The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-18 00:00:00

(Stamped, id. Additional.) [TWOPENCE.

BRITISH COLUMBIA.

traom a CORRUPONDEM)
CAYOO6K, Nov. 13.

There are no doubt many persons at home who
have some notion of emigrating to British Colum-
bia, and are anxious to receive authentic informa-
tion as to the latest news from the dimings, and
to learn what opinion is now entertained here with
regard to the future of the colony.
As regards the gold mines of the Similkameen
and Rock Creek, discovered last summer, I shall not
say much about them, as I have had an opportu-
nity of conversing with very few miners who had
been there ; and therefore my information is de-
rived chiefly from the colonial papers, which I sup-
pose are forwarded to England. It appears that
the diggings there are not disappointing the first
expectations. They are tolerably rich and remu-
nerative, and although by no means so wealthy as
the more recently discovered diggings of Cariboo,
they have one advantage. over the latter, in that
they can be worked longer in' the season, as the
winters are not so severe down there. At the
Similkameen there are also large tracts of open
land, suitable for stock-raising and for agriculture.
But what has caused the greatest excitement
among miners, and raised the hopes of the well-
wishers of the country to the utmost, is the dis-
oovery, a few months ago, of rich gold diggings at
Cariboo, and of extensive leads of silver ore on
the Lilloet River and Harrison 'Ake in September
last.
Tlie ,Cariboo dimitigii, the most productiVe yet
discovered in British ColUmbia' extend over 'a con-
siderable rangeof country from 300 to 356 miles to
the north and north-east of this town.' AliCayeesh
lies on the highway from that country to New
Westminster, Victoria, and the world in general,
we have had ample opportunity of seeing such of
the miners as have left Caribou, of hearing their
report, and seeing their gold. Many of them, how-
ever—and those are for the most part the most sue-
oessful companies—are wintering on the ground in
order to be able to resume operations as early as
possible in the spring. Of those who have come
down, not a few appear to have been unsucoessfuL
But so it always ie. In California, at the very best
diming., many made nothing. But I must ten you,
all of those with whom I have conversed—and I
have conversed with many—have the strongest
belief in the wealth of the mines, and
they all, with scarcely an exception, de-
clared their intention of returning there next
spring. They say they have learnt by their expe-
rience this autumn how the mines are to be
worked and where the gold is to be found, and
they expect next year to reap a golden harvest.
The successful " boys " who have come down have
brought considerable sums. I will mention a few
cases, which have mostly come under my own obser-
vation. 1. A company of four men had 401 be. of
gold apiece. 2. Four others brought 15,000 dollars.
3. A French company brought 25,000 dollars-
-5,0001. 4 Six men made in eight weeks'72o ma,
and, as from its superior quality, this gold is
worth 18 dollars per ox., this is equivalent to the
sum of 2,5021., pretty fair wages for eight weeks'
work. 5. The newspapers report that the steamer to
New Westminster, of Oct. 24, had on board
100,000 doh., the large proportion of which was
from the diggings of Cariboo. 6. One claim is
reported to have paid 60, another 73, and a third
even 100 dollars a day. No doubt there were con-
siderable expenses connected with working the
mines, and provisions were very high, but these
will be much lower next spring.
The " dust" from Cariboo is of very superior
quality to that found anywhere else in British
Columbia. I believe I saw the largest piece of
gold found in the country the other day; it weighed
78 dollars, 151.—itwas from Cariboo. The miners
impish' of the shortness of the seems, which
allows them to work only five or six months of the
year. This is of course a disadvantage to the in-
dividual miner, still if in the summer he can make
sums like those I have mentioned, he has no reason
to complain. Yet in another point of view, the
circumstance is of advantage to the country. It is
not here as in California, where they could work
the mines all the year round. But what was the
consequence in that country I The mines were
speedily worked out, and only a few obtained heaps
of gold, more than many of them knew how to
spend to the profit of themselves or others. Here,
on the contrary, a number of people will obtain
not great wealth but still a competency. Be-
sides, in this arrangement I think we can
trace the finger of Providence, whose design it
does appear to be that this country shall be peopled.
Because if the mines could be worked the whole
year, and thus in the course of a year or two per-
haps become worked out, there would probably be
then an end of the country. Because the obstacles
in its way are so great—the distance from England,
for instance, the rough nature of the country, the
difficulty of making roads, Ac.—that without some
strong attraction people would not come to it, and
without some powerful tie they would not stay in it.
As it is, however, the mines will hold out, in all
probability, for many years : meanwhile the land
will be thoroughly explored ; the pasture lands and
arable valleys which lie beyond its mountains
will become better known ; farmers will settle there,
and homesteads and villages will spring up. So long
as there is gold in the country and other precious
metals people will flock to it, from all nations and
of all trades, knowing that wherever there is gold
there are good wages for the working man, a com-
petence for the merchant, a fortune for the wise
wan of capital. So that before the last gold-digger
has shouldered his shovel and pickaxe to leave the
last gold field, while silver and copper and iron
works are still going on in many parte of the land,
British Columbia will be peopled by an industrious
and prosperous population, and this youngest
colony of England will be worthy to be named
along with Canada and Australia, New Zealand and
the Cape.
The mining operations here continue with un-
abated vigour. Notwithstanding the date at which
I write, the weather is clear and beautiful and far
from cold. The miners cannot, however, look fur
a respite much longer. At present they are making
in the diggings below the town an average of six
dollars a day. At a mine just struck three miles
off they take out from three to ten dollars a day.
But the most important operations going on here
are preparatory to next year's mining. Two com-
panies both English, are to be engaged during the
winter in making ditches at different parts of the
river. One of these will convey water a distance
of eight miles. It is a Herculean task for eight
men to accomplish, but I have no doubt they will
succeed in completing it. When finished this
ditch will give water enough for work to 3,000 or
4,000 men, and so abundant is the gold-bearing
soil in the vicinity, they may all make from four to
eight dollars a day for years. Indeed, a great
deal of the soil in the neighbourhood of this town
is auriferous, and it will take many a long day be-
fore it is all Washed out.

In an agricultural point of view travellers speak
favourably of the country between this and
Cariboo. There are large tracts of open land,
table lands 1,000 square miles in extent, covered
with fine herbage, and pleasant valleys, capable of
being brought into cultivation. The banks of the
Bonaparte, which is fifty miles from here, are said
to be very fertile, and there as well as at other
places enterprising men have taken up land, and
begun with encouraging success to raise stock
and to cultivate the soil. Here, as I have said, the
land is sandy and in need of irrigation, but when
watered it is very fertile, and, so great is the heat
of the summer sun, it will bear probably any man-
ner of fruit or vegetable. It already supplies the
*Own with admirable vegetables, and next year its
capacities will probably be tested still further. As
this is one of the most thriving towns of the colony,
and as from its central position (being the point

where the Harrison-Lilloet trail joins the Fraser)
and other advantages, it may possibly ere long
eclipse the others, and become the most populous
place in the country ; it may interest you to hear,
that it is at present very lively and flourishing. Six
weeks ago there seemed little doing here but
since then the news front the Cariboo mine*
have given a wonderful impetus to Cayoosh.
Houses are going up in every direction, lots are
in universal request, a new saw mill is to be built
close to the town, and a bridge across the Fraser is
spoken of, and likely to be accomplished too. As
might be expected, everything is high hers, though
not unreasonably so ; flour being sd. per lb. and
beef is. On the other hand wages are also high,
and a good workman gets 20s. and 245. a day, and
sometimes even 30s. I may here remind your
readers that the men who are wanted most in
these new places, and who are most likely to get
on, are those who can turn their hand to a
variety of different pursuits. We don't want men
who can turn out an unimpeachable boot or shoe, or .
cut a coat in which one might walk unabashed down
Regent-street. We went men who know something
beyond their own minute line of business. Here the
dictum, Ne sitter ultra crepidain must be reversed ;
the colonial &hoes* must have a larger range of
vision, hi must knew at least the nough rudiments
of many an art besides cobbling ; he must be able
to turn his hand I. anything; to fell w, tree and
builds house, to dig a garden, and sow a field, sic. -
Not that he will have anything very difficult to do,
or that anything like consummate art will be looked,
for in what he turns out; if he be a man of eerse '
and experience, he will do admirably, especially if ;
he can acquire some knowledge of carpentry, brick-
laying, and the ordinary occupations and trades. ,
Here, as Henry Russell asps, "A man is a man if he's ,
willing to toil, and children are blessings . . ."
AL, that reminds me I have a piece of advice to
give to any working man who may be thinking of '
coining out here—and that is, if he has a wife, •
to bring her with him. lie may rest assured she ..
will be more a help than a burden. The country is ,
now quite civilised enough for wives, and quite .
uncivilised enough to need them greatly.
Nov.
In my letter of yesterday I allowed myself to
d4rem into some remarks on the colony in gene-
ra 4 and this town of Cayoosh in perticular,
and I omitted to give the information I promised-
regarding the discoveries of silver leads. Theee
'savories are even more recent than that of the gold
gs of the Cariboo.ditibthe end of September last, on my way hither
from Douglas, I spent a day in the camp of the Royal
Engineers on the bank of the river Linos.; who
were engaged in finishing. a road thirty miles out,
from Douglas. On arriving there I learnt that a
lead of silver ore of great richness had been disco-'
vered the day previouli by Dr. Forbes, of H.M.S.
Topaze. The lead was on the road close to the'
camp, and had been brought to light by the blastingir
of the rock in making the road. It was some,
thirty feet wide, and had been traced three miles
into the mountain. A piece of the ore wa:
melted, and produced a considerable ?plan.
tity of silver ; although the piece was small,
it yielded as much as would make from sixpence tee
one shilling. From this it is evident'that the mine
will pay when it comes to be worked. Besides, the
further into the rock you go the richer it would
become. I was further informed by the doctor of,
the detachment that he had found a similar mine
of silver a few miles further on, on the margin of
what is commonly known as the Little Lake, at the
head of the Lilloet River. Two silver mines of
considerable wealth and extent had been discovered
also by Dr. Forbes, on a river which flows into
Lake Harrison, about one hundred miles front
New Westminster. Gold was also found there.
I have also heard of silver having been found within
a few miles of this place • and miners from the
upper' ountry speak of laid which they have seen
an different places. And finally, there can be no
doubt that the mines discovered last summer at
Fort Hope are both extensive and rich.
Now, leaving out of account those reports of the
miners, although next year these may also receive
confirmation,' should government wisely send some
one to prospect this part of the country, not taking
them into account, we have still the indubitable
evidence based on competent knowledge of the
existence of those other silver mines of which I
have spoken ; those at Hope, which indeed are
already being worked to a small extent, and those
on the Lilloet River and the Harrison Lake. In
all these cases the ore maybe conveyed away either
by water or by land, and may even be taken home
in ships to be niched in England. By and by%
however, doubtless the mines will be worked in
this country, and perhaps even next year some
enterprising capitalist may come out to work them.
But silver, unlike gold, which each man may wash
for himself, requires large capital and an elaborate
organisation. Perhaps when the news of these
mines reaches England companies may be formed,
the necessary capital raised, and the whole ma-
chinery set in operation.
The prospects of this colony were never better
than they are now, nor indeed were they ever so
good. People who had hitherto been more or less
sceptical as to its turning out well, now with one
'mos affirm that "the country is made." The
darkest times are past, and the dawn of a brighter
day seems breaking.