The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-25 00:00:00

British Columbia and Vancouver Island.

There was a legend long ago in England that a
passage had been discovered, at the end of the 16th
century, between the mainland of North America
and what is now Vancouver Island. An old Greek
sailor, so the story went, Apostolos Valerianos by
name, but better known as Juan de Fuca, was
found :nVenice, in 1596,wh0 had sailed to and from
many places in those western seas, and had made
discoveries of much importance. In his wanderings
he had reached the 48 deg. of latitude, entered a
narrow strait between the 47 deg. and 48 deg., and
' sailed therein for more than twenty days, until he
came to the North Sea, where he found it " wide
enough everywhere." The story of this ancient
mariner was long current in England. There
were many who believed it, and many who
were sceptical, but none who had the courage to
test its accuracy_ Ia 1778 Captain James Cook
was sent out to examine the shores and seas as far
as the 65 deg. He searched with care for the old
Greek's passage, but he failed to find it, and pro-
nounced it to be a fiction, and Vancouver Island to
be portion of the mainland. Fourteen years later,
Captain Vancouver, an officer in the English navy,
and not a Dutchman, as has been erroneously sup-
posed, was despatched to settle some official busi-
ness with the Spanish commission, and to survey the
western coast of the new continent. He found San
Juan's Straits, and entered on the Guif of Georgia,
which separates the island which now bears his name
from what is now British Columbia ; and after a long
and difficult navigation, he forced his way among the
islands of the gulf, and through the strait named
by him Johnstone, until he came at length into the
Pacific at Queen Charlotte Somali, probably at the
very point where Juan de Fuca, the old Greek
sailor, found it " every where wide enough" two
hundred years before. Vancouver Island was thus
discovered, and began to be colonised by English-
men at the beginning of this century. But the
colonisation did not proceed rapidly until 1857,
when the gold discoveries were made on the Fraser
River, in the adjoining continent. Since then both
the island and British Columbia have prospered, and
one day they may be among the most valuable of
British possessions. Vancouver Island is about half
the size of Ireland, and it had been granted to
the Hudson Bay Company on condition of its being
colonised. British Columbia is about three times
the size of Great Britain, has a coast line of some
1500 miles, and is made up of lake, mountain, forest,
marsh, and prairie.—London Review.

Importing Tea without colour on the leaf pre-
vents the Chinese passing off inferior leaves as in the usual
kinds. Horniman's Tea is uncoloured, therefore, always
good alike. Sold in packets by 2,280 agents.
WHOLESALE PLATE ROBBERY.—Henry Cram,
footman for six years in the service of Mr. J. K.
Hooper, of Tooting-common, was re-examined yesterday,
at Wandsworth Police-court, on a charge of stealing plate
of the value of £3OO, the property of his master. Several
pawnbrokers attended and produced a quantity of stolen
plate. The prisoner was committed for trial.
THE LARGEST CITY IN THE WORLD.—A very
erroneous idea is indulged in by many people in
relation to the largest city in the world—many confidently
asserting that London, or, as it is frequently termed,
the Great Metropolis, is far superior both in size and
number of inhabitants. But such is not the case. Jedde,
the capital of Japan, is, without exception, the largest and
most populous city in the world. It contains the vast num-
ber of 1,00C,000 dwellings and 5.000,000 of human souls.
Many of the streets are 19 Japan sails in length, which is
equivalent to 22 English miles.

-EXTRAORDINARY EXODUS.—Our quays presented
on Thursday and the early portion of this day, a
very busy scene. Numbers of emigrants, accompanied by
many of their friends, perambulated the city, making
the last preparations for a departure from their own
" native isle of the ocean," to seek their fortune in " the
land of the west." The Zephyr, Liverpool steamer,
steamed away next day, with, besides a large cattle cargo,
105 persons of both sexes, bound, some for the Canadas, and
others the United States.--IPaterford Mail. Several
young men have been leaving Ireland for the last few
months, ostensibly to emigrate to America, but actually
for service in the Federal army, for which they are engaged
by American agents, and forwarded with gold watclum,
large bounties, dw., &o,—Ltitnerick Aeporitr.