The Express.
London, England, 1863-01-22 00:00:00

BRITISH COLUMBIA.

Yesterday a public meeting, convened under the
sospices of the British Scrth Ameriean Assottiatiori. was
held at the London Tavern, in enter to give the Hoe. Mal-
eohnesnowon se opportunity of *Wee helms the public a
reliable socount tithe position and prospects of that colony.
The Hon. ARTHUR BretraleD, Kr., presided at the opening
of the mooting, sad Mr. WATIT2II satoequentiy occupied
the chair.

The CHAIRMAN hssirg referred to the importance which
British Colombia derived from the gold die:tonnes on the
Fraser River, introduced
The Hon. MALCOLM CAMERON, who said—Mr. Chairman
and Gentlemen,—Let me thank you, in the fun place,
for this meeting of the friends of the British colonist
for the kind invitation which I received to snood it, and
which I have gratefully accepted. I desire to say •
few words fur British Columbia- and on the vest importance
and comparative mute of making British North America
the highway between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Awl
here I woad at the outset claim your attention as fellow-
bjects, for as a colonist my greatest pride is in my' alegi-
nee to the British throne. Heel we are regarded as one
with yourselves under • free constitution, protected althea&
ciezens of one great empire. True, the brood Atlantic rolls
between us ; but under the lag of Britain we are united by
that which no boundaries conceived by the ingenuity of man,
nor barriers of nature, however net, can separate—l men
the brotherhood of a common oriels, the attraction of •
common history, the ties of a mutual ioterest in the general
prosperity, hsppiuese, and progress of the empire to which
it is our good fortune to being. (Cheers.) I appear here
60-day not so much in the capecity of • somewhat old mem-
her of Ilse legislature of Canada, having sereid twenty-seven
years is that body as the defecate of British Columbia, an
office to which the confidence of the people of that distant
dependency of the British empire has appointedme. (Cheers.)
For them I am in England to ask from the colonial minister
representative iustitutlooll and sties I say that Vancouver's
Island, half as large as Ireland. des • constitution and •
body of representatives, while the natineut of British
Columbia, three times as large as Scotland and Irelaadewith
• population double that of Vancouver's Island. has neither
of three privileges and not a single representative, but is
governed and taxed by proclamation, I feel that this meet-
ing. and so intelligent and liberal& nobleman as the Duke of
Newcastle, will not refuse fairly to consider the claims upon
which I believe the future of the British empire on
the Northern Pacific mainly epeeds. Far be it from me,
however, to disparage the services of time brave and energetic
governor of these provinces. All that • single man, clever
and resolute, and *eve to the importance of his petition.
could do has been done by Governor Douglas, sod I believe I ,
with the beet intentions. But • ceustry so large, with
dormant resources so vast, must govern and develop itself
by its owe soon under a free constitutice, or go down and re- •
ntain the hunting ground of savages. (Hear, hear.) British ,
Columbia is the next door neighbour to the United Steles, I
and she is as enterprising and am liberal, albeit not repub- i
lien. Her edopted sons en Candies Nova Scotian. or I
former inhabitants of the British bang. These men have i
learnt the value of not only a fres but • stable government m
They love the crows for its justice and for its security ; they 1
love • free constitution for its individual advantage and pro- r
tactic). in giving free soope to the expanding energies
of all. They see in a constitutional government under
*Nee VICIOtiA the best guarantee for the security 1
of life, and property, end future development, and 1
I assert as beyond contradiction that no more loyal men I
exist within the British dominions than the hard-fated men i
of mind and experience who are dotted over British Co-
lambi* u the picneers of civilisation. With them in the I
van we have the beat check upon the license and loose- 1
sees of deinconey, whilst at the came time they are the
beet exponent and preservative of the free instincts that
beat in the hearts of Britons everywhere, and which never
pow dull from dietetics, or weaken or effeminate from I
climate. (Hear, bear.) I have said that British Columbia
is three times aa large as Great Britain. It ban a coast line I
of over 500 miles on the Pacific, and extends eastward over
600 miles to the Rocky Mountains, which mountains have 1
heretofore been deemed a serious obstacle to communica-
tion from east to west ; hot a thorough survey has now '
proved the existence of passes which are but gentle heights
and rolling knolls clothed with verdure on the flanks, and
offering no real obstacle to the traveller from the east who
seeks by that route to reach the goldnens. (Mr. Cameron
here read extracts from Captain Aline?, report, and dem
patthes of Governor Douglas, corroborating his views as to
the perfect practicability of • railway from Canada to 1
the Pacific, the exceeding salubrity of the climate of
British Columbia, sod its great adaptability for settlement.) I
Ten years ago (annulled Mr. Cameron) British Columbia I
was called New Caledonia, and was regarded as • wild and I
inhospitable country, peopled ooly by savages of the most
Whereas noes ; but the discovery of pare in 1858, on its I
mounting' sad in it, rivers, attracted • migratory pope-
ktion of between 30,000 and 40,000 persons. Gold disco- I
vain invariably lead to rushes and fevers, and consequent
disappointments and disaster. On the cry of gold, miners
a., speculators rush to the diggings. There are no means
of locomotion sod no'organhation for supplyiog the neces-
saries of Flee and many, consequently, must be disap-
pointed. But it is now beyond cavil or dispute
that there is an enormous deposit of gold in
all the streams flowing out of the Bold and l
Rocky Mountains. Copper. silver, lead, and coal are also '
found in abundance, and all that is now needed to develop
its resources, quadruple its populatios, end give content-
ment, I '
is • popular and stable government ; one that will
Five the people the management of their own affairs, and
educe men of energy and independence to settle perms.
neatly within its territory. In the year just expired, 1862,
upwards of 600,0001. in gold has been brought down the
Fraser by European and Csatsdiaa inners ; while gnu
anus& of Chinese have taken away large sums, d
which no estimate can be made. The rudest
quantity of gold has been found within the
great bend of the Fraser ; but from the sands of the river,
and everywhere along the volcanic range, the original seat
of the treasure, sad in the multitude of streams flowing
therefrom, some noble river like the Fraser, which traverses
500 miles of the country, or the Columbia. which ?owe 250
miles into it, others of minor importance, like the Peace or
thefinckeen riven, which drain smaller areas, gold is found.
British Columbia is not an alluvial flat, and is not tbereforeas
purely an agricultural and penal country as Canada,
and perhaps not as fertile as Vancouver, but its
valleys are as beautiful and its coil as produc-
tive u any in the world. Vegetation is forced as
rapidly end to as large • growth as in any other part of
the continent. In short, • country which produce., the
most magnificent trees in the world cannot fail under culti-
vation to yield the leaser fruits and products of nature 106-
cient ter the wants of man. The fir or pies of British
Columbia is unrivalled, the height sod site so astonishing
en ie he almost incredible even to the Canadian lumbar-man.
You bad this year at your Exhibition • spar 271 feet long,
such • stick as was never seen in Europe before ; end I have
sena fir tree, no uncommon one, 327 feet lone and 11 feet in
diameter. This tree was meastirwl by Col. Moody. R. E.. in nay
presence, and we found that for 200 feet of it. length there
was not • single pre:letting limb. The cedars of Lebanon
are but se twigs to the cedars of Columbia, acd she has
other wood, in prnportion. The climate on the coast is
better than that of England is the winter, and is more
delightful than the south of France in the summer. al-
though further to the eastward and nearer the mountain
range the climate is more severe, and snow falls as early as
in Canada. On the whole, however, whether tubed by its
climate, soil, minerals, its fisheries, t eft, or flora, British
Columbia is a country that will compare with any part el Anse-
rinsed the Saxon race can go therewith as greetprespecte
of Burnes as to any other land. The only taxation now
imposed is British Columbia is &charge cf 10 per cent. on
all productions brought into the eolooy. This, with taxes
on licenses to sell or min, and the sale of government lands
at 4s. as acre. yielded a revenue in 1862 of over 120.000'.
sterling, which, after expenses of revetment. wu aimed
entirely laid out in opening up the direct mod to Canada,
which fortunately panes over the route te the Cariboo.
About 300 miles of roads are in progress, and will be com-
pleted in the miring. I passed over • lasi length of it. and
fond the road, metalled anal fit for the best messes.
Steamers have been put op the Fraser, and run in comet-
tion with this newly opened route from its mouth to Yale.
the bead of navigation, by the river about 100 miles, and to I
Douglas by the Harrison Lake about 1411 miles. eimiller
brats ply oa the Meet lakes, and one wee built last
fall to run above Fort Alexandria to Teta Juane Cache,
thin completieg, in fact, the road through Briti-h Colom-
bia to the very eoromeneement of the Rocky Mountain,.
British Columbia. seem se she el concented, has therefore
anticipated the wants of England and her emigrant popula-
tion seeking • home in her midst. And she now asks and
expecte that Canada and England will emulate her enter-
prise sod energy, col eennect her with the East. (Hear,
hr.) I have reason to know that coyernerr Douglas ha;
urged this important matter ou her Majesty's government,
1174 has doe* his best to OW.D up to the English mer-
chant the grandest outlet for goods that the
world affords. It has bees said by perhaps interested
parties that the country between Crundasod British Colum.
les ean imparable, inhospitable, sail seven Bet this is a
delusion. A perusal of the seenuuts of the explorations of
Captain Palliser sod Muse lived sod Devisee. made by
and for the governments of England and Canada, will soon
dispel this erroneous notion. I have already shows that so
far as the territory of British re lambi& is nottereed a line
of communication has been opened up throngh its entre.'
that the Rocky Mountains preeeot so impediment to their
being surmounted by as ordinary road, owing to the
of a natural pass. From the mountains to
Red River and to St. Pant's. Minnesota. or to Fort
Willem Lake Superior, eh Rainy Lake. though
a rough country, it musts no real obstacle to the
construction of a railway. This I gather from ennverstitious
I have had with over 100 permit, who traversed it or (o[4
0114 pest summer. anal whose diaries. I live rend. They
found uo difficulty is tinning their horses and cattle, and
fa on cue a wife etre children. right SICTOM Ul• mountains
to the settlements in British Columbia,
A Gmertentee—From Toronto!
Mr. Cunene Ys, from that direction,

TM OKII MIKAN— od brought their cattle with them!
Z. CA WOW —Yu ; such practical @samples as
this ars better than the mere estimates of engineers.
The following statement of Pr. Becton. is Palliser's
resort, is fully corroborated be theme trusties.. He says
—" As the Vermilion Psis the sanest to the water And
if dm fisdratelgewsu is hardly perceptible to the traveller,
aid so labour would be required ex the hew.
in of timber to make a good road for carts."
Aid /wilier he aad Captain Palliest both sty then is so