travellers assured us also that they had seen nothing between theRed River and Edmonton to compare with the fertility of soil and the beauty of the countryabout Peace River.

They struck the mighty stream below Dunvegan and sailed on it up into the very heart of the

Rocky Mountains, through a charming country, rich in soil, wood, water, and coal, in salt thatcan be gathered fit for the table,from the sides of springs with as much ease as sand from theseashore; in bituminous fountains into which Sir Alexander McKenzie and Harmon both saythat "a pole of twenty feet in length may be plunged, without the least resistance, and withoutfinding bottom,'' and in every other production that is essential to the material prosperity of acountry.

The following extract from the Journal of our Botanist gives a graphic description of whatPeace River itself is : "This afternoon we passed through the most enchanting and sublimescenery. The right bank of the river was clothed with wood spruce, birch and aspen, exceptwhere too steep, or where there had been landslides. In many places the bank rose from theshore to the height of from 300 to 600 feet. Sandstone cliffs 300 feet high often showed,

especially above Green Island. The left bank was as high as the right, but instead of wood,grassy slopes met the view; but landslides always revealed sandstone. In places the river hadcut a passage through the sandstone to the depth of 300 feet and yet the current indicatedlittle increase. The river was full from bank to bank, was fully 600 yards wide, and looked like amighty canal cut by giants through a mountain. Up this we sped at the rate of four miles anhour, against the current, in a large boat belonging to the Hudson's Bay Co'y.; propelled by anorth-east gale."

When we remember that the latitude of this river and the richest part of the country it watersis nearly a thousand miles north of Lake Ontario, the language we have used about it maysound exaggerated because the facts seem unaccountable. But the facts have been long onrecord. The only difficulty was the inaccessibility of the country. In Harmon's Journal are such

entries as the following : "Peace River, April 18, 1809. This morning the ice in the "river brokeup." [April 30th is shown by the public records, to be the mean time of opening of navigationat Ottawa, between 1832 and 1870. During that period, 88 years, April 17th was the earliestand May 80th the latest days of opening]. "May 6. The surrounding plains are all on fire. Wehave planted our potatoes, and sowed most of our garden seeds. July 21. We have cut downour barley; and I think it is the finest that I ever saw in any country. October 6. As the weatherbegins to be cold, we have taken our vegetables out of the ground, which we find to be veryproductive." Another year we have the following entry : "October 3. We have taken ourvegetables out of the ground. We have 41 bushels of potatoes, the produce of one bushelplanted the last spring. Our turnips, barley, etc., have produced well."

In the journal of a Hudson's Bay Chief-factor published last year by Malcolm McLeod, Ottawa,

is the following extract concerning the climate of Dunvegan, from the records of the celebrated traveller and astronomer-Mr. David Thompson : "Only twice in the month of May, 1803,on the 2nd and 14th, did the thermometer fall to 30 °. Frost did not occur in the fall till the27th September."

"It freezes," says Mr. Russell, "much later in May in Canada; and at Montreal, for seven yearsout of the last nine, the first frost occurred between 24th August and 16th September." InHalifax, N. S., the writer has seen a lively snow-storm on the Queen's birthday; and almostevery year there is frost early in June.

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Similar quotations could be given from other writers, but they are unnecessary. We know thatwe have a great North-west, a country like old Canada-not suited for lotus-eaters to live in, butfitted to rear a healthy and hardy race. The late Hon. W. H. Seward understood this when hedeclared that "vigorous, perennial, ever-growing Canada would be a Russia behind the UnitedStates." Our future is grander than even that conceived by Mr. Seward, because the elementsthat determine it are other than those considered by him. We shall be more than an AmericanRussia, because the separation from Great Britain to which he invites us is not involved in ourmanifest destiny. We believe that union is better than disunion, that loyalty is a better

guarantee for true growth than restlessness or rebellion, that building up is worthier work thanpulling down. The ties that bind us to the Fatherland must be multiplied, the connection madecloser and politically complete.

Her traditions, her forms, her moral elevation, her historic grandeur shall be ours forever. Andif we share her glory, we shall not shrink even at the outset from sharing her responsibilities.

A great future beckons us as a people onward To reach it, God grant to us purity and faith,deliverance from the lust of personal aggrandizement, unity, and invincible steadfastness of purpose. The battles we have to fight are those of peace, but they are not the less serious andthey are surely nobler than those of war. The victories we require to gain over all forms of political corruption, the selfish spirit of separation, and those great material obstacles in the

conquest of which the spirit of patriotism is strengthened. It is a standiug army of engineers,axemen and brawny labourers that we require, men who will not only give a fair day's work fora fair day's wage, but whose work shall be ennobled by the thought that they are in theservice of their country, and labouring for its consolidation.

Why should there not be a high esprit de corps among men who are doing the country's work,as well as among those who do its warfare ? And why should the country grudge its honours toservants on whose faithfulness so much depends ? "There is many a red-coat who is nosoldier," said the Duke of Wellington. Conversely, there are true soldiers who wear only a redshirt.

This thought leads us to mak» mention of the men who have been engaged for the last two

years in connection with the Canadian Pacific Railway Survey, the pioneers of the great armythat must be engaged on the construction of the work and on whom has devolved the heavylabour that commonly falls to the lot of an advance-guard. On our journey we met several of the surveying parties, and could form some estimate of the work they had to do. We could seethat continuous labour for one or two years in solitary wilderness or mountain gorges assurveyor, transit-man, leveller, rodman, commissary, or even packer, is a totally difiierentthing from taking a trip across the continent for the first time, when the perpetual novelty, thespice of romance, the risks and pleasures atone for all discomforts.

Here are one or two instances of the spirit that animates the body. The gentleman now at thehead of party X. had commenced work in charge of another party between Lake Superior andthe Upper Ottawa. He remained out during the whole summer and winter in that trackless

rugged region, previously untrodden by white men, and rarely visited by Indians. After asevere winter campaign, he completed the difficult and hazardous service entrusted to him.On his return in the spring he was told that it was desirable that he should go to BritishColumbia without delay ; and, though he had not spent two weeks with his family in as manyyears, he started at once.

Near the end of the year just closed the Chief was called upon to send a party to explore thesection of country between the North Saskatchewan, above Edmonton, and the Jasper valley.

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It was deemed advisable to examine this wild and wooded district in the winter season, onaccount of the numerous morasses and muskegs which rendered it next to impassable at anyother season. The party most available for this service had been engaged during the summerand winter of 1871 and the whole of 1872 in the lake region east of Manitoba, and hadreturned to Fort Garry after completing satisfactorily their arduous work. The Chief asked, bytelegraph, the Engineer in charge if he was prepared to start at short notice for the RockyMountains on a prolonged service. Almost immediately after sending this message, thefollowing telegram was received from the gentleman referred to : "May I have leave of

absence to return home for a few weeks on urgent private business ?" This was at oncefollowed by another : "Your message received. I withdraw my application for leave. I amprepared to start for the Rocky Mountains with my party. Please send instructions." It wasevident that the first two telegrams had crossed.

The members of party M., notwithstanding what they had gone through, away from friendsand the comforts of society, were ready to undertake a march of a thousand miles still fartheraway, in the dead of a Canadian winter.

And what was the journey ? They knew that it implied hardships such as Captain Butlerencountered, and which he so graphically describes in "The Great Lone Land." They knew thatit meant a great deal more. The journey over, they were only at the beginning of their work,

and the work would be infinitely more trying than the journey itself. These are only two instances out of many of that "Ready, aye, Ready" spirit, which the Britishpeople rightly honour as the highest quality in their soldiers, from the lowest to the highestgrades. With respect to the ordinary everyday work that has to be done, our own littleexperience gave us some idea of its discomforts. Among the mountains, there is hardly a daywithout rain, except when it snows. Leather gives way under the alternate rotting and grindingprocesses that swamps and rocks subject it to. Mocassins keep out the wet about as well as anextra pair of socks. Clothes are patched and re-patched until lock, stock and barrel arechanged. At night you lie down wet, lucky if the blanket is dry. In the morning you rise to arough breakfast of tea, pork and beans. When relations at home are just enjoying the sweethalf-hour's sleep before getting up, you are off into the dark silent woods, or clambering upprecipices to which the mists ever cling, or on the rocky banks of some roaring river, getting

back to camp at night tired and hungry, but still thankful if a good day's work has beenaccomplished.

And this same thing goes on from week to week,-working, eating, sleeping. Books are scarce,for they are too bulky to carry; no newspapers and no news-unless fragments from three to sixmonths old, strangely metamorphosed by Packers and Indians, can be dignified by the nameof news. Nothing occurs to break the monotony save rheumatism, festered hands or feet, atouch of sickness, perhaps scurvy, if the campaign has been long; the arrival of a pack-trainwith supplies, or some such interesting event as the following, which we found duly chronicledon a blazed tree, between Moose Lake and Tete Jaune Cache ?

BIRTH "Monday, 5th August 1872. This morning at about 5 o'clock 'Aunt Polly,' bell-mare to

the Nth. Thompson trail party's pack-train, was safely delivered of a Bay Colt, with three whitelegs and white star on forehead. This wonderful progeny of a C. P. R. Surrey's pack-train is infuture to be known to the racing community of the Pacific slope, as Rocky Mountain Ned."

The Sunday rest and the next meal, are almost the only pleasures looked forward to ; and theenjoyment of eating arises, generally, not from the delicacies or variety of the fare; for evenfat pork, porridge, bread and coflfee, need all the zest that hard work and mountain air cansupply, in order to be thoroughly enjoyed three times a day, week in and week out.

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In addition to all the extraordinary discomforts attending this class of work there are thedangers to life, inseparable from the great extent of the work undertaken, and the rapiditywith which it was begun and pushed forward; extensive fires in the forest; the risks of starvation or the risk of drowning, while endeavouring to make the passage of lakes and riversin a frail canoe or on a raft.

This survey work implies more than hardships and hazards.

Already it has connected with its history a mournful deathroll.

At the outset, some tribes of Indians were expected to give trouble. On the contrary, they havefor the most part been friendly and helpful. When nearly a thousand men were engageddirectly or indirectly on the work, and scattered over pathless regions over a whole continent,it would not have been wonderful had supplies failed to reach some parties, and death bystarvation occurred. In no case has such a disaster yet happened.

But there are forces that can neither be organized nor bribed. Fourteen men have beendestroyed by the elements j seven by fire, and seven by water ; destroyed so completely thatno trace has been found of the bodies of ten.

One party, seven in number,-engaged in carrying provisions north of Lake Superior, wassurprised by the widespread forest fires that raged over the west in the autumn of 1871. Thebody of only one of its number could be discovered.

In the spring of 1872, a party that had finished its work well, after an arduous winter campaignfar up the Ottawa beyond Lake Temiscamang, prepared to return home. The gentleman incharge and one of his assistants separated from the rest, to take on board their canoe twoothers who had been previously left at a side post prostrated with scurvy. The four wereknown to have started down the river. That was the last seen of them, though the upturnedcanoe was found, and it told its own tale of an upset, by rock or rapid or awkward movementof the sick men, into ice-cold lake or river.

In the Autumn of 1872, three others, on their way to begin their winter's work, wereshipwrecked and drow.ied in tie Georgian Bay.

All those men died in the service of their couatry as truly as if they had been killed in battle.Some of them have left behind wives and little children, aged parents, young brothers orsisters, who were dependent on them for support. Have not those a claim on the country thatought not to be disregarded ? That this work is too seldom looked at from any other save thewages point of view, is our excuse for putting the real state of the case warmly. Who are themen whose disciplined enthusiasm enables them to manifest the self-sacrifice we have alludedto ? Many of them are men of good birth and educa^ tion, who have chosen the profession of Engineering as one in which their talents can be made in a marked degree subservient to thematerial prosperity of mankind. Others have chosen it because of its supposed freedom from

routine, and the prospect it is thought to ofiei of novelty, adventure, and such a roving life asevery young Briton or Canadian, with any of the old blood in his veins, longs for.

And what wages do these men receive ? Simply their pay by the month ! They do not knowwhether they will have the satisfaction-that every man interested in his work has the right tolook forward to-of seeing their work finished by themselves.

Even after the preliminary surveys are completed, and the work placed under contract, thetenure of office is insecure.

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Sometimes a clamour is raised against the presumed extravagance of the Government, whenthe newspapers have nothing more stirring to write about, or when some reporter fancies hehas not received due attention. At other times, some unprincipled contractors conspire toeffect the removal of men, whose only fault is that they have performed their duty faithfully.

From these or other similar causes, engineers in the public service are sometimes unjustlysacrificed. And, if remonstrance is made, the answer is ready : "They received their pay for thetime they were employed, and others, quite as competent, are ready and willing to take their

places." Yes, and the same might be said of the officers and men of the British army, but theyare treated very differently. The work of one of the military expeditions, such as theAbyssinian or Red River, which have shed such lustre on the British name, is not morearduous. The heaviest part of a soldier's duty on such expeditions, it is well known, is the longlaborious marching. The work of engineers on the survey is a constant march; their shelter,even in the depth of winter, often only canvas; they have sometimes to carry their food forlong distances, through swamps and over fallen trees, on their backs; and run all the risksincidental to such a life, without medical assistance, without notice from the press, without theprospect of plunder or promotion, ribands or pensions. To be sure there is the work of ccmstruction only, and the world has always given greater prominence to the work of destruction.

To construct is "the duty that lies nearest us." "We therefore will rise up and build." Our youngDominion in grappling with so great a work has resolutely considered it from a national andnot a strictly financial point of view; knowing that whether it pays directly or not, it is sure topay indirectly.

Other young countries have had to spend, through long years, their strength and substance topurchase freedom or the right to exist. Our lot is a happier one. Protected "against infectionand the hand of war " by the might of Britain, we have but to go forward, to open up for ourchildren and the world what Grod has given into our possession, bind it together, consolidateit, and lay the foundations of an enduring future.

Looking back over the vast breadth of the Dominion when our joumeyings were ended, it

rolled out before us like a panorama, varied and magnificent enough to stir the dullest spiritinto patriotic emotion. For nearly 1,000 mUes by railway between different points east of LakeHuron; 2,185 miles by horses, including coaches, waggons, pack, and saddle-horses; 1,687miles in steamers in the basin of the St. Lawrence and on Pacific waters, and 485 miles incanoes or row-boats; we had travelled in all 5,300 miles between Halifax and Victoria, over acountry with features and resources more varied than even our modes of locomotion.

From the sea-pastures and coal-fields of Nova Scotia and the forests of New Brunswick, almostfrom historic Louisburg up the St. Lawrence to historic Quebec; through the great Province of Ontario, and on lakes that are seas; by copper and silver mines so rich as to recall stories of the Arabian Nights, though only the rim of the land has been explored; on the chain of lakes,where the Ojibbeway is at home in his canoe, to the plains, where the Cree is equally at home

on his horse; through the prairie Province of Manitoba, and rolling meadows and park-likecountry, out of which a dozen Manitobas shall be carved in the next quarter of a century; alongthe banks of "a full-fed river winding slowly, herds upon an endless plain" full-fed from theexhaustless glaciers of the Rocky Mountains, and watering the great lone land; over illimitablecoal measures and deep woods; on to the mountains, which open their gates, more widelythan to our wealthier neighbours, to lead us to the Pacific; down deep gorges filled with mightytimber, beside rivers whose ancient deposits are gold beds, sands Uke those of Pactolus andchannels choked with fish; on to the many harbours of mainland and island, that look rightacross to the old Eastern Thule "with its rosy pearls and golden-roofed palaces," and open

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their arms to welcome the swarming millions of Cathay; over all this we had travelled, and itwas all our own.

"Where's the crowd that would not dare To fight for such a land ?" Thank God, we have acountry. It is not our poverty of land or sea, of wood or mine that shall ever urge us to betraitors.

But the destiny of a country depends not on its material resources. It depends on the

character of its people. Here, too, is full ground for confidence. We in everything "are sprungof earth's first blood, have titles manifold." We come of a race that never counted the numberof its foes, nor the number of its friends, when freedom, loyalty, or God was concerned.

Two courses are possible, though it is almost an insult to say there are two, for the onerequires us to be false to our traditions and history, to our future, and to ourselves. A thirdcourse has been hinted at; but only dreamers would seriously propose "Independence" to fourmillions of people, face to face with forty millions. Some one may have even a fourth topropose. The Abbé Sieyes had a cabinet filled with pigeonholes in each of which was a cut-and-dried Constitution for France. Doctrinaires fancy that at any time they can say, " go to letus make a Constitution," and that they can fit it on a nation as readily as new coats on theirbacks. There never was a profounder mistake. A nation grows, and its Constitution must grow

with it. The nation cannot be pulled up by the roots, cannot be dissociated from its past,without danger to its highest interests. Loyalty is essential to its fulfilment of a distinctivemission, essential to its true glory. Only one course therefore is possible for us, consistent withthe self-respect that alone gains the respect of others; to seek, in the consolidation of theEmpire, a common Imperial citizenship, with common responsibilities, and a commoninheritance.

With childish impatience and intolerance of thought on the subject, we are sometimes toldthat a Republican form of Government and Republican institutions, are the same as our own.

But they are not ours. Besides, they are not the same. They are not the same in themselves ;they are not the same in their effects on character. And, as we are the children even more

than we are the fathers and framers of our national institutions, our first duty is to hold fastthose political forms, the influences of which on national character have been proved by thetests of time and comparison to be the most ennobling. Republicanism is one-sided. Despotismis other-sided. The true form should combine and harmonize both sides.

The favourite principle of Robertson of Brighton, that the whole truth in the realm of the moraland spiritual consists in the union of two truths that are contrary but not contradictory, appliesalso to the social and political. What two contrary truths then lie at the basis of a completeNational Constitution ? First, that the will of the people is the will of God. Secondly, that thewill of God must be the will of the people. That the people are the ultimate fountain of allpower is one truth. That Government is of God, and should be strong, stable, and above thepeople, is another. In other words, the elements of liberty and of authority should both be

represented. A republic is professedly based only on the first.

In consequence, all appeals are made to that which is lowest in our nature, for such appealsare made to the greatest number and are most likely to be immediately successful. Thecharacter of public men and the national character deteriorate.

Neither elevation of sentiment, nor refinement of manners is cultivated. Still more fatalconsequences, the very ark of the nation is carried periodically into heady fights; for the timebeing, the citizen has no country ; he has only his party, and the unity of the country isconstantly imperilled.

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On the other hand, a despotism is based entirely on the element of authority. To unite thoseelements in due proportions, has been and is the aim of every true statesman. Let the historyof liberty and progress, of the development of human character to all its rightful issues, testifywhere they have been more wisely blended than in the British Constitution.

We have a fixed centre of authority and government, a fountain of honour above us that allreverence, from which a thousand gracious influences come down to every rank ; and, along

with that immovable centre, representative institutions, so elastic that they respond withintheir own sphere to every breath of popular sentiment, instead of a cast-iron yoke for fouryears. In harmony with this central part of our constitution, we have an independent judiciaryinstead of judges, too often the creatures of wealthy adventurers or the echoes of fleetingpopular sentiment. More valuable than the direct advantages, are the subtle indirectinfluences that flow from our unbroken connection with the old land, those living and life-giving forces that determine the tone and mould the character of a people. Ours are the oldhistory, the graves of forefathers, the flag they died for, the names "to which a thousandmemories call," the Queen whose virtues transmute the principle of loyalty into a personalaffection.

APPENDIX

Delays in Constructing Canada Pacific & Intercolonial Railways. First Link of the Canada Pacific.— Yellow Head Pass. — Difficulties in the Cascade Range. — Population required for localtraffic. Causes of delay in settling the North-west. — The grasshoppers. Utilization of waterstretches. — Telegraphic Communication. Productiveness of Manitoba in 1876. — Surveys. —Red Deer and Bow Rivers. — Place River as seen in 1875. — Water supply. Treeless areas. —Indian Question. — Mounted Police. — Treaties. True Indian Policy. — Indian troubles in BritishColumbia. Character of the Indians on Pacific Slope and Coast. — Progress.

The last chapter of Ocean to Ocean explains why the writer accompanied the expedition towhich he acted the part of Secretary, and how it came to pass that the book was written.

The Dominion is now four years older. Our North-west is not the almost unknown country itthen was. True, the work of colonization and of building a railway from Ottawa to the Pacifichas not proceeded at the lightning express rate that was prophesied; but neither the prophecynor its failure is to be wondered at. In 1867, public men and the press joined in afiirming thattrains would run from Halifax to Montreal in three years ; and the Maritime Provinces tookaction on the strength of the anticipation. But though the Intercolonial Railway is only fivehundred miles long, and passes through a country which has been partially settled for one ortwo generations, and runs near the open sea, it was not completed till 1876. Need we wondermuch should three decades instead of one pass away before the Canada Pacific is opened forthrough traffic ? However, during the last four years considerable progress has been made;and in giving to the public a second edition of Ocean to Oeewn, an appendix is called for, toshow where we now stand.

The settlement of the North-west, on which the success of the great enterprise depends,cannot proceed rapidly until access by rail is given to the outside world of intending emigrants.

The average emigrant is a poor man. He is likely, therefore, to have a large family. He carrieshis household goods with him. That he be taken from his old to his proposed new home at thesmallest possible expense, and with few changes and breakings of bulk, is simplyindispensable. In 1872, every one expected that the desired result would be in a measureattained by the completion of the railway from St. Pauls, Minnesota, to the Boundary Line. Awell-informed London Times correspondent wrote that "1873 will certainly see the railway

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track at Fort Garry, and that thus will be opened the rich Canadian territory of Manitoba andthe fertile valley of the Saskatchewan." But this certainty depended on the willingness of theDutch bondholders to advance more money without prospect of immediate repayment, andwas dissipated by their determination not to do so, to which determination they resolutelyadhere. The terminus of the track remains where it was; and emigrants have still to travel onfoot or in their waggons for two or three hundred miles over the prairie or betake themselvesto the Red River boats in order to reach Winnipeg. Possibly the first great link of the CanadaPacific Railway, extending from Thunder Bay on Lake Superior to the crossing of the Red River,

may be built before there is communication by rail through Minnesota; and as giving directaccess to Manitoba through our own territory and affording the most direct outlet for surplusfarm produce, are objects of paramount importance, the construction of this link, four hundredand fourteen miles long, is being energetically proceeded with. A contract for clearing thewhole line and erecting a telegraph has been given; and the work of grading, bridging, andtracklaying for 226 miles is in progress. The location of this link is well to the north of thatDawson road which our party canoed over, is by a shorter route, and through a country muchmore favourable than was at one time thought possible. Works of construction, except aboutRat Portage or the crossing of the Winnipeg Eiver, will be light, and-what is of even moreimportance-remarkably easy ascending gradients have been secured. "The more this portionof the railway can be made to convey cheaply the products of the soil to the navigation of theSt. Lawrence, the more will the field be extended within which farming operations can be

carried on with profit on the fertile plains. The information obtained suggests that it will bepossible to secure maximum easterly ascending gradients between Manitoba and LakeSuperior within the limit of twenty-six feet to the mile, a maximum not half so great as thatwhich obtains on the majority of the railways of the Continent." (Progress Report, 1874.) Thisis a noteworthy fact; and as it also applies to the line that has been located west of Manitobainto the fertile interior for hundreds of miles, its importance can scarcely be over-estimated. Toget the shortest and best line with the lightest possible gradients between the prairie regionand the navigation of Lake Superior is an object of the first consequence. Cheapness of transportation has always been the one thing needful to ensure the speedy settlement of thefertile North-west. This object has been kept steadily in view, and from the character of theline located, it is not too soon to say that it has been secured.

Respecting the line as a whole, and the character of the difficulties to be overcome, the Chief Engineer's statements are equally satisfactory. He reports that "the practicability of establishing railway communication across the Continent wholly within the limits of theDominion is no longer matter of doubt.

It may indeed be now accepted as a certainty that a route has been found, generallypossessing favourable engineering features, with the exception of a short section approachingthe Pacific coast; which route, taking its entire length, including the exceptional sectionalluded to, will on the average show lighter work, and will require less costly structures thanhave been necessary on many of the railways now in operation in the Dominion."

The Yellow Head has been definitely determined upon as the best pass through the first range

of the Rocky Mountains. By it "a railway can be carried from the North Saskatchewan to thecentral plateau of British Columbia, with gradients as light, as those on railways in Ontario,and with works of construction scarcely heavier than on the Intercolonial line. We are thusenabled to project a satisfactory route from the railway system of the Atlantic Provinces to apoint within about two hundred miles of the Pacific tide water.'' The character of the climateabout the eastern approach to the Yellow Head Pass may be judged from the fact given in thereport, that out of one hundred hoi-ses and mules engaged on the survey, nearly starved whenthey reached the Jasper valley, and turned out in mid-winter to shift for themselves, not asingle death occurred, and that all resumed work in March in fair condition. The extraordinarysignificance of this fact will be appreciated when it is remembered that the Jasper valley is

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3,300 feet above the level of the sea, or very nearly as high as the Pass, and about tendegrees of latitude further north than Toronto.

All this is extremely satisfactory ; but the difficulties on the last two hundred miles referred to,the western end of the Canada Pacific Railway, are sufficient of themselves to make theundertaking a formidable one for a richer country than Canada. An army of engineers hasbeen employed among the mountains of British Columbia since 1871; the Cascades have beenpierced by twelve lines of survey, terminating on the coast of the mainland at seven distinct

harbours; every attempt has been made to wrest from the mountains the secret of an easypassage to the ocean; but, though the outlook has more than once been promising, theattempts have failed. There is no direct, and no easy pass. On any one of the projected linesconstruction will involve enormous outlay. Ofcourse the route that the people of Vancouver'sIsland favour is to follow the Fraser River from Tete Jaune Cache to Fort George, and thence tostrike across the country to Waddington harbour, at the head of Bute Inlet. As Lord Dufferinhas pointed out, this means that eventually the railway must be carried down the bold rockyshores of the Inlet, across to Yancouver's Island, and on to Esquimalt. The cost of this latterundertaking, nay, the cost of the bridging alone is enough to put it wholly out of the questionfor the present. If Esquimalt had the population of New York, it might be entertained bypractical men. There being thus a very indefinite prospect of extension to Esquimalt, the factthat Waddington harbour is called harbour only by courtesy, tells heavily against Bute Inlet

routes.

In view of all the difficulties in the way, many who originally viewed with favour the idea of carrying an unbroken line of railway to the western coast of Vancouver's Island haveabandoned it, and would be content with a line ending at a good harbour on the mainland.Whether in that case the terminus should be Burrard Inlet or Port Essington, no one can sayuntil the completion of all necessary nautical and land surveys. Each harbour has advantagesand disadvantages that the other has not. The weight of naval evidence is at present in favourof Burrard Inlet. But Port Essington is 450 miles nearer the Asiatic coast, and 450 miles northof the boundary line. Possibly before this issues from the press, the Government may haveselected the terminus and the line leading to it from St Jaune Cache. But the selection shouldnot be made until all the facts of the case have been officially presented and duly weighed.

The sin of delaying another year before beginning construction from the Pacific side is smallcompared with the sin ofgoing by guess where interests of such magnitude are concerned.

Once built, the difficulty of operating the railway in winter will be found just where constructionthreatens to be most difficult, the western slopes of the two great mountain chains in BritishColumbia. "Except in these localities, it will have on an average considerably less snow thanexisting railways have to contend with." By the time it is built, let us trust that a populationshall have entered our North-west sufficiently large to ensure enough traffic to pay workingexpenses. The prospect is good ; but should the prospect not be realized, the Canada Pacific,irrespective of the cost of construction, would be a white elephant of portentous dimensions toCanada. "The first construction of a railway through the interior of British America is even aless formidable undertaking than that of keeping it afterwards open in the present condition of

the country." At present the Dominion has a population of about 900 for every mile of railwayconstructed, and that is found to be anything but a paying average. But on that basis, ourNorth-west should have a population of one and a half millions by the time the line is openedfrom the Pacific to Lake Superior. Of course the safe policy would be, not to begin constructionfrom the Pacific side till a million of people had actually settled in the Northwest; and it is aquestion whether more liberal terms might not be offered to British Columbia than have yetbeen suggested to obtain the delay. It cannot be the true interest of any member of the bodythat the whole body should suffer, and even run the risk of destruction. This policy is all themore reasonable in view of the fact already indicated, that it has not yet been found possible

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to determine whether a southern, central, or northern terminus on the Pacific should beselected.

The respective merits and demerits of the best central and southern termini are now known;but the northern terminus of Port Essington, hitherto a kind of "dark horse", is being brought tothe front, and it may yet be the favourite. But, in any case, it is clear that the speedycompletion of the link between Thunder Bay and Red River, and a vigorous colonization policy,constitute the key to the position.

In view of the obligations which Canada has assumed-obligations that no party dreams of repudiating, though there may be legitimate differences of opinion as to the mode in whichthey should be fulfilled, the question of paramount importance is. What are the capabilities of the North-west for settlement ? On this point, what has been proved in the course of the pastfour years ? Have the views then taken by the author after a rapid ride across the countrybeen borne out by the experience of settlers and explorers ? Have the difficulties in the way of colonization on a large scale become greater or less as they were approached ? Thesequestions can be easily answered. I have alluded to one cause or delay that has operatedagainst a more speedy settlement of Manitoba. Another, the grasshoper plague, has proved tobe a more serious drawback then the settlers in 1872 contemplated. But, this excepted, allreasonable expectations then entertained have been fulfilled. This Appendix is not intended to

serve as a guide book for emigrants. To those who wish a recent and readable book of thatkind, Hamilton's "Prairie Province" is recommended. All that can be done is to give a few factsand conclusions in the way of a general review.

The grasshoppers are dreaded in all the border States and Territories of America, as thelocusts were by the Jews in the days of Joel the prophet. Their first appearance in the RedRiver valley, of which we have any account, was in the year 1818. The Scotch settlers, broughtout under the auspices of the Earl of Selkirk, suffered severely from their ravages in 18181819 and 1820. Thirty-six years elapsed before their next invasion; and that was followed by asix years' respite.

From 1867 to 1870, and from 1873 to 1875, they did much damage. Last year Manitoba was

entirely free from their ravages; and the people generally believe that they have entered onanother period of exemption, and that should the pests reappear the settlers will besufficiently numerous and well organized to stamp them out. Those who are desirous of learning about the grasshoppers, their origin, range, flight, swarming, and the best means of prevention to be adopted by theisettlers attacked, I would refer to Mr. G. M. Dawson's Reportin connection with the British North America Boundary Commission (pp. 304-31 1). Noscientific work of such permanent value as this Report has been presented to the Governmentof the Dominion so far as known to me. While the Report is valuable as a contribution to theNatural Historyespecially the Geology of America, the lucid style of the whole, and the concluding chapters,on the capabilities of the country with reference to settlement, make it interesting to thegeneral reader. Mr. Dawson concludes that Manitoba, from its more northerly position and

proximity to the great forest regions-appears to be less liable to wide-spread visitations of thegrasshoppers than the regions further south, and that, as in those more exposed regions muchhas been done to limit or prevent their ravages, they can be successfully fought in Manitobawhen population has increased and the settlers have learned to combine against the commonenemy. It is also satisfactory to know that the North Saskatchewan country is not subject totheir visitations.

While every one now assigns to the grasshoppere their due weight, other obstacles, oncedreaded, have become less formidable as they were approached. Notwithstanding the fears of many, and the declarations of authorities, that neither the Red River nor the Saskatchewan

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could be utilized for steam navigation, steamers do navigate both rivers. The business done bythe Red River steamboats is so lucrative that one trip to Winnipeg has been known to repaythe owners the whole cost of the vessel. The practicability also of direct steam navigation fromthte City of Winnipeg to the north of Lake Winnipeg, a distance of three hundred and sixtymiles, has been demonstrated, and different trips have been made from above the GrandRapids at the mouth of the Saskatchewan for eight hundred miles to Fort Edmonton. It is nowcertain that the Saskatchewan and Lakes Winnipegosis and Manitoba can be utilized for trafficand intercourse by means of small steamers.

It is equally certain that the Mossy Portage-four miles long between Cedar Lake on theSaskatchewan and LakeWinnipegosis, and Meadow Portage, one and a-half miles long-between Lakes Winnipegosisand Manitoba, could be easily improved, and the channels at Coal and Tobin's Eapids bedeepened at a small expense. The extent of the water system immediately available is indeedmarvellous.

Again, notwithstanding the declared opinion of a high authority that a telegraph line could notbe constructed because there was not a sufficient supply of wood for posts on the plains, thereis now telegraphic communication from Winnipeg to the bases of the Rocky Mountains. Thisdifficulty, too, has been solved in the good old fashion. Solvitur ambitlando.

In 1859, the Edinburgh Review proved conclusively that the proposal to form the Red Riverand Saskatchewan country into a Crown Colony was a wild and wicked notion; that hailstones,Indians, frosts early and late, want of wood and water, rocks, bogs, and such like amenities,made settlement impossible. The answer is that in spite of the difficulties in the way of gettingto the country, and in spite of the unexpected vivacity of the grasshoppers, the population of the Red River Yalley has increased in four years from 12,000 to 40,000, and the population of Winnipeg from 700 to about 7,000. With regard to the healthfulness of the climate, thepleasantness of the long winters, and the fertility of the soil, travellers and residents haveborne unvarying testimony. For the production of cereals, pulse and root crops, and as a stock-raising country, there seems to be no better anywhere. The yield for 1876 is the best proof Asummary in the Toronto Daily Globe of a minute account in the Manitoba Free Press gives the

following averages for the Province as a whole : Wheat, 32½ bushels per acre; barley, 42½;oats, 51; peas, 32; potatoes, 229; turnips, 662½. Such was the result, although the unusuallysevere and late rains damaged the crops, and other drawbacks during the season operated tolower the average. On newly broken-up ground, where the old sod had never rotted, the yieldwas small; and many of the settlers had to sow old and decayed seed because of thegrasshopper ravages the preceding year.

The significance of an average like 32½ bushels of wheat to the acre will be best understood inthe light of the following rough calculation by Mr. Dawson : "As a measure of the possibleagiicultural capacity of this great valley, take one-half of the entire area, or 3,400 squaremiles, equalling 2,176,000 acres, and for simplicity of calculation let it be supposed to be sownentirely in wheat. Then, at the rate of 17 bushels per acre which, according to Prof. Thomas, is

the average yield for Minnesota the crop of the Red River Valley would amount to 40,992,000bushels " (p. 278). The total crop of Manitoba for 1876 was: Wheat, 480,000 bushels; barley,173,000; oats, 380,000; peas, 54,000; other grains, 5,000; potatoes, 460,000; turnips andother roots, 700,000.

With respect to the vast country beyond that North-west of which Manitoba is only thethreshold, we have much more definite information than we had, and eveiy year adds to ourstore. Besides the township surveys, which have already extended far beyond the Province, aspecial survey of meridians and bases is also going on. The lines are laid down northerly andwesterly, and the work is intended to extend to Peace River.

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The objects of the survey are to establish a practicable groundwork for the extension of township surveys at any point along the line of railway where they may be required, tofacilitate the location of the land grant along the line of railway, to obtain a systematicknowledge of the resources of the country, and to furnish information as to geographicposition and topography required for ihe accurate mapping of the Northwest.

With this last object in view the position of the bases and meridians in the series are being

definitely checked from time to time by means of a continuous triangulation carried on overthe most favourable belt of country that can be found, under the personal direction of Mr.Lindsay Russel.

The astronomic station on the 49th parallel at Pembina has been adopted as the point of departure for this triangulation.

Descriptive extracts from the Eeports of Township surveys in Manitoba and the North-west Territory, extending to Fort Ellice, have been published. These Reports mention the nature of the surface of each township surveyed, the kind and quality of the soil and timber, the supplyof water afforded by lakes, streams, springs and wells, with such other information as theintending settler requires most. Hundreds of townships in regular succession have been thus

described by the surveyors, and scarcely a score are declared unfit for settlement. The land isusually pronounced of "good quality" or "the finest 'quality;" "sandy loam," "deep dry loam," or"good black loam;" "level," "rolling" or "undulating prairie," "excellent," "very rich," or "first-class." Still further west than the valley of the Asainiboine settlements are springing intoexistence, especially on the banks and at the confluence of rivers. The half breeds are sellingtheir farms on the Red River, moving west, and establishing themselves on the Qu'Appelle, theSaskatchewan and its tributaries, and as far away as Peace River. These hardy bois-brulés willalways be the advance guard of the great army of regular immigrants. Our old fellow-traveller,the much-lamented Rev. George McDougal, writing in October, 1875, describes in simple,glowing language the fertility of the prairie, from the lower Saskatchewan south-westerly towithin sight of the Rocky Mountains, over which he himself had just travelled as a messengerof peace from the Government to the Indians. Writing from near the confluence of the Ked

Deer and Bow Rivers, he says : "A great change has come over the scene in the last fifteenmonths; men of business had found it to their interest to establish themselves on the banks of our beautiful river. A stock raiser from across the mountains had arrived with several hundredhead of cattle. And now on the very hills where two years ago I saw herds of buffalo, thedomestic cattle gently graze, requiring neither shelter nor fodder from their master all the yearround."

Concerning the country that extends from the lower Saskatchewan north-westerly to PeaceRiver, Prof. Macoun is even more emphatic. In his Report (1873) he asserts that "the prairiecountry extends all the way from the lower Saskatchewan by Lac La Biche across theArthabaska to Slave Lake, and thence to the mountains. Here then is a strip of country over600 miles in length, and at least 100 in breadth, containing an area of 60,000 square miles,

which has a climate in no way inferior to that of Edmonton . . . Regarding the quality of thesoil throughout the entire region, my note-book is unvarying in its testimony. I took everyopportunity to examine the soil, and always found it deep and fertile."

But it was only after Mr. Macoun visited Peace River in 1875, when he had time to explore thecountry fully, that his evidence regarding that far North-land becomes positively wonderful.

The entire district along Peace River for a distance of 760 miles, in a belt of 150 miles wide oneach side, or an area of 252,000,000 acres, is as suitable for the cultivation of grain as

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Ontario. Besides the peculiar excellence of the country for cereals, he had found thousands of acres of crystallized salt, 80 pure that it was used in its natural state by the H. B. Company.

Coal abounded in the richest veins, and was interstratified with hematite or iron ore yieldingfifty per cent. Thousands of acres of coal oil fields were found. The tar lying on the surface of the ground was ankle deep. Miles and miles of the purest gypsum beds cropped out of theriver banks. No wonder that he considers Peace River the richest part of Canada.

While such facts have been given us respecting the valley of the Red River and Assiniboine, of the Saskatchewan and its tributaries, and even of the Great Peace River, in what was formerlyconsidered the far frozen North, the testimony concerning our Southern boundary is morefavourable than was expected. All along the 49th parallel of latitude, between Red River VaUeyand the bases of the Rocky Mountains, the country was believed to be only a treeless rainlessdesert, a continuation of the great American desert, extending in a triangular shape well intoour North-west. Mr. G. M. Dawson, in his Report, describes the three great prairie steppesalong the boundary line (pp. 269-300), and shows that most of the first and much of thesecond is good. Even with regard to the third steppe he says : "The explorations in connectionwith the Boundary Survey have served to show that this country, formerly considered almostabsolutely desert, is not-with the exception of a limited area, of this character; that a part of itmay be of future importance agriculturally, and that a great area is well suited for pastoral

occupation and stock farming." Of course he believes that the progress of settlements will befrom the valley of the Red River to the Saskatchewan, following that to its head, and that thegreat pastoral area of the plains south of the Fertile Belt will be entered from the North.

Another matter that pressed itself on our attention four years ago was the apparent absenceof fresh water in many extensive districts. This difficulty, too, has been solved. "It is found thatthere are few regions where ordinary wells of moderate depth do not succeed in finding amplesupplies of water; and this not only far removed from the rivers, but in their immediatevicinity, though the water level of the stream may be considerably lower than that of thebottom of the well. The rather impervious nature of the prairie subsoil renders it probable thatthese wells are supplied either by intercalated coarser layers, or, as appears to be more likely,by water circulating in fissures; which, formed originally by the cracking of the soil at the

surface, often penetrate its homogeneous mass to a considerable depth. In the vicinity of Winnipeg boring has been extensively carried out; water is reached at an average depth of fifty feet, and it rises to within a few feet of the surface. The general section met with is thusstated : Black loam, about 4 feet; Yellow mud and sand, about 6 feet; Blue mud and alkali,about 30 feet; Limestone concrete, resembling the bed of a river, and carrying water .

Wherever there is alkali in the soil, the well is tubed round to prevent infiltration.

Another difficulty to which we called attention, the existence of great areas of treeless prairie,can be solved slowly but surely, as has been done in Minnesota and elsewhere by the exertionof settlers, encouraged by Government. It is indeed satisfactory to know that the surveys of the last two or three years have proved that the supply of wood is not so limited as was

generally supposed. The scanty supply between the Red River and Edmonton was declared bysome to be an almost insuperable barrier to railway construction, whereas it is now known thaton the first great section of the line that has been located the 270 miles from Selkirk toLivingstone, there is a good supply of timber; and as for the remaining five or six himdredmiles more than half the distance is through woodland. The late Minister of the Interiordevoted special attention to the subject of how best to encourage the general and systematicplanting of trees on almost treeless prairie, and as he has been appointed Governor of theNorthwest, he will be in a position to utilize the information he has collected, and carry out theplans that experience has shown to be best, and also to prevent or limit the prairie or forestfires that have been hitherto so destructive. The good effects of extensive tree-planting on the

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soil and on the climate can hardly be over-estimated. Professor Maooun says : "Oneconsequence of trees being planted will be a greater rain-fall"; and as a consequence of greater rain, fall the salts in the soil will be dissolved and carried off from the surface, and saltplants disappear. This is no fancy sketch, as it is a fact in physical geography that to clotheland with trees gives a greater rainfall, and takes away the salt. Any person acquainted withthe history of Palestine and North Africa knows that what were the most fruitful countries inthe world two thousand years ago are now barren saline wastes. The cause is well known.

The trees were cut down, none were planted in their place, the sun evaporated the rain beforeit had time to percolate the soil, salts accumulated, and in the course of time the land wasgiven up to perpetual barrenness." This subject is also exhaustively discussed in Mr. Dawson'sReport (p. 311 to 324).

The Indian question is the only remaining one upon which anything need be said, and itdeserves a chapter or a volume to itself. Since Ocean to Ocean was written there have beentwo Indian wars in the United States, one with the Modocs and another with the Sioux. Captain Jack and Sitting Bull have shown what loss of life and prestige, and what enormous expense ahandful of savages can inflict on a great nation, and we should give heed to the lesson. Whenour neighbour's house is on fire it becomes us to be on the alert. Other facts indicate howdeeply the honour and the interest of the Dominion is involved in preserving undisturbed our

traditional friendly relations with the Indian tribes on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. Hereis one fact that points a moral so flattering to the Dominion and to Great Britain that I shall notdraw it in words : During the two years that the Boundary Commission was doing its work, thescientific men engaged by the U. S. Government required the protection of a large militaryforce ; whereas the British and Canadian party, engaged on the other side of the line, had noescort and were never disturbed !

The first steps taken by the Domiuion Government to protect the Indians from ill-treatmentand from whiskey were in 1873, when Acts were passed for the establishment of the MountedPolice Force, and prohibiting the introduction of intoxicating liquors into the Territories. TheseActs, and the action consequent upon, have been attended with the happiest results. Orderreigns throughout the North-west. The fact that men charged with the murder of Indians have

been wrought a thousand miles across the great lone land and lodged in the Winnipeg prisonto await their trial, shows the length of the arm of Canada, and that the life of the Indian is assacred in the eye of the law as the life of any other subject of the Queen.

The trading posts and forts established by outlaws and desperadoes from the Western Stateson the Bow and Belly Rivers,that were demoralizing the Indians, have been completely broken up. Some of the borderruifians and whiskey traders have been caught, fined or imprisoned, and their stock of buffalorobes, when they had such-confiscated.

Others have recrossed the line, disgusted with British institutions. The Assistant Commissionerin charge at Fort McLeod reports "the complete stoppage of the whiskey triide throughout the

whole of this section of the country, and that the drunken riots which in former years werealmost of daily occurrence, were now entirely at an end." He also reports that the Indians,Blackfeet, Assiniboines, and Crees, are very intelligent men, very hospitable, and very friendly;and that they appreciate highly the boon conferred on them by the Government inestablishing the Force among them. "Their delight is unbounded when I tell them that I expectto remain with them always." The Force is usually stationed at Forts Pelly, Carlton, Edmonton,Walsh, and McLeod.

Up to 1872 only two treaties had been made with the Indians in our North-west. By the firstthe Indian title was extinguished in Manitoba; and in a wide region north and west of the

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Province, by the second. Partly in consequence of more favourable terms subsequentlygranted to Indians elsewhere, and partly in consequence of the non-fulfilment of what wereknown as "Outside Promises," the Indians included in those treaties became dissatisfied. Amemorandum containing certain understandings, it seems, had been appended to the originaldraft of the treaty and this had not been sanctioned. But the Indians never forget. They feltthat they had been cheated.

The Government wisely adjusted the difficulty by directing that the memorandum should be

considered part of the treaties. The annual payment to each Indian included under them was raised from $3 to $5; a furtherannual payment of $20 allowed to each Chief; and a suit of clothing every three years to eachChief and Headman.

Since 1872, five treaties have been made by Governor Morris with difierent tribes of Indians. InOctober, 1873, Treaty No III.was made at the North-west Angle of the Lake of the Woods withthe Saulteaux tribe of the Ojibbeways, by which the country between Ontario and Manitoba-now forming the Territory of Kewatin-was ceded. In September, 1874, Treaty No. IV. was madeat Qu'Appelle Lakes with the Crees, Saulteaux, and mixed breeds, by which 75,000 squaremiles were ceded. In September, 1875, Treaty No. V. was made at Beren's River and atNorway House with the Saulteaux and Swampy Cree Tribes, extinguishing their title to the

territory all round Lake Winnipeg. Last year treaties were made with the Plain Crees at FortsCarlton and Pitt, covering 121,000 square miles, by which the Indian title over the remainderof the North-west, except the country of the Blackfeet, has been extinguished.

The Blackfeet are to be dealt with this year, when Governor Morris' experience of Treaty-making ought to be sufficient to qualify him for dealing with them or even with the Easternquestion. The Blackfeet have always taken rank as perhaps the boldest and bravest tribe inAmerica, and it was generally thought that they would give trouble sooner or later ; but wehave learned that they desire our friendship and protection. Keep whiskey from them, andthey keep the peace.

What is the secret of our wonderful success in dealing with the Indian. It can be told in very

few words. We acknowledge their title and right to the land ; and a treaty once made withthem, we keep it. Lord Duiferin has pointed out what is involved in our acknowledgment thatthe original title to the land exists in the Indian tribes and communities. "Before we touch anacre, we make a treaty with the chiefs representing the bands we are dealing with, and havingagreed upon and paid the stipulated price . . . we enter into possession, but not until then dowe consider that we are entitled to deal with an acre." It is well that this should be clearlyunderstood, because the Indians themselves have no manner of doubt on the subject. At theNorth-west Angle, chief after chief said to the Governor : " This is what we think, that the GreatSpirit has planted us on this ground where we are, as you were where you came from. Wethink that where we are is our property." And they have wonderfully English notions about allthat the possession of the land involves ; that the land includes the buildings on it, and thattrespass is not allowable. When Mr Dawson, one of the Commissioners, at the outset of the

negotiations, told them how desirable it was for them to have a treaty, they answered himvery plainly, that there were other matters that ought to be settled first ; that promises hadbeen made to them when the road was built that had not been fulfilled; and that theyregarded, therefore, all the houses on the line, and all the big boats on the waters as theirs, tillthey were recompensed for them. The only answer His Honour could give to them was to fallback on first principles that would make the hair of an English Squire or Judge stand on end"Wood and water," he assured them, "were the gift of the Great Spirit, and were made alike forthe good both of the white and red man." Being well assured that the land is theirs, theydemand compensation for it as a right. And who will question their right ? Those vast rollingprairies, those gently sloping or bold broken hills, those sparkling lakes covered with wild fowl

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and stocked with fish, are theirs by inheritance and by possession. They did not, after thefashion of white men, divide their property up into separate estates. Had they done so, no onewould have questioned. their title. But that the country that has always yielded them supportis their own and not ours, they firmly and rightly believe. The tribe holds the land and thewood and the water for common use. Surely, then, it is only fair that, before arranging to runoar railroads through it, or inviting European emigrants to go in and take possession-we shouldmeet the Indians in friendly council, buy their rights and extinguish their title. They are readyto meet us half-way. Though brave and proud, they are willing to admit our superiority.

Though few in number, and every year becoming fewer, they would be formidable as enemies,for they are magnificent horsemen, and could support themselves on the great plains whereordinary troops would starve. Though born hunters, and almost as fond of a buffalo run as of fire-water, they are-under missionary influences-betaking themselves in some places toagriculture and stock-raising, and their most intelligent men see that it is necessary for themto abandon their nomad for a settled life, if they are to exist alongside of white men. Hithertothe buffalo has been to them what the potato was to the Irish before the great famine. Thebuffalo has been more; house, clothing, harness-leather, cordage, thread, as well as food. Butthe buffalo is beginning to be a less certain element. The buffalo disappears before civilization,and Chippewa, Cree, and Blackfeet must be civilized, or they too will disappear.

Some, people smile at the notion of treaties with a few thousand half-naked, painted savages.

And to him who sees only the ludicrous in anything different from his own use and wont, thescene may appear a travesty of treaty-making. Any infringement on his rights would be aserious matter. But how can anything be important to an Indian ? My friend, the Indian is aman, and God has implanted the sense of justice in the breast of all men. To the Indian hisland or fishing ground is as important as it would be to you, and the memory of his fathersmay be as sacred.. Said the Lac Seul Chief at Northwest Angle : "We do not wish that any oneshould smile at our affairs, as we think our country is a large matter to us." Something morethan making a treaty is needed. It must be kept to the letter and in the spirit. I am not awarethat the Indians ever broke a treaty that was fairly and solemnly made.

They believe in the sanctity of an oath; and to a Christian nation, a treaty made with truebelievers, heretics, or pagans, with mosque-goers or with church-goers, should be equally

binding.

The words of Mawedopinias, who with Pow-wa-sang had carried on the negotiations thatresulted in the North-west Angle Treaty, show that their eyes are open when they treat withus, and that their covenants are meant to be sacred. The business having been completed, hestepped up to tlip Governor and said : "Now you see me stand before you all. What has beendone here to-day has been done openly before the Great Spirit, and before the nation, and Ihope that I may never hear any one say that this treaty has been done secretly; and now, inclosing this Council, I take off my glove, and in giving you my hand, I deliver you over mybirth-right and lands; and in taking your hand I hold fast all the promises you have made, and Ihope they will last as long as the sun goes round and the water flows, as you have said." TheGovernor took his hand and said : "I accept your hand, and with it the lands, and will keep all

my promises, in the firm belief that the treaty now to be signed will bind the Red man and theWhite together as friends for ever." The copy of the treaty was then prepared and duly signed. The hereditary Chieftain, who is said to have seen a hundred summers, was brought forwardto sign it first. The Governor handed him the pen. He hesitated, and said that he expected tohave been paid the money.

"Take my hand," said the Governor, at the same time extending it; " see, it is full of money."He looked in his face, took the offered hand, and signed the treaty.

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To break a treaty made with those old lords and sons of the soil would be worse than to breakone made with a nation able to resent a breach of faith.

The speech of the Governor-General to the people of "Victoria last September made known toall Canada that there is one Province in the Dominion where the Indians feel themselvesaggrieved, and aggrieved because the fundamental principle of British and Canadian policyhad been ignored by the Provincial Government in its dealings with them. "In British Columbia,except in a few cases under the jurisdiction of the H. B. Company, or under the auspices of Sir

James Douglas, the Government assumed that the fee-simple of as well as the sovereigntyover the land resided in the Queen. Hence interferences with the prescriptive rights of theIndians, and dissatisfaction on their part." The annual reports of the Department of the Interiorhave been full of this subject for several years past, but the gravity of the situation has notbeen understood by the public. How very grave it is, one declaration of Mr. Powell, the IndianCommissioner, shows : "If," he reports, "there has not been an Indian war, it is not becausethere has been no injustice to the Indians, but because the Indians have not been sufficientlyunited." He also reports that the Indian bands at Nicola and Okanagan Lakes wholly declinedto accept any presents in the summer of 1874, lest by so doing they should be thought towaive their claims for compensation for the injustice done them in relation to the land grants.

What makes this worse and worse is that the Indians of British Columbia greatly outnumber

the white population, that they contribute to a very marked extent to the financial prosperityof the Province, and that they have made astonishing progress wherever pains have beentaken to teach them anything useful. The following table, taken from Commissioner Powell'sReport, gives a comparative statement of their exports for 1874 and 1875 of fish, fish oil andfurs :

1874 1875

Fish 169,665 Fish $114,170Oil 54,453 Oil 19,816Furs 307,625 Furs 411,810Cranberries 2,011 Cranberries 3,568

$423,754 $549,364

Nearly the whole of the above exports are contributed by Indians. Mr. Lenihan, theCommissioner of the Mainland Division of the Province, writes in his last Report that the Chief of the Lower Fraser Indians addressed him at a recent interview in the following language:"You told us that our Great Mother the Queen was good and powerful, and we believed you.We know that she has only to speak to this Gov ernment and our lands must be fixed(defined); we wonder why our Great Mother does not speak. We want you to tell her what wehave said. We were promised 80 acres of land to each family, and now we are treated likechildren and put off with 20 acres, which is not enough if we are to do like the white men. Shallwe be obliged to turn to our old ways ? The Chief spoke in a tone of deep earnestness. He is aremarkably intelligent, clever man. The comfortable appearance of the dwellings of his tribe,

and the neat and substantial church erected and finished by himself at his own village, speakwell for his industry and skill. The Indians of British Columbia, as a rule, are sober, industrioas,self-reliant, and law-abiding.

They labour in the saw-mills, the logging camp, the field, the store-in fact, in every departmentwhere labour is required, and are fairly remunerated." Lord Dufferin has paid a just tribute tothe wonderful success of the Rev. Mr. Duncan at Metlakatlah, a man whom the Church of England may well class with her Selwyns and Pattesons, "of the neat Indian maidens in hisschool, as modest and as well dressed as any clergyman's daughter in an English parish," and"of scenes of primitive peace and innocence, of idyllic beauty and material comfort" in an

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Indian community under the administration of a judicious and devoted Christian missionary.Agentleman who cannot speak like His Excellency, but who has had a longer acquaintancewith the Indians of British Columbia, and who has employed hundreds of them on siirveys andother work, writes me as follows concerning the Nicola Lake, and Thompson and Lower EraserIndians, many of whom are under the missionary care of the Rev. Mr. Good : "They are a mostpromising community, and doubtless much is due to Mr. Good's teaching. They are not onlyregular in their devotional exercises, but industrious, honest, sober, and tidy in their personsand dress. And they are the most spirited Indians I have yet met in B. C. It was one of their

Chiefs who refused the presents of the Commissioner, for fear that by accepting them hemight prejudice the claims of his tribe for. lands, which they believed had been unjustly takenfrom them and sold by the Local Government ; and one of his Klootchmen knocked a cigar outof his.hand, which he had accepted, and crushed it withher foot." To plunder such people of their land, village sites fishing stations, burial grounds, or favourite resorts, would be a blunderas well as a crime. The policy that has succeeded in all the other Provinces and Territories of the Dominion must be applied to British Columbia, and in no Province are we likely to seemore splendid results.

The colonization of the North-west, and the construction of the work that is to bind all Canadatogether with links of steel from Ocean to Ocean, are enterprises which, in the minds of Canadians who believe in the future of their country, transcend all ordinary political questions

Such enterprises do not belong to the region of party politics. They are not for men whosevision is bounded by the present hour and by their own locality.

Statesmen understand their transcendent importance ; for statesmen are those who divine theinstincts of the people they govern.

The brief review that has been given in this Appendix shows that progress has been made inthe course of the past four years. We can see that not only have we been moving, but thatcertain great aims have been sis steadily kept in view as if one mind had controlled the workfrom the beginning. These are (1) the shortest and best line between the prairie region andthe navigation of Lake Superior; (2) the shortest and best line from Ottawa to the Pacific; (3)preparations for general and extensive colonization of the fertile interior. In connection with

these aims-which are really one, for they all go together, the one depending upon and helpingthe other-th« rate of progress has been rapid enough to satisfy reasonable expectations. Fouryears is not a long period in the history of a country; and to hasten surely, it is necessary tohasten slowly.

Two or three sentences are enough to show where we now stand.

The Railway located for almost the whole 1,450 miles from the northern bend of Lake Superiorto the watershed of the Rocky Mountains; construction commenced at several points; andtelegraphic communication established over most of that distance.

When the western end of the line is located, the waters of the West and of the East shall

appear sketched before us as linked by an unbroken chain, only 2,000 miles long, and withthousands of workmen hammering at the links. While so much has been done from LakeSuperior westward, the eastern end of the great work has not been wholly neglected.

Nor should it. Our great work is not to end in a harbour that is frozen up for half the year. ACanada Pacific Railway with a missing link anywhere would be an abstirdity. It is true that aforbidding wilderness stretches from the Upper Ottawa to Lake Superior; but wildernessesmust be traversed to reach lands flowing with milk and honey. If a telegraph be constructed,the two halves of the Dominion can at once commu nicate with each other. And a telegraphalong the proposed Railway line means a road; a road enables prospectors to go in and

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explore; prospectors are followed by settlers; in due time clearings penetrate the forest to theright and left of the main road; and soon the Railway becomes even a local necessity. [For alucid exposition of how the Territorial Road System is the precursor of Railways, see apamphlet submitted to the Government of the Province of Canada in 1868, by SandfordFleming, entitled "Observations and Practical Suggestions on the Subject of a Railway throughBritish North America"].

There should be steady progress of some kind every year in the direction of opening up the

great woodland region. A continuous advance, little by little, in time accomplishes a long journey.

He who considers our widely separated Provinces and their recent confederation, the variouselements that compose our population and the necessary burdens that must be first borne byit, may well wonder, not that so little but that so much has been done in prosecuting a giganticenterprise that promises no immediate results. But not as the result of accident, nor out of theday dreams of enthusiasts, nor because politicians willed it so, did the Dominion of Canadacome into being. It seemed only a political experiment, and many predicted its failure.

For few men. are gifted with the penetrative eye that can distinguish between experiment anddevelopment. The Dominion was a natural and necessary growth. And now, after active trial

for nearly a decade, it stands before the Empire an acknowledged success. The machinery isworking well and getting smoother every year. Blunders have been committed, because thoseengaged on the work were only men ; but blunders are forgotten by all except some of thebaser sort. True work endures, and great aims are inspirations. No Canadian would forget orforgive a party that abandoned the idea of making all British America one country. But greataims must be wrought out in detail, and practical and responsible men are the only judges of what can be done from year to year.

I shall not parade statistics to show the material progress that we are making, for materialprogress is only one, and not the most important, element in the history of a people. Thegrowth of national sentiment throughout every part of the great Dominion, unattendedpossibly with the noisy ebullitions that more excitable peoples delight in, more than

corresponds to our material progress. And insight into our stock and fibre, combined with thattrue imagination that realizes manifest destiny, imagination which is the vision of the peoplemore than of the most gifted individual of the people, entitles Canadians, while legitimatelycherishing pride in the past and present, to look forward with confidence to the future of theircountry.

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In 1872, Sir John A. Macdonald and other high-ranking politicians, bribed in the Pacific Scandal,granted federal contracts to Hugh Allan's "Canada Pacific Railway Company" (which wasunrelated to the current company) and to the Inter-Ocean Railway Company. Because of thisscandal, the Conservative party was removed from office in 1873. The new Liberal prime

minister, Alexander Mackenzie, began construction of segments of the railway as a publicenterprise under the supervision of the Department of Public Works. The Thunder Bay branchlinking Lake Superior to Winnipeg was commenced in 1875. Progress was discouragingly slowbecause of the lack of public money. With Sir John A. Macdonald's return to power on October16, 1878, a more aggressive construction policy was adopted. Macdonald confirmed that PortMoody would be the terminus of the transcontinental railway, and announced that the railwaywould follow the Fraser and Thompson rivers between Port Moody and Kamloops. In 1879, thefederal government floated bonds in London and called for tenders to construct the 206 km(128 mile) section of the railway from Yale, British Columbia to Savona's Ferry on KamloopsLake. The contract was awarded to Andrew Onderdonk, whose men started work on May 15,1880. After the completion of that section, Onderdonk received contracts to build between Yale and Port Moody, and between Savona's Ferry and Eagle Pass.

On October 21, 1880, a new syndicate, unrelated to Hugh Allan's, signed a contract with theMacdonald government. They agreed to build the railway in exchange for $25,000,000(approximately $625,000,000 in modern Canadian dollars) in credit from the Canadiangovernment and a grant of 25,000,000 acres (100,000 km2) of land. The governmenttransferred to the new company those sections of the railway it had constructed undergovernment ownership. The government also defrayed surveying costs and exempted therailway from property taxes for 20 years. The Montreal-based syndicate officially comprisedfive men: George Stephen, James J. Hill, Duncan McIntyre, Richard B. Angus and John StewartKennedy. Donald A. Smith and Norman Kittson were unofficial silent partners with a significantfinancial interest. On February 15, 1881, legislation confirming the contract received royalassent and The Canadian Pacific Railway Company was formally incorporated the next day.

It was assumed that the railway would travel through the rich "Fertile Belt" of the NorthSaskatchewan River valley and cross the Rocky Mountains via the Yellowhead Pass, a routesuggested by Sir Sandford Fleming based on a decade of work. However, the CPR quicklydiscarded this plan in favour of a more southerly route across the arid Palliser's Triangle inSaskatchewan and through Kicking Horse Pass over the Field Hill. This route was more directand closer to the American border, making it easier for the CPR to keep American railwaysfrom encroaching on the Canadian market. However, this route also had severaldisadvantages.

One consequence was that the CPR would need to find a route through the Selkirk Mountains,as at the time it was not known whether a route even existed. The job of finding a pass was

assigned to a surveyor named Major Albert Bowman Rogers. The CPR promised him a chequefor $5,000 and that the pass would be named in his honour. Rogers became obsessed withfinding the pass that would immortalize his name. He discovered the pass in 1883, and true toits word, the CPR named the pass "Rogers Pass" and gave him the cheque. This however, he atfirst refused to cash, preferring to frame it, and saying he did not do it for the money. He lateragreed to cash it with the promise of an engraved watch.

Another obstacle was that the proposed route crossed land was controlled by the BlackfootFirst Nation. This difficulty was overcome when a missionary priest, Albert Lacombe,persuaded the Blackfoot chief Crowfoot that construction of the railway was inevitable. In

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return for his assent, Crowfoot was famously rewarded with a lifetime pass to ride the CPR. Amore lasting consequence of the choice of route was that, unlike the one proposed by Fleming,the land surrounding the railway often proved too arid for successful agriculture. The CPR mayhave placed too much reliance on a report from naturalist John Macoun, who had crossed theprairies at a time of very high rainfall and had reported that the area was fertile.

The greatest disadvantage of the route was in Kicking Horse Pass. In the first 6 km (3.7 miles)west of the 1,625 metre (5,330 ft) high summit, the Kicking Horse River drops 350 metres

(1,150 ft). The steep drop would force the cash-strapped CPR to build a 7 km (4.5 mile) longstretch of track with a very steep 4.5% gradient once it reached the pass in 1884. This wasover four times the maximum gradient recommended for railways of this era, and evenmodern railways rarely exceed a 2% gradient. However, this route was far more direct thanone through the Yellowhead Pass and saved hours for both passengers and freight. Thissection of track was the CPR's Big Hill. Safety switches were installed at several points, thespeed limit for descending trains was set at 10 km per hour (6 mph) and special locomotiveswere ordered. Despite these measures, several serious runaways still occurred. CPR officialsinsisted that this was a temporary expediency, but this state of affairs would last for 25 yearsuntil the completion of the Spiral Tunnels in the early 20th century.

In 1881 construction progressed at a pace too slow for the railway's officials, who in 1882

hired the renowned railway executive William Cornelius Van Horne, to oversee constructionwith the inducement of a generous salary and the intriguing challenge of handling such adifficult railway project. Van Horne stated that he would have 800 km (500 miles) of main linebuilt in 1882. Floods delayed the start of the construction season, but over 672 km (417 miles)of main line, as well as various sidings and branch lines, were built that year. The Thunder Baybranch (west from Fort William) was completed in June 1882 by the Department of Railwaysand Canals and turned over to the company in May 1883, permitting all Canadian lake and railtraffic from eastern Canada to Winnipeg for the first time in Canada's history.But not all is going well with the route of the railway and Fleming is called back to look againat the problem of driving the railway through The Rocky Mountains.

ENGLAND AND CANADAA SUMMER TOUR BETWEEN OLD AND NEWWESTMINSTER

WITH HISTORICAL NOTES

BY SANDFORD FLEMING, C.E., C.M.G., Etc.

LONDON : SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE & RIVINGTON

1884.

Entered according to Act of Parliament of Canada, in the year 1884, by Sandford Fleming,in The Office of the Minister of Agriculture

GAZETTE PRINTING COMPANY, MONTREAL

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE MARQUIS OF LORNE G.C.M.G., P.C, AC, AC, ONE OF Canada'struest and warmest friends, WITH SINCERE RESPECT THIS RECORD OF A JOURNEY FROM THEIMPERIAL CAPITAL TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN, THROUGH CANADIAN TERRITORY, IS DEDICATED,

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CHAPTER XX. ON PACIFIC WATERS.

New Westminster - Enormous Forest Trees - English Broom - Port Moody - Down Burrard Inlet -Sea Fog - Navigation by Echo - Straits of Georgia - The St. Juan Archipelago - Seamanship -Victoria

CHAPTER XXI. BRITISH COLUMBIA.

Sir Francis Drake - Mears - Vancouver - Astor - Hudson's Bay- Company - Gold Discoveries -Climate - Timber - Fisheries - Minerals - Mountain Scenery

CHAPTER XXII. HOME BY THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.

Puget Sound - The Columbia - Portland - Oregon and San Juan Disputes - Arid Country -Mountain Summits - The Yellowstone - The Missouri - The Red River - Chicago - Standard TimeMeeting - The British Association - Home

CHAPTER XXIII. THE INDIANS.

Indian Population - The Government Policy - Indian Instincts - The Hudson's Bay Company -Fidelity and Truthfulness of Indians - Aptitude for Certain Pursuits - The Future of the Red Man

CHAPTER XXIV. THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY.

Rapid Construction - Travelling Old and New - Beginning of Pacific Railway - Difficulties - PartyWarfare - The Line North of Lake Superior - The United States Government- Mountain Passes -Soil and Gimate - National Parks - Pacific Terminus.

CHAPTEE XXV. CONCLUSION.

England and Canada - Old and New Colonial Systems - Political Exigencies - The High

Commissioners - Lord Lorne's Views - The Future - The French Element in Canada - ColonialFederation - The Larger Union

ENGLAND and CANADA

A Journey between OLD and NEW WESTMINSTERby Sandford Fleming G.E., C.M.G., etc.

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY

If we carry ourselves in imaginatioii to that part of North America nearest to Europe, we findthat we have reached the most easterly coast of the Island of Newfoundland, an outlyingportion of the continent. Standing on Cape Bonayista and looking from this promontory oyerthe waste of waters, we discover that between the Equator and Grreenland the Atlantic Oceanis generally of much greater width in every other parallel than opposite our present position :that its breadth rapidly increases as we proceed southward, if but a few degrees of latitude,and that, in the parallels of New York or Philadelphia, the ocean is more than double the width. Towards the continent of Europe the first land the eye rests upon is that of the British Islands.Four centuries back the first recorded discoverer of Newfoundland sailed from those shores,and from the time of the Tudor monarchs this stretch of ocean has ibeen nuceasingly

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traversed by European ships. It has thus been the cradle of ocean navigation. Adventurousmen, who planted the early settlement of America, crossed to the new world on this narrowbelt. The vessels which carried them were indeed frail craft compared with the creations of modern ship-building.

But, step by step, they were enlarged and developed to the magnificent clipper, which againhas been supplanted by the still more magnificent ocean steamer.

In old days, even in a sailing vessel of large tonnage, a sea voyage was frequentlyaccompanied with much misery. It was not uncommon for emigrants to be detained at sea asmany weeks as now days are needed for the voyage. Ships might be retarded or driven backby adverse gales, or they might remain in mid-ocean, becalmed in water as unruffled as amirror of glass. Steam has revolutionised these conditions. Instead of ships being turned farfrom their course by contrary winds, or with flapping canvas waiting for a fair breeze, webehold on the waters of the Atlantic fleets of swift steamers, carrying thousands of passengersto and fro with the regularity of the daily post between two neighbouring cities. Howeverformidable the voyage once was, its greater drawbacks are now removed. A steam ferry hasbeen practically established between the two continents, and transportation is effected withscarcely less regularity than between opposite "banks of a navigable river. The path of theocean steamer has in reality become, as it were, the Queen's highway; and were anything

wanting to facilitate intercourse, we possess it in the telegraph. If this belt of ocean has beenthe nursery of the ocean steamers, it has also given birth to ocean telegraphy. In no part of the world are so many submarine cables laid along the ocean bed as in this direction. We livein a period when instantaneous communications from continent to continent are as easilyeffected as from county to county. Year by year the facilities of intercourse, both by steamshipand by telegraph, are increasing in a manner to bind closer than ever, by the ties of mutualbenefit and common interest, the different members of the British family. On the one hand,the Canadian is enabled to visit the old land, where his traditions have been gathered, andwhere there is a history in which he can claim an inherited participation. On the other, itprovides the youth of the Mother Country with an outlet by which he may gain a home with akindred people, who revere the same memories, and who will cordially welcome his labour andenergies to aid in strengthening and consolidating the institutions of that portion of the

Empire.

From a multiplicity of causes, there are different shades of character and thought todistinguish the several members of the British family. They are called into being bygeographical position, by race, by climate and other influences. Diversities exist, and whyshould it not be so ? It is a shallow and unwise pretension which would ignore the fact.

The inhabitants of neighbouring counties, even the members of one family, have not the samecharacteristics or identical likes and dislikes. As in the family so in the state. It is natural, andin some respects advantageous, that varieties of character and power should be traceable; onthe other hand, as the family likeness may be seen in a group of individuals, however in manyrespects they may differ, an essential unity of national life and sentiment may be found one

and the same amid characteristics the most divergent. The people of Canada and of Englanddiffer as the current coin of the realm differs. While in the currency there are dissimilarities of name, of value, of colour and of metal, all are impressed with the stamp of the one sovereign;so in the people there are diversities, but all can be recognized as British subjects.

If we turn our eyes in the direction opposite to Europe, we find Newfoundland situated as abar- rier between the outer ocean and an inner sea; the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Whatever itsdestiny, Newfoundland is the one portion of British North America which has not allied herfortunes with the Canadian Dominion. Geographically, the island stands as a gigantic

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breakwater to shelter from the surges of the Atlantic the continent to the west, and to protectthe entrance of the St. Lawrence.

The Gulf of St. Lawrence has been compared to the Baltic, but, unlike the Baltic, having butone narrow channel of entry, it is approachable from the ocean by two wide navigableopenings. These passages - the Straits of Belle Isle and St. Paul - lie to the north and south of Newfoundland. Around this inner Baltic-like sea we behold the Maritime Provinces of NovaScotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, to which may be added the eastern portion

of Quebec. These Provinces occupy an extensive coast line, indented with bays and capaciousharbours, presenting all the facilities for shipping, commerce and fisheries. They are boundtogether, and to the other Provinces of the Dominion, by one trade, one tariff and by onecommon nationality; on the other hand, they have each distinct local institutions for their owndomestic government.

Continuing our glance westward, a thousand miles from Bonavista, beyond the ancient fortressof Quebec, we behold Montreal, the commercial metropolis of the Dominion. Here are seenocean steamers of the largest class discharging cargoes loaded twelve days back in Liverpool,Griasgow and other parts of Europe. Advancing our view another thousand miles, overcultivated fields and flourishing cities and lakes of unrivalled magnitude, our vision carries usthrough deep forests beyond the Province of Ontario to the confines of Manitoba, in the middle

of the continent. Still another thousand miles to the west, across prairies abounding with afabulous fertility of soil, we reach the foot-hills of a snow-capped mountain range, concealingthe country which lies beyond it. To penetrate this barrier we must advance by the knownpasses, and for hundreds of miles follow deep defiles, traversing further mountain ranges, untilwe reach the wide grassy plateau interspersed with picturesque lakes in the heart of BritishColumbia. "We may still pierce another serrated wall of mountains by a deep and ruggedvalley, and, by following a tortuous and foaming river to its mouth, we meet the flow of tide of another ocean far greater in extent than that which lies behind us.

Carrying our vision beyond the shore of the western mainland, across a strait similar to thatseparating England from Europe, we see the Island of Vancouver, washed by currents warmedin the seas of Asia. Vancouver Island is not quite so large as England, but it enjoys the same

climatic conditions, and possesses in profusion many of the same mineral treasures.British Columbia is the youngest colony of the Empire, and until recently was practically themost distant from the Imperial centre. Its chief city bears the name of Her Majesty. The sundoes not rise on Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, until eight hours after it gilds thetowers of Westminster. One-third of the complete circle of the globe separates the Imperialcapital from the capital of the Pacific Provinces, but no land intervenes which is not British, andthe whole distance is under the shadow of the one national flag.

In imagination we first glanced across the ocean at its narrowest limit. Turning our glancelandward, we have looked across a continent at its greatest width. All we have scanned, fromsea to sea, is Canada. The vast proportions of the Dominion, its varied features, its lakes andrivers, mountains and plains, its sources of wealth and magnificent scenery, are but little

known to Englishmen. A country to be known must be seen.

It is not enough to examine a terrestrial globe or ponder over maps and geographies in orderto form an estimate of the character of half a continent.

They suggest but a faint idea of territorial extent.

You must traverse its different sections, and bestow time in examining its fields and forests, itsnatural landscape, its cities and its civilization.

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There are few, indeed, who possess anything like an adequate conception of the immenseextent and resources of the Dominion. It is scarcely possible even for Canadians themselves toconceive the wealth of territory and the varied magnificence of scenery and the productivecapacity of the land, the destinies of which it is their privilege to control.

During the past summer (1883), circumstances induced the writer to visit England, to recrossthe Atlantic, and make a journey through the whole extent of Canada to the Pacific coast. Therailway took him to the base of the Rocky Mountains. From thence he entered the passes, and

by pack-horse and on foot he followed the route proposed to be taken by the Canadian PacificRailway through British Columbia.

As is customary in such circumstances, the writer sent home, at conyenient opportunities, adiary of his daily progress. He is aware that the notes of travel which have interest for a circleof intimate friends, have often but slender claim to public attention. These notes, however,give a sketch of the first continuous journey ever made, indeed the only one yet attempted,through the whole longi- tudinal extent of the Dominion by the route taken.

From the interest which has been attached to his notes of travel, the writer has been prevailedupon to prepare them forpublication, and, with the view of supplying such information as the future traveller may

desire, a few historical notes have been included in the narrative.

Canada is certainly not within the actual geographical limits of the Mother Land, yet it is nomere rhetorical phrase to say that this half of the North American continent has become anintegral part of the Empire. Seventeen years ago, when the British North American Act of 1867, creating the Dominion, passed the Imperial Parliament, British and Canadian statesmenlaid the foundation of a great future for the confederated provinces. From that date Canadahas steadily, step by step, done her part to realize all that was then foreshadowed of herfutiire. She undertook to establish a highway for commerce through her forests, prairies andmountains, to connect the most distant Provinces. In a short time the national highway will beopened from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Canada will become a recognised centralcommercial link between England and Asia.

The writer ventures to think that the record of the journey he made, will show how closelyEngland and Canada are brought together by the modern agencies of steam and electricity.Equally it will be obvious, how easily the British subject in Canada may revivify oldassociations; and how the denizen of the United Kingdom can, without discomfort, visit thewhole extent of the Dominion, to enjoy the varied scenery in the many forms in which it ispresented. The writer sincerely hopes that what he ventures now to submit may beinstrumental in leading others to enjoy what proved to him a delightful summer tour by seaand land.

It is not without diffidence that he yields to the wish expressed for the publication of his notes.

He is desirous, however, of establishing that such a journey as he has accomplished presentsmany other points of attraction independent of the beauty of the scenery and novelty of theassociations.

There is much to repay enquiry in the examination of our system of government and of theinstitutions of the several Provinces; in ethnological developments; and in geological andkindred scientific researches. It will be found, too, that there is a past history which givesattraction to many a scene, and in all that constitutes and promotes the advance of nationsthere is presented much of varied interest worthy of investigation.

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The writer does not hide from himself the fact that, in describing scenes and events, he maysay much that is well known to many. He makes no pretension to original research. Hisendeavour is simply to present the notes of his journey side by side with some leadinghistorical facts, in a way which may admit of generalization and be useful to the ordinaryreader. Hence it is not impossible that the professional litterateur may, with a certaincynicism, consider that the following pages contain much that is not worth the record.

The two voyages across the ocean and the journey over the continent embraced a total

distance travelled of about 14,000 miles, the eastern and western portions of which began andended at Halifax.

CHAPTER II. HALIFAX TO LIVERPOOL

Halifax - Cunard Line - Intercolonial Railway - Truro - Travelling by Pullman - New Brunswick -Miramichi - Great Fires in New Brunswick - Salmon Fishing - Micmac Indians - Rimouski - S. S.Parisian - The first Ocean Steamer the Royal William - Incidents of Ocean Voyage - Arrival

Halifax, selected for its excellence as a harbour in connection with its geographical position, iswell known throughout the world as one of the most important stations for the British Navy.For upwards of a century it has been pre-eminently the Admiralty port for the British fleet in

North Atlantic waters, and it was its superiority as a harbour in all respects which determinedthe demolition of Louisburg in 1756. It was held that no second nayal arsenal was required inproximity to Halifax, and consequently not one stone was left standing upon another atLouisburg after its second capture. The enterprise of the city has intimately connected itsname with the history of the nayigation of the ocean. Ships of Nova Scotia may be seen onevery sea, and it is here that the centre has been, around which the commerce of the Provincerevolved. It was in Halifax that the Cunard Steamship Company took its origin, under thedistinguished family who have so long lived there : an organization which may well be con-sidered one of the most successful known. For nearly half a century the record of theirimmense fleet shows that not a passenger has been lost or a letter miscarried. The irreverentFrederick the Great was wont to say that Providence was generally on the side of large armies.His own good fortune in the field was owing, however, mainly to his supervision of the simplest

detail and attention to discipline. In a similar manner the unprecedented success and theperfect organization of the Cunard Company must be traced to the unwonted care andvigilance continually observed in connection with the enterprise. The principle laid down by Mr.Cunard was that nothing was to be left to chance; that the best of all material andworkmanship was to be obtained in the construction of his steamers; that the crew were to besubjected to the strictest discipline ; and that no possible care or precaution, even in thesimplest detail, was to be omitted. The result of these efforts from the initiation of thecompany is seen in the magnificent Cunard fleet : a noble monument to the name it bears.

My connection with Halifax sprang from my relationship with the Intercolonial Eailway, theexplorations of which I was appointed to conduct in 1863, and of which I remained Chief Engineer until its completion in 1876. My acquaintance with, this locality consequently extends

back twenty years. I have formed there many warm friendships, which I am happy to think Istill retain, and scarcely a year goes by without my passing some portion of the summermonths at that delightful suburb of Halifax known as the "North- west Arm."

In common with all who have been connected with Halifax, I must express my humble view of the charm which the place possesses. Its scenery of wood, hill and dale; its ample expanse of water in all forms; its healthy climate and fresh air; its cool evening breezes in the heat of summer; its pleasant drives and the varied features of its daily life; all leave an impression noteasily forgotten.

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But when to these recognized advantages the social elements of Halifax are added, it is heldby common consent that there are few cities more attractive.

And when we remember the well-bred, travelled men, many of whom also highly educated, tobe met among the officers of the garrison and on board the ships at the station, with theircontinuous efforts to return the hospitalities of the citizens, we all must acknowledge thatHalifax, in its social aspects, possesses features and a charm peculiar to itself.

A line of steamers runs from Halifax to Liverpool, but I had taken my passage by the steamer"Parisian," of the Allan Line.

The weekly steamer of this line, as a rule, leaves her moorings in front of Quebec at a fixedhour on the forenoon of Saturday. The traveller ordinarily goes on board the tender an hourearlier. But a train leaves Toronto, 480 miles west of Quebec, on the evening of Friday,connecting at Montreal on Saturday morning with an express mail train for Eimouski, a pointon the St. Lawrence about 200 miles below Quebec. By this means letters can be posted at Toronto, indeed at nearly all the cities in Canada west of Quebec, to the last moment. Thisexpress mail, which makes rapid time, reaches Rimouski late on Saturday night. By it,passengers who have been unable to embark at Quebec may take the steamer, as it alwaysremains off Rimouski to receive the mail.

Travellers to Europe from the Maritime Provinces may also embark at Rimouski by taking theregular train over the Intercolonial Eailway from St. John or Halifax. The latter is the routewhich I followed.

On the afternoon of the 10th June I said goodbye to my family at the station at Halifax, andwith my youngest daughter I started for England.

The day was bright and beautiful ; indeed, although sea fogs prevail at certain seasons of theyear, I know no latitude where the air is purer than it is in Nova Scotia, or where nature, duringsummer, is more attractive. There were several of my friends on the train, and when thesadness of parting passed away there was everything to make the trip cheerful.

After leaving Halifax we have supper at Truro, a large, clean-looking Nova Scotian town,situated on one of the heads of the Bay of Fundy. Truro, however, was not always so clean andcheerful looking as it is to-day. At one time it was conspicuous for its dark and dingyappearance, and it has to thank the visit of the Prince of Wales, nearly a quarter of a centuryback, for the change.

The Prince had landed at Halifax, and was expected to pass through Truro in a few days.Meetings were held to devise means to do honour to the Royal visitor. I think it was Mr. HiramHyde who said that "evergreen arches would be out of place unless the town presented aclean face." He moved a resolution, which was unanimously adopted, that a schooner load of lime lying in the bay should be secured, and every one be obliged to turn out with whitewash

brushes. In forty-eight hours Truro was so metamorphosed as not to seem the same place, andso well satisfied were the inhabitants that they have kept its face clean ever since. To continue. We are at the Truro refreshment room. One never criticizes railway meals tooseverely, at least those who are much accustomed to travel. The golden rule on suchoccasions is to open your mouth, shut your eyes, and take what is placed before you. If thingsare to your liking, then you can " give them the painted flourish of your praise."

Our route passes over the Cobeqnid Mountains, and at Amherst, on another inlet of the Bay of Fundy, you may have further refreshments at ten o'clock. Then comes the night's rest in thePullman.

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To the denizens of this continent the Pullman is a necessity. In a country of narrowgeographical limit nothing is more pleasant than a few hours in an ordinary first class Englishcarriage. But we do not count our trips by hours on the western continent. Often we do so bydays. Sitting up all night in one of the old carriages, which many yet from circumstances areobliged to do, was one of the small miseries of life. The want of rest, the cramped position, thefoul air, the banging of doors, frequently the crowd of passengers, had all to be endured; andwho of that date cannot remember the extreme discomfort to which the traveller was

compelled to submit as best he could. With a Pullman you have comparative quiet, and withwell-mannered and competent officials, who keep the car heated only to an endur- abletemperature and properly ventilated, you have all the auxiliaries of comfort. What dream isthere in the Arabian Nights equal to the realization of finding yourself in a comfortable bed,with all the accessories of home, travelling at the rate of forty miles an hour ?

Soon after leaving Amherst we crossed the Missiquash, the river which separates Nova Scotiafrom New Brunswick. It has some historic import of which I will speak hereafter. Our course isnow through New Brunswick to the River Restigouche, ou the north side of which lies theProvince of Quebec. The whole distance through the three Provinces embraces a variety of scenes of great interest to me, as many years of my life were passed in the construction of theIntercolonial Railway.

It was not until after the American Revolution that New Brunswick was looked upon as acolony. Five thousand of the United Empire Loyalists arrived at St. John in the British fleet in1783, one hundred years ago. It became a Province in 1786. No little of its history is inconnection with its terrible fires. That of Miramichi in 1825; of St. John in 1837, when, in theheart of a rigorous winter, nearly the whole business part of the city was destroyed; and againof St. John in 1877, when, in the short space of nine hours, 200 acres of buildings were levelledto the ground, and fully two-thirds of the entire city laid in ashes. During the night the trainpasses through the scene of the first disaster, which left some 6,000 square miles in a state of devastation. The summer had been unusually hot and dry. On the first day of October, 1825,the inhabitants of the valley of the Miramichi were disturbed by immense forest fires in theneighbourhcod of the settlements. The smoke with great heat continued forseven days, when

the fire extended to the settlements, defying all efforts to extinguish it, and sweeping away allthat lay before it. The town of Newcastle was consumed, as also Douglastown with all thesmaller outlying settlements. The devastation continued along the northern side of the riverfor one hundred miles. Hundreds of settlers and thousands of cattle were lost. The number of wild animals which were burned was also very great. Even the salmon perished in the smallerstreams, owing to the intense heat. To this date the trace of the fire is distinctly seen in thecharacter of the trees which have grown upon the burnt district. A gale increased the violenceof the fire, so that its fury was uncontrollable. In many cases the inhahabitants, not looking forsuch a calamity, were suddenly awakened in their beds by the alarm of danger. A few minutes'delay would have led to their destruction. Many were unable to save themselves. Not a fewowed their preservation to the fact that their farms were near the river, in which they threwthemselves, and escaped by clinging to logs. The loss of life to those at a distance from the

river, where escape was impossible, must have been serious. Many of the survivors weredreadfully mutilated, and in the distant settlements few escaped to tell their dreadfulexperience.

In the morning we reached Campbellton, on the Restigouche, at the head of the Bay Chaleur,and we have a royal breakfast of salmon fresh from the nets. Some of our friends on the trainare enthusiastic fishermen. Col. Chalmers, recently from India, and the Rey. Mr. Townend,Grarrison Chap- lain at Halifax, are among the number. They are bound for the fishing pools onthe Eestigouche, and are in high spirits. They learn here that the run of salmon up the riyer isunprecedentedly large, and their excitement is intense. My sympathies are with them, for

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fishing to me is a most pleasant recreation. If I am not a skillful, I am at least a deyout, discipleof Isaac Walton.

At the station I met some of my old Micmac Indian friends, some of whom I haye known fortwenty years, and who accompanied me in my various wanderings in the wilds of NewBrunswick. I have a strong and kindly feeling for these children of the forest. Personally I havefound their simplicity of character not the sham which many claim it to be. There areexceptions, but, as a rule, in their relations to me, they have proyed honest and faithful.

Although perfectly undemonstrative, they never forget a kind act or word. Such is myexperience, and I haye had much to do with Indians of nearly eyery tribe between the Atlanticand the Pacific. It has been my invariable good fortune to come in contact with those amongthem to whom I could at any time haye trusted my life. We shook hands all round. Breakfast,howeyer, has only left time for a few words. The train starts, and as it leaves the station Ireceive from my dusky friends a hearty bó jou ! bó jou !

We are still in New Brunswick, but in half an hour we cross the Restigouche and enter theProvince of Quebec near the Metapedia station. Here our friends of the rod leave us with ourbest wishes for their success. The Hallway now follows the River Metapedia, and the run up thevalley is all we could wish. The day was fine; no morning could be more bright. The curves inthe track are frequent but unavoidable, and how few who whirl over them ever think of the

labour bestowed in order to reduce them to a minimum ! In the Metapedia many splendidsalmon pools are found. Mr. George Stephen, President of the Canadian Pacific RailwayCompany, has the most pleasant of fishing boxes here, pleasantly situated within sight of thepassing train at Causapscal.

H. R. H. Princess Louise and Prince Leopold remained for some weeks here three years ago.Mr. Stephen is himself a keen sportsman, and never lets a season pass without spending aholiday at Causapscal. He had arrived the day previous with a party of friends.

In the middle of the afternoon we reached Rimouski, where we left the train and placedourselves in the hands of Madame Lepage, who keeps a comfortable pension at this place. This landlady's untiring devotion to the comforts of her guests is on a par with the glow of her

sparkling black eyes. She is the mother of a large family, some of whom are grown up, yet sheretains all her youthful vivacity and naivete.

Rimouski is a large straggling French Canadian town, the last of any importance in theProvince of Quebec to the east, if we except the thriving village of Matane. It is chieflyremarkable for its ecclesiastical and educational institutions. There is another peculiarity; thelargeness of the family in many households. It is no uncommon matter to find a family of fromfifteen to twenty children. Not long ago I heard of a case of a family of eighteen, and there wasa question of an orphan to be taken, for whose nurture nothing was to be paid, its parentshaving died under circumstances of privation and poverty. "Let it come and take its chancewith our children," said this excellent French Canadian mother, and it was so resolved.

Travellers to Eurore, like ourselves, have their letters and telegrams directed to Rimouski incase of more or less last words being necessary. I was very glad to find good news in those Ireceived.

I went to the station to meet the train for the south. There I found more fishermen bound forthe Restigouche, New Yorkers, who now come yearly to our waters, a class who do not fish forthe pot, but are sportsmen. Among them were Mr. Dean Sage and Mr. Worden, with a party of friends.

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At 10 o'clock p.m., the mail train having arrived, we took the tender for the steamer, which layoff in the stream. Sir Alex. Galt was on the train, on his way back from Halifax, where he hadtaken part in a public banqnet given to his successor as High Commissioner for Canada inLondon; Sir Charles Tupper. I was in hopes that he, too, was starting for England, but to mydisappointment he continued his journey to Montreal.

We reach the wharf on the branch railway, where the tender is lying. The arrangements arenot quite perfect. The wharf itself is of unusual length, but it only reaches shallow water at low

tide. In consequence the capacity of the tender is limited, and, although strongly built, it rollsdisagreeably in rough weather, to the discomfort of passengers who are indifferent sailors.

We embarked on the "Parisian," and at once found our way to the cabins allotted to us. Afriend had previously consoled us by saying that they were the worst in the ship. They weredirectly under the scuppers used for pouring the ashes overboard, the disagreeable noise of which operation we were expecting to hear every hour in the night. We did not, however,experience much inconvenience on this score, as for the greater part of the voyage, our cabinwas on the windward side, which is never used at sea for the discharge of refuse.

The passenger list placed in our hands contained several familiar names. There were CanadianCabinet Ministers and Montreal merchants with their wives and families, and there were

friends whom we expected to meet, some of them we found in the saloon before retiring forthe night.

Trips by ocean steamers have much the same features, and, while the changes andvicissitudes of fog, rain and fine weatherare all important in the little floating community, they have little concern for the outer world. To sufferers from sea- sickness, an ocean trip is a terror. Medical men say, in a general way,that the infliction should be welcomed, for it brings health, but I have seen those prostrated byit who have been so depressed that I can not but think that if this theory be true theimprovement to health will be dearly purchased by the penalty. Such, however, are theexceptions. With most people one or two days' depression is generally the extent of theinfliction Personally I cannot complain. Nature has made me an excellent sailor. "With no

remarkable appetite, I have never missed a meal on board ship, nor ever found the call todinner unwelcome.

Our first morning commenced with fog, but it cleared away as we coasted along the somewhatbold shore of Gaspe in smooth water. There is always divine service on these vessels onSunday.

The Church of England form is as a rule adhered to, which is read by the captain or doctor if noclergyman be present. If a clergyman be found among the passengers he is generally invitedto conduct divine service, and any Protestant form is admitted. On the present occasion theRev. C. Hall, Presbyterian minister of Brooklyn, N. Y., officiated. The service was simple andappropriate, and the sermon admirable. The day turned out fine, and the water so smooth that

in the afternoon every passenger was on deck. Our course being to the south of the Island of Newfoundland, we passed the Magdalen Islands and the Bird Eocks, and we think of the vastnumber of ships which have ploughed these waters on their way to and from Quebec andMontreal. It is now fifty years since "The Royal William" steamed homewards on the samecourse we are now following. Much interest begins to centre in "The Royal William." It isclaimed that she was one of the pioneers of steamers, if not the very first steamer whichcrossed the Atlantic under steam the whole distance. She was built in Can- ada. She leftQuebec on the 18th August, 1833, coaled at Pictou, in Nova Scotia, and arrived at Gravesendon the 11th September. She did not return to Canada, as she was sold by her owners to theSpanish Government. Her model is preserved by the Historical Society of Quebec. Some of

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these particulars I had from the lips of one of the officers of "The Royal William," who died aquarter of a century ago.

There is but one counter claim to the distinction.

A ship named the "Savannah" crossed the Atlantic from the port of that name in the SouthernUnited States to Liverpool in 1819. She had machinery for propulsion of a somewhat rudedescription, which seemed to be attached as an auxiliary power to be used when the wind

failed.

There is nothing to show that it was continuously employed. I have recently heard from afriend in Savannah on the subject, and I quote from his letter : "She was 18 days on thevoyage. She resembled very much in mould an old United States war frigate. The hull wassurmounted with a stack and three masts, fore, main and mizzen and was provided with sidewheels of a primitive pattern, left wholly exposed to view, and so arranged that they could atany time be unshipped and the vessel navigated by sails only."

On Monday before 2 a.m. we pass out of the Grulf by the Strait of St. Paul into the openAtlantic, and still the water continues perfectly smooth. There is a slight fog, which passesaway, and we behold nothing but the world of waters around us. The moon appears, and we

have an evening on deck long to be remembered. Everything stands out clear and distinct, butthe shadows are dark and heavy. The moon casts its line of rippling light across the waves,and the ship glides onward, almost weird-like in its motion.

One of the pleasures, as well as penalties, of travelling is to be asked to make one at whist. Itis a pleasure to take part in a single rubber if played without stakes, but to one indifferent tocards, who does not want to win his friend's money or lose his own, to join such a party isoften no little of a sacrifice. Your reply when asked to play may take the conventional form,"With pleasure," and in a way you feel pleasure, for you like to oblige people you care for, andyou may be in an extra genial mood; but how often I have wished some other victim couldhave been found at such times. On this occasion I left the deck when I would have willinglyremained, and took my seat at the card table.

The fog returned, and the ship went at half speed for the night. "When next day came therewas no fog, but there was some little rocking, which, to me, during the previous night, was buta pleasant incentive to sleep, for I did not once hear the fog whistle in its periodic roar, nopleasant sound, nor was I sensible of the dreaded rattling of the ashes emptied overboard, anightly and unavoidable duty, and by no means a musical lullaby.

I find that several ladies are absent from breakfast this morning. A breeze springs up; a sail ishoisted; and occasionally we have fog, and now and then a cold blast, with alternations of damp and moist air. Such is the general experience in crossing the Banks. As one passengerremarked, "It is hungry weather." The breakfast in most cases had been sparing, an enforcednecessity in some instances, but the general feeling is one of being ravenous for lunch. The

day passes pleasantly, possibly idly, and in the evening the whist table has its votaries. Weleave the fog behind us, but the next day is cloudy. There is a light wind, and the sea is a littledisturbed. Most of the passengers keep the deck. "We fancy we see a whale. There is toomuch cloud for the moon to penetrate, so the passengers generally leave the deck to enjoythemselves quietly in the saloon. We have a bright midsummer day this 21st June after aglorious morning, and we advance eastward with all sail set. The spirits of all on board seem torise, the sky is so blue, and the sea so bright.

There is but slight motion, with which, most of the passengers are becoming familiar.

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We are now half way across. We begin to cal culate when we shall arrive, and what trains weshall take at Liverpool. I have many times crossed the Atlantic, but I never could understandthe restlessness with which so many look for the termination of the voyage. If there were someurgent necessity for immediate action on the part of those who are travelling this impatiencecould be accounted for. The majority, however, are tourists for pleasure or for health, and, asfor business or professional men, I never could see how a few hours one way or the othercould influence their operations. To some the voyage is simply imprisonment; the condition of being at sea is a penalty they pay at the sacrifice of health and comfort. These are the

exceptions. There are a large number who feel as I do, and for my part, while it would beaffectation to profess to be fond of storm and tempest, a sea voyage in ordinary fine weatheris one of the most pleasurable experiences of my life. I have good digestion and good spirits,and I am satisfied with the pleasant change from a life on shore. I can generally read, and Ican always remain on deck, and I always have a certain feeling of regret when I think that thevoyage is soon coming to an end. We are all well cared for, we form pleasant associations, andanyone who can study human nature finds no little opportunity for doing so on shipboard.

Our library, it is true, is somewhat limited, but it has a few good books. I was somewhat struckon reading during this voyage almost the last words of the celebrated Mary Somerville, who,after a most distinguished career in science, died eleven years ago at Naples. These wordsappear more striking to me when read on board ship.

"The blue peter has long been flying at my fore-mast, and, now that I am in my 92nd year, Imay soon expect the signal for sailing."

We discuss our progress on all occasions There is a general thankfulness as we advance. Towards evening the motion of the ship has increased, but we can all walk the deck. On thefollowing day we put on more canvas, for the breeze has increased and is more favorable, andour progress is much greater. There is now considerable motion, but we have all got familiarwith it, and, as sailors say, we have our sea-legs. The wind is at north-west; the day clear andbright, with a warm-looking sky, speckled with fleecy clouds. The decks are dry. We appear tobe achieving wonders in speed, and we are entering into all sorts of calculations as to whatextent we shall make up the seven hours' detention by fog on the Banks of Newfoundland. Our

run yesterday was 342 miles in 28½ hours. Reckoning by observed time, we lose half an hourdaily by the advance made easterly. During the afternoon we have a fair breeze, with all sailset, followed by the same pleasant and agreeable evening. The passengers talk of leaving withmuch readiness. "Well is it said that much of the pleasure of life is retrospective. " We areapproaching land" is now the cry, and we commence early the next morning calculating whenwe shall reach Moville. Saturday afternoon is delightful. Bright gleams of sunshine appear inthe intervals of occasional showers. In the evening there is a concert with readings from eightto ten. The collection is for the "Sailors' Orphanage" at Liverpool. On account of the con- certour lights are allowed to burn until midnight, and many of us remain on deck nearly to thathour. The moon is three-quarters full; we have all sail set, and we can see the reflected light of the sun in the northern sky at midnight. To me there is a strange fascination in a scene of thischaracter, with all its accompaniments. There is a movement in the sea and a freshness in the

air which give a tingle to the blood, and we seem to walk up and down the deck with anelasticity we cannot explain to ourselves.

Next morning was Sunday. I was on deck half an hour before breakfast. The land on the westcoast of Ireland was in sight. The morning was most fair, and it seemed to give additional zestto the excitement produced by the approaching termination of the voyage. "We learn that weshall be at Moville at 2 o'clock. We have again divine worship. A Methodist minister read theChurch of England service and delivered an admirable sermon. We reach Moville, and find wehave been seven days and ten hours making the run from Rimouski. I took the opportunity

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here to send a cablegram home; it consisted of one word, but that word contained a page of family meaning."We passed the Giant's Causeway, at which the passengers intently looked. We could also seeIslay and the Mull of Kintyre.

In the evening we have a second service. Our eloquent friend from Brooklyn satisfied us sowell the previous Sunday that we begged of him to give us another sermon. He complied withour wishes, and with equal success.

It is our last night on board; to-morrow we are to separate. Many of us on this voyage havemet for the first time, and in all human probability few of us will again come side by side. There is always a feeling of sadness in thinking you do something for the last time. I can fancyeven a convict leaving his cell where he has passed some years pausing upon the thresholdwhile a rush of the old recollections, the long, sad hours cheered by gleams of hope, crowdupon him, when he will feel some strange sentiment of regret that it is the last time he looksupon the place. The feeling may last but a second, but it is an impulse of our nature which isuncontrollable. On board ship, with a certainty of gaining port to-morrow, the last hours are passed in packingup and preparing to leave, and a feeling of regret creeps in that now so many pleasant

associations are to end, and in spite of yourself some of the good qualities of those who areset down as disagreeable people come to the surface in your memory. Some few friendshipsare formed at sea which are perpetuated, but generally the pleasantest of our relationsterminate with the voyage. It is too often the case, as in the voyage of life, that those we havelearned to esteem are seen no more.

"We had to lose no time in order to pass the troublesome bar at the mouth of Liverpoolharbour. With vessels of the draught of the American steamers it can only be crossed at highwater.

The officers generally calculate what can be done from the hour they leave Moville, andregulate their speed accordingly, so as to approach it at the right moment.

No one knows better than the occupants of the cabin corresponding with our own on theopposite side of the vessel that a great many tons of ashes have been thrown overboardduring the voyage : we all know that a large volume of smoke has passed out of the funnel, aproof of the great weight of fuel which has been expended in keeping the screw revolving. Thedraught of the ship is consequently considerably less than when we left the St. Lawrence.

There is now no fog; the weather is fine; there is everything to encourage the attempt to runin, and it proves successful. On this occasion, had we been twenty minutes later, we shouldhave had to remain outside until another tide. The lights of Galloway and the Isle of Man werepassed before the most of us retired last night. We all awoke early; at a quarter to five we hadcrossed the bar; the "Parisian" was in the Mersey; the tender came alongside the ship, and

very soon afterwards I stood again on English ground.

CHAPTER III. ENGLAND

Willie Gordon - Custom House Annoyances - Cable Telegram - Post Office Annoyances - London- Spurgeon's Tabernacle - An Ancestral Home - English and United States Hotels - EnglishReserve - A Railway Accident - The Land's End - A Deaf Guest

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As I stood on the landing stage at Liverpool awaiting patiently and with resignation for theCustoms officers to allow the removal of our lug gage, a host of recollections ran through mymind.

My thoughts went back twenty years to another occasion when I landed from an oceansteamer at an hour equally early. My memory has been aided by one of those works whichappear so frequently from the New York press, so fertile in this species of encyclopaediacliterature, endeav ouring to embrace in a few pages the truths learned only by a life's

experience. The small volume tells you what not to do, and it sententiously sets forth itsphilosophy in a series of paragraphs. There are ninety-five pages of this philanthropic effort,with about four hundred negative injunctions. The title of the book is "Don't." The injunctionthat struck my eye most forcibly may be taken as no bad type of the teaching of the book. Itruns, "Don't" is the first word of every sentence. "Don't go with your boots unpolished, butdon't have the polishing done in the public highways" These words met my eye as I wasengaged in these pages, and they brought back the feelings which passed through my mindon the morning I left the "Parisian."

My thoughts reverted to my visit to the Mother Country after eighteen years' absence ; thefirst made by me since I left home in 1845. I was a passenger on the "United Kingdom," due atGlasgow.

She had passed up the Clyde during the night, and arrived opposite the Broomielaw in theearly morning. The night previous the passengers were in the best of humour, and thestewards had been kept up late attending to us. We were all in high spirits, and withoutexception delighted at returning to Scotland. I was particularly impatient to get ashore, totouch the sacred ground of my native land. I arose that morning one of the first of thepassengers, before the stewards were visible.

The ship was in the stream off the Broomielaw.

A boat came to the side. I jumped into her and went ashore. I strolled along the quay. My footwas not literally on "my native heath," but I enjoyed intensely the pleasure we all feel inrevisiting our native shores, and in being near the scenes from which we have been long

absent.

Everything seemed so fresh and charming. I had no definite purpose in my wandering, but Iwas at home ; it was Scotland. In my semi-reverie I was interrupted by a young voice in thepurest Clydesdale Doric saying "hae yer but es brushed ?" I looked down mechanically at myfeet, and found that the cabin bootblack of our vessel had neglected this duty, probably owingto the irregular hours of the last night on board. Moreover, it was the first word addressed tomyself, and I should have felt bound to accept the offer if it had been unnecessary in thefullest sense. I commenced conversation with the boy. He was very young. I summoned to myaid my best Scotch for the occasion. His name was Willie Grordon, and he told me his widowedmother was a washerwoman, that he had a number of brothers and sisters younger thanhimself, that his earnings amounted to about half a crown a week, and that between him and

his mother they managed to earn ten shillings in that time. "And how do you live, Willie ?""Reel weel," replied the boy, with the cheeriest of voices. " And now, Willie," I said, when I hadpaid him his fee, " it is many years since I have been here. I want to see the places of greatestinterest in Griasgow." "Ou, sir," he promptly said, "ye shuld gang ta see Corbett's eatin hoose.""Do you know the way there ?" I asked. "Fine, sir. I ken the way vary weel. I'll gang wi ye taethe door," and his face looked even happier than before. I accepted his guidance, and, if myrecollection is correct, the place was in Jamaica Street. The boy walked by my side carrying hisbrushes and box, and chatted gaily of himself and his life. Apparently no prince could behappier.

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We reached the renowned establishment he had named It was a species of home which abenevolent citizen had instituted, on the same principle on which the coffee taverns are nowestablished : to furnish an early hot cup of tea or coffee to men going to work, to offer someother refreshment than whiskey and beer, to give a meal at cost price with all the comfortpossible with cleanliness good cheer and airy rooms, warm in winter. After some hesitation,and persuasion on my part, Willie shyly entered with me. The menu was on the wall. Porridgeand milk one penny, large cup of coffee one penny, bread and butter, thick, one penny, eggsand toast one penny, &c., &c. ; everything, one penny. I cannot say that I give a precise

account of what appeared, but it was essentially as I describe it. "We were a little early evenfor that establishment, so "Willie and I sat down.

The buxom matron gave us some account of the place and its doings. The Duke of Argyle haddined with her a few days before. She told us the establishment was well patronized andprosperous. The time soon came for our order, for we were the first to be served. I set forthwhat I required for myself, and that was no light breakfast, as I had a sea appetite, sharpenedby the early morning walk.

I directed the attendant to bring the same order in double proportions for the boy, so that wehad a splendid dejeuner. My little companion was in ecstasies. Never was hospitality bestowedon a more grateful recipient. He would not leave me, and he seemed bound to make a

morning of it, and from time to time graciously volunteered, " I'll tak ye ony gait, Sir" Hiscustomers were forgotten, but I trust he did not suffer from his devotion to me, for I did mybest to remedy his neglect of professional duty. He followed me from place to place, carryingthe implements of his day's work, and he seemed anxious to do something for the triflingkindness I had shown him and the few pence I had paid for his breakfast. But I was more thancompensated by the pleasure I myself received. I listened to all he said with fresh interest, forhe was open, earnest, honest and simple-minded. He was deeply attached to his mother, andwas evidently proud to be able to add to her slender earnings, which were just enough to keepher and her family from want. He certainly seemed determined to do all in his power to makeher comfortable. He never lost sight of me till I left by the eleven o'clock train, and my lastremembrance, on my departure from Glasgow on that occasion as the train moved out, wasseeing Willie waving his brushes and boot-box enthusiastically in the air. I often wonder what

Willie's fate is. He appeared to me to be of the material to succeed in life. In Canada liecertainly would have worked his way up. I never heard of him again, but I certainly shall not begreatly astonished to hear of Sir William Gordon, distinguished Lord Provost of Glasgow.

One of the nuisances of travelling throughout the world is the ordeal of passing the CustomHouse.

Frequently the traveller from Canada thinks the infliction at Liverpool is pushed a little furtherthan is requisite. What can we smuggle from Canada ? I know quite well that there is generallya very loose conscience as to the contents of a lady's trunk, considered under the aspect of itsfiscal obligations, but surely some form of declaration might be drawn up by means of whichhonourable men and women would be spared this grievous and irritating delay. Apart from the

delay, it is no agreeable matter to open out your carefully packed portmanteau. To ladies it isparticularly offensive to have their dresses turned over and the contents of their trunkshandled by strangers. Canadians, while crossing their own frontier, find the Custom Houseofficers of the United States, as a rule, particularly courteous, and, on giving a straightforwarddeclaration that they have nothing dutiable, they are generally allowed to pass at once.Liverpool may not be alone in strictly exacting all that the law allows, but is this course at allnecessary or wise ? It cannot increase the revenue, for the additional expense of collectionmust more than absorb the trifling receipts. And one is not kindly impressed with thisreception, especially when we feel that it is totally unnecessary. We cross the ocean fromCanada with peculiar feelings of pride and sentiment to visit our Mother Land, and it is

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somewhat of a severe wrench to be treated as foreigners by the Customs authorities on ourarrival; I will not say uncivilly or wrongfully, but as if we were adventurers going to England onsome plundering tour. It is certainly no petty annoyance to Canadians, when they make theirentry into a land they are taught to call "home," to have their sense of common honesty thuschallenged at the threshold. Anything which is brought from Canada can only be some triflingpresent, such as Indian work, to some relative in the Old Country ; and if, possibly, a fewpounds be lost to the exchequer, it is made up a thousandfold by the good will arising frombeing courteously treated on the first landing on English soil. "Would it not suffice if every

ordinary passenger were required to make a declaration in some such form as the following ? :"I am a Canadian subject. I declare upon my honour that my baggage contains nothing what-ever for sale. I have with me my personal effects for my own use only." Or it may be added, " Ihave a few gifts for old friends, of little or no commercial value."

Perhaps some British statesman might not think these suggestions beneath his notice. Let himsend a competent agent to examine and report upon this subject. He will probably discoverthat the whole nuisance can be swept away without inflicting the slightest injury on thenational exchequer. It would form no discreditable sentence in a statesman's epitaph to readthat "he did away with the needless and offensive restrictions imposed on British subjects fromthe outer empire visiting the Imperial centre."

Having at last passed the Custom House, I drove to Rock Ferry, one of the most pleasantsuburbs of Liverpool, to visit a family I was acquainted with, and with them I passed a mostenjoyable day. The greeting I received was most cordial and gratifying. In the afternoon Istarted for London, leaving my daughter behind me, and I found myself once more whirlingthrough the green meadows and cultivated fields of England. I was alone, but I did not feelsolitary. How charming everything looked ! The air was fresh with passing showers, and therain played for some quarter of an hour on the landscape only to make it look fresher andfairer, and, when the sun came out, more full of poetry. Why, we are at Harrow-on- the-Hill !Has time gone so quickly ? There is so much to think about, so many fresh scenes to gazeupon, and so many events seem to crowd into the hours that the traveller, in hisbewilderment, loses count of time.

I am again in London, at Batt's hotel, Dover Street, and I walk to the Empire Club to learn if there are any letters for me. I am disappointed to find there is no cablegram. I despatched onefrom Moville, and one word in reply would have told me if all was well. I recollect well thedepression I experienced at the time at not receiving news. It was an inexplicable feeling; notexactly one of impatience or disappointment, but rather of keen anxiety. "Why should there besilence," I murmur, when everything points to the necessity for a reply.

Next day my business took me to the city, and I returned as rapidly as I could. In theafternoon, to relieve my suspense, I went to the Geological Society's rooms, and mechanicallylooked over the books and specimens. I wandered into the rooms of the Royal Society, andfound before me the well known features of Mary Somerville as they are preserved in her bust.I then strolled into the parks and down to the Club, and still no cable gram. These facts are of

no interest to any but the writer, but possibly they may suggest, not simply to the transmitterof telegrams but to the officials who pass them through their hands, how much often dependsupon their care and attention, and that there is something more required than simplyreceiving and recording a message. There is the duty of seeing to its proper delivery, and itwas precisely on this ground that my trouble took its root.

I was three days in London when I received a telegram from Mr. George Stephen, President of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, stating that he was desirous that I should proceed toBritish Columbia as soon as possible. It was my acceptance of this proposition which has led tothe production of these pages, but at that hour I felt that Mr. Stephen's communication only

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increased my bewilderment. My telegraphic address was properly registered at the GreneralPost Office in London, and it had been used over and over again during my annual visits toEngland.

The cablegram I had just received bore the registered address, and yet I had received nomessage from my family in Halifax. I have often sent cablegrams, and never more thantwenty-four hours elapsed before receiving a reply. Consequently I again telegraphed, plainlystating my anxiety, and then wandered out to call on some friends. Later in the evening I at

last found an answer, and, in order that it might not again miscarry, the sender put on myaddress five additional words, held as quite unnecessary, at two shillings each, making tenshillings extra to pay. On my return to Canada I learned that no less than three cablegramshad been sent to me, each one of which remains to this day undelivered. Two of thedespatches were sent before, one subsequently to, the message last mentioned. All wereproperly addressed. I felt it a public duty to write to the Secretary of the Post OfficeDepartment in London, but no satisfactory explanation has yet been given. Life is a mass of trifles, as a rule. The exceptions are our griefs and our sufferings, our triumphs and joys; thelatter, as a French writer says, "counting by minutes, the former by epochs." I passed threeparticularly unpleasant days during this period, my own personal affair, of course, and one inwhich the world may seem to have no interest. But the public has really a deep interest inhaving a more perfect system of Atlantic telegraphy than we now possess, and the facts I have

described, have their moral. At least it is to be hoped that the authorities may remember thatanyone separated by the ocean from his correspondents is not content that telegrams shouldbe delayed for days, and still less content not to have them delivered at all.

I was a month in England, chiefly in London, remaining until the 26th of July. I must say thatwhen in London I often thought of, although I can not fully endorse, the words of thatenthusiastic Londoner who held that it was the "best place in the world for nine months in theyear, and he did not know a better for the other three." In London you can gratify nearly everytaste, and although it always takes money to secure the necessaries and luxuries of life,especially in great cities, still, if one can content himself with living modestly, it does notrequire a wonderfully large income to enjoy the legitimate excitements and amusements of London. In this respect it is a marked contrast to New York, where, generally speaking, a large

income must be at your command for even a moderate degree of respectable comfort.

In London, to those who cannot afford a car riage, there is a cab, and those who have no suchaspirations as a "hansom" can take the omnibus. It is not necessary to go to the orchestrastalls to see a performance, nor are you obliged to pay six guineas per week for your lodgingsor one pound for your dinner. The reading room of the British Museum is open to everyrespectable, well-ordered person. You can look at some of the best pictures in the world fornothing, and, if you are a student of history and literature, there are localities within theancient boundaries of the city which you cannot regard without emotion. You have two of thenoblest cathedrals in The World; Westminster Abbey, with its six centuries of history, and withits tombs and monuments, setting forth tangibly the eyidences of the past national life. Thenyou have "Wren's classical masterpiece St. Paul's, one of the most perfect and commanding

edifices ever erected anywhere. Its interior has never been, completed. Will it ever be so ? Yet,as Wren's epitaph tells us, if you wish to see his monument "look around you."

Again, in London, by way of recreation, you have public parks, river-side resorts, and by theriver itself and underground railway you can easily reach, many pleasant hannts about thesuburbs. Indeed, by the aid of the steamboat or rail you can take the most charming outingsany person can desire to have. London may be said to be inexhaustible.

As one of the directors of the Hudson Bay Company I had often to visit the city, and some verypleasant relationships grew out of my attendance at the various board meetings. I was

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constantly meeting Canadians, and certainly we hold together in a peculiar way when awayfrom the Dominion.

It is a strong link we are all bound by, and yet we would find it hard to explain why. Even menwho are not particularly civil to one another in Canada will cross each other's path withpleasure when from home, and intimacies never anticipated are formed, and associationsentered upon once thought impossible.

One of my visits was to Spurgeon's Tabernacle.

The name is familiar to everyone, and as I had been many times in London without hearingthis celebrated preacher, I was anxious not to return to Canada without making the attempt. Iwas told to be in good time, and, acting on the suggestion, I obtained a good seat, and formed,I should suppose, one of four thousand people. Just in front of me, strange to say, I beheld afamiliar form, which I recollected last to have seen at Queen's College convocation, Kingston :the Premier of Ontario ! Mr. Oliver Mowat was the gentleman who was seated two pews infront of me. He was the last person I expected to meet in such a place, as I did not even knowhe was in England.

He was the only one in that vast assemblage I recognized. Spurgeon is, undoubtedly, worthy of

his great reputation, and on this particular Sunday his sermon was forcible, marked by raregood sense, and perfectly adapted to his auditory. I felt fully rewarded for my effort to bepresent.

"When the service was over I had a few words with Mr. Mowat, but our interview was but short,for I had an engagement, and it was necessary for me to hurry to the Waterloo Station to takethe train lor Gruildford, in order to reach Park, in its neighbourhood.

This was a most agreeable visit to me. I do not think there is any country but England wherescenes and associations are known such as I there witnessed. At the station a carriage met us,for I found myself in company with a gentleman going to the same hospitable mansion. He wasan Irish M. P. On our entering the grounds we passed amidst grand old elms, along a noble

avenue, and through walks beautiful with roses, ivy and laurel. My welcome was mostcourteous and graceful. There were several guests, but it was my privilege to sleep in thehaunted room.

The walls were hung with tapestry ; the floor was of oak; the fireplace was a huge structure of sculp- tured stone from floor to ceiling. No ghost disturbed my slumbers, and, in the words of Macbeth, "I slept in spite of thunder." I awoke at dawn, and drew back the heavy curtains toadmit the light. It was about sunrise. Shall I ever forget that magnificent view from the oldwindows, with their quaint transoms and quarterings, and circular heads ! the sight of thosefine old trees, stately beeches, tall ancient elms, renerable blue beech, and many a noble oakof from two to three centuries' growth ! It was one of those old ancestral domains, with glades,avenues and forest, which seem to take you out of the present world and back in thought to

one altogether different, in many of its conditions, from the life of to-day. The most carefullydeveloped homestead of old Boston, or one of the finest mansions on the Hudson, with theoutline of mountain scenery, and its associate stream; any one of the well built halls south of the Potomac, elaborated with all the wealth of the planter; or even one of our own palatialCanadian residences; all appear a thing of yesterday as compared with that stately edifice,with its delightful lawns, walks and avenues, which bear the ancient impress of their date andof their early greatness. No doubt these paths were trod by men in the troublous times of Henry VIII. and his three children, men who then may have debated mooted points of history inthis very neighbourhood. There is a tradition also that the virgin Queen has looked upon thissame landscape "in maiden meditation fancy free."

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The morning was peculiarly fine, and as I opened the window to admit the pure, fresh air Ireally breathed again to enjoy it, and inhale the perfume of foliage and of the garden flowers;flowers whose ancestors may have traced three centuries of life, at least the early knownplants indigenous to English soil; while those of foreign origin could boast of sires, perhaps, thefirst of their genus brought from the Continent. The air was vocal with music; the trees seemedpeopled with scores of blackbirds and mavis, and there was many a proverbial "early bird"busy with the yet earlier worm, who had gained so little by his rising. All nature seemed

teeming with life and gladness. I can only here acknowledge the courtesy I received from myhost and hostess. The hours passed away unclouded by the slightest shadow, and I know nomore pleasant memory than that of my visit to this English ancestral home.

I was highly pleased, on my return to Batt's Hotel, to receive intimation that my daughter wasshortly to join me in London. There is a certain solitude in a London hotel, which is much theopposite of the continental life, and entirely distinct from the table d'hote system of thiscontinent.

In England the desire is to secure extreme quiet and privacy, while on this side of the Atlanticevery auxilliary is provided for publicity and freedom of movement. This is especially the casein the United States. In Canada it may be said that a middle course is taken. In many large

hotels on this continent, in addition to the drawing and breakfast rooms, parlours and halls andwriting and news rooms are open, where papers are furnished and sold, seats at the theatreobtained, telegrams sent, books, especially cheap editions of novels, purchased, withphotographs of the professional beauties, leading politicians and other celebrated people. Allof these places are marked by busy, bustling life. The dining room, from its opening in themorning till a late hour at night, is one scene of animation, be the meal what it may. Some of the beau sexe even visit the breakfast room with elaborate toilets, and many a pair of earringsglitter in the sun's early rays. A walk up and down the wide passage or hall at any hour isproper and regular, and it is stated that it is often the only exercise indulged in by many livingin the great hotels of the United States, the street car furnishing the invariable means of locomotion.In the large cities the hotels are situated, as a rule, on the main streets. There are always

rooms where one may from the windows look upon the crowds passing and repassing. Thus adrama of ever-changing life can be comfortably witnessed from an armchair placed at theright point of observation. There is no such thing as loneliness.

Almost everyone is ready, more than ready, to converse with you. If you yourself arecourteous and civil you will probably find those around you equally so, whether they be guestsor belong to the establishment. With a little tact and judgement you can always obtain usefulinformation.

My experience likewise is that the information is invariably correct : for there never seems tobe any hesitation in a negative reply when those you address are not acquainted with theparticular point of inquiry. The gentleman who presides over the cigars, the controller of the

papers and the photographs and the official of the bar, an important field of action in a highclass hotel, each and all make it a point of duty impressively to patronize your local ignorancewhen you ask for information. In an English hotel the general rule is for no one person tospeak to another.

If you do venture on the proceeding, Heaven only knows what reply you may receive. In theclass divisions of the Mother Country there may be social danger in not observing the linesdefined by etiquette. There are always men of good address and appearance who are notunknown to the police, and whose photographs may be destined at no distant period to figurein the Rogues' Gallery. But such men are to be found in all countries. Whatever necessity there

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may be for prudence and circumspection, it has struck me that there is really no ground forthat absolute uncompromising ofFensiveness of manner which often well-meaning men inEngland feel bound to show to any person who addresses them, as the joke goes, "to whomthey have not been introduced."

If you are quite alone very little experience in the English hotel is enough to throw you back onyourself, and to depress even a gay and blithesome nature. You walk with a listless air throughthe corridors, you take your meals with a sort ot mechanical impassiveness which you cannot

help feeling, and you seem to drop into the crowd of reserved, self-contained individuals, whoact as if they thought that courtesy to a stranger was a national crime. I do not speak of theclubs, where, if you are a member, you can always meet some acquaintance. Butcomparatively few Canadians visit England who are club men. I know no solitude so dreary,nor any atmosphere so wearying, as that of the London hotel in a first class lateral street whenyou have nobody to speak to, where you can see scarcely a living soul out of the window,where the only noise is the distant rumble of vehicles in the neighbouring thoroughfare, andwhere, when you are tired with reading or writing, you have no recourse but to put on yourhat and sally out into the street.

A circumstance crosses my mind as I am writing which gives some insight into English lifeand character. It happened to a friend, now no more, with whom I had crossed the Atlantic. He

was travelling from Liverpool to London, and took his place in the railway carriage, sitting onthe back middle seat, while opposite in the corner seats were two gentlemen, each with anewspaper.

The train had been an hour on its journey, but the silence was unbroken. At last my friendspoke.

"Gentlemen," he said, " I am L D . I have come from , and he named a city in the Dominion. Ihave been a merchant for fifty years, and now I am living in ease. I am eighty-three years of age, and, like the large majority of Canadians, I have two eyes and one tongue, and, like agreat many of my countrymen, I feel a pleasure in using them. My eyes feel the period of timethey have done me service. I cannot read from the motion, but I can take part in a

conversation.

My business in Britain is to see my daughters.

One is married to an officer quartered at the Royal barracks in Dublin. I am just returning froma visit to her, and I am on my way to see my second daughter, whose husband is stationed atWoolwich. Having now introduced myself, I trust, gentlemen, you will not look upon me as apick-pocket or anything of that sort." One of the gentlemen carefully drew out his card-caseand gave his card. This example was followed by his opposite neighbour. "What, gentlemen,"my friend said, looking at the cards through his spectacles, which he deliberately put on,"you do not seem to know one another; let me introduce you."

At the same moment he crossed his arms and presented the card of the one to the other. Thecurtest and least definable bow was given. One query followed another, and my friend had agreat deal to say and much to enquire about. He had occupied the highest position in the cityhe came from, and had mixed a good deal with the men of his world. The three or four hourswhich followed were most pleasing to the trio. My friend's fellow travellers were county men,and he was cordially invited to spend a week with each of them. The invitations wereaccepted, the acquaintance renewed, he met with the most cordial English welcome, and thevisits proved to be particularly agreeable to all parties.

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In my experience, and in that of others who come under the name of Canadians, whosefortunes now lie in the Dominion, whatever our place of birth, all that the Englishman wants toknow regarding us is that we are Canadians; in other words, that we are not dubious membersof an uncertain phase of English society. We then at once receive the most genial courtesyand kindness; real, true, honest, hospitable kindness. I reason from this that we must beoutside the circle in which this frigid intercourse is observed as a protection. We are in Englandfor a brief time; then we pass from the scene, and there is no fear entertained on the part of our English neighbours of forming an unpleasant and unprofitable, that is scarcely the word,

an embarrassing, relationship. I have heard the explanation given for this peculiarity that itsvery defects spring from the loyalty of character which marks the high-bred Englishman. Thetheory is that, if he knows you once, he is always to know you.

He wishes to run no risk of being placed in a false position, and hence avoids any intercoursewhich, although in a way agreeable to him, he will not accept at the cost of his own self-respect.

And there are men who in no way incur blame for want of courtesy in a railway carriage, butthey will pass their fellow traveller after a week's interval as if they had never seen him. It maybe urged that those who live in the state of society which obtains in England are the best ableto understand its conditions and the wisdom of its laws. It is quite possible that this mode of

treatment of a stranger may be commended by experience. There are many examples wherethe opposite course has led to trouble, but prudence and good sense would surely avoidannoyance, and they are requisite under all circumstances. But is it not also advisable to avoidthe extraordinary discourtesy with which sometimes a remark from a stranger is received, as if it were designed to serve some deliberate scheme of wrong, or to lead up to some act of swindling and imposture. Surely we may always be able to detect any attempt of this kind andprotect ourselves; and in all conditions of life good manners cost little and entail no risk.

In one of my excursions from London I was travelling by the Great Western Eailway. A lady andgentleman were in the same compartment. I made the third. Shortly after leaving Paddingtonthe lady suffered from a spark in her eye, certainly a most painful annoyance. Her fellowpassenger appeared much troubled and as much bewildered. Neither seemed to know what to

do, and the lady did not conceal how much she suffered. I ventured to address the gentleman,and said, as was the case, that I had frequently experienced this unfortunate accident, andthat if the eye was kept moist the pain would be lessened. He barely answered me. The ladycontinued in pain. The train stopped for three minutes at Swindon. I took my flask, made arush to the refreshment room, carefully washed the cup, filled it with water, and brought it tothe carriage. I offered it, I believe with ordinary good manners, to the gentleman, andsuggested that a handkerchief moistened with cold water should be applied to the eye. Myoffer was curtly declined ! There was nothing more to be done. I threw the water out of thewindow, replaced my flask in my travelling bag, and turned to my book.

I did not forget the incident during my trip, nor, indeed, have I ever done so.

I continued on my journey, and proceeded to visit some friends in the West of England, afterwhich I found my way to the Land's End, which I felt a great desire to see. I went to Torquay,and the sight of so many invalids in Bath chairs made me melancholy; to Dartmouth, at theentrance of the River Dart, near the birthplace of the great Sir Walter Raleigh; to Totness, toDevenport and to Penzance; thence to the treeless, bleak-looking district of the Land's End, tolook at a landscape which I shall always remember.

At a little inn on the most westerly point of England I found I could get a chop and a glass of ale. Having ordered luncheon, I strolled out in the meantime to have a look at the blue waterand the wide expanse of ocean. The place is certainly solitary enough, but in its way the

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and oats will not grow at the equator. But people are coming gradually, if they have not comefully, to the conclusion that the intellectual capacity is as various as any other of nature' screations, and that there are as many different kinds of minds, open to as many different kindsof treatment, as there are soils on the surface of the earth; and that it is as reasonable to tryto force all minds to grow classics, or to grow mathematics, or to grow history, as it would beto force all soils to grow fruit, or grass, or corn. This is an enormous gain to the presentgeneration. For what happened in the last generation, or two generations ago, was this, thatthose minds which were fitted for education in classics received full development, while those

minds not fitted for that treatment were stunted and turned from intellectual pursuitsaltogether. There is no greater privilege of the present generation than the full conception atwhich we have arrived of the fact that almost every intellect is, if it be properly treated,capable of high development. But whether that development be reached or not depends uponthe judgment with which its capacities are nurtured and its early efforts encouraged. Now, inthis list I am very glad to see that modern history and the English language and literatureoccupy a very distinguished position.

"I have the greatest possible respect for the educational establishments in which I was broughtup, but I never look back without a feeling of some bitterness to the many hours during which Iwas compelled to produce the most execrable Latin verse in the world. I believe that if acommission of distinguished men were apjDointed to discover what is the most perfectly

useless accomplishment to which the human mind can be turned a large majority would agreethat versification in the dead languages was that accomplishment. On that account, I suppose,we were compelled in the last generation, whether we were fitted or not, to devote aconsiderable time to it, and, if it is any compensation to you for the severe examination youhave to undergo, think of the agonies of unpoetical minds set to compose poetical effusions,which you are happily spared."Lord Salisbury dwelt upon the number of examinations to which everybody in the military andcivil services is subjected, and instanced one official who had passed through thirty-sixexaminations. In his own able way he declared his opposition to the system of cramming, bywhich the mere surface of knowledge is floated over with facts, cunningly grouped together,soon to be forgotten and never of true value.

Hot weather is sometimes experienced in London, but it is a different heat from that of Canada, and by no means to be compared with it in temperature. Few people dress to meetthe summer in England, and in winter the sole addition is the great coat. A fur cap is unknown. The round silk hat, so much abused, holds its own, summer and winter, against all attempts tobanish it. Although the days are hot, the nights are generally cool. Any extraordinarily hotweather is exceedingly oppressive to the Londoner.

It was during the warm days that I went to Henley, to join a party who had engaged to bepresent at the regatta. With a Canadian friend I took the train to Maidenhead, thence by thebranch railway to Henley, one of the most striking landscapes in the valley of the Thames,remarkable for its many beauties. The river here is broad, and runs between undulating hillscovered with foliage. We cross the old stonie bridge at Henley in order to find our friends

among the many carriages. No more pleasant spectacle could have been seen. It presentedonly the sunny and holiday side of life. It was as different from the mixed mass of humanbeings of all classes and conditions you meet at the Derby or the other horse races near themetropolis as can be imagined. All was order, quietude and irreproachable respectability. There were no drinking booths, no gambling, no shrieking out the "odds," none of theprofessional rough element in search of a "good thing." We were among the most elaboratetoilets. No one but looked her best. Probably nowhere do we see more thoroughly this onephase of English life than at the Henley regatta. The scenery is English, the people are English;we have the theoretical English staidness and propriety. The amusement is English. Whatstruck me was the absence of all excitement. This indifference appeared to me remarkable.

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Indeed, the only exhibition of interest was that shown by the oarsmen, who were young menin perfect condition, with muscles well trained and developed, and who bent enthusiastically totheir work.

I did not hear a single cheer. I never before nor since beheld such an orderly crowd, if I mayapply that word to an assemblage of so many distinguished people. I noticed that those whocame under my observation were generally light-haired or brown, with fair complexions. Itseemed to me, judging from appearances, as if the regatta was looked upon as a very ordinary

affair in itself, and that it was more an occasion for the well-dressed mass of people to meettogether. There evidently was a theory that some one boat must come in first, and, as itgenerally happened that there was a foresrone conclusion as to who the winner would be,there was nothing to call for enthusiasm. Certainly none was shown.

We did not find our friends, although we searched diligently for them on both sides of theriver. After giving up the attempt reluctantly, we resolved to take luncheon at the renownedold hostelry, the "Red Lion," celebrated as the inn where Shenstone wrote his lines in praise of an inn, perhaps his only lines now generally remembered. The "Red Lion" did not belie itsancient reputation. There is always a pleasure in visiting these haunts of a former generation. There is little of modern finery and frippery about them, but you find the actual comforts of lifeabove criticism. Nowhere can be seen a whiter cloth, brighter glass, finer bread, sweeter

butter, juicier meat or a more royal tankard of English ale, whose praises Chaucer might havesung.

We took the 6.10 evening train to Maidenhead, and then walked to our friends' place. "Wefound that they had driven to Henley, excepting those who kindly received us. The party,however, came back in good time, having heard of us through a common friend, recently anAide-de-camp on the General's staff in Halifax. We had met him at the regatta, and askedintelligence of the party.

He had succeeded where we had failed, and had found those of whom we were in search.

We returned to London. Finding we had now about a fortnight to remain, we mapped out our

plans in order to see what we could do in that time. We saw all the public sights which ourengagements enabled us to do. I cannot say that I was greatly impressed with the pictures of the Royal Academy. Several were good, but I did not find a large number of surpassingexcellence.

I was much struck by a water-colour drawing of mountain scenery, with a bridge and stream,Kirbrucher Stadden in Switzerland, by Arthur Croft.

We went to the theatre, and saw Irving in "The Bells" and "Impulse" at the St. James; to apromenade concert at theBotanical Gardens, Regent's Park and to Wimbledon. Through the courtesy of Col. Otter, incommand of the Canadian camp, we were invited to an at home given by him, where we saw a

great many Canadian friends. We also met some distinguished military people. We weregratified to learn all about the success of our marksmen. The rain, however, was exceptionallyheavy during the whole day, and most unfortunately there was no going beyond the shelter of the canvas tents.

One event of no ordinary importance which we witnessed was the banquet to Lord Dufferin atthe Empire Club. Lord Bury presided. Sir Charles Tupper and the Honourable AlexanderMackenzie both spoke very effectively. It struck me that in each case their speeches wereadmirable. Neither of them occupied more than ten or fifteen minutes, and what they said hadthe impress of careful consideration and finish, for it was dignified, concise and appropriate. I

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breath, are very apt each of them to open a startling chapter of accidents; but what man of spirit has ever turned his back upon tlie opportunity, or refused to enter upon the tenderobligations of a love-lit fireside for fear of increasing his responsibilities, entailed by a fuller;ampler and more perfect existence ? But, my lords and gentlemen, even did she desire it, Ibelieve that the time is too late for England to seek to disinherit herself of that noble destinywith which I firmly believe she has been endowed. The same hidden hand which planted thetree of constitutional liberty within her borders, and thus called upon her to become themother of parlia- ments, has sent forth her children to possess and fructify the waste places of

the earth. How a desert in every direction has been turned into a paradise of plenty those whoare present can best tell. I believe that, great as have been the changes which have alreadyoccurred, our children are destined to see even still more glorious accomplishments. One of the greatest statisticians of modern times, a man of singularly sober judgment, has calculatedthat ere the next century has reached its close the English speaking population of the globewill have already exceeded one hundred millions of human beings. Of these, in all probability,forty millions will be found in Canada alone, and an equal proportion along the coast of Africaand in our great Australian possessions. If these great communities are united in a commonbond of interest, if they are co-ordinated and impelled by a common interest, what anenormous influence, as compared with that of any other nationality, whether for good or evil,whether considered from a moral or material point of view, are they destined to exercise ! But,gentlemen, that they will remain Englishmen who can doubt ! The chops and changes on an

accelerated momentum of human progress forbid all accurate prediction. These enormousforces, operating over such a large space, defy all prescience and human wisdom to direct thecurrent of events; but one thing, at all events, is certain, and that is that these greatcommunities will be deeply impressed; by English ideas, by English literature, by Englishinstitutions and by English habits of thought. That this shall long continue to be the case is, Iam sure, the earnest wish of those whom I am addressing. It is their desire that our statesmenshould so conduct the relations of this country with their colonial dependencies as to cherishand maintain those affectionate ties by which they are so remarkably and distinctly bound tothe Mother Country. One thing, at all events, is certain : that the people of England will neveragain allow their Government to repeat the error which resulted in the separation of theUnited States. Whatever may be our present relations with the great transatlantic republic, itis certain that, had it not been for the violent disruption that occurred, those relations would

now have been even more mutually advantageous. The catastrophe, unhappily, was broughtabout by the Ministry of the day being incapable of appreciating and understanding the forceand direction of colonial sentiment. Now, my lords and gentlemen, I believe that statesmencan make no greater mistake than not accurately to comprehend the enormous part whichsentiment plays in human affairs. By far the greater number of the wars which havedevastated the globe have been produced and generated by outraged sentiment rather thanby the pursuit of material advantages. Even commerce itself, the most unsentimental andmatter-of-fact of interests, is wont for long periods of time to follow in the track of custom,habit and sentiment. This was a fact which for a long time the English people failed tocomprehend. They failed to comprehend the desire which the colonies had to have theirkinship recognised. Happily, however, the increased facilities of communication and thenecessities and exigencies of trade have changed all this, and I believe that now there is not a

man in England who does not understand, and to whose imagination it has not been forciblybrought home, that beyond the circuit of the narrow seas which confine this island are vastterritories, inhabited by powerful communities who are actuated by ideas similar to our own,who are proud to own allegiance to Queen Yictoria, whose material resources are greater thanthose possessed by his own country, and whose ultimate power may, perhaps, exceed thepower of Great Britain. And yet these great communities of noble, high-spirited, industriousEnglishmen, if only they are properly dealt with, and if only their feelings and just exigenciesare duly considered, will never have a higher ambition than to be allowed to continue as co-heirs with England in her illustrious career, associated with her in her gigantic empire, andsharers in her fortunes, whether they be for good or evil, until the end of time. Gentlemen,

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such are the sentiments and opinions which I believe this club has been founded to encourageand propagate, and I felt that in rising to return thanks for the great and signal honour whichyou have done me, and for which really I cannot find words sufficient to thank you, I could notdo so in a more acceptable manner than by telling you with what enthusiasm and with whatsincerity of conviction I myself subscribe to these sentiments."

One of my pleasantest recollections of London dates about ten days before my departure forCanada. When the heat was tempered by a fresh breeze, a party of us met by appointment on

one of the wharves near London Bridge. We owed the invitation to a Canadian who, likemyself, was from the north of the Tweed. He introduced me to our host, one of his oldestfriends, a friendship which had lasted from boyhood. Our host had engaged a steamer to takehis guests down the river to the large establishment of which he is the leading mind. I believe Iam safe in saying that thousands of people are employed in these works. We went through thevarious departments, and to do so took some hours. Some of the ladies of the party thoughtthey had accomplished miles of pedestrianism. They were greatly interested in what they saw,and before they left were delighted, for our host, who has a heart as large as the business hecontrols, presented from the factory to each of our party a substantial mark of his regard.

We returned to Greenwich, the very name is redolent of fish dinners and whitebait to theLondoner, and twenty-one of us sat down at the great round table in the bow window of the

"Ship Hotel." We were not in a mood to criticise our entertainment. Had we been so, we couldonly have found something additional to praise. We had good appetites, were in the best of humour, and felt prepared to do justice to the profusion of dainties set before us. Our host hadvisited Canada nearly half a century ago, and he spoke of his experience in what is now ahighly cultivated district, but was then very thinly populated. His youthful days came back tohim, and he referred to a pair of bright eyes he encountered at a picnic on the shores of LakeSimcoe which very nearly made him a Canadian. I do not know what prominent positionamongst us he might not now have occupied had the possessor of the bright eyes affirmed herconquest.

"We are not, in Canada, a people particularly demonstrative in our own land, but away fromhome, when those of us who are bound by friendly associations come side by side, no meeting

can be more gay or pleasant. It was especially so on this occasion, and our host had thesatisfaction of seeing all his good cheer thoroughly appreciated by his guests. It was teno'clock before we separated, and found our way back to London.

The Fisheries Exhibition was then the event of the season. In London or Paris there is alwayssomething going on which everybody feels bound to see, and not to have the privilege oroppor- tunity of seeing places you, in an undefined way, in such a secondary position that youappear to be excluded. The question is not always if the spectacle or exhibition, or othernotoriety oi the moment, will repay the time and attention given to witnessing it. The leadingconsideration is that it is something to be seen, and it is never of any use running counter tothe tide of the community in which you live and move. Very often a good deal of trouble istaken, and frequently no small amount of money expended, to pass through some ordeal of

this character, which brings no addition to our information and but little satisfaction.

The Fisheries Exhibition, however, was not of this character. Many must have been surprisedat the part played in it by Canada, and at the richness and variety of her exhibits. Scarcelyanything could have been designed to set forth better to the London world the vastness of theresources of the Dominion than this exhibition, and to bring before the English people an ideaof the extensive fishing grounds it possesses. Many would then learn for the first time that ourfisheries are not confined to the St. Lawrence and the lakes. Canada has an immense extent of sea coast in the Maritime Provinces frequented by shoals of fish, for which these waters havebeen famous since the first discovery of America. The almost virgin waters of British Columbia

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swarm with fish of the finest description, and Canada possesses the whole of Hudson Bay andthe northern coast of America in which to develop her enterprise and industry. "What countryin the world can boast of such great and prolific fish fields on three oceans, all open toenterprise.

One of the agreeable associations connected with the exhibition was the fête in aid of theEnglish Church at Berlin, and in commemoration of the silver wedding of the Crown Princess of Grermany, Her Majesty's eldest daughter. It seemed to me that there was a constant rush of

visitors till midnight. The spectacle was a brilliant one, as mnch on account of the great crowdof people who were there as from the light and glitter of the scene itself. The newspapersmentioned the number present as 6,000, and they truly described it as a fairy scene. Thewhole place was bright with many-coloured lamps, Chinese lanterns and electric lights. One of the striking features was the tea party of the Chinese court, where a veritable Chinesegrandee presided with her daughter. The Marchioness Tseng seemed to me a type of liberality.It could scarcely be political exigency which led this lady and her family to intervene in aid of an Anglican Church in the heart of a Lutheran population. The Duke and Duchess of Albanyassisted her. Fans were sold here, the recommendation of which was that they had beenspecially painted by the Chinese Minister himself and embroidered and worked by theMarchioness and her daughter. It struck me that if this display be typical of the industry of theChinese family our western civilization is much behind in the path of productive labour. There

were to be seen also an English refreshment room, and an "American" bar, under the directionof Mrs. Lowell, attended by all the United States beauties in London, whose personal charms,supplemented by New York taste in dress, not a little influenced the price of what was served. The Countess of Dufferin was there. She seemed quite in her element, doing her best topromote the general gaiety and brightness of the scene. A distinguished naval officer, whosename has penetrated wherever the English language is spoken. Lord Charles Beresford,assisted Lady Dufferin. It was their duty to preside over the fish pond, where the small chargeof five shillings was paid for the use of the rod and line. There seemed to be an unlimitedsupply of fish. The successful anglers generally brought up something which excited shouts of laughter. One fisherman would land a nightcap, another a toy of some sort, and so on. ThePrince and Princess of Wales came about eleven o'clock, which added in no little degree to theexcitement of the scene. What must strike strangers on British soil is the admirable order

which prevails during an exhibition of this kind.

It is seldom that any unpleasantness occurs We did not remain until the close, but it was latebefore we reached home.

It was my good fortune to spend some pleasant days with my friends at their charming andhos- pitable house within four miles of Windsor. A few hours in the country is always acongenial change even to the inveterate London-loving resident of the capital. It was equallyso with myself.

I awoke at my friend's pleasant home one bright Sunday morning. Some of the family startedfor the old church at Bray, and invited me to accompany them. We pass along a winding road,

between hedges of hawthorn, with here and there line old trees, some of them with trunks asmuch as five and six feet in diameter, relics of "Windsor Forest. The country is somewhat flat,but it is rendered peculiarly attractive by its fertility and the richness of the foliage. WindsorCastle stands out boldly in the landscape, and to-day the Imperial Standard on the Round Tower shows that Her Majesty is at her ancient home.

We reached the cross roads, with a finger post directing us to Windsor and to Bray. Followingthe road to the latter, we came upon "Jesus Hospital," founded, we read on the inscription overthe gateway in quaint old English characters, by William Groddard in 1627. His statue over theentrance looks upon a plot of garden flowers. On the inscription we further learn that "he hath

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provided for forty poor people forever." Then we are told that there is no admission forvagrants, or unlicensed hawkers, or dogs.

We attended service at Bray Church, an old edifice dating, in some parts, from the beginningor middle of the fifteenth century. The square tower tells a story of a later date.

Who has not heard of Simon Aleyn, the Vicar ?

His memory is still as fresh as it was three centuries back, when he died. He lived from thetime of Henry VIII. to that of Elizabeth, and was an Anglican, a Presbyterian or a Papist as wasexpedient. It does no harm to repeat old Fuller's words, although they appear in the guidebook : "He had seen some martyrs burned at Windsor, and found this too hot for his tendertemper.

This Vicar being taxed by one with being a turn- coat and an inconsistent changling, 'Not so,'said he, ' for I have always kept my principle, which is to live and die Vicar of Bray.'' After theservice we walked through the churchyard, and, Scotchman-like, I looked among thetombstones to see if there were any Dugalds, Donalds or Macs. There were none. I neverbefore felt so much being in the heart of England. There was not a record of one Scotchmanhaving died here, and I thought they had penetrated everywhere. I can well recollect making a

trip to the west coast a few years back.

It was during the period when the Honourable A. Mackenzie was Premier of Canada. I was thenan officer of the Canadian Government on leave.

I visited Truro, the most southern city in England, and on entering the principal business streetthe first sign I saw was that of Alexander Mackenzie & Co. I certainly thought then I was a longway from Scotland, and still further from all Canadian associations. I have been in manystrange and remote corners of the globe on both continents, but I was never before in a placewhere there was no trace of the ubiquitous, enterprising and energetic north-countryman. Andyet it was a Vicar of the church which I had just attended who curtly refused to pay a bill of James the First at Maidenhead. That monarch, on a certain occasion, having outrode his

hunting escort, and being hungry, begged leave to join the Vicar and curate at dinner.

His Majesty seems to have been in excellent humour. He told so many stories that the twolisteners, who did not know their Royal guest, laughed as they seldom did. The bill came, theKing had no money, and asked his companions to pay for him. The Vicar declined, it wouldseem, somewhat irately. The curate was more kindly disposed, and paid the bill. In themeantime the retinue arrived, and with it recognition of the Royal person. The Vicar threwhimself on his knees, and asked pardon for his harshness.

James told him he should not disturb him in his vicarage, but that he should always remainVicar of Bray. The genial curate he would make a Canon of Windsor, so that he would lookdown on both him and his vicarage.

On returning from the church we strolled by the river, which, from Oxford to London, isrenowned as boating water, and we saw many skiffs and pleasure boats upon it. It is here thatMonkey Island is situated, so often visited from Windsor and Eton. The houses in theneighboiirhood are all suggestive of comfort; they are surrounded with abundance of flowers,and have all a look of cleanliness, and an aspect both cheerful and inviting

We return home by another route. Our walk is a good mile and a half, in the course of whichwe are caught in the rain and take shelter in a cottage.

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Some one remembers that it is St. Swithin's Day, the 15th of July, and according to thetradition,, if it rains on that day, it will rain for forty days. We revert in thought to those ancienthistorians, the most sceptical of whom, while they very summarily got rid of the portents andmiracles of their own time, hesitated to reject the traditions of their ancestors. However thereis a break in the clouds and we reach the house.

Even with the dread of the realization of the prophecy, we take an afternoon walk and returnat five, just in time to escape another St. Swithin shower. In the evening we go again to

church.

I experience that which is not always the case in the Anglican service. The lessons areremarkably well read, the words properly and distinctly pronounced, the sentences notdropped in tone at the end and run into one another, and above all with an entire absence of affectation. I learn that the reader is Mr. Wallace, who has lately taken high honours at Oxford.

The weather at this time turned exceedingly cold, and the Londoner may recollect thisexceptional wave of low temperature. The newspapers declared that the thermometer fell to adegree lower than it read on Christmas day. I never heard any explanation of this abnormaldepression in July, but last year was marked by remarkable phenomena. The terribleearthquakes in the south of Europe and in the Indian Ocean betokened the activity of

extraordinary forces. We are, indeed, fortunate in our experience throughout the BritishEmpire that hitherto no portion of it has suffered by such terrible convulsions, and that theextent of them is limited to a fall of the temperature or an excess of rainfall.

I again receive a telegram to know when I will leave for Canada and proceed to BritishColumbia.

I had already arranged to leave London by the 20th, but I felt that my plans must be altered,and that I would be obliged to give up the idea of spending a week in Scotland.

Previous to starting for Liverpool I had arranged to visit some friends in Somersetshire. Theroute is by the Great Western Eailway and the branch line to Taunton. As I passed from Bristol

to the latter place the appearance of the country reminded me of the reclaimed marsh land atthe head of the Bay of Fundy ; and the turbid water of the Bristol Channel was very much thesame in colour as that of the bay. The country is admirably adapted for grazing, and largeherds of beautiful cattle ; Herefords, Devons, and Shorthorns were to be seen along the route.

We reached our destination at Minehead, and here onr friends, who were originally from NovaScotia, gave us that warm welcome which we eyerywhere received in England. Not the least of the pleasant associations connected with this visit was the charming scenery from the hillsbehind the town, which command a view of the Bristol Channel east of Ilfracombe and thedistant mountains of South Wales. The foliage of the west of England is always particularlystriking to anyone from Canada. Trees and plants which, with us, can only be raised underglass, are found in luxurious abundance. There is a profusion of walnut, myrtle, wistaria,

laurestina, bay, ivy. and roses, which give a rich variety to the flora of the parks and gardens,leaving nothing to be desired. The drives are unrivalled : often through narrow lanes with highhedgerows blooming with flowers such as, at least, I have never seen out of England. One of our drives took us to Exmoor, the only district of England, as I was informed, where stag-hunting is still enjoyed yearly. At Exmoor I gathered a bunch of heather which, on the higherlevels, has an extensive growth. On Sunday there was a christening at the church, in which wewere all interested, and through which one of the names born by the humble writer of thesepages may be remembered a few years after his own race is run.

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There was an old church in the neighbourhood which we visited, as a north country man wouldsay, "ill the gloaming."

There was, however, light euough to see in the dusk a marble statue of Queen Anne near thealtar, which might easily pass for the Virgin. There is a chained Bible on the stand as in thefirst days when the people were called to hear it read. I could not say what the date of theBible was; whether one of Tyndall's or Archbishop Cranmer's, or one more modern. The pewswere separated from each other by high divisions, five or six feet in height, so that those who

desired to pray unseen could do so. Certainly they were not favourable to the display of anyfinish in dress worn by their occupants, and which now makes such a marked feature in whatare called, I borrow the phrase, fashionable churches.

On Monday we had to leave, and it is often hard to say good-bye under such circumstances. Isit not one of the hardships of life that we have to undergo these separations ? But often ourpleasantest memories are crowded into the narrow space of such brief visits. Our destinationis Liverpool ; we leave by the morning train at eight o'clock, and reach Bristol to take theconnecting train to Liverpool. We pass by the world-renowned Stratford-on-Avon, by Burton,for which place the unrivalled pale ale of Bass and Allsopp have obtained an almost equallyextended reputation. As we crossed the silvery Trent I wondered if any calculation had everbeen made as to the quantity of its water which had found itself transferred to every clime in

the shape of bitter beer.

We soon leave Birmingham behind and pass through the hills and dales of Derbyshire; adistrict celebrated for its loveliness and beauty. The panorama which is seen even from thecarriage window is worth the trip. It is, indeed, something to say you have looked upon it. Athalf-past six we are again in Liveepool. Tuesday and Wednesday we enjoy the society of someold friends, and on Thursday we embark on the Allan line steamer "Polynesian," and start onour way over the western waters to Canada.

CHAPTER V. ENGLAND TO CANADA

The Ocean Voyage - Its Comfort - Moville - Mail Coach Road of Old Days - Impressive Service

on Deck - Comfort on the Vessel - Rimoueki - Halifax

"We are off this Thursday, 26th July, and underway at three p.m. As is usually the case wehave a pleasant run down the Mersey to the Irish Sea. With few exceptions the passengers areall strangers, one to the other, and we remain on deck, no few of us speculating as to "who iswho ?" We dine at four the first day. There is a printed list of passengers on the plate of eachas we take our seats at the tables which have been assigned to us, perhaps in some cases bya little pre-arrangement with the purser. In the evening we pass close to the Isle of Man withits bold headlands and picturesque coast line, but few of us appear to be inclined to stay uplate. There is always an exictement, and consequent rebound, in leaving the land where wehave passed some weeks, whatever the associations we have separated from, and whateverfuture may lie before us. The first night at sea is generally quiet; it is true you have always

your inveterate whist player who wants to get up a rubber as if it was the one duty of life notto lose an opportunity of gaining the odd trick.

And you have the perpetual smoker who looks upon leisure as specially designed for theenjoyment of the pipe or cigar, as if the sole charm of life lay in tobacco !

The whole conditions of an ocean voyage have, of late years, been much changed. A voyage inthe modern steamship is more like a yacht trip.

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Indeed, excepting the yachts of men of colossal fortunes, the yacht suffers by comparison withthe steamship. In the latter you have a bed clean and comfortable, with all the auxiliaries of the toilet.

On nearly all the best ships you have hot and cold baths. Some vessels carry a professionalbarber; and I have known a chiropodist to be in attendance. If you want more bedding, or hotwater, or any other et cetera you ask for and obtain it.

You have a cabin as large and comfortable as it is possible to have under the circumstances,and if you chose to pay for it you can have it to yourself, and thus obtain all the privacy of ananchorite.

Your state-room, as it is called, is cleaned daily, and it is open to you whenever you see fit toenter ; you have a large saloon in which you take your meals, sit, read, or write, or play chessor whist; where ladies can group themselves in order to carry on their embroidery, or toundertake less pretentions, if more useful work. Generally there is a separate saloon, forladies, in an airy part of the ship, where, if they are not free from nausea or depression, theycan retire and be as private as they desire. You have the best of food, thoroughly and carefullycooked, with the most obsequious of attendants whom you are generally expected to rewardat the end of the voyage, and you feel yourself second to no one in the world you are in- There

are no troublesome experiences on points of etiquette or ceremony; you never receive alesson of your insignificance, although if it be particularly sought for, it can be obtained. Youhave fresh air, bright skies, and the ocean that ''Glorious mirror, where the Almighty's formGlasses itself in tempests." is your constant monitor. All you seem to want is a sea-stomachand firmness on your feet. As a rule, a few days, often a few hours, will give you both. To thosewho are not seasick what life is more pleasant ? You have all sorts of people on board, and thesea seems to act as a sort of leveller of individualism. Although there are men and women whoare known to have spoken to nobody, and who have walked up and down during almost thewhole voyage in perfect solitude, wrapped up in themselves, as if no contact with others werepermissible. On seeing these people I have thought of Æsop's mountain in labour, and pitiedthe poor little mouse brought into the world with such effort.

There are storms at sea, naturally, but you have a crew in the highest state of discipline ; youhave a ship as strong as money and iron can make it; you have an engine of wondrous powerand a marvel of perfection in machinery. Competition, energy, and enterprise, have somultiplied the means of travel that you may pass from one continent to the other withcomfort, and for not much more money than the sum you pay for the same period of time atone of the high class hotels in London or New York. You have no extras to pay for in thesteamship except wine or beer.

According to your feeling you can give a douceur to the steward who attends to your room,and if need be nurses you in sickness, and to the steward who waits upon you at table. Theonly items you have to pay extra for, as before stated, are beer and wine, if you choose toorder either. You are not remarkable either in avoiding or using them, for never was there so

unrestrained a matter of taste as in this respect at the saloon table.

It is Friday : we have passed the first night at sea, and we take an early tepid salt water bath.We are now steaming up Lough Foyle to Moville, where the mails containing letters posted inLondon on Thursday night, are put on board. Thus the clear business day of Thursday is gainedby English correspondents. The weather is delightful. Some of the party go on shore as thesteamer is seven hours in advance of the train with the mails.

There is nothing specially attractive on this part of the Irish coast it is true, still it is alwayspleasant to touch terra firma as a change, and it is always a break during the hours that we

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are lying at anchor. We remain at Moville until three o'clock, when the "Polynesian" starts. Theweather continues bright and clear, the water smooth, all is pleasant on deck, where all thepassengers are present. The only spectacle to which I can compare the scene is a gardenparty where everybody has but one thing to do, and that is to amuse and be amused, and lookas charming as each one can.

We all know that the best way to succeed in being genial and good-humoured is to endeavourto be so, and where can a day be better enjoyed than at sea ? I am aware that tradition is

asrainst me.

The poor sufferer from sea-sickness may remember this trying time, as the most dreary of hislife, and this form of sickness is to many, even in a minor way, a most serious ordeal, but, as arule, it soon passes away. I believe the best cure for those afflicted with this malady is toremain quiet, to eat sparingly, and avoid everything greasy; if there be nausea to take onlytoast and tea, and make the effort to get on deck Looking at the severities of the affliction intheir strongest light they are certainly by no means what they were in the old days of sailingvessels of small tonnage, and with accommodation proportioned to the craft. There were thenmany discomforts and privations now happily unknown. Voyages were, at that period, countedby weeks instead of days, and to one unaccustomed to the sea the Atlantic trip was no little of a penalty. It is very much owing to the reminiscences of this period that the dread of the sea

now prevails. The discomforts of land travelling in the past have now ceased to be eventhought of. The bad roads, the ricketty coaches, the foul air in the inside, and the sufferingfrom cold and wet on the outside of the coach, have all passed out of mind. Even the modernnovel does not dwell upon them. All that is recorded is the cheery appearance of the old-timecoach on a fine evening, driving through a town, with the guard arrayed in bright uniform, withhis bouquet in his buttonhole, the cynosure of all the servant girls; while the coachmanhandled the ribbons to the admiration and envy of all the fast young gentle men of the place.In its way there was bitter suffering in bad weather in the course of such a journey, but theease and comfort of railway travelling have destroyed all remembrance of it.

What greater contrast can there be between the torture felt in the inside of an old stage coachgoing from Liverpool to London and the luxury of sitting in a Pullman car travelling the same

distance ? What more striking difference can there be between railway life as it is now in the journey from Brighton to London, accomplished in an hour, and the same journey performedby the old stage coaches? Railway travelling has so insensibly crept into our system that thepresent generation does not think of the privations of half a century ago.

One of the causes doubtless of the continuance of the prejudice against ocean navigation isthe poor and inefficient steamers still in use for crossing the English Channel. There isfrequently bad weather, indeed, if all that is said be true, it seldom would appear to beotherwise, and an immense percentage of those now passing to the continent suffer thetortures of sea-sickness, much as was experienced on this route half a century back. One of the channel steamers, on a fine day when the run is made in calm weather, is a spectacle.Everybody is good-tempered and in the best of humour; even the most high-minded somewhat

unbend and cease to be ungenial. They appear to feel that a great penalty has been escaped,that they have passed unscathed through what is generally considered a terrible ordeal.

To such as these, whose experience has been gained in this school of travel, the escape fromsea-sickness may appearimpossible. They will be exceedingly surprised to learn that many make an ordinary voyageacross the Atlantic without any sea-sickness at all. Some may, it is true, have a slight qualm;but half a day's retirement and careful diet, are all that is necessary to bring back health,good spirits, and vivacity, and possibly a wonderful increase of appetite.

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Such was the experience on Friday afternoon ; all were pleasant and agreeable, and many, asthey retired that night to rest, on the Atlantic Ocean, felt that the voyage was a delightfulreality and that there was every prospect of their proving excellent sailors.

Saturday is equally pleasant, happy, and bright.

The portholes are opened, and, as usual, many begin the day with a salt water bath. We passthe "Oregon," which left Liverpool at the same time we did, but our visit to Moville enabled her

to sail onward as we entered Lough Foyle. A light breeze springs up, and the swell of the oceangives movement to the vessel which causes more or less sea-sickness and depression. Manyare walking about with comfort and ease, and a few are miserable.

There is dinner at 6.30; one of those sumptuous, well-served dinners which no wise man willface every day of his life, even if he can manage to obtain it. There are one hundred andfourteen saloon passengers and five children on board, but only seventeen are at table, one of them a lady, Mrs. D., of Toronto. A great contrast to yesterday's experience. The deck is wetand uncomfortable, the rain is falling and there is a heavy fog. The planks are slippery, andwith the unsteady motion of the ship, there is little to tempt one to abandon the shelter of thewarm, cheery, well-lighted saloon.

On Saturday night there was a head wind, but on Sunday morning the ship was somewhatquieter, the decks were dry, and motion was practicable.

There are on board two clergymen of the Anglican Church, so service is held in the saloon. Wehave also with us Bishop Rogers, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Chatham, New Brunswick, whoholds a service in another part of the ship. "We pass through a school of whales, some six of which rise above the water not far from the vessel. The majority of the ]adies make an effortto appear on deck, and either sit on chairs or recline on couches extemporised with cushions,wraps and shawls ; some few even attempt a promenade. Well does Shakespeare tell us that"Courage mount eth with occasion." There are those who shake their heads at the predictionof their immediate recovery.

Some few achieve wonders and attend dinner.

The evening turns out fine, the air is warm, so the Rev. H. Huleatt conducts a service on deck.

He is an old army chaplain, and over his white surplice wears three medals for service in theCrimea., China and Abyssinia. I was bred in, and adhere to, the Presbyterian Church, in whichthe forms of the Anglican Church are certainly not taught, and by many of us not favourablyregarded.

The persecution of the Covenanters in the seventeenth century, having in view theestablishment of Anglicanism, produced results which its projectors did not conceive possible.It cannot be said that persecution always fails in its purpose, for history furnishes painful

examples to the contrary. But there are few instances of its failure more remarkable than thisattempt to force on the people of Scotland a form of worship which they did not favour. Withcertain classes and individuals the feelings which the attempt left have long since died out,but the memory of them remained for many a year. I am not one who has been trained toregard the ceremonies of the English Church with marked reverence, especially when theyturn towards the "high" development. With men like myself I venture the remark that theChurch of England is never so strong as when she adheres to her simplest teaching. Her ritualis never so impressive as when stripped of strained formality; it is then that, in spite of ourselves, we must feel and admire all the strength and beauty of her liturgy. It is not easy tocomprehend how thoughtful men can advocate the introduction of extreme ceremonies, which

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even many Anglicans themselves regard as theatrical accessories. It has been my goodfortune to attend the English Church service in some of the noblest cathedrals in England; atWestminster, Canter- bury, Chester and St. Paul's, unrivalled in its classic excellence : and Ihave at such times felt how decorous and impressive it can be made when the ritual is notencumbered with the observances which a strong party in the Church of England regard asunseemly, and which, with my feelings, I hold to be unnecessary. With this limitation this formof prayer, in my humble view, appears peculiarly adapted to the English mind and character.For more gorgeous ceremonial, I have witnessed the Mass at St. Peter's, one of the grandest

temples erected by man for the worship of his Maker. Never in any church was I ever presentat a scene and service more memorable than the evening prayer on the deck of the"Polynesian." The military chaplain, in his white surplice, appeared with the three medals onhis breast and his Bible and prayerbook in his hand, walking slowly once or twice up and downthe deck, by way, as he afterwards explained, '"of ringing the bell."' In this manner thepassengers generally were collected into picturesque groups. He took an elevated position; hiswhite dress and his long white hair moving in the breeze, formed a striking contrast to thedark funnel, masts and spars in the background. He repeated the simple words of theAnglican liturgy in a clear, natural voice. He spoke briefly and forcibly, as possibly he had oftendone on the eve of battle. He conducted the singing of some of those touching hymns commonto all branches of the Christian Church.

The congregation, consisting of all sects and beliefs, was unaffectedly serious aud devout, andmany voices joined in earnest praise.

"We occupied the centre of the ocean, that marked emblem of the Everlasting. Above andaround us the blue vault of heaven was frescoed with fleecy clouds, radiant with the rich huesof the evening sun. On every side the rolling waters added solemnity to the scene. There werefew who did not feel the spectacle itself to be a ser mon not soon to be forgotten. It spoke tous all against our littleness and selfishness. As we looked beyond the bulwarks of our ship, apoint in God's endless creation, we could feel how imperfect was the teaching of sects andcreeds, in view of the higher and nobler views we should aspire to : the faith which widens oursympathies as the warmth of summer expands the buds of our northern forests.

Monday again is a beautiful morning, and we are all on deck enjoying the fresh, healthfulbreeze and the sun, whose bright beams glitter on the face of the rolling waters, the blue skyabove us with its passing clouds, and the sea in ceaseless motion all around us, wave chasingwave, chequered with varying light and shade.

We are all so full of life that the afternoon is given over to games which, on shore, many of usmight think somewhat undignified. At dinner the table is full. And what appetites most of ushave ! Some achieve perfect wonders as trencher men and women, and often in memorymany of the passengers will revert to their powers in this respect. Wholly undisturbed by fearsof dyspepsia, they ate with the best of appetites. The evening passed pleasantly with most of ns in the saloon, which presented a scene of quiet comfort and amusement. The next morningis also enjoyable. We find we are now half way across, and we talk of making the Straits of

Belle Isle by Thursday. Our run at noon is 332 knots. There is a little fog, and the air issomewhat cold. The theory is expressed that we are near Grreenland; that a cold blast maycome from across its "icy mountains," told of by Bishop Heber in the hymn we have heard sooften.

All the passengers, without exception, are now accustomed to the motion of the ship. Everyone appears at home. The forenoon passes quickly, and we can hardly believe that the dinnerhour is near. When we all sit down at the long and well-provided tables one can hardlyconceive that he is not on shore at some famed hotel in Montreal or Toronto. I am aware that Irun the risk of being charged with exaggeration, but I express the result of my convictions. I

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am sure that my remarks will be borne out by all who have made several trips across theAtlantic. There are stormy and particularly unpleasant voyages, I know. Such I have myself experienced, but they are generally in winter; in summer they are the exception.

The evening passes in the usual pleasant way, and we all separate reluctantly when bed-timecomes.

"We have again another fine day, and the forenoon is marked by sunshine. During the night

we passed the steamer "Parisian," homeward bound. At noon we learn the run is 332 miles,the same as yesterday, and our chart shows us that we are due at the Straits of Belle Isle atmidnight. During the afternoon, at intervals, fog- arises and disappears to return again, andwhen the fog is on the water we prudently go at half speed. We pass some icebergs, and theyseem to have affected the temperature, for the air is cold. The passengers are in high spirits. The prospect of seeing land gives an impetus to the generalhilarity. "We expect to enter the northern passage to the St. Lawrence before morning. Thetrip so far has been most agreeable. The time has passed pleasantly. The group to which I wasmore particularly attached was always full of life and animation. One gentleman, who hadretired from the army, and was going out to Canada on a sporting tour, proved to be anexcellent artist, and made many amusing sketches. To another member of our group we owe

particular acknowledgments for the life he inspired around him, and, if he cheered us by hisunfailing good temper and charm of manner, we owe also no little to his brilliant and ready wit.

The evening was spent in asking riddles and playing card tricks. One effort led to another.Some of them were worth perpetuating. Indeed, a very interesting volume of a moderate sizecould be written descriptive of our trip, which would be read with no small amount of pleasure,and I have no doubt would lead to the removal of many prejudices regarding sea voyages.

We are now in the Straits of Belle Isle, having passed the light at five a.m. During the forenoonthe weather is a little foggy, so we go at half speed.

In the afternoon the fog clears away to be replaced by pleasant sunshine. There is to be an

amateur concert this evening in aid of the funds of the Sailor's Orphanage at Liverpool. Thosewho are directors in this matter are particularly earnest. In the meanwhile some of us writeletters to post at Rimouski. I take it into my head to count how many trips I have made acrossthe Atlantic Ocean since I left Glasgow in April, 1845. I have crossed in every kind of vessel,from a sailing ship up to the "Great Eastern," and this present voyage I find to be mynineteenth, so I think I can speak with some confidence of what life on an ocean steamshiptruly is. My shortest passage was by the "Alaska," in October, 1882, from Sandy Hook, New York, to Liverpool, in seven days and five hours, but on this occasion we were detained insidethe bar in the harbour of New York for two days, owing to fog. My longest voyage was by theship "Brilliant," it occupied nearly six weeks.

The concert was, as usual, a success, at least everybody was pleased. Thirteen pounds sterling

were collected. Those who ventured on supper partook of all the usual delicacies in vogue onthese occasions, and the disciple of the pipe and cigar indulged himself for some time on deck.By half-past eleven the last of us had turned in.

It was wet the following day; we were steaming up the St. Lawrence as we took breakfast.

Those who were to leave at Rimouski, of whom I was one, point out that it is the last time wemay take this meal together, for we may arrive at Rimouski by night. In the afternoon we havefog, showers, and fine weather alternately. "We overtake the "Hanoverian." She had passed usduring the five hours we had lost in the fog.

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Night comes on, and at ten o'clock we run into a dense fog. Prudence dictates that weadvance "dead slow," so I throw myself on my bed without undressing, to catch some littlesleep in the interval before we are met by the Rimouski tender.

We are called at three o'clock on Saturday morning; we take a cup of coffee in the saloon, andI receive a batch of letters from my family and other correspondents. "We enter the tenderand arrive at the long Rimouski wharf just as dawn is breaking.

My daughter and myself go southward to Halifax with three others, amongst them thevenerable Bishop Rogers, of Chatham.

However pleasant the trip across the ocean has been, and although many of ns found itsassociations most agreeable and we separate from them only by necessity, nevertheless all of us reach the shore with no little satisfaction. The fact is we are subjected to a new set of influences. We revive old associations. We see well-known scenes, and meet familiar faces. There is a change from our life of the last nine days to a new series of events and excitements.One of the first Canadians to give lis a welcome was the young son of Madam Lepage, whohad seen us off by the tender on 17th June.

The train carries us over the familiar Inter-Colonial Railway, nearly every spot along the linehaving a special claim on my recollection.

The landscape is always striking in the neighbourhood of the Metapedia and Eestigouche. There has been much rain and the vegetation is luxuriant. Bishop Eogers and myself revert tofifteen years ago when we crossed the Atlantic together. Then, as now, he was returning from a visit to the Holy Father at Rome. The Bishop insisted onacting as host at breakfast at Campbelton : he held that we had now entered his diocese andthat he must consider us his guests. It would have pained the good old Bishop had we declinedhis courtesy.

We learn that the fishing on the Restigouche this season has been excellent. As usual, we

have the best of fresh salmon for breakfast. We say good-bye to the Bishop, who leaves us atNewcastle, and we proceed on our journey arriving late at night safely at our home in Halifax.We are now in Nova Scotia, where I am delayed a few days before starting on the long land journey over the western continent.

CHAPTER VI. NOVA SCOTIA

Early Colonization - De Monts - Champlain - Sir Wilham Alexander - Capture of Quebec - The Treaties - The Acadian Evangeline - Louisbourg - First Capture - Peace of Aix la Chapelle -Boundary Disputes - The Final Struggle - Deportation of the Acadians - Nova Scotia constituteda Province

The first attempt at the colonization of Nova Scotia which was made from France wassingularly unfortimate. In 1598, we read, the Marquis de la Roche left Saint Malo with a crew,almost entirely composed of convicts. He landed forty of them at Sable Island until he couldselect a place fit for settlement, when a westerly storm drove his ship back to France. Thesesettlers, if they can be so called, remained unnoticed for seven years, and when they werefound twelve only remained.

Had it not been for De Lery, who placed some live stock here in 1518, which in the interval hadgreatly multiplied, they must have starved. Their houses were built of the timbers of wreckedvessels, and it would seem no little of the fuel was derived from the same source. There is a

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letter from one John Butt to Henry VIII, which states that in 1527, seventy years previously, hemet fifteen vessels in the harbour of Newfoundland, and there is every ground to warrant thebelief that individual enterprise led to constant communication between the maritime nationsof Europe and America from the early days of the discovery of Newfoundland, and that verymany vessels penetrated to the shores of Nova Scotia and to the St. Lawrence before the daysof Yerazzano and Cartier. The object being alone that of trade with the Indians, and to obtainfish, no settlement followed, and doubtless many a wreck lay on the dreary shores of theexposed island wdiere these unfortunate men had been landed.

The first well-considered attempt at European colonization occurred under the leadership of DeMonts in 1604; in which we of Canada feel the greater interest, as the founder of Canada, theillustrious Champlain, took part in it. He has himself recorded the voyage, and Lescarbot, thefirst chronicler of the northern portion of the continent has fully related its history. It ismentioned that when De Monts arrived, he found a free trader in one of the bays whose nameis preserved, Rossignol, a marked proof which I venture to adduce as showing the frequentintercourse between the two hemispheres at that date. De Monts entered the Bay of Fundyand passed up St. Mary's Bay, whence he proceeded to what is now knowm as Annapolis.Pontrincoiirt was of the party, and he commenced his chequered career by obtaining a grant of Port Royal from De Monts, founding a settlement there and giving it the name it bore forupwards of a century. De Monts himself passed over to Saint John whence he descended to

Passamaquoddy Bay, where he built the Fort of Saint Croix. His crew suffered from scurvyduring the winter. Hence he formed the opinion that the settlement was unhealthy, andaccordingly he went as far south as the Penobscot. Finding the Indians unfriendly at this place,he returned to Port Royal.

Here he met Pontgravé, known as the friend and associate of Champlain, who at this date firstappears on the scene.

The leaders returned to France where strong influences were exercised against them. But theyreappeared in 1606 and commenced in earnest to cultivate the land. A mill was constructed,and in the height of their efforts the following year notice was received from France that themonopoly of the trade in peltry given to De Monts was revoked. De Monts' future scene of

labour was the Saint Lawrence, but Poutrincourt obtained the confirmation of De Monts'concession to him of Port Royal, accompanied by the condition that it should maintain a JesuitMission.

The influence which sustained this addition was all powerful, so the two Jesuits, Biard andMasse, arrived at Port Royal. [A stone inscription, dated 1609, was found in an old wall in theFort at Port Royal, now Annapolis, by the late Judge Halliburton, author of " Sam Slick." Somefifteen years ago it was in the possession of his son, Mr. E. G. HallilDurton, tlien in Halifax. Thatgentleman gave it as a loan to the writer to be placed in the Museum of the Canadian Institute. Thus the oldest stone inscription probably in America may be found in Toronto].

The Jesuits could not agree with the commander of the settlement and they departed to found

a colony on the Penobscot River. But in 1613, Captain Samuel Argall, from James River, inVirginia, where a settlement had been established since 1606, sailed to fish for cod in themore northern waters His pretensions were higher than that of a fisherman, for he carriedfourteen guns and a crew of sixty men. Some Indians in perfect good faith set him on the trackof the new settlements, Avhich he at once attacked and destroyed.

No attempt was made to form a settlement from the Mother Country until 1621, when what inmodern language are called the Maritime Provinces were granted to Sir William Alexander. Avessel with emigrants sailed in 1622, but owing to storms, was driven to Newfoundland. JamesI died in 1625, and his death led to the complications which followed on this continent. Charles

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I. had determined to assist the French Protestants then besieged in Rochelle, and as a portionof his operations, Kirke's celebrated expedition against Canada, took place in 1628. Quebecwas taken. The French settlements still continued with small increments in what is known asAcadia : at Port Royal, Annapolis, to the country round Minas Bay, or the Easin of Minas fromChignecto to Cobecquid, and south to Windsor and Cornwallis. There were some smallsettlements at Cape Sable., Cape la Have and at Canso. Fifty years after this date the totalpopulation was but little over 800, so settlement could only have taken place slowly and atintervals.

In 1682 all that is now known as British America, which lies beyond the valley of the St.Lawrence, was given over to the French by treaty.

But Oliver Cromwell became Protector of England, and seized the forts of St. John and PortRoyal, and, what is more, in the treaty of Westminster of 1655 held Nova Scotia as apossession. In 1658 the great Englishman died, and the discreditable days of the restorationfollowed. In 1662 the French Ambassador received instructions to demand restitution of thecountry. The English King, the pensioner of France, had no resource but compliance, althoughthe people of Massachusetts, hearing of the proposition, sent a remonstrance against theproceeding. Its only effect was to lead to delay, for in 1667 a discreditable surrender wasmade by the treaty of Breda. The Governor was ordered to hand over Nova Scotia to French

rttle. The accession of William III. led to Avar, and in 1690 an expedition against Port Royalended in its capture. But by the Peace of Eyswick, 1697, Nova Scotia was again transferred toFrance. Port Royal was occupied and placed in a condition of defence, and it was among thegrievances of the New Eng- landers that it was the resort of pirates who preyed onMassachusetts commerce. War again broke out in 1702. The early attempts to capture PortRoyal were not successful. Had the Governor, Subercase, been sustained from France, theconquest might have been perhaps stayed. But the support he asked was not extended, and in1710 the place was again taken. The English Government had learned some terrible lessonson the necessity of holding the territory in this direction. The massacres at York and OysterRiver in 1694 and the attempt to destroy Wells must have taught her rulers that the Englishcolonies required some firmly seated support against such attempts. The effort of France wasto connect Canada by a series of outposts with the Atlantic. A fort was built on the St. John,

opposite Fredericton, Naxouat, and at the Jemseg to the south. The thinly-peopled northernparts of Maine and Massachusetts were thus constantly exposed to attack, and it wasmanifestly necessary to the protection of New England that a garrison of sufficient strengthshould be established in a locality where it would be available to meet an excursion fromCanada, if French encroachments were to be resisted. It was thus that attention was directedto Port Royal, which had been taken in the expedition under Nicholson in 1710, and nowreceived the name of Annapolis, from the reigning Queen. Halifax was then unknown, and thewhole settlement of Nova Scotia consisted in what went under the name of Acadia, which didnot contain 1,000 souls.

It was resolved, however, to hold Nova Scotia permanently, and a garrison was left atAnnapolis.

It was not until 1755, forty-five years after this date, that the deportation of the Acadians tookplace, and what follows in the history of Nova Scotia must be remembered in connection withthe relentless policy of Governor Lawrence, which enforced their banishment.

Many have formed their idea of that measure by Mr. Longfellow's well known poem of "Evangeline,'' but it must be judged in a far wider view than what is suggested by thosepolished hexameters.

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Few can deny that the measure was one bringing much suffering with it, and that manyinnocent persons underwent tribulation, and that there is a hard, unbending purpose runningthrough the proceeding to cause feelings of horror and pain- This cannot be denied. But whatis all war but an unvarying scene of individual misery and wrong ? A private execution of themost notorious malefactor makes an appeal to one's more merciful feelings. The real questionto be considered is; was this step a merciless, treacherous, unnecessary brutality like themassacre of Glencoe, inflicting uncalled for suffering on a defenceless people taken unawares,who had no chance given them to avoid such a fate; or was it an act of necessary policy

entailed by most pressing circumstances, by consideration for the safety of a community,which the sufferers could have avoided, without the slightest sacrifice of principle, feeling or of individual right. The fact must be clearly stated. The Acadians, as a conquered people,obtained every consideration and kindness, and for years they were called upon earnestly tobe loyal and to abstain from injury to those who were now their masters.

No one ever received the slightest individual injury. They were treated with justice, withforbearance, with mercy. They were assured the practice of their religion, the maintenance of their property and their personal liberty. All they were asked to do was to give a solemnassurance to become in fact and by their lives subjects of their conquerors.Not to side with their foes, but to defend the land on which they held their property, against itsenemies, and above all to abstain from encouragement of the savage Indian, whose theory of

warfare was stealthy assassination. I return to the date 1710.

Port Royal was conquered, and its conquerors clearly shewed that they intended to retain it asa possession. The inhabitants never ceased from hostility in all its forms. Parties sent out tocut wood were assassinated. Travelling beyond the fort was dangerous; for the individual itwas death The enmity of the people was kept up by the missionaries with the assurance thatthe fort would be attacked and retaken at the first opportunity, and that British continuedpossession was an impossibility. War was closed by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, when NovaScotia remained a British possession. The French retained the sovereignty of the Island of Cape Breton, which with the Port of Louisbourg, remained an eternal threat to Nova Scotia.

[The readers of Humphrey Clinker may recollect the astonishment of the Duke of Newcastle,

the foolish Minister of George XL, on hearing that Cape Breton was an island. The story asrecorded is worth reproduction : "They [the Ministers] are so ignorant they scarce know a crabfrom a cauliflower, and then they are such dunces that there is no making them comprehendthe plainest proposition. In the beginning of the war this poor, half-witted creature told me, ingreat fright, that thirty thousand French had marched from Acadia to Cape Breton. 'Where didthey find transports ?' said I. 'Transports !' cried he; 'I tell you they marched by land.' 'By landto the Island of Cape Breton ? ' What ! is Cape Breton an island ?' 'Certainly.' 'Ha ! are you sureof that ?' When I pointed it out in the map he examined it earnestly with his spectacles; then,taking me in his arms, ' My dear C ! ' cried he, ' you always bring us good news. Egad ! I'll godirectly and tell the King that Cape Breton is an island'].

The Acadians were pressed by the French governor, to remove to Cape Breton. By the 14th

Article of the Treaty, they had one year in which they could leave Nora Scotia. But they wouldnot do so. At the same time, they declared to the French of Cape Breton their intention of remaining subjects of France, and that they never wonld take the oath of allegiance to Englandunder any circumstances.

In 1714 Nicholson was appointed Governor of Nova Scotia, then a recognized Province. Nosteps appear to have been taken for some years with regard to the Acadians. The oath hadbeen tendered and refused. It was not enforced, and they remained in this unsatisfactorycondition for thirty years, when war broke out again in 1743. It was well known that, in theevent of war, every Acadian would be an enemy to British rule.

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Mascarene was then Governor. Descended from Huguenot French, he was a man of rare abilityand power. A French force attacked the fort.

The attack was to have been made in connection with a French squadron. The latter notarriving, the force retired, having shewn little enterprise.

The Acadians did not join the attacking army.

There was a body of Indians from the main land, friendly to the English, who were sufficient tocounterbalance the Nova Scotian Micmacs, and the determined defence was a guaranteeagainst any pronounced aid from within.

If Nova Scotia was to be retained with a population ever ready to rise at the first gleam of success of the enemies of Great Britain and its religion, Louisbourg, it was evident could not beallowed to continue, a constant omen of danger and loss. Whoever first proposed the attack,and I think it must have been a necessity everywhere understood ? it was Shirley, thenGrovernor of Massachusetts, who prepared the organization by which the first taking of Louisbourg was effected, and whose energy and ability led to the expedition of 1745. WilliamPepperel was appointed its commander. Few such expeditions have been marked by such

signal organisation and completeness, a striking contrast to the contemptible result of Phipp'sexpedition against Quebec in 1690, and Walker's miserable failure in 1711. Admiral Warrencommanded the naval forces. Louisbourg fell. The booty was immense, and to increase it theFrench flag was kept flying so that vessels from France entered the harbour to become thespoil of the conqueror. A lesson not forgotten when Boston was evacuated bv the British in1776, by the incompetent General Gage and his equally inefficient lieutenants. For the Britishflag, still flying on the fort, invited the English vessels unhesitatingly to sail in, if combatants,to become prisoners of war and for the stores and merchandise to be sequestrated. It is saidthat at Louisbourg the share of a seaman before the mast was eight hundred guineas. Theefforts on the part of France to revenge this reverse were futile.

The design was even to destroy Boston, but the expedition was one of the most impotent on

record.

Port Royal, Annapolis seemed more easy of attainment. The commandant knowing theweakness of his garrison applied for reinforcements. On the arrival of 420 men, they were sentto Minas.

A French fort was then at Chignecto. An attack was at once determined. The English troopstook no precaution, as if they were in full security. Led by Acadian guides to the exact localitywhere the men were quartered, the French arrived at 2 o'clock in the morning on 23rd January, 1747. Snow was falling so the advance was not seen until close on the sentries. Thetroops, attacked in bed, made a desperate resistance, but they were defeated and capitulated.Such a result would have been impossible without the assistance of the Acadians, who led the

troops precisely to the points to be attacked and withheld all knowledge of the expedition.

The disgraceful peace of Aix-la-Chapelle was made in 1748. It is hard to believe thatLouisbourg and Cape Breton were given back to the French under the vague clause that noconquest since the commencement of the war should be held. England, therefore, retainedNova Scotia and France Cape Breton, for the tragedy of Louisbourg to be repeated ten yearslater. We all recollect the toast of Blucher that the diplomatist may not lose by the pen whatthe soldier has gained by the sword. On this continent we have much to remind us how a fewwords in a treaty, indistinct and indefinite in their purport, have ignored many years of

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national effort, courage and determination, at the same time sacrificing remorselessly amnltiplicity of private interests.

But the time had come when the quarrel between France and England should be fought out,and both powers felt that this chronic condition of war could no longer continue. In ten yearsthe struggle had ceased. One by one the strongholds of France passed from her hands, and inten years her flag had ceased to be a type of power on the continent. Both countriesaccordingly put forth their whole strength in this period : a fact of importance when the

question of the treatment of the Acadians is judged. One of the first steps was the foundationof Halifax in 1749 under Corn- wallis. It was done with rare organization, with perfect success.Without delay Cornwallis called upon the Acadians to take the oath of allegiance.

They declined. For six years was this request avoided with ill-concealed hostility. "In fact," saidGrovernor Hopson in July, 1753, "what we call an Indian war is no other than a pretence for theFrench to commit hostilities upon His Majesty's subjects." The French, moreover, whilerecognizing the provisions of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, drew an arbitrary boundary of NovaScotia : that of Missiquash River, now the boundary of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; and La Tonquiere, then Governor of Canada, sent a force under La Come to erect a chain of forts fromthe Bay of Fundy to Bay Verte. They constructed Fort Beanséjour. The Governor of Nova Scotiaestablished Fort Lawrence, near the settlement of Beansejonr. In 1755 it was resolved to drive

the French from their position. As was looked for, the Acadians were there on the French side,but the fort was taken and called Fort Cumberland.

It was these very encroachments of the French against Nova Scotia which led to thedeclaration of war in May of 1756. What followed I need but cursorily mention. Louisbourgagain fell in 1758; Quebec in 1759. In 1760 Louisbourg was demolished, for no other port thanHalifax was needed. In six months this monument of French power, which it had taken twenty-five years to raise, was levelled to the ground. All of value was transported to Halifax, many of the boucharded stones, even, having been taken there. In this year Montreal capitulated, andDe Vandreuil signed the capitulation which gave the continent to British rule.

All these facts require to be stated when the deportation of the Acadians has to be considered.

"What else could be done with them in this crisis ? From the period when Cornwallis firstarrived, in 1749, it was the one question : how to act with a body of men disloyal to thecountry as it was governed. Too weak to obtain a national standing, but constantly intriguingto injure the authority they lived under but would not recognize; refusing all efforts of conciliation; and, with the guarantee of possessing personal liberty, the free practice of theirreligion, the enjoyment of their property, they still declined to give the slightest assurance of good behaviour or fidelity.

They refused even to furnish supplies to the British garrison, and they ranged themselvesactually on the side of the French expeditions. They encouraged the savage to rob, and toplunder, and to murder. They complacently looked on while a vessel was looted under their

eyes, and at the same time they were subject to no direct tax and had every privilege a loyalsubject could ask.

European writers who have alluded to this proceeding have dwelt much on the peaceful livesand the quiet, primitive habits of most of those who suffered. That fact has never beendisputed. But poetry has endeavoured to sublimate their virtues to a height they neverreached. The Acadians lived in rude plenty, unmarked by the least culture. Their prejudiceswere only developed among themselves. They were litigious and grasping, and French writersof that date complain that the specie which they received never left their possession, for theyheld it back for the hour of difficulty, which would have been in no way unwelcome if it ended

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in driving from their midst those who, with all the exaggeration on the subject, could not becalled their oppressors. In September, 1755, a considerable number of the most troublesomewere seized, arbitrarily undoubtedly, and banished from the country. What the number waswhich were thus scattered and shipped in transports it is hard to state. Many were left behind,as the despatches of subsequent Grovernors clearly establish. In Grand Pre 1,925 werecollected. At Annapolis and Cumberland many took to the woods. I cannot form any otheropinion than that the number 5,000 is an exaggeration.

Among the papers at the Colonial Office or at Halifax the true state of the case may be found.

I am quite unable, from what I can learn, to give any estimate, but the evidence leads me tothink that probably less than 3,000 were so deported. A melancholy fate of suffering, sorrowand privation; for these poor creatures were sent, homeless and destitute, to other States; butthere was no unnecessary hardship and cruelty shown, and their condition was not worse thanthat of the immigrant who in old days sought our shores.

Undoubtedly it is a chapter of human misery, this enforced exodus, but those who suffered byit could have avoided it by a line of conduct marked by no one act in any way unworthy orhumiliat- ing. All that was called for was the acceptance of an unavoidable condition of events,beyond their control, irremediable. They refused to become friends of those who made the

offer of peace and conciliation in the hour of danger and difficulty.

They showed themselves to be avowed enemies.

For upwards of forty years they destroyed the peace of the colony, and had at length to paythe penalty their conduct exacted, which was only with reluctance adopted as a necessitywhich self-preservation demanded.

It is not until 1714 that Nova Scotia ranks as a British Province. There were many mutationsbefore it took this definite form, and in connection with its history there is the record commonto most of the communities of this continent : that of misapprehension and a failure to understand its importance as an American possession.

For the hundred and seventy years which Nova Scotia has continued under British rule itspopulation has steadily increased from various sources, and as a maritime people they haveplaced themselves in the highest rank. Nova Scotia thus possesses the distinction of being theoldest British Province of the Dominion.

CHAPTER VII. HALIFAX TO QUEBEC

Home in Halifax - Start for the Pacific - The Intercolonial Railway - Major Robinson - OldCompanions - The Ashburton Blunder - Quebec - The Provincial Legislature - Champlain - TheIroquois Page

Arrived at my Halifax home, I made the few preparations necessary for the journey before me.

In the interval, I rambled through the Dingle with my children and paddled over the north-western arm, a sheet of water of much beauty. There is always unusual pleasure in such quietoccupations, exacting neither labour, nor thought, nor any great strain upon the attention. Wefloat along or stroll idly, as it were following the bent of our inclina- tions, now and thenconsidering what lies before us, or reverting in memory to that which once has happened. Then I visited my old friends, who gave me the proverbial Halifax welcome. Two vessels of thefleet were in port, the "Northampton" and the "Canada," the latter attracting some attentionfrom the fact that Prince Greorge, the second son of the Prince of Wales, was on board,

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performing the duties of a midshipman, as any other youngster in that position and asefficiently. A new Commander of the Forces had arrived, Lord Alexander Eussell, formerlyknown in Canada as commanding one of the battalions of the Rifle Brigade, and theconversation of the garrison was the changes in discipline and general economy introduced, asis frequently the case by new administrators. All my friends were well and in good spirits. I hadthe additional pleasure of finding that the kindness of former days was unimpaired, and mywhole visit was one of pleasantness.

I was four days in Halifax, and on the ninth of August, I started alone. Dr. Grant whoaccompanied me on my first trip to the Pacific eleven years ago, had accepted the invitation toaccompany me across the Rocky Mountains, and it was arranged that he should join me inWinnipeg. My second son was also to be of the party. He was to meet me in Toronto.

My family went with me to the station. There was an unusual effort to say good-bye in startingon this long journey, but that matter has no interest here.

It is only on alternate nights that the Pullman car runs through from Halifax to Montreal. Onthis occasion I had to leave Halifax by the Pullman which went no further than Moncton Junction, and with the other western passengers I had to wait there for the train to arrive fromSt. John.

We reached Moncton at two o'clock in the morning, an honr not the most convenient foreffecting the change. It is among the minor miseries of travelling to be obliged to turn out atsuch an hour for a coming train. But the fault was my own. Had I curtailed my brief sojourn inHalifax a few hours, or had my arrangements admitted of delay for another day, I would havehad the advantage of a through Pullman without the inconvenience of a break at this place.Moncton is in New Brunswick, at the junction of the lines from Halifax and St. John, whenceacommon course is followed to the St. Lawrence. As I was sitting on the platform in the coolsummer air before dawn, I could not but recollect that the 10th of August was one of the redletter days of my life. Thirty-one years back, on that day my railway career in Canadacommenced. I was appointed as an Assistant-engineer on what Avas then known as theOntario, Simcoe and Huron Railway, afterwards developed into the Northern Railway of

Canada, and of which I remained chief engineer for a number of years. The Montreal andPortland Railway was under construction. The Grand Trunk Railway had just been commenced,and with the exception of some small lengths of line, such as the Lachine, the La Prairie, andthe Carillon Railways, it may be said that, at that date, railways had no working existence inCanada.

The station ground at Moncton was illuminated by an electric light; to escape its piercing rays,I turned away to a seat which they did not reach.

As I was thus sitting apart, my recollection went back over the last thirty-one years and to themany events which the spot suggested. The night was dark, and, excepting in the immediateneighbour- hood, it seemed to be rendered darker by the light which flickered and glared

directly above me. I cannot say that the dazzling "Brush" light is agreeable to me at any time,or on that occasion that my tone of thought was afiected by it; but in spite of myself my mindran over much of the past, and brought vividly before me many events long forgotten. Iremembered the frequent mention of Moncton by Major Robinson in his well known report, andI felt how much I owed to his labours and to those of his efficient assistant Captain, now SirEdmund Henderson. I thought of poor Major Pipon, who was drowned in one of the streamswhile gallantly striving to save the life of an Indian boy. Prominent among the actors I revertedto my friend Mr. Light, who constructed the line from Moncton to St. John, whose labours werecontinued on the Intercolonial Railway until its completion, and who is still actively engaged inhis profession. Naturally, in connection with these memories, the whole staff of engineers who

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worked with me on the Intercolonial Railway passed before me, from the first long snow-shoetramps through the forest and across the mountains in 1864 to the completion of the line in1876.

Some are no more; those who remain are scattered oyer this continent doing their work asmanfully as they did it here, wherever their field of duty.

So far as the Intercolonial Railway appears before the public to-day, those engineers who were

for years engaged in its construction are as if they never existed. I was struck with thesimilitude between the life of the engineer and of the soldier. There is much which is identicalin the two professions. In both, privations and hardships are endured. In both, self-sacrifice iscalled for. In both, special qualities are demanded to gain desired results; and the possessorsof them for a time obtain prominence, to pass out of mind with the necessity for their service,and to be forgotten and uncared for. It is peculiarly during an hour of patient waiting in theadvanced hours of night that much of the past comes vividly before us. My mind reverted toall the incidents connected with the history of this national railway. I recalled manyrecollections of the Railway Commissioners whom the Government appointed at that date, andI did my best to forget many an unpleasantness. Differences of view were not unfrequent. They seemed important enough at the time, but on looking back to them now, howinsignificant many of them appear. Those mistakes which permanently affect the public

interests are only to be deplored. The train had just passed over the scene of one of the mostglaring of these departures from a wise policy.

In order to serve purely local interests, the railway was diverted many miles out of its truedirection. The proper location would have cost less; the line, when completed, would havebeen better in an engineering point of view; the distance would have been ten miles shorter.But the local interests, in themselves insignificant, were sustained by political influence.Whatever administration was in power, there was some one prominent politician to advocatethe location by the circuitous route. In this one point men on opposite sides of the House couldmeet on common ground, and in spite of all remonstrances and regardless of the facts, theirindividual interests prevailed.

Thus the country was saddled with an unnecessary expense of construction of a needlessincreased length of line with its perpetual maintainance, and every person, and every ton of goods, entering or leaving Nova Scotia, has to pay a mileage charge of conveyance over tenextra unnecessary miles : a tax on the travelling public and the commerce of the country forever ! As I looked along the track into the darkness, I remembered that some fifteen years hadpassed since the troubles and unpleasantness of those days, and it came to my mind that theprominent actors in the events are dead. I was struck with the truth of our experience in thevanity of human wishes and the worse than folly of sacrificing permanent public interests formatters of passing moment.

[This matter is entered into at length in the writer's published history of the IntercolonialRailway, 1876, page 102].

The circumstances suggested another recollection of higher historical importance and infinitelymore consequence. Moncton itself, geographically, is nearly due east of Montreal, but in orderto reach this point, the Intercolonial railway has to diverge northerly nearly three degrees of latitude, through the narrow limit of territory along the St. Lawrence. The extraordinary seriesof negotiations which led to the establishment of the Maine boundary, is a chapter in ourhistory which the British nation equally with Canadians would willingly forget. It is with painand humiliation that we reflect on the ignorance of the simplest facts of the case and of thedeplorable inattention to every national interest which marked the conduct of the Imperialrepresentative. Lord Ashburton, in the settlement of that question. I had occasion, some years

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ago, carefully to examine the whole subject, and I could never discover that the blame of thediscreditable settlement of the matter at issue is in any way chargeable to the WashingtonGovernment, as many suppose, and as I myself at one time had been taught to believe. Thediplomacy of the United States was perfectly straightforward throughout. Strange as it mayseem, the objectionable settlement, which leaves this painful blot on the map of the Dominion,is due to the rejection of a proposition which came from the Executive at Washington. Had thewise and just proposal made and repeated by President Jackson been accepted, there cannotbe a doubt that the boundary would haye been satisfactorily established, in accordance with

the true spirit of the treaty of 1783. We would have been spared the bitter humiliation of theAshburton treaty; we would have saved ten millions of dollars in the first cost of the Inter-colonial railway, and Nova Scotia would have been, for all practical purposes of trade andintercourse, two hundred miles nearer the western provinces of the Dominion.

The yearly cost of maintaining and working this unnecessary length of railway represents alarge sum. The direct advantages of the shorter line would have been incalculable. Thetransport of coal alone, at half a cent per ton per mile, reckoned on 200 miles, would effect asaving to the consumers in the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario of one dollar per ton. Such areduction in itself would have created great activity in the mining industries of Nova Scotia,the coal fields of which are inexhaustible, but which from their distance from market aresubjected to much unfavorable competition.

The train arrives in due time; a sleeping berth had been secured by telegraph, and I proceedonwards. The following evening, the train reaches the Chaudiere Junction, opposite Quebec,having passed Rimouski and Riviere du Loup in the afternoon. At the latter place, generally soquiet and free from bustle, we saw an unusual number of people assembled. It was the annualexcursion of the Press Association, and the members had been listening to an address fromthe Premier of the Dominion.

There are three ways of reaching Montreal from Quebec. The traveller may take thesteamboat up the St. Lawrence, 180 miles. He may cross the river and avail himself of theNorth Shore Railway, or he may remain on the south side and proceed by the Grrand TrunkRailway. It is now seven in the evening and the train is aboiit starting, so I continue on the G-

rand Trunk route and have a second night to pass in the Pullman car. In the morning at half past six the train enters Montreal by the famed Victoria Bridge.

To those who desire to pass a day at Quebec, the steamboat is a very pleasurable mode of travelling. The steamers on the route are well built.

The accommodation is excellent, and they present a varied and animated sight during theseason from the number of passengers.

I have frequently visited Quebec, and I have passed many days among its many pleasantassociations. On this occasion, it was a mere point in my travels. Those who visit Canada forthe first time, will certainly not hurry past this famous city as I was then doing.

Quebec will always be remarkable for its historical associations and for the exquisite beauty of its scenery. The traveller, however far he may have rambled, can not fail to recognize that theview from Durham Terrace is one of the finest he has ever seen. Some contend that it isunsurpassed. On one side is the citadel in all its strength and grandeur. On the opposite bankof the river, Point Levis stands forth with its coves and buildings and scenes of stirring life.Immediately below us the majestic river itself flows in a great, placid stream on its way to theocean. To the north, rise the bold heights of the Laurentian range, bearing evidences of lifefrom their base far up on the hill side. The whole scene furnishes a panorama rarely to bemet. In Quebec one feels that he is on a spot where every foot of space was once of value,

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from the necessity of protecting the whole by works of defence. We are taken back to theEuropean life of insecurity of two centuries ago, when every town was so protected, and yetwas often ravaged and despoiled. Quebec is the one memorial of that condition of things onthis continent. The city itself is built on an eminence which admits of much variety of landscape. It is a spot of great attraction which everybody visits with pleasure. The society haslong been known by the genial and kindly character of its hospitality.

Although its commerce is not relatively what it was in former years, it is still a centre of much

activity and possesses great wealth. The commencement of a railway to the settlement atLake St. John, to the north, entirely by Quebec capital, is a proof that the spirit of enterpriseyet remains.

The city is the seat of Provincial Grovernment.

During the sitting of its Legislature it is much frequented by men busy in political life. Insummer the hotels are invariably full of tourists, chiefly from the United States, hundredsoften, arriving daily to go over the ground of its historic associations, to enjoy the beauty of the landscape, and to observe what remains of the life of a past, of which in their own countrythey are without a parallel. Much of the history of Canada centres around Quebec. Manyillustrious names are associated with the ancient city. The most distinguished is its founder,

Samuel Champlain.

Champlain's career in Canada dates from 1608 to 1635. He founded Quebec. He ascended theRichelieu and discovered Lake Champlain, which bears his name. He ascended from Ticonderoga to Lake George, and penetrated the valleys of the Hudson and the Mohawk. Heascended the Ottawa, passed over the height of land, and by Lake Nipissing reached GeorgianBay. He travelled the country overland from Lake Simcoe to the Trent, and by the Bay of Quinte crossed the waters of Lake Ontario to what is now the State of New York, andpenetrated to one of the lakes, believed to be Lake Canandaigua. He was the first to make amap of Canada, and he published his memoirs and his travels. He, and he only, is the founderof Canada. What he effected was wonderful. Few inen have been marked by such singularhonesty of character. Few men have possessed so well directed a spirit of adventure,

controlled by an unusually active and penetrating mind. His fortitude, his endurance, hiscourage, his perseverance, his personal honour make him one of the great characters of history.

Midway between Quebec and Montreal the City of Three Rivers is situated. This place wasearly settled, a fort having been constructed here in 1634. Its geographical position called forthis protection. It is at the foot of the St. Maurice, whose sources lie far to the north, and westof Lake St. Peter, which in those days might be called an Iroquois lake, from the frequentincursions of the Indians, who were merciless in their warfare. For forty years the early FrenchCana- dian settler never knew if he would be able to reap the harvest of the seed he had sown.Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to say that it was doubtful, when he left his home for hisday's labour, if he would not be before night a scalped corpse. It was not until 1686 that Tracy

passed by the Riche- lieu and read the Iroquois a lesson by which peace was obtained. ThreeRivers was at an early day a settlement of some importance. It even obtained a preferenceover Quebec, but the better situation of Montreal eventually diverted the trade to that city. Ithas long been a pleasant enough place, but, as the saying goes, one through which everybodypasses and where nobody stops.

CHAPTER VIII. QUEBEC, MONTREAL, OTTAWA

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Montreal - Ship Channel - Hon. John Young - St. Lawrence Canals - Indifference of Quebec -Quebec Interests Sacrificed- Need of a Bridge at Quebec - Montreal Trade in Early Times - Beauty of the City - CanadianPacific Railway - Ottawa - The Social Influence of Government House - Kingston

It is only within the last half century that the commercial advantages, geographically,possessed by Montreal have been understood and developed.

It is not possible to enter into the history of the remarkable works, extending east and west,which have secured to this city its commercial success. They may, however, be briefly men-tioned. To the east a ship channel has been dredged through Lake St. Peter to a depth of twenty-five feet, to admit of the passage of ocean steamers. The original depth over the St.Peter flats was eleven feet. This gigantic work, commenced in 1840, has been continued untilthe present day. The excavation extends for a distance of seventeen miles, over shoalsirregular in depth. At this date the sum of $3,500,000 has been expended in the work. Thefarther deepening of this channel to admit the depth of twenty-seven feet six inches is now inprogress, and to obtain the depth throughout above Quebec the shoals of the River St.Lawrence itself above and below Lake St. Peter must likewise be dredged.

There is but one parallel to this work in the world : the improvement of the Clyde, which has

been continued for one hundred years. Originally only vessels drawing three feet six inchescould reach Grlasgow. From time to time this depth has been increased, until it may be saidthat at this date ocean steamers of the largest draught are found at the Broomielaw. HenceGrlasgow, by artificial means, has become one of the most important ports in the UnitedKingdom; and similarly Montreal, although a thousand miles from the ocean, is now one of thechief seaports of the Dominion, and, judged by the standard of Customs receipts, must be heldto be the first.

In connection with the improvement of the St. Lawrence, between Montreal and Quebec,indeed with regard to much which has increased the prosperity of Montreal, one name risesinto marked prominence, that of the Hon. John Young, so long and so honourably known in thatcity, and still so well remembered. It was owing in a great degree to his energy and capacity

that the deepening of Lake St. Peter was completed according to the original design. It mayalso be said that he was one of the first to recognize the necessity of an increased sufficiencyof depth of channel above Quebec, if Montreal was to remain the unquestioned port of theocean steamer. A project which he advocated to his death, and which until a great extent hewas instrumental in placing in its present satisfactory condition, so that in no great number of years the depth will be attained

To the west of Montreal several canals have been completed to overcome the rapids of the St.Lawrence, the last of which is the renowned Falls of Niagara, and which our grandsires held tobe so insuperable as to bar settlement on the upper lakes. These works are a marked featureof Canadian enterprise, and in themselves an important chapter in the history of canalconstruction. Nowhere in the world, on a line of navigation, are such locks to be seen. Those of

the Lachine Canal are two hundred and seventy-five feet in length, forty-five feet wide, withtwelve feet of water in the sills, so constructed that, without interruption to traffic, they maybe increased to fourteen feet. The enlargement of the whole navigation of the St. Lawrence,now in progress, is on a similar scale. It is by the central and commanding position which theseworks have created for Montreal that the city has attained its present supremacy.

For a time Quebec enjoyed to the full extent the control of the ocean shipping trade, but theclay the channel was formed through the flats of Lake St. Peter for the passage of seagoingvessels the monopoly was broken and the trade diverted.

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The City of Quebec has long complained that its commerce was languishing, among othercauses, from the persistent eiforts of Montreal to control it. The deepening of the channelbetween the two cities has accomplished more than was even hoped for by its far-seeingprojectors, for most of the seagoing steamships steam past Quebec, to find at Montreal thepoint of transfer for their western freight, and the point where it is most convenient to receivea cargo. There is a recorded saying of the Hon. John Neilson, a well known public man of fortyyears back, that there are two advantages Montreal could not take away from Quebec : theCitadel and the tide. Evidently meaning by the former that tourists would always visit the city

to see what only could there be found, and that Quebec, by constructing tidal docks, had themeans of bringing to her harbour vessels which, from their draught, could not ascend the riverto Montreal. The persistent, well-directed efforts of Montreal, however, have been to concedeno such advantages.

What, in the meantime, has been the course of Quebec ? It is well known that at this hourgreat efforts are being put forth by Halifax public men to establish Halifax as the wintershipping port of the Dominion. It is contended that the Intercolonial Railway is a national work,constructed with public money, and that it is precisely to meet an emergency of thischaracter, to prevent the diversion of the winter freight to the United States ports, that one of the main canses of its construction can be found. The City of Quebec, labouring under adepression of its trade, gave its strongest support to the project of the North Shore Railway,

with its prolongation to Ottawa, and even contributed $1,000,000 towards its establishment. Inthe eye of the Quebec merchant it is a national work, the object of which is to extend toQuebec, by railway, the same facilities for transhipment of freight which is now possessed byMontreal. The Province had a plain policy to follow. It was of paramount importance that sheshould retain full control of the line to Montreal and Ottawa, and that it should offer, at bothpoints, perfect facilities for the transfer of traffic to and from the competing railway lines : theCanadian Pacific and Grand Trunk.

The effect would have been to restore a share of the trade in shipping freight which Quebechad previously enjoyed. Moreover, as the navigation is confined to the summer months, itwould appear to be clearly the policy of Quebec to develop and complete her railwayconnections to the east, so that the traffic in winter would flow in a continuous stream over the

North Shore line, and be carried onward to the winter shipping port at Halifax. To carry out thistheory successfully the St. Lawrence would have to be bridged as near Quebec as practicable.In the vicinity of the city, some few miles south, there is a site adapted for such a bridge. Theshores of the river are high, and the deep-water channel can be crossed by a single span, loftyenough for the tallest masts of a vessel to pass beneath. Modern engineering has rendered theproject not only possible but comparatively easy, for it has reduced greatly the time and thecost which some years back would have been held necessary to consummate the project. Therailway connections, equally of the City and Province of Quebec, I may add of the Dominion,will always remain incomplete and unsatisfactory without such a bridge.

With this structure the whole conditions of the problem would be changed. At all seasons of the year it would facilitate the arrival and increase the number of tourists. It would have the

effect of augmenting traffic on both the North Shore and Intercolonial Railways. It wouldextend provincial as well as local advantages to commerce generally, and it would go far toestablish Halifax as the winter port of the Dominion. Moreover, it would affect all this resultwithout the sacrifice of one single Canadian interest.

There is much in the late policy of the Grovern- ment of Quebec to astonish and bewilder allwho study the laws of trade. It lias been remarked that the City of Quebec felt its interests tobe so deeply concerned in the completion of the North Shore Eailway that it voted $1,000,000to secure its establishment. Throughout the Province the railway was advocated for manyyears; it was fostered and cherished, and held to be the key to its future prosperity.

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Nevertheless the Provincial Grovernment has deliberately sold all its interest in the work, andhas passed over its control to a railway company whose interests lie in an entirely differentdirection. They have thus sacrificed the one chance of extending a fostering hand to localtrade and regaining the prestige of the Ancient City. Indeed, the Provincial Grovernmentstands in relationship to this railway as if it had never been constructed as a public work. As Iam writing I read in the newspapers that the present tariff of charges between Montreal andQuebec, a distance of one hundred and eighty miles, on certain articles of freight, is thirty-three per cent, higher than between Quebec and Halifax, a distance of six hundred and eighty

miles ! Possibly an extreme case; but can any fact bear stronger testimony to the sacrificewhich has been made of the interests of the City of Quebec? It is long since there has beensuch an abandonment of a position from which so much might have been hoped, and, strangeto add, the sacrifice has been made without a protest, without a remonstrance from thosemost interested. It would seem that there is a failure to understand the extent of theadvantages which have been thrown away. If there be any truth in the adage that misery likescompany, it may be some consolation to the people of Quebec to know that the shadow of thisunfortunate transaction has been equally cast over the fortunes of the Intercolonial Railwayand on the prosperity of the City of Halifax.

It seems to me that the error committed cannot too soon be rectified. Indeed, it is a case inwhich the intervention of the general government is both justifiable and necessary. The

Intercolonial Railway, owned and operated by the Dominion Government, extends from Halifaxto a point opposite Quebec. It connects only with the Grand Trunk Railway. The interests of theGrrand Trunk Company call for the transport of freight to Portland, in the United States, ratherthan its transfer to Halifax. The Intercolonial was established for national purposes. Strongreasons present themselves why it should not terminate at Chaudiere Junction, but that itsoutlet should be Ottawa. This policy of extension to the capital would involve bridging the St.Lawrence at Quebec and of obtaining control of the railway to Ottawa. Such a connectionwould admit of the exchange of traffic with the competing lines on equal terms at Montrealand Ottawa, and would remove from Quebec, from the Intercolonial Railway and from Halifaxthe serious disabilities under which they now labour.Under French rule Montreal had simply a monopoly of trade with the Indians, and no attemptwas made until a later period to overcome the natural impediments which lay in the way of its

advancement. It was not until some years after the conquest, when Western Canada, nowOntario, became a field for settlement, that any improvement of the navigation of the St.Lawrence was attempted. Some rude canals, with narrow locks, were early formed to enablethe Durham boats, then the only means of transit, to pass up the Cascade, Cedar and CoteauEapids. The present canals were the impulse of a later date. In the early days of Canadacommerce was not of the importance it has now attained. There was a chronic state of war,first with the red man for the possession of the country itself; secondly with the English andthe southern colonies for the traffic with the Indians. The scene of the struggle was generallyon the borders of the great lakes, and then, as now, the main effort was put forth to determinewhether the products of the west would pass by the Mohawk to the Hudson, or whether itwould follow the course of the St. Lawrence to the sea.

Montreal, at this period, was virtually the end of French settlement, and the population wassmall. At the present day Montreal is a city, with its suburbs, of nearly 200,000 inhabitants.

Most of the old French landmarks are disappearing, one by one, and there remains little of material form to recall French rule. It may almost be said that the language, and that portionof our laws which owes its origin to France, are all that remain to remind us of her power.

Her criminal and commercial law is English; the other divisions of her jurisprudence retain theirearly impress. There remains, however, the Roman Catholic form of worship, the most markedheirloom of those days which the French Canadian has most jealously retained. Montreal,

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socially, is now characterized by those features which wealth, proceeding from a long andprosperous commerce, stamps upon a community on this side of the Atlantic. On all sides yousee palatial residences and highly cultivated grounds.

The main business streets are marked by unusual architectural embellishments, for which thelime-stone quarries in the neighbourhood furnish the best of facilities. The wharves in front of the city, with the stone revetment wall, have not their equal on the continent. The canals havealready been referred to, and I know nowhere else where such works are to be seen. The

Canadian canal is a river, and not a small one, and the vessels which pass through it are of noordinary size. There is much material success; and this commercial element has gatheredtogether a busy, anxious, enterprising, pushing population, with all the accessories inconnection with it which wealth gives. But I must turn to the matters which have brought meto Montreal.

I had a long and important interview with the Directors of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Theydesired me to proceed toBritish Columbia on a special professional service, and, if practicable, they wished me to passover the line west of Winnipeg to examine the passes of the Rocky Mountains.

It was agreed that I should start without delay.

Some preparations are always necessary for such a journey, and to cross the mountains overan almost untrodden path I required strong, rough clothing and unexceptional protection forthe feet.

I took the afternoon train for Ottawa. In Montreal the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railwayis at Dalhousie Square. It extends from Notre Dame street, at a lower level, to the quay, and itwould be difficult to find a more striking site for a railway station. For upwards of a mile theline runs along the side of the harbour, and you have in view the bold landscape produced bythe river and St. Helen's Island. To the west Victoria Bridge stands out in bold relief, and, inspite of its massiveness, it spans the river with the most graceful of lines. The harbour of Montreal during the season of navigation is always more or less full of shipping, among which

the ocean steamer predominates. In winter it presents a totally different appearance. The riveris a field of ice, often cumbered with Cyclopean masses, distorted by "shoves" into mostpicturesque forms, often a scene in all respects striking and rarely met. The railway, on leavingMontreal, passes through a really charming landscape. Crossing two branches of the St.Lawrence, at Saultau- Eecollet and Eiviere-des-Prairies, it touches the Eiver Ottawa, andcontinues generally in sight of the river till it reaches the capital. Twenty miles east the linepasses directly over the falls of Le Lievre, at Buckingham, which form an object of specialattraction. On approaching Ottawa we cross the long iron bridge over the river, and see thecity lying before as, and the outline of the Government buildings, with their peculiararchitecture, almost suggesting that you are entering some mediaeval city.

At no period of the year, except during the three months when the House is in session, is there

any particular animation inthe Capital. Parliament meets in February, occasionally in January, and continues its sittingsuntil April or May. From Christmas to the opening of the House the Grovern- ment offices areunusually active in the preparation of documents to be laid before Parliament.

Strangers arrive a week before the day of the opening. There is a constant succession of newfaces in the streets. The Ministers commence their series of dinners, the intention of which isto affirm their political influence, but clothed with all the graces of social attraction. Those inthe city proper who can entertain do so at this season.

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The Club, which for the remaining nine months can number in its rooms its visitors by tens, isthen crowded, and the hotels are full of busy, bustling individuals engaged in the manyschemes which await the countenance of Parliament, and the dining-room in the evening hasthe fullest attendance.

Few cities of the size are more lively under this aspect than Ottawa during the session. A fewdays after its close another story is told. Government House, which for the last ten years hasbeen the scene of so much polished and plenteous hospitality, becomes tenantless. The two

previous Governors-General, Lord Dufferin and Lord Lorne, endeavoured to bring side by sideall that was estimable and prominent in the capital. There was something so cordial, sounaffectedly hearty in the welcome given to all, that no one went there without pleasure or leftwithout regret. The invitations were not confined to a comparatively narrow clique. Nohospitality could be more genial, more liberal or more unaffected. Twice a week, or so, therewere skating and tobogganing parties. Once a week there were state dinners, frequently onother evenings guests were gathered around the private table. Lord Dufferin inaugurated aseries of private theatricals. He was also followed by Lord Lorne in his desire to add to thecommon happiness, as indeed in all that was excellent which Lord Dufferin commenced. Noballs ever were more pleasant than those given at Ottawa under their regime. There is adelicacy in writing all this, as both these distinguished men are in active political life, and it isnot easy to speak of the actors in our Cana- dian drama who yet play a part in the wider

Imperial life. Equally difficult to venture to allude to the Countess of Dufferin, who exercisedsuch a healthy influence on the society in which she mixed. The more exalted position of H. R.H. the Princess Louise makes it more embarrassing to refer to her presence ; but who that has,in any way, been brought within her influence can forget all the associations which it suggests,not those of rank, but the more durable impress of genius, of excellence, with the most simpleand unaffected manner, blended with a consideration for others which delighted everyone. Iremained a few hours in Ottawa, and took the night train for Toronto. We start from theCanadian Pacific station, at which I had arrived, and follow the line to Brockville. Brockville is atown of importance on the St. Lawrence, at the lower end of that interesting reach of fortymiles which embraces the Thousand Islands. During the night the Pullman is connected withthe Grand Trunk train, and we proceed on our journey as if we were travelling on the system of lines we started on. There is no tax imposed on travellers, as at Moncton on alternate nights

turning you out of your berth at three in the morning. When you awake you are stillproceeding onward on the western journey. We pass Kingston at night, a town which hasgrown around Frontenac's fort, erected in 1672. Its site is still a barrack used for the MilitaryCollege. Kingston has the advantage of a finely settled country in its rear; it has an ancientlook, and is substantially built of limestone. Its position at the junction of Lake Onta- rio withthe St. Lawrence, and the presence of many owners of craft, cause some activity during theseason of navigation. Kingston is also known as the seat of Queen's College and University, inwhich, personally and officially, the writer has the greatest interest. There is a restaurant car attached to the train, and one can obtain any breakfast he mayrequire.

After breakfast one generally becomes critical, for thought is turned outward. As we aremoving onward it struck me that the farming between Trenton and Cobourg was not of a highcharacter.

At no season should thistles and weeds be seen in the fields, certainly not at the period whenthey are going to seed, and even a few slovenly farms will disfigure a whole district. The graincrop is later than usual, but is fast ripening, and in this section of the country not withoutpromise. West of Cobourg the land is among the best in the world. Nowhere is agriculturemore careful.

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There is scarcely any land remaining uncultivated, and no one but can be struck with thefertility of the district through which we are passing.

CHAPTER IX. TORONTO TO LAKE SUPERIOR Toronto - Collingwood - Georgian Bay - The Sault St. Mary - Navigation of the Great Lakes -Manitoulin Islands - Lake Huron - Arrival at the Sault

Arriving safely at Toronto I was welcomed by my son Sandford, who accompanies me on my journey. For the first time I am presented to a still younger descendant, who confers upon mea new claim to family respect, and whom I meet with much pleasure.

It was the civic holiday in Toronto. It has been a custom on this Continent, in the large citiesand more important towns, for one day in the year to be set apart, when, by common consent,business ceases. All sorts of excursions are organized by railway and steamboat companies,and to crown the whole with additional dignity, the purport of the day is officially declared byproclamation by His Worship the Mayor. Every possible auxiliary is called in aid to give effectto the occasion. In the city there are various performances at the theatres, morning andevening. The neighbouring small towns contribute their sympathizing crowds.

There are cricket matches, lacrosse matches, with other meetings of every character of pleasurable association. There is the best of good eating and drinking for all who require it andare willing to pay for it. This Toronto holiday was in no way wanting in the generalcharacteristics which such a day brings with it. Crowds of good-looking, good-humoured,holiday-dressed personages filled the streets, and there was a gaiety of manner and anatmosphere of amusement in the main thoroughfares which even the indifferent spectatorscould with difiiculty resist.

If Montreal may be said to be the admitted commercial capital of Canada, Toronto is battlinghard to dispute its supremacy. The capital of Ontario, it is what Montreal is not. It is a politicalcentre of great activity, where much is originated to influence both Dominion and local politics.It justly claims, too, a higher tone of intellectual life.

On the whole, it may be said that there is a more assured type of culture and urbanrefinement by the shores of Lake Ontario than on the Island of Montreal. The city contains twoUniversities : one, Toronto University, without religious test, supported by the Province; thesecond. Trinity, supported by the Church of England. Besides which there are a PresbyterianCollege and Theological Halls of other denominations. The Canadian Institute also has areputation. It numbers among its members some of the leading minds of the country, and formany years it has been distinguished as a centre for the exchange of thought on scientific andliterary topics; it has greatly aided the collection of information respecting the economicresources of the Dominion and in the determination of problems which have a direct influenceupon its future. There has been always a marked polish of manner, blended with a sym- pathywith intellectual power, which has distinguished Toronto society. The leading members of the

professions have, as a rule, obtained greater social recognition, and generally the horizon of education is much more extended than in the larger eastern city.

The surrounding country is of little interest beyond what is artificially obtained, but the largesheltered sheet of water in front of the city, locally designated "the Bay," and protected fromthe lake by a long sandy island about a mile from the shore, will always give it value as aharbour, and afford excellent boating water for the members of the Yacht Club. The moredistant environs are particularly striking. In four hours, steamboats take you to Niagara. Onexcursion days they are crowded with passengers. Niagara is one of those sights which themore you behold the more you are astonished. I have met those who have expressed

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disappointment at their first view of the Falls. It is difficult to explain how this feeling isentertained, except by some previous extravagant misconception of their extent andappearance.

Their character and beauty have deservedly included them in the wonders of the world.Necessarily they have become a show place, and to some extent one experiences theunpleasant influences which the tourist has to contend with at such resorts. The locality is thescene of many a small extortion into which the unwary occasionally stumble. There cannot be

a doubt that the Falls of Niagara, with the scenery above and below them, and the masses of rushing water in all its various aspects and circumstances, present a sight to dwarf intoinsignificance everything of the kind generally beheld. At all seasons of the year they attractcrowds of visitors to the neighbourhood, and scarcely any one visiting the Continent fails tolook upon them.

I spent a pleasant day at Colling wood with my dear old mother, 83 years of age, looking freshand hearty, without one physical ache or pain; at the same time her mind retains its markednatural acuteness.

At four in the afternoon on Tuesday, the 14th August, with my son, I went on board thesteamer "Campana" in the best of spirits. She is a staunch iron vessel, built in England and

registered in London. There was an unusual crowd of passengers, but I had telegraphed andsecured state-rooms, as the cabins are called, so I had not to content myself with a mattrasson the floor, the fate of many. The water was perfectly smooth. As the steamer left the dockthe outline of the town of Collingwood, with the blue mountains in the background, appearedto me more picturesque than ever. What a change has taken place at this spot in the lastthirty years, since the day when my men cut the first trees on the first examination of theground on which this important town now stands. It was then in a state of nature with theprimeval forest to the water's edge. It is to-day a scene of busy active life, with wharves,streets, churches, schools and many a pleasant residence.

The ground on which the dry dock is constructed I recollect as the spot where I have watchedfor deer when I had seen their foot tracks fresh on the sand beach. Where are the men who

were busy at their work in those days ? "Who remain of the directors, engineers, contractors,and what the newspapers called "influential personages," who, on a bright winter morning in1853 gathered near the shore and on the ice, breaking a bottle of wine, . named the futureCity of Collingwood. The familiar features of Sheriff Smith, Judge Orton,. Captain Hancock,Messrs. Isaac Gilmour, Geo. H. Cheney, Angus Morrison, John McWatt, De Grassey andStephens are yet kindly remembered by many, and especially by myself. There were otherspresent whom I do not so Avell recollect.

[The ceremony of naming Collingwood, which had been described at page 151 as having takenplace in 1851, should have been referred to the 14th January, 1853 (corrected above). It wasat this date that the meeting took place, when the locality in question, protected from thenorth by a few islands near the shore, then known as the "Hen and Chickens," was formally

named Collingwood by the Sheriff of the County of Simcoe].

How many of these voices are mute, which, then joined in the cheers given as the heralds of our good wishes ! Few of the actors in that scene remain but myself. The direct course of the "Campana" was along the coast of Georgian Bay, skirting Craigleithand Thornbury. We touch at the bustling town of Meaford, where our well-filled passenger listreceives additions, certainly by no means desirable.

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But the new-comers crowd on board, and the steamer moves off to round Cape Rich, to enterthe bay of Owen Sound. It was one of those pleasant, moonlight, calm evenings so enjoyablein Canada. There was not a ripple on the water.

The air was cool and pleasant, the moon three- quarters full, and its reflection seemed todance over the whole surface of the bay. The steamer is of iron, and we move onward withlittle noise and without vibration. We enter the narrow harbour at Owen Sound, a townsurrounded by low hills, through the gorges of which the Eiver Sydenham penetrates, passing

over some falls of great beauty a mile from the town. As we are moving up to the wharf wehear the arrival of the train from Toronto, with more passengers for the boat. The latter havecome on board, the vessel has started, when all at once the cry is heard, "A man overboard ! "He is soon rescued, but he has lost his hat, and the air of suffering with which he regards thismisfortune would lead us almost to think that he held life of little account that it had beenpreserved at this serious cost. Such an event is by no means uncommon on these lakes.Generally it happens that some one is late for the steamer. Passengers have often to drivelong distances; nevertheless they loiter to chat over an evening dram, and lose their time ingossip, or they fail to recollect the length of the distance they have to pass over. Be that as itmay, punctuality seems to have been imperfectly learned in these latitudes. It is rememberedthat the steamer itself is often late, and there is ever present the good natured friend tosuggest that "there is no hurry." At last the moment comes.

The dawdler is made aware that there is no time to spare. The steamer's last whistle hassounded.

There is a rush to get on board, under unfavourable circumstances, aiid sometimes theexperiment is dearly paid for. It is not always the hat that is lost. Sometimes it is the fate of the unhappy wearer never again to require one.

We have recovered from this adventure. We are starting, and have actually left the wharf, butsuddenly the signal is given to stop the engine, and the voice of the captain is heard shriekingout, "Sam ! there is a letter left at the office by two young ladies." Sam takes no short time tofind the letter, but at last we get under way, and our captain is benignity itself. Our next

landing- place is Sault St. Mary, which we will not reach for thirty hours.

The arrangements for the steamer leaving Collingwood to touch at Owen Sound cannot beaccounted for by any doctrine of necessity. It would appear as if the owners were anxious toact with perfect impartiality to the two railway companies, which, if they cannot be calledopposition lines, have few interests in common. The Northern line runs to Collingwood; the Toronto, Grey & Bruce to Owen Sound; both from Toronto.As a rule, passengers by the steamer are for the North-West. Generally Port Arthur, on LakeSuperior, is their destination. But we lost some twelve hours coasting around fromCollingwood, and I could not see with one single advantage.

This profitless waste of time will in all probability cease when the boats of the Canadian Pacific

run between Port Arthur and Algoma, on the north shore of Lake Huron, connecting at thatpoint with the railways now under construction. The new route will give to eastern passengerswhat they never yet possessed : a direct connection with Lake Superior without loss of time.From Toronto, passengers will probably continue to be carried for some time as at present.

Having passed three succeeding nights on the railway train on my journey from Halifax, Iwillingly sought my berth. The breakfast hour is seven, but I had had some experience of thepreceding evening's supper. Appetite must possess to many a somewhat tyrannical mastery, if we are to judge by the demonstrative determiuation to obtain seats at a steamboat table. Withus there were four relays of supper, and it was an effort to find a seat at any one of them. Who

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has not noticed, under such circumstances, the rows of men and women who placethemselves, with suppressed impatience, behind the seats, standing in the most prosaic of attitudes, in expectation for the word that the meal is ready. I was myself content to take myplace at the fourth table, so that I could eat what I required with deliberation.

With this experience, I was in no hurry to rise,, so it was about nine o'clock when I entered thelong saloon. There were a few stragglers like myself present, probably influenced by the samephilosophy, who were seated here and there at a table on which lay the scattered remains of

the fourth breakfast. On these lake boats the attendants are called "waiters," not "stewards,"as on ocean steamers, and if there be a difference of nomenclature, there is certainly noidentity of manner. The steward of the ocean steamer is the most benignant, courtly, kindly,considerate person in the world, and, as a rule, his virtues in this respect are sufficientlyappreciated. On this boat I addressed one of the waiters, I thought politely enough, and gavemy orders. I was met by the rugged reply, in the hardest of tones, "Ye cannot have hotbreakfasts if ye lie in bed." The man's axiom was certainly borne out by fact. There was nobreakfast, in the sense of the word, and what there remained was not hot. But the coffee wasexceptionally good, and with a crust of bread I thought that I might have fared worse. Possi-bly the owners of the new steamers to be placed on the lakes next summer will introducesome improvement in the stewards' department, which the ordinary traveller, they may beassured, will duly appreciate.

We were passing through the chain of islands extending from Tobermory to the GreatManitoulin. The water is perfectly smooth. The passengers are lounging, smoking, or baskingon deck.

Others, proud of their prowess, are relating their adventures and experiences, enlivened withmany an anecdote, to the amusement of knots of hearers.

As we were running through these waters they were so beautifully smooth and the air so freshand pleasant that my mind went back to the Adriatic as you see it near Venice, or to thewestern coast of Italy from Civita Yecchia to Genoa. What you miss is the deep, ultra-marineblue of the Mediterranean. Although above you to-day there is a sky not less cloudless, bright

and blue than we see in Southern Europe, the hue of the water is a deep slate colour, but in noway wanting in transparency. "We have a horizon only broken by the islands behind us and theGreat Manitoulin, dimly lying to our right. Like the Mediterranean, this great inland sea doesnot always exhibit the glassy surface it presents to-day. As in the Bay of Naples, the waters of which all pictures depict in the brightest blue, the gale can sometimes produce an angry,turbid sea, so on Lake Huron, especially in the late autumn, we have many a storm, often tocreate the roughest of weather. Some thirty years ago, while crossing in a Mackinaw boat,those were not the days of steamers with four relays of meals, I was caught in a nor'-wester,and driven to take refuge to the windward of one of the smallest of the islands we are leavingbehind us. We reached the shore before sundown by the most strenuous exertions. All of us inthe boat were exhausted, and we slept soundly on the gravel beach until the following day. The island was but a few acres in extent, but we could not venture to leave it. To have done so

would have been certain death, for the water rolled in on the exposed beach in giant, swellingbreakers. All the subsistence the whole crew had for three days was a solitary rabbit, which wemanaged to snare, and a few biscuits we had in our pockets.

It seems as if the whole study of the hour on board the steamer is to provide food for thepassengers. It brings to recollection the prosperous hotel manager, who related with great zesthow many hundreds he had been feeding in the last few days. It certainly required somegenius to feed the numerous passengers of the "Campana," with such limitedaccommodatious. At noon dinner is provided. There are eighty seats, and four times thatnumber of people to fill them. But dinner, like everything else, has its end.

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The passengers again form in knots upon the deck : the lounger, the smoker and the man whodelights in euchre, the latter more within the scope of lake travel than the more classic whist,are all seen at their occupation, and the raconteur, with a fresh audience, is more than usuallyloquacious.

The moon is a day nearer the full ; and when the sun sets, it does so gloriously and morebrightly than last night. We arrive at a landing place and are moored to a wharf where wehave to wait till morning. The Neebish Rapids lie before us. They have been improved for the

purpose of navigation, but they are not yet lighted, and it is extremely hazardous to attemptto run them in the dark.

Until a few years ago, when they were deepened and widened, they were positivelydangerous. Eleven propeller blades were picked up by the divers during their operations. Bydaylight the Rapids can now be safely enough ascended, but it is not simply the NeebishRapids which are unnavigable without daylight. An artificial channel through Lake George,made some years ago by the United States authorities, follows a circular course, and it is notpossible to pass through it after dark without extraordinary precaution. It is true that it can beeffected by sending two boats with lights following the course of the buoys on each side oneby one, but all this was a labour our captain had no instructions to undertake, so we remainedat the wharf. Had we not experienced the incident of the man overboard, and the forgotten

letter of the two damsels at Owen Sound, we might have arrived in time to have ascended bydaylight.

The next morning the boat left her moorings at dawn. It is a pleasant sail through Lake Georgeand the St. Mary's River, with its Indian settlements and the quiet locality known as GardenRiver. We had passed all these places when I awoke. We were then moving through the canalconstructed on the Michigan side to overcome the Sault St. Mary. At the "Sault" there are, oneither side, the Canadian and United States town bearing its name. Neither of them has muchpretension, and neither of them is deficient in picturesqueness.

The United States town, on the south side, is not without a certain commercial activity, andcontains some barracks, in which generally there are two or three companies of the United

States regular army.

The Sault is celebrated for its white-fish, and the passer-by will frequently observe a number of Indian canoes at the foot of the rapids, paddling about, with a man in the stern to seize thefish by a hand net. The white fish is held to be a great delicacy. They appear on the table firstabout Kingston, and are caught in all the lakes, but the opinion seems to be that the furthernorth you go the better they are, those on Lake Superior being considered the best. We runout of the canal, and continue through the stretch of the River St. Mary above the Sault. Thereis little to attract the eye until we reach the lofty heights standing as portals to Lake Superior,the last and largest of the great sheets of water tribu.tary to the St. Lawrence.

CHAPTER X. LAKE SUPERIOR TO WINNIPEG

Lake Superior - Early Discoverers - Joliet and La Salle - Hennepin - Du Luth - Port Arthur - TheFar West - The North- West Company - Rat Portage - Gold Mining - Winnipeg

The morning is dull, the sky leaden, and the temperature is not very enlivening for the most of us. But the boat moves pleasantly up the slight current until we reach Whitefish Point, then weenter the lake which lies before us in all its masmi- ficent extent. Some idea of the size of LakeSuperior may be formed when it is pointed out that from its two extremities the distance isequal to that from London to the centre of Scotland. In width it is capacious enough to take inthe whole of Ireland. Its surface is 600 feet above, its bed is 300 feet below, the ocean level,

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In my own recollection the "Far West" was on the eastern shores of Lakes Huron and Michigan,now far within the limits of civilization. Those whose fortunes were cast there looked onthemselves as pioneers of an unexplored wilderness.

Twenty years ago the upper waters of Lake Huron and Lake Superior were but just coming intonotice, and Fort William was regarded as the chief eastern outpost of the Hudson's BayCompany, beyond which few thought of passing. This celebrated company, which has played

such a part in the history of the North-West of this continent, was formed under a charter of Charles II. in 1670. It was the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 which fully recognized the English titleto the territory granted under the charter, and abandoned forever such French claims as hadbeen preferred, for the Treaty of Ryswick with France in 1696 had left the question of sovereignty undecided.

As early as 1641 two Jesuits, Jogues and Raymbault, extended their missionary labours to theshores of Lake Superior. The main mission, La Pointe, now Bayfield, on the south shore, wasestablished in 1670, and the Indians remained during French rule entirely under theirinfluence. At the period of the conquest the trade of the French disappeared, for they had nolonger the power to visit the country, and by degrees it fell into British hands. On the one side,the Hudson's Bay Com- pany, from the north, pushed onwards to control it, for a period with

success; on the other, parties were started from Montreal to obtain a share of the great profitswhich were made, the value of which was fully known.

The French trade had been carried on under admirable regulations. Liquor, so ruinous to theIndian, was withheld from him. The enterprising Montreal trader introduced it, regardless of consequences : hence the orgies, the drunkenness and the quarrels which were a scandaleven to the wilderness. To intensify this condition of affairs, some Montreal merchants enteredinto a partnership in 1787, and formed the celebrated North-West Trading Company. It thenconsisted of twenty-three partners, with a staff of agents, factors, clerks, guides, interpreters,voyageurs, amounting in all to two thousand persons. If the individual trader disappeared fromthe field, there were two powerful companies remaining, who had to operate in the same fieldside by side, and there sprang up the fiercest and most embittered rivalry. I shall hereafter

refer more definitely to this contention.

This state of things was leading to the common ruin of the two companies, when, in 1821,after forty-three years of competition, discord and disaster, the two formed one corporationunder the title of the Hudson's Bay Company. As I looked upon the old fort on the site of its departed greatness, I thought of the manystirring scenes which it witnessed before and after the beginning of this century. The stonestore houses, once so well filled with every requirement, erected around the sides of a square,are now empty, containing a few boxes of rusty flint muskets and bayonets, with chests of oldpapers, dating back, some of them, more than a hundred years.

The buildings will all soon be unroofed, to make way for a railway station. A year ago I saw twoold cannon in the front of the courtyard.On that occasion I believe they fired their last salute. They are now removed. The old ricketyflagstaff still remains, and so soon as it is known that a member of the Company of Adventurers is within the precincts the flag is run up as a salute, a service probably for the lasttime performed at Fort William. In a few months the whole scene will be changed. There is stillan agent of the Hudson's Bay Company in charge, Mr. Richardson, whose complexion of bronze tells of many years of exposure; and his attendant, an Indian, who has been attachedto the fort for forty years.

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On leaving Mr. Richardson we called on a retired Hudson's Bay officer, Mr. John Mclntyre, wholives in a comfortable house a little further up the river. He is an Argyleshire Highlander, whohas the stalwartness of his race, and is as active as ever. At his suggestion we go to Point deMeuron, named after the soldiers of that regiment in Lord Selkirk's service, camped here in thememorable days of 1817. There was nothing to be seen but the farm, so we returned to thetown plot, and, as the hour suggested, took dinner at the Ontario House, a place of some localreputation.

There were several vessels from Ohio discharging coal at the railway wharves adjoining,showing that even the narrow cut dredged some years ago across the bar at the mouth of theriver was still sufficient to admit their passage; establishing, moreover, how easily a properlyexcavated channel can be maintained, and plainly showing that the completion of navigationat the entrance of the Kaministiquia will eventually have an important bearing on thecommerce of the North- West.

I returned to Port Arthur to prepare for the train, when some of my friends kindly gave me aninvitation to a ball to take place in the evening.

I should have liked to have accepted it for several reasons, not the least of which was to seethat phase of social life in this region; but it was impossible to lose the twenty-four hours, the

price of my attendance.

It was dark when the train left, so all that could be done was to turn to the comfortablePullman, and in due time retire for the night. The railway to Winnipeg is far from beingcompleted; indeed, it has but lately been put in operation. Many of the station buildings haveyet to be erected. As a consequence, the following morning the breakfast was served under alarge canvas awning. There was no pretension about this breakfast, but what there was of itwas good; certainly the ventilation was perfect.

The distance from Port Arthur to Winnipeg is some 430 miles, and, as the unfinished conditionof a considerable portion of the line necessitated travelling at reduced speed, the journey tomost of the passengers seemed very tedious. To me every mile was full of interest. We pass

over that portion of the line known as "Section A," which extends to a point 230 miles fromPort Arthur.

Civilization and settlement have not penetrated to this district, lying, as it does, intermediatebetween Lake Superior and theprairie region.

We have traversed a long stretch of black, boggy swamp, to which the Indian name of Muskeghas been given. One is reminded of Chatmoss, where similar difficulties in the infancy of railway construction were so triumphantly met by the elder Stephenson. Muskeg is much of the character of peat. It is here inexhaustible, and hereafter may be valuable from its capacityto be formed into fuel.

As the train moves on, nothing is to be seen but rock and forest in their most rugged forms. The falls of Waubigon and those of Eagle River, as we pass them, are the more striking by thecontrast they present. We reach the far-famed "Section B," of which we have heard so much,and which is still a theme of such varied comment by politicians and newspaper writers. Thissection of railway passes through a country rugged in the extreme.

The surface is a succession of rocky ridges, with tortuous lakes and deep muskegs intervening.

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The line has been carried across these depressions on temporary staging, and steam shovelsand construction trains are busy converting the miles of frail looking trestlework into solidembankment.

Our train moves slowly over this portion of the line; indeed, until this work is further advancedit would be hazardous to adopt a high rate of speed. Eagle Lake, with the numerous lakeletswhich we see from the railway, are sheets of water with beauty enough to command attention.A few rude graves on the hillside mark the violent death of the poor workmen who suffered

from the careless handling of that dangerous explosive, nitro-glycerine. Although the mosteffective of instruments in the removal of rock, the least want of caution and care often exactsthe most terrible penalty. In the fifty miles we have passed over, upwards of thirty poor fellowshave lost their lives by its use. This explosive may be nsed with perfect safety, but in itshandling it exacts prudence and attention to details; otherwise there will be no immunity fromwant of care.

With the reckless and negligent it is a constant source of danger.

There is no great area of land suitable for profitable farming in this district. A few goodtownships may be laid out, but the country generally through which the railway runs is notadapted for agricultural purposes. Every acre of soil, however, is covered with timber of more

or less value.

Care should be taken to prevent the destruction of these forests. Stringent regulations shouldbe made with regard to them, and no reckless waste permitted. In a few years these forestswill prove sources of considerable wealth, and the ground over which we are now passingshould be jealously guarded as a preserve for the supply of timber in coming years.

The passengers begin to be clamorous for the next refreshment station. We learn that it is atRat Portage. We trust that the name does not suggest the cheer we are to receive. There is anold tradition that the Chinaman delighted in that rodent, and we all have read that during thesiege of Paris it was an established article of food. Rat Portage is beginning to be an import-ant place. It is situated where the waters of the Lake of the Woods fall into the River Winnipeg.

Four large saw mills have been constructed here, and immense quantities of lumber havebeen despatched to Winnipeg and the country beyond.

At present Rat Portage is the watering place for the City of Winnipeg. Gold mining has beencommenced, but it is a pursuit on which but little calculation can be made.

For the moment there is excitement in the district, and many explorers are engaged inexamining the rocky ledges which crop out on the shore and are exposed on the innumerableislands of the Lake of the Woods. It is to be seen if this is a passing spasm or an assuredsuccess. When some instance of individual good fortune in gold mining becomes known,crowds for a time push forward eagerly, many desperately, on the path which they impulsively

trust is to lead them at once to fortune. Such hopes are often built on imperfect foundations. The slightest reverse depresses the sanguine gold-hunter, and the pursuit is most oftenabandoned with the recklessness with which it was undertaken. How many may withbitterness repeat the well known words of my countryman, John Leyden, in his ode to an Indiangold coin : "Slave of the mine, thy yellow light Gleams baleful on the tomb fire drear."

When the train came to a stand the proverbial rush for dinner was made. No regularrefreshment room could be found. In fact, none had yet been erected. But there were severaltemporary shanties built around, whose merits were loudly proclaimed by the several touts ina great many words and the ringing of bells. We had made the acquaintance of some New

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Zealand travellers on their way to see two sons settled in Manitoba, and we agreed to take ourdinner together. We selected one of these establishments. Our recollections of Rat Portage arenot impressed by any excellence in its commissairiat. That which was set before us wasexecrable. I am not difficult to please, but there is a lower depth in these matters.

Such a meal would scarcely have been palatable during the hunger of the siege of Paris, and aman could only have swallowed what was given at Rat Portage when suffering the pangs of starvation. There is evidently a call for improvement at this place before the line is fully

opened to travellers.

Leaving Rat Portage, we pass to what is known as "Section Fifteen." It is nearly forty miles inlength, and, like "Section B," runs through a district remarkable for its rugged aspect. For along distance west of Rat Portage the country is much the same in character as the Lake of theWoods : full of rocky, tree-covered ridges and islets, the former a labyrinth of deep, narrow,winding sheets of water, separated by tortuous granite bluffs. If the lake has within its limitshundreds of islands, the land embraces innumerable lakelets. It was this rugged and brokencountry, so repelling in its condition in the wilderness, which dictated the opinion of a quarterof a century back of high authorities that the country between Lake Superior and Red Riverwas not practicable for railway construction.

The difficulties have, however, been grappled with and overcome, necessarily with greatlabour and great cost; and, as I waspassing over it, it struck my mind as no bad example of the danger of positively asserting anegative. The necessary work of placing the trestle work in good condition on "Section Fifteen"is more advanced than on "Section B." The train, therefore, runs at a higher rate of speed.

As we proceed we can observe that the roadbed is fairly well ballasted, and we run at aboutthirty miles an hour on the finished portion of the line, over the gigantic earthworks of CrossLake, Lake Deception and the succeeding lakes.

The distance from Lake Superior to the Red River at Selkirk is 410 miles, and notwithstandingthe extreme roughness of the country through which it passes, the railway, when completed,

will bear comparison with any other line on this Continent. The utmost care has beenexercised to establish gradients favourable to cheap transportation. In this respect I know of no other four hundred miles of railway in the Dominion or in the United States that can becompared with the section west of Port Arthur.

We leave "Section 15" and the rugged country behind us, and enter on the prairie land of theWest. We pass Selkirk, which once promised to be a centre of importance, but the City of Winnipeg, twenty miles to the south of it, has grown up, is rapidly increasing, and asserting itsclaim to be the first city in the North-West. As we proceed the sky becomes darkened and weare overtaken by a thunderstorm, during which the rain falls in as heavy masses of water as ithas ever been my fate to see. The wind increases to a hurricane, but art triumphs over theelements. As the train continues its course on the well ballasted road, at the rate of twenty-

five miles an hour, the passengers generally seemed scarcely aware of the tempest ragingoutside. An unusual phenomenon is presented : we pass through an electrical snowstorm,which, in a few minutes, whitens the ground over a stretch of a mile. Hail storms are in no wayuncommon when the conditions of the air are disturbed, but I have never before witnessed asnow-storm under similar circumstances.

We reach the station at Winnipeg, having been twenty-four hours on our journey. A few yearsago the distance from Lake Superior to this point, by the old canoe route, exacted twelve orfourteen days. When the railway is in complete working order the journey may be performed infourteen hours. On my arrival at the station the night was black and forbidding, for the rain

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continued to fall in torrents. Nevertheless several old friends were there to extend me awelcome and the offer of a temporary home. Among others I grasped the hand of Dr. Grrant,of Queen's College, who again is to be my companion to the Pacific Coast. Before leaving thestation I made definite arrangements with the railway officials to leave in thirty-six hours forCalgary. We groped our way through the wind and rain to profit by the hospitality so kindlyoffered, and I was not sorry to find myself again under a roof with the best of good cheerbefore me.

CHAPTER XI. WINNIPEG, HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY, LORD SELKIRK Early Explorers of the North-West - Du Luth - De la Verendrye - Mackenzie - Hudson's BayCompany - Treaty of Utrecht - North-West Company - Lord Selkirk - War in the North-West -Union of the Rival Companies - The North-West Annexed to Canada

Winnipeg, with a population of 30,000 inhabitants, is the creation of the last decade. Thirteenyears back there was little to distinguish its site from any other spot on the river's bank. TheRed River was skirted by a single tier of holdings on the shore line, directly along its banks fora distance of fifty miles, known as the Selkirk Settlement. At the confluence of the RiverAssiniboine with the main stream there stood old Fort Garry, an establishment of the Hudson'sBay Company.

We have in this old fort the precursor of the city.

In 1859 a few buildings, including a hotel, were clustered near it as the commencement of thefuture Winnipeg. At an early date in the history of French Canada a great extent of the countryaround the western lakes was explored. Prominent among the many men eminent in thesediscoveries was Du Luth, who appears in connection with the North-West as having been thefirst to establish a fort on the River Kaministiquia, Lake Superior, about 1680, on the site of Fort William. It is not to be supposed that at this date no further explorations were undertakenwestward by the French. Many of the waterways were certainly known, and to some extentthey were followed. But no attempt was made to extend trade operations beyond LakeSuperior; and it was only to a limited extent that discovery was pushed westward. For some

years exploration was turned towards the south of the territory held by the French, to guardagainst the encroachment of the English from New York, which now commenced to attractmore attention.

There is no proof that any change in this respect took place until the days of De la Yerendrye. This remarkable man in 1731was in charge of Fort Nepigon, Lake Superior. In that year he started westward across theheight of land, passed through the chain of lakes to the Lake of the Woods and followed theRiver Winnipeg to Lake Winnipeg.

Proceeding to the south of the Lake he ascended the Red River and reached the Assiniboine. Icannot learn that any white man, before him, ever stood on the site of the present City of

Winnipeg.

A series of forts were constructed by him; one where Rainy River flows into the Lake of theWoods, Fort St. Pierre; one on what is known as the Northwest Angle, Fort Charles; one wherethe River Winnipeg flows into Lake Winnipeg, Fort Maurepas, which name he also gave to thelake itself; one where the Red River flows into Lake Winnipeg, Fort Rouge; and one at the junction of the Assiniboine with the Eed Eiver, proximately on the site of the City of Winnipeg,Fort de la Reine.

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De la Verendrye, himself, never saw the Rocky Mountains, but the discovery was made by histwo sons in an expedition organized by him and carried out in accordance with his instructions. They started from the Fort de la Reine, followed the Assiniboine to the River Souris, which theytraced to one of its sources, thence passing to the Missouri they followed that stream till theycame within sight of the first range of mountains. It was therefore to the south of Canadianterritory that the peaks were first seen. De la Verendrye had made a series of northernexplorations, reaching the Saskatchewan by Lake Winnipeg, into which it discharges. Heestablished Fort Bourbon at this point. He advanced along the river as far as Lake Cumberland,

at the entrance to which he established Fort Poscoyac, which seems to have been the limit of his travels. He was acquainted with Lake Winnipegoosis and Lake Manitoba, and establishedFort Dauphin at the northern end of the latter lake. While engaged in organizing a moreextended expedition he died in 1749 at Quebec.

The succeeding ten years of French Canada were passed in the struggle for national life. TheNorth- West obtained but little attention except for the purpose of commerce with the Indians.In spite of the difficulties of carrying it on, it had increased in extent and was now of considerable importance. With the conquest the trade almost disappeared, and it was not forsome years afterwards that it was recommenced on the part of the British.

The celebrated Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the first white man who by land reached the Pacific

Ocean in Northern latitudes, has left some valuable information concerning the trade of thisperiod. We learn from him that the military posts established by the French at the confluenceof the lakes had strongly in view the control of the traffic in furs. During French rule, trade hadbeen conducted under admirable regulations. He himself tells us that a number of able andrespectable men, retired from the army, had carried on their operations under license withgreat order and regularity. At the same time, the trade itself was fettered by many unwiserestrictions Neverthe- less it was taken to immense distances, and "it was a matter of surprise," he adds, " that no exertions were made from Hudson's Bay to obtain even a share of the trade," which, according to the charter of that company, belonged to it.

The Hudson's Bay Company at this date had been nearly a century in existence. Hudson's lastvoyage to Hudson's Bay was in 1610. In 1612 Button sailed and discovered Port Nelson, York

Factory. It was not, however, until 1669 that any settlement was made, when CaptainZachariah Gillam, a New England captain, established himself at the discharge of the Nemiscoand constructed a stone fort, calling it Fort Charles, the present Fort Hupert. It was after thisstep, on the 2nd of May, 1670, that the charter was given to the Hudson's Bay Company, aresult no little owing to the influence of Prince Rupert.

The first operations of the company were marked by great energy, and their trade rapidlyincreased. In the first fifteen years five factories were in operation : Rupert, to the east of James' Bay, at the discharge of the River Nemisco; Hayes, at the south-western corner and atthe mouth of the Moose River; Albany, on the west, some twenty miles north of Moose River; York Factory, on the Nelson River; and Churchill, north of York, the most northerly settlementon the west coast.

From 1686 to the Treaty of Utrecht there were a series of attempts on the part of FrenchCanada to dispossess the company. No doubt the French authorities held that their supremacywas dangerously threatened by the establishment of flourishing settlements to the north,identical in nationality with the Bostonnais of Massachusetts and the English of New York. The Treaty of Ryswick itself, in 1695, even became the cause of difficulty, from the vagueness of its provisions, and it was not until the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, that the French claims wereentirely aban doned. The English Government had determined to retain Nova Scotia, thefisheries of Newfoundland and what was called the Hudson's Bay Territory, and on that basispeace was made.

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For the next half century there was no clashing of interests between the Hudson's BayCompany and the French of Canada, owing to the operations of the latter being extended in alimited degree north of Lake Superior. After the conquest, for some years, the trade wasthrown entirely into the Company's hands. Indians even went to York Factory to barter theirfurs. During this period the profits must have been immense. It was only by degrees that theEnglish traders from Canada penetrated into the country. They found the Indian unfriendly. The French had instilled into his mind a jealousy of the English speaking race, having

represented it as the ally of the Iroquois, the long-standing enemy of the Lake SuperiorIndians. A rooted distrust had thus grown up which long remained. About 1766 tradesomewhat recommenced, assisted by Montreal enterprise. Michillimackinac was for a lonogtime the base of such operations, aud few traders penetrated further than the Kaministiquia. Thomas Curry was the first to pass beyond this limit.

He reached Fort Bourbon, where Cedar Lake discharges into Lake Winnipeg, whence hebrought away so fine a cargo of furs that he was satisfied never again to return to the Indiancountry.

By this time the Hudson's Bay Company had pushed on their posts to Sturgeon Lake, and nowcommenced that antagonism between those representing the interests centered at Montreal

and the members of the company, which for half a century caused difficulty, embarrassment,loss and finally bloodshed.

One of the charges made against the Montreal traders of those days was that they were thefirst to introduce rum into the North-West, to the ruin of the Indians.

A name of that period, preserved in the records of the law, still survives : Peter Pond, who wastried for the murder of one of his partners. He escaped by the Court determining that they hadno jurisdiction in the territory. Pond was a man of much energy. Following in the steps of Frobisher, he traded north of Lake Winnipeg to the tributaries of the Churchill, and to theWestward as far as the Arthabaska and Elk Rivers. His purpose was to intercept the furs enroute to Fort Churchill, on Hudson's Bay. The trade, in the meantime, received a severe blow

from the conduct of some traders at Eagle Hills. A dose of landanum was given to an Indian,and caused his death. In the turmoil which ensued several lives were lost, and the commercewith the Indians became much impeded.

To remedy the depressed condition of the trade and to avoid further complications, the North-West Company was formed in 1783. A rival company was started, of which the celebratedMackenzie was a member. The two were, however, united in 1787.

At this date the North-West Company arrogated to itself full control over the countiy. Nooperations of any kind except under their authority were permitted. The company wassupreme.

The private trader was driven from the field, and it would seem that these extreme measurescould be carried out with impunity. They were the days of the North-West Company's affluenceand power. Influences even without its ranks came within their control, to make theorganization irresistible. Peculiarly it was a Canadian enterprise, and as such commandedsympathy against competition from without. We can scarcely, at this day, understand theextent of its power. In our commercial world, as we find it, there are many wealthycorporations possessing social and political control. The avenues to wealth and distinction arenumerous, branching out from many centres. It may be asserted that formerly the North-Westwas looked upon as the one field which promised prizes in life's lottery to the youth of thecountry. The leading magnates, who had large incomes, indulged in princely hospitality, the

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memory of which has not wholly died away, and it may be conceived how, at that date, with asmall population, with a limited field for enterprise, with little general wealth, the power of thecompany was everywhere recognized.

I have now arrived at the period when I have to record the settlement of Red River, theforerunner of the City of Winnipeg : indeed, the first step taken towards making the prairiesthe abode of civilized life. The task is not easy. The ashes of the fires of that day are yet warmunder our feet. The sons and grandsons of the men whose names are identified with the

leading events are among those who we meet daily. The story has often been told;nevertheless it is only imperfectly known. The principal actor in these events was Lord Selkirk.As his character is studied it must be conceded that few men have been marked by a highersense of life and duty. A man of remarkable ability, his character was one of rare disin-terestedness and chivalry, and I cannot but think his name will so live in our history.

As early as 1802 Lord Selkirk entered inta correspondence with the English Grovernment onthe advisability of promoting emigration from the Highlands and Ireland to Rupert's Land. Thefollowing year he arranged to carry a body of Highlanders to Prince Edward Island. We nexthear of him in Canada and the United States, where he passed two years examining into themeans available to carry out his purpose. During 1804 he entered into correspondence withGeneral Hunter, then Governor of Upper Canada, now Ontario, with regard to making

settlements in that Province. Those were not the days when questions such as these receivedmuch attention, nor were they even understood. The value of population to develop theresources of a country had generally to be better known before correct views could prevail asto the value of unsettled land, and the negotiations failed owing to the excessive pricedemanded for it.

As Canada did not offer the field sought. Lord Selkirk turned to the Hudson's Bay Company asthe means by which his theories of colonization could be carried out. He and his friends tooktheir measures accordingly. He purchased stock in the company, and thus obtained acommanding influence and the recognition necessary for the prosecution of the undertaking. This event took place in 1811.

From the commencement the North-West Company vigorously opposed his project. Theylooked upon Lord Selkirk as a visionary, and his scheme alike impracticable and undesirable. They might not be unwilling to divide the hunting ground of a continent with their rivals, butthey did not recognise that the prairies of the west were available for support of human life. They regarded the country as a wilderness, to be reserved for the fur-bearing animals alone.Hitherto their profits had been excessive and secure, and any change threatening thediscontinuance or reduction of the advantages which they possessed had to be avoided.

Evidently such a scheme as that of Lord Selkirk's was the first step towards the destruction of their trade and the diminution of their profits.

The same year some ninety persons, mostly Highland cotters from Sutherlandshire, with a few

additions from the West of Ireland, reached Hudson's Bay. They wintered there, and in 1812travelled to Red Eiver, a proceeding in itself memorable, as from it dates the settlement of theNorth-West. A further number was added in 1813. The two winters 1812-1813, till the spring of 1814, were passed at Pembina, at Fort Daer.

The Governor was Captain Miles Macdonnell, formerly of the Queen's Rangers. In 1814 furthersettlers arrived under Mr. A. Macdonald, having passed the winter at Fort Churchill. Towardsthe end of the year the number amounted to two hundred.

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It was in this year that the Grovernor issued the proclamation so much criticized and censured,and it has been brought forward as sufficient in itself to justify the mimical proceedingssubsequently taken against the settlement. It is difficult to recognize that it was not warrantedby the circumstances, and, considering the interests entrusted to the Governor, that it was notone which he had a perfect right to issue when he did so, in no way to the injury of others. Hedirected that no provisions should be exported from the country, as such stores were requiredfor the arrivals expected, that money would be paid for all produce, and that those notobserving these regulations would be arrested. The Grovernor must have known and felt the

difficulties under which he was placed. The North-West Company, both in London and on thiscontinent, had shown the strongest opposition to the settlement. Indepen- dently of the natureof the difficulties incident to the situation, there was this enmity to be met ; an enmity knownto be powerful and not over scrupulous. It is true that it had not taken the armed and openattitude which it ultimately assumed, but the ruin of the settlement had long been resolvedupon.

A council of the officers of the North-West Company was held at Fort William in 1814, and it isin evidence that it was here that plans were formed to induce the settlers to abandon theirhomesteads and prejudice the Indians against them, every employee of the company wasalready their foe, and to buy up all the provisions so that scarcity should result aud ruin to thesettlemeut follow.

It was in auticipatiou of such a scheme that the Governor's proclamation was issued. He hadobtained information that such a policy would be followed, and he endeavoured, on his side, tomeet it as best he could.

The Selkirk settlers had constructed a new fort, Fort Douglas. Its site lies within the presentCity of Winnipeg, not far from Fort Gibraltar, the property of the North-West Company. It wasin 1814 that Duncan Cameron came to the Red River in charge of the latter. His specialmission was to influence the settlers to abandon their homes.

Cameron is represented, to have been a man of address and plausibility, and he so wellexecuted the duty assigned him of making those who listened to him discontented that about

three- fourths of the number left the Red River for UpperCanada. Their descendants are yet to be found in the Counties of Elgin, Middlesex and Simcoe,in Ontario.

It will scarcely be believed that a notice was served on those who remained, signed by fourpartizans of the North-West Company, sternly requiring them to leave the settlement. It had tobe entirely abandoned. The better to show their power, in the temporary absence of theGovernor, they removed the cannon, implements and other property from Fort Douglas. Theproceeding was doubtless calculated to show the strength of the North-West Company, side byside with the impotent character of Lord Selkirk's protection. There was no course open butcompliance. The exiles took canoes and paddled down the Red Hiver to Lake Winnipeg, andreached Norway House, to the north of the lake. They had not been long here when they were

met by Collin Robertson and some twenty employees passing up Jack River on their way to jointhe settlement.

Robertson was a man of determination, and saw that there was no good reason why theenterprise should be abandoned, and that such an outrage, with one of Selkirk's character,would only call for renewed effort. He induced the settlers to return. They found their housesburned and their property destroyed. This occurred in August, but in October an additionalnumber came, and the settlement had regained more assured strength.

We have now arrived at 1816.

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In the half century which had elapsed since the conquest that which may almost be called anew race of men had sprung up : the children of the French voyageurs of the North-WestCompany, who had married or lived with Indian women in the neighbourhood of the severalforts. They obtained the name of "Bois-Brules." They were powerful in frame, disinclined torestraint, attached to a wandering life and unsettled habits, mostly without education. Theywere easily accessible to those who knew how to appeal to their prejudices.

They had courage, and under able leaders became a formidable foe. Their sympathies weredifficult to determine. Perhaps the leading feature of their character was jealousy of theirindividual rights. In subsequent years their self-assertion took so threatening a form that thepresence of Imperial troops more than once became necessary.

Early in June, 1816, a party of them gathered at Portage-la-Prairie, on the Assiniboine. Theyhad but one object in view. It was, in a sentence, to retain the country for themselves, and todrive out all whom they had learned to look upon as intruders. There is everything to showthat they were perfectly organized. They were armed, it is said that they were painted anddisguised, and every precaution taken to make their movements appear an act of the genuineRed man. The evidence, accessible to those who will examine it, shows that the Indians werein no way mixed up with the expedition. It was confined to the men whose sympathies were

with the North-West Company. Their operations commenced by seizing some boats and furs atPortage-la-Prairie, belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, and advancing to Fort Douglas, atEed River.

At the fort itself the intrigues and intentions of those hostile to the settlement were known,and in some undefined way it was felt that danger was near. What form it would take, orwhence it would come, none could say, but a watch was kept night and day. It would appearthat the attack came earlier than was looked for. On the evening of the 17th June the alarmwas given of the approach of the Bois-Brules. Semple was the Governor. He was a man of courage and had served. He did what little he could with the resources which at that hour wereavailable. He collected a few men and started onwards to meet the advancing party. Seeingthe numbers increase, lie sent for a cannon and more force, and in the m.eantime continued

to advance. As the opposing parties approached, each leader asked the other what he wanted.It is stated that one of the Governor's party fired a shot in the air, on which a shot from theBois-Brules brought down Mr. Holte, who held the rank of lieutenant in the settlement. Thefiring became general. Governor Semple was killed and his men fell around him. Twenty-two inall were shot. There is no report of a death on the side of the Bois-Brules.

No further resistance was attempted, and Fort Douglas was given over to the North-Westers.

The settlers were compelled to take to their canoes and find a refuge where they could. Thesettle- ment was again entirely broken up.

Such was the celebrated affair of Seven Oaks on the 17th June, 1816, yet sung in the songs of

the Bois-Brules and chanted as the hymn of victory.

Lord Selkirk had heard the story of the attack of the preceding year, and at once hurried toCanada. He passed the winter of 1815 in Montreal, the season being too late for him to gowest. Governor Semple was held to be in all respects competent, and Lord Selkirk had givenhim his full confidence; so it was thought that until his own arrival no further difficulty wouldbe experienced. He was, however, convinced that the attacks had not ceased, and that if thesettlement had to be defended a force sufficient to meet such outrages had to be found. ThedeMeuron and Watteville regiments were on the eve of being disbanded, and Lord Selkirkobtained from their ranks the men he required to recruit the colony.

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These regiments were two of the foreign legion raised during the Peninsula war; they had beenordered to Canada in 1812. At the peace after Waterloo their disbandment was resolved on.

They left the British service with the highest reputation for discipline and conduct. Early in June, 1816, the expedition started from Montreal with four officers and eighty men of thedeMeuron corps. At Kingston the number was increased by seventy of the Watteville regiment.It proceeded up to Drummond's Island on Lake Huron to receive a sergeant and six men of the

Imperial army, who were to be present at Red Eiver as a proof of the countenance given to thesettlement by the home authorities.

Selkirk joined the expedition at Sault St. Mary. His purpose was to have proceeded to Duluth,Fond du Lac, and to have crossed overland to Red River. They had not advanced far when theymet Miles Macdonnell bringing down the news of the second destruction of the colony and of the violent death of the Governor and twenty-one of his people. Selkirk at once started for FortWilliam to meet the foe on his own ground. They arrived on the 12th August and encamped onthe Point deMeuron, some five miles from the mouth of the Kaministiquia, a name it stillretains, and which the reader may remember I alluded to when visiting that locality. A demandwas at once made on the fort for the parties captured, who had been brought there asprisoners. The North-West people denied the fact of the arrest, and sent them to Point

deMeuron.

Lord Selkirk had now before him the evidence of such of his people who had suffered at SevenOaks to confirm the opinion that the trouble had been caused by the North-West Company.Fort William was unable to resist him. He arrested McGillivray, McKenzie and others of theCompany who were then present, by warrant. They were allowed to remain for a time at FortWilliam, but as it was evident a rescue was intended, he sent them down as prisoners to York,now Toronto, under an escort. Selkirk wintered on the Kaministiquia and collected provisions.On the 1st May, 1817, he started for Red River, and arrived there the last week in June,passing over the distance in seven or eight weeks, which recently I travelled by rail in twenty-four hours. The settlement was again established.

Like all men who take a prominent part in life's drama, Lord Selkirk has his admirers anddefamers.

There are those who can see in his conduct only the most self-interested motives and anexample of arbitrary, tyrannical self-assertion. He lived in an age when his unselfish viewswere rare. Today we can better understand that his object in urging emigration as a scheme toaid the poor and struggling masses of an overcrowded country, sprang from philanthropy anda desire to relieve suffering humanity. His personal comforts and benefits lay in the oppositedirection to the course he pursued. A calculation of the chances could promise onlymisconception of his motives and personal annoyance. He lived half a century before his timeOf late years his theories have been accepted as admitted truths. Every facility has beenestablished to carry them out. The shores of this Continent yearly bear witness in the number

of immigrants who arrive, that it is the policy of all wise governments to aid the less fortunateof a people to seek a home on the unoccupied lands which are. open to them. Such wasSelkirk's view. Moreover, he desired to keep up the national prestige. His aim was totransplant those who were willing to struggle to better their future to a laud of promise beyoudthe seas, where they were required to adapt themselves to no new political existence; wherethey changed, it is true, the scene of their lives, but still remained subjects of the mother landwhence they had sprung.

In 1821 the Hudson's Bay Company and the North-West Company united their fortunes, andhave since continued under the name of the Hud- son's Bay Company.

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Here I shall leave the subject. The events which grew out of the proceedings above describedare too near the present day to suggest that any comment should be made upon them in thecircumstances under which I write. For the next half century the colony passed through manydifficulties. It had no assistance in the shape of emigration. The Bois-Brules often causedtrouble. After Lord Selkirk's death, which took place in Paris in 1820, the wants of the settlerswere cared for by his relatives. In 1835 they gave up all control to the Hudson's Bay Company.

The events following the transfer of the Hudson's Bay Company's territory to the Grovernmentof Canada in 1870 are fresh in remembrance, and the period has not arrived to state themdispassionately.

In the meantime Winnipeg has grown up to be a lively, bustling city, full of business andenterprise. One danger, however, threatens Winnipeg, that of floods ; and I allude to it in thehope of directing the attention of those of her citizens who have influence, that someconsideration be given to the subject, so that all possible precautions be taken to reduce therisk of danger and loss. I believe it is one of the painful experiences of humanity that where aflood has once been, there is always a probability that it may repeat itself.

During the early days of the Pacific Eailway this question was earnestly considered. The levels

of the recorded floods of 1826, 1852 and of 1861, from which the Selkirk settlements sufferedso much, showed that there was danger to be apprehended, and that it would be advisable tobridge the Red Eiver at a point where traffic would run no risk of being impeded. The town plotof Selkirk, about twenty miles nearer Lake Winnipeg, was the point recommended. I have nodesire to be an alarmist and to reproduce the accounts of these floods, written by Archbishop Tache, the Bishop of Rupert's Land, and by Mr. Alexander Ross. It is not to be said that thesegentlemen were interested witnesses desirous of injuring the country in which they lived.

No one can more firmly hope than myself that no such flood may ever again happen. We have,however, before us the experience of this winter in the central United States, and the peopleof Winnipeg themselves have had several premonitory warnings within the past few years.Should there be a repetition of what has previously happened, damage so extensive must

arise that it cannot be contemplated without dread. All but the original landowners and thespeculators who have been enriched by their operations in lots will be serious sufferers, andnone more than the population of Winnipeg will deplore that the city has been built within theknown limits of a periodic overflow.

The time has passed for the consideration where a better location mio-ht have been obtainedfor the establishment of a centre of the importance which Winnipeg promises to attain. But itis necessary to endeavour to find a solution to the complicated engineering problem by whichfuture disastrous consequences may be avoided. The responsibility is now thrown upon theMunicipal Corporation, and it is their duty to care for the safety of the city, so that there will bethe least cause to lament that it has not been founded on a site above all risk of injury fromfloods.

CHAPTER XII. WINNIPEG TO CALGARY Winnipeg - Great Storm - Portage-la-Prairie - Brandon - Moose Jaw - Old Wives' Lakes - TheIndians - Maple Creeek - Medicine Hat - Rocky Mountains

The rain continued to fall in torrents the whole night of our arrival in Winnipeg, and the galeincreased in violence. The streets were next to impassable. Roadways, without paving ormetal, in the newest of cities, formed only on the deep, black, vegetable soil of the locality, arethe least fitted to undergo an ordeal such as that of the last fifteen hours. The storm increased

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age-la-Prairie had little more than the name by which it was known by the voyageur; it is nowa thriving town with many streets and buildings extended over possibly a square mile. Twolarge elevators are constructed on the railway line for the storage of wheat, and there is abrisk, lively tone about the station, which, I am told, is characteristic of the place. The town ison the northern bank of the Assiniboine, directly to the south of Lake Winnipeg. A branchrailway has been established north-westerly to Gladstone. The next station is Burnside, animprovement on Rat Creek, as it was once called. The new name has not unlikely beensuggested by some recollection of McGill College, Montreal; the Burnside estate being the

property on which that University is built, and which furnished the means of its endowment.

Eleven years ago I camped at this place, not far from the last house on the prairies, no settlershaving ventured west of where we stood. The country around is now well cultivated, largefields of waving grain stretch far back from the railway on both sides; and one might easilyfancy he was looking at a champagne country, developed by a century of agriculture.Archbishop Taché was on the train, and did me the favour to join us in our car. It need scarcelybe said that our comfort and convenience had been much increased by the possession of thisprivate car. Accommodation, in respect to meals, on many parts of the line is not fullycompleted. We had a kitchen and a cook and a well provided larder. We had bedrooms andcouches, chairs and tables in perfect arrangement. Meals were served regularly whether thetrain was standing or moving. Our dinner with the Archbishop was very pleasant. He was in

excellent spirits, and we thoroughly enjoyed his conversation. We were fortunate in respect toour cook, an artist in his way, and he did his utmost to develope the many resources kindlyprovided for our use.

Before reaching Brandon we passed through the luxuriant rolling prairie in the neighbourhoodof Carberry. It is diversified by groves of trees, and it is an easy effort of thought to imaginethat you are in a suburban park of some large city. The soil is good and warm. Large crops of grain are visible, and in no way have they been affected by the storm of yesterday.

We arrived at Brandon, where the passengers dine. We are now 130 miles from Winnipeg.

The progress at Brandon in so short a time is remarkable. The streets are well formed, and,

owing to the gravelly nature of the soil, I could not but think, in a much better condition thanthose we had left behind in Winnipeg. The town is advantageously situated on a slope risingfrom the River Assiniboine, and commands a good view of the surrounding landscape. It hasbecome a busy and important place. I was here a year ago, and then a cluster of canvas tentsconstituted the town. The prairie in all directions in the neighbourhood has a warm subsoil of sandy or gravelly loam, differing from the deep, black, vegetable mould of the level banks of Red River.

Settlers' houses and huts are seen in all directions, and I learn that a great extent of thecountry has been taken up for farming. As we advance westward the prairie appears in allrespects suited for settlement, and we see indications on all sides that the land is occupied.

We pass Virden, a station and village which have sprung into existence in a year. About fortygood wooden houses have replaced the one tent of twelve months back. Carpenters are atwork on an elevator, on the summit of which their hammers resound, and which will soon becompleted.

The streets of the village are also in course of formation; and one feels that there is here greatpromise of a prosperous future.

We have now reached the spot on the line where the reservation of the mile belt along therailway begins, so the farms cease to come within our immediate view. Stations succeed each

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other at every eight or ten miles. To a greater or less extent a village is springing up aroundeach station. Passing one of these places our attention was drawn to a pile of lumber destined,we were told, for the erection of a Presbyterian Church.

With some complacency we are asked to accept it as an evidence that there are farmers, notfar distant, to attend the church, and that it is an evidence of their piety. It is a material proof of the confidence of those furnishing the money to build it, that there is every inducement toremain where they have settled, and that their future is one of assured confidence.

Moosomin is the place where the train halts for supper. It has a life of six months and nowcounts several buildings. Meals, however, are still given in a canvas tent. Broadview, twentymiles further, is a place of more importance. Here an engine stable has been constructed, andwe obtain a fresh locomotive. As it is nine o'clock when we arrive, a Pullman sleeper isattached to the train.

It has been raining and the night is dark; between ten and eleven the moon comes out tosome extent.

We can see by its light the country around us, but all of us had risen early and we were notsorry to seek our beds.

During the night we have passed fourteen or fifteen embryo towns. We even failed to seeRegina, the capital of Assiniboine. I cannot, therefore, speak of its Government buildings, itster- races, its avenues and its parks. Possibly it may be described as being a place of as muchimportance as Winnipeg was ten or twelve years ago.

We reached Moose Jaw before breakfast, and received a copy of the Moose Jaw News.Amongst its advertisements we learn that pianos are offered for sale, and that these luxuriescan be had side by side with buckboards, stoves, and, what is of first importance in thatcountry, lumber. The paper, we learn, is published every Friday morning in the city of Moose Jaw. There can be no doubt of its journalistic loyalty to the interests advocated.

The city is declared to be in all respects a better, larger and more promising city than its rival,

Regina, and it is authoritatively claimed that the News has an infinitely larger list of subscribers than the Leader, published at the Capital. On leaving this ambitious place, fourhundred miles from Winnipeg, and the editor and his readers have our best wishes for thefuture of their city, our cook gives us a breakfast which would satisfy the most criticalgourmet. The line now follows Thunder Creek, gradually ascending the grand Coteau of theMissouri. It may be said that we have been passing over classic ground. According to commonbelief, it was this route which the sons of De la Verendrye followed when they first saw theRocky Mountains. Leaving the Red River by the Assiniboine, they turned into its tributary, theSouris, which they traced to its source, not far to the south of us, and then passed over to theMissouri.

The herbage is light but the soil, when turned over to form the embankment, is warm, friable

clay. I cannot but believe that if the rainfall be sufficient, almost any crop will thrive upon sucha soil. The summers are undoubtedly dry in this section, if we may judge from the flora; allgrain, it seems to me, should be sowed in the first days of spring to profit by the moisture of that season and to obtain early strength. There is an utter absence of trees on these rollingplains, and it would be well to encourage plantation for many reasons, not the least importantbeing the improvement of the climate. It is not by spasmodic efforts at plantation that anyappreciable change will be effected. It is only by constant and persevering labour that the faceof the country can be changed and the climate rendered less arid.Secretan is the name of the station on the summit and we descend westerly, passing throughcuttings which expose fine beds of gravel, excellent for ballast and road work.

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At some of the stations there are groups of Indians, men and women. We enter intoconversation with them through an interpreter on the platform. Pie-à-Pot, the great Indianchief, we are told, has gone on a mission to the Lieutenant- Governor at Regina to complain of the smoke of the locomotive, which he considers to be an evil medicine to ruin the health of his people.

We pass a group of three salt water lakes, the "Old Wives' Lakes." Together they extend fifty

miles in length and from six to ten miles broad.

They abound in wild duck. Chaplin Station is in the vicinity. Buffalo skulls and bones strew theground, telling of the past, and bufialo tracks are distinctly traceable in all directions.

We had been led to expect, from much that we have heard, that this part of the country wasperfectly barren. I can entertain no such opinion.

The soil is light and variable. In seasons not too dry good crops may be raised in the district wehave passed over. In crossing the Coteau des Missouri we have traversed a great grassyregion, the surface of which has the appearance of the ocean subsiding into a calm after agreat tempest.

There are countless undulations of varied extent and outline, and as the train passes alongthey look as if they theraselves were in motion; as if they were masses of water rolling intoquietness with the calm swell, so often experienced in mid- ocean after a gale has passedaway.

We arrive at Swift Current, ten degrees of longitude west of Winnipeg. This station is not farfrom the southern bend of the South Saskatchewan, where that river makes a detour beforeproceeding northward to Carlton. A large engine house has been erected at Swift Current.Dinner is provided for the passengers and we remain an hour and a half at the station. SeveralIndians are lounging about. We make an effort to converse with them, but as we have nomeans of understanding each other the attempt is not successful.

What will be the fate of the Indian as the plains are filled up ? Is he to be engulphed in thecommon field of industry ? Is he to become civilized and labour with the rest of us at theprosaic occupations of every day life ? Is he to be uncared for and left to his fate, or be clothedand fed in idleness ? The problem is not an easy one to unravel. I learned from one of thepassengers, who seems to speak with authority, that at present some ten thousand Indiansreceive an allowance of rations. It may bs said that the Indian territory has been appropriatedin the interest of the community, and that it is a consequent duty to care for the Red man. If itbe possible the course to follow is to train the coming generation to habits of industry and self-reliance. Is it possible ?

As a rule we take our meals when the train is in motion, so that we can utilize the various halts

to obtain information from those we may meet at the stations. There is a change to be madein the composition of the train at this point. The sleeping car goes no further, and a number of cars loaded with material for construction purposes are appended. We are really from thispoint half a construction train. There is only one ordinary passenger car, with the private caroccupied by our party. Our speed, too, is reduced. It seemed to me somewhat churlish toretain to ourselves all the comfort and accommodation the directors had so liberally extendedto me and mine, when there were others I knew on the train not so fortunately circumstanced.I was therefore glad to be of use to some of my fellow passengers. Our party became thusincreased by the Baron de Longueuil, Dr. Grant the younger, of Ottawa, and other gentlemen.

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We pass Gull Lake and Cypress Stations, 554 miles from Winnipeg, north of the Cypress Hills.

Not a tree or shrub is to be seen; the lofty ground to the south of us is perfectly bare; thecountry is dry, the herbage scanty. On the other hand there are plain indications that thecountry is not barren and worthless. It has been described by some people as a semi-desert.So far as my memory will admit the comparison, the soil resembles in colour and characterthat of the Carse of Gowrie in Perthshire. Those who remember that section of Scotland willperceive the force of the comparison.

The ditches and excavations expose a fine fertile clay soil, not only on the surface but to thewhole depth of the cuttings. On the recently formed road-bed, in the bottoms of ditches, thereare tufts of green oats growing vigorously twenty-four inches high, each plant with twelve totwenty strong stalks sticking out from a single root. This scattered growth, so luxuriant initself, has arisen from the seed dropped from trains or the horse's feed, during construction,without any attempt at cultivation. It is true that the herbage is brown and dried up, but notmore so than I have frequently seen it in Ontario at this season. I cannot speak of the countryfrom Moose Jaw to Qu'Appelle, for it was night when we passed through it, but from what Iheard at the various stations the land is good; and generally it may be affirmed that in the fivehundred and fifty miles of territory between Swift Current and Winnipeg the waste andworthless land is scarcely appreciable.

We reach Maple Creek, 596 miles from Winnipeg. The country continues to be of the characterI have described. I had some conversation with a Dumfries man who had passed twenty yearsin the County of Bruce, in Ontario. He had a comrade with him and both were fully satisfiedwith their new home. There is evidently nothing whatever in their experience to lead to aregret that they have left Ontario. Last November there was not a single house at MapleCreek; this evening I counted more than two dozen. The surface water is reported not to bethe best. It is slightly alkaline; but good, pure water has been obtained from wells at no greatdepth. The snow does not appear until the end of December. Last year ploughing took placeon the 11th March [At the same date in Ottawa the snow usually lies to a depth of two or morefeet]. Some two inches of snow fell after this date, but it soon disappeared. This year potatoeshave been obtained from the virgin soil. I was informed by these parties that all the land is fair

to Medicine Hat, the country being of the character of that which we have parsed through. They are decidedly of opinion that fall ploughing and early sowing will never fail to producegood crops; they consider the country is excellent for stock raising, as the winter is short andbut little snow falls.

The water required can be obtained from wells pumped by wind-mills, and the climate is in allrespects healthy. It is men of this stamp who are of the right build to force their way in a newcountry. They make light of difficulties and are fertile in expedients. They know that theirsuccess depends upon their skill and labour; they have no yearning for continual holidays, nordo they affect an exaggerated love of sport to take precedence of all duty. If they have somehardship for the moment they put aside every thought regarding it, for they feel that theirreward is assured and that they are laying up a safe provision for those who are to follow

them. Hence their cheerfulness is unfailing. Their romance lies in the future : numerous herdsand flocks, with rich harvests of grain, and men busy gathering them in. The small woodenhouse they have put up is one day to give place to a more imposing building of stone or brick,with verandahs and blinds and plenty of room for occasional friends. The piano may come, too,bye and bye, from Moose Jaw or some nearer place. Crowds of settlers will succeed, withweddings and births. There will also be the churchyard, where, in future generations, someCanadian Gray may write his "Elegy" over the graves of the village Hampdens and Cromwells,whose force of character has led their memory to be handed down as the pioneers of thedistrict they reclaimed from the wilderness.

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It was dark when we left Maple Creek. Observation in the dim light was not possible. Our eyeswere fatigued by reading, sorecourse was had to that universal panacea when time hangs heavy, the whist table. Ourrubber caused no regret on the part of the loser, for the winner had nothing to receive.

I was called early the following morning, for I was desirous of seeing the station at MedicineHat and of observing the course of the South Saskatchewan. We had crossed the river when Irose. I learned that the stream is spanned by a temporary structure of timber trestles on piles,

some thirty feet above the water level, to be replaced by an iron bridge before next spring.

There has been a hard frost during the night, and the air is cool. I am writing on the 22ndAugust. We start as the sun rises and we soon experience the heat of his rays. We have, asusual, an excellent breakfast, and our cook proportionately rises in our esteem. Several people joined the train at Medicine Hat. We discuss the character of the country with them, for Idesire to obtain as many independent opinions as possible. I learn that the land betweenMaple Creek and Medicine Hat, passed over during the night, is of the character of the countryto the east and west of it, which I have described.

As we proceed we can see, undoubtedly, by the herbage, that the climate is dry, but theexcavation shows the friable soil necessary to the growth and nourishment of cereals. There

are probably seasons of drought when ordinary root crops will not be generally successful.

We continue through a genuine prairie without tree or shrub. Our point of vision is really andtruly the centre of one vast, grassy plain, the circumference of which lies defined in thehorizon.As we look from the rear, the two lines of rails gradually come closer till they are lost,seemingly, in one line; the row of telegraph poles recedes with the distance to a point. I shouldestimate the horizon to be removed from us from six to eight miles. The sky, without a cloud,forms a blue vault above us; nothing around is visible but the prairie on all sides gentlyswelling and undulating, with the railway forming a defined diameter across the circle. Lookingalong the track in the distance there is a small cloud of vapour discernable, indicating that anengine is following us.

The train itself is not visible. There is certainly no little monotony in a railway journey over theprairie. The landscape is unvaried : a solitude, in which the only sign of life is the motion of thetrain. To obtain some change in this oneness of view, I obtain permission to take a seat in thecab of the locomotive. I discover that the engine driver is from Truro in Nova Scotia, Mr.Charles Wright. I learn from him that he began his railway life under me on the IntercolonialRailway.

I need not say that the look-out from the locomotive was no new sensation to me, but I wasimpressed with different feelings to those which affected me when looking rearward from thetrain.

I do not think I ever was more conscious of the power of the locomotive, or in so marked a wayhad I ever been so capable of grasping its wonderful capacity to change the whole condition of our lives. I felt as if I was borne along on the shoulders of some gigantic winged monster,moving onward with lightning speed, skimming the surface of the ground, and setting timeand distance equally at defiance.

We are now on a broad plateau between Bow River and the Red Deer River. The outline of theeroded valley of the former is visible away on the southern horizon; the latter is too far distantto be traceable. We expect soon to be able to see the Eocky Mountains. The soil improves aswe advance, and the prairie has long, gentle ascents, with occasional heavy gradients. At the

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"Blackfoot Crossing" there is a large Indian reserve, and at the station opposite we see manyred men and women still clinging to the life of their past, wrapped in the white or red blanket,with fringed leather leggings. Some of the younger men have their faces painted a brilliantscarlet, and, mounted on Indian ponies, do their utmost to keep up with the train, the womenand children partaking in the excitement of the effort. They all looked so cheerful andcontented that they made no appeal to our sympathies on any ground of suffering ordiscontent.

We gradually ascend to the summit of the rolling plain, and now for the first time the peaks of the Rocky Mountains appear in view. They are possibly one hundred miles distant;nevertheless they stand out clear and defined in the horizon their snow-clad tops glistening inthe afternoon sun. They give a marked relief to the landscape after the monotony of theprairie. They look like a huge rampart stretched from north to sonth to impede all progressbeyond them. Their features slowly change as the sun sinks to the western ocean, but as longas daylight lasts we never tire looking upon them, and in watching the varying colours of theatmosphere reflected by their lofty summits.

Our train has become heavy by constant additions. There are now twenty loaded cars, and it isas much as the engine can do to take them up the heavy grades. We experience, therefore,some delay in the last ten miles to Calgary. It is after dark when we cross Bow Eiver and enter

the outer valley. At last we arrive at Calgary, having reached the 114th meridian, 840 mileswest of Winnipeg.

When I crossed the continent eleven years ago, before Winnipeg as a city had even a name, Ileft Fort Garry on the 2nd August, and did not arrive in sight of the mountains until the 7thSeptember.

In that journey we did not spare ourselves or our horses, for we made over the prairies anaverage of over forty miles a day. On the present occasion we left Winnipeg on Mondaymorning, to come within sight of the mountains on Wednesday afternoon. The first journeyoccupied thirty-six days, and the last about fifty-six hours !

It was eleven o'clock when we stopped on a siding. We were anxious to acquire the positiveinformation which we were to obtain here.

Our further advance depended on the facts which we hoped to learn respecting the country wewere desirous of passing over. For it was yet a question if it was possible to cross the SelkirkRange to the Columbia; and it was not a matter of certainty that either the Kicking Horse orthe Eagle Pass could be followed. But those who could throw any light on the subject had longretired, so we could do nothing better at that late hour than follow their example.

CHAPTER XIII. CALGARY TO THE SUMMIT

Start for the Mountains - The Cochrane Kanche - Gradual Ascent - Mount Cascade - AnthraciteCoal - Sunday in the Rockies - Mountain Scenery - The Divide

We had reached the point on our journey when the accessories of modern travel ceased to beat our disposal. Before us lay the mountain zone to Kamloops, the distance across which, asthe crow flies, is about three hundred miles. We had failed to obtain any reliable information of the character of the country over which we had to pass. Indeed, it was by no means acertainty that there was a practicable route through it.

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We had hoped to learn at Calgary all that was known of the territory, to gain such thoroughinformation that we should know precisely what course we should take to reach BritishColumbia.

The problem had now to be discussed : if we could venture to advance directly westward, or if we should be driven to pass through the United States. At the worst, it was in our power toturn to the south from Calgary to Montana, and find our way by the Northern Pacific Eailwaythrough Oregon to Victoria, in British Columbia.

We had been referred to Mr. James Ross, the manager of construction of the mountain districtat Calgary. He had been instructed by telegram before I left Montreal to collect the fullestinformation. Accordingly he had sent out Indian couriers to the exploring parties to learn allthat was known, and it was in his power to acquaint us with the facts if any one could do so. Ihad endeavoured to ascertain by telegraph what Mr. Ross had learned; the invariable replyhad been that the couriers had not returned.

Mr. Ross entered while we were at our early breakfast. The couriers he had sent to theColumbia had been detained by forest fires, but they had at last returned with letters fromMajor Rogers, at the mouth of the Kicking Horse River. I learned that the journey to Kamloopsthrough the mountains was not held to be impracticable, but undoubtedly it was marked by

difficulties.

There was a road which waggons could travel for some distance up the valley of the BowRiver.

Where the road ceased there was a rough horse- trail as far as the exploring parties hadpenetrated from the east, some five miles beyond the summit of the Selkirk Range. From thatpoint the ground was perfectly unbroken. We were told that for the remainder of the distancethe only way open to us was to go on foot; that the walking, at the least calculation, wouldoccupy ten or twelve days; and that it required about ten Indians to carry supplies.

The question of supplies had specially to be considered, as there was no possibility of

obtaining them by the way. The country was totally uninhabited. We could depend on noresource but our own commissariat, which should be sufficiently ample to avoid all risk of thechance of starvation. Our means of conveyance would not admit of transportation to the fullextent of our requirements for the whole distance to Kamloops.

Before leaving Winnipeg this contingency had been anticipated, and definite arrangements,which we thought could scarcely fail, had been made with the Hudson's Bay Company forsupplies, to be sent easterly from Kamloops to the Columbia, opposite Eagle Pass. It was mycalculation that we would find our stores without fail at that point on the 10th September. Wetherefore resolved to attempt to cross the mountains on the trail across the Selkirk Range as ithad been described.

To place the question of supplies beyond a peradventure, I sent a special telegram to the Chief Commissioner of the Hudson's Bay Company, which I hoped would make error impossible. "Weexpect to reach Columbia River, opposite Eagle Pass, on foot from Selkirk summit about 10thSeptember. No trail reported from that point on Columbia River to Shuswap Lake. If there is notrail the supplies must be packed through Eagle Pass. We will depend absolutely upon youragent at Kamloops sending a guide, with supplies, to meet us at Columbia River by 10thSeptember. We leave to-day for the mountains. Good-bye."

It was the morning of the 23rd August. We all wrote some last lines home, and telegraphedsome last words to our friends in the east, informing them that we were leaving Calgary to

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follow the mountain route. Previous to starting I called at the Hudson's Bay Company's store tolearn all that was there known about the country before us, and to see the establishmentitself.

We got off about eleven, meeting an unwelcome delay of an hour in crossing Bow River. Theferry was being transferred to a better site, and we had to wait until the final arrangements forstretching the wire rope were completed. Finally it is stretched and secured, and we moveonwards.

Before many miles were passed our waggon broke down. To save time we take lunch duringthe halt for repairs. The prairie about us has good soil, but the herbage is dry. However, itaffords good pasturage. We proceed onwards through the Cochrane ranche, passing along astretch of rolling country, with hills bringing in mind many parts of the south of Scotland; welladapted for grazing. A smoky atmosphere conceals from our view the outline of themountains.

Our drivers, however, inform us that when the air is clear they stand out distinctly to view, andpresent a grand sight. Our miserable waggon again causes us trouble.

One of the wheels gives way. We have again to halt, and remain by a large pond bordered bywillows. A fire is made to furnish some boiling water, by means of a frying pan, to Mr. DavidMacDongall, who has appeared on the scene. Boiling water, says this authority, repairs awheel "slap bang, and makes it go for another hundred miles," with a few willow withes andsome cod lines, which everyone should carry in the mountains, unless he has what is better,"shaginappy" [Buffalo rawhide, used for cordage, indeed for nearly every purpose, by Indiansand trappers]. The wheel is pronounced fit for use, although it looked much less like a wheel,and we reach in safety Morley, forty miles from Calgary.

Our day's journey had been partially through rich pasture without a tree. In certain parts a fewgroves are seen. The general course was along a wide valley bounded by lofty hills. "We had

to do the best we could at Morley. What accommodation we obtained we owed to Mr.MacDougall, who gave up his own bed. But few travellers passed this way until recently, andbut little provision has been made for them. We were thankful for any shelter we could obtain.It was nine o'clock and dark when we arrived, so in any case there was but time to establishourselves as best we could. We were up at an early hour the next morning, to find that ourbaggage waggon had not come up. Who should we see, as we sat down to breakfast, butSenator Ogilvie, to lead us to think that we had still some relations with the world behind us.

I determined not to wait for the waggon, but to push on to the next stopping place and seewhat arrangements could be made for our further advance. The baggage was to follow. I wasmuch struck with the view as we started. It was very fine, but its effect was marred by thecloudy atmosphere which hid the more distant peaks. For twenty-two miles to Padmore the

whole route was equally striking. The valley is from three to eight miles wide, extendinggenerally in a western direction between the foot hills of the mountains. It is marked by nosudden precipitous ascents and is usually flat, carrying the prairie character with a gentleascent into the heart of the mountains. We are told that at one time this valley, with thecountry around Morley and Calgary, was the haunt of the buffalo. Mr. David Macdougall tells usthat he has seen the ground black with them, and that from an eminence not far from Morleyhe has beheld them in herds on the plains, thenumber of which would not be less than a million !

The prairie diminishes in extent as we advance.

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We pass through park-like scenery. Groups of trees appear at intervals, and the Bow River inits windings gleams pleasantly in the sun. The heavy atmosphere is partially lifted and the out-line of the mountains in the distance comes to our view. What we see is probably the outlyinggroup ; they are, nevertheless, bold bluffs, some of them defined precipices to the summit,with long slopes in one direction, and in some cases their fantastic forms look as if shaped inmasonry.

The streams crossed to-day run in ravines of some depth, and the water is clear and cold. Wehalt at Padmore, where the valley is contracted to half a mile. Evidently we are about enteringthe portals of the mountains. To the north, the slopes are bare; to the south, they are wooded. The bare precipitous rock to the north is stratified and strongly contorted. The geologicalfeatures are most striking and the exposure is on a grand scale.

A great bluff rises nearly vertically to the height of possibly fifteen hundred feet and is abouttwo miles in length. The lines of the strata are distinctly traceable, dipping towards the west.

Four miles west of Padmore we are completely in the mountains. On every side the sound of the hammer and drill was heard, and every turn of the road revealed new views of thegrandest mountain scenery. Peaks towering behind and above each other came in sight, and

the sun poured down its warmest rays, deepening the shadows and bringing out freshbeauties. As we advanced, the eye rests only on these mighty heights when they are notconcealed from view by the hazy atmosphere.

The smoky air, occasionally, it seemed to me, opened up, and in a way added to, thelandscape by developing the aerial perspective. As we advanced the vapour disappeared, andbefore ns stood out, clear and well defined in the horizon, bold, massive mountain heights,crowned by sharp, turreted peaks.

We pass Mount Cascade, so named from the small stream issuing from its side, said to be atthe height of two thousand feet, and with one leap descending to the valley below. It is themost striking of the masses we have seen, and we learn that its summit is 5,060 feet above

the plain. Discoveries of anthracite coal have been made in the flanks of this mountain, andsince my visit mining operations have commenced. The road has become very rough; thewonder is how any vehicle can stand the jolting, jarring and sudden wrenches over rocks andstumps which we experience.

We are indebted to Mr. Graham, of Mount Forrest, for our dinner. He very hospitably receivedus at his contractor's camp, and we were in a condition to enjoy all he gave us.

About 4 o'clock we arrived at Hillsdale, named after Mr. Hill, manager of the company's store. Iwas glad to meet here Mr. Dunbar, the resident engineer, for I had looked forward to obtainingfrom him some more definite information than we had yet received, especially of our wayacross the Selkirk Range. A short conversation with this gentleman gave a new colour to our

enterprise, and I resolved not to proceed further that day. Indeed we would have derived noadvantage from doing so. One statement of Mr. Dunbar, and he was supported in it by one of his assistants who had recently come from the country in front of us, certainly surprised me.He had heard of no one having crossed the Selkirk Range. Major Rogers had made severalattempts to do so, but he had only so far succeeded as to reach the summit, or one of thesummits, but had not penetrated entirely through the mountains on a connected line. No onewas known to have passed over from where we stood by the route before us to Kamloops; noteven an Indian, and it was questionable, if it were possible, to find a route which could befollowed.

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I must confess that this information was unwelcome to me. I was not without experience incrossing mountains, but expected in this instance that our route would be over known ground,and that, whatever difficulties lay before us, we had only to persevere to overcome them.From what I now heard all seemed uncertain before me. It was possible that we might have towalk our toil- some way onwards for many days, suddenly to find it was impossible to proceed.I did not contemplate assuming the position of an original explorer.

My knowledge of work of this kind had taught me how frequently it exacted much time and

labour, often to end in failure; that a gigantic natural impedient might present itself to barfurther advance, and that whatever the courage, determination and fertility of resourceshown, failure to proceed onward would be the irremediable result.I reserved, however, my opinion of our position until I had met Major Rogers, in charge of these explorations. I understood he was at the mouth of the Kicking Horse River. In themeantime I entered into the details of our journey with Mr. George Wilson, who had beendetailed to go with us in command of the pack train.

We discussed our route, estimated every day's journey, and all the possibilities andprobabilities, incident to our advance. George had once been a scout in the service of theSouthern States during the war, and was evidently experienced m rough travelling. Heappeared to me to know well the work and duty of crossing the mountains, and we formed

some estimate of the pork and fiour required to take us, with half a dozen packers, to EaglePass, at the Columbia. I went into the whole question so far as my knowledge permitted, andwe talked it over until bed time.

I owed to Mr. Dunbar, on that occasion, that we had comfortable beds to sleep on, for he andhis friends insisted that we should take possession of their quarters.

The weather on Sunday morning was really beautiful. Those living in cities can with difficultyunderstand the effect on the spirits and minds of men away from civilization of a bright,cheery Sunday. In all well ordered expeditions Sunday is a day of rest, and this view alone,denuded entirely of all religious feeling, which is to some extent dependent on earlyeducation, creates a scene of quiet and repose not always experienced to the same extent in

civilized communities. To one bred like myself in the strict views of the Presbyterian Church,there is something more than this sentiment : it is as if you held it a privilege on theseremote mountains to pay homage to the lessons of your youth. Not from the merelymechanical acceptance of them, but from a heartfelt sense of their truth. I have felt, on suchoccasions, a sense of peace and freedom from the carping cares of life I never could explain;but that the thought is not peculiar to myself many circumstances have shown. You seem, asit were, at such times, only to commune with natiire, and to be free from all that is false andmeretricious in our civilization. You are beyond the struggles and petty personalities of theworld, and you feel how really and truly life is better and happier as it is more simple.

The sun lit up in warm colours the great mountains encircling the valley. We were surroundedby these magnificent heights. Our camp was but a few miles distant from the valley, which

leaves Bow River for the Vermilion Pass. The atmosphere was not so clear as we could wish,and the distant peaks were invisible. We had, nevertheless, a remarkable view of the toweringbattlements to the north, in themselves so lofty and so near to us, and the details so intricatethat it would be impossible to portray them within the limits of ordinary canvas. It remains tobe seen what effect will be produced by photography.

Dr. Grant held a service at ten o'clock, and gave a short sermon. The congregation wascomposed of men engaged on the surveys and works. Some two dozen attended. There wasone also of the gentler sex present, who, with her husband, came from the contractors' campnear by. We dine early. As tomorrow we have to take to the saddle, and in order to get

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hardened to our work, we think it prudent that we fit ourselves for the journey. We ride abouttwelve miles up the valley, between mountains of the grandest description. To the south twoheights of great prominence present themselves. They command a view of the depressionleading to the Vermilion Pass.

One of the peaks is crowned with perpetual snow, and is of striking beauty. The other has acubical form of summit. A third, at no great distance, is pyramidal, and so on in everyconceivable variety these mountains tower above us. Westward we see Castle Mountain to our

right. The resemblance to Cyclopean masonry has doubtless suggested the name, for it ismarked by huge masses of castellated-looking work, with turreted flanks.

After passing through a mile of burnt pine wood at its base, we reach Spillman's camp, wherewe stay for the night. The fires in the valley are extinguished, but they are still runuing up themountain side, and as night comes on the flames gleam with a weird light. We soon wrappedourselves in our blankets. Although with a certain sense of fatigue, I could not sleep. Mythoughts reverted to the journey before us. Uncertainty seemed to increase as we advanced.

Next morning some of us felt a little stiff and tired from our afternoon drill, for such indeed wasthe object of our ride. Wilson and Kit Lawrence, his assistant, started early with the supplywaggon, as our own movements are governed by those of the baggage. We did not deem it

necessary immediately to follow, and hence did not hurry our start. The sun was a degree orso above Castle Mountain as we left. Our ride was very agreeable : to some extent throughBanksian pine, occasionally along the bank of the Bow River, still a large stream, moreconsiderable, for instance, than the Thames at Richmond. The current is strong, and unhappythe canoeman who has to pole up against it. Here and there we ride through burnt woods. A"brulé" is an ominous word to any one who has to make his way through the bush. The fire hasrecently destroyed the growth of young timber. The exist ence of these fires explains thefrequent thick, heavy, smoky atmosphere through which we have been unable to see theoutline of the mountains.

Occasionally a snow-covered peak peers far above the dense smoke below, and to the southwe see what the maps suggest to be Mount Lefroy; but there are several lofty summits, any

one of which is sufficiently remarkable to be named after that distinguished General. One iscrested like a huge camel's back; one rises to a sharp cone; a third has the appearance of anextinct volcano, and the crumbling edge of the crater reveals the glacier within.

The waggon which has brought us from Calgary has been driven by a young man named Kane.He had started early in the morning with Wilson, and at a turn in the path we came suddenlyupon Wilson's horse tethered up by the bridle. Kane was lying upon the ground, suffering froma violent attack of colic. We had at once to ride and overtake the waggon for medicine.

Thirty drops of chlorodine relieved him, and we left him at the nearest contractors' camp. Thetwo waggons with which we started from Calgary have now nearly disappeared, for we havelost three wheels, and one of the drivers is left behind.

Twelve miles distant from Spillman's Camp the waggon road, bad as it had been, comes to anend, and our supplies must now be carried on pack horses. Here we met Mr. Neilson, aKingston man, who renders us great service; and it is here also, that Dave Leigh joins ourservice as cook and pack man. There is always great delay in getting a pack train ready;horses, saddlery and men must be collected. Our first calculation was that three horses wouldsuffice, as we know the weights of all the packages and our calculation had been based uponthem; but from the badness of the roads we reduced the theoretical weight of the pack byincreasing the number of our animals.

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Our whole load amounted to eleven hundred pounds, and our packers assured us that over thebad roads it could not be carried by less than six horses. Experience proved that the judgmentof the men was correct; the consequence was that the pack train could not leave that night.

Our party, however, started. One of them, who left after the rest, took a wrong direction andnarrowly escaped losing himself, at least for the night.

George shewed wonderful judgment in hunting up the wanderer and putting him on the right

track, relieving us all from great anxiety. Our course took us across two forks of the Bow Riverand thence along the banks of a rapid stream called Bath Creek, so named from one of theengineers having fallen into it. We ascended for a few miles, when we turned to the west bySummit Creek, a small glacier-bed stream, which we followed till we arrived at the engineer'scamp at the Summit, 5,300 feet above sea level.

I had here to take leave of my friend Mr. Dunbar, who had to return to his duties. He had beengood enough to accompany us this far, and I had found his presence of great use. Sittingaround the camp fire at night he was an admirable companion, for he had a fine voice. I haveparticularly a very pleasurable recollection of the hymns he sang on the Sunday evening in thefirst mountain pass. All music has a peculiar effect under such circumstances, especially whenit brings back thoughts of the past and of distant friends; and there is to men of my age a

peculiar feeling in listening to devotional music, the influence and power of which, howeversimple, are not easily forgotten.

To-night we fall asleep on the continental "Divide." Hitherto we have passed over grounddraining to the east. To-morrow we follow a stream flowing into the the waters of the Pacific.

CHAPTER XIV. DOWN KICKING HORSE VALLEY The Descent - Summit Lake - The Kicking-Horse River - Singular Mountain Storms - AnEngineering Party - A Beaver Meadow- A Dizzy Walk

We were tip at half-past five, and it was a cold, sharp morning. At six, Mr. Dunbar had said

good bye and turned eastward.When breakfast was oyer the pack-train arrived, and by nine we had started for the RiverColumbia. It was a rugged and broken path which we entered upon. To our right twoconspicuous twin summits were standing out in the range. The water of the streams which wewere following was more heard than seen, for the trail exacted all our attention. Our horseswere moving among sharp broken granite rocks and fallen trees. In about half an hour wepassed by the side of Summit Lake. The northern mountains were now concealed from view bya forest of spruce, through which we were passing.

To the south the landscape is more magnificent than ever; a bold, rocky bluff rises thousandsof feet directly in front of us, while mountains of great height, in groups, tower above it to theright and left. Some of them have crater-shaped peaks filled with snow. Our progress is slow

and much interfered with by the pack-horses getting continually off the trail and losing part of their load.

We pass the second mountain lake, and about four miles from our morning camp we reach thethird and largest lake, about a mile in length. We cross the path of a great snow slide, anavalanche divided into two forks, one about fifty yards and the other about one hundred andfifty yards wide. Thousands of trees, two and three feet in diameter, have been broken intoshreds by it, and roots, trunks and branches, in a tangled mass, have been swept away, and,with a multitude of boulders of all dimensions, hurled into the lake, to form a promontory of which three or four hundred feet still remain. To the south, beyond the lake, the eye rests

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upon a mighty mountain, streaked by snow-filled crevices, and reflected in the bright, glassylake, presenting to our eyes a most striking picture.

We cross the outlet by fording a stream some forty feet wide and about sixteen inches indepth. I looked upon it with no little interest for it is the stream we are to follow for some days.

There is often a history lying behind the nomenclature of these waters and peaks, and in thepresent instance it is said that Dr. Hector, who accompanied the Palliser expedition, was

kicked not far from this spot. The Indians have translated it 'Shawata-nowchata-wapta', HorseKicking River.

As we ascend the steeper and southern bank we obtain a grand view of the lofty twinmountains seen from our last camp, and it struck me that it was from the lower heights thatthe avalanches must have descended. A mile of bad trail brought us to Walton's camp, wherewe delivered the mail which had been entrusted to our care. We were now six miles from ourmorning's starting point.

By George's account we are about entering the worst five miles of road before us, and badenough it proved to be. Dave declared that there were places further on far more trying. Wemoved at a snail's pace, but our progress, if slow, was sure.

The scramble on the rugged path, through the boulders, rocks and ragged surface, was aconstant effort to the poor horses. In many places they had to be dragged up almostperpendicular heights.

Three packs rolled off, and one of the horses fell down a side hill, accomplishing a completesomersault. No doubt the creature was saved from injury by the pack, firmly secured to hisback. He was soon released by George and Dave unfastening the pack ropes and lifting him tohis feet. We are seldom in the saddle, for it is safer to walk. Now and then we catch a glimpseof the stream passing along in foaming rapids, with an inclination apparently from 1 in 5 to 1in 8. By this rapidity of current the water is churned into a liquid in colour like weak whitewash.It gathers its volume from so many side tributaries that although its source is a mere brook,

yet four miles below when the water is high the stream seemingly attains a width of nearly athousand feet. Even at the present time its volume is so great that it is only with difficulty itcan be forded.

We descend the mountain side to the bed of the river and follow the gravel banks. Before wereach our night's camping ground we meet with some remarkable scenery. Looking upwardsto the south at about an angle of sixty degrees, we can see high, in the clear air, a mountainpeak which, lighted up by the sun, presents in its horizontal strata various colours, andassumes the form of a mural crown. Separated from this height by a great depression rises a.sister peak singularly striking, both undoubtedly rising to a vertical mile above the river. Agreat glacier on the second mountain overhangs a precipice with a face of hundreds of feet inthickness : at the base dehris has gathered for countless centuries to form an immense

deposit sloping down the mountain.

We cross its base, and accept the first place suitable for a camp which we reach. Grass for thehorses is the first requirement, water we can always count upon. Our saddle horses havetravelled twelve miles, the journey of the pack-horses has been seventeen. It was still early inthe afternoon, but the strain upon the poor animals had been severe. The last six miles hadtaken four hours and a half to pass over; and then there had been no mid-day halt and feed. There cannot be a doubt that one of the secrets of driving a horse long continuous distances isto let him take his own pace and feed him regularly. Any one who has had any experience withhorses well knows that the creature will by a hundred was let you know when he looks for his

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food should you neglect to give it him. There is everything to show that he suffers in strengthif there be great irregularity in this respect.

We learn that there is no pasture in our front for a long distance, so we camp on the gravellybeach. The ground we are on, at high water, is covered, and a few rods from us the river iswinding on its rapid, rolling course. The horses are provided for in a gully near by. Close to usrise four massive, lofty mountains, and as we turn to their summits the eye is raised from fortyto fifty degrees.

A blue sky looks down between these heights through an atmosphere free from smoke. Thesehigh peaks rising directly from the valley form the points of a quadrilateral figure, the longestside of which does not exceed three miles. There are no foot hills, no intervening eminencebetween us and these mountains, rising 5,000 feet above where we stand. The sun setsbehind the western heights. I have often felt the calm of evening, but I do not recollect soperfect a picture of quiet and repose as that which reigned in this amphitheatre of nature inthe first twilight, when everything was marked and distinct, but with subdued colour, with nohigh lights, and presenting a solitude so vast that one for the time loses all consciousness of the existence of an outer world.

Two families of Stoney Indians were encamped near by. They belonged to the christianized

tribe at Morley, and consisted of a father, three handsome sons, two squaws and a number of children. They had with them some of the spoils of the chase, mountain sheep and goats.

Towards night a party of the locating engineers arrived wet to the middle from fordingstreams.

Their pack-horses had not come up, so they were without dry clothes or tents, but they madethe best of the situation. They were all cheerful, and indulged in that "chaff" by which menwork themselves up to make a molehill of what is often a serious hardship, accepting what isinevitable with perfect stoicism. They made a huge fire to dry their wet clothes, by which theypassed the night without tents or blankets. For our part we had some days' serious work

before us, and were not sorry to seek repose, and we soon were lulled to sleep by the roar of the rapid which ran within fifty yards of us.

We are now fairly up to our work. We rise about five; then breakfast, an important element atthe start; then see to the packing of the animals, an operation which takes a good hour's time.We say good-bye to the Indians and to the engineering party, none of whom seem the worsefor their night's experience, and we start. Often during the hour are the names of the horsesshouted in those valleys, occasionally with no feeble echo; especially of the pack animals, andwe soon know them one and all. There is always a wonderful link between the man and thehorse, and the kinder the man the more gentle the quadruped.

The names of our horses are Black, Coffee, Blue, Calgary, Coaly, Buck, Pig, Bones, Strawberry

and Steamboat, and each creature knows perfectly the reproof or the cheering cry addressedto him.

We follow the bed of the river, which is of considerable width, for five miles, and leaving it weturn to a trail over low ground to return to the stream some distance down. We find itconsiderably increased in volume and it would be impossible to ford it fourteen miles from ourmorning camp. The valley has widened out, the river now flows in a well defined channel withbanks six feet above the water level. We stop and take our mid-day meal; the horses, too,must have rest and be fed. The atmosphere has again become smoky, not a pleasantindication, for we may be approaching forest fires, and it is the last situation in which one

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desires to be placed, for when the fire is around you there is no extrication. We advanced,however, but took the wrong trail, which led to a cul-de-sac, where Mr. Davis was encamped,and his trail was the best defined. We made our way back and fortunately met two gentlemen,Messrs. Hogg and Shaw, connected with the engineering staff, returning from an exploration tothe Selkirk Range; they spoke of the travel as of the roughest description as far as they hadgone, and it was as far as it was posible to go. They held that the continuance of the route onwhich we were bound was impracticable; there was no path or track of any description beyondthe point at which they turned back and nothing to mark the way; in fact, no one had been

through to the western slope of the Selkirks. I must add that, however little I said, I had somevery serious reflections on what I heard from these gentlemen.

We halted about twenty miles from the last camping ground; the horses, owing to the detourat Davis', had travelled about twenty-three miles and had little to eat since we first started. Itwas six o'clock in the evening, and on examining the grassy plain we discovered it was abeaver meadow with the beaver works in excellent condition.

One beaver house was twelve feet in diameter by six feet high, formed of sticks, and eachstick showed the marks of the beaver's teeth. We found a number of underground passagesthrough which the water flowed; here and there were vertical openings twelve or fifteen inchesin diameter; the passages crossed and recrossed each other like the underground passages

made by moles. The dam was, generally, in good preservation, but the water had found a wayfor itself at some points. We pitched our camp on the edge of the beaver meadow; the horsescould not have better pasture.

Our beds, too, were a shade in advance of last night's quarters on the gravelly beach, for theywere of hemlock boughs, and if well laid who would ask a daintier resting place. Certainly wewere all asleep at half-past nine. "What a sound sleep it is after a day's ride or march over abad road !

As we started on our next day's journey a high mountain frowned down upon us; but not fromits lofty summit, for its peak is hidden by rain clouds. Yesterday the smoke interfered with ourlandscape, for we could only dimly see the outline even when the glaciers were gleaming in

the sunlight. Our last night's camp was half a mile distant from the river, but we heard the roarof the water; the heavy atmosphere, the lowering clouds and the loud echo of the rapid riverwarn us to prepare for rain, and we do so as best we can. We ride onward, leaving the packanimals to follow, for I am desirous of reaching Major Hurd's camp, a few miles distant.

We were unfortunate on our arrival, for Major Hurd had left for the Columbia about an hourand a half before weappeared. As it was possible to overtake him we hurried forward; the trail winds through oldwindfalls up and down the elevations in our path. We were in hopes of meeting him at IslandCamp, but on our reaching the place we found that he had stopped and fed, but that he hadleft before we arrived.

Our horses were tired, his were fresh, and we had been told that for the next thirteen milesthere was no food for the animals, so we remained there for the night. By this time itcommenced to rain; we made a good fire and toasted the slices of bacon we had brought forluncheon. The pack-horses came up and there was good feed for them on the island in theriver.

The clouds shortly rolled away. We could see that snow-covered mountains lay directly in ourfront ; indeed at all points of the compass, and especially from the direction we had come,there were magnificent lofty peaks. As we sat at our early supper a cloud appeared and sweptrapidly down the mountain side with a mighty rush of wind. Heavy rain commenced to fall and

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everything about us which we could not gather up got so drenched that we 'had some troublein drying our things. We retired in good time, to prepare for an early start, for we well knewthat we had a hard journey before us on the morrow.

It was cold during the night, and on rising there was a dense fog, with the prospect of a wetday. The mist hung like a thick curtain, concealing everything not directly near the camp-fire.

But we start; the six pack-horses in front with their loads standing out from their backs, giving

the creatures the appearance of so many drome-daries. Dave rides ahead with the bell-horse,then the pack-horses follow, and the horsemen bring up the rear to see that none straybehind. Our journey this day was over exceedingly rough ground. We have to cross gorges sonarrow that a biscuit might be thrown from the last horse descending, to the bell-horse sixhundred feet ahead, ascending the opposite side. The fires have been running through thewood and are still burning; many of the half-burnt trees have been blown down, probably bythe gale of last night, obstructing the trail and making advance extremely difficult. The delaysare frequent; ascending a long slope by a narrow path, the footing of one horse gave way andthe poor animal fell, rolling over a dozen times. Our fear was that Calgary was killed, or atleast seriously injured, and that he would have to be left behind. The first thought is to preparethe rifle to put him out of agony, but Dave and Greorge unfastened the load and soon had himagain on his feet at a depth of some fifty yards below the trail. After some delay the poor brute

takes his place in the pack-train as if nothing had happened.

The road does not improve as we advance, and we have many miles of burnt woods to passthrough. Fortunately there was no wind. The air was still and quiet, otherwise we would haveran the risk of blackened trunks falling around us, possibly upon the animals or ourselves,even at the best seriously to have impeded our progress, if such a mischance did not make anadvance impossible, until the wind should moderate. We move forward down and up gorgeshundreds of feet deep, amongst rocky masses, where the poor horses had to clamber as bestthey could amid sharp points and deep crevices, running the constant risk of a broken leg. The trail now takes another character. A series of precipices run sheer up from the boilingcurrent to form a contracted canyon. A path has therefore been traced along the hill side,ascending to the elevation of some seven or eight hundred feet. For a long distance not a

vestige of vegetation is to be seen. On the steep acclivity our line of advance is narrow, sonarrow that there is scarcely a foothold; nevertheless we have to follow for some six miles thisthread of trail, which seemed to us by no means in excess of the requirements of the chamoisand the mountain goat.

We cross clay, rock and gravel slides at a giddy height. To look down gives one anuncontrollable dizziness, to make the head swim and the view unsteady, even with men of tried nerve. I do not think that I can ever forget that terrible walk; it was the greatest trial Iever experienced. We are from five to eight hundred feet high on a path of from ten to fifteeninches wide and at some points almost obliterated, with slopes above and below us so steepthat a stone would roll into the torrent in the abyss below. There are no trees or branches ortwigs which we can grip to aid us in our advance on the narrow, precarious footing. We

become more sensible to the difficulties we encounter each step as we go forward. The suncame out with unusual power ; our day's effort has caused no little of a strain, and theperspiration is running from us like water. I myself felt as if I had been dragged through abrook, for I was without a dry shred on me. About three miles from the mouth of the KickingHorse Valley we met Major Rogers and Major Hurd. At the same time we obtained the firstuninterrupted look upon the Selkirk range. From this point to the Columbia the trail improved,but it still ran at a great height. We had not, however, got out of our difficulties, for we cameupon a hornets' nest.

The leading horses were stung and darted forward.

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To have been attacked by the whole colony on so narrow a path might have caused seriousdisaster, so we abandoned the trail and traced a new route for ourselves to avoid that whichwe were following, and thus escaped the dilemma.

The Kicking Horse Valley turns into the valley of the Columbia River, which at the junction issome twelve miles wide from peak to peak. Our train has now travelled through the wholevalley of the Kicking Horse from its summit to the flats of the Columbia, a distance of aboutfifty miles, with a descent of 2,000 feet; the average fall is about fifty-seven feet to the mile,

the first six miles however, give a descent of twelve hundred feet, being two hundred feet permile; the last ten miles the river falls at an average of sixty feet per mile, leaving on theintervening thirty-two miles an average fall of thirty feet per mile.

Arrived at Major Rogers' camp, I own I was weary and foot-sore after our frightful march of many miles over rough ground high up on the mountain side, over a path every step of whichwas a renewed difficulty. I was somewhat indemnified by knowing that the horses hadtravelled without a mishap. I thought of the Mauvaispas at Chamouni, which, extending only afew hundred yards, is thought to be a feat in its way, even with a special guide leading thetraveller, holding his hand; but the Mauvais-pas of the Kicking Horse Valley extended for miles,and they were only passed over from the very desperation of our circumstances. Havingentered on the journey we could not turn back and we had to face the difficulties in our front

cost what it would.

We were all tired and weary, men and horses, and all equally hungry. A sponge down with coldwater, fresh, dry clothing and a good supper are always the best of comforters, so in a fewhours I had been able to discuss our future progress with Major Rogers, and one of the firstarrangements to which we came was that tomorrow both men and horses would take a day'srest.

CHAPTEE XV. TO THE SUMMIT OF THE SELKIRKS The Eagle Pass - Kicking Horse River - Valley of the Columbia - The Selkirk Range - TheColumbia River - Summit of the Selkirks - Major Rogers' Discovery

The point which, we have reached is about two and a third degrees north of the internationalboundary, of the forty-ninth parallel. The Columbia takes its rise ninety or a hundred miles tothe south-east of us and flows in a generally direct course to a point known as the BoatEncampment, some seventy miles to the north-west. From its source for nearly this wholedistance the Columbia is flanked by lofty mountains, those on the south-west side of the valleybeing known as the Selkirk Range. The Boat Encampment is a trifle to the north of the fifty-second parallel. At this point the Columbia completely changes its course and runs almostdirectly south to Washington Territory, in the United States. This section of the Columbia alsoflows between high mountains, the Selkirk Range being in this direction of its course on theeast and the Gold Range on the west.

Near the point where the river crosses the 51st parallel there is a remarkable opening in theGold Range, known as the Eagle Pass, which leads westerly towards Kamloops. Measured onthe map, the distance, in a straight line to the second crossing of the Columbia at the EaglePass, is scarcely sixty miles. To reach that point is the task directly before us.

The route which we had followed to the position where we now are, is the valley of the KickingHorse River, which has itssource in one of the Summit lakes of the Rocky Mountains. It flows with tremendousimpetuosity for the first six miles from the summit and for the last ten miles through canyons. The descent in the principal canyon is most rapid, and the water in the lower reach, now of

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its north-western course, a strange contrast to the bold broken mountain peaks which form theborder of the valley through which it runs. The evening was warm. Some of us took a plungeinto the Columbia, a pleasant incident in our trip. The water was of the right temperature, andthere was a certain romance in swimming in a stream in the heart of the mountains, in wateras calm as the Serpentine, in the centre of a vast solitude without the slighest impress of civilization. In the cool of the evening we walked up the first gravelly terrace in rear of the.camp to enjoy the view, ascending some 500 feet. We were repaid for our effort.

The huge mountains in our front and the valley stretching away in the magnificence of foliageto the south-east, lit up bythe warm colour of sunset, presented a noble landscape. I asked myself if this solitude wouldbe unchanged, or whether civilization in some form of its complex requirements would everpenetrate to this region ? What is the nature of the soil, what isothermal lines curve in thisdirection ? Is there anything that can be sown and ripened ? Certainly as a grazing country itmust he valuable. Beef and mutton may be produced for men and women of other lands. Willthe din of the loom and whirl of the spindle yet be heard in this unbroken domain of nature ? Itcannot be that this immense valley will remain the haunt of a few wild animals. Will the futurebring some industrial development : a future which is now dawning ux)on us. How soon will abusy crowd of workmen take possession of these solitudes, and the steam whistle echo and re-echo where now all is silent ? In the ages to come how many trains will run to and fro from sea

to sea with millions of passengers. All these thoughts crowd upon me with that peaceful scenebefore us as the sun sinks behind the serrated Selkirk Mountains, and I do not think that I canever forget the sight as I then gazed upon it.

The evening, like all evenings in the mountains, after sunset, became cold, and we found ourcamp fire comfortable. As we sat opposite it we missed our friend, Mr. Dunbar, whose cheeryvoice we would have all welcomed. Possibly I exaggerate my friend's powers, for it was theonly human melody we heard on our travels. We retired early to prepare us for the journey. The night was cold, and sleeping in our clothes and wrapped in our blankets we could notcomplain of the heat. As usual we were up early. At eight we were in a canoe floating down theRiver Columbia. The immediate banks are low and the river winds in its course with but littlecurrent. We could now see the rocky range which we have left behind us.

The terrace on which we stood at sunset lies alons: the foot of the hills and a second terrace isseen to follow the Kicking Horse River, I learn, some 1,200 feet high. The ground from thecanyon of the Kicking Horse River ascends to this terrace with a slope, as far as I can judge,scarcely one to one, an angle of less than 45°, and it was along the face of this upper shelvingacclivity that the narrow ledge of pathway was traced, which we followed for miles. I neverwish to take such another w^alk. I dared not look down. It seemed as if a false step wouldhave hurled us to the base, to certain death. There is many a joke of the strong head of theNorth Countryman. I shall ever listen to any wit of this character complacently, for I feel that itwas because of my experience in my younger days amid hills and dales that my nerve did notfail me as we went onward. I am not ashamed to say that I still look upon the tramp in theKicking Horse as a serious effort. I believe that there are many who could not have passed

through it in any form. The power to walk along heights is a constitutional endowment notextended to us all. For my part I have no desire to retrace my steps by the path I havefollowed in the descent of the Kicking Horse Valley.

Six miles below our starting point, today, we touched the shore to take note of the buildingserected by those engaged on the railway survey of twelve years back. They are five or six innumber, and look as if once they offered a comfortable resting place.

We continue our journey for three miles. We feel the contrast between this comfortableadvance compared to our efforts of last week. The glacier-fed river, the grand wide banks and

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the dim distant hills, with the snow-covered mountains far behind them, presented apanorama as striking as it is rarely seen. At noon we passed a tributary which has been called"Wait-a-bit," suggestive as the spot where travelling parties rest and adjust the loads in theircanoes before passing the three miles of descending rapids which lay before them.

In twenty minutes we have passed the rapids and reach the landing. We have crossed theoutlet of a clear stream from the east discharging its bright blue water far into the turbid floodof the Columbia. The landing is at the upper end of a canyon through which the river passes

between rocky bluffs at the foot of the mountains. At this point we have overtaken our packtrain. George and Dave speedily unload the canoe and we make preparations for a twelvemile march on foot or saddle. The sun has been hot the whole day. The air is smoky and thedistant mountains are not visible. The trail we follow passes up the hillside for some littledistance and then descends to a lower level, and for this locality is comparatiyely good. Itcontinues for six miles alongside the canyon, so called, but which, really, is no more than aseries of rapid descents through the contracted portion of the river. There is nothing toprevent them being safely run by canoes and boats, as many of the rapids of the SaintLawrence are so passed over. Indeed, I believe that a steamer could descend them, for thewater is less turbulent than the rapids overcome by the Beauharnois canal. Once down,however, ascent would be impossible. As far as I can learn, the Indians of this territory do notuse canoes to any extent.

Generally they depend on the Indian ponies, and mounted upon them they follow known trailsthrough the forest. We followed the flats of the river to our camping ground, some thirty milesnorth-westerly from the mouth of the Kicking Horse River, opposite the mouth of the BeaverRiver on the Selkirk side.

We had now to ascend the eastern slope of the Selkirk range. We are up by day-dreak.Although only the 4th of September, as usual in these mountain valleys, the morning was rawand cold.

A heavy dew had fallen during the night. Breakfast was over at six, but our horses weremissing.

There was little pasture for them in the neighbourhood and they had strayed in search of food.

George has been absent since day-break in search of them. He shortly returns with threehorses less thau our number. Those he has collected have to be taken across the river, andthe only way of reaching the opposite bank is to make them swim the stream. The width isabout 400 feet and the water is deep for three quarters of the distance. All animals swim,especially the horse, but to land on an opposite shore is not always easy.

Such was the case in this instance, and some of the poor creatures, failing to make a landing,by instinct returned to the side whence they started, the strong current sweeping them a longdistance down stream. The three lost horses are found. At

last man and beast are on the Selkirk side of the river.

We ourselves, and the impedimenta are taken across by an old leaky boat built by the Moberlysurveying party in 1871. By this time it is nine o'clock. It is no use crying over spilt milk; buttime is now precious, and every hour lost is a mishap. I did not look complacently on our delay;there was, however, the satisfaction that we had overcome the difficulty. We hope aftercrossing the mountains before us to meet the Columbia in its southern course in about a week.We follow the rough and recently cut trail by the Beaver River itself, a large stream, passingthrough an open canyon for four or five miles. It is quite unnavigable. There are few places

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where it can be forded along the whole route. We proceed through a flat well-timbered valleyover half a mile in width.

There is a dense growth of cedar, spruce and cotton wood, and such magnificent cedar ! Fourfeet and more in diameter. We have now an undergrowth which is the genuine flora of thePacific slope. Everywhere the prickly aralia or devil's club, and ferns and skunk cabbage, are tobe seen, all of the rankest growth, on the low ground. [Devil's Club = Fatsia horida or Panaxhorridus; Echinopanax horridus; Oplopanax horridus; Horsfieldia horrida. Skunk Cabbage =

Symplocarpus foetidus; Pothos foetidus; lettodes foetidus; Lysichiton Kamtschatceneis]. Thereis no pasture for horses. Having had little to eat last night the poor animals look miserable andwearily wind their way through the woods up and down the ascents, while the voices of thedrivers are constantly heard encouraging them.

As we advance we come upon a flock of gronse, five of which were secured by hand withoutmuch difficulty, the birds being so tame. The packmen know them as "fool hens." We fancythat they resemble the spruce partridge of the Atlantic Provinces. A short time after thecapture as we were trudging onwards a few miles beyond the spot, my friend. Dr. Grant, findsthat he has lost his watch. He supposes that it dropped from the guard as he was engaged inthe chase. We are three miles past the spot. Unfortunately it was a gold presentation watch,highly valued, and an effort must be made to find it. Along with Mr. Albert Rogers he

determines to return to make a search for it. It was not possible to halt; the pack-train movesforward and I accompany it.

The smoke in the air now becomes more dense, for we were reaching a region where firesappeared to be ahead of us, the ordeal of passing througk which we did not wish toexperience. The forest had evidently been burning some time, and the trees had fallen inmany directions, obstructing the path and causing considerable delay. With difficulty wecontinued our advance. The horses at one time clambered over fallen trees, still on fire, atanother waded through hot ashes or burning vegetable soil. We go on with some dread. If windarises the half-burned trees may be hurled across the horses and ourselves.

We continue on wearily hour after hour in the hope of finding a spot where the horses can

pasture, but none is to be seen.At last we reach an engineer's camp about six p.m., and Dr. Grant soon appears, in the best of spirits. He had found his watch, and if ever a patient search was justly rewarded it was in hiscase.

There is no pasture for a long way before us, and there is no alternative; we must remain forthe night, even if there be no feed for the horses. The surveying party is in charge of MajorCritchelow, a West Point man, with all the marks of culture which that iustitution extends. Hisassistants are equally agreeable. They give us a cordial welcome, and we have a supper of oatmeal porridge and condensed milk. I could eat only with effort when I thought that ourhorses were without their feed. But so it was, and nothing could be done. We have still five orsix miles to ascend before we reach the summit. We have travelled eighteen miles today, and

we are fatigued, and I do not think any of us were long wrapped in our blankets before wewere fast asleep.

Our poor horses could only nibble the leaves of the devil's club in the attempt to satisfyhunger.

There was nothing to be done but to proceed, and as soon as possible reach good pasture atthe summit. We were now no longer by Beaver River. We had followed it for fifteen miles, andhad ascended a branch named Bear Creek. We heard that a number of these creatures are tobe met in this locality. The surveying party had seen as many as fifty. We pass through a tall

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forest until we reach a rugged mountain defile leading up to the summit, which we are tocross. The mountain peaks rise high above us, and although it is far advanced in the forenoonthe sun has not yet appeared to us in the defile, for it has not yet ascended to the loftyhorizon.

We crossed many old avalanche slides. On the southern side of the mountains, as we wind ourway, great scaurs, banked with snow, are seen two hundred or three hundred feet above thebottom of the narrow valley through which Bear Creek flows. To the north we observe a

glacier, possibly fifty yards thick at its overhanging termination. It takes its origin at someremote lofty source far beyond the reach of our view. Below the glacier on the mountain sidethere are traces of a heavy avalanche, where trees have been broken and crushed in alldirections. Judging from the age of the timber the movement must have taken place aconsiderable time back, and was probably caused by the breaking off of a huge mass of theglacier. What could have been more majestic than the fall of one of those great glaciers, in itsdescent driving everything before it as stubble in the field.

Five miles from our last night's camp we leave Bear Creek and follow a small stream to thesouth.

Half a mile further brings us to the summit. At last there is pasture for the poor horses, so they

are unloaded and unsaddled and turned out to their food. Our dinner, too, is prepared,although it is not yet noon. The horses require rest and we ourselves are now in no hurry toproceed. There is a grassy knoll in our neighbourhood which might have been placed in themost sylvan of scenes, and we recline at our full ease to enjoy the scene around us. Nothingwould have been gained by leaving before the horses had satisfied themselves. I recollectedthat I had a package of cigars, a gift from our genial Ottawa friend, Mr. N . They had crossedand re-crossed the Atlantic with me during the present summer, and it was little thought whenthey came into my possession that their aroma would mingle with the atmosphere of a summitin the Selkirk range.

They are produced. We have no wine, so we can only congratulate Major Rogers over thecigars on the discovery of a pass so far practicable and on certain conditions appearing to

furnish a solution of the problem of crossing over the Selkirk range instead of making a detour,following the Columbia by the Boat Encampment. We are now 4,600 feet above the sea,surrounded by mountains of all forms, pyramidal, conical and serrated. They are marked inbold relief on the lofty sky line. Between them the everlasting glaciers present the mostremarkable variety of appearance. Westward there is an open valley with great peaks whichstands out in the dim distance. It is by looking north in the direction whence we came that wehave the grandest view. The valley is to all appearance completely enclosed by what seemedto be impenetrable mountains. The defile which we entered is not visible, although theentrance is dimly seen clothed in shadow through the smoky air. Towering high near the crestthere is a series of glaciers extending for half a mile or more from north to south.

As we quietly rested, enjoying our cigars in the midst of the remarkable scenery which

surrounded us on every side, Major Rogers described to us various details connected with thediscovery of the pass, and we felt that his description was as creditable to him as thediscovery itself. He stated that he was indebted to the report of Mr. Walter Moberly for asuggestion which led to the examination. As far as I have any knowledge, Mr. Moberly is thefirst white man who ascended the Ille-celle-waet, the stream which we have now to follow onour journey. It was eighteen years ago. He was engaged in an exploration for the Governmentof British Columbia. In the year 1865, Mr. Moberly had discovered the Eagle pass, through theGold Range. He then ascended the Ille-celle-waet, a distance which he estimated at fortymiles, to the Forks, where it divided into two streams, one of which, the most northern, hetraced some thirty miles farther. This branch terminated in a cul-de-sac among snowy

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mountains. The other branch he was unable to follow, as the season was advanced, 23rdSeptember, and his Indian guide declined to accompany him. In his report, Mr. Moberly spokehopefully of a route by that branch and recommended that it "should be examined before aroad is finally determined on."

[The latter valley was evidently the one that, judging from its general bearing, would be mostlikely to afford a pass in the direction wished for. I therefore tried to induce the Indians I hadwith me by every possible persuasion to accompany me all the way across the Selkirk Range,

and make for Wild Horse Creek. The Columbia River Indians would, from the first, only engageto go as far as the head waters of the Ille-celle-waet. All my efforts were, however, unavailing,as they affirmed that if we went on we should be caught in the snow and never get out of themountains. - Mr. Moberly to Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works, 18th Dec, 1855].

It was upon this hint that Major Rogers acted. Three years back he traced the Ille-celle-waet tothe Forks, and then followed the eastern branch. This branch also proceeded from twostreams, the most southerly of which he followed. With his nephew he climbed a mountain onits northern bank, and from the summit he looked down on the meadow on which we werethen resting. Major Rogers, pointing up to the height directly in front of us, said : "There Al.and I stood ; we could trace through the mountains a valley, and the conclusion wasestablished in my mind that it led to the unexplored branch of the Ille-celle-waet. We also

traced a depression to the east, which we considered might lead to the upper waters of theColumbia. And so it proved." Major Rogers could go no further at that date. He was short of provisions, and he returned as he came. But next year he ascended the stream by which wehave travelled for the last two days and reached this grassy plot. On this occasion also hisnephew accompanied him, and recognized the meadow, the height on which they formerlystood and the peculiar features of the scenery which they beheld.All that remained was to follow the flow of water westerly. They did so as far as the forks of theIlle-celle-waet. They returned by another route in the hope of finding a better pass, but thiseffort proved unsuccessful.

A party had been detailed to cut out a trail westward, which we are now to follow as far as it ismade passable. Beyond that point our party will be the first to pass across the Selkirk Range

from its eastern base on the upper Columbia to the second crossing of that river.

The horses are still feeding and we have some time at our command. As we view thelandscape we feel as if some memorial should be preserved of our visit here, and we organizea Canadian Alpine Club. The writer, as a grandfather, is appointed interim president. Dr. Grant,secretary, and my son, S. Hall Fleming, treasurer. A meeting was held and we turn to one of the springs rippling down to the Ille-celle-waet and drink success to the organization.Unanimously we carry resolutions of acknowledgment to Major Rogers, the discoverer of thepass, and to his nephew for assisting him. The summit on which we stand is a dry meadowabout a mile in extent, with excellent grass. On the approaches we found raspberries,blackberries, blueberries, pigeonberries and gooseberries. They were a treat to us with ourhard fare. Fruit, gathered from the bush is always more pleasant to the taste, and fancy eating

these delicious fruits in the heart of the Selkirk Range, nearly a vertical mile above the ocean !We are in the best of health, and have the digestion of ostriches. The air is bracing, the day isfine. We have regained our freshness and elasticity, and to show that we are all still yonng andunaffected by our journey we deem it proper to go through a game of leap-frog, about the onlyamusement at our command, an act of Olympic worship to the deities in the heart of theSelkirks ! Our packers look upon our performance gravely, without a smile. It struck us that thethought passed through their minds that it would be as well for us to reserve our strength forthe morrow, and that in view of the path before us our elation was somewhat premature. If such were their thoughts they were certainly justified by the following week's experience.

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CHAPTER XVI. DOWN THE ILLE-CELLE-WAET The Descent of the Selkirk Range - Glaciers - The Last of our Horses - Devil's'Clubs - The Ille-celle-waet - A Rough Journey - A Mountain Storm - Slow Progress - A Roaring Torrent - SkunkCabbage - Marsh - A Long Ten Miles' Journey.

Our horses having grazed on the rich pasture are evidently satisfied, some are actually rollingon the grass. So the hour has come to leave the pleasant meadow in the Rogers Pass and

pursue our journey. The animals are loaded "with their packs, but they are not too eager tomake another start. We hear "Steamboat," "Calgary" and the other names shouted in tones of anything but gentle remonstrance, and occasionally stronger means of persuasion areemployed. At last we arc fairly under way. Our descent is rapid. We soon come in sight of aconical peak rising about fifteen hundred feet, as near as I can judge, above the surroundinglofty mountains. It stood out majes- tically among its fellows. We thought that it was a fit spotfor the virgin attempt of the Alpine Olub. We name it Syndicate Peak. Major Rogers declared itwould be the summit of liis ambition to plant on its highest point the Union Jack on the daythat the first through train passed along the gorge we Avere now travelling. To the west thereis a remarkable glacier whence issues one of the sources of the Ille-celle-waet. We descendslowly enough but with increased rapidity of actual descent, crossing a series of avalancheslides with a growth of tall alder bushes, the roots beino; interlaced in all directions. A line had

been cut through by the surveying party, or our progress would have been exceedinglydifficult.

The narrow gorge occasionally widens out. The fiat in the valley of the Ille-celle-waet in someparts may be a quarter of a mile in width, but it is exceedingly irregular in that respect.

We soon find ourselves five hundred feet below the summit. The adjoining mountains aresteep, and tracks of avalanches are frequent. From some little distance to a point where thelast pasture for the horses can be had the trail is moderately good. Later in the afternoon wecame upon an encampment of two Shuswap Indians, who had left Critchelow's camp in themorning before we started. They had pack-animals with them, and had selected the spot onaccount of some grass growing on the line of a snow-slide. They informed us that this was the

last pasture to be found on the trail, so we resolved to camp at the same place.

Our course had been westerly through a valley flanked on both sides by high mountains of allforms with interlying glaciers. We have difficulty in finding a place to pitch our tent, but finallywe secure a nook with area enough on the low gravelly bank of a brook of crystal eighteeninches wide, but so small is the space available that the camp fire must be placed on theopposite side of the rivulet; the murmur of its waters at my feet was the sound by which I fallasleep.

In our encampment we had eleven men and sixteen horses, and a strange compound of nationalities we presented. We are from Massachusetts, Minnesota, Virginia, Nova Scotia,Ontario, Scotland, England, Norway and Austria, and two are Shuswap Indians of British

Columbia.

The nights are now cold, and before morning we are chilled, although we wrap ourselves in ourblankets without being undressed. It could hardly be otherwise in the neighbourhood of somany glaciers. The hot sun penetrates into the valley, but after sunset the cold air of theupper strata by degrees usurps its place. Breakfast and exercise make us once moreourselves, and we again start, winding along the rough and rocky edge of a rapidly descendingstream on a narrow trail traced out by the surveying parties a few days previously. Wecontinue through the valley walled in by mountains, the height of which must be counted bythousands of feet. After a progress of fourteen miles we come upon two large masses of frozen

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snow, one on each side of the river and fifty feet back from it. We learn that three years ago,when first seen, they were much larger and higher, forming a great natural bridge across thestream. The water, which is here of considerable volume and impetuosity, passed through theopening which it had forced in the centre. It is the remains of an avalanche from one of theglaciers, at what date no one can tell, and as I have said, it was first seen three years ago. Thebridge has disappeared and only the abutments of hard frozen snow or ice are left, and theyare gradually melt- ing away. It is to be inferred that it was of no late occurrence, and that themass must have been precipitated from a neighbouring glacier, evidently not an uncommon

occurrence in this district. Mr. Moberly mentions in his journal, 26th September, 1865, havingseen further up the Ille-celle-waet a snow bridge on which his party crossed the stream whichflowed two hundred and fifty feet beneath without being seen.

We trudge slowly along the newly cut trail high up among the rocks, to descend again to theflats with its alders and devil's clubs until at last, we reach a surveyors' camp, twenty-fourmiles from the summit. Such is the measured distance but we would have estimated it asmuch longer by the tax upon our strength.

Our horses have now to leave us, it being impossible for them to proceed further. I feel quitesad in separating from them. In an expedition such as we are on, horses and men becomeidentified, for they have the common object of moving onwards on the trail before them. A

spirit of comradeship springs up but little known in the world of paved streets and hack-cabs.Day after day, as you see the familiar creatures obediently serving you and partaking of yourfatigue, and, as in this instance, undergoing privation by your side you regard them as friends. You have always a cheery word of kindness for them, and how a horse knows a man's voiceand makes an increased effort at obedience in response to it ! These poor creatures had actedadmirably for us. On one occasion for a spell of nearly sixty hours they had been almostwithout food. Yet how patiently they kept to their labours. All of us, I may say, greeted thepasture at the summit with as much delight as if our own food depended on it. But we havenow to separate. They return on their way and we go onwards. I had a kind thought for thepoor brutes and said to them some parting words, and I hope to-day they have a perfectparadise of pasture wherever they may be.

On reaching the surveyors' camp alluded to I find a fellow laborer of former days, one of theIntercolonial staff, and I was delighted to see him, Mr. McMillan. He commenced the activeduties of his profession with me some seventeen or eighteen years back. Engineers havealways a pleasure in meeting those who have been on the same work, and when there hasbeen no unpleasantness, which, I am glad to say, does not often happen, the link having soworked together is very strong. Nothing but the best of feeling existed between Mr. McMillanand myself, so we were equally pleased at the meeting.We spent the evening in discussing the best means of proceeding, for we required additionalmen to take our provisions, at least to the south flow of the Columbia.

The camping ground was not good. Between the tall cedars there was a dense growth of devil's club through which we had to pass going from tent to tent, and to avoid it we were

driven to carry torches to light our way. Before the evening was over we had finally madearrangements for our further journey, and it was ten before we retired.

Last night it rained hard, with thunder and lightning. This morning everything is wet and thetrees are dripping in all directions; not a pleasant prospect for those who have to travel underthem. There is, however, no halting in a journey such as ours. Our horses have left us. Theywere driven back to find pasture last night. The men must now carry on their shoulders whatwe require, through an untrodden forest without path or trail of any kind. Clothing, tents, foodand a few cookiug utensils constitute what we have to bring with us. Fortunately we canalways find water. It is a matter of some calculation and care putting these articles into proper

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packs, but the task is finally accomplished. We say good-bye to Major Rogers and Mr. McMillanand we start at half-past nine. In saying good-bye to them we were bidding farewell to allcivilization which had forced itself into the mountains. Hitherto we had enjoyed whatappliances of the great world were available. Our advance had been made as easy as it waspossible to make it. We were now turning our back on civilized life and its auxiliaries, again tomeet them, we trusted, at Kamloops. Our world was for a time in our little band. We knewnothing of the country before us and we had no assistance to look for from the world behindus.

We were following a tributary of the Columbia to the waters of that river, and this was the oneguide for our direction. One by one we march off in Indian file to the forest, and I bring up therear. Independently of myself, the party consists of Dr. G-rant, my son Sandford, Mr. AlbertRogers and five men from Mr. McMillan's party, transferred to our service to carry ournecessary stores as far as the Columbia. We had also Dave, our cook. I must here say thatDave, in his way, was a man of genius; with that magnificent equanimity that is seldomunaccompanied by great powers.

Dave was a plain, honest Englishman, who had spent part of his life as a sailor, and hadroughed it in many parts of the world. He never shirked his duty, was of herculean frame andalways shouldered the heaviest pack. With a certain roughness of manner he was, with us, one

of the round formed pins set in the roundest of holes. I often think of him, and I am sure thathe will be equally useful wherever he is.

The walking is dreadful, we climb over and creep under fallen trees of great size and the mensoon show that they feel the weight of their burdens. Their halts for rest are frequent. It is hotwork for us all. The dripping rain from the bush and branches saturate us from above. Tallferns sometimes reaching to the shoulder and devil's clubs through which we had to crush ourway make us feel as if dragged through a horse-pond and our perspiration is that of a Turkishbath. We meet with obstacles of every description. The devil's clubs may be numbered bymillions and they are perpetually wounding us with their spikes against which we strike. Wehalt very frequently for rest. Our advance is varied by ascending rocky slopes and slipperymasses, and again descending to a lower level. We wade through alder swamps and tread

down skunk cabbage and the prickly aralias, and so we continue until half-past four, when thetired-out men are unable to go further.

A halt becomes necessary. We camp for the night on a high bank overlooking the Ille-celle-waet.

Three of us have dry underclothing, in water- proof bags, but the poor men have no suchhixury, so they make large fires by which to dry themselves. Dave, our cook, fries the pork andmakes us tea in the usual way on such expeditions. We have all excellent appetites and nofear of a bad digestion ; and all quite ready to sleep, literally and truly in spite of thunder,without criticizing the couch on which we lie.

The Ille-celle-waet, on whose banks we have camped, has increased from a tiny brook to araging torrent, some fifty yardswide. The colour of the water is much as that at London Bridge; a result possibly due to thedisintegration of the rock over which the stream rushes and to the grinding action of theboulders rolling down the stream.

A sediment is thus formed which is visibly precipitated in any vessel where the water remainsquiet.

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Last night we discussed the suggestion of constructing a raft and with the current float downto the Columbia. As we look upon the water foaming past us and the numerous rocks andobstacles in the stream, we are satisfied that no raft could live long in such a torrent. Thevalley is narrow and is skirted by lofty mountains, wooded up their sides and of considerableelevation; but owing to the height of the trees we cannot see their summit.

Occasionally during the day we have beheld snow peaks peering above the lower levels. Insome parts of the valley a stray sunbeam never penetrates to the lower ground. The

vegetation in consequence is peculiar, and mosses of rare variety are found. The ferns, wherethe soil is rich, are as high as a man's head. The aralia and skunk cabbage are as rank aspossible. Here and there on rocky points, above the deeper portions of the valley, we findmany berry-bearing shrubs. They enjoy but little sunshine. The fruit in consequence is acid butpalatable. Darkness at an early hour enshrouds the base of the peaks, so the cook has to baketo-morrow's bread by the light of the fire. Suddenly thunder is heard and the red glare of lightning illuminates all around us. For some time we are threatened with rain and at length itfalls in torrents. The thunder and lightning are now seen and heard through the valley, and ourone danger is that a heavy wind may spring up, and, as often happens, root up many of theforest trees around us; but our trust is in Providence as we wrap ourselves in our blankets tosleep.

By the morning the thunder had ceased and the tall trees around us stood erect; the air isthick with mist. The mossy ground with every bush is wet with rain. Breakfast comes, with oneand the same menu for all meals, and for us all, fried pork and bread made in a frying pan,now and then some dried apples boiled, and tea without milk, strong enough for anyone, andnothing could have been more relished. We mount our packs for we all carry something, andstart onwards for another hard day's march. Our yesterday's advance on a direct line weestimate at four miles.

This day's experience was a repetition of that of yesterday, and our great business at thehalting places is for each of us to extract the prickles from our hands and knees.

The scene of our midday meal of cold pork and bread was the junction of two clear streams

from the mountains, the more bright and crystal like from contrast with the chocolate lookingwater of the Ille-celle-waet. We resolve to encamp somewhat earlier, so that the men maydry their clothes by day-light. It was fair weather when we halted by a picturesque brook, tiredand weary enough.

The spot we selected was at a turn of the Ille-celle-waet where the boiling, roaring torrentsweeps past with formidable fury. Coming from the south a brook falls by gentle slopes intothe larger stream forming a cascade near its mouth, where we obtain a shower-bath of nature's creation. On the river side there is a forest scene of dark cedars, while here and therelie immense prostrate trunks, some of them eight or ten feet in diameter, covered with moss.Beyond the river the mountains frown down upon us as defiantly as ever. The usual routine of camp settling is gone through and after supper has been eaten the last pipe is smoked and the

last lingerer leaves the camp fire for his blankets.

It is Sunday, so we venture to sleep a few five minutes longer, and as we hear the roar of therapids which seem to shake the very ground, we wonder how we could have slept through it. Itrained all night, none of the men had tents and they nestled by the trees and obtained whatprotection they could. Our waterproofs were divided among them as far as they would go andsuch as did not possess them were more or less drenched.

Looking skywards through the openings in the thick overhanging branches there seems aprospect of the clouds rising. Sunday though it be, with our supplies limited, we are like a ship

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in mid-ocean : we must continue our journey without taking the usual weekly rest, which wouldhave been welcomed by us all. Dr. Grrant called us together, and after the simple form of worship which the Church of Scotland enjoins under such circumstances, we start onwards. The walking is wretchedly bad. We make little headway, and every tree, every leaf, is wet andcasts off the rain.

In a short time we are as drenched as the foliage.

We have many fallen trees to climb over, and it is no slight matter to struggle over trees tenfeet and upwards in diameter.

We have rocks to ascend and descend ; we have a marsh to cross in which we sink often to themiddle. For half a mile we have waded, I will not say picked, our way to the opposite side,through a channel filled with stagnant water, having an odour long to be remembered.

Skunk cabbage is here indigenous and is found in acres of stinking perfection. We clamber tothe higher ground, hoping to find an easier advance, and we come upon the trail of a cariboo,but it leads to the mountains. We try another course, only to become entangled in a windfall of prostrate trees. The rain continues falling incessantly : the men, with heavy loads on theirheads, made heavier by the water which has soaked into them, become completely

disheartened, and at half-past two o'clock we decide to camp. Our travelling to-day extendedonly over three hours, we have not advanced above a mile and a half of actual distance andwe all suffer greatly from fatigue. I question if our three days' march has carried us furtherthan ten miles.

We build huge bonfires and dry our clothes and are just beginning to feel comfortable, underthe circumstances, when we discover that an old hollow cedar of some height, near us, hascaught fire and leans towards our camp threatening to fall across it. I have heard unpleasantstories about camps in such situations, so we move to another place. In the morning this verytree lay on the ground directly along the site where we were first encamped. In the meantimethe rain falls more and more heavily. Our blankets, kept in their water-proof bags, are the onlyparts of our baggage which are dry. Under the circumstances it was a blessing we possessed

this luxury.

CHAPTER XVII. DOWN THE ILLE-CELLE-WAET. (Continued).

A Difficult March - Cariboo Path - Organization of Advance - Passing Through the Canyon - Timber Jam - A Gun-shot heard - The Columbia again - Indians - Disappointment - The Questionof Supplies becomes Urgent - No Belief Party-Found - Suspense

It rained when we awoke at five on the Monday. Dave, our cook, had had one of those nightsof misery which many have now and then to under-go, but his excellencies are moreappreciable as difficulties increase. Soaking wet to the skin he performs the duty of preparing

breakfast as cheerfully as if he were in the Royal Kitchen, and in such a situation goodhumour is the first of virtues. Some time is exacted in drying, even partially, our wet blanketsand clothing, so as to lighten the loads, already heavy enough; we cannot, therefore, start asearly as we wish.

In the first hours of our journey we make fair progress. We are now far up the mountain side,and here and there we come upon the path of the bear and the cariboo. Generally these trailsdo not run in the direction we wish to take, but if they incline in the least towards the West wegladly turn to them. They are gone over with so much more ease than the tangled forest, thathowever much they prolong the distance it is a saying to follow their windings. The cariboo

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paths, however, too frequently lead to recesses in the mountains or to alder swamps near theriver. An attempt to systematize our travelling was made to-day. Hitherto our rests had beenirregular.

Our halts were long and we were drenched with perspiration; we got chilled, so we laid downthe rule to walk for twenty minutes and rest for five.

Dr. Grant is appointed the quartermaster-general for the occasion, with absolute authority to

time our halts and our marches by the sound of a whistle, and when he sees fit to call specialhalts after extraordinary efforts. Our period of progress for twenty minutes often seems verylong, and we wearily struggle through the broken ground and clamber over obstacles, eagerlylistening for the joyful sound to halt proclaimed by the whistle.

It was a system of forced marches and answered admirably, for we made more progress in thisway than on any previous occasion. We have another experience of an alder swamp, possiblynot quite so formidable as that of yesterday, for we did not sink deeper than the knee. But wehad another phase of experience. We reached the lower canyon of the Ille-celle-waet andclimbed from rock to rock, grasping roots and branches, scrambling up almost perpendicularascents, swinging ourselves occasionally like experienced acrobats and feeling like the clownin the pantomime as he tells the children, "here I am again." At some places the loads had to

be unpacked and the men had to draw each other up, by clinched hands, from one ledge toanother. Then we had another chapter of the Kicking Horse Yalley experience : passingcautiously along a steep slope, where a false step was certain disaster; creeping under acascade, oyer a point of precipitous rock and surmounting obstacles, which, unless we had togo forward or to starve, would have been held to be insurmountable. But we persevere andovercome them, and reach our camping ground for the night, all of us showing traces of ourday's work. We select for our camp a small plateau of about half an acre, overlooking the river,which passes in a foaming torrent through a deep canyon with perpendicular rocky sides,which twists in gigantic irregularities.

Such places are only seen in these mountains.

The packmen give them the name of "box canyons." A dead tree furnishes us with fuel, and weobtain water by letting a man down with a sling half way to the river's edge to a spot wherethere is an excellent spring. The water of the river was objectionable, being impregnated withdark sand held in solution.

As we were preparing to rest for the night a bright glare of lightning and a sharp peal of thunder warn tis to protect our clothes as best we can against rain. We saw but one flash andheard its accompanying loud crash, to remind us that each night of our descent by the Ille-celle-waet we have been saluted after dark by heaven's artillery.

Our relief is great in the morning to find that it does not rain, that the sky is clear and thatthere is promise of a fine day. We have all slept well and are refreshed and hope to make the

Columbia early in the day. We start off cheerfully, but we are not out of the canyon. We againclimb through the rocky defile, and about half a mile from our starting point we reach a jam of trunks of trees, not far from its lower end. Tree after tree has been piled here by the currentfor many a year. Who can tell the period ? For the space of some hundreds of yards up anddown the stream a mass has been heaped up thirty or forty feet above the level of the water. There is an accumulation of material at this spot which would be a fortune to its possessor if he had it in London or any European city. We cautiously clamber from log to log over this jamand reach the opposite side of the canyon. We proceed onward soon to find the groundcumbered by many fallen trees, with masses of rocks and the invariable ferns and devil's clubs

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in all their luxuriance. We continue our march, making our halts by rule, and on the wholemake decent progress.We halt at mid-day sufficiently long to eat our bread and cold bacon, and we thought we onghtto be within hearing of a gunshot from the Columbia. We expect the party from Kamloops withsupplies to meet us there. It is the eleventh of the month. I had named the 8th of Septemberas the date at the latest when we should reach the place appointed. Accordingly I direct myson rapidly to fire two rifle shots. We listen attentively and in a short time we hear thewelcome report of a gunshot. We answer with three shots in quick succession, and again we

hear a gun-shot.

We count almost with breathless excitement. It is repeated and again repeated, it is the threeshots ! Thank God ! We have established our connection. Our friends are in front of us with theprovisions on which we rely. All anxiety for the future is past, and the promised waters of theColumbia cannot be far from us.

By the nature of the ground over which we have to pass some time is exacted for us to overcome the obstacles before us, but not a moment is lost. We are all alive with excitement, andmove forward as rapidly as it is possible to do. At our first rest we fire another shot, and wehear two shots more distinctly than on the first occasion.

We are much elated to feel that our combinations have been so successful, and that we wereon the eve of having to welcome new faces from the outer world, and possibly receive lettersfrom home. We strike a bee line in the direction of the sound and strive to follow it. Soon weare out of the green woods and are in sight of the Colnmbia. We observe the smoke of a campa mile from us on the opposite shore. Impulsively we give a series of hurrahs, for it seems tons we can see onr friends front Kamloops. Two canoes cross the river. We are standing uponthe high sandy bank in full view of the Eagle pass, directly opposite to us. We soon observethat our expectations have deceived us.

The canoes contain Indians only. We meet them at the water's edge. They can speak noEnglish, but with the help of a little "Chinook," we learn, to our great disappointment, that noone has arrived from Kamloops ! It was the Indians who had replied to our shots. They were

Fort Colville Indians, and had come by the Columbia some time ago as a small hunting party,and they had been on this spot for at least four weeks. However, we decided to cross the riverin their canoes and send back the men to Mr. McMillan, as we had promised him.

We divided our little store of provisions with the fine fellows who had carried our impedimentadown the Ille-celle-waet, so that they would have enough to take them back to McMillan'scamp. I added a letter of approval to their chief. No men ever more deserved thanks than theydid. Our lives had been passed side by side for many an hour, so I could judge and estimatetheir goodwill and the cheerfulness with which they performed their duties. I never knew menwith better pluck or endurance. I could easily see that my friend, McMillan, had speciallypicked them out for the arduous service they had to perform. They were all made of the truestand best of stuff, and let me here make my acknowledgments to them for their admirable

conduct. We had Campbell, Currie and McDougall, from Ontario; McMillan, from NewBrunswick, and Scoly, an Englishman, from Lancashire. These men had been put to the test,and showed of what material their manhood was made. They could not have behaved better,and they carry with them my best wishes for their future welfare.

Our canoes shot out from the shore and those we leave behind give us three hearty cheers,which we as cordially acknowledge. The Columbia at the junction of the Ille-celle-waet, is anoble stream, broad and deep. We landed at the gravelly bank of the Indian encampment,where we found three Indian families, with four canoes. We pitched our tent four hundred

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yards down stream, where the current was much stronger. The width here is about twelvehundred feet, and thewhole river brought to my mind the South-west Miramichi, where the Intercolonial Railwaycrosses it.

It was early in the afternoon and the stream furnished us the luxury of a good bath. We madea fire on the beach and had dinner, after which we seriously considered our situation. We werefatigued beyond measure and every joint ached.

The skin of all of us in a few places was somewhat lacerated, our hands were festering fromthe pricks of the devil's club, and we had not yet come to the end of our work. I was well awarethat we would yet have difficulties to meet in reaching Kamloops. Our supply of food wasnearly exhausted, and what was left we had to carry ourselves. I certainly felt grievouslydisappointed that the men from Kamloops were not present.

We were three days later than the appointed day of meeting. We ought to have found theparty on the spot to receive us, and their absence had a most depressing effect on us. Neithermen nor provisions were on the ground. I distinctly remembered the arrangements made atWinnipeg.

I read over and over copies of the directions left behind, also the telegrams sent from Calgary,and I knew that if any onecould carry out the arrangement it was the agents of the Hudson's Bay Company. I had beencareful in impressing upon the Chief Commissioner that we depended on him solely andabsolutely for our supplies of food at this point. We were on the spot where they should havebeen delivered, and the time had passed when the relief party should be on the ground. Wethought of all sorts of mishaps that might have befallen them. We knew there was no trailthrough the Eagle Pass; indeed I myself had telegraphed that fact from Calgary. Major Rogersand his nephew had traversed it three years ago, and we were aware that the ground to bepassed over was of the most trying description : that there were several lakes to be crossed. The thought came upon us that the supply party might have met with an accident in crossingone of these lakes, or they might have been overtaken by forest fires, or some other

misadventure might have happened which we knew nothing of.

There was one alternative open to us. Fortunately the band of Indians were on the spot, and if the worst came to the worst we might induce them to paddle us down the Columbia to FortColville, in the United States, and thence find our way through Washington Territory andOregon to our destination. But we had started to go through the mountains to reach Kamloopson a direct line, and the idea of abandoning the attempt and making a flank movement wasthe last we could entertain.

Our decision as to the course we are to take cannot be long delayed, as our slender stock of provisions will last but a few days. In this painful embarrassment, and it was painful, we askedourselves the question : Would it be prudent to go on risking the chance of meeting the party

from Kamloops, or do the circumstances compel us to give up the idea of crossing the GoldEange and force us to enlist the services of the Indians to take us down the Columbia, sometwo hundred miles to their own village, from which point we can find our way to Portland inOregon in twelve days, and then by Puget's Sound reach our destination in British Columbia ? This mode of procedure was most repugnant to us; but however desirous we were to cross theGold Range of mountains, we had seriously to consider the situation. I may seem toexaggerate the doubt and misgiving which thus crossed my mind. But the facts of the casemust be borne in mind that our dependence rested entirely upon receiving the supplies fromKamloops; this source failing, none was open to us. Had our stock of provisions beenexhausted and no Indians been present on the Columbia, I do not see that our fate would have

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been different to that of many an explorer : starvation. There was only one deduction to bedrawn from the absence of the Kamloops party : that there had been misapprehension ormisfortune, and that we could not look for assistance where we stood.

The responsibility of determining the course to be taken under such circumstances was seriousand depressing. It was evident that we had to act independently of others, and viewing thestate of our provisions we had at once to do so. Our united feeling was strong that we shouldnot abandon the Eagle Pass. We all recognized that after a night's rest immediate action was

imperative, that we ought in no way to delay but to proceed onward, leaving behind us tent,blankets, baggage and everything not absolutely required, carrying only the remnant of foodwe still had, with a small frying pan, and so work our way westward as best we could. With thisfeeling uppermost in our minds we try to consider the prospect before us with equanimity.

We had at least accomplished an important part of the journey, and our advance had so farbeen without mishap. We had crossed through the Rocky Mountain Range and the SelkirkRange, and had arrived at the second crossing of the Columbia by the time estimated. We areno longer in the wet and clammy recesses which we passed through along the course of theturbulent river recently followed. We are on the banks of a noble stream in the wide openvalley of the Columbia. The landscape which met our view was of great beauty. It wasmellowed with autumnal tints and confined within countless lofty peaks. To the east lay the

valley of the Ille-celle-waet, surrounded by towering heights gradually fading in the distance,while in front of us the Columbia swept along through its various windings, made moreglittering by the contrast of the dark masses of foliage on the low ground.

Evening came on to throw a more sombre tint of colour over the scene. All that was to beheard was the peculiar sound of the rapidly flowing stream and the distant roar of the Falls of the Ille-celle-waet.

CHAPTER XVIII. THROUGH THE EAGLE PASS.

The Kamloops Men at Last - No Supplies - On Short Allowance - An Indian Guide - Bog- wading - The Summit of the Pass - Bluff Lake - Victoria Bluff - Three Valley Lake - Eagle River - Shooting

Salmon - The Cached Provisions - Pack-horses again - Road Making - The South Thompson -Indian Ranches.

Our anxiety passed away when five men appeared coming from the woods on the flats of theColumbia, a short distance from orir camp. We saw them approach with more than usualsatisfaction, for we felt certain that they were the men we were looking for, and we hastenedto meet them as they came towards us.

McLean was in charge, with four Shuswap Indians, and without delay he gave me letters fromthe Hudson's Bay Company's agent. And among them was a sheet of foolscap setting forth alist of the provisions sent us, which, in the condition of our own stores was peculiarlyacceptable. On inquiry we learn that the sheet of paper alone represented the provisions, for it

was all that the party had brought with them. The stores entrusted to them to bring to theColumbia had been cached at a point five days distant from us, and they had brought withthem barely enough food to supply their own wants. It was neither welcome nor looked forintelligence with our slender stock of pork and flour. We had already put ourselves on shortallowance, and in view of our resources we had not a moment to lose in making a start.

The non-appearance of the Kamloops party at an earlier day was accounted for by the well-meant but ill-advised attempt to bring horses with them to the Columbia, and by theexceedingly rough character of the ground through the Eagle pass itself, even for foot travel.Many parts of the valley were blocked up by fallen trees of gigantic size; and the obstructions,

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owing to masses of rock, the lakes, swamps and a general ruggedness, had proved to beformidable. No attempt had been made to bring on any of the provisions beyond the pointwhich the horses could not pass. At that spot the whole was cached, and one of the Indianshad been detailed to remain behind in charge of the animals. The main object of their missionhad, therefore, not been fulfilled : that of being at the Columbia on the 8th of September withprovisions. They had neither observed the date of meeting, nor had they brought with themthe food which we looked for at their hands.

Fidelity to an engagement of this character is indispensable in the wilderness. It ought to befelt that failure might lead to privation and suffering. Had any one of ns or our party slipped onthe rocks or trees, had forest fires impeded onr progress, had we lost our way, or had we,through any other unforeseen cause, been delayed, our stock of supplies would have beenexhausted when we reached the Columbia. Fortunately we had met with no misadventure. Wehad been exceedingly careful with our provisions, and hence we had a small reserve of porkand flour, which, with careful management, could be made to serve for a couple of dayslonger. There was nothing left for us but to make an effort to extricate ourselves from the falseposition in which we found ourselves.

We discovered that the Fort Colville Indians encamped near us were well acquainted with thecountry for some distance back of the Columbia.

It had been their hunting ground; accordingly we engaged one of their party, old Baptiste, as aguide, to take us on our way by the least difficult route, to the extent of his knowledge of thecountry.

After the usual delay incident to a start with a new set of men we march off in Indian file,headed by old Baptiste. None of us had been impressed either by the knowledge of thecountry which the Kamloops party possessed or by their skill in combinations. The Indian knewthe route well as far as Three Yalley Lake, and we felt safer under his pilotage, and assignedhim the advanced post of our party.

We imagined that we were making the best of starts. We all started forward in Indian file with

that springy gait which marks men having confidence in themselves. The guide, however, ledns to his own camp. He did so without explanations or remark. He entered his wigwam and weremained outside. The proceeding was inexplicable until we learned that he had to repair hismoccasins before he could start. We halted three quarters of an hour, while the squawdeliberately plied her awl and leather thong, the Indian in the meanwhile sitting motionless,smoking his pipe and looking into the embers of the fire. We could only imitate his patienceand await the result. At length in the same silent way he re-appeared, and started withoutcomment on the trail. We submissively followed. The thought crossed my mind that in thiscase knowledge was power.

Our guide took us by a circuitous route round the shore of the "big eddy," avoiding a mile of exceedingly painful walking, which the Kamloops men had passed over last night.

We find our way over ground almost clear of trees. Some years back the country had beenravaged by one of the great forest fires, often extending over immense distances. The treeshad not again grown, and we rapidly reach the green wood in the pass, where we take ourmid-day meal.

We start again, skirting a large marsh. It seemed to us at first to be a beaver meadow. It wasfull of water holes, skunkcabbage and deep black muck. McLean and his men had waded through this bog up to theirmiddle for the greater part of the way. It was the one part of their return they most dreaded to

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encounter. Do any of my readers know what it is to wade through a marsh of deep oozy mud,covered with stinking water ? It is not an experience they may long for.

The path we pass along is the one taken by the Indians for carrying cariboo and game over themountains. The various wild berries we saw on the route were unusually large. They moreresembled small grapes in size than the ordinary berry, and were pleasant to the taste. Therewas an abundance of black huckleberries and blackberries.

Is not this presence of a luxurious growth of wild growing fruit an indication that garden fruitsmight find their home in these sheltered valleys ? We are fast ascending towards the summit. The valley leading to the Eagle pass is about a quarter of a mile wide, walled in by parallelmountains generally wooded to the top. We pass through a vast grove of fine timber, mostlyhemlock, fit for purposes of railway construction. We cross several times the stream we arefollowing, and about five o'clock encamp on its eastern side. The site we select is the freest wecould find from the formidable devil's clubs. Cedars, four feet in diameter, rise up around uslike the columns of a lofty temple. We counted some forty or fifty in a circle of a radius of ahundred feet, aud a striking appearance they presented.

We have travelled seven miles and have reached the summit of the Pass. Our journey hasbeen in every way satisfactory. We thoroughly recognize all we owe to our guide. He has

saved us labour, time and much painful experience, and we are proportionately satisfied withour own forethought that his services could be utilized.

As night came on we lit up a hollow cedar. It is some distance from us, and when it falls it willbe away from us, as it inclines in the opposite direction to our camp ground. It burns rapidly,and illuminates the scene around us for the whole evening. It was moonlight also, but thedense forest intervened, so the camp remained in shadow.

The vegetation around us was rank, with a green, luxurious growth of mosses. Indeed themosses extended in all directions, the surface of the lower branches of the lofty trees notexcepted. Some of the ferns we saw were striking, and the abomin- able devil's club was inprofusion all around us.

It rained during the night ; we were comfortable in our tents, but the men were exposed tothe rain, having brought with them no protection against it. Before starting their blankets hadto be dried, so it was nearly eight o'clock before we got off.In less than two-thirds of a mile we gain Bluff Lake on the summit; the steep rocky sides havegiven it its name, and the walking is so difficult that we deem it expedient to form a raft onwhich we can float to its further end.

We have now entered into the third range of mountains and have passed beyond the watersflowing into the Columbia. We have reached the waters of the Eagle River, which find their wayto the Fraser. Our raft carried the tent and baggage, but was not large enough for all to find aplace upon it. Accordingly some had to clamber over the rocks as best they could, and a

difiicult walk they had. We reached the end of the Lake and continued on our journey. Anotherthree-quarters of a mile brings us to a second Victor Lake. We did not construct a raft tonavigate it.

Baptiste took us by what he called an easy route.

We had, however, to clamber over rocky precipices the whole of the way, and it is theafternoon before we sat down totake our meal at its western end. The Lake is about three-quarters of a mile in length; thewater is like a mirror, in which the lofty peaks are reflected in every variety of shade. Directly

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in our front there is a magnificent bluff rising vertically sheer from the water seven hundredfeet. Its image appears in the mirror-like lake as well defined as in the atmosphere. On behalf of the Canadian Alpine Club we name the bluff after Her Majesty, and give three cheers for theQueen in honour of the occasion. We all feel in good spirits, for we are satisfied with theprogress we are making. Our advance, however, was not without its difficulties. We had aseemingly endless number of prostrate trunks of trees and rocks to surmount, and on thelower ground we had from time to time to wade through troublesome marshes.

Three and a half miles from Victor Lake we arrived at Three Yalley Lake. Our Kamloops men,on their way to meet us, had constructed a raft at this point, which is again available. It islarge enough to take the whole party. So we embarked upon it. Baptiste followed in a small,birch-bark canoe, which he had taken from its cache. We move slowly through this beautifullake, nestling in the mountains, where three valleys meet. Its shape is somewhat that of athree-corner staff officer's hat. It has lofty, wide banks, with bold rocky bluffs standing outfrom the spruce and birch wood, here and there visible. It is a beautiful sheet of water, dark incolor and exceedingly deep. It has been said that it is fathomless.Few Swiss lakes, which I have seen in my limited wanderings, rise in my mind as superior to itin wild, natural beauty. This sheet of water has a character of its own. We reach the outlet inabout an hour, somewhat chilled by sitting immovably in one position on the raft. We soon areourselves again as we arrange our camping ground. Every spot is bright green, but there is not

a blade of grass. Possibly, owing to the excessive moisture of the locality, the ground isbrilliant with rich mosses of the thickness of three or four inches, and you walk on them as ona Turkish carpet.

We encamped on a small tree-covered promontory at the outlet of the lake. Eagle River hasnow become a good sized stream of clear water flowing over a rocky bottom. The scenery isstriking in all directions. The central of the Three Valleys branches into four subordinatevalleys, between each of which high peaks, covered with snow, are to be seen. To the northand west the peaks are less lofty. Baptiste tells us that much game abounds, and that fromthe lake large fish are taken, as we infer, salmon. The evening was very pleasant; we were allin good humour, not by any means the worst resource to the wanderer in his travels.

It did not rain last night. I do not hold my own experience as sufficient for any generalization,but from all I can learn, at this season of the year, it is seldom that such is the case in themountains.

Certainly the nights during which we have escaped rain since entering the Selkirk Range havebeen few.

We had now to part with our Indian guide, who had fulfilled his contract, so we settled with himand found he had a cool way of his own in reckoning the value of his services, whatever hemight know of arithmetic. As a "lucky penny" we supplied him with enough matches to lasthim a month, a mine of wealth to him; and he paddled away to the east to find his way back tothe Grand Eddy.

The Kamloops Indians, now on their own ground, are unusually active this morning. A tree isfelled on which we can cross the river, and we get off by eight o'clock, trudging through thewoods, passing over alder swamps and dry rocky ground, encountering prostrate trees of giantgrowth until we reach Griffin's Lake, a mile in length, with rough and rugged sides. We con-structed a raft of light timber and formed our paddles of split cedar. It took an hour and three-quarters to make the raft, but by paddling through the lake we made up the time and reservedour strength for further efforts. We had an excellent opportunity of seeing the country fromthe middle of the lake. Snow covered peaks were here and there visible, but I question if this

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snow be permanent; it struck me that it was only the deposit of the late storms which we hadexperienced.

We took our mid-day meal, it was now bread and water, on the raft, so there was no delay inour starting westward when we landed. The ground was smooth for some distance, but wesoon reached a part of the valley where it was entirely swamp to the base of the hills. We had,therefore, to clamber along its side, which was encumbered with large fallen trees and hugestones. Our progress was as slow as in the valley of the Ille-celle-waet; and soon, from sheer

fatigue, we were forced to accept the first available camping ground which offered : a smallplatean near a mountain stream.

As arranged, Albert and McLean started next morning at day-break towards the point wherethe horses and supplies had been left, to get everything in order, so that when we came up notime would be lost and we could at once proceed. We shall not reach the spot a minute toosoon, for we are out of everything in the shape of food. McLean and the four Indians,despatched from Kamloops with supplies, have helped to finish the remnant of stores whichwe have carried across three mountain summits from the Bow River. Without our forcedmarches our provisions would certainly have been insufficient, and but for the accident of meeting a guide we might have been in an unen- viable situation. Yet the failure of our planwas in itself so ridiculous that I cannot look back upon it without a smile. We were in the heart

of a desert and asked for bread. We did not even get a stone, but we met five hungry Indiansready to devour the little store we had brought with us.

We started soon after seven, every member of the party carrying his own pack, except Albertand McLean, who had been already despatched without loads. Our advance had much of thecharacter of that of yesterday, along a steep hill side, among fallen trees from four to six feetin diameter. Our progress was exceedingly slow through these difficulties; at length wereached the cached provisions at eleven o'clock. The hour of short commons was passed, andat our mid-day meal we had a sumptuous fare. We found tinned oysters, potatoes, coffee,bacon, flour, onions and such delicacies; we also had an example of the saying that "it neverrains but it pours," for my son fortunately shot a salmon in the Eagle River. We were thus inthe very lap of luxury ; but our business was to do more than revel on good fare. We had to be

up and moving. The Indians expressed great astonishment when the order was given tomarch. They expected we should remain here for a few days to feast on the good things tillthey were done : as they term it in British Columbia, to have a regular "potlatch."We continued our journey, having horses to carry the loads. Occasionally we ourselves mount,but the trail is so rough that for the best part of the distance it was easier made on foot. Thehorses were fresh after a week's rest, and for an hour they bounded over the logs and rockswith ease, but they soon settled down into their ordinary pack-horse walk.

Two miles from our dinner camp we crossed a stream of bright blue water from the north,nearly equal in volume to the Eagle River. Four miles further we met Mr. Joseph Hunter on hisway to find us. He gave us the welcome news that tomorrow we would be on a waggon road,now being constructed over the western end of Eagle Pass, and that at Schuswap Lake we

would find a steamer to take us to Kamloops.

Our trail did not improve. It continued on the hill side over rocky ground, partially through abrulé. Our march was tedious, for we were more on foot than in the saddle.

Eight miles from our noon camp we reached the north fork of the Eagle River, a stream abouteighty feet in width. The water was turbid, indicative of a glacial scource. We found somedifficulty in fording it, owing to the rapidity of the current and the bed of the stream being fullof large boulders. A mile further on we camped on the hill side among the charred remains of aforest fire, and had an excellent supper. The moon rose, nearly at the full, lighting the lofty

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hills in our front, and as we sat by the fire Mr. Hunter told us all he knew of the doings of theouter world, of which we had lost all trace for nearly four weeks. We learned that our camp isbut four or five miles in a direct course from a working party constructing a waggon road in ourdirection.

As the morrow will be Sunday, Dr. Grant suggests that we should start as usual, and that heshould hold a service when we arrive. Accord- ingly the following morning Mr. Hunter and hestart off on foot in advance. We were so eager to reach the waggon road that all were up and

at breakfast before sunrise and were under way as its early rays were peering over themountains where, last night, the full moon came up. The sky was without a cloud. The trail wasso imperfect and circuitous that, although the distance was given as from four to five miles, ittook us from six until about twelve to reach the encampment of Mr. G. B. Wright, the roadcontractor. It was a tented village. Our hostess, Mrs. Wright, received us under a large tent,appearing to us with an additional charm as being the first white woman we had seen since weleft Morley on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. One of our first luxuries was the useof soap and hot water, and certainly we all required it. After we had partaken of the bounteoushospitality of Mrs. Wright, Dr. Grant held a service, at which about forty men attended,together with the only woman of our race within a long distance, our hostess. The men worethe usual long beard, bearing no signs of the scissors, and their dress was rough, but they alllistened with marked attention and reverence.

In the afternoon we left this canvas town, which comprised some sixty tents of all sizes.

We were accommodated with a spring waggon and were driven some sixteen miles over anexcellent road. The whippletree gave way more than once, but was speedily repaired by thehelp of a short stick and some cod line. At half-past five we reached Shuswap Lake, where asteamer was waiting for us, Albert having ridden ahead to detain it. We were soou on boardaud steamed through the Sicamonse Narrows, about three hundred feet wide with about six toeight feet of water, as the last rays of the sun were lighting the lake. The moon rose and wecould see the country around us with the water channels from every point of view. The shore isstill in a state of nature, without a settlement. There is not even a house at the steamboatlanding, and the supplies for the waggon road construction parties find shelter from the rain

under canvas. The steamer is about a hundred feet in length, with a stern wheel for navigatingshallow waters. It was eleven o'clock before we turned in, and I could not but contrast ourpresent mode of travel with that of a few days back, and it seemed almost like a dream as Ithought of our advance from the first summit.

We had still, however, a most unpleasant recollection of our wearing journey through themountains; the prickles of the devil's club in their poisonous effects had become a greatannoyance to many of us. Indeed, our swollen hands had to be wrapped in oatmeal poultices.In one case the swelling and pain were really serious, and as a consequence at least one of ourparty suffered from loss of sleep.

At eight next morning we were on deck. The steamer was sailing down the South Thompson.

We stopped frequently at Indian ranches for passengers and freight. The effort of gettingsome pigs on board at one of the landings created some amnsement; a scene in its waysuggestive of our haying entered again the realm of civilization.

Breakfast had been delayed until onr arrival at a spot where we were to obtain fresh milk andsome butter. When we reached the place, a ranche by the river side, the fresh butter was notready, so we waited until the churning had been completed.

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Affairs seemed to us rather primitive west of Kam- loops Lake. Our cook is a Chinaman, comelylooking enough, and the breakfast that he put before us was certainly a respectable proof of his skill.

We were now gliding through a country entirely different from that east of Shuswap Lake. We had left the lofty peaks behind us, and were surrounded by high hills covered with bunchgrass, with groves of trees and sometimes with single massive trunks of spruce or Douglas

pine.

The landscape has a park-like character, and is highly picturesque. The hills are high andvaried in outline. Some portions of the River Thompson recall the scenery on the upperportions of the Arno and the Tiber on the journey from Florence to Rome. No rocky bluffs arevisible ; the hills are smooth and rounded, but nevertheless of such variety as to take awayany monotony in the landscape as we move down the river. About nine o'clock we arrive atKamloops, some ninety miles distant from Shuswap Lake, our starting place of the previousnight, where we had embarked.

CHAPTER XIX. KAMLOOPS TO THE COAST.

Lake Kamloops - Savona's Ferry - Irrigation - Chinese Navvies - Chinese Servants - Lytton - TheFraser River Canyon - Old Engineering Friends - Sunday at Yale - Paddling Down the Fraser - AnEnglish Fog at New Westminster

The district into which we have entered, in its physical character, is directly the opposite of that which we have traversed. We have no mosses to tell the story of excessive humidity. Weare now in a country where the leading feature is extreme aridity. I can compare the darkpowdered earth to nothing to which it bears more resmblance than ground pepper. On allsides the indications show that this condition of soil and climate extends over a wide district. The surface is covered by a tufted vegetation known as bunch grass. There is only one remedyto make it productive of farm crops : a system of irrigation on an extensive scale. As yet nosteps have been taken for its introduction in this neighbourhood. Nowhere is the eye relieved

by a flower garden or by the familiar charm of cultivated ground. The small town of Kamloopsat present canboast of no such advantages, but there is nothing to lead to the belief that they are notattainable.

We are indebted for a temporary home to the hospitable factor of the Hudson's Bay Company.

Naturally one of our first acts is to report our arrival to our friends in the east. Unfortunatelythe telegraph line is down and the operator absent repairing it. Deeming it of importance thatno time should be lost we despatch an Indian courier with messages to the next station,Savona's Ferry, thirty miles distant.

We all feel that after our tramp we are entitled to a few hours' additional rest. It is true that forthe most part we have slept soundly every night of our journey; indeed, if men could not sleepafter serious work like ours, it would be hard to say when they could do so. But we had notindulged in the luxury of late hours. We were always up at day-break, and I never heard thecomplaint that any of us had slept too long. One satisfaction we had, we can thankfully saythat we were generally spared the penalty of loss of sleep. Last night, however, was anexception. In my own case the wounds on my hands, swollen by the poison of the devil's club,made sleep impossible. We resolved accordingly to pass the afternoon quietly at the Hudson'sBay post, and retire early to bed; in this case not a figure of speech, for under this roof we hadall the comforts of civilization.

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We were up in good time next morning. I paid what bills we owed, bade farewell to ourKamloops friends, said good-bye to Mr. McLean and his Indians, and prepared to proceedwestward. A steamer had been engaged to take us to Savona's Ferry. We started about nineo'clock, skirting along tbe north shore of Lake Kamloops by Battle Bluff. We returned by thesouth side, examining the ground adjoining Cherry Bluff. The day was fine, so the trip waspleasant. The sky was as clear and the air as pure and balmy as on an Italian lake. Thesteamer touched at a place called Tranquille, where the land has been irrigated. In this

instance the experiment has been in all respects satisfactory. The result is shown in a goodgarden with excellent fruit and vegetables.

At Sayona's Ferry I received messages by telegraph, and I was reminded of being once morewithin the circle of artificialwants and requirements. For the last thirty days Ave have been out of the world, knowingnothing beyond the experience of our daily life. Our leading thoughts were of the difficultieswhich lay in our path and of the labour necessary to overcome them. There was nothingvicarious in our position ; there was no transfer of care or labour to others. Each one had toaccept what lay before him, and our world for the time was in our little circle. Now we arereminded that we are again in another condition of being. There is scarcely anything morepowerful to recall the attention to this change than the receipt of a telegram sent across a

continent to remove anxieties as to home and family.

I had much pleasure in meeting Mr. Hamlin, an old Intercolonial friend, the Resident Engineerof the section under contract west of Savona's Ferry.

I had telegraphed to him the previous evening, and he had taken the trouble to comeseventeen miles to meet me. We took dinner at Savona; and the fact recalled to my mind thateleven years ago I had stopped at this same place. Mrs. Whom was then our hostess, whom Iperfectly recollected, but the poor lady had been dead for twelve months and is buried not fardistant.

Dr. Grant and my son started in a waggon for Cache Creek. I had professional business with

Mr. Hamlin. We proceeded by the banks of the Hiver Thompson, and reached his quartersabout sunset, to receive from his wife and mother the most kindly of Irish welcomes. Wepassed a pleasant evening and spoke much of old days, going back to the time when we wereworking in the valley of the Metapedia, in Quebec.

I had another excellent night's sleep and was up early. At six Mr. Hamlin and myself started.

The morning air was cold. We arrived at Cache Creek about half-past seven, and found Dr.Grant and my son under canvas. The hotel was so un promising that they preferred their tentto the cheerless entertainment it suggested. Albert and Mr. Hunter soon joined us, and thefour took the stage to Spence's bridge. Mr. Hamlin was good enough to drive me there with hisown horses.

We took some refreshment at Ashcroft, seven miles from Cache Creek. The country residenceof the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia is at Ashcroft, and I felt it my duty to pay himmy respects. Mr. Cornwall, himself, was absent; the ladies, however, received us with muchkindness, and our conversation turned to a previous occasion when I passed an evening intheir society under the same roof, some years back, of which I retained the most pleasingrecollection. In fact, I may remark that, as they say in Paris, this was my visite de digestionafter the pleasant dinner which I then had with the family.

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As we proceed the sun shines upon us with unusual heat for the time of year. Small fields of irrigated land are seen here and there and present a promising appearance. The groundgenerally is dry, for there is little rainfall in this district. From the indications I fear no crop canthrive without irrigation, and it appears to me it is the main consideration for the residents toentertain.

We descend by the westerly bank of the River Thompson, and obtain a good view of therailway work on the opposite bank. We reached Spence's Bridge about three o'clock, where Mr.

H. F. Macleod greeted me with a warm welcome and invited the whole party to his house. Mr.Hamlin returned to his own place. Dr. Grant, my sou and myself availed ourselves of Mr.Macleod's hospitality. Mr. Macleod is another old friend and fellow worker on the IntercolonialRailway. Spence's Bridge has a canvas town of about one thousand Chinamen, engaged on therailway works. I presume the Chinese population will disappear as the railway is completed. The place contains a good hotel, with a garden of some size, producing apples, grapes andexcellent vegetables ; in itself showing what can be be accomplished with irrigation, effort andskill. No fact is more patent than that irrigation is indispensable in this district.

Mr. Macleod kindly drove us over the works.

We follow the deep gorge through which the Thompson forces its way. Mr. Macleod's house is

situated at Drynoch, so called from his relationship to the Macleods of Skye. It is scarcelynecessary to say that at Drynoch we received a cordial and graceful Highland welcome. Wewere particularly struck with the appearance of the Chinaman waitiug at table. His loosedress was of spotless white, and with his thick soft-soled shoes he moved so quietly as to bescarcely audible. He had always a smile on his face, and his mistress gave him the best of characters for intelligence, industry and good manners. We passed a delightful evening in thisoasis in the mountains.In the morning Mr. Macleod accompanied us to Lytton, where the Thompson falls into theFraser.

Lytton has not greatly improved since I saw it last year. It is still a wretchedly dilapidatedplace. The dingy wooden buildings were marked by a striking absence of paint, and evidently

the summary course applied at Truro, in Nova Scotia, on the occasion of the Prince of Wales'visit, could with benefit be introduced here. At Lytton I said good-bye to Mr. Macleod, heartilythanking him for his hospitality. Mr. Hannington, another of my old assistants, from Ottawa,now received me.

Mr. Hannington drove me to his place, three miles beyond Lytton, and we proceeded eightmiles further to the site of the railway bridge to cross the Eiver Fraser. The bridge, a massivestructure of stone and iron, is in progress. Here we met Mr. George Keefer, the Engineer incharge of this section, another of my old staff. Mr. Keefer took me to his quarters, seventeenmiles below Lytton, being thirty-three miles from Drynoch. Mr. Keefer's house is on the railwayline on the western bank of the Fraser. So we crossed the river in a canoe and floated downthe boiling, seething current to a convenient landing place. Ascending the bank about two

hundred feet nearly vertically, we reached Mr. Keefer's present house, where we remained forthe night.

Mrs. Keefer and her children were absent on a visit at Victoria, but he himself left no effortuntried to entertain us. I was delighted again to see my old friend so pleasantlycircumstanced, and we were all indebted to him for his hospitality.

I was awakened in the morning by a Chinaman appearing with a bath, a luxury moreappreciated after my late experience, and one among the first benefits of civilization, whichwe hasten to enjoy.

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We are forty miles from Yale, in that huge cleft in the Cascade Eange through which the Fraserimpetuously continues its course. The rails are laid from Yale to a point two miles above wherewe now are. We can accordingly reach Yale by a locomotive in little more than an hour, but itis my desire to pass leisurely over the line, in order somewhat to examine it. It has thereforebeen arranged that we proceed on our journey by hand-car. A dense fog fills up the valley butthe sun soon comes out and the fog is dispelled. As we approached Mr. Keefer's quarters lastnight we had to pass over the long ascent of Jackass mountain, a name familiar to British

Columbians from the day of the discovery of gold in Cariboo. The road leading to the goldmines passes over it. The frame of a house on a small terrace some nine hundred feet abovethe river, was pointed out as the resting place for the night of Lord and Lady Dufierin when inBritish Columbia. It affords a magnificent view of Fraser river and the great mountains whichflank the valley on both sides.

The hand-car came, bringing with it my old friend Mr. H. J. Cambie. He had left his home thismorning at Spuzzem, twenty miles distant.

We again start. To Dr. Grant the hand-car was almost a revelation; it was certainly a newmode of travelling which he was about to experience.

Mr. Keefer follows on a railway velocipede. This machine has its two main wheels on one rail,with a third wheel to steady it, ganged to the opposite rail. It is kept in motion by a crank,worked by the rider's feet. I am sorry to say that on this expedition Mr. Keefer's velocipedewas crushed by a gravel train backing, owing to a mistake of orders, and Mr. Keefer had only just time enough to extricate himself to avoid a similar fate.

Our course followed the railway down the western bank of the great canyon of the Fraser. TheCariboo waggon road runs on the opposite bank as far as the Alexandria Bridge. We had anopportunity of observing the lofty cliffs and the precipitous ledges it passes over, and from thereally slight character and dangerous appearance of the staging upon which man and horsehave so long risked their lives, I could not but think that the railway would not be open fortraffic an hour too soon. I presume that when that result comes to pass the waggon road will

fall into disuse. The construction of the railway has been exceedingly difficult and costly withinthe twenty-eight mile section in charge of Mr. Cambie. The work is extremely heavy, includingthirteen tunnels. We reach Spuzzem in the afternoon, having travelled leisurely. We proposedmaking another start, but Mr. Cambie wonld not hear of our passing his house, anddespatched the hand-car to Yale for our letters, the place where they had been ordered to beaddressed. In a couple of hours I had received the bag containing my month's correspondence,including letters from home of the latest date.

I was under no apprehension of any bad news, for the telegram which I had sent fromSayona's Ferry had been answered to the effect that all was well; but with what delight, whenwe have been for weeks cut ojff from those dear to us, do we readin their own words that everything is precisely as it should be.

Every onward step, every hour, was bringing us more into the world's usages. I had not beenlong at Spuzzem when I was invited to attend a telephone conference. On taking my place, atonce I recognized the voice addressing me, although at twelve miles distance, and I had notheard it for two years. It was that of Mr. Onderdonk, giving the party a cordial invitation tomake his house our home during our stay in Yale.

Under Mr. Gamble's roof we had another delightful evening, as might be supposed from mymany years pleasant intercourse with him. It is twenty years since he entered my staff on thefirst explorations on the Intercolonial Eailway in 1863, and I am glad to say our relations have

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observe so small an attendance. The character of the service may not have been the whollyrepelling cause which existed; but I venture the remark that in my humble judgment incircumstances of this character the simpler the worship the more consideration it will obtain.What is wanted on railway works is the active, simple effort of the missionary who will seekmen out in their houses and penetrate within their daily lives and conduct. Such ministers of religion bring men within their influence by the genuineness of the sympathy which they showand by an appeal to the best feelings of their listeners. Ritualism on the Fraser was obviouslynot a success. I am strongly of the opinion that such men as the army chaplain whom we had

on board the "Polynesian" would have found a fine field in Yale, and would have attractedcrowds of willing worshippers to his services.

We pass a quiet afternoon in Mr. Onderdonk's shady verandah, around which the hop vinesluxuriantly grew. In the evening, as the lights appeared in the windows, Yale had a pleasantand picturesque appearance. It is built on a bend of the river at the head of steamboatnavigation, and at night, with the reflected lights in the stream, it assumes an importancewhich by day one would not concede to it. As a landscape the mountains are too lofty, toonear, too precipitous and crowded to be remarkable for beauty. There is a total absence of alldistance in the picture. One sees only a maze of rugged, towering rocks, for the most partcovered with a stunted vegetation.

Monday came and with it our determination to start by the steamer for New Westminster. Wegratefully said good-bye to our polished host and hostess, whose kindness reminded me of what I had heard of the hospitality of the old Knickerbocker families. During our stay at Yale itwas hard to believe that we were not in. some hospitable mansion on the banks of the Hudson.We take with us a dug-out canoe and a crew of Indians to paddle us on our journey when wedeem it advisable to leave the boat. My purpose is to proceed by steamer to the point whichon Saturday night I reached by hand car and then take to the canoe, I will thus be enabledfully to examine the whole line in the valley of the Fraser. The steamer is by no means of littleaccount on these waters, to judge by the passengers that she carries and the places she stopsat. Our landings are frequent, to receive or discharge freight, cattle and passengers.

We reach the spot where, with my son, I go on board the canoe. We arrive at Harrison River at

half-past three. I was met at this point by Mr. Brophy, also an old Intercolonial friend. Mr.Wilmot, who has hitherto kindly accompanied us, goes on shore. We ourselves continue ourdescent of the Fraser. The three Indians paddle at a good pace down the Nicomen Slough to apoint off Sumas. It is after six and twilight is coming on, so we find our way through a crosschannel to the main river. We believe that any other course would be hazardous, so we followthe stream to the point where Dr. Grant was to leave the steamer and where we expect tomeet him. The Fraser is wide at this spot and the current swift but we keep the centre of theriver. The Indians continue to paddle briskly. We float down the current very rapidly. The air ismnch warmer than we have yet experienced it, both when we were in the mountains and sincewe reached Kamloops. Night comes on, and although there is no moon the sky is without acloud and the stars shine brightly, giving us enough light to guide our canoe. We still keep tothe middle of the river where the stream is the strongest. About eight o'clock we see a light on

the shore towards which we paddle, and as we approach we hear the well known voice of Dr.Grant.

We find supper waiting for us for which we are indebted to Mrs. Perkins, who keeps aworkman's boarding house. But we had a mile further to paddle to the engineers' camp, wherewe are to find beds. They receive us as hospitably as engineers always receive men accreditedto them.

They insist on me taking the one stretcher they have; the rest of the party find rest on thefloor.

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We were up early, for although we had come sixty miles yesterday we were anxious tocontinue our journey. A heavy fog made it impossible to leave before nine. We paddle for anhour and a half until we reach Stave River, where we land.

There is a fine view of Mount Baker, forty miles distant, when the weather is clear, but there istoo much mist in the air today for us to see it.

We again land three miles above Maple Ridge, and walk that distance over the half-

constructed railway, crossing Kanaka bridge. We owed our dinner at Maple Ridge to Mrs.Sinclair's culinary art.

We come to the site of the land slide of four years back. A surface of twenty-four acres wascarried into the river, bearing along with it the forest trees with which it was covered. A largeextent of the mass was thrown across the River Fraser, fully a quarter of a mile on to theopposite shore, uprooting many acres of forest and for a time damming back the stream. Itstraces are still visible, to show what the consequences are of these minor convulsions of nature which on a great scale effect such wonderful changes.

We are again in the canoe. The water of this great river is as calm as a canal in Venice, andour quiet progress partakes no little of the motion of the gondola. The air conveys the idea

that it is full of smoke, while the temperature recalls the season of Indian summer. The banksof the river, even at a short distance, are scarcely discernible.

We now reach the tidal waters of the Pacific.

There is no great rise where we now are, and the water is still fresh for some distance, but atflood there is no current and the surface looks like a placid lake. The air is pleasant. The threeIndians keep paddling with marvellous regularity. Two sit in front, side by side, and the third isat the stern steering as he paddles. The men work as if they were pieces of mechanism, inperfect silence ; not a word is spoken.

We leave the main stream at the month of Pitt River, where we paddle up to the new railway

bridge, spanning 1850 feet of a deep inlet, at one spot sixty feet below high water. We returnto the Fraser, where we were about thirty-four miles from the starting point of the morning.We pass on our right the mouth of the River Coquitlum and on the left is the salmon canneryof that name, consisting of a large number of scattered buildings, the centre of one of thechief industries of the Province. We meet a number of boats manned by Indians, drawing in orlaying down salmon nets.

The river is nearly half a mile wide with deep water. The Fraser is a noble stream, but it is onlyat intervals, as the fog lifts, that you can see the opposite shore. So thick is the fog that thesun itself is obscured, and it was in weather of this character, bringing back to my mind theNovember fogs of the world's emporium on the banks of the Thames, that we made ourlanding at New Westminster, on the Pacific ocean.

CHAPTER XX. ON PACIFIC WATERS.

New Westminster - Enormous Forest Trees - English Broom - Port Moody - Down Burrard Inlet -Sea Fog - Navigation by Echo - Straits of Georgia - The St. Juan Archipelago - Seamanship -Victoria

We had reached the most important town on the Mainland of British Columbia. Although NewWestminster is of modern date the town has had its mutations and disappointments, the last

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and not the least of which is to have seen the Railway terminus diverted northward to BurrardInlet, a proceeding which her own citizens must admit to have been unavoidable.

In the morning we found the fog even thicker than last night. I had finished breakfast and wasconsidering what course I would take when Mr. Marcus Smith did me the the favour to callupon me, and kindly offered to drive me to Port Moody, first calling at old Government House,now the Railway Engineer's office. Government House was, I believe, last occupied byGovernor Seymour and, from all I have heard, many pleasant hours have been passed within

its walls. It has fallen upon the evil days of ceasing to be the home of official life. Victoria, onVancouver's Island, is the seat of government, and is the present centre of political movement. The capacious dining and ball rooms are much out of repair, but they still retain a trace of former grandeur. The grounds are well laid out with shade trees and rich green lawns, butunfortunately the fog conceals everything but the objects almost within reach, and preventsany extended examination.

New Westminster is not remarkable either for its extent or population. Two thousand fivehundred is the estimatednumber of its present inhabitants.

It possesses, however, a four peal of bells, the gift of Baroness Burdett-Coutts, the only peal on

the whole Pacific coast, and indeed a rare possession on this continent. The residence of theAnglican Bishop is in the neighbourhood of Grovernment House; and at no great distance theLunatic Asylum and the Penitentiary are to be found.

About half-past ten, under the escort of Mr. Smith, we started in an open carriage for PortMoody, on Burrard Inlet. My attention was attracted by the forest trees of enormous size.Within the limits cleared for the roadway, blackened stumps of many of them, ten feet indiameter, still remain, on which the record of their age is traceable.

Some of these trunks show a life of six centuries, and hence must have attained the rank of good sized trees before the recorded discovery of the American continent. The ground iscovered with a luxuriant flora, indicating a rich soil and a moist climate. Along the road side

English broom was growing wild, in great luxuriance, the first I have met in such circumstanceson this continent. A drive of six miles over a hilly road brought us to Burrard Inlet, at Bronson'stavern, a recent erection, where the road terminates. At this point we had recourse to a boatand rowed about a mile to Port Moody, the terminus of the railway.

Port Moody is something more than a village, but at the present moment it is a strainedrecognition of its importance, even as a railway terminus, to call it a town. The number of inhabitants when I was there could not exceed two score of souls. Whatever its future, at thepresent time it has certainly no claim to civic rank. A wharf of good size has been constructed.At this time it was covered with piles of steel rails. A freight shed is attached. Near it standsthe small house occupied by Mr. A. J. Hill, Eesident Engineer.

Two sailing vessels were lying at the wharf. The rail track has been laid a few miles westward.

In the neighbourhood are half a dozen scattered frame buildings, some of them scarcelyfinished, erected by speculators to promote the selling of town lots. Several square miles of land have been so laid out. At this moment the greater part of the city of the future is coveredwith a dense growth of primeyal forest, the age of some portions of which carries us back tothe century in which the Magna Carta became law. I was told on the spot that the lots soprojected would accommodate tenfold the present white population of British Columbia.

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I have to acknowledge the kindness and hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Hill. I derived no littlepleasure from looking at the water-colour drawings of the wild flowers of British Columbia,which Mrs. Hill had executed. They promise to be a valuable contribution to science. I trustthey may be published at some future date, when they shall have been sufficiently completedto admit of this proceeding.

The steamer on which we had to embark at Burrard Inlet had not arrived, so we obtained asmall boat and descended the inlet to meet her in order to have sufficient daylight to continue

our trip through the entrance. The fog, which had partly cleared away by this time, soon re-appeared, and accordingly we kept near the shore so as not to lose our reckoning. We hadrowed a distance of three miles when we met the small tug sent in search of us. We got onboard without delay.

The fog necessitated caution in our progress. It became thicker and thicker, until it wasimpossible to see a ship's length ahead. Night came on and we did not know where we were. The head of the tug was turned in the supposed direction of the settlement, near Hasting'ssaw-mill. All that we had to steer by was a pocket compass, which on more than one occasionhas done good service. Some of us fancied that we heard the squealing of a pig; important inthe double sense that we were not far from land and also near a settlement. Our whistle wasalmost continually sounded and the sharpest lookout kept. The pig replied unmistakably. We

continued cautiously to approach in the direction of the sound, and were enabled to land atalmost the only settlement on the south side of Burrard Inlet, west of Port Moody.

On landing we obtained intelligence of the steamer "Alexandria," detailed to take the party toVictoria. The vessel was lying at the Saw Mill wharf, at no great distance, so we found our wayto it. Supper was gone through; but the fog still continued. The captain therefore concludedthat it was better not to start, but wait until morning ; he on his part being prepared to leavethe moment the fog lifted. The "Alexandria" is a large, powerful tug, which the owner hadkindly placed at our disposal to cross the Straits of Georgia. She came expressly from Nanaimoto Burrard Inlet to meet us. We slept on board, and when we awoke found that we were stillmoored to the wharf. It was early, half-past five, but the fog continued heavy and damp. Capt.Urquhart, however, determined to start and to feel his way through the thick mist. About half-

past seven he took his bearings and directed the steamer towards the entrance of the Inlet.We steamed slowly on through the fog, and in a few minutes nothing was visible from thedeck. The whistle was sounded continually, and the lead was cast without ceasing. We severaltimes stopped, backed, and again proceeded slowly, till we reached the Narrows at theentrance.

Here the current is rapid and the channel narrow, not having above two hundred and fiftyyards of sea-room. Fortunately we got a glimpse of the shore through the haze. The captain,however, saw enough to satisfy himself, and with a fresh departure put the boat at full speeddown English Bay; at least so we concluded by reference to the chart, for we could see nothingthrough the fog by which we are surrounded.

We proceeded down the Straits of Greorgia towards the San Juan Islands, our whistlecontinually blowing. Mr. Joseph Hunter is the only passenger not directly connected with theparty.

At Victoria I am to part with Dave Leigh, the last of the men who had been with us in themountains. He joined us at Bow River, and had determined to see us to the end of our journey.

From the day when we commenced with pack- horses to cross the range of mountains, Davehas stood by us and has gallantly helped in many a difficulty. He is a powerful Cheshire man,such as one would fancy a northern Englishman to be : honest, self-reliant, plain-spoken and

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staunch, with a peculiar habit of calling a spade a spade. He has cooked for iis in allcircumstances, there is no other word for it, heroically. He did his share of the packing, and if there was a load a shade heavier it was caught up by Daye with some saying of his own, andoff he trudged as if it were a plaything. He had done everything for us that a man could dowith unfailing cheerfulness, and has followed our fortunes for many a mile. He has drivenpack-horses, paddled canoes, rowed boats, built rafts, stretched our tent, driven hand-cars,cooked our food and indulged in many a hearty objurgation at Skunk Cabbage and Devil'sClub. He crosses the Straits of Georgia, and then at Victoria we have to say good-bye, he to

seek other employment. I wish him all happiness and success, but I have no fear of his future.Whatever his sphere he will do his duty, and always be found from the beginning to the end atrue man.

We approached the San Juan Archipelago and made our way from the soundings read from theline and by the echo of the whistle, as its tone was affected by the nearness or distance of theland. I stood on the bridge with Capt. Urquhart, and the fidelity with which he could judge thesituation was not simply the result of experience, but of a natural capacity to determine theniceties and delicacies of sound. I myself began somewhat to understand the shades of difference, but I was a very long way from possessing the ability to navigate the ship. We wereapproaching an island. The whistle vibrated toward it with a more muffled tone. We arewarned by the echo on which side of us it lay. We came opposite to it and passed without its

being visible to the eye.

The echo changed as we proceeded.

The lead is unceasingly cast. We are warned that we are coming near land. The current iscarrying us towards it. We see plainly before us a precipitous rock, and with difficulty wechange our course, for we have to back against the current and give the ship's head anotherbearing; so we grope our way, stealing along to avoid mischance, without the least guidebeyond the echo of the whistle, as it is affected by the nearness or distance of the shore.

The fog continued all day ; it appeared, however, to have little influence upon CaptainUrquhart more than to bring out his phonetic genius.

Familiar with the intricate channels, currents and tidal influences of the San Juan Islands, thelead constantly going, he keeps on his course slowly and cautiously, but perfectly undismayedand without a moment of doubt. The whistle, with its echo, pilots him through thearchipelago ; and to this day it is a wonder to me how we found our way. I was by his side andhad the benefit of his shrewd deductions and theories. Even with a bright sun, skill andknowledge of the landmarks are called for in the passage through these waters.

Our difficulties and the skill displayed in overcoming them may well be imagined. Fortunatelyfor us there was no wind; frequently we found ourselves amongst kelp, with its rank leavesfloating on the surface. At one point we passed by rocks not seventy yards distant from us onthe starboard side, the land appeared through the fog a ship's length ahead. We immediately

stop. The engine is backed. We are so near that we can hear the voices of children playing onthe elevated shore directly ahead. No one is visible, but in reply to the question from the look-out at the bow we learn that we have passed Victoria Harbour and are near the entrance toEsquimalt.

The course of the steamer is changed and we shortly enter Victoria Harbour in as dense a fogas can be seen in any part of the world. It was dark when we reached the wharf. I do not thinkthat any of us were sorry that the experience of the last thirteen hours had been brought to aclose. It was entirely new to me, and with all its success somewhat bold and enterprising.Capt. Urquhart undoubtedly displayed great qualities, sagacity, caution, coolness and skill to

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track his way as he did. He achieved wonders in seamanship, but to men wanting in thec[ualification he possesses, the attempt to imitate it is not to be commended.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon of the following day when the regular steamer from NewWestminster arrived. She left twenty-four hours before we started for Burrard Inlet, aud tookfifty-six hours to cross the Strait through the fog. We found our way in thirteen hours. In clearweather the trip is made in about half that time.

We went directly to the Driard house, an hotel which the Victorians never tire praising. Wewere late but had a special dinner, and Mr. Hunter with Captain Urquhart did us the favour to join us, when, as in duty bound, we did due homage to the captain and ship which carried usover; and we had especial cause to do so as we were indebted to Mr. Dunsmuir, the owner,who, hearing of my desire to pass to Vancouver Island, with great courtesy placed the vesselat my disposal. I did not fail next day to call and thank him for his kindness, and I feel it myduty again to acknowledge my obligations to him.

The dinner was excellent and after it was over we strolled out into the gaslight of Fort streetand walked a few miles intothe country before we retired. I looked upon the gaslight as an old friend whose acquaintance Iwas glad to make again, and a pleasant duty it is to recognize all we owe to a well lighted city.

We obtained our portmanteaus, which had been sent from Winnipeg by the way of SanFrancisco, and we were by no means unwilling to fall back on the garb of every-day city life.Moreover we also had the happiness to receive letters from home.

Saturday was a comparatively idle day. We walked through nearly every street of Victoria. Wemade some calls, and I recollected that eleven years ago on Saturday, September 29th, to-dayis the 28th, I reached Kamloops after a hard journey across the mountains by the YellowheadPass.

My task was now accomplished. We were on the shores of the Pacific, having passed throughthe mainland of British Columbia and crossed the waters to Vancouver Island. Our next

thought is the direction we must follow homewards. But for the moment, as birds of passage,we have to wait for the fog to lift.

CHAPTER XXI. BRITISH COLUMBIA.

Sir Francis Drake - Mears - Vancouver - Astor - Hudson's Bay- Company - Gold Discoveries -Climate - Timber - Fisheries - Minerals - Mountain Scenery

The western Province of the Dominion cannot lay claim to even a geographical recognition of longer date than that of a century. Drake first visited the Pacific ocean three centuries back, in1579, but it is questionable if he ascended higher than the forty-eighth parallel when he tookpossession of the country now included in Oregon and Washington Territory in the royal name

of Queen Elizabeth and called it New Albion.

There is also a tradition that Vancouver Island was discovered by De Fuca in 1592. From thisdate the northern Pacific waters remained without further notice for two centuries, until thevoyage of Capt. Cook, who coasted along the shores in 1778. Ten years later thesepossessions were on the verge of eausiug war between Eugiand and Spain. In that year, 1788,some subjects of G-reat Britain, the most prominent among whom was a Mr. Mears, purchasedfrom the natives the land abont Friendly Cove, Nootka Sound, on the west coast of VanconverIsland. What was then held to be the transfer of the territory was gone through; buildings wereerected and possession assumed.

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Mr. Mears shortly after left the spot to return the next season, placing the whole in charge of Maquema, an Indian chief During his absence two Spanish ships of war arrived, took formalpossession of the place and declared it to belong to the realm of Spain. An appeal was at oncemade to the Imperial Grovernment for protection. Spain, on the other hand, in the firstinstance, seemed determined to justify the act of its officers. The proceeding attracted muchattention in England.

Public feeling was greatly excited. The spirit of the nation was thoroughly aroused. A fleet wasfitted out, and it looked as if the dispute could only be settled by war, when Nootka Sound wassurrendered by Spain.It was in 1792, when Capt. Vancouver, of the Royal navy, was sent from England to receive thetransfer, and to make a voyage of discovery to the Pacific. Those familiar with the literature of the last century will recall all that was then said of Nootka Sound. By this date the mainlandhad been penetrated from the east. Sir Alexander McKenzie had discovered the river whichbears his name, running to the north, and he had accomplished the difficult jonrney of penetrating to the shores of the Pacific overland, the first of onr race to find his way throughthe wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. To the south, the Grovernment of the United Stateshad fitted out the expedition of Clark and Lewis, who in 1802-3 ascended by the sources of theMissouri and Yellowstone Rivers, and reached the Columbia and the Pacific Ocean.

The name also of John Jacob Astor cannot be forgotten in connection with the Columbia River,at the mouth of which he established the celebrated settlement of Astoria.

In 1821 the Hudson's Bay Company obtained a license to extend their operations to NewCaledonia, as British Columbia was then designated, and the country virtually passed undertheir control. There was indeed little to tempt the emigrant to cast his lot there and to seek anindependant existence, for without aid from the organization of the Hudson's Bay Company itwas impossible to cross the continent. New Caledonia could only be approached from theocean.

Vancouver Island continued in its state of isolation. Thirty years ago its white population of all

ages, chiefly employes of the Hudson's Bay Company, was four hundred and fifty. TheMainland was even less known and had fewer civilized inhabitants. Without the influenceswhich caused the rush of population to the Fraser, New Caledouia might have remaiuedundisturbed for half a century.

It is difficult to see how it could cease to be other than a wilderness, and its gigantic forestsunpenetrated except by Indian tribes, with a few trappers of wild animals. In 1856 thediscovery of gold inaugurated a total change in its character. The Fraser was then the scene of the gold excitement. This, the chief river of British Columbia, flows in a course seven hundredmiles, and is marked by rare grandeur of scenery, with frequent rapids dashing through gorgesalmost impassable. Mr. Douglas was at that time chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Companyand Grovernor of Vancouver Island. In April of this year, 1856, he reported to the Home

Government the discovery of gold, the miners being chiefly retired servants of the Com- pany.In 1857 the number was increased by arrivals from the United States. In a short time thereport of the richness of the deposit was spread among the miners of California. The result wasthat by July, 1858, some twenty thousand persons left California for British Columbia. Theparties who engaged in the new venture are described as being of all ages and conditions ;men advanced in life, those still on its threshold, many with ample means, doubtless thegreater part extremely needy; all crowded to the Fraser, it was said, some to steal,unquestionably some to die. They arrived too early in the season, and the majorityexperienced disappointment. The river was swollen and the bars containing the depositscovered with water. Those who failed in patience or endurance through deficiency in

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resources, returned to California, to share in the abuse of the district and of the country ingeneral. Those who remained received the reward of their patience. The water ceased to coverthe bars, and the miners who worked them found what was sought after in fair amount.

The political history of British Columbia goes no further back than 1810. Vancouver Island wasthen created a colony, with Governor Blanchard as administrator. The only inhabitants wereIndians, and there was no revenue from any source. No laws were enacted, and scarcelyanything was done to promote settlement. He returned to England in 1851, when Sir Francis

Douglas succeeded him. In the same year a Surveyor Greneral and assistant arrived fromEngland, and surveys were commenced as the first step towards emigration and settlement. ACouncil of four was nominated to assist in passing laws. Shortly afterwards one hundred andfifty persons, farm labourers and miners, arrived from England. Mr. Labouchere was thenSecretary for the Colonies, and in accordance with his instructions Governor Douglas, in June,1856, issued a proclamation for the election of a House of Assembly, composed of sevenmembers. The qualification of a member to be the possession of £300 that of the electors theownership of twenty acres of land. The first House met in April, 1858.

In 1858 the discovery of gold, which had become known, led to a great increase of thepopulation along the Fraser. The mainland, British Columbia, was, however, not declared acolony until 1859, when the license of occupation of the Hudson's Bay Company expired. It

was presided over by the Grovernor of Vancouver Island, and possessed of itself no LegislativeCouncil or Assembly. The Assembly of Vancouver Island, on the other hand, was increased totwelve members. There was also this further distinction : Vancouver Island was free forimportation, whereas British Columbia had a revenue tariff.

In 1864 Grovernor Douglas retired, and Grovernor Kennedy was appointed to VancouverIsland, at the same time Governor Seymour was named Grovernor of British Columbia, with anAssembly partly nominated and partly elected.In 1866 Vancouver Island became part of the Colony of British Columbia, with one Assembly,as above described, partly nominated and partly elected. Governor Kennedy retired. On thedeath of Governor Seymour, in 1869, Grovernor Musgrove was appointed, and it was duringhis rule that the incorporation of the Province in the Dominion of Canada was accomplished in

1871.

It returns to the Dominion Parliament three Senators and six Members of the House of Commons. According to the census of 1870 the population was 8,576 whites, 472 colouredand 1,578 Chinamen.

The present population is roughly estimated at 25,000 whites, 40,000 Indians, 17,000 Chinese.

Victoria, the capital, is reported to contain 8,000 inhabitants.

The Province has been described as a sea of mountains. Within its limits, however, areconsiderable tracts of rolling prairie, marked by fertility.

They consist of good soil, callable of abundantly producing cereals, although in some localitiesthere is too large anadmixture of gravel or of decomposed rock.

Its extent is about 200,000 square miles, extending from latitude 49° to latitude 57°. The seacoast is about 450 miles in length, indented from north to south by a succession of inletsrunning many miles within the coast line, in each case presenting a harbour of perfectsecurity, of great depth of water, generally to be approached with safety and in all casesmarked with the boldest scenery. In no part is the climate so severe as in the same parallel of

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latitude on the Atlantic. To find the eastern equivalent of the mildest sections we mustdescend twelve hundred miles to the south.

As a rule, throughout the Province, in the habitable portions, the climate is favourable to theconditions of human life, generally without the great extremes of heat and cold. It is marked,however, with atmospheric diversities. From the mouth of the Fraser, inland, it is moist. Therain is abundant in spring, summer and autumn, in the fall of the year continuing for daystogether. In winter the depth of snow is from one to two feet, in the extreme northern districts,

frequently deeper. It remains on the ground, near the coast, from a fortnight to three weeks,and it disappears to be succeeded by another fall, and so continues throughout the winter.Fogs prevail in October and November, sometimes earlier, as was the case in my experience.

But they do not occur every year, for on a former occasion I found the air both light and clearduring my whole visit at the same season.

There is much to be learned about the climate and its variations, and it is difficult to form aclose generalization of the extent of the localities where changes begin and end. We pass byinsensible mutations from the one zone to the other. There is no definite arbitrary line shewingwhen we are in another climate. It may, however, be said that the humidity of atmosphere isfound to extend from the sea coast up the Fraser, as far as Lillooet? above the junction of the

Thompson, and that it is continued along the Upper Fraser to the Forks.

Within this district the level land is fertile and densely wooded. In the more northern Cariboosection there are extensive tracts of forest land and of open prairie, highly fertile, fitted forfarming purposes, and well watered and drained. The soil, most strongly marked by thesecharacteristics, is found more immediately in the neighbourhood of the Fraser and of theinnumerable lakes in this district. In these localities the climate is superior to that of the LowerFraser, for it is drier. In Winter it is of a lower temperature, much like that of some parts of Ontario.

Leaving the Fraser to the east by the Valley of the Thompson, the land is elevated but thewinter is less cold. Indeed whatever varieties of climatic influences may be found in different

localities, it can with certainty be affirmed that Southern British Columbia is free from theextreme heat of summer and the intense cold of winter experienced in East- ern Canada andNorth-Eastern United States.

So far as such a statement can be made, it may be said that snow on the Upper Fraser and itstributaries does not reach the depth found in Eastern Canada. Often it is not deeper than fromsix to twelve inches; frequently the ground is quite bare. The authorities I have referred toassert that the larger lakes in the district do not freeze, as in Eastern Canada, nor do theFraser and other streams become locked up in ice like the tributaries of the St. Lawrence.Stock can subsist on the bunchgrass throughout the whole year.

On the more lofty ranges and summits, the height to which they ascend must be taken astypical of the depth of snow.

There is, undoubtedly, east of the Fraser an extent of country where the dryness of the soilcalls for irrigation, especially in the direction through which I passed; but wherever artificialmoisture has been obtained by this means, the result has left nothing to be desired.

Around the more southern coast and the lower lands of Vancouver Island it is not possible tolive in a more favourable climate. The winter is especially mild, the thermometer seldomfalling below freezing point. The summer is temperate; the thermometer, Fahrenheit, seldom

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rises above 72°, the lowest range being 23° to 30°. Southerly winds prevail for two-thirds of the year, and summer lasts from May to September. The atmosphere is sensibly affected bythe current which flows from the southern latitudes of Japan and China. The Kuro-Siwo bringsthe warmer temperature of the southern seas in the same Avay as the Grulf Stream hasheightened the salubrity of the British Islands.

It has been said that the weather of Vancouver Island is milder and steadier than that of theSouth of England, the summer longer and finer, and the winter shorter and less rigorous ; and

this is saying a great deal. The climate of this Island must be almost perfection. It is its oldestinhabitant who should be the most free from disease.

There is one recorded fact to establish the salubrity of the general climate of British Columbia.

I refer to the miners, who sufered great hardship and exposure, toiling iu cold, rapid streams,camping on damp ground, constantly wet from the rain, wading in water of low temperature,and even suffering from insufficiency of food. Nevertheless, no sickness, no epidemic wasexperienced by them.

It was the saying at the time that many increased in weight, and it was the boast of not a fewthat they were never so robust. This circumstance was brought into strong prominence by a

recollection of the contrary results which had been experienced in California when theconditions of mining operations were much the same, and where there remained a painfulrecord of broken health and shattered constitutions. To a far greater extent is this conditionexperienced in Vancouver Island, described as one of the gardens of the world. The residentsof Victoria speak of the delight which Her Royal Highness the Princess Louise experienced inthis healthy locality, the more so as she could, unrestrained and without annoyance, follow thesimple habits she prefers.

Many anecdotes are still told of Her Royal Highness during her residence, and twelve monthshave elapsed since she left.

Medical men prophesy that the lower lands of Vancouver Island will be constantly visited by

many whose health exacts absence from latitudes marked by severe temperature. Such asnow visit Colorado will find a more salubrious and genial retreat on the waters of the Pacific.Vancouver Island promises not simply to furnish coal and to be a site of many a manufactoryof iron, but equally, to offer to the invalid a home and a sojourn where he may hope forrenewed health.

The timber of British Columbia, drawn from its majestic forests, might supply the markets of the world for years without a perceptible diminution of its extent. In many localities trees, talland straight, stand so close together as to be a marvel.

Its wealth in the pine or cone-bearing family is very great. It consists of the celebrated Douglaspine, white pine, hemlock, spruce and balsam.

The cedars, I may say, are of fabulous size. I have measured them and found the diameter notless than twelve feet, At the saw-mills where the Douglas pine is manufactured, it is strange tohave to relate it, no log of greater diameter than eight feet is received, for the trees of laro'erdiameter are unmanageable.

There are localities of prairie destitute of trees, but the growth on the river flats is abundantand varied. Birch, oak, ash, yew and maple are found in some localities, and in the swampsalder, cotton wood and Balm of Gilead.

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The wild fruits and berries seem inexhaustible.

With fish they furnish the diet of the Indian in his native state. They consist of the wild plum,the cherry, the crab-apple,prickly pear, the raspberry, blueberry, scarlet currant, gooseberry, bearberry, and on lowground the cranberry.

The game is most varied and plentiful, as every one who has lived at Victoria can bear witness.

I have counted fifteen deer hanging in a butcher's shop. The mountain sheep, when full grown,weighs several hundred pounds. It is covered with long hair resembling coarse wool, withenormous horns. There is a tradition that when escaping pursuit the animal leaps overprecipices to a lower level, and it is upon these horns it throws itself. The flesh is equal to thatof the domestic sheep, but they are rarely caught as they keep up in the mountains untilforced down by the snow in search of food.

The fisheries have already become a prolific source of wealth and yet they are in their infancy.

The British Columbia salmon is well known, even in the English market, in which it has beenintroduced preserved, and has been favourably received. Herrings abound around the islands,and many kinds of fish are caught off the coast.

The development of the fisheries naturally will create other industries, such as are connectedwith their own recjuirements, with fish oil and isinglass. The mineral deposits are coal, iron and copper, with the precious metals. More or less gold isfound in every stream. There are immense iron ore deposits at Texada Island, in the Gulf of Georgia. Bituminous coal is found on Vancouver Island at several points; at Nanaimo the minesare profitably worked. Anthracite coal is obtainable on Queen Charlotte Island. The proximityof iron and coal cannot fail to have a large influence on the fortunes of the Province, especiallyas manufactured articles will find an outlet to the east by rail equally as by water in theopposite direction.

It remains only to allude to the scenery, of which it would be impossible to omit mention, for it

is in every respect remarkable. It presents the most marked contrasts. Grigantic mountains,themselves overcapped by snow-covered peaks, quiet prairie, foaming cascades, strikingwaterfalls, the most rapid of running waters, river reaches with scarcely a ripple. Everywhere itis bold and even its occasional sylvan quietude is impressive, sometimes reaching a grandeuras majestic as it is wild. The canyons are clefts in the mountains which ascend almostperpendicularly from the rivers and in some spots incline inwards, while a torrent fiercelyrushes through the fissure. On some sections of the Fraser terraces are seen to rise in regulargradations and to extend far back, each change of level shewing angles and slopes as definedas if formed by art. The peaks, in clear weather, are seen standing out in bold relief, recedingby gradations until the last outline can with difficulty be traced. Among all these bewil- deringspectacles are seen waterfalls descending hundreds of feet of perpendicular height.

The fiords indenting the whole line of coast run into the Cascade Range. Their shores riseperpendicularly to peaks, often a perpendicular mile from the water's edge, while the water isso sheltered as to be without a ripple and lies dark and fathomless at their base.

Travellers relate how, in the solitude of the wilderness, sounds have come upon them as of muffled thunder. It is the descent of an avalanche from a glacier, miles away from them ; orone of those mountain slides of earth and trees which occur in the summer heat in the lands athigh elevation. These spectacles are among the most wonderful movement of the earth'sforces. I have spoken of some of these phenomena as traces of them passed under my notice.

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It would be difficult to find in any one of the four continents more majestic or more variedscenery, marked by more of Nature's fertility of resource in grouping together scenes of astonishing grandeur. I do not except Switzerland, with which no comparison can be made, forBritish Columbia has a character of its own. It must be seen to be appreciated.

CHAPTER XXII. HOME BY THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.

Puget Sound - The Columbia - Portland - Oregon and San Juan Disputes - Arid Country -

Mountain Summits - The Yellowstone - The Missouri - The Red River - Chicago - Standard TimeMeeting - The British Association - Home

The fog had become less dense on the early Monday morning we were leaving Victoria to crossto Puget Sound, to proceed thence to Port- land, in Oregon. We had now entered on October.

It was the first of the month. My object in taking this route was to pass over the NorthernPacific Railway. It seemed to me in every way desirable, that correct information should beobtained of the nature of the country through which that line passes, and I had alreadytravelled over the Central Pacific line from San Francisco. The last spike had been driven whenwe were in the Valley of the Ille-celle-waet, and the opening ceremonies had been celebratedon an unusually large scale, three weeks back, before we had finished our journey across the

Selkirk Range.

We had crossed from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

We had passed over the four ranges of mountains by a hitherto partly unsurveyed route, and Ihad satisfied myself as to the possibility of establishing the railway on the line we hadtraversed. The journey we made was the first of its kind, and no limited portion of the distancehad proved exceedingly trying. In a few years the railway connection will be completed, andwhat a field for travel will then be opened to those who desire to visit the boldest and mostmajestic of Nature's scenes which the traveller will be able to visit with very little effort.

The Northern Pacific Railway extends from the western end of Lake Superior to Portland, in

Oregon, where it will have a connection with a branch line to Puget's Sound. To the east it is atpresent connected with St. Paul and Minneapolis, and is accordingly brought into relationshipwith the whole railway system of the continent. Its charter dates from 1864, so it has takentwenty years to complete the line. The enterprise has passed through many vicissitudes. Noreal progress in its construction was made until Messrs. Jay Cooke & Co., of Philadelphia,arranged in 1870-1 to float thirty million dollars of its bonds, by which means the line wasconstructed from Lake Superior to Bismarck, on the Missouri. The misfortunes of that firm in1873, involved the railway in the common ruin. The line was thrown into bankruptcy. Thecompany was re-organized, the bonds transferred into preferred stock, and the building of therailway commenced at the western end. The Missouri division followed. Several presidentsendeavoured to carry the line to completion. Finally a first mortgage loan was negotiated. Atthis period the credit of the company was established, money was obtained, and the track was

pushed on equally from east and west and the rails finally connected.

The steamer North Pacific crossed the San Juan de Fuca Straits to Admiralty Inlet andascended Puget's Sound. The day was wet and cloudy.

Neither at Victoria nor the Straits were we able to obtain a glimpse of Mount Baker. I wellremem- ber the first view of the majestic outline of this mountain, reaching far above snow-line. I was then at sea at a point eighty or one hundred miles distant. Its appearance is asfamiliar to the British Columbian as the less elevated "Fujisan" to the Japanese. Nor could wesee the striking Olympic Range, which in clear weather in so marked a way strikes the the eye

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on the southern coast of Vancouver Island. The steamer called at one or two places beforereaching Seattle, the principal port of Puget's Sound, itself a place of considerable importanceas the locality whence the product of the coal mines is shipped. Tacoma, however, was ourdestination, which we reached after dark. It has an excellent harbor, and is the terminus of therailway. It was so dark on our arrival that we proceeded to the nearest hotel, a few yardsdistant. In the evening, to obtain some exercise we indulged in the proverbial "sailor's walk"up and down the platform in front of the building.

We rose early next morning, for the train left at seven. The rain had ceased, but the sky wasdull, and there was no view of Mount Tacoma to the east of us.

The railway line ascends rapidly from the level of the Sound, and continues through a partiallysettled country, much of it prairie, with here and there groves of pine. The soil is generally of gravel except in the flats of the Kalama River.

The appearance of the homesteads differs little from the backwoods settlements of Ontario. Isaw no example of good husbandry, nor could I trace any signs of productiveness in thecountry through which we passed. We arrived at Kalama about noon, striking the Columbia forthe third time.

First, when we descended by the Kicking Horse pass; again, when we came by the Ille-celle-waet.

From the latter point the river has flowed some six hundred and fifty miles, four hundred of which are through the United States territory on a course southerly and thence westerly. Itnow makes a slight deflection to the north previous to discharging into the ocean at Astoria.

At Kalama we waited for the steamer which ascends the river to Portland, that portion of therailway being yet incomplete. We also took dinner at the one hotel, near the station. The farewas bad, the charges exorbitant. It seemed to me that there was much uncalled for delay inmoving on board a small quantity of lumber. Incidentally, it may be remarked that there is atone of thought, a course of action with the people on the Pacific slope by no means in accord

with eastern energy. There is no appearance of the bustle and rush you see nearer theAtlantic. The steamer is propelled by a stern wheel. She is of some size and is a regular riverboat, with tiers of state-rooms above the main deck. The river is about half a mile wide and isnavigable for seagoing vessels to Portland, and for some distance above that city for vesselsof less draught. Our trip is limited only to the thirty miles between Kalama and Portland. Wepassed places with ambitious names but of little promise. The cities of St. Helen and Columbia,so called, neither of which is half so large as the new town of Brandon.

Each may be described as the site of a saw-mill, with dwelling houses for the owner andworkmen.

We ascended the Columbia until we reached a branch, the Williamette, which we followed to

Portland. We were now thirty miles south of Kalama.

The River Columbia is the boundary between the State of Oregon and Washington Territory.

Portland, on the Williamette, is in Oregon. It is a commercial centre of such territory on thePacific slope as San Francisco has not made tributary. The construction of the Northern Pacific has exercised great influence on its growth, for intwelve years it has increased in population from 11,000 to 35,000. This city, like Montreal, issome distance from the coast, being one hundred and twenty-five miles from the ocean. But,

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unlike Montreal, it is not easily approachable by a very large class of ocean going vessels. Thewharves, however, present some animation from the ships moored there.

On this occasion there were one iron steamer and six sailing vessels. The railwayaccommodation for the transfer of freight is on an extensive scale, and its promise of aprosperous future seems well assured.

We went to the hotel, which we were told both at Victoria and on our way up the river, was the

best. If such be the case, Portland must be one of the worst provided cities, in this respect, inthe United States. Our rooms were small. One had no window to admit light. Not one of themhad a fire-place to assist in ventilation, which was especially needed, for the passages werefilled with a nauseating stench proceeding from the filthy offices immediately below. The bedswere without clean linen ; the towels seemed scarcely washed, certainly they had not beenironed nor been passed through the mangle. The supply of water was insufficient, and whenmore was asked for it was refused. To crown all, we were hurried off from the hotel at half-pastfive without breakfast, to cross the river to wait until seven, when the train started.

The night previous we secured tickets for Chi- cago and paid for a Pullman drawing-room, butthere was no Pullman on the train on starting, nor a restaurant car where we could getbreakfast.

From Portland the railway runs easterly two hundred and twenty-eight miles, to Ainsworth. Ourfirst view of the Columbia is striking. It is the locality where it flows through the CascadeMountains The line runs along the base of bold, rocky bluffs, twisting and curving a few feetabove the water line. The fog and smoky atmosphere conceal the mountains, but I should judge, when visible, that the view is picturesque.

For eighty miles from Portland the flora indi- cates a somewhat moist climate, but on passingeast of the Cascade Range everything is as dry as at Kamloops. We are informed that no rainhas fallen for four months. We see bunch grass on the hills. The rocks are balsaltic, and theindications suggest that the geology of the Thompson extends to this locality. One of the mostcharacteristic features of the landscape are the basaltic columns which stand out prominently

on both sides of the river.

Before twelve we reach the Dalles at the eighty-seventh mile. I have kindly recollections of thisplace, for we broke our fast here. It was dinner hour for the passengers, and what was servedwas Tery good. Our hostess was an Ontario woman from Kingston, and the landlord one of those genial, imperturbable geniuses whom our neighbours so often produce, who have beeneverywhere and learned much. In his wanderings he had been in Canada, whence he hadcarried away his wife. He had so much to tell us of the Dominion that we looked upon him as acountryman. Dalles, in Indian phraseology, we learn from him, means "swift water," or rapids.

We continue the ascent of the southern bank of the Columbia. The valley is generally from twoto three miles wide, in the centre of which the stream flows in its placid course. The banks are

hilly and appear broken frequently by trap and balsalticrock. For miles not a tree is to be seen.

The light, dry sand is drifted with the wind, like snow in winter, and sand is often formedduring storms into mounds and banks, which are more troublesome to the company than snowitself We were told that the trains were often seriously delayed by it. From the car windows wecould see the "dunes" which have accumulated in many places. An occasional house is visible,with the sand half concealing the windows; sometimes cast up to the very eaves. Perseveringefforts have been made to ariest its progress by planting trees, and to prevent the saplingsfrom being blown away the roots have been covered with paving stones. At other places the

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surface is shingled with boards to hold down the sand, so that it will not be blown on therailway track. The landscape has a dreary and forlorn look, which even the river fails fully torelieve.

About one hundred and fifty miles from Portland the high river banks have disappeared. Werun through a flat, level, barren country covered with sage brush, and we are probably lessthan three hundred feet above tide water.

Umatilla, one hundred and ninety miles from Portland, is the ghost of a once flourishing centre,which existed when gold digging in the Blue Mountains was actively followed. To-day it is apicture of desolation, with deserted streets, with dilapidated wooden buildings surrounded bya desert of sage brush.

There is one marked memorial of its prosperity : a graveyard, where many a poor miner lies inhis last home. The fence which encloses it is maintained, and what makes it more remarkable,it is the only fence to be seen for many a mile.

At Wallula Junction we have supper. There is at this place a branch to "Walla-Walla, thirty- onemiles distant. On the side track there is an excursion train full of "Oregon pioneers" travellingtowards St. Paul. They left Portland seventeen hours before us and had been detained by an

obstruction. As a regular train we take precedence and arrived at Snake Eiver about seven, alittle way above its junction with the Columbia at Ainsworth. Snake River is one of the chief tributaries of the Columbia; it takes its rise five hundred miles to the south-east. It is as yetunbridged, and we cross to the opposite shore by a ferry; passengers, mails and baggagebeing transferred to the train, attached to which, for the first time, we find the Pullman.

We have followed the valley of the River Columbia from Kalama to this point, generally on aneasterly course, south of the 46th parallel, ascending its great current flowing westerly. It runsin a southerly course directly from 49° lat. to this place; and now we leave this magnificentriver to see it no more on our journey.

The railway has followed the south or Oregon bank of the Columbia from Portland. As a

Canadian I could not but feel a deep interest in looking across on the opposite bank toWashington Territory. I reverted to the settlement by treaty of the Oregon question in 1846. G-reat Britain most justly claimed the whole territory north of the 42° parallel. The claims of theUnited States as set forth by them were only limited by Alaska. At that date the fact isundoubted that there was not a single citizen of the United States established north of theColumbia Eiver. The country was occupied only by the Hudson's Bay Company. The Columbiawas the thoroughfare of that Company to the Boat Encampment, already alluded to, at theextreme north of the Selkirk Range. This riyer would have made a good natural boundary line,and in itself would have been a compromise most favourable to the United States. It wouldhave given them Astoria and all the discoveries of Lewis and Clark, but the treaty of 1846 wassimply a capitulation even more inglorious than the Ash- burton Treaty of four years earlierdate, and will so live in history. Six degrees of latitude by three degrees of longitude of British

Territory were deliberately abandoned by the Imperial diplomatists, and what is moreremarkable the settlement was so ill-defined as, some years afterwards, to cause the San Juandifficulty, which raised great trouble and much ill-feeling.

At six next morning we arrive at Spokane Falls, a well built town with a population of fifteenhundred. The soil is light and gravelly, with groves of pine. We reach Rathdrum, thirty milesdistant, described in the guide book as an agricultural centre in the best portion of the valley. The train remains here twenty minvites. We learn that no rain has fallen since early in May,and that the crops are almost a failure. All the soil we have looked upon for three hundredmiles is sandy and gravelly, and without rain good crops can scarcely be looked for.

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At nine we reach Sand Point, four hundred and forty-five miles from Portland. From Ainsworthwe have been running in a north-easterly direction and we are now fifty miles south of theBoundary Line. The mouth of the Kicking-Horse Eiver is two hundred miles from us, nearly duenorth. I looked on Sand Point with some interest, for if we had been driven at the Ille-celle-waet to abandon our journey through the Eagle Pass, it was at this spot we would havereached the Northern Pacific Railway on our descent by the Columbia past Fort Colyille.

We have passed the northern part of Idaho and are entering Montana. At Heron, thirty-eightmiles from Sand Point, a few drops fall from the cloudy sky, we are told the only rain sincespring ! We are following Clark's Fork Yalley towards the Rocky Mountains. We come uponopen prairie with good soil and bunch grass pasture, with patches of good sized forest trees. The valley varies in width from one to five miles, and is not wanting in natural beauty. Itresembles somewhat Bow River, above Calgarry; but at Bow River the mountains are higherand bolder in outline than on the Northern Pacific, and at this spot the heights are wooded tothe summit and are unmarked by bold, rocky, lofty peaks.

We have rain during the afternoon. If it be acceptable to the arid soil it is equally welcome tothe traveller as an accessory to comfort. Hitherto the dust has followed us like a cloud, but therain dispels it. It is getting dark. My intention had been to stay up to observe, as best I could,

the mountain "divide," but as it was hopeless to look for moonlight I turned in before twelve.

I slept an hour when I again rose. It was still dark and drizzly, but the glare from the enginesworking their full power up the ascent was reflected by the hanging clouds, and near objectswere dimly visible. I was desirous of seeing what I could of the country, for we wereapproaching the divide of the water flow of the continent; the one turning to the Pacific, theother to the Atlantic and the G-ulf of Mexico. As morning advanced the sky became clear andthe features of the country visible.A tunnel two-thirds of a mile long, the Mullan tunnel, is in progress through the summit. Atpresent the rails are connected over the mountain by a surface line, four miles in length, withsteep grades. The train was drawn up by two engines and we crept up at a slow pace. Onreaching the highest point we came to a stand to admit of an examination of the couplings and

of the whole machinery of the locomotive and train.

We had now to face the serious work of descent.

The heaviest grade is confined to a mile. The inclination, evidently great, was shown by theangle formed by the hanging articles in the Pullman, with the vertical lines of its panels. Iextemporized a plummet and line with the silk cord of my glasses, and according to mycalculation the gradients we passed over for some distance exceeded two hundred and sixtyfeet to the mile; in one spot they reached nearly three hundred feet : 5.7 feet to the hundredfeet.

We left the temporary line and followed the permanent track, the gradient of which I was told

is one hundred and sixteen feet to the mile. In our passage over the summit no mountainswere visible. The hills through which we passed were but a few hundred feet higher than thetrack. We crossed the "divide" by a narrow depression, as far as we can judge, of no greatdepth. The exact length of the completed Mullan tunnel will be 3,850 feet, its height 5,547 feetabove sea level.

We have reached Helena. We are now in the valley of the Missouri. The second summit,between the Missouri and the Yellowstone Rivers, is about one hundred and forty miles distantfrom the main summit. Before reaching it I take the opportunity to get some sleep.

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Seventy miles from Helena we come to Gallatin.

At this spot the Missouri may be said to commence. It is fed by three important tributaries, the Jefferson, the Madison and the Gallatin, all rising within the periphery of a semi-circle of mountains visible to the south and east of us.

We passed through the fertile plain of Bozze- man, where we obtained a fine view of the RockyMountains, south of us. Their lofty peaks, tipped with snow, are probably eighty miles distant.

It could not have been very far from this neighbourhood that the sons of De la Yerendrye firstlooked upon the mountain heights as they ascended a branch of the Missouri. At Bozzeman wepre- pared for another ascent and pass over a temporary track until the Bozzeman tunnel iscompleted. It will be 4,500 feet long and 5,572 feet above tide level. There is a markedcontrast in the character of the heights at Bozzeman to those of Mullan.

The latter are wooded, whereas the former are bare, with only a few small bushes. TheBozzeman tunnel, although only through a spur of the Rocky Mountain chain, is a few yardsmore elevated than the Mullan tunnel through the main divide. At Livingstone we are in the Yellowstone Valley, eight hundred and eighty miles from Portland.

We followed the Yellowstone for three hundred and forty miles. Yellowstone park is sixty miles

to the south, and a railway leads to it from this point. We can see the mountains of theNational park in the distance, grand, lofty and striking, recalling some portion of the Selkirkrange. I saw nothing on the Northern Pacific Railway except this distant view, to equal themountains on our Canadian line.

We cross the Yellowstone River, about one hundred and fifty feet wide, and which takes its risein Yellowstone Lake, one hundred miles south of us.

At Livingstone we enter a prairie country which we follow in our journey eastward for twentydegrees of longitude. As we pass over the two water sheds, between five and six thousandfeet above the sea, we form the impression that there is abundance of moisture at thiselevation. We are now, however in comparatively low ground, and the district generally is

evidently dry, if not to some extent rainless. Possibly the mountains intercept the vapour-bearing clouds, or drive them into the higher regions. The maps show that there are spurs of the Rocky Mountains continuing to the north and south of the Yellowstone Valley for a longdistance east of the main range, but all of them are too distant from our point of vision or toolow to appear above the horizon.

The railway follows the general direction of the river, sometimes along its banks, and at noplace at any great distance from it. The soil on the bottom lands is loam or clay with a gravellysub-soil.

The grass is dry and thin, but preparations for irrigation on a considerable scale have beenundertaken west of Billings' station, one hundred and fifteen miles east of Livingstone. By this

means the lowlands adjacent to the river will be brought under cultivation. Beyond theimmediate valley itself, in which irrigation is practicable the ground must remain much as itnow is. East of Billings we meet the same arid country, with scanty herbage and a fewscattered trees of small size along the river's edge.

We are now in the territory which for so many years was the scene of frequent Indian wars.Fort Custer is to the south of us, and to the east Fort Keogh. At Custer station an ofhcerentered the train on his way to Fort Keogh. Like most officers of the United States army, hewas agreeable and full of conversation. He had had fifteen years' experience of the country,and consequently had many anecdotes to tell of the wars. He showed us a rusty revolver

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which, a few days previously, he had picked up from the field where Custer's whole commandwas destroyed in the last successful effort of the Red man on a large scale. We can recollectthe extraordinary excitement the news caused on this continent. I must frankly say that,making all allowance for Custer's known gallantry, my sympathies have always been with themen who rode after him, rather than with their leader. Custer himself, it is true, paid thepenalty of his rashness. The record is simple. He, with his command, some six hundred sabres,rode up the valley of the Rosebud. Not one returned to tell the tale of their extermination. Thecriticism of the day was not favorable to Custer's generalship. He had turned into an attack

what was intended as a reconnaisance. His critics accuse him of endeavoring to attract publicattention by some bold dashing movement, the one justification of which would have been itssuccess. Every reader of the Indian wars knows that the strategy of the Eed man is that of surprise and ambuscade, and that failure in observing caution in an advance, incurs thedanger of defeat and loss. The snare into which Custer fell is one of the most remarkable in itsresults that not a man escaped.

Its parallel in misfortune, however, was not long after witnessed at Isandula, when not oneman of the two hundred in the ranks of the Imperial second 24th regiment survived the Zuluattack on the unfortified camp.

During the night we left the Yellowstone at Glendive. We have passed over the Mauvaise Terre

which I had wished to see; but it was not possible, as it was dark when we came through it.Our restaurant car no longer accompanies us. The fact is brought to our mind by a bad andexpensive breakfast at Richardson, in Dacota. Between Glendive and Bismarck the soil isgood; the grass, however, is brown, but of better growth than to the West. At Sims, coalmining has been commenced with some success.

This place is scarcely a year old, but it contains a number of brick buildings. The site of thetown is on an eminence, and altogether it looks more promising than any spot we have seensince we left Portland. We are now in the hundred and second meridian of longitude.

Improvement advances as we proceed easterly; the towns are more numerous and betterbuilt, and are marked by more bustle. The land is of a higher character and better cultivated,

and we see a superior class of station buildings.

We reached Mandane on the Missouri. Bismarck is on the eastern bank, opposite. These twoplaces are the creation of a few years, and the progress they have made is marvellous. Theyare connected by a high level iron bridge. The three centre spans are each four hundred feet,on stone piers.

The height from the bottom of the deepest foundation to the top chord is one hundred andseventy feet, the height of the truss is fifty feet. It is approached by timber trestling at onepart sixty feet in height. It is a bold piece of engineering, and the cost is named at one milliondollars. The bridge was finished in May of last year.

The land near Bismarck is very good. Already the country is well settled; but night came onand cut off further observation. We passed over an important but scarcely perceptible water-shed, about one hundred and fifty miles east of Bismarck.

The elevation above the general level cannot be distinguished, and we have prairie around uson all sides. Near the small station of Sanbon we leave the basin of the Grulf of Mexico, andwithout visible signs of change pass to that of the Hudson's Bay. From the Eocky Mountains tothis point the drainage has been by the Missouri.

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: it was the twelfth. I attended the Section until the meeting closed, but no opportunity wasgiven me to introduce it. There was still another day, so I approached the Secretary andendeavoured to make some arrangement for its being read in the morning. I was curtly toldthat Section A would not meet again, as all the papers but mine had been disposed of, and hetook upon himself to add that the reading of my paper was of little consequence.

I deemed it my duty, without delay, to bring the circumstance under the notice of thePresident of the Association, but my letter did not receive the slightest attention. What could I

do ?

The letter of the Secretary received in London distinctly informed me that my paper would beconsidered, and consequently I had travelled to Dublin and waited from day to day until thelast meeting, but all to no purpose. I was unknown.

I was from the other side of the Atlantic, and in those days there was no High Commissioner toobtain common justice for the Canadian. I had simply experienced one of those acts of officialinsolence or indifference so mischievious in their influence and so offensive in their character,which I fear, in years gone by, too many from the Outer Empire experienced. I assume that thesecretary represented the Committee, and that the Committee had the right to form their ownopinion as to the importance of the subjects proposed to be brought before the Association,

and reject such as to them seemed unworthy of attention. But they were not justified in sayingone thing in London and acting as they did in Dublin. I will take upon myself to remind theofficers of the British Association that since that date the subject I proposed to bring beforethe Dublin meeting has not been considered beueath the notice of many scientific societies onboth sides of the Atlantic, that it has been earnestly discussed at International Congresses inVenice and Rome, and it has led to the House of Representatives and the Senate of the UnitedStates passing a joint resolution requesting the President to invite the attention of all civilizednations to the question.

It struck me as a singular coincidence that among the first things that I read in the Chicagonewspapers was the notice of the important meeting of Railway Managers [This meeting washeld on October 11th. As a result the Standard Hour system went into force throughout North

America on the 18th November following] to take definite action on the subject of regulatingtime, so unpleasantly disposed of in Dublin by the British Association, and that the Associationitself was coming to Canada to learn that the managers of one hundred thousand miles of railway, travelled over by fifty millions of people on this continent, had taken the firstimportant step in the scheme of Cosmopolitan Time Reckoning, which, as an Association, itofficially and offensively refused to entertain; and, further, to learn that on the 1st October,after their visit to Canada, an International Conference will be held in Washington, on theinvitation of the President of the United States, to take another step in its establishment, andto recommend to the world such farther action regarding it as may be deemed expedient.

I venture to say that members of the British Association visiting the Dominion next summerwill be received with cordiality and hospitality, and some may recross the ocean with new

ideas of the busy world outside of England. Possibly their visit to Canada and the warmreception which, I am sure, they will receive, will engender new feelings; less insular, perhaps,and more kindly, more sympathetic, towards their fellow subjects whose homes are to befound in the territory of the Empire which lies beyond the four seas.

From Chicago I followed the usual route to Ottawa. I paid my respects to His Excellency LordLome and Her Royal Highness, so soon to leave Canada. Lord Lome was in a few days toproceed to Quebec to meet Lord Lansdowne. I went on my way to Halifax, where I arrived onSaturday, 13th October, exactly seventeen weeks since I left for England, on the 11th of June.

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CHAPTER XXIII. THE INDIANS.

Indian Population - The Government Policy - Indian Instincts - The Hudson's Bay Company -Fidelity and Truthfulness of Indians - Aptitude for Certain Pursuits - The Future of the Red Man

In the foregoing chapters I haye alluded more than once to the Indian population scatteredover the Dominion and more especially remarkable in the North-West and British Columbia. Itis a subject to command attention when the future of Canada is at all considered. Fortunately

it is one concerning which little anxiety need be felt. The Government on one side recognizesits obligations to the Red man, and is desirous of doing him justice. The Indian is satisfied thatthere is a desire to treat him fairly. The land formerly held by them and now owned by theDominion has not been ruthlessly seized, arbitrarily held in possession by squatters andremorseless traders. It has been obtained by treaty on principles of right and justice, and hasbeen ceded to the commonwealth for an agreed equivalent; when the settler enters uponpossession, he simply takes his holding on Government land.

The decrease of the Indian population has steadily advanced since the settlement of the eastcoast by the first Anglo-Saxon in the seventeenth century. The number of the native race atthat date must be always a matter of conjecture. Catlin estimated it at that time to have beenfourteen millions, and half a century ago he described it as reduced to two millions. All the

early writers of Canada describe the populous condition of the Indian tribes. That they nolonger present this character is undoubted. General Lefroy, in a paper read before theCanadian Institute, of Toronto, in 1853, estimated the total number of Indians in North Americaat 250,000. Even without intercourse with the white man, their desolating wars, the frequentscarcity of food and the want of knowledge of the means by which life can be preserved, allhad their influence. As the country became more occupied and under the control of theEuropean, their territory became narrowed, and hence the greater cause of quarrel arose. Then the Indians of the Mohawk and those of Lake Huron became mixed up in the wars of theEnglish and French. During the revolutionary war with the United States and the war of 1812the tribes took opposite sides, while there were whole races who lived in open hostility to thewhite man.

Except in the North-West, they have almost passed out of mind. In Ontario they are seldomthought of, but in the neighbourhood where they are seen, nevertheless their number amountsto 18,000. In Quebec they attract greater attention; their number, however is only 12,000. Inthe Maritime Provinces they number 4,000. At present the estimated number of Indians east of the Rocky Mountains is 51,500 ; in British Columbia proper there are nearly 36,500; in themore northern Hudson's Bay Territories, Labrador and the Arctic coast, 9,000. In the North-West, at no late date, there was much to unsettle confidence, in view of the rapid strides withwhich settlement was advancing, and in view also of the difficulty which appears inherently toattend the solution of this important problem in political economy; more especially when weconsider the constant turmoil and difficulty experienced in the United States.

But the solution has been found, as much else in life, by following the very simple principle of

justice and honesty.

There are now in the North-West under the immediate care of the Government 10,000 Indians.

The proximate cost of beef and flour furnished them is twelve cents per head per day.

It may confidently be affirmed that the present satisfactory condition of our North-West Indianrelations is entirely owing to the admirable government of the Hudson's Bay Company. Oneprinciple observed was never to allow the Indian to suffer from starvation. Provisions underconditions of privation were given to those in need; but the recipients were made clearly to

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understand that it was an advance of goods to be repaid in the future. Those receivingassistance when in want, or to enable them to start for the hunting ground; were held to giveback the value of what was then given, when the recipient was in a condition to do so. Aprinciple was accordingly established, which the Dominion Grovernment is endeavouring toenforce : that the Indian should never regard himself as an object of charity, specially to beprovided for. He is by these means taught that to beg is discreditable, and to receiveGrovernment rations as alms is personally dishonourable to himself. He is taught self-reliance,for he is made to understand that the rations, or clothing, or powder m.ust be repaid by work

or otherwise as he can satisfy the claim.

The duty has accordingly been imposed on those able to work to make some return for whatthey have received. Such as these labour under the eye of the farm instructor on eachreserve. If there be no work there will be no food, a principle perfectly within Indiancomprehension and sense of justice. Moreover, what labour they give redounds to their ownpersonal advantage. The strides to civilization may not be immediate, but they areperceptible, and progress is in that direction. Above all things, the Indiau is satisfied, for liefeels that he is treated with justice.

We must, on our side, be reasonable in our expectations. We must remember that the Indianhas never been habituated to steady labour, and it should not be a matter of bewilderment if

he is vacillating and irregular in accepting that condition. For countless generations his lifehas been nomadic. He has been lord of the soil, bred a warrior, and the white men who hasbeen the cause of the change in his condition should bear with him and be patient, and extendhim help and aid. It is not only the Indian who finds it hard to accept the life of monotonousemployment, day out, day in. Many of our race who, at a somewhat advanced period in theircareer are set down to patient effort, find it no little of a trial. The hand of little employmenthath the daintier sense, and we must look to two or three generations passing away before theIndian will take his place in the family of civilized man. He has much of his former life tounlearn; he has to struggle against the instincts of his blood; he has to accept the orreat truththat labour is honourable. Those human lilies of the valley who toil not, neither do they spin,do not hold the same high grade in human estimation which they obtained a century back. Nodoctrine is more recognized than that every right is co-existent with a duty. The Indian has to

reach the condition of understanding that he can only hold his place by the side of the whiteman by fulfilling the obligations attendant on the position he claims. The white man engaged in the effort to elevate the Indian, must not be discouraged if theattempt made on his part does not at once lead to little more than perceptible results. Hemust look forward to much patient perseverance for many years, and he must guard againstdiscouragement. If he has difficulties to meet there is also much in the Indian character bywhich they are fitted for peculiar employment ; as guardians of rivers, as herdsmen, asboatmen; and they have extraordinary aptitude for any calling which exacts readiness of resource and quickness of perception.

Moreover, the Indian in many ways displays much artistic skill. The Indians of the Pacific coastespecially are noted for their taste. This is exemplified in the really fine models of ship

architecture seen in their large sea-going canoes. They are also distinguished for carving inwood and their work in metals.

They are capable of taking part in many profitable occupations. In British Columbia they arepreferred as labourers to the Chinamen. The Indian has proved himself to be an excellentassistant on a farm. He is useful in a saw-mill, and in suchmanufactures as he can undertake.

He can be relied upon as an overseer of rivers and to protect fisheries. He can be trained tolook after forests and to prevent the wholesale destruction of timber, so often the result of

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carelessness and imprudence. As forester and guardian of the observance of the game laws hewould be invaluable; and it is only by strict observance of our regulations with regard to theseason in which fish and game can be hunted and killed that its preservation can be assured.Who more fit for this duty ?

The Indians have already some minor industries, by which they show strong commercialinstincts.

They split cedar logs by means of yew wedges, which they sell to the northern tribes for sealor whale oil, blankets and dried fish. The seal fisheries which they carry on are of great extent.

The annual value is named at $200,000. Speaking generally of them in British Columbia, theyare in no way held in this western part of the Dominion, where they are well known, to be theunimpressible animals many assert them to be. I can myself trace many strong indications of progress, and I do not think that many years will pass before this fact has been clearlyestablished.

Many are now receiving instruction in agriculture. They are furnished with the necessaryimplements and seed. Cattle have also been given them. If in some instances there have beenfailures, the majority of those to whom these advantages have been extended have fairly

profited by them.

On many of the reserves much interest has been shewn in agriculture, with the importantresult that the grain raised has reduced the number of rations issued. It is proposed tointroduce on their farms pigs to breed from. It is held that many will understand that they arenot at once to be killed and eaten. If successful, it will prove a step of importance; on one sideinculcating thrift, on the other being a provision against want. Even the Blackfeet, who a fewyears back were continually on the war-path, have settled down to peaceable pursuits. Mostfamilies have a small farm or garden in place of the wigwam. An attempt is to be made toestablish industrial schools. But the Indians do not willingly see their children separated fromthem.

The Sioux, who were driven out of the United States twelve years back, came to Manitoba withthe stigma of the atrocities they were charged with; into these I will not enter. They asked ahome. They prayed to be allowed to be hewers of wood and drawers of water. No specialprivilege was claimed by them. The desire was granted ; and they have never violated thehospitality extended to them. Their career has been one of patient labour.

The Hudson Bay Company obtained control over the Indian, by its inflexible regard to itsobligations. They never falsified their word. The love of truth in the Indian in his naturalcondition is one of the marked features of his character. It is a virtue he respects in others, forhe himself practices it. It has been said that such was the confidence in every officer of theCompany, hence in every white man, that an Indian would accept a few pencil words which hecould not understand, on a sheet of paper, from a stranger, telling him to present it as a

certificate at a certain post in payment for provisions or skins or any service rendered.

The fidelity of the Indian to his engagements is best known by those who have intercoursewith him. However the fact may be disputed by mere petulant abuse, it is uncontradictable. Aproof of the strongest character can be adduced, even at this hour, by the agents of theHudson's Bay Com- pany. There are many localities where the business is not sufficient tosupport a resident store-keeper, where there are none but Indians. At the same time there arerequirements of traffic which cannot be ignored. This condition is met by an arrangement of asimple character, but it is only possible when unvarying good faith and honesty are observed. The Hudson's Bay Company erect a store, generally a large log shanty; glass being difficult to

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obtain, generally the windows are made of parchment. The door is only secured against theintrusion of wild animals, that is to say, it is securely fastened from the outside by a latch orbar. So any one can enter it at any time.

Here are stored such supplies as the Indian may need : blankets, clothing, arms, powder, shotand such articles as are used by the Red man. When an Indian in the district requires anyarticle from the store, he enters and takes what he wants, leaving behind the requisite numberof skins in barter, denoting by some mark the individuality of the deposit. A tariff of

equivalents has been established, and the Indian knows precisely what he has to leave behindfor the value of that which he takes away. This arrangement has existed for many years. Ihave never heard an instance of the store having been fraudulently visited, or of the leastdishonesty on the part of the Indian. In the regular periodical visit to these localities, in somecases not oftener than twice a year, the agents have invariably found everything in order andsatisfactory. In these visits the stock is replenished and the furs deposited taken possession of. The system still prevails, and until fraud has been learned from intercourse with the white manit will continue in the remote districts.

It is difficult amid civilized commerce to find a parallel to the confidence on one side and to thehonesty shewn on the other. If all the chronicles related of the days of Alfred be true, thenational honesty may then have partaken of the reliability and trustworthiness of the Indian.

But no other record of this character is to be found in any page of history. It can only exist,indeed, in a simple state of society in which the dominant class is marked by the strictesthonesty and fidelity to a promise made. It is this tone of personal honour which the Red manboth appreciates and in his own conduct observes, until it is lost in the vices and misfortunesof a civilization which generally he has experienced to his ruin, subsequently to be developedto untiring calumny of his race. Whatever the feelings and weaknesses of the Indian in hisnatural condition, in other respects truth and honesty are his marked characteristics.

There is a special difficulty in British Columbia, found in no other part of Canada, the custom of holding "pot-laches": feasts spread over much time, when extravagant gifts are made. Aproclamation was issued by Lord Lorne forbidding these meetings. It is now proposed to makethem a misdemeanor by statute. In some parts of this Province liquor has been introduced

among the Indians by the Chinese and others, and in some tribes the spirit of gambling isspringing iip. In one agency, however, they have been induced to burn their cards.

A more important proceeding is the introduction into the House of Commons of a measure togive some of the old tribes self-government. What is specially required is to make the Indianself-reliant and self-respecting. If he have to live by the side of whites he can only be taught asense of equality with them by removing every remnant of patronizing protection. Evencommunities not Indian, not subject to effort, from whom little exertion is called for, easilydrop into habits of indulgence and indolence. The true policy towards the Indian is that of extending to him protection from being robbed and abused, but at the same time teaching himto feel how much of his happiness depends on his own conduct, and that his future dependslargely on himself.

There are a class of men who reason themselves into the theory that the best civilization forthe Indian is to civilize him off the face of the country. Such as these seem to forget that theworst faults of the Red man are those which he has learned from our race. From the days of Columbus and Cortez until modern times, the white man has looked upon the Indians as aclass of beings to whom he was bound by no tie of honour.

By the wrongs he himself has committed he awakened feelings of revenge, and one policyonly was known, coercion and force. In modern times, happily, one duty has been recognized,the enforced abstinence of the Indian from liquor. Throughout the Dominion, but especially in

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the North-West, on Canadian soil, the strongest precautions are taken against the introductionof spirituous liquors. No alcohol is admitted into Indian territory. Were the contrary courseallowed, the Red man would soon degenerate into the lowest depths of misery and crime. It isnot to be denied that our own race shew many examples of dishonesty and fraud; but crimewith the Indian is found in its most marked form when in contact with the white man.

The experience of all who know them is that they have great tenacity of purpose, and willendure hardship and privation uncomplainingly. The advance of events has changed their

whole lives, and in the proportion that governments have recognized this fact and haveendeavoured to adapt the tribes to the new relations in which they have to live, so are theyfound to be willing to accept what lies before them and to be grateful for the considerationwhich they receive. The Canadian Grovernment is acting on this principle. Those who studythe question hopefully look forward to the day when the Indian population of the North-Westwill turn to pastoral and agricultural pursuits and constant labour to obtain their bread.

The present peaceable character of the Indian is sufficiently established by the fact that themounted police, which consists of five hundred men, is sufficiently strong to exercise theneccessary control over the fifty thousand of Indian population east of the Rocky Mountains.All authorities agree in stating that they are under perfect subjection to law, and that thepolice are competent to keep out the mischievous whiskey trader, whose progress through the

land is a blight and a curse where it passes. It is true that the days of adventure and individualprowess have passed away, bnt their energy and power of almost untiring effort remain. Allthat is needed is a healthful, well-considered, just policy to turn these good qualities into theright direction.

CHAPTER XXIV. THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY.

Rapid Construction - Travelling Old and New - Beginning of Pacific Railway - Difficulties - PartyWarfare - The Line North of Lake Superior - The United States Government- Mountain Passes -Soil and Gimate - National Parks - Pacific Terminus.

Any one who, with the least attention, has followed the writer in his journey cannot fail to have

observed the ease with which long distances on this continent in modern times are passedover.

Within the last quarter of a century the whole system of travel has changed. With efficientrailway carriages, possessing sleeping accommodation and accessories to personal comfortand with a restaurant car, making allowance for time and distance, the traveller may passover half a continent with no greater difficulty than he meets in going from London toLiverpool. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company has shewn extraordinary energy in theconstruction of the work. The progress seems fabulous four hundred and fifty miles of mainline, independently of collateral branches in the North-West, aggregating one hundred andforty miles, which they have completed in one summer.

The railway now extends westerly from Port Arthur, Lake Superior, to the first range of theRocky Mountain zone, thirteen hundred and ninety miles. It has practically reached the easternboundary of British Columbia, in itself identical with the mountain crest forming thecontinental watershed. The Canadian Government, in accordance with the contract, retainedin its hands the construction of the line from Kamloops to Port Moody, 215 miles. Theintervening distance of 300 miles remains to be constructed to complete the connectionbetween Lake Superior and the Pacific.

North of Lake Superior the line is under construction easterly. During the present winter aforce of 10,000 workmen have

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been continually engaged in the task of establishing the line between Port Arthur andCallander, 650 miles, at which last named point connection has been made with the railwaysystems of Ontario and Quebec.

By degrees these gaps will be closed, and in two or three years it is estimated that trainsstarting on the eastern seaboard will run on an unbroken line to the Pacific waters. Literally anew continent will be opened to the traveller; the tourist of other lands will be tempted to visitCanada by the care bestowed on his comfort and convenience, and by the moderate expense

at which the journey can be accomplished.

During the last century travelling was the pre- rogative of the wealthy alone. The spirit of enterprise which leads to the examination of the institutions and the inner life of foreigncountries was not general. The journey itself was marked with so much discomfort that itrequired no little love of adventure to face the ordeal. There was also the insular prejudiceagainst the continent and what is still called foreign manners. Men of ancient families and of large ancestral acres frequently, during a long life, were known not to have extended theirvisits beyond the county town of their shire. The grand tour of the continent, it is true, was aportion of the education of the sons of noblemen and of men of large fortune, but it wasenjoyed by few others. It was not simply a matter of money which imposed a limit to thenumber. Leisure was equally necessary for its enjoyment, and men in busy life could not give

the time required. To pass from one locality to another, separated by long distances, even inEngland itself, was a matter of expense; and, although in their day the mail coach and the postchaise achieved wonders in the then standard of rapid movement, it was only the possessorsof assured and ample means who could use those conveyances to any extent for a pleasuretour.

The wide influences which steam applied to motion, exercised upon life in all its forms wasrapidly felt. When we consider the shortness of the period within which these changes havearisen, we recognise additional ground for astonishment, that in so limited a period so muchhas been done to mould us to a new condition of being. All the important departures from ourold theories and habits haye taken place within this century. It was but a few years beyondthis limit when John- son expressed the belief that one of the happinesses of life was to be

whirled rapidly along in a post chaise. Only a few years previously, in l762, Brindleycommenced his first canals which, if they did not admit of speed, permittedintercommunication along their line, until the very traffic which they created led to theestablishment of railways, in one sense, to supplant them.

The success of the locomotive and the rapidity of movement which it created, with thedecreased cost of travel, were early suggestive of the modifications which would arise inthought, in manners, in the form of life and the political aspirations of modern times. Theopening of railways in the early stages of the system established that the new mode of conveyance was one attended with less risk and danger than the old stage and mail coach,and by the control obtained over it applicable to all our wants. Moreover, it was of commonutility from the extreme lowness of the charge which it exacted from those using it. It is no

exaggeration to say that with the highest class of minds profound emotion was experienced inthe changes which they saw would follow in the introduction of this new awakening of thought.It was to them an entirely new departure from old traditions. The ordinary mass of men sawbut little beyond the excitement of the hour. Not a few feared trouble in its democraticdevelopments, that something portentous and inevitable had come into being, theconsequences of which could not be foreseen. It was felt that life henceforth would be turnedinto a new track. Men traced an analogy of feeling to that experienced by their fathers whenAmerica was discovered, when printing became a power, when the Eeformation establishedliberty of thought and made inward conscience the guide of conduct. It was felt that newrelations of life, new comforts, joys and sorrows had come upon us ; that the institution of the

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the practicability of the Railway had been grappled with and solved. The formidable naturalbarriers which lay before us had been penetrated. Construction had been commenced atseveral points between British Columbia and Lake Superior, within a range of two thousandmiles; and, further, the completion of a length of railway of eight hundred miles, embracingsome of the most difficult sections of the work, was assured within a very short period of time. The latter in the west piercing to the heart of British Columbia from the Pacific, and in the eastopening up a way through Canadian territory for the influx of settlers to the fertile prairies of the North-West.

As I am writing, the subject of the Canadian Pacific Railway is again before Parliament. Fouryears ago the Ministry entrusted the construction of the railway to a Company. The measurewas carried by large majorities in both Houses. If I understand the argument advanced for thispolicy, it was advocated on the ground that a Company could carry on the work moreefhciently and more economically than a Department of the Government.

The facts disclosed in the recent discussions in the House of Commons establish that aCompany cannot find money at less than double the cost at which it is obtainable by theCanadian Government. The Company has been raising capital at more than nine per cent. TheGovernment can find money at four per cent, or less. That a Company can carry out a nationalundertaking more efficiently and economically than a government, if the argument be not a

fallacy, most certainly implies that there is some defect in the system of government itself.

The difiiculty with our present system lies in the fact that the interests of party must beconsulted, whatever the cost, whatever the sacrifice.

Party takes precedence of every other consideration.

Party seems to cloud the judgments of men who, in many instances, are irreproachable inprivate life. Public men seem to act on the principle that there is one creed and language forthe hustings, the press and parliament, and another for social intercourse.

The Canadian Pacific Railway has been considered a political question during three

administrations, and has played an important part in party warfare. Every year, since 1871,motion after motion has been made in Parliament relating to engineering operations and themode of conducting the work. Seldom hare there been such acrimonious discussions.Frequently the whole debate was dictated by the party results supposed to be obtainable.Committee followed Committee, year after year, in the Senate and House of Commons,nominally to investigate matters, in reality to create party capital. Who now can point out theslightest result from all these efforts ? Two Royal Commissions of special enquiry wereappointed.

The first made no report ; the second prolonged its sittings for two years, at a cost of some$40,000 to the country. What remains of the labours of those Commissions beyond the itemsof their cost in the public accounts ? The report of the second Commission was contained in

two bulky volumes. The record of an attempt for party ends to blast the reputation of men whohad given the best years of their lives to the performance of public duty.When this report was considered it was held to be so valueless that it has never beencirculated.

In Canada we enjoy a liberal constitution, and it may be affirmed that it is the only principle of authority which, as a people, we would tolerate.

It cannot, however, be said that in its present form our system of government is an unmixedblessing. We may ask if representatiye goyernment is ever to be inseparable from the defects

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which form the most striking feature in its application and administration, especially on thiscontinent. Must a country constitutionally governed be inevitably ranged into two hostilecamps ? One side denouncing their opponents and defaming the leading public men of theother, not hesitating even to decry and misrepresent the very resources of the community andto throw obstacles in the way of its advancement. Never was partyism more abject orremorseless. Its exigencies are unblushingly proclaimed to admit the most unscrupuloustactics and the most reprehensible proceedings. Is there no escape from influences sodegrading to public life and so hurtful to national honour ?

It is evident that the evils which we endure are, day by day, extending a despotism totally atvariance with the theory and principles of good government. Possibly Canada may be passingthrough a phase in the earlier stage of her political freedom. Can we cheer ourselves by thehope that institutions inherently good will clear themselves from the slough into which theyunfortunately may be immersed ? May not the evils of partyism at last become so intensifiedthat their climax will produce a remedy. As by natural laws a liquid in the process of fermentation purifies itself by throwing off the scum and casting the dregs to the bottom, somay we be encouraged to believe that we are approaching the turning period in the politicalsystem we have fallen into, and that year by year Parliament will become less and less aconvention of contending party men and be elevated to its true position in the machinery of representative government. Public life will then become more ennobling; it will, indeed, be an

object of ambition for men of honour and character to fill places in the Councils of the Nation,when rectitude of purpose and patriotism and truth will be demanded in all and by all whoaspire to positions of national trust and dignity.

From the earliest days of my connection with the Pacific Railway I felt convinced of its nationalnecessity. If the North-West country was to become a part of the Dominion vigorous efforts forits settlement were necessary. Among the facilities to be given to the immigrant one of themost important was that of obtaining a means of ingress and a market for his produce. Takingthe geographical central position of the country it was not enough to have completed aconnection in one direction. If, in due time, a market was open to the Atlantic, it appearedequally essential that an outlet to the Pacific should be obtained. It was clearly foreseen thatthe only true principle on which the line could be constructed was to form a connection equally

with the valley of the St. Lawrence and with the Pacific Ocean.

This view was not generally entertained. There were many who readily admitted that theRailway should be carried across from Red Eiver to Lake Superior, to find an outlet to the Eastby the St. Lawrence. For without such a connection no Canadian character would have beengiven to the line, and freight and passengers equally would have been diverted to St. Paul andChicago, to be engulfed in the United States system of railways.

But while such as these recognized the commercial and political wants of a line from theinterior to Lake Superior, there were many who saw no advantage in its Eastern extensionalong the north shore of Lake Superior, to connect with the lines in operation to the East. Itwas held that the Railway should terminate at Lake Superior. It was argued that from May to

the month of November navigation is open for vessels to proceed by the lakes and the St.Lawrence; and that during the remaining five months of the year it was contended thatconnection could be obtained by passing over the Canadian frontier to St. Paul and byfollowing the railways eastwards. It was remembered that Montreal had been many yearswithout a winter port, and that no practical inconvenience by that arrangement had followed.

On the contrary, that every convenience had resulted, and for the five winter months thelimited travel of that period had been profitably directed through the United States Railways toPortland.

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Very many, therefore, argued that the line should stop at Port Arthur, and that the completionof the portion on the north shore of Lake Superior should be postponed for an indefinite period.I have always held a different opinion. My theory, from the first, has been that the constructionof a Pacific Railway meant the construction of the whole Railway.

If Canada had held the sovereignty of the south shore of Lake Superior or controlled therailways in operation by the South Shore, there was much plausibility in the argument that theseveral links should be connected by the completion of the parts wanting, and that this route

should be followed for a quarter of a century or until a large increase of population called forthe construction of the line along the north shore of Lake Superior. But all lines south of thelake pass through the States of Michigan and Minnesota. Any diplomatic difficulty would atonce be felt in this direction. We were, by such a policy, creating for ourselves a weak spot tobe felt on the least strain in our relations with our neighbours. That it is not a fancifulsupposition may be found in President Grant's proposition to Congress in his annual messageof 1880. In alluding to the course taken by the Canadian authorities in seeking to protect theinshore fisheries of the Dominion and to the Statute passed by Parliament in that intent,General Grant makes the following deliberate proposal to Congress : "I recommend you toconfer upon the Executive the power to suspend by proclamation the operation of the lawsauthorizing the transit of goods, wares and merchandize in bond across the territory of theUnited States to Canada; and, further, should such an extreme measure become necessary, to

suspend the operation of any laws whereby the vessels of the Dominion of Canada arepermitted to enter the waters of the United States."

Such language as this is a threat of no slight moment, and its record is a warning both sopowerful and unmistakeable as not to allow it to pass without providing against thecontingency of its future execution. With a summer route by water via Port Arthur and a winterrailway line through the United States to Winnipeg, encouragement would be offered to theUnited States Government on the slightest provocation, to repeat the language of GreneralGrant, and for Congress to carry it into effect. Without a connection on the north shore of LakeSuperior we would have possessed but a shadow of a line, which an hour's declaration of unfriendliness would have nullified. Even in summer Canada would be practically cut in two,for the canal overcoming the Rapids of Sault St. Mary, at the outlet of Lake Superior, is in the

State of Michigan. With the connection completed from Ottawa we are perfectly independentof any diplomatic strain on our relations.Possibly the cost of our freedom from this risk may be some millions of dollars, but it isprecisely the situation when cost cannot be counted.

Some attempt has been made to cumber the problem by assertions of the bleak and barrencharacter of the intervening distance from Callender to Port Arthur. One important industry iscertainly ministered to by this line : that of the lumber trade.

At a period when some of the old fields of enterprise have ceased to furnish the timber supplyof former days, all the territory where the waterfall runs away from the Ottawa will be directlyserved by this line, and an opportunity for working it opened up.

It is also confidently affirmed that the mineral wealth of the territory is great and that in nolong period many important industries will arise in connection with its development.

The British Columbia terminus of the Pacific Railway involved many considerations and it couldnot at once be determined. At any early stage of our proceedings it was expedient to adopt apass through the mountains which would admit of a connection with any one of the manyharbours advocated. The Yellow Head Pass was the only one to meet this condition; it wasattended also with the accompanying advantage that the line from Red River to this localitypassed through the heart of the best land in the North-West. It has been designated the fertile

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belt; a fact, I believe, indisputable On both sides of the proposed line the land was marked bygreat productive qualities; the soil was considered, in every respect, suitable for agriculturalpurposes. Moreover, the line so projected ran within easy reach of the extreme Peace RiverDistrict, by some reported to be the most fertile of the North-West. It was these reasons, itslow elevation and its freedom from objectionable features of climate, which led to the almostuniversal recognition of the excellency of the Yellow Head Pass. I have not seen it necessary tomodify the views which, under the aspect in which it was selected, I then expressedconcerning it. I still regard it as peculiarly favourable, and under that aspect superior to every

other passage through the mountains to the south or to the north.

When the Railway Company entered into their contract with the Grovernment and assumedthe work of construction, the conditions under which the consideration of the locationpresented themselves were no longer the same. Port Moody, Burrard Inlet, had been definitelychosen as the terminus, and construction had commenced between Kamloops and PortMoody, that distance being the extent of line which the Government undertook to complete. To the East the line between Lakes Superior and Winnipeg was also being pushed forward withvigour by the Grovernment. The problem which the Company had to solve was the locationbetween Winnipeg and Kamloops. They have considered it on the principle of obtaining theshortest trans-continental route, and in these few words they explain the theory of theirselection. They claim that this reason, in itself, is all powerful to determine the location by the

more southern route which they follow, and one in itself sufficient to meet any objection urgedagainst it.

In the earlier pages of this volume I described the soil of the country west of Winnipeg throughwhich the Railway has been constructed, and I expressed my opinion as to its capability foragricultural development. It is generally conceded that for four hundred miles, to Moose Jaw, itis of great fertility. I could not learn one unfavourable view of any portion of this extent withthe most trifling exception. The whole distance may be said to be entirely free from thatsterile, forbidding surface soil which passes under the name of waste land.

There is by no means the same unanimity of opinion regarding the country from Moose Jaw toCalgary. Travellers and land jobbers in Winnipeg described it to me as a semi-desert. I came to

a different conclusion. I was surprised, from what I heard, to find the soil such as I havedescribed it.

I am satisfied that the same land in the climate of the farming districts of England andScotland would produce the most luxuriant crops. I will not compare it in character to the landaway to the north on the route by Edmonton. In many places I found the pasture short anddried brown, as it is often to be seen in the best districts of Ontario at the end of August, theperiod of the year I passed through the North-West. The fears which I heard expressedrespecting an insufficient rainfall exacted more attention, for without moisture even good soilwill bring only indifferent crops. This important consideration, however, will soon be broughtwithin the domain of fact. The railway company has commenced a series of experimentaloperations, breaking up the land and bringing it under cultivation in the neighbourhood of the

stations in those localities where any doubt has been expressed of the character of the soil.

I have crossed the continent on the four different lines now known, and to a certain extent cancontrast the features of the country and its fertility as they are represented on each line bysuch an examination as I could make. We have, likewise, the known opinions of each separateroute by those familiar with it. So some fair ground of comparison exists as to theircharacteristics : -

1. The Central and Union Pacific from Omaha to San Francisco;

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2. The Northern Pacific from St. Paul via Portland, Oregon, to Puget Sound;

3. The Canadian Pacific from Lake Superior to Port Moody by the Kicking Horse, Rogers andEagle Passes;

4. The line originally surveyed from Lake Superior to Port Moody by the North Saskatchewanand Yellow Head Pass.

Speaking generally, the country traversed by these lines is the least valuable on the mostsouthern and increases in value as the lines run through the more northern country.

The best land is undoubtedly to be met on the line through the valley of the NorthSaskatchewan, leading to the Yellow Head Pass. The most indifferent is the Central Pacific atthe south.

The Northern Pacific line passes through a better country than the latter, but is again greatlyinfe- rior to the land between Winnipeg and Calgary, which I cannot recognize as so good as onthe more northern route.

The engineering character of the four trans-continental routes may in some respects be judged

by the mountain summits passed over.

The Central and Union Pacific Railway passes over four main summits at intervals apart of from 300 to 400 miles; the lowest of which is 6,120 feet, the highest is 8,240 above sea level.

The Northern Pacific line passes over two summits 120 miles apart, reaching elevations of 5,547 and 5,572 feet.

The Canadian Pacific Railway, by the route followed on the recent journey, has the Bow Riversummit, 5,300 feet, and the Rogers summit, 4,600 feet above sea level. The latter summitmay, however, be entirely avoided by following the River Columbia, a detour which wouldsomewhat lengthen the line.

The one main summit on the line by the North Saskatchewan is at the Yellow Head Pass, 3,720feet above tide water.

As nearly as can be ascertained, the lengths of the four lines are as follows : From Montreal toPort Moody by the YellowHead Pass 2,940 miles, and by the route adopted 2,890 miles. From New York to Tacoma bythe Northern Pacific 3,380 miles, and from New York to San Francisco by the Central Pacific3,270 miles. It thus appears that the railway through Canada will be 380 and 490 miles shorterbetween ocean ports than the other lines established through the United States.

The Canadian Pacific, now in process of construction, has this remarkable peculiarity : it is

unsurpassed in the variety and magnificence of its scenery. Between Calgary and Kamloopswe meet a group of bold, striking combinations of rivers and mountains, not yielding in anyway to the scenery of Switzerland, so often visited and described. I have not myself seen the Yosemite Valley, but, judging from the photographs which are well known, my experiencesuggests that there are scores of places in the mountain zone to be made accessible by theCanadian Pacific equally as striking and marked by as much beauty. They only require to beknown to obtain a worldwide fame. There are also some localities near the north shore of LakeSuperior possessing attractive scenery of a difierent character It is therefore suggested thatthe opportunity for establishing one or more national parks or domains should not beneglected. Two such Parks of ample dimensions, one to the east and the other to the west,

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might now be selected. The most easterly should undoubtedly embrace Lake Nepigon, to thenorth of Lake Superior, and the other should take in possibly one hundred miles square of thefinest mountain scenery in the Rocky Mountain zone.

Such parks, with the marked salubrity of the climate, would attract visitors to frequent them.

Rendered perfectly easy of access by the Railway, and with assurance that the life to be foundthere was marked by comfort

at no extravagant cost, these resorts would, especially in the heat of summer, bring manywithin their boundaries on the score of health and recreation. Sportsmen and crowds of tourists would flock thither, some to hunt the grizzly, the cariboo or the bighorn, others to fishthe splendid speckled trout to be found in the mountain streams; many with alpenstock inhand to climb the glacier-covered heights, and all to enjoy the pure air and the charm of thescenery and the striking features of natural beauty nowhere else to be seen. Every year alimited expenditure in forming roads and bridle paths to the remote sections would render thelocalities more and more attractive. In no long time all the aid that art could furnish would bemanifested in developing the landscape and in establishing retreats of quiet and repose amidsome of the grandest scenes of wild nature. Evidently such improvements, being in thecommon interest, they should in some degree be borne by the Dominion. In itself it would be anational matter. It would require no large expenditure; the development should be gradual

and systematic, and in a few years the Dominion would possess attractive spots of the rarestpicturesque scenery, to be ranked among those remarkable localities which all look upon withpleasure, and which, by the number of strangers who would visit them would become a sourceof general profit. It is scarcely possible to estimate the amount of money circulated in thisform in Switzerland. It really forms no inconsiderable part of the annual revenue of theRepublic. Once a route of travel and centres of attraction of this character are established withourselves, the profit derived would be equally considerable; and, taking the question in itscommercial aspect, would repay any moderate outlay so incurred.

One important result of more than ordinary Imperial interest is attained by the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Halifax, with its admirable harbour, is the headquarters of theNorth American fleet, and its dockyard is furnished with every accessory for refitting and

repair. If the British fleet is to rendezvous in Pacific waters, it must be plain that the sameopportunities for repair and renewal of stores must be extended, and in proportion that thedistance from England is greater the more positive demand exists for a completely equippeddockyard on the Pacific Coast.

Naval and military men have come to the one conclusion on the subject : that the ImperialDockyard should be as near as practicable to the terminus of the Railway. Indeed it must beevident to all, that where there is a naval station with war vessels on active service there mustbe the means of refitting and renovation, in a location central and accessible, and oneperfectly defensible. It is held that the dockyard should be on an efiicient scale, so that a shipof war which has found refuge in port, whatever her condition, can be replaced in her integrityand made completely serviceable.

Captain Colomb, in reference to Imperial and Colonial responsibility in war, has remarked"That an absolute and pressing necessity exists for the "erection of a great Imperial dockyardat the other side of the world which would relieve the pressure on home dockyards, and fulfilduties they cannot in war perform, and in peace offer commercial advantages of constructionand repair to ships of the mercantile marine.'' The advantages of a naval station in BritishColumbia extends beyond the mere repairing and refitting of vessels. They can be best setforth in the words of Admiral Mayne, who reports that with respect to the fleet in Chinesewaters : - " Our ships there which are sometimes almost disabled from sickness, could reachthe healthy climate of Vancouver in six weeks, and might, if required, be relieved by vessels of

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the Pacific Squadron. Vessels have been ordered to Esquimault from China with crews greatlydebilitated, and afterwards returned with all hands in perfect health." However well situatedEsquimault may be for a Sanitorium, it cannot be looked upon as offering equally the propersite for a naval arsenal. Esquimault was selected, it is said, at mere haphazard for the purposeof an hospital during the Crimean war. It is an exposed situation, and its defence iscomplicated by the position of the city of Victoria in the neighbourhood.

The construction of the railway, with its terminus established at Port Moody, has totally

changed all the circumstances which hitherto had obtained prominence. It is now held that thenaval dockyard should be on Burrard Inlet, near the terminus.

The site has been pointed out by Major-General Lawrie and advocated by him in a carefullywritten paper, in which both the question of the necessity of such a dockyard and the site itself are fully discussed.

The spot on Burrard Inlet described by General Lawrie, is held to be eligible in every point of view. It is defensible by land and by sea, with good anchorage in front. It is situated on thenorth shore, west of the North Arm, so far within the Inlet as to be unassailable by cruisers,except at the risk of their total destruction, unapproachable by surprise by land, and in closeproximity to the terminus of the railway; while at the mouth of the Inlet batteries can be

constructed to make entry next to impossible. It must also be borne in mind that Burrard Inletis directly opposite to the coal fields of Nanaimo. Coal is even to be found on Burrard Inletitself, and in modern naval warfare coal is an important article of equipment. Indeed, it may besaid to take priority; for without fuel no vessel of modern construction can move from heranchorage. The supply of coal, therefore, becomes of primary consideration, and the sourcewhere it can be obtained is of special value and has jealously to be protected.

These views of naval and military men have been widely echoed by all who have studied thequestion. It is on all sides an accepted opinion that with the completion of the Railway,bringing British Columbia within twelve or fifteen days of England, the terminus on BurrardInlet becomes the most important strategic centre on the Pacific Ocean.

CHAPTEE XXV. CONCLUSION.

England and Canada - Old and New Colonial Systems - Political Exigencies - The HighCommissioners - Lord Lorne's Views - The Future - The French Element in Canada - ColonialFederation - The Larger Union

Scarcely a season passes without the production of some Yolnme of startling adventures. If romance of incidents have been sought in these pages the result must have beendisappointing.

Nevertheless I venture to think that the described journey, embracing one hundred and twentydegrees of longitude, which I twice passed over in seventeen weeks, must have some interest

to many who are identified with the growth and development of the Empire.

If I have any dominant thought in putting these pages into type, it is the hope that they mayaid, in however humble a manner, in placing in prominence the close relationship betweenGrreat Britain and British North America, and in showing how firmly and permanently it may beestablished.

Inferentially, it may be said that the feeling of attachment to the Mother Land, which isblended with hope for the future, is not confined to the Dominion alone, but is common to allthe outlying Provinces, in whatsoever quarter of the globe they may be.

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The part which Canada has to play in the aggregation of States which constitute the BritishEmpire is a subject which has constantly crossed my mind when engaged on these notes. It isa subject which I can only approach with diffidence.

Until late years there has been an active Imperial minority who estimate the value of coloniesby a narrow standard. They regard them simply as possessions beyond the sea which, whenthey cease to yield direct returns of profit, should be considered as so many sources of

weakness. It was not only with complacency that men of this stamp viewed their possibleseparation from the Imperial relationship; but they advocated a severance of the connectionequally as a benefit to the community to be cut adrift as to the Mother Country, which wouldthus be relieved of an embarrassing and unprofitable responsibility. The early difficulties whichwere experienced in some of the colonies arose mainly from the blunders andmismanagement due to the fact that the principles of colonial government weremisunderstood. The second Pitt was one of the first boldly to advance the theory that the giftof self-government to the colonies would serve to attach them to the Mother Country, and Foxgave expression to his conviction that the only method of retaining them was to enable themto govern themselves.

The old colonial system has passed away. It is now forty years since virtual self-government

was given to Canada. The Colonial Legislatures became supreme in all matters which bore onnational life within their geographical limits. The only attempt at control exercised has been onthose points of legislation which had an Imperial bearing.

Since the days when the Colonial House of Assembly possessed the power of directing its ownlocal affairs there has been an end of the heart-burnings and disputes which were neverabsent on any assertion of Downing street control. The concession of self-government in a fewyears not only quieted the public mind concerning much which had agitated it, but it admittedthe settlement of the most difficult questions, such as the Seigniorial Tenure in French Canadaand the advance of money on municipal security. It enabled each successive administrationto devote its energies to the establishment of the great public works necessary to open outimportant lines of communication. The true principle of colonial government has thus been

realized. Great Britain has adopted as a fixed policy and has faithfully adhered to the principleof giving to her colonies of European races, equally with the United Kingdom, the fullest libertyof self-government, entailing upon them the wise observance of their political duties. As aconsequence a totally new character has been given to Provincial aspirations. The principle,even with enlarged powers, has been extended to the Confederated Provinces of theDominion.Many prominent men have advocated an extension of the system. They claim that theDominion should be represented in the Imperial Parliament.

The difficulty must always exist that the Canadian, as a representative of his own country,cannot with propriety interfere with questions affecting the domestic and political condition of the people of the British Isles. Their internal affairs can only be constitutionally controlled by

their own representatives in parliament at Westminster. The Canadian's interests are assuredby his own institutions. It is the Parliament at Ottawa which controls the laws of the Dominion. Those who dwell in the United Kingdom might equally claim to interfere in the legislation of this country as the Canadian to vote on laws in the working of which he has no direct interest.It would be at variance with all right for a representative from this side of the Atlantic to cast avote on questions of taxation and expenditure to which the Dominion in no way contributed.

It is only step by step that human institutions adapt themselves to political exigencies. Theadvance of opinion is slow. All change is pertinaciously resisted. The British Constitution hasgrown and been developed from the first century of its existence. It may not always have kept

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pace with the progress of events, but the advance has been steadily in the direction of goodgovernment. Why should it cease to adapt itself to human requirements ? As the world movesonwards it will doubtless continue to expand and to improve, and as circumstances demand itselasticity will admit of extension. Certainly there are wonderful progressive agencies now atwork, and the conditions of life are changing every year.

We cannot doubt that some political organization will be arrived at by which the various unitswhich make up the Empire, while maintaining full control over their own local affairs, will be

held together by an alliance founded on mutual affection and a consensus of belief in thecommon benefit which all derive.

In the mean time matters cannot be left to chance, and the best possible provision must bemade by which the Dominion may be represented at the Imperial centre. To a great extent thevoid is supplied by the presence in London of a High Commissioner. He is a member of theCanadian Privy Council and can speak with authority on the part of the Ministry of which, tosome extent, he is a member. All special representations can be clearly and lucidly submittedthrough him, while he can receive and forward those confidential communications which aremade public only when it is expedient to publish them. There is here a guarantee againstmisrepresentation or misunderstanding on both sides by means of an organization which issimple and natural.

In his address to the Royal Colonial Institute Lord Lorne referred to the appointment of a HighCommissioner, resident in London, representing the Dominion. He alluded to it as "by far themost important event which has occured in the colonial history of the last few years. As thefirst step taken by a colony and cordially accepted by the Imperial authorities," to lead to anarrangement by which the Imperial policy will be directly guided.

Lord Lorne in no way overvalues the importance of the presence at the Imperial centre of aHigh Commissioner of ability and experience. The Dominion thus represented can submit onall occasions precise and correct information, and in matters of treaty with foreign powers canset before the Imperial authorities the considerations which directly affect our interests. Wehave but to think of what we suffered through the ignorance displayed during the Ashburton

negotiations leading to a treaty which, in its disastrous features, could not be repeated to-day.

Until late years, except the few who by some strange chance obtained the official ear, theCanadian entrusted with official business with the home government felt that he was notincluded in the circles and courtesies of diplomacy. Then the ordinary Canadian who waspresent in London was made painfully to feel that he was far less fayonrably placed than theactual foreigner. The citizen of a foreign state had his Embassy to which he could addresshimself, but the Colonial Office seemed to have the door barred asrainst the Colonist.

If the teaching of history has any weight the barriers between the British people on the twosides of the Atlantic should be entirely removed.

By the appointment of a High Commissioner the connection between the Empire and Canada,so far as the individual is concerned, becomes more real.

The great truth to bring to the mind of the Canadian who sets his foot on the soil of the parentstate, be it England, Ireland or Scotland, is that it is his home; that he is in much the sameposition as he would occupy in any Province of his own land.

The office of the High Commissioner is common ground whereon all may meet. At this centrethe Canadian registers his name, and his address is known to all who ask for it. It is at thisoffice that all enquiries about him can be made. He is personally and cordially welcomed. His

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letters may be directed to the office. His friends may meet him in the public room as if in anational club. He is in the midst of all information, and if his business partakes of a publiccharacter he is on the spot where its bearings can best be learned. If he has legitimate claimsto be brought into official relations with some Departmental Head the High Commissioner ispresent to obtain for him an audience. The days are gone when a Canadian of credit andstatus was placed in a position inferior to that of a visitor from a foreign nation.

There are many ways in which the High Commissioner can assist the views of those visiting

England. He can intervene even in the courtesies of life. Cabinet Ministers in London have buttwenty-four hours in a day, like other folk, and, similar to the Governor General, no one of them can hold himself at the beck of the first comer asking for an interview. But there aremany duties in life performed from self respect and not through the prospect of profit. Fewmen of any position in Canada visit Ottawa without leaving their names in the visitors' book of the Governor General, even when it is impossible that the least attention can be extended tothem. So in London it would be a courtesy to inscribe your name in the book of the Minister inwhom Colonial interests centre. On the other hand, it could not be but agreeable to him toreceive this act of homage from a Transatlantic British subject. To all of us with any rightfeeling it is no little of a pleasure to testify our respect even in this unpretending manner.

I have thought that it would be by no means without advantage if, during the sitting of

Parliament, and periodically when in London, the Colonial Minister held an occasional levee,where colonists could be presented by some responsible personage. With us the HighCommissioner would be held to introduce any one entitled to the distinction. The presentationwould be itself sufficient guarantee of respectability everywhere exacted.

The reception might be monthly, and no Minister of the Crown could devote a few hours in atwelve months to a more important purpose. The proceeding would be simple and withoutcost, and it would be productive of good. It would establish the fact that there exists a strongground of sympathy which unites the members of a common Empire. There is no feeling soparalyzing as that which makes us think we are held in indifference. Turning back no greatnumber of years in the history of Canada, a feeling had crept on many of us that the MotherCountry had become completely careless whether we remained within the fold of her Empire

or passed out of it. Owing largely however to the social and statesmanlike qualities of the twolast Governors-General that feeling has passed away. We do not now view ourselves in thatdreary and disheartening condition. It may be said that there is much of sentiment in all this;but sentiment plays a stronger part in national feeling than the mere doctrinaire will admit. Notrue statesman will ignore the fact. There are few who possess the slightest knowledge of history but must recognize the presence and strength of sentiment in national life.

In Canada we feel that from England have sprung all true theories of liberty and personalfreedom which have so much advanced the world Not even the Roman citizen in the best daysof the Empire could feel greater pride than any one of us in the possession of the right of declaring himself a British subject. The sentence itself is, as it were, the aegis under which heis protected and by which he is included in the first rank of national honour.

All that can be said respecting the degree of relationship between Canada and the MotherCountry applies with equal force to the connection between every British possession and theImperial centre.

Lord Lorne, in his address before the Royal Colonial Institute, has dwelt upon this subject withmuch power.

"These islands have thirty-five millions of people, Canada has now about five millions,Australia will soon have four millions. Britain has, for the small area she possesses, great

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resources in coal and other wealth, but it may be well for her to remember how little of theearth's surface she possesses in comparison with her children.

"The area of Canada and of the Australian States is so vast, the fertility of the soil is soremarkable, the healthfulness of their climate is so well proved, and the rapid increase of their white population is so certain that within the lifetime of the children of gentlemen herepresent their numbers will equal our own. In another century they must be greatly superior tous in men and material of wealth. How foolish, therefore, will our successors in England deem

us to have been if we do not meet to the fullest degree possible the wishes of those growingStates.

They have a filial affection for their Fatherland. They will retain a brother's feeling for us if weare friendly to them in the critical time of their coming manhood. Days may arrive when weshall implore their assistance, and when the alliance of those Powers, grown into maturity andstrength, and under very possible circumstances the strong arbiters of our own destinies, shallbe ours through the wisdom we may show to-day."

That a closer union between the different outlying members of the Empire and the parent landis desirable, has passed beyond the stage of argument. The basis on which the relationshipwill rest is certain and known. It is that of affection and common interest. It may, however, be

difficult to define the precise arrangement by which its accomplishment can be attained. Theunity of the Empire is one of the leading considerations of the day. Its dismemberment cannotbe thought of.Even in those more general interests which are common to the whole human race, it isdesirable that this vast Empire, marked by progress and humanity of purpose, should bemaintained in its integrity; an Empire world-wide in its extent with a population of threehundred millions of souls.

All the difficulties which naturally lie in the way of inter-communication between thesescattered possessions have been removed by science.

The ocean is the common link of intercourse, and because it is so constituted Grreat Britain

must remain its mistress to safeguard it.

If it be a marked feeling of this common nationality that a firm union should knit together intoone whole the several separated communities, to each one there must be assigned specialduties and functions, which may be difficult but yet must be quite possible to determine whenall are animated by one dominant sentiment.

Lord Lorne conceives that a legislative union would be impracticable. At the same time hefavours an organization in which the Mother Country and each division of the Empire wouldmeet as a collective body. Each self-governing colony or group of colonies might berepresented hy their High Commissioner or by members appointed on some establishedprinciple. In allusion to this consideration Lord Lome adds : - ''Your diplomacy in commercial

matters must take into account the vastness of Imperial sway, and it must be thoroughlyrepresentative, not of this little island only, but of the great continents or parts of continentswhich are content to be under the same flag with you for Ihe sake of mutual advantage. Itmust be an Imperial, not alone a British, Commission which discusses trade arrangements. Theconfederation of the Empire, which has been spoken of as possible in the future, must beexpressed by no central and unwieldy parliament, representing lands separated from eachother by the width of the world ; but it must be represented by a council of envoys, who, byworking together for each part, may consummate treaties and enforce agreements. Nocountry like Canada would now allow the out-voting of her representatives which would takeplace in a parliament in London."

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It has been remarked that the Empire must maintain its naval supremacy, and in this policythe Dominion, with her recognized nursery for seamen can render important service [Thefisheries, only in their infancy, already employ 60,000 men and boys]

The great importance of this principle rises into special prominence when we bear in mindthat the opening of the Railwayto the Pacific will lead to a great increase of British mercantile marine in these waters. The

construction of a system of submarine telegraphs will also follow at an early day. They will beestablished across the ocean to Japan and connect with China. They will be extended to India,to Australia and New Zealand.

Great Britain may then be in close relations with her possessions in every quarter of the globeby lines of communication under the protection of her flag without passing through an acre of foreign soil.

Egypt, owing to its geographical relationship with India and Australia, is constantly a source of anxiety. Lord Wolseley gave as his opinion that the destruction of the Suez canal could beeffected by the means of a few old canal boats loaded with stone or one effective torpedoexploded in a well selected spot. Notes of warning in other forms have frequently been given.

Three years ago an insurrection in Egypt, out of the fold of Imperial policy, but claimingconsideration from the aspect it assumed with regard to Indian interests exacted Britishinterference. Two-thirds of the available naval power of Great Britain was called into service tokeep open the canal. Given then the possibility that the canal may at any hour be renderedunnavigable and the telegraph destroyed, what other conclusion can there be than the wordsof Lord Wolseley, that it is suicidal to depend on the route through Egypt as the means of communication with the East.

The Imperial character which this consideration gives to the lines of communication now beingconstructed by Canada is indisputable. They offer a constant reliable communication with theEastern possessions of Great Britain when European complications shall assume a threateningattitude, or when Egyptian difficulties have led to the stoppage of the navigation of the Suez

Canal. Canada will consequently add greatly to the common safety by the completion of hernational Eailway from the Atlantic to the Pacific seaboard. Its two termini have the commonexcellence of possessing within command inexhaustible coal deposits, where ships may besupplied and naval arsenals may be established on any scale. The Railway itself passesthrough a territory a great part of which east of the Rocky Mountains is not surpassed infertility by any soil in the world, while immediately north of the line the fertile belt presents afield for immigration for centuries, where bread and butchers' meat will be plentifully producedto meet the most extended requirements which the future may create. I have described thechanges which have taken place in a few months, even under my own eyes, along the line.What districts of population and cultivation a few years of prosperity may create is beyondcalculation.

We are taught by history that some four centuries back Columbus discovered this westernland.

But Cabot, of English birth, and under the English flag, was absolutely the first to land on thecontinent [Cabot landed on the coast of Labrador 24th June, 1497. Columbus did not see thiscontinent till the following year. He discovered the West India Islands in 1492-3-4].

We owe to another nation the early knowledge we possess of a large extent of Canada. TheFrench were the first to penetrate the valley of the Saint Lawrence to the limit it is naturallynavigable.

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All nations are influenced by the events which they experience, and no people were moremoulded into a new development than the Anglo-Saxon race in the Eleventh century, when theNorman crossed the channel and wrung the sovereignty of the country from the reigningmonarch. Traces of customs, of laws, of thought, of language, of feeling, of the character of those earlier centuries still remain. But in a few generations the descendants of those whofought in the battle near Hastings had no sentiment but for English soil. They had ceased to beNorman, and it was by the children of the conquering race that the liberties of the country

were affirmed in the Great Charter.

In the Province of Quebec there yet remains the unmistakeable impress of its earlysettlement : of those Normans and Bretons who settled on the shores of the St. Lawrence andin Acadia, and of those who claim ancestry with the noble race which, south and east of theLoire, extending to Rochelle, so constantly battled for freedom of thought. One hundred andtwenty years have passed since the last remnant of the power of France disappeared from thenorthern part of the continent. Great changes have taken place within this period. It was onlystep by step, in confusion and difficulty, that the present system of self-government becameestablished : a truth evolved out of much complication and from want of the comprehension of Imperial and Colonial relations. The effect has been of imperfect accomplishment in much. This positive good has, however, been achieved, even if in other respects the consummation

has been incomplete. The whole of the inhabitants of the several Provinces are united by theone feeling of advancing the common prosperity, and the French Canadian is found in theadvanced ranks when the progress of the whole Dominion is in any way concerned.

Of the five great colonial empires which arose in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,Spain, Portugal, France, Holland and Great Britain, the British Empire is the only one whichsurvives.

The remaining powers possess but a few remnants of their once outstanding colonies. No oneof them retains the character of its former strength.

The loss of the thirteen colonies of North America a century back by G-reat Britain was a

wound to the national greatness which it was feared by many would never be healed. It was aserious and painful separation which prudence and good government might have averted.

It is often no little of a benefit to each of us to pass through tribulation. Equally so withcommunities. The Mother Country in this struggle had much to unlearn before her possessionswere wisely governed. It took nearly seventy years before the lesson bore fruit. But thoughtfulmen, step by step, won adherence to their sound policy. We have its result in the presentprosperous condition of the Outer Empire, which now, apart from India, contains ten millions of the European race, little less than the population of the British Isles at the period of theAmerican war.

In the last century powerful antagonistic forces were in operation : religious disabilities,

commercial restrictions, a narrow franchise, an imperfect parliamentary representation,unwise trade regulations.

Discontent followed. It was the interference with the commerce of Massachusetts with the"West Indies which was one of the first causes of the severance of good feeling, so soon to betransformed into bitterness and hate. That these grievances no longer exist and that theseveral British Provinces enjoy free institutions, which it is to be hoped they will learn wisely towork; all this dates from that terrible struggle. Probably the lesson was only the betterremembered that it was taught in blood and suffering.

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No such repelling forces now exist. The causes of dissension have passed into oblivion.Commerce, science and increased intelligence have relieved the problem from the featureswhich disfigured it.

The Atlantic has ceased to be a cause of separation.

It is a pertinent query, had these new conditions prevailed a century back, whether theDeclaration of Independence would ever have been written.

The American revolution divided the history of the English speaking race into two streams.What will be their future course ? They cannot flow in opposite directions. Are there anyinfluences which will lead them insensibly to gravitate one to the other, until in process of years the waters will blend ?

We may assert thus far, that however we may be unable to forecast the future, we can traceat this date an assimilation of thought in much, which a few years back could meet on nocommon ground. Such a result is visible on many occasions and in a thousand ways. In thewords of Commodore Tattnall, who went to our rescue at the Pei-ho forts, "Blood is thickerthan water." On all sides the movement is convergent.

The diffusion of the English race and the English language over the face of the globe is a resultwithout a parallel. When Columbus and Cabot crossed the Atlantic the number of the Englishpeople equalled proximately half the present population of Canada. When Elizabethascended the throne it was about five millions. At the time of the American revolution theEnglish population in the British Isles and in North America together numbered fifteen millions. The English-speaking population in all parts of the globe has now increased to a hundredmillions, nearly equally divided between England, her Colonies and the United States.

The progress and well-being of the world is largely dependent on the prosperity and harmonyof this rapidly increasing branch of the human family. That any of its elements shoulddisintegrate, or that antagonism should take the form of hostility, is painful even tocontemplate. There are no signs of any such tendency. There is a natural affinity existing

between the children of the one parentage, with substantially the same theories of humanduty, wth the like interests in the progress of art and science, by which our comforts aremultiplied and human happiness increased. They enjoy equally free institutions, speak onelanguage, with one literature, with common traditions, with a history one and the same fornearly the whole of the nineteen Christian centuries. The aims of the two great sections of therace are identical, and whatever political institutions in either case may prevail, it is an objectworthy of the highest ambition of the most enlightened statesmen to bind these peoples in aperpetual alliance of union and friendship and common interest.

We may look hopefully to the closer union of all countries where our language is spoken as aconsummation to be desired in the general interest of mankind. In the meantime as Canadiansand British subjects our first duty is the strengthening and consolidating of the State to which

we owe allegiance. It is the peculiar privilege of Canada to make manifest her earnest desireto build up and uphold the Empire of which we are an integral part, an Empire without aparallel in the world's history.

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By the end of 1883, the railway had reached the Rocky Mountains, just eight km (5 miles) eastof Kicking Horse Pass. The construction seasons of 1884 and 1885 would be spent in themountains of British Columbia and on the north shore of Lake Superior.

Many thousands of navvies worked on the railway. Many were European immigrants. In BritishColumbia, the CPR hiredworkers from China, nicknamed coolies. A navvy received between $1 and $2.50 per day, buthad to pay for his own food, clothing, transportation to the job site, mail, and medical care.

After two and a half months of back-breaking labour, they could net as little as $16. Chinesenavvies in British Columbia made only between $0.75 and $1.25 a day, not includingexpenses, leaving barely anything to send home.

They did the most dangerous construction jobs, such as working with explosives. The familiesof the Chinese who were killed received no compensation, or even notification of loss of life.Many of the men who survived did not have enough money to return to their families in China.Many spent years in lonely, sad and often poor conditions. Yet the Chinese were hard workingand played a key role in building the western stretch of the railway; even some boys as youngas 12 years old served as tea-boys.

In 2006 Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology to the Chinese population in

Canada for their treatment both during and following the construction of the CPR.

By 1883, railway construction was progressing rapidly, but the CPR was in danger of runningout of funds. In response, on January 31, 1884, the government passed the Railway Relief Bill,providing a further $22,500,000 in loans to the CPR. The bill received royal assent on March 6,1884.

In March 1885, the North-West Rebellion broke out in the District of Saskatchewan. Van Horne,in Ottawa at the time, suggested to the government that the CPR could transport troops toQu'Appelle, Assiniboia, in 10 days. Some sections of track were incomplete or had not beenused before, but the trip to Winnipeg was made in 9 days and the rebellion was quickly putdown.

Perhaps because the government was grateful for this service, they subsequently re-organizedthe CPR's debt and provided a further $5,000,000 loan. This money was desperately neededby the CPR.

On November 7, 1885, the Last Spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia, makinggood on the original promise. Four days earlier, the last spike of the Lake Superior section wasdriven in just west of Jackfish, Ontario.

While the railway was completed four years after the original 1881 deadline, it was completedmore than five years ahead of the new date of 1891 that Macdonald gave in 1881.

The successful construction of such a massive project, although troubled by delays andscandal, was considered an impressive feat of engineering and political will for a country withsuch a small population, limited capital, and difficult terrain. It was by far the longest railwayever constructed at the time. It had taken 12,000 men, 5,000 horses, and 300 dog-sled teamsto build the railway.

Although Fleming had produced a territorial inspection report and recommended the Yellowhead Pass across the Rocky Mountains, The Canadian Pacific did not follow hissuggestion, it later taken up by the Canadian Northern Railway and the Grand Trunk andFleming was excluded from the project in 1880.

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Then, in 1883, as construction was stalled at the foot of The Rocky Mountains, The CanadianPacific asked Fleming to recommend a new route south of his original suggestion and, thistime, Fleming recommended Kicking Horse Pass.

The last spike was finally driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia, in 1885. Sandford Fleming,who helped build the railway and was both a shareholder and a director of the company,attended the ceremony and appears in the famous photograph that immortalized the moment.

And so to the subjects of 'Railway Time' and today's 'World Time Zones' - Back in July 1876,Fleming, after visiting an old friend, arrived at the country station of Bundoran, in Ireland,some 25 minutes before the scheduled arrival of the Londonderry train.

At 5:35 p.m., nothing came and, when Fleming checked, he found that his 'Irish Railroad Travelers' Guide' was mistaken. The train was to arrive at 5:35 a.m. and Fleming, chief engineer of The Canadian Pacific Railway Company, would be a prisoner for the night inBundoran station.

As Fleming thought the problem of the timings through, he concluded that the error was morethan a misprint and correcting the error was not an editorial step but indeed an engineering

project, the whole system of numbering was wrong, why double-count the hours, one totwelve, twice a day, why not remove the confusions of a.m. and p.m. altogether andintroduce a 24-hour clock so that, e.g. 5:35 p.m. would be transformed to 17:35 hours and whynot too introduce a single 'universal time' for The World with twenty-four 'standard' time zones?

The plan's central difficulty was its failure to endorse a 'Prime Meridian', a place where thetime zones for the world were to begin. The popular choice would have been Greenwich,England, given that most of The World's shipping employedcharts that used Greenwich as the starting point for measuring longitude.

But Fleming was afraid that picking Greenwich would arouse "national susceptibilities," a

euphemism for resistance from the French, whose Paris 'meridian' was nine minutes andtwenty-two seconds ahead of that of Greenwich.

From the moment Fleming made his initial proposal, he became the focus of time reform for The World. He began to interpose himself into the debate through papers delivered at TheCanadian Institute and his membership in American engineering societies and of course bynow, Fleming was a friend of the rich and powerful in Montreal, London, New York and Toronto and became something of a spokesman, cultivating dozens of organizations inCanada, the U.S. and, eventually, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

The issue of standard time was, despite the concerns about the French, generally free of politics. Fleming's opponents were normally scientists and academics, from whom he could

expect a certain level of civility. There were a few testy encounters, but disagreements for themost part were conducted on a suitably elevated plane.

Fleming received a warm welcome during The World Geodesic Congress in Venice in 1881when he discussed his core beliefs, his address here.

THE ADOPTION OF A PRIME MERIDIANTO BE COMMON TO ALL NATIONS

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THE ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARD MERIDIANS FOR THE REGULATION OF TIME

READ BEFORE THE INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL CONGRESS AT VENICE, SEPTEMBER, 1881

BY SANDFORD FLEMING, C.M.G.,DELGATE FROM CANADA AND THB UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

LONDON : WATERLOW & SONS Limited, PRINTERS, LONDON WALL,PARLIAMENT STREET, WESTMINSTER

1881

INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICAL CONGRESS, VENICE

PAPER ON THE ADOPTION OF A PRIME MERIDIAN

Read September 21st, 1881, By SANDFORD FLEMING, C.M.G., Delegate from The CanadianInstitute of Science, Toronto and The American Metrological Society, New York, to TheInternational Geographical Congress at Venice.

The subject to which, with your permission, I shall briefly refer, is the establishment of a PrimeMeridian and Time-zero, to be common to all nations.

The history of geographical science informs us that a great number of initial meridians have atvarious times been employed by astronomers and navigators. It is well known that ClaudiusPtolemy of Alexandria was among the first to fix a meridian of reference. Ptolemy lived in thesecond century, when the habitable world was thought to be limited to countries around, ornot far beyond, the shores of the Mediterranean.

From time to time a knowledge of the earth's surface extended, and distinguishedgeographers arose, who adopted new initial meridians. It is not necessary that I should trouble

you with a recital of the list of meridians from which, since the earliest period, longitudes havebeen reckoned. It is sufficient at this stage to refer to the fact that geographers of differentnations have generally selected for starting points places of importance well known to them,and that, as a rule, they have chosen the capitals or the principal observatories of the nationsto which they respectively belonged. Hence the multiplication of meridians of referencethroughout the world. Within a comparatively recent period communicationsbetween the peoples of different nations have been greatly facilitated, and intercourse hasproportionately increased.

It has consequently been felt that the variety of first meridians is embarrassing andunnecessary. For a number of years the question of reducing this number has been underconsideration; it has been brought before the geographical congress at Antwerp, and again at

Paris.

The question has been examined by different societies, and various proposals have beensubmitted, but unanimity with respect to the selection of a prime meridian to be common to allnations has in no way been attained. Repeated efforts have been made to gain generalconcurrence to the adoption of one of the existing national meridians, but these proposalshave tended to retard a settlement of the question by awakening national sensibilities, andthus creating a barrier difficult to remove. Other proposals to select an entirely new initial line,unrelated to any one of the first meridians at present recognized, have but little advanced the

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settlement of the question, us such a course encounters difficulties of another kind, difficultiesso serious in their character as to render the proposals almost impracticable.

There are reasons for a unification of first meridians which every year become stronger, and,as the question affects the whole area of civilization, its consideration should be approached ina broad, liberal spirit. While it may be urged that the selection of any particular meridian isless important than the adoption of a common first meridian, care should be taken to considerthe interests of all people concerned or likely to be concerned, scrupulously avoiding offence

to local prejudice or national vanity. On every account it is extremely desirable that an earnesteffort should be made to seek for a solution to the problem. The unification of initial meridians has been advocated Ir the interests of geography,astronomy and navigation. I shall accept all the arguments which have been advanced onbehalf of these extremely important interests, and crave your indulgence while I submitadditional reasons for the establishment of a common prime meridian for all The World.

I propose to direct your attention to arguments which spring from the relations of time andlongitude and the rapidly growing necessity in this age for reform in time reckoning.

If we take into view the whole earth, we have at the same instant in absolute time, noon,

midnight, sunrise, sunset, and all intermediate gradations of the day. The telegraph system,which is gradually spreading like a spider's web over the surface of the globe, is practicallybringing this view of the sphere before all civilized communities. It leaves no interval of timebetween widely separated places proportionate to their distances apart. It brings pointsremote from one another, enjoying all the different hours of daylight and darkness, into veryclose contact. Under our present system of notation, confusion is developed, and all count of time is thrown into disorder.

The local civil day begins twelve hours before and ends twelve hours after the sun passes themeridian of a place. As the globe is constantly revolving on its axis, a fresh meridian is everymoment coming under the sun. As a consequence, a day is always begmning somewhere andalways ending somewhere. Each spot around the circumference of the sphere is its own day,

and therefore there are, during every diurnal revolution of the earth, an infinite number of local days, all beginning within a space of twenty-four hours, and each continuing twenty-fourhours. These days overlap each other, and, theoretically, they are as perfectly distinct as theyare infinite in number.

There are no simultaneous days except on the same meridian, and as the different days arealways in the various stages of advancement, difficulties must necessarily result in assigningthe period when an event takes place.

The telegraph may give the exact local time of the occurrence, but it will be in disagreementwith the local times on every other meridian around the earth. An event occurring any one daymay on the instant be announced somewhere the

previous day, or somewhere else the following day.

About the period when one month or year passes into another month or year an occurrencemay actually take place in two different months, or in two different years, according to localreckoning.

It will be readily conceded that this system is extremely unscientific; that it possesses all theelements of confusion, and introduces a degree of ambiguity which cannot long bo tolerated;that as time rolls on it will lead to grave complications in social and commercial affairs; that itwill produce serious errors in chronology ; that it will lead to litigation, and result generally in

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difficulties of various kinds. According to our present system there can be no absolutecertainty with regard to time unless the precise geographical position be specifier as animportant element of the date. It is evident that it will be exceedingly inconvenient andtroublesome when rapid intercourse becomes universal to bring the times of differentcountries and localities into agreement; and that the necessity for doing so by additions ordeductions for differences in longitude, will undoubtedly clog the ordinary business of theworld.

It is proposed to obviate the difficulty by a system of cosmopolitan time-reckoning, the chief peculiarity of which is the adoption of one particular meridian as a standard time-zero, and byan extremely simple arrangement regulating the times at all places on the globe by a directreference to the common standard. It is obvious that the world's time-zero should coincidewith the prime meridian to be used in common by all nations for reckoning terrestriallongitudes.

I shall proceed to submit special and more urgent reasons for the selection of a common initialmeridian and time-zero.

I shall confine my observations to the case of North America, a country with which I am mostfamiliar, but the remarks I shall venture to submit will doubtless apply to other great divisions

of the earth's surface.

The gigantic system of railways and telegraphs which has been established in America, hasdeveloped social and commercial conditions which never previously existed in the history of the human race. These conditions have affected the relations of time and distance, in amanner which shows, that the system of notation which we have inherited is defective; that itleads to confusion, causes loss of time, and disturbs the arrangements of travellers andbusiness men; that it frequently results in loss of life, and leads to difficulties of various kinds;that under the circumstances which have followed the extensive employment of steam andelectricity as means of rapid communication, it is generally inappropriate.

This question has therefore become a matter of great public importance, and attention is

seriously directed to the simplest and best means of removing an impediment to commerceand general intercourse.

The system which we follow and which has been followed for ages was quite unobjectionablehalf a century ago, when the electric telegraph was unknown and the horse was almost theonly locomotive. The system is based on the theory that time is regulated everywhere by thepassage of the sun over the meridian of each separate locality; that the period between anytwo solar passages, at any one place, is divided into halves, known as ante-meridian andprime-meridian, each half being subdivided into twelve hours and that the two halves togetherconstitute a day.

Accordiug to the recognised theory, us already stated, every spot on the surface of the globe

differing in longitude has an entirely distinct day, and a local time peculiar to itself.

Except on the same meridian there are no simultaneous days, or hours or minutes.Everywhere the days und divisions of the day vary, and the variations are infinite.

In the case of North America, the continent extends across one hundred and five degrees of longitude. Within its extreme eastern and western limits, it is possible to draw many thousanddistinct meridians, and following rigidly the prescribed theory, we may have as many thousandstandards of time, not two of which would be in harmony.

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The railway authorities have come face to face with the difficulty, and they have from time totime met it as circumstances dictated. In order to operate the long lines of railway with somedegree of safety, each separate manager has been obliged to ignore the different local times,and arbitrarily adopt a special time for the movement of trains on the particular lines under hischarge. The railway guide books publish at least seventy-five (75) irregularly chosen standardsof time, employed for the running of trains in the United States and Canada. Every city andtown of importance has its own time, occasionally coinciding, but frequently differing from thenearest railway standard. The public have been obliged to accommodate themselves to this

irregular system but it has become exceedingly inconvenient and irksome, and a schemewhich will introduce a time-system characterised by uniformity and simplicity cannot fail to becordially welcomed.

For the reasons stated, an earnest movement has begun in America with the view of establishing reform in time-reckoning. The question is engaging the attention of The CanadianInstitute of Science, The American Meteorological Society, The American Society of CivilEngineers, The American Association for the Advancement of Science, and other societies. Thecommunity generally and the great railway and telegraph interests are being awakened to itsimportance.

It is felt that the question is one in which all countries have an interest, and although it has

presented itself, perhaps more prominently in America than elsewhere, it is eminentlydesirable that Americans should take no narrow view of a scientific matter of world-wideinterest.

It is held by those who have seriously considered the subject, that a solution of the problemwhich would be good for America would be advantageous to other countries. It is considered,that in introducing a reform in time-reckoning in North America, the system should be such aswould commend itself generally; that it should be one which by its appropriateness andsimplicity would have every prospect of being adopted ultimately throughout The World.

A highly important feature of the movement is to employ every meano to render the systemgenerally acceptable, so that, whenever the necessity may arise in any other community for

its introduction, it may be spontaneously adopted; a course calculated to secure ultimatelycomplete uniformity in all countries.

I shall give in brief an outline of a proposition for defining and regulatiug civil time which isfavoured in many quarters, in Canada and the United States of America :

1. It is proposed to establish one staudard time which may be common to all peoplethroughout the world, for communication, by land and sea, for all ordinary purposes, forsynchronous observations, and for all scientific purposes. This standard time to be known asCosmopolitan time.

2. Cosmopolitan time to be based on the diurnal revolutions of the earth as determined by the

(mean) sun's passages over one particular meridian to be selected as a time-zero.

3. The time-zero to coincide with the prime meridian to be common to all nations forcomputing longitude.

4. The time-zero and prime meridian for the world to be established with the concurrence of civilized nations generally.

5. Twenty-four secondary or standard hour meridians to be established, fifteen degrees or onehour distant from each other, the first being fifteen degrees from the prime meridian.

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6. The standard hour meridians to regulate time at all places on the earth's surface.

7. The twenty-four standard meridians to be denoted by symbols, and, preferably, by theletters of the English alphabet, which omitting J and V are twenty-four in number. The lettersto be taken in their order from east to west. The zero-meridian being lettered Z.

8. The hour of the day at any place on the earth's surface to be regulated by some one of the

standard meridians, generally by the standard nearest such place in longitude. '

9. It is proposed to distinguish that interval of time between two consecutive passages of the(mean) sun over the prime meridian by the term, Cosmopolitan day.

10. The cosmopolitan day is designed to promote exactness in chronology, and is intended tobe employed in connection with synchronous observations in all parts of The World, and forscientific purposes generally.

11. Local days to commence twelve hours before and end twelve hours after the (mean) sun'spassage over each of the standard meridians. The local days to be distinguished by the letterof the twenty-four meridians which determine them.

12. Local days will be reduced to twenty-four in number within the period of each diurnalrevolution of the earth. They are :o be regarded in the same light in all ordinary affairs as localdays under the present system.

13. The hours of the Cosmopolitan day to be known by the letters of the Alphabet in theirorder from A to Z (omitting J and V,) corresponding with the twenty-four hour meridians. Whenthe (mean) sun passes meridians G or N, it will be G time or N time of the Cosmopolitan day.

14. It is proposed to abandon the divisions of the local day into two sets of hours, eachnumbered from one to twelve, and to employ a single series numbered from one to twenty-four without interruption; or as an alternative plan to number the twelve hours from midnight

to noon, as at present, and to letter the hours from noon to midnight. The afternoon lettersbeing in agreement with the proper Cosmopolitan time letters.

15. The time determined directly from the prime meridian, as in the Cosmopolitan day, to beknown by the general term Cosmopolitan Time.

16. Local time to be known by the particular standard meridian to which it is referred. If it bedetermined by meridian B it will be designated Standard B Time.

17. It is proposed to have standard time determined and disseminated under Governmentalauthority.

18. Each city and town of importance to have a public time signal station electricallyconnected with a central observatory for the purpose of receiving and disseminating standardtime with precision.

19. Each time signal station to he provided with automatical apparatus for dropping time balls,or otherwise denoting the standard time, hourly, or as often as circumstances may require.

20. All railway and local public clocks to be controlled electrically from the public time signalstations.

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The foregoing is a general outline of the proposition. It must be evident that the system of cosmojjolitan time would be a ready means of meeting the difficulties to which I have referi'ed.It would render it practicable to secure uniformity, great simplicity, perfect accuracy, andcomplete harmony.

The times of places widely differing in longitude would differ only by entire hours. In all otherrespects standard time in every longitude, and latitude would be ia perfect agreement.

In theory every clock in the world would indicate some one of the twenty-four hours at thesame instant, and there would be perfect synchronism with the minutes and secondseverywhere around the globe.

By the system proposed, instead of an infinite and cornfusing number of local days, followingthe sun during each diurnal revolution of the earth, we should have twenty-four well-definedlocal days only; each local day would have a fixed relation to the others, and all would begoverned by the position of the sun in respect to the Prime Meridian. These twenty-four localdays would succeed each other at intervals of one hour during each successive diurnalrevolution of the globe. The day of each locality would be known by the letter or otherdesignation of its standard meridian, and the general confusion and ambiguity which I haveset lorth as the consequences of the present system would cease to exist.

Some such system as that proposed is imperatively demanded in America. It cannot bedoubted that the general adoption of the scheme portrayed would be conducive to theconvenience of all mankind. The first step towards its introduction is the selection of an initialmeridian for the world. Accordingly I feel justified in asking you to favourably consider theresolutions which I have now the honour to submit.

RESOLUTIONS

Resolved 1. That the unification of initial meridians of reference for computing longitude is of great importance in the interests of geography and navigation.

Resolved 2. That the selection of a zero-meridian for tha world would greatly promote thecause of general uniformity and exactness in time-reckoning.Resolved 3. That in the interests of all mankind it is eminently desirable that civilized nationsshould come to an agreement with respect to the determination of a common prime meridian,and a system of miversal time reckoning.

Resolved 4. That the Governments of different countries be appealed to immediately after theclose of Congress, with the view of ascertaining if they would be disposed to assist in thematter by nominating persons to confer with each other and endeavour to reach a conclusionwhich they would recommend their respective governments to adopt.

Resolved 5. That in view of the representations which have come to this Congress from

America, it is suggested that aConference of Delegates who may be appointed by the diifererent governments be held in thecity of Washington, and that the Conference open on the first Monday in May, 1882.

Resolved 6. That the gentlemen whose names follow be an Executive Committee to makearrangements for the proposed Meeting of Delegates, and to take such steps as may seemexpedient in furtherance of the objects of these Resolutions.

And that all communications in respect thereof be transmitted to

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General W. B. Hazen, Meteorological Bureau, War Department, Washington.Dr. F. A. P. Barnard, President of American Metrological Society, New York.Captain George M. Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, U.S.A., Washington.Chief-Justice Daly, President of the American Geographical Society, New York. Justice Field, Supreme Court, Washington.General G. W. Cullum, Vice-President, American Geographical Society, New York.General W. B. Hazen, Director of Meteorological Bureau, Washington. Judge Peabody, American Geographical Societv, New York.

Professor Cleveland Abbe, Signal Office, Washington.David Dudley Field, American Geographical Society New York. James B. Francis, President, American Society of Civil Engineers, Boston.Dr. Daniel Wilson, President of Toronto University, Toronto. John Langton, President of The Canadian Institute, Toronto.Sandford Fleming, Chancellor of Queen's University of Canada, Ottawa.

Resolution 7. That the Italian Government be respectfully requested to communicate theseresolutions to the Governments of all other countries.

After full discussion, the Committee agreed to report favourably and recorded the followingMinute.

(Translation.) The Committee considers that within a year an International Commission may beappointed by the Governments, to consider the question of an Initial Meridian, having in viewnot only the question of longitude but specially that of hours and dates. The Commissionshould be composed of scientific men such as Geodicians, Geographers and men whorepresent the interests of commerce, etc. Three members might be named by each nation. The President of the Italian Geographical Society is requested to take the initiative in bringingthe subject before his Government and foreign geographical Societies, and to take thenecessary steps for the realization of the wish expressed in the resolutions. Without deciding,the Committee desires to draw attention to the proposition of the American Delegates that theproposed International Commission should meet at Washington.

His proposals were approved and became the basis of the congress' recommendation foraction. Fleming was urged to organize an international conference of diplomats andastronomers to set a prime meridian for The World. He immediately set to work with personalmemos and speeches to American chambers of commerce, railroad conventions, and shippingand insurance companies, as well as with more formal approaches through, among others, theBritish Colonial Office.

In the meantime, individual countries had been moving toward standardization on their own.By 1883, North American railroads, pressed on one side by passengers outraged by competingand often unpredictable time standards, and on the other by fears that the government wouldintervene in their affairs, had standardized their times into four zones.

Britain, France, Sweden, and Switzerland all recognized single national times, though the timeswere not coordinated with one another. Germany, which had observed five official times,indicated its endorsement for a single Berlin time, primarilyto help coordinate military mobilization.

After much work by Fleming behind the scenes, President Arthur, in one of America’s earliestassertions of diplomatic influence on the world stage, officially called for the InternationalPrime Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C., in October 1884.

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As 19 of the invited 25 "civilized," or independent, countries recognized by the U.S. convened,Fleming understood that an overtly British-American solution to the prime-meridian dilemmawould antagonize the French and result in the loss of the desired consensus. Frenchintellectual prestige among other Latin countries might well drag many South American andsome European countries with her. So, Fleming nurtured Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Belgiansupport.

In the end, Fleming didn't get everything he wanted. The prime meridian wasn't established in

The Pacific Ocean, but in Greenwich, where the world day, the counting of the new 24 timezones, the astronomer's day, and all civil time for all societies would begin at midnight.

As Fleming had expected, the choice of Greenwich didn't please the French, who waited until1911 to adopt The World's standard time but, Fleming's proposal for an International Date Linewas adopted in 1884.

The adoption of standard time had a cascading effect on other forms of standardization. Forinstance, many railroads, whose needs had done so much to drive the international agreementon time, then found agreement on track gauges, couplers and safety standards and evenfreight rates and wage scales became much more standard and, in Fleming's lifetime, TheWorld redefined itself as profoundly as during any interval in human history and, there is yet

another, sometimes forgotten, contribution that Fleming fought for, the completion of 'TheAll Red Line', the informal name for the system of electrical telegraphs that linked all TheBritish Empire and the name prompted by the fact that on many political maps, the territoriesof The British Empire territory were coloured red (or pink) - The finally completed round-the-world links inaugurated on October 31, 1902.

Some parts of the line were completed considerably earlier. The first transatlantic cableconnected Ireland and Newfoundland in 1858, although it later failed and, in 1866, the Great Eastern had laid out a lasting link from Valentia Island, in Ireland, to Newfoundland.

By 1870, Suez was linked to Bombay and from there to Madras, Penang and Singapore.Australia was linked to British telegraph cables directly in 1870, by extending a line fromSingapore to Port Darwin, although it ran through the Dutch territory of Java.

By 1872, messages could be sent direct from London to Adelaide and Sydney. Australia waslinked to New Zealand by cable in 1876.

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To complete the All Red Line, therefore, the major cable laying project to complete was for thetrans-Pacific section. The "Pacific Cable Committee" was formed in 1896 to consider theproposal and in 1901 the "Pacific Cable Board" was formed with eight members: three fromEngland, two from Canada, two from Australia and one from New Zealand, funding for theproject shared between the British, Canadian, New Zealand, New South Wales, Victorian andQueensland governments.

Originally the British government felt the All Red system should only have sea-landings on

British controlled soil for security purposes. Due to this, Britain was actively seeking to acquireFanning Island to use it as a mid-point of power regeneration between Western Canada andAustralia on the trans-Pacific Ocean branch of the system.

LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF HOPETOUNGOVERNOR GENERAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

ON A COMPLETE SYSTEM OFSTATE-OWNED CABLES AND

TELEGRAPHSWITHIN THE BRITISH EMPIRE

BYSIR SANDFORD FLEMING

TO WHICH IS APPENDED A LETTER ON THE SAME BY THE SAMEADDRESSED TO THE RT. HON. JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN

Secretary of State for the Colonies

STATE-OWNED TELEGRAPHS FOR THE EMPIRE.

Ottawa, December 3, 1900. To His Excellency The Right Honourable The Earl of Hopetoun,Governor General, Commonwealth of Australia.

My Lord, I had the honour, in October, 1898, to address the Right Honourable JosephChamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, on the subject of a state-owned system of cables for the British Empire. My letter was made public and the records of the press show thatmuch interest was awakened and that a singular unanimity of opinion was evinced in favour of the proposal. Since that date events have occurred, which while they have had the effect of diverting attention from the subject, have at the same time in a remarkable degree

emphasized its importance, especially to Australasia. I venture to think, therefore, that no timecould be more opportune for its consideration than on the occurrence of the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia.

In asking Your Excellency to be good enough to bring the remarks which follow before theGovernment of the Commonwealth, I am unable to claim that I hold any official position. It ismerely as a Canadian subject of Her Majesty that I make the request, and, as such, I feel we inCanada desire to think that we enjoy privileges, and have interests and rights, in common withour fellow-subjects in Australia. While I venture to speak for my countrymen on the subject of this communication, and there are substantial reasons why I should do so, it is not withouthesitation that I assume the self-imposed duty; but all hesitation must be set aside in view of

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the words of Your Excellency in bidding farewell a few weeks back at Hopetoun House inScotland:

This is no time for any one to hang back when he can serve the Empire. Some can serve assoldiers, and right well have many done so during the past twelve months, others can serve inother capacities. I appeal then to Your Excellency in this spirit, satisfied that there are none sohumble who cannot do faithful service. I appeal to Your Excellency under the firm convictionwhich has been forced on me that the subject of this communication demands immediate and

earnest attention. I venture strenuously and respectfully to urge that it be one of the firstmatters brought to the consideration of your Government.

In Canada not less than in Australia we have an abiding desire to serve the Empire.

Soon after Canadians embarked in the constitutionnl career in which the Australian pecple areabout to enter, they undertook a work of Imperial magnitude, the establishment of a Telegraphand Railway across the continent of North America. Long before the undertaking wascompleted it became apparent that the electric wire on reaching the Pacific from the Eastshould be extended across the Western Ocean. The first proposal to connect Canada withAustralia by a trans-Pacific electric cable was published in returns relating to the CanadianPacific Railway laid before Parliament in 1880. From that date until the present the Canadian

Parliamentary records give evidence that the project has always been kept prominently inview.

It has fallen to my lot during these twenty years, unceasingly to take more or less activeinterest in the telegraphic connection of Australia with the mother country by way of Canada. The evidence shows that it has been a long chapter of difficulties and disappointments, that aseries of obstructions raised by strong opposing influences have been encountered, but thatowing to unrelaxed, persistent efforts and the steady adhesion of friends of the enterprise theyhave one by one been overcome. The dominant reason for desiring to see every obstacleremoved and the connection by telegraph effected by the Canadian route is explained by thevitally important fact, that the Canadian route is absolutely the only route by which the globemay be girdled by a series of all-British cables. Prolonged delays have been caused, but at

length success is assured. An arrangement has now been reached under which the severalgovernments immediately concerned shall without further loss of time, establish the Pacificcable as a State undertaking. The first part of the problem may therefore be regarded assolved, and the way is opened for entering fully into the consideration of the main proposal,viz. : The establishment of a complete system of inter-Imperial cables, which will put each partof the realm of Her Majesty in touch with every other part ; the whole under state control, sothat it can be utilized for the highest good of the Empire.

At the close of the nineteenth century it is impossible to form a narrow conception of theBritish Empire. It has long since ceased to be confined to the group of islands on the westcoast of Europe. The Empire has undergone an extraordinary expansion, and now embracesvast territories in the four quarters of the globe. The subjects of the Queen are in possession of

an immense extent of the earth's surface. The European home of the British people occupiesbut a fraction over one per cent of the superficial area of the whole Empire.

The great Ruler of the Kingdoms of the world has brought many lands under one sovereignty.He has granted to our Queen length of days, and placed Her Majesty over great multitudes of the human race, comprising various nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues. We mayregard this as evidence of beneficent design, and we are called upon as human agencies totake every means at our disposal to perfect the union of the mother of nations with thedaughter states, in order that, united, they may fulfil their higher destiny.

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The countries occupied by the family of British nation are widely sundered geographically;their shores are washed by the great oceans, and although for purposes of commerce, inter-communication is effected by fleets of steamships and sailing vessels, more adequate meansof intercourse is needed. For general security, for great state purposes, no less than for theoperations of trade and for ordinary social requirements, all the different parts of this widelyscattered empire demand the freest use of the most perfect means of communication knownto us.

We are familiar with the electric telegraph and its employment by land and sea.

This marvellous agency is at our command, and it only requires to be properly applied, inorder that it may best serve the highest interests of the people of the empire. Already it isemployed in part, but as at present established and administered it is open to graveobjections. It is wanting in essentials to our daily needs, and wo are debarred from enjoying allthe advantages which, if properly applied, it can confer.

There are lines of telegraph established across parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, connectingAustralia with the mother country, but these lines at certain points pass through foreignterritories or touch at foreign ports. At many places on their way they traverse shallow seas inproximity to foreign states, where they are liable at a critical moment to speedy interruption.

Moreover, these telegraph lines are owned and controlled by private companies, and chargesare exacted for the transmission of messages which are felt by all to be exorbitant, and bymost people absolutely prohibitory..In my letter to Mr. Chamberlain of October 28, 1898, a revised copy of which is appended, Ihave set forth the outlines of a scheme of arrangement for cables and land telegraphs bywhich the most wonderful product of science of the age may be adapted to the peculiarconditions of our empire. The proposal is to establish electric cables, to and from each Britishpossession; these cables to be connected wiili the local land lines in Canada, Australia, SouthAfrica, India and elsewhere; in this manner linking together the whole empire by a chain of telegraphs without touching the territory of other nations, at the same time avoiding shallowwaters adjacent thereto. Moreover, it is designed that the whole system of telegraphs, by land

as well as by sea, be brought under state control, in order that the fullest benefit to tlie Britishpeople everywhere, and to the empire, be attained.

In my letter to Mr. Chamberlain, a peculiarity of the electric telegraph of farreachingimportance is pointed out. It is a peculiarity which, however, cannot be turned to publifeadvantage so long as the cables of the empire remain in the hands of private companies. Thecost of sending a message by telegraph is not. as is generally supported, governed bydistance. It is true that the oonipanies charge according to distance; but this is simply anexpedient for obtaining from the telegraphing public larger profits. As a matter of fact, there ispractically no more current outlay incurred in transmitting long than in transmitting shortdistance messages. It may be contrary to practice, it may not agree with preconceived ideas,but it is a fact nevertheless, that there is no known muans by which communications may be

sent at less actual cost than by telegraph. A mail or a letter cannot be conveyed by railway orocean steamer without expenditure on coal, machinery, oil, wages, and other things, to keepthe train or ship in motion. The expenditure is constant for every hour, and continuous forevery mile. The circumstances are entirely different in the case of the telegraph; when onceestablished, equipped with instruments and manned by operators, meesages may betransmitted one hundred or one thousand miles, with as much ease and at no greater actualcost than one mile.

This remarkable anomaly added to the equally remarkable, although better known fact, thattransmissions by the electric wire are instantaneous, point to a system of State-owned cables

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and telegraphs as the ideal means of communication for an empire under such conditions asours. If it be the case, and it is indisputable, that long-distance messages can be sent at nomore actual working outlay than short-distance messages, we have happily a means at ourcommand which will greatly tend to unify and consolidate this widely-scattered empire,provided we have the wisdom and forethought to bring it into use. If the principle of state-ownership of cables generally be carried into effect as suggested, I do not hesitate to state mybelief that the day is not far removed when oversea messages will be sent from any oneBritish possession to any other, whatever the distance, at the uniform charge, first of one

shilling, and eventually of six-pence a word.

I have always held the Pacific cable to be the initial link in a great chain of globe encirclingImperial telegraphs. The mere advocacy of the Pacific cable has already benefited Australia bylowering charges levied on messages fully fifty per cent, and any accountant can estimate theenormous money value of this benefit by the saving which has accrued during the past tenyears. I do not doubt that the advocacy of the Imperial system will have a similar effect on thepolicy of the companies in still further reducing charges, but any such reduction will beincomparably less important than the advantages to result from placing the cables andtelegraphs of the empire under state control. At present it is recognized that the empire isinadequately provided with the means of telegraphic communication, that commerce is undulytaxed in consequence, and that an embargo is placed on the free intercourse of the British

people. The circumstances of to-day demand multiplied facilities for sending telegrams fromany one part to any other part of the empire at greatly reduced charges, in order to widen theuse of telegraphy to all classes of the community. With an Imperial chain of cables established,incalculable advantages would follow, and Her Majesty's subjects, in whatever part of theworld they may be situated, could interchange communications with the greatest possibleease and the greatest possible economy.

Some words may with propriety be added with respect to the position of Canada in the matter.It will be borne in mind that it is owing to the unparalleled expansion of the Empire and theresultant oircumstances that some organization is absolutely needed to secure unfetteredintercourse, nnd that in this respect the subject ooncems Canada in common with Australiaand all other parts of Her Majesty's wide domain.

There is abundant evidence to show that in Canada we have common interests, commonsentiments, common aspirations and common sympathies with our kindred in Australia.

Have wo not during the past year sent our bravest to fight a common foe ? [The Boer War] andhave not our sons fallen on the same field and been laid in a common grave ? Before theselines reach Australia the world will have revolved into another year.

At this date we in Canada appear to be standing in the old century gazing across the deep intothe dawn of the new. We are distant spectators, yet intensely interested in the starting of theconstitutional machinery of a sister nation to dominate for all time in another quarter of theglobe. We recognize and welcome the approaching gront historical occasion as an epoch to

denote the steady evolution of an unique Empire of many commonwealths.

It will be apparent from the preceding remarks that a complete system of State-ownedtelegraphs encircling the globe would in no small degree contribute to the consolidation of thegreat Oceanic Empire. It will further be obvious that owing to the position of Australia in thesouthern seas ar.d her comparative isolation from other parts of the world, still more byreason of the highly important place she is destined to fill among the nations, that it would befitting to signalize the birth of the new commonwealth by initiating a comprehensive system of cheap and speedy communications of permanent advantage to the whole British people.

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Naturally it is felt that the initiative must be taken by Australia. I trust, therefore, that YourExcellency's government will see the way clear to take such action as may be expedient.

I have the honour to be, My Lord, Your obedient servant, SANDFORD FLEMING.

(Letter to the Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain on the subject of a State-owned System of Electric Cables for the Empire. By Sir Sandford Fleming.)

Ottawa, October 28, 1808.

The Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Sir, I had the honour, on 28th December of last year, to address Sir Wilfrid Laurier respectingthe proposal to establish a state-owned Pacific cable. Circumstances have since arisen whichimpel me to ask permission to address you on the subject of a state-owned system of cablesfor the British Empire.

In the remarks which follow, the subject will be discussed on its merits. I venture to think thatthe arguments advanced will make it clear that such a service is extremely desirable and isfast becoming a necessity. The telegraph is an essential ally of commerce and is indispensable

to the full and satisfactory development of trade and shipping. The trans-Pacific steamshiplines which have been established are heavily handicapped by the absence of any directmeans of telegraphy between the ports with which trade is carried on. The Pacific cable wouldserve the purposes of trade between Australasia and Canada, but these countries aredebarred from establishing independent telegraphic connection with Hong Kong, the terminalport of one of the steamship lines. Under an agreement, dated 28th October, 1893, theEastern Extension Telegraph Company strengthened its monopoly by having Canada and theAustralasian colonies telegraphically excluded from Hong Kong and forbidden to lay, or assistin laying, any new cable to that port for a period which does not expire until twenty years fromthe present date.

There remains only one way of gaining telegraphic connection with Hong Kong freed from

exacting charges, and that is through the Home government. In granting to the EasternExtension Company exclusive privileges, Lord Ripon, then Colonial Secretary, reserved to HerMajesty's government the option to take possession of the cable between Singapore, Labaunand Hong Kong, by giving twelve months' notice and paying the company £300,000. My letterof December last to Sir Wilfrid Laurier (copy inclosed) sets forth the position and the attitude,to Canada and the Australasian colonies, of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company. Theproposal now submitted would undoubtedly interfere with the rich monopoly which thatcompany enjoys, and to some extent, and for some time diminish its profits; but I venture tohold that no private company, however rich and influential, should be allowed to stand in theway when great Imperial interests are at stake. It must bo borno in mind, too, that telegraphyis one of the most astonishing results of science, and that the facilities which it offers, if notshackled by hinderances, may bo rendered of greater and greater value to the human race.

The advantages of cable connectionn and low charges increase with distance in an acceleratedratio. It in impossible, therefore, to set a limit to the commercial, social and political benefitswhich would result to the Empire from a State-controlled cable service reaching every Britishpossession. In the following remarks I point out that the Pacific cable, established as nowproposed, will prove to be the key to such a service, and practically its forerunner.

BRITISH EMPIRE CABLE SERVICE

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The action recently taken in London in adopting the principle of cheap Imperial postagesuggests that the time has arrivedwhen the expediency of establishing a complete telegraph cable system throughout theEmpire may be considered on its merits.

The advantages which will inevitably follow the adoption of universal penny postaffe appear tobe generally rocognised, and I venture to think the public mind will be prepared to entertainfavourably another proposal not lesa important. It is not necessary in the least to undervalue

cheap postage or detract from its immense importance in order to show that a cheaptelegraph service on a comprehensive scale is easily attainable, and that it would prove aneffective means of speedy communication for an Empire such as ours.

The transmission of letters has always been a. function of the government; indeed, it has beenwisely held throughout the civilized world that the postal service should be controlled by theState. The electric telegraph is a comparatively modern introduction.

In the mother country private companies were the first to establish lines of telegraph, but in1808 it was found to be in the public interest to have them taken over by the State and placedunder the Post Office Department.

A Committee of Inquiry had reported to Parliament : "That the telegraph service as managedby companies, (1) maintained excessive charges, (2) occasioned frequent and vexatiousdelays in the transmission of messages, and inaccuracies in sending them, (3) left a largenumber of important towns and districts wholly unprovided for, and (4) placed specialdifficulties in the way of that newspaper press which had in the interest of the public a claim,so just and so obvious, to special facilities."

The transfer was effected in 1870. Changes ami improvements were immediately made; thetelegraph service, previously confined to lines connecting great cities where business waslucrative, was extended to many towns and districts previosuly neglected, and,notwithstanding the fact that the charges on messages were greatly reduced, the businessdeveloped to such an extent that the receipts progressiveily increased. Before the transfer it

cost about six shillings to send an ordinary message from London to Scotland or Ireland. Therate was reduced to a shilling, and subsequently to six pence (the rate at present charged),and for that sum a telegram can be sent from any one station to any other station within thelimits of the United Kingdom, without regard to distance.

It was early discovered by every country in Europe that so efficient a servant ta trade andcommerce, so important an aid to the State itself, should become a national institution.France, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Sardinia, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium each established aState telegraph system, and, as in Great Britain, experience has shown that they have donethis, not only with advantage to the various administrative necessities, but with benefit to thepublic at large.

Such being the unanimous conclusion, is not the application of the principle of State ownershipon a larger scale than hitherto attempted a fit subject for inquiry ? Is it not desirable andexpedient that the whole British Empire should have a Statecontrolled cable system? Theconditions of the Empire are totally different to what they were some years back. When HerMajesty ascended the throne there was not a single mile of electric telegraph anywhere. Therewas not an iron ship of any class afloat, and mail steamships were practically unknown. Fromthat period the conditions have been continually changing and the process of growth anddtevelopment still goes on. True, change has met with resistance from individuals andcompanies and classes, but resist it who may, the law of development follows its steadycourse and continually makes demands on science and skill to meet the ever-clianging

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conditions. We are living in an age of transformation; the spirit of discovery and enterprise, of invention and achievement, has extended and expanded the British Empire from the smallislands on the coast of Europe to new territories, continental in extent, in both hemispheres. The development of the mercantile marine has carried the flag of our country over every mileof sea to meridians far distant from the motherland. In these distant territories, communitieshave established themselves under the protection of that fla^. They hav^ drawn riches fromthe forest, the soil and the mine. They have caused noble cities to spring up, rivalling in thesplendour of their streets and buildings the finest cities of the Old World. These young nations,

full of hope and vigour, have made progress in every di.i'ection; they are imbued with loftyaspirations, and their most ardent desire is to give their energy and strength to the building upof a greater British Empire, on the finn foundation of conunon interest and common sentiment.

At an earlier period of the world's history it would have been difficult to conceive the possibilityof any lasting political union between countries so widely separated by intervening seas. Theproblem is, however, being solved, not by old methods, but by the application of wiseprinciples of government, aided in a wonderful way by the highest resources of modernscience. Steam has made the separating oceans no longer barriers, but the general medium of union. Electricity has furnished the means by which the British people in all parts of the globemay exchange thought as freely as those within speaking distance. These twin agencies of civilization are pregnant with stupendous possibilities. Already the one, as the prime factor in

sea-carriage, has rendered luiiversal penny postage possible. The other has made it equallypossible to bring the British people, so widely sundered geographically, within the sameneighbourhood telegraphically.

Imperial penny postage will have far-reaching consequences; it is tmdoubtedly a great onwardmovement in the career of civilization, and in the development of wider national sympathy andsentiment. But great as are the benefits to follow the adoption of universal cheap postage, thefirst result, and not the least, will be to make plain that a postal service, however cheap andcomprehensive, is in itself insufficient for the increasing daily needs of the now widely-distributed British peoples. It will be seen that in addition to an ocean penny postal service,the circumstances of our worldwide empire demand a cheap ocean cable service, extending toevery possession of Her Majesty.

The carriage of letters at any known speed consumes time, and the length of time consumeddepends on the distance traversed. The telegraph, on the other hand, practically annihilatesspace, and in this one respect has immeasurably the advantage over the ordinary postalservice, especially in the case of correspondents who are separated by the greatest distances.

We can as yet but faintly appreciate the extent to which the telegraph may be employed,because its use heretofore has been restricted, on long-distance messages, by almostprohibitory charges. If messages be exchanged between places not far apart, let us saybetween London and Edinburgh, or Toronto and Montreal, the gain in time by the use of thetelegraph is inconsiderable. But if the points of connection be far separated, such as Londonand Melbourne, or Ottawa and Capetown, the comparison between a postal and a telegraph

service brings out the distinct value of the latter. In either of the cases last mentioned, while itwould require the lapse of eight or ten weeks to obtain an answer to a letter by post; if theteilegraph be employed, a reply may be returned next day, or even the same day.

Existing long-distance cables are little used by the general public ; it may be said, not at allexcept in emergencies. They are used in connection with commerce, the growing needs of which demand more and more the employment of the telegraph, but owing to the highcharges exacted its use is limited to business which would siiffer by delay. These cables are inthe hands of private companies striving chiofly to earn large dividends, and who adopt thepolicy of charging high rates, in consequence of which trade and commerce is unduly taxed,

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and its free development retarded. Were the cables owned by the State, large profits wouldnot be the main object, and precisely as in the case of the land lines of the United Kingdom, itwould be possible to reduce charges so as to remove restrictions on trade, and bring thetelegraph service within reach of many now debarred from using it.

When the government assumed control of the inland telegraphs of the United Kingdom it wasfound possible greatly to reduce charges. In 1869, the year before the transfer, less thanseven million messages were carried. At the transfer the rate was reduced to one shilling per

message; the traffic immediately increased nearly 50 per cent, and continued increasing until,in the tenth year, twenty-nine million messages were transmitted, with a surplus of revenueover expenditure of £354,060. In another decade the total annual business equalled ninety-four millions, the operations still resulting in a surplus of £251,806 although the charge for amessage had been meanwhile reduced from one shilling to six pence. It is indisputable thathigh charges restrict the utility of sea cables as well as of land lines, while low charges havethe opposite effect. A few years ago the tariff of charges between Australia and London wasnine shillings and four pence per word. The proposal to establish the Pacific cable and thediscussion which followed, led to the cheapening of the rate to four shillings and nine penceper word. In 1890, the year before the rates were lowered, the gross business consisted of 827,278 words. Last year (1897) it had increased to 2,349,901 words. In 1890, with highcharges, the revenue was £331,468. In 1897, with reduced charges, the revenue was

£507,852, or £236,384 in excess of 1890, when the highest rates were exacted.

The utility of the telegraph may be measured by the time gained over the post, and thesuccess of the telegraph service of the United Kingdom must be accepted as convincingevidence of its utility and value, for the gain in time is, in this case, measured by hours only.Its striking success in this instance may be largely owing to State control, but whatever thecause, it is obvious that if, under similar conditions, weeks were gained instead of hours, theutility of the telegraph would be proportionately increased and its value as a means of communication correspondingly enhanced.

There is another immense advantage, not generally kown to the public, which can be claimedfor telegraphy : It is the fact, that within certain limitations the actual cost of transmission is

but little affected by distance. While the cost of carrying letters is in proportion to the distancetraversed, the same rule does not apply to the electric wire. With a properly equippedtelegraph system, the actual expenditure incurred in transmitting a message thousands of miles is practically no greater than in sending it ten miles. Obviously, therefore, the principleof 'penny postage,' that is to say, a low uniform charge for all distances, is applicable evenmore fully to ocean telegraphy than to the Imperial postal service. With these considerationsbefore us, a moment's reflection leads to the conviction that this wonderful agency, theelectric wire-places within our reach, if we have the wisdom to accept it, an ideal means of communication for the world-wide British Empire.

Thirty years ago the British Parliament for reasons, the soundness of which experience hasfully confirmed, determined that the State should assume control of the inland telegraph

system of the United Kingdom. To-day there are incomparably stronger reasons for Statecontrol being exercised over a cable system for the whole Empire.

The proposal is not altogether new. If the proceedings of the Colonial Conference of 1887 bereferred to, it will be found that an Imperial telegraph service was foreshadowed in thediscussions. To these I would refer, and especially pages 225 to 228, 339 to 341, and 513 to520. In these discussions the delegates from the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Australia, NewZealand, Newfoundland and Canada took part. Again, at the Colonial Conference of 1894 theproposal was set forth in some detail, and the advantages of an all-British system of telegraphy aroun 1 the globe pointed out. On that point I beg leave to direct attention to the

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proceedings of the Ottawa Conference, and more particularly to pages 88 to 90, inclusive.Likewise to the proceedings of the second Congress of the Chambers of Commerce of theEmpire, and more especially to a letter from the Ottawa delegate, July 1, 1892 to thePresident, Sir John Lubbock.

The proposal to complete the telegraphic curcuit of the globe has no doubt suggested itself tomany persons. Among those who have written on the subject may be mentioned. Sir JuliusVogel, at one time Postmaster General of New Zealand; the late Mr. F. N. Gisbome,

Superintendent of Telegraphs for the Canadian government; Sir George Baden-Powell, M.P.,London; Mr J. C. Lockley, of Nhill, Australia; and the veteran postal reformer, Mr. HennikerHeaton. At the Cape, Mr. Jan Hendrich Hofmeyer has given the matter his strongest support.

PROJECTED CABLE SYSTEM

It may be laid down as an essential condition of an Imperial cable service, that none of thelines should touch foreign soil, and that they should bi' placed so as to avoid shallow seas,more especially those seas in proximity to any country likely at any time to prove unfriendly.In describing generally the route which would best comply with these conditions, I shallcommence at Vancouver, for the reason that up to this point telegraphic connection with theImperial centre in London is already assured, without being dependent on any foreign power.

First, we have directed telegraphic connection across the Atlantic by a number of cables, andit is a mere question of cost to lay additional trans-Atlantic cables to be state-controlled,whenever they are wanted.

Secondly, we have a transcontinental telegraph from the Atlantic coast to Vancouver,extending along the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and all practical telegraphers willrecognize the great advantage of this position. By having the wires hung within sight of passing trains, the telegraph can be frequently inspected with the greatest possible ease, andfaults when they occur, can speedily be repaired.

Commencing at Vancouver the cable would cross the Pacific to New Zealand and Australia,from Australia the main line would cross the Indian Ocean to South Africa, from South Africa it

would traverse the Atlantic to Canada, where it would connect with the trans-Atlantic lines.Such a system of cables would complete the telegraphic circuit of the globe, and wouldconstitute a base for connecting every one of Her Majesty's possessions and naval coalingstations (Gibraltar and Malta excepted) by the most perfect means of conveying intelligence atour disposal. Moreover, the connection would be formed by a system of all-British deep-seacables in the position where they would be least vulnerable. This Imperial cable system maybe considered in three divisions.

(1) Cables in the Pacific Ocean.

The cable from Vancouver would first find a mid-ocean station at Fanning Island, second at FijiIslands, third at Norfolk Island; at Norfolk Island it would bifurcate, one branch extending to

New Zealand, the other to the eastern coast of Australia.

There are many islands in the Pacific, some under British, others under foreign flags ; in courseof time these islands could be served by branches as circumstances may require. The landlines of Australia would complete telegraphic connection with the western coast, or it may bedeemed expedient to substitute a cable for the land lines over that portion of the interiorbetween Adelaide and King George's Sound.

(2) Cables in the Indian Ocean.

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From King George's Sound, or other point in Western Australia, the cable would extend toCocos Island, thence to Mauritius, and thence to Natal or Capetown, as may be foundexpedient. Cocos would become an important telegraphic centre; it would be a convenientpoint for connecting Singapore by a branch cable. Singapore is already in connection withHong Kong by an all-British cable via Labuan, and Her Majesty's government can takepossession by giving 12 months' notice. India could be reached by a branch from Cocos toColombo or Trincomalee in Ceylon. At Mauritius a connection would be formed with theexisting cable to Seychelles, Aden and Bombay.

(3) Cables in the Atlantic Ocean.

In order to avoid the shallow seas along the west coast of Africa, Spain, Portugal and France, itis proposed that the cable should extend from Capetown to Bermuda, touching at St. Helena,Ascension and Barbados as mid-ocean stations. At Bermuda, a connection would be formedwith the existing cable to Halifax, and at that point with the Canadian and trans-Atlantic lines,or a cable could be laid from Bermuda derect to England.

Much prominence has been given to a proposal to connect England with the Cape by a line of cable touching at Gibraltar, Sierre Leone or Bathurst, Ascension and St. Helena. I pointed outin my letter of last December to Sir Wilfrid Laurier, that there are grave objections to the

northern half of that route, as "the cable, of necessity, would be laid for some distance inshallow seas where it would be exposed to injury from various causes, and where, too, theagent of an unfriendly nation or, indeed, an evil-disposed fisherman, would have it in his powerto destroy the cable with ease, totally unobserved. For hundreds of miles it would be exposedto such risks." The route now proposed from Ascension to Great Britain is certainly less direct,but the cables would be much less in jeopardy, and to this may be added, the advantagewhich would result in brinigng the West Indian poisessions within the Imperial telegraphiccircle.

In order that some estimate may be formed of the cost of such an undertaking, I submit thefollowing approximate distances which each group of cables would require to cover :

(1) In the Pacific Ocean, from Vancouver to Australia and New Zealand,7,150 knots.

(2) In the Indian Ocean, from Western Australia to South Africa

Maine line 6,500Branch to Singapore 1,100Branch to Colombo 1,500 Total 9,100 knots.

(3) In the Atlantic Ocean, from South Africa to Bermuda. 6,600knots

Total 22,850 knots

The total distance for which new cables would be required (of which 20,250 knots would be inthe main line, and 2,600 knots in branches) may be roughly placed at 23,000 knots, and thecost (including the branch to Hong Kong) between £5,000,000 and £6,000,000 sterling.

I have long advocated the first division of the proposal, the establishment of a cable fromCanada to Australasia as a statework. I have felt that it would be the forerunner of an all-British telegraph system embracingthe whole empire. As a state undertaking I am satisfied that the Pacific cable would be a

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complete commercial success, and that so soon as it so proved, the cable extension to SouthAfrica and India would follow.

One advantage peculiar to a globe-encircling system of cables will be apparent, each pointtouched would be in connection with every other point by two routes extending in oppositedirections. This feature is of special value, as it practically constitutes a double connection ineach case.

The projected system of all-British cables with its branches would thus doubly connect thefollowing fortified and garrisoned coaling stations, namely :- Hong Kong, Singapore, Trincomalee, Colombo, Aden, Capetown, Simons Bay, St. Helena, Ascension, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Bermuda, Halifax, Esquimalt, King George's Sound and Thursday Island.

The following "defended ports" would likewise be connected, viz. :- Durban, Karachi, Bombay,Madras, Calcutta, Eangoon, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Auckland, Wellington, Lyttletown and Dunedin.

Would it not be in the interest of a great commercial people to have these and all such pointsin the outer Empire connected by a means of communication so perfect as the electrictelegraph ? Is it not a matter which vitally concerns every British community around the

globe ? Is it not in their common interest that they all should be placed in possession of thespeediest means of conveying intelligence the one to the other, free from the burden of highcharges ? That a State owned Pacific cable is the key to the situation, I am firmly convinced.

Exhaustive examinations have proved its entire practicability. Its financial aspect has beenminutely investigated by business men of the highest rank. The Canadian governmentappointed Lord Strathcona and the Honourable A. G. Jones for the purpose, than whom thereare no men with stronger business insight. Their report is in the possession of the government,and it takes the most favourable view of the project.

As a State undertaking it would be self-supporting from the first year of its establishment, andwould admit of charges being lowered year by year. That the final outcome of the laying of this

cable would be an Imperial telegraph service there can be little doubt.

I am satisfied that the Pacific cable would prove to be the entering wedge to remove for everall monopoly in ocean telegraphy, and free the public from excessive charges; that it would bethe initial link in a chain of State cables encircling the globe, with branches ramifying whereverthe British Empire extends, and that it would be the means of bringing into momentary electrictouch every possession of Her Majesty.

In 1837, Rowland Hill, in advocating uniform penny postage for the United Kingdom, pointedout how desirable it would be to have the same low rates as on inland letters charged onletters passing to and from the colonies.

This remarkable man concluded with the memorable words : "There is perhaps scarcely anymeasure which would tend so effectually to remove the obstacles to emigration, and maintainthat sympathy between the cclouies and the mother country which is the only sure bond of connection, as the proposed reduction on the postage of colonial letters."

Had Sir Rowland Hill known of the means of instantaneous communication which, since hisday, has been placed at our command, he assuredly would have viewed it as the mostcivilizing agency of the century. He would have seen that while promoting the activities of trade and commerce and improving the well-being of the human race, nothing would moretend to deepen the sympathies of our people and make firm the foimdationa of the Empire,

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than the adding to a universal penny postage, the incalculable advantage of a State-controlledocean telegraph system encircling the globe.

Holding the views which I have ventured to submit, I feel that in the public interest I shouldgreatly err if I failed to seek an opportunity of giving expression to them.

I have the honour to be, sir. Your obedient servant, SANDFORD FLEMING.

When the Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Company won the £2 million pound contractto manufacture and lay the Pacific cable, it was decided to lay the Bamfield - Fanning Islandsection cable in one operation and, as none of the existing cable ships had sufficient storagecapacity to carry the 3,458 nautical miles of cable, weighing some 8,000 tonnes, a newcable-layer, the 7,891 ton, 487-foot long, by 56-foot beam, Colonia, was specially built forthe task by Swan, Hunter Wigham Richardson Ltd. in 1902.

With a depth of 27.6 feet and fitted with four heated cable tanks - No 1 tank 45 feet

diameter by 26 feet 9 inches deep, capacity 40,810 cubic feet; No 2 tank 47 feet diameter by27 feet 6 inches deep, capacity 42,538 cubic feet; No 3 tank 49 feet diameter by 17 feet 9inches deep, capacity 32,121 cubic feet and No 4 tank 45 feet diameter by 18 feet 9 inchesdeep, capacity 28,493 cubic feet, the total capacity being 143,962 cubic feet, the Colonia hada double paying out-picking up machine was fitted on the main deck forward of the No 1 tankhatch. A single paying out machine was fitted aft. Two bow sheaves and one stern sheave, all3 feet 6 inches in diameter were fitted.

In the course of promoting his proposals for The Pacific Cable, Fleming, accompanied by hisdaughter, had travelled across The Pacific to Australia, in 1893-94, on board the 316-footlong, 3,628 gross ton Warrimoo, the single screw, 14.5 knot, passenger-cargo liner built in1892 by Swan Hunter's yard at Newcastle upon Tyne for James Huddart of Melbourne - The

liner, put under management of Huddart Parker & Co, initially trading the Tasman Seabetween Australia and New Zealand, under the Company name 'New Zealand & Australian S NCo. until, 'thinking big', James Huddart began a service from Australia to England via Canadaand changed the company name to The Canadian - Australian Steamship Co. Taking inVancouver as part of her trans-Pacific run until 1901 when the Company was sold to UnionSteamship Co of New Zealand. Sold in October 1916 and registered in Singapore to unknownowners, the Warrimoo was sunk after a collision off the coast of Tunis North Africa on May 18,1918.

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The story that follows was probably unknown to Fleming but, it would undoubtedly have haveamused him for, on the evening of December 30, 1899, the Warrimoo was quietly knifing herway through the waters of the mid Pacific, from Vancouver to Australia when her chief officer,a Mr Daylong, took a star fix on her position and announced the result to the ship's captain John D. Phillips, the ship then at about Latitude 0° 30' North and Longitude 179° 30' West,only a few miles distant from from the intersection of The Equator and The International DateLine, the position enabling the ship's captain the opportunity to achieve the navigational freakof a lifetime.

In an ordinary crossing of The Date Line it is confusing enough for passengers, because theylose a complete 24-hour day when crossing The Date Line from east to west, but theopportunity that Captain Phillips had before him would be sure to confound them for the restof their lives.

He immediately called the rest of his deck officers to the bridge and told them to check anddouble check the ship's position every few minutes and report it to him, Phillips changingcourse and carefully adjusting the ship's speed accordingly so as to correctly hit theintersection at exactly the right moment and, on that clear night, on a calm sea and thanksto the eager co-operation of his crew, precisely at midnight, 'local time', the Warrimoo, layon The Equator at exactly the point where it crosses The International Date Line.

The consequences of this bizarre situation were many - The forward part of the ship was in The Southern Hemisphere and in the middle of summer while the stern of the ship was in TheNorthern Hemisphere and in the middle of Winter and, whilst the date in the after part of theship was December 30, 1899, the date in the forward part of the ship, having alreadycrossed The International Date Line from west to east, was January 1, 1900, the ship wasthus lying briefy in two different dates and days, in two different years and in two differentcenturies all at the same time, the end '00' year of a century giving rise to the convention of titling each century and yet that same '00' ending year generally recognised as beginningeach new century and here the ship leaving the 19th century astern and entering the 20thcentury.

Too, the ship's passengers and crew had been 'cheated out' of a New Year's Eve 'Hogmanay'celebration for, by thisinteresting situation, the date of December 31, 1899 had had been completely eliminatedfrom their lives !

When when speaking about the event years later, Captain Phillips said he had never heard of it happening before and wondered if anybody would attempt to repeat the feat in 1999 - 2000,no such attempts were seemingly reported despite all the fuss of 'The Millennium' celebrationsaround The World.

Sandford Fleming, surveyor, draftsman, engineer, office holder, and college chancellor;born January 7, 1827 in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, son of Andrew Greig Fleming, a carpenter and

Elizabeth Arnot; brother of John Arnot Fleming; married January 3, 1855 Ann Jane (Jean) Hall(died 1888) in Peterborough, Upper Canada and they had five sons and four daughters;died 22 July 22, 1915 in Halifax.

Educated first in Kennoway and Kirkcaldy, at age 14 Sandford Fleming became a pupil of theScottish engineer and surveyor John Sang. In 1845, with his brother David and a cousin, HenryFleming, he immigrated to Upper Canada, settling initially in Peterborough, where he securedemployment with surveyor Richard Birdsall. He later contracted with John Stoughton Dennis, asurveyor in Weston (Toronto), in order to be recertified, as required under Canadian law. Togenerate income before his certification as a surveyor in 1849, Fleming prepared maps of

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Peterborough, Hamilton, Cobourg, and Toronto. The last, made jointly with Dennis, waspublished by Hugh Scobie,s firm in 1851, the same year that the highly talented Flemingdesigned Canada’s first postage stamp, which would do much to publicize the beaver as adistinctly Canadian emblem.

In June 1849 Fleming had participated with Kivas Tully, Frederic William Cumberland, andothers in the founding in Toronto of The Canadian Institute, an early professional society of architects, surveyors, and engineers. When it failed to become a professional organization, he

helped convert it into a broad-based scientific society. He served it in various capacities untilhe left Toronto in 1864; in 1879 he would be reinstated as a member by Daniel Wilson, whowas to become a staunch ally in advocating standard time. Fleming was also the prime moverin 1852 behind the institute’s Canadian Journal.

In 1852 Fleming became an assistant engineer, under Cumberland, on the Ontario, Simcoeand Huron Union Railroad, later the Northern Railway, which was being built from Toronto toGeorgian Bay. The relationship between the two engineers was far from smooth. Cumberland’stalents occasionally took him into activities far removed from the railway and he sometimesinvolved Fleming. Fired by Cumberland in 1855, Fleming took the matter to the railway’sboard. In the event, he replaced Cumberland that year on the condition that he devote all histime to the railway. In 1862 Cumberland, then on the Northern’s board, eased Fleming out. In

a bitter dispute between the two during 1863–66 over pay, Fleming lost. Both men hadoversized egos, but Cumberland took the prize.

Though committed to the Northern, Fleming had the board’s permission to become involved inother projects. In 1858 the design for Toronto’s Palace of Industry by Fleming and CollingwoodSchreiber, then in private practice together, amply demonstrated their proficiency in the newtechnology of iron construction. Devoted from at least 1858 to the prospect of westernexpansion and a transcontinental railway, in 1862 Fleming placed before the government thefirst thoroughly thought-out plan for building a Pacific railway. In the winter of 1862–63 hepromoted a railway to the Red River settlement (Man.). He travelled to Britain in May 1863 totry, without success, to interest the imperial government in the project.

Fleming’s return coincided with the need to resolve the more pressing problem of rail linksbetween Canada and the Maritime colonies. By 1863 the American Civil War had broughtcolonial security and the intercolonial railway project to the fore, and it would soon becomea sine qua non of confederation. In 1863 Fleming, as a result of his intense lobbying, was theunanimous choice of the colonial governments as well as of the Colonial Office for the post of chief surveyor. Four years later the new dominion government appointed him engineer-in-chief of the Intercolonial Railway, a position he would hold until 1876. A vigorous outdoorsman whoenjoyed surveys, he conducted them with care and a zest for exploration. He organized theIntercolonial survey forces, approved contracts for construction, and, prior to confederation,even carried out the building himself of a line for Nova Scotia [see Sir Charles Tupper]. In 1864Fleming had brought his family from Toronto to Halifax. To deal more closely with the federalgovernment, in 1869 he moved to Ottawa, where he bought the residence of George-Édouard

Desbarats; he later named it Winterholme. As his practice took him between Ottawa and theMaritimes, he also bought a summer home in Halifax, the Lodge, which he first used in 1874.

When the construction of the Intercolonial became a federal project, a board of railwaycommissioners was appointed in 1868 to oversee the work. In disputes with it, Flemingappealed to Ottawa, which usually decided in his favour. A prime case was the construction of bridges, several of them technically challenging. Fleming wished to use stone and iron, whilethe commissioners, trained to turn a profit, preferred timber. His view prevailed and hisstructures lasted, not only because of superior materials but also because of the engineeringtechniques he pioneered, in soil sampling and the prestressing of piers.

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and New Zealand were prepared to support it even if London turned it down. A cable fromVancouver to New Zealand and Australia was completed in 1902.

Fleming’s travels had exposed him to the prevailing confusion in the measurement of time inboth North America and Europe. The practice of keeping local time was universal, except inBritain, where the extensive development of railways had led to the adoption of a system of standard time. As the rail network developed in North America, the problems of schedulingand keeping track of trains multiplied, but attempts at reform failed because they were not

comprehensive. In 1879 two reports, each prepared independently of the other, took a globalapproach to the problem and each received wide circulation. One author was Fleming; theother was Cleveland Abbe, chief of the United States Weather Service. Fleming’s report, readinitially before the Canadian Institute, was sent to Governor General Lord Lorne, Marquis of Argyll, who forwarded it to the Colonial Office with his full support. Abbe’s report waspresented to the American Metrological Society, which sought to standardize themeasurement of time and whose senior members were Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard of Columbia College in New York City and Thomas Egleston of its School of Mines. The twoschemes were so similar that the authors joined to form a powerful lobby with the support of Egleston and Barnard, who had strong ties to Washington and international scientific leaders. Together they took every opportunity to promote the case for time standards.

For Fleming the chief vehicle became the American Society of Civil Engineers, which wasdominated by railwaymen. It made him chairman of its standing committee on time in 1881and turned him loose; he carried out a survey of railwaymen and scientists about hisproposals, using the offices of the society but paying the costs himself. He planned to use thedata to petition Congress to convene a conference, but the railway managers decided to act atonce since his data had demonstrated a clear consensus. On 18 Nov. 1883 the railways of North America adopted the system of one-hour time zones that remains in force today.Because of its simplicity, railway time soon became the standard for the continent. But theneed remained for global uniformity. The key players of the metrological society and the ASCEwere successful in getting Congress to call an international gathering in 1884 to decide on thecore question: where the prime meridian would be. Grudgingly included in the Britishdelegation, Fleming was the only delegate to distribute a position paper. The conference

eventually endorsed his main points, but each country was to make its own decision onadoption. A mean time based on an existing prime meridian through Greenwich (London),England, with hourly variations according to established time zones, became standard beforethe end of the century in most major countries.

Fleming’s lifelong faith in knowledge was a Presbyterian heritage. Allied to it was acommitment to professional service, and the two interests found an outlet in higher education.His real opportunity to influence education came when he was drafted in December 1879 aschancellor of Queen’s College at Kingston, where his kindred friend George Grant wasprincipal. Fleming’s inaugural address in 1880 made a powerful case for putting science at thecentre of university education. More than a figurehead, he worked closely with Grant innegotiating provincial support. The School of Mining and Agriculture was subsequently

established at Queen’s in 1893 and the following year approval was given for a faculty of applied science under Nathan Fellowes Dupuis. After Grant died in 1902, another of hisstruggles, to sever the denominational connection between Queen’s and the PresbyterianChurch, was continued by others, Fleming among them. This campaign was ultimatelysuccessful and Queen’s was established as a secular university with a strong base in scienceand engineering before Fleming died, still chancellor, in 1915.

Sandford Fleming’s strength lay in his systematic use of institutions for his causes. In Britainthe Institution of Civil Engineers of Great Britain, to which he was elected in 1871, and theRoyal Colonial Institute helped promote his railway and cable interests, respectively. In Canada

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the Canadian Institute was a long-time means of advancing his engineering and scientificinterests in matters as diverse as Toronto Harbour (1850–55) and standard time (1879–89).When the Royal Society of Canada was formed in 1882 – Fleming was a charter-member andits president in 1888–89 – it was used in similar fashion. In the United States his main base of operation was the ASCE, in which he was active from 1872 to 1899, when he signed off aschairman of its committee on time. In addition to these and other learned bodies, he was athome in Empire clubs, boards of trade (Ottawa and Halifax), and colonial conferences.

He was showered with honours in his lifetime. Appointed a CMG in 1877, he was promoted to aknighthood in 1897. He was awarded honorary doctorates by the University of St Andrews inScotland (1884), Columbia (1887), the University of Toronto (1907), and Queen’s (1908).Membership in such bodies as the Royal Society of Canada was an honour in itself. Noorganization pleased him so much, however, as the short-lived Alpine Club of Canada, whichhe and George Grant founded with a flourish in 1883, during their second expedition acrossthe Rockies.

Though Fleming was not a career politician, much of his activity had political consequences. Technology was his domain, and it was through technology that he reached for national andinternational goals: railway building as a way of uniting the provinces of British North America,professional development in engineering, a telegraph encircling the globe on British territory,

and the universal measurement of time. He is usually classified as an engineer or abusinessman, but the word that captures his lifetime effort is promoter. He died in 1915 at thehome of his daughter in Halifax. Buried in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, he was survived bythree sons and two daughters.

Many other papers about these matters can be found at http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=sandford%20fleming

John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke ofArgyll KG, KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC (August 6, 1845 - May 2, 1914), usually better known bythe courtesy title Marquess of Lorne, by which he was known before 1900, was

a British nobleman and was the fourth Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883. He isnow remembered primarily for the place names bestowed on Canadian geography in honour of his wife, for his metrical paraphrase of Psalm 121, "Unto the hills around do I lift up" and forthe frequency with which the name "Lorne" is given to male children in Canada, a customuncommon elsewhere.

He was born in London, the eldest son of George, Marquess of Lorne and the former LadyElizabeth Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, daughter of the 2nd Duke of Sutherland, and wasstyled Earl of Campbell from birth. In 1847, when he was 21 months old, his father succeededas 8th Duke of Argyll and he assumed the courtesy title Marquess of Lorne, which he bore untilhe was 54. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy, Eton, St Andrews and at Trinity College,Cambridge. For ten years before coming to Canada, he represented Argyllshire as

a Liberal Member of Parliament in theHouse of Commons.

When Lord Lorne's appointment was announced, there was great excitement throughoutCanada. For the first time, Rideau Hall would have a royal resident, Queen Victoria's fourthdaughter, Princess Louise, had married Lord Lorne on 21 March 1871. This was the first time aPrincess had married a commoner since 1515. Despite opposition from the British royal family,particularly from the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria realised that times were changing, andwas convinced that marriage outside the traditional royal houses would strengthen the throneboth morally and physically. The Canadian Prime Minister relaxed his busy campaign schedule

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http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=sandford%20fleming






to prepare for her arrival and to organise a special carriage and corps of guards to protect thePrincess.

During Lorne's term of office, the recession plaguing the Canadian economy ended and Sir John A. Macdonald returned as Prime Minister. Canada was experiencing a renewal of optimismand an upswing of nationalism.

At age 33, Lord Lorne was Canada's youngest Governor General, but he was not too young to

handle the marginal demands of his post. He and Princess Louise made many lastingcontributions to Canadian society especially in the arts and sciences. They encouraged theestablishment of The Royal Society of Canada, The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and The National Gallery of Canada, even selecting some of its first paintings. In addition to actingas a patron of arts and letters in Canada, Lorne was the author of many books of prose andpoetry. His writings show a deep appreciation of Canada's physical beauty.

Throughout his term of office, Lorne was intensely interested in Canada and Canadians. Hetravelled throughout the country encouraging the establishment of numerous institutions, andmet with members of Canada's First Nations and with other Canadians from all walks of life. AtRideau Hall, he and Princess Louise hosted many social functions, including numerous iceskating and tobogganing parties as well as balls, dinners and State occasions.

Princess Louise was an accomplished writer, sculptor and artist – she painted well in both oilsand water colours. A door she painted with sprigs of apple blossoms can still be seen in theMonck wing corridor at Rideau Hall. She gave the name Regina (which is Latin for Queen) tothe new capital of the North-West Territories (and later of the province of Saskatchewan andboth the district of Alberta in The Northwest Territories (later the province of Alberta) and LakeLouise in that district were named after her (Alberta, after her father Prince Albert, being oneof her Christian names). Although she was often unwell following a sleigh accident in Ottawa in1880, she was a compassionate woman who, during an epidemic of scarlet fever, personallynursed the sick.

Princess Louise returned to England in 1881 and Lord Lorne followed two years later in 1883.

Lorne was Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle from 1892 to 1914, and he sat as MPfor Manchester South from 1895 until the death of his father on 24 April 1900, when hesucceeded as 9th and 2nd Duke of Argyll (his father had been created Duke of Argyll inthe Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892). He and Princess Louise lived at KensingtonPalace until his death from pneumonia in 1914.

The marriage was not a happy one. Lorne is rumoured to have been bisexual, if not largelyhomosexual in predisposition. One of his close homosexual friends was the handsome butdissolute Frank Shackleton (brother of the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton), who was a keysuspect in the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels. There is clear evidence that official investigationof the theft of the Crown Jewels was suppressed. It has been suggested by John Cafferky andKevin Hannafin, that this is because authorities became aware of the Lorne connection to

Shackleton.The Princess Louise

The Princess Louise (born Louise Caroline Alberta, also known as Marchioness of Lorne andDuchess of Argyll by marriage; 18 March 1848 - 3 December 1939) was a member of theBritish Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband,Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the company of her family. When her father, the Prince Consort, died on 14 December 1861, the court went

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into a period of intense mourning, to which Louise was unsympathetic. Louise was an ablesculptor and artist, and several of her sculptures remain today. She was also a supporter of the feminist movement, and corresponded with Josephine Butler and visited Elizabeth Garrett.

As an unmarried daughter of Victoria, Louise served as an unofficial secretary to her motherbetween 1866 and 1871. The question of Louise's marriage was discussed in the late 1860s.Suitors from the royal houses of Prussia and Denmark were suggested, but Victoria wantednew blood in the family, and therefore suggested a high-ranking member of the aristocracy.

Despite opposition from members of the royal family, Louise fell in love with John, Marquess of Lorne, the heir to the Duke of Argyll, and Victoria consented to the marriage, which took placeon 21 March 1871. Despite a happy beginning, the two drifted apart, possibly because of theirchildlessness and the Queen's constraints on their activities.

In 1878, Lorne was appointed Governor General of Canada. Louise thus became viceregalconsort, but her stay was unhappy as a result of homesickness and dislike of Ottawa. FollowingVictoria's death on 22 January 1901, she entered the social circle established by her brother,the new King, Edward VII. Louise's marriage survived thanks to long periods of separation, butthe couple reconciled in 1911, and she was devastated by her husband's death in 1914. Afterthe end of the First World War in 1918, she became a gradual recluse, undertaking few publicduties outside of Kensington Palace. She died at Kensington on 3 December 1939 at the age of

91, making her the longest-lived of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's nine children.

Early Life

Louise was born on 18 March 1848 at Buckingham Palace, London. She was the fourthdaughter and sixth child of the reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria, and her husbandPrince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. As the daughter of the sovereign, Louise was styledHer Royal Highness The Princess Louise from birth. Her birth coincided with revolutions whichswept across Europe, prompting the Queen to remark that Louise would turn out to be“something peculiar”. The Queen's labour with Louise was the first to be aided withchloroform. Albert and Victoria chose the names Louisa Caroline Alberta. Louise was chosen tohonour Albert's mother. Though christened Louisa in Buckingham Palace's private chapel by

John Bird Sumner, the Archbishop of Canterbury, on 13 May 1848, she was invariably known asLouise throughout her life. Her godparents were Duke Gustav of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (herpaternal great-great-uncle, for whom Prince Albert stood proxy); The Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen (for whom her great-aunt Queen Adelaide stood proxy); and The Hereditary GrandDuchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (her first cousin once-removed, for whom her mother TheDuchess of Cambridge stood proxy). During the ceremony, The Duchess of Gloucester, one of the few children of George III who were still alive, forgot where she was, and suddenly got upin the middle of the service and knelt at the Queen's feet, much to the Queen's horror.

Like her other siblings, Louise was brought up with the strict programme of education devisedby her father, Prince Albert, and his friend and confidant, Baron Stockmar. The young childrenwere taught practical tasks, such as cooking, farming, household tasks and carpentry.

From her early years, Louise was a talented and intelligent child, and her artistic talents werequickly recognised. On his visit to Osborne House in 1863, Hallam Tennyson, the son of thepoet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, remarked that Louise could “draw beautifully”. Because of herroyal rank, an artistic career was not considered. However, the Queen allowed her to attendart school under the tuition of the sculptress Mary Thornycroft, and she later, in 1863, enrolledat the National Art Training School, South Kensington. Louise also became an able dancer, andVictoria wrote, after a dance, that Louise “danced the sword dance with more verve andaccuracy than any of her sisters”. Her wit and intelligence made her a favourite with her

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father, with her inquisitive nature earning her the nickname “Little Miss Why” from othermembers of the royal family.

Death of Prince Albert

Louise's father, Prince Albert, died at Windsor on 14 December 1861. The Queen wasdevastated, and ordered her household to move from Windsor to Osborne House on the Isle of

Wight. The atmosphere of the royal court became gloomy and morbid in the wake of thePrince's death, and entertainments became dry and dull. Louise quickly became dissatisfiedwith her mother's prolonged mourning. For her seventeenth birthday, Louise requested theballroom to be opened for a debutante dance, the like of which had not been performed sincePrince Albert's death. Her request was refused, and her boredom with the mundane routine of travelling between the different royal residences at set times irritated her mother, whoconsidered Louise to be indiscreet and argumentative.

The Queen comforted herself by rigidly continuing with Prince Albert's plans for their children.Princess Alice was married to Prince Louis, the future Grand Duke of Hesse, at Osborne on 1 June 1862. In 1863, Edward, the Prince of Wales, married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. TheQueen made it a tradition that the eldest unmarried daughter would become her unofficial

secretary, a position which Louise filled in 1866, despite the Queen's concern that she wasindiscreet. Louise, however, proved to be good at the job: Victoria wrote shortly afterwards:“She is (and who would some years ago have thought it) a clever dear girl with a fine strongcharacter, unselfish and affectionate.” However, when Louise fell in love with her brotherLeopold's tutor, the Reverend Robinson Duckworth, between 1866 and 1870, the Queenreacted by dismissing Duckworth in 1870. He later became Canon of Westminster Abbey.

Louise was bored by the court. By fulfilling her duties, which were little more than minorsecretarial tasks, such as writing letters on the Queen's behalf; dealing with politicalcorrespondence; and providing the Queen with company, she had more responsibility than shehad before.

Marriage - Suitors

As a daughter of the Queen, Louise was a desirable bride; more so as she is regarded as theQueen's most beautiful daughter by both contemporary and modern biographers. However,she was accused by the press, without substantiation, of romantic affairs. This, coupled withher liberalism and feminism, prompted the Queen to find her a husband. The choice had tosuit Victoria as well as Louise, and the Queen insisted that her daughter's husband should livenear her, a promise also made by Helena's husband. Various suitors were proposed by theleading royal houses of Europe: Princess Alexandra proposed her brother, the Crown Prince of Denmark, but the Queen was strongly opposed to another Danish marriage that couldantagonise Prussia. Victoria, Louise's eldest sister, proposed the tall and rich Prince Albert of Prussia, but Queen Victoria disapproved of another Prussian marriage that would have been

unpopular in England. Prince Albert was also reluctant to settle in England as required.William, Prince of Orange was also considered a suitor, but because of his extravagant lifestylein Paris, where he lived openly with a mistress, the Queen quickly vetoed the idea.

Louise viewed marriage to any prince as undesirable, and announced that she wished to marry John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, heir to the Dukedom of Argyll. No such marriage, betweena daughter of a Sovereign and a British subject, had been given official recognition since 1515,when Charles Brandon, the first Duke of Suffolk, married Mary Tudor. Louise's brother, thePrince of Wales, was strongly opposed to a marriage with a non-mediatized noble.Furthermore, Lorne's father, George Campbell, the eighth Duke of Argyll, was an ardent

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supporter of William Ewart Gladstone, and the Prince of Wales was worried that he would dragthe royal family into political disputes. Nevertheless, the opposition was crushed by theQueen, who wrote to the Prince of Wales in 1869:

“ That which you object to [that Louise should marry a subject] I feel certain will be for Louise's happiness and for the peace and quiet of the family… Times have changed;great foreign alliances are looked on as causes of trouble and anxiety, and are of nogood. What could be more painful than the position in which our family were placedduring the wars with Denmark, and between Prussia and Austria?… You may not beaware, as I am, with what dislike the marriages of Princesses of the Royal Family withsmall German Princes (German beggars as they most insultingly were called)… As toposition, I see no difficulty whatever; Louise remains what she is, and her husbandkeeps his rank… only being treated in the family as a relation when we are together… ”

The Queen also stated that Louise's marriage to a subject would bring “new blood” into thefamily, while all European princes were related to each other. She was convinced that thiswould strengthen the royal family morally and physically.

Engagement and Wedding

Louise became engaged to the Marquess of Lorne on 3 October 1870. Lorne was invited toBalmoral Castle in Scotland, and accompanied Louise, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Hatherley andQueen Victoria's lady-in-waiting, Jane, Marchioness of Ely on a drive. Later that day, Louisereturned and announced to the Queen that Lorne had “spoken of his devotion” to Louise, andshe accepted his proposal in the knowledge of the Queen's approval. The Queen found itdifficult to let go of her daughter, confiding in her journal that she “felt painfully the thought of losing her”. The new breach in royal tradition caused surprise, especially in Germany, andQueen Victoria wrote to the Queen of Prussia that princes of small impoverished Germanhouses were “very unpopular” in Britain and that Lord Lorne, a “person of distinction at home”with “an independent fortune” was “really no lower in rank than minor German Royalty”.

Victoria settled an annuity on Louise shortly before her marriage. The ceremony wasconducted at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on 21 March 1871, and the crowd outsidewas so large that, for the first time, policemen had to form chain barriers to keep control.Louise wore a wedding veil of Honiton lace that she designed herself, and was escorted intothe Chapel by her mother, and her two eldest brothers, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh. On this occasion, the usually severe black of the Queen's mourning dress wasrelieved by the crimson rubies and blues of the Garter star. Following the ceremony, theQueen kissed Louise, and Lorne – now a member of the royal family, but still a subject – kissedthe Queen's hand. The couple then journeyed to Claremont in Surrey for the honeymoon, butthe presence of attendants on the journey, and at meal times, made it impossible for them totalk privately. The short four-day visit did not pass without an interruption from the Queen,who was curious about her daughter's thoughts on married life.

Vice-Regal Consort of Canada - Inauspicious Arrival

In 1878, British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, chose Lorne to be Canada's new GovernorGeneral, and he was duly appointed by Queen Victoria. Louise thus became his ViceregalConsort. On 15 November 1878, the couple left Liverpool and arrived to be sworn in at Halifaxon 25 November.

Louise became the first royal to take up residence in Rideau Hall, officially the Queen's royalresidence in Ottawa. However, the hall was far from the splendour of British royal residences,

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and, as each viceregal couple decorated the hall with their own furnishings, and thus tookthem when they departed, the Lornes found the palace sparse in décor upon their arrival.Louise put her artistic talents to work and hung many of her watercolour and oil paintingsaround the hall also installing her sculpted works. The arrival of the new Governor General wasnot welcomed by the Canadian press, which complained about the imposition of royalty on thecountry's hitherto un-regal society. Relations with the press further deteriorated when Lorne'sprivate secretary, Francis de Winton, threw four journalists off the royal train. Although theLornes had no knowledge of de Winton's action, it was assumed by the press that they did,

and they earned an early reputation for haughtiness. Louise was horrified by the negativepress, and when she heard about reports of "a nation of flunkies" at the viceregal court, takinglessons in the "the backward walk," Louise declared that she "wouldn't care if they came inblanket coats !" Eventually the worries of a rigid court at Rideau Hall and the "feebleundercurrent of criticism" turned out to be unfounded as the royal couple proved to be morerelaxed than their predecessors.

Canadian Entertainments

Louise's first few months in Canada were tinged with sadness as her favourite sister, Alice,Grand Duchess of Hesse, died on 14 December 1878. Although homesick over that firstChristmas, Louise soon grew accustomed to the winter climate. Sleighing and skating were

two of her favourite pastimes. In Canada, as the monarch's direct representative, Lorne alwaystook precedence over his wife, so that at the Canadian State Opening of Parliament on 13February 1879, Louise was ranked no differently than others in attendance. She had to remainstanding with the MPs, until Lorne asked them to be seated. In order for Lorne to meet everyCanadian member of parliament, he held bi-weekly dinners for 50 people. However, some of the Canadian ladies responded negatively to the British party. One of Louise's ladies-in-waitingreported that some of them had an “‘I'm as good as you’ sort of manner when one begins aconversation.” Court entertainments were open; anyone who could afford the clothing toattend functions was simply asked to sign the visitor's book. Louise's first state ball was givenon 19 February 1879, and she made a good impression on her guests when she ordered thesilk cordon, separating the viceregal party from the guests, be removed. However, the ball wasmarred by various mishaps, including a drunken bandsman nearly starting a fire by pulling a

curtain over a gas lamp. The open house practice was criticised by guests who complainedabout the low social status of other guests. One attendee was horrified on discovering thatthey were dancing in the same social set as their grocer.Louise and Lorne founded the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and enjoyed visiting Quebec,which they made their summer home, and Toronto. Lorne's father, the Duke of Argyll, arrivedwith two of his daughters in June, and in the presence of the family, Louise caught a 28 pounds(13 kg) salmon. The women's success at fishing prompted the Duke to remark that fishing inCanada required no skill.

Sleigh Accident

Louise, Lorne, and two attendants, were the victim of a sleigh accident on 14 February 1880.

The winter was particularly severe, and the carriage in which they were travelling overturned,throwing the coachman and footman from the sleigh. The horses then panicked, and draggedthe overturned carriage over more than 400 yards (370 m) of ground. Louise was knockedunconscious when she hit her head on the iron bar supporting the roof, and Lorne was trappedunderneath her, expecting “the sides of the carriage to give way at any moment”. Eventually,as they overtook the sleigh ahead, the horses calmed, and the occupant of that sleigh,Princess Louise's aide-de-camp, ordered an empty carriage to convey the injured party back toRideau Hall.

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The doctors who attended Louise reported that she was severely concussed and in shock, andthat “it was a wonder her skull was not fractured”. Louise's ear had been injured when herearring caught on the side of the sleigh, tearing her ear lobe in two. The press played downthe story on instructions from Lorne's private secretary, an act that was described bycontemporaries as “stupid and ill advised”. For example, one New Zealand newspaperreported, "Excepting immediately after the blow, the Princess was perfectly sensible duringthe whole time..." Knowledge of Louise's true condition might have elicited sympathy from theCanadian people. As it was, one Member of Parliament wrote: “Except the cut in the lower part

of the ear I think there was no injury done worth mentioning.” Therefore, when Louisecancelled her immediate engagements, people thought she was malingering. News of theaccident was also played down in Britain, and in letters home to the anxious Queen Victoria.

Victoria's Last Years - Family Conflict

Louise returned to Britain, from Quebec, with her husband on 27 October 1883, and landed atLiverpool. Queen Victoria had prepared apartments at Kensington Palace, and the couple tookup official residence there. Louise retained those apartments until her death there 56 yearslater. Lorne resumed his political career, campaigning unsuccessfully for the Hampstead seatin 1885. In 1896, he won the South Manchester seat, entering parliament as a Liberal. Louise,unlike Lorne and his father, was in favour of Irish Home Rule, and was disappointed when he

defected from Gladstonian Liberalism to the Liberal Unionists. Relations between Louise andLorne were strained, and, despite the Queen's attempts to keep them under one roof, theyoften went their separate ways. Even when he accompanied Louise, he was not alwaysreceived with favour at court, and the Prince of Wales did not take to him. Out of all the royalfamily, Lorne was the only one to be identified closely with a political party, having been aGladstonian liberal in the House of Commons. Louise's relationship with the two sisters closestto the Queen, Beatrice and Helena, was strained at best. Beatrice had married the tall andhandsome Prince Henry of Battenberg in a love match in 1885, and they had four children.Louise, who had a jealous nature, had grown accustomed to treating Beatrice with pity onaccount of the Queen's constant need for her. Beatrice's biographer, Matthew Dennison,claims that in contrast to Beatrice, Louise remained strikingly good looking throughout herforties. Louise and her husband were no longer close, and rumours spread about Lorne's

alleged homosexuality. Thus, Beatrice was enjoying a satisfying sexual relationship with herpopular husband, which Louise was not. Louise may have considered Prince Henry a moreappropriate husband for herself. Certainly, following Prince Henry's death in 1896, Louisewrote that: “he [Henry] was almost the greatest friend I had—I, too, miss him more than I cansay”. In addition, Louise attempted to champion her late brother-in-law by announcing thatshe was his confidante and that Beatrice, a mere cipher, meant nothing to him.

Rumours of Affairs

Further rumours spread that Louise was having an affair with Arthur Bigge, later LordStamfordham, the Queen's assistant private secretary. Beatrice mentioned the rumours to theQueen's physician, calling it a “scandal”, and Prince Henry claimed to have seen Bigge

drinking to Louise's health at dinner. Louise denied the rumour, claiming that it was started byBeatrice and Helena to undermine her position at court. However, on Henry's death, relationsbetween the sisters sporadically improved, and it was Louise, rather than the Queen, who wasthe first to arrive at Cimiez to be with the widowed Beatrice.

Nevertheless, Louise's jealousy did not evaporate completely. James Reid, the Queen'sphysician, wrote to his wife a few years later: “Louise is as usual much down on her sisters.Hope she won't stay long or she will do mischief !”

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Rumours of affairs did not surround only Bigge. In 1890, the sculptor Joseph Edgar Boehm diedin Louise's presence at his studio in London, leading to rumours that the two were having anaffair. Boehm's assistant, Alfred Gilbert, who played a central role in comforting Louise afterBoehm's death, and supervised the destruction of Boehm's private papers, was rapidlypromoted as a royal sculptor. Louise was also romantically linked to fellow artist EdwinLutyens; her equerry, Colonel William Probert; and an unnamed music master. However, Jehanne Wake, Louise's biographer, argues that there is no substantial evidence to suggestthat Louise had sexual relationships with anyone other than her husband.

During Victoria's last years, Louise carried out a range of public duties, such as opening publicbuildings, laying foundation stones, and officiating at special programs. Louise, like her eldestsister Victoria, was more liberally minded, and supported the suffragist movement, completelycontrary to the Queen's views. Louise privately visited Britain's first female doctor, ElizabethGarrett. Queen Victoria deplored the idea of women joining professions, especially the medicalprofession, and described the training of female doctors as a “repulsive subject”.

Unconventional Royal

Louise was determined to be seen as an ordinary person and not as a member of the court.When travelling abroad, she often used the alias “Mrs Campbell”. Louise was known for her

charity towards servants. On one occasion, the butler approached her and requestedpermission to dismiss the second footman, who was late getting out of bed. When she advisedthat the footman be given an alarm clock, the butler informed her that he already had one.She then went so far as to suggest a bed that would throw him out at a specified time, but shewas told this was not feasible. Finally, she suggested that he might be ill, and when checked,he was found to be suffering from tuberculosis. The footman was therefore sent to NewZealand to recover. On another occasion, when she visited Bermuda, she was invited to areception and chose to walk rather than be driven. She became thirsty along the way andstopped at a house, where she asked a black woman named Mrs McCarthy for a glass of water.Owing to the scarcity of water, the woman had to go some distance to obtain it, but wasreluctant because she had to finish her ironing. When Louise offered to continue the ironing,the woman refused, adding that she was in a great hurry to finish so that she could go and see

Princess Louise. Realising that she had not been recognised, Louise enquired whetherMcCarthy would recognise her again. When the woman said that she would have thought so,but was admittedly unsure, Louise replied: “Well take a good look at me now, so you can besure to know me tomorrow at St. Georges.” The Princess clung to her privacy, and enjoyed notbeing recognised.

Louise and her sisters had another disagreement after the death of the Queen's close friend, Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill. Determined not to put her mother through more misery,Louise wanted the news to be broken to the Queen gradually. When this was not done, Louisevoiced her sharp criticism of Helena and Beatrice. One month later, on 22 January 1901,Queen Victoria died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. In her will, the Queen bequeathedKent House, on the Osborne Estate, to Louise as a country residence, and gave Osborne

Cottage to Louise's youngest sister, Beatrice. Louise and Beatrice were now neighbours bothat Kensington Palace and Osborne.

Later Life - Edwardian Period

Upon Queen Victoria's death, Louise entered the social circle of her brother, the new KingEdward VII, with whom she had much in common, including smoking. She had an obsessionwith physical fitness, and if she was sneered at for this, she would retort by saying: “Nevermind, I'll outlive you all.” Meanwhile, Louise's husband, 9th Duke of Argyll since 1900, took hisseat in the House of Lords. The Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain, offered him the office

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of Governor General of Australia that year, but the offer was declined. Louise continued hersculpture, and in 1902, designed a memorial to the colonial soldiers who died in the Boer War.In the same year, she began a nude study on a married woman suggested by the Englishpainter Sir William Blake Richmond.

Louise spent much of her time at Kent House, and she frequently visited Scotland with herhusband. Financial pressures did not disappear when Lorne became Duke, and Louise avoidedinviting the King to Inveraray, Argyll's ancestral home, because the couple were economising.

When Queen Victoria had visited the house before Lorne became Duke of Argyll, there wereseventy servants and seventy-four dogs. By the time of Edward VII's accession, there werefour servants and two dogs.

The Duke of Argyll's health continued to deteriorate. He became increasingly senile, andLouise nursed him devotedly from 1911. In these years Louise and her husband were closerthan they had been before. In spring 1914 Louise stayed at Kensington Palace while herhusband remained on the Isle of Wight. He developed bronchial problems followed by doublepneumonia. Louise was sent for on 28 April 1914, and he died on 2 May. Following his death,Louise had a nervous breakdown and suffered from intense loneliness, writing to a friendshortly afterwards: “My loneliness without the Duke is quite terrible. I wonder what he doesnow !”

Last Years

Louise spent her last years at Kensington Palace, occupying rooms next to her sister PrincessBeatrice. She made occasional public appearances with the royal family, such as at theCenotaph at Whitehall on 11 November 1925. However, her health deteriorated. In 1935, shegreeted her nephew King George V and Queen Mary at Kensington Town Hall during theirSilver Jubilee celebrations, and was made an Honourary Freeman of the Borough of Kensington. Her last public appearance occurred in 1937, at the Home Arts and IndustriesExhibition. Between these occasions, her great nephew, King Edward VIII, abdicated on 11December 1936.

In December 1936, Louise wrote to the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, sympathising with himabout the crisis. Following the accession of Edward's brother King George VI, she became tooill to move around, and was confined to Kensington Palace, affectionately called the “AuntiePalace” by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. She developed neuritis in her arm;inflammation of the nerves between the ribs; fainting fits; and sciatica. Louise occupied herself by drafting prayers, one of which was sent to Neville Chamberlain reading “Guide our Ministersof State and all who are in authority over us…”

Louise died at Kensington Palace on the morning of 3 December 1939 at the age of 91,wearing the wedding veil she wore 68 years previously. Following a simple funeral owing tothe war, her remains were cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 8 December. Her asheswere placed in the Royal Crypt at St. George's Chapel quietly on 12 December, with many

members of the Royal and Argyll families present. Her ashes were later moved to the RoyalBurial Ground at Frogmore, near Windsor, on 13 March 1940.

Documents

Sandford Fleming and The Inveraray Time Lord