The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-26 00:00:00

BRITISH COLUMBIA.

The Bishop of Columbia, in a letter to Miss
Burdett Coutts, written on the 14th of July at
Cayoosh, a place on the Fraser River, gives some
interesting information as to the state of the country
and the condition of the inhabitants
SCENERY.

My route has been along the Fraser, through mountain
scenery of the wildest, the grandest character. The narrow
pathway has sometimes carried me up several thousand
feet to the region of snow, whence the mighty torrent
below seemed like a white thread, while around and far off
the eye could rest upon nothing but mass upon mass of
rugged rocky mountain range. At times our road lay
along the river's bank, amid pines and underbrush and
flowery shrubs, here and there checked by ravines, down
which come foaming, rolling, shining, the tributary streams
of which, with gratitude, we drank the 0001, clear, refresh-
ing water. The latter part of the journey we have had
more open scenery, and fine pasture land has taken the
place of mountain defile.

THE MINERS.

The whole way has been the scene of geld-mining ope-
rations. The river appears to have carried down and de-
posited gold all along its banks. In former times it flowed
at a higher level, and upon flats or terraces now dry, as
well as by its immediate bed, the gold is found. I have
conxersed on the spot with many miners and with all de-
scriptions of persons, and there is now but one sentiment
as to the inexhaustible resources of this country.
Owing to the extreme difficulty of communication, many
who first came from California went back disheartened, but
all who remained are doing well, and there will be a steady
increase in the population. Roads are being made, and
access to the mines will every day become easier. The
miners area fine hardy race of men ; they aro of all nations
—Germans, Americans, French, Italians, Swedes, Norwe-
glans, Chinese, as well as English. The latter are the
fewest of all. There is an utter absence of religion, and
much awful vice and profanity abound.
I make a practise of speaking to everybody I meet, and
I am often, alas I compelled to hear in common talk the
most profane language. This I always reprove, and have
generally foun i my remarks taken well.
Whenever I have had services the miners have attended,
and several here have told me they had not for ten and
fourteen years attended a religious service. How thankful
one is to have the privilege of first bearing to these, our
fellow-men, the renewed opportunity of grace
The Church of England is alone in the field. Not a re-
presentative of anyother religious body is yet among the
miners. At two places, Hope and Yale, there was a
Methodist minister, but he has been withdrawn. We have
two clergymen in these towns, both of whom are working
well.

I was present at a meeting in the latter on my way,
when an address was presented to me, and the chairman,
an American and Presbyterian, called upon all present in
this new land to forget their past differences and adopt the
Church of England for their religion.
THE FEMALE POPULATION.

The great drawback to the wholesome progress of society
is the dearth of female population. I suppose there is not
above one to every 200 of the other sex. I came upon a
pleasing exception the other day at Hill's Bar. I was
visiting the minors. One log-hut seemed more neat than

the rest. As we approached a modest-looking young
woman asked us to come in. She was from the North of
Ireland, a Protestant, and had married in Australia. There
was something simple and touching in her manner. • I
entered upon the subject of religion ; she loved to attend
church, and had been piously brought up by her parents,
whose custom was to have family prayer night and morn-

ing. Her father was still living. She was very lonely,
and had no female society. One other there was, but her
character wag suili she could not associate with her.
Her husband seemed a nice young man. When he went
out, being busy, she asked us to excuse him. "He is very
rough here, sir—so different from what he was in Mel-
bourne." On reading and explaining a portion of Scrip-
ture and offering prayer, with tears she said, " Oh, how
well I remember all that !" On going away she thanked
us several times, and said, "I never thought here I should
have a reverend gentleman to call upon me."
THE CHINESE—THEIR REGARD FOR THE ENGLISH.
I meet many Chinese. They are flowing in by thousands.
I trust that we may be enabled to bring the light of truth
among them. They are well conducted at present, and are
an advantage as pioners and as consumers. I look upon
them as a most interesting part of my flock, as affording an
opportunity of, through them, reaching their dark home in
Asia with the Gospel. -Those migrations of man are pro-
vidential. God directs these people to a British land for
His glory, in their conversion by the Church He has sent
and planted here. I am very anxious to have special in-
struction for them, and have applied to the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel to send missionaries.
They are a funny people, and are full of good humour
and very friendly. They respect the English much. At
one place I came to a pretty bridge over a river. It had
been built by a Chinaman named Ah-Soo. He takes the

tolls. On our approach he ran forward with cool waters
to drink, and told us we were free of the bridge. "No
Englishee pay over de bridge, and no poor Chinaman."

• . . "Me make no charge to de English. Me charge
Boston man (American). Boston man charges Chinaman

very high in Californy; Chinaman now chargee Boston

man—ha 7. ha I"

MILKING BY MACHINERY.—Not exactly by
steam-engine, nor by water-power, though that is in favour
with milkmen ; but by a machine driven by hand-power.
In short, a hand-pump, moved by two handles like the
hand-bellows, and performing the operation by the prin-
ciple of the air-pump auction. The machine is attached to
a pail, and set on a stool under the udder, the four teats
inserted into four tubes, and the pump operated, and the
milk drawn and conveyed by a conductor into the pail,
the inventor says, in a marvellously short time ; say three
minutes for an ordinary cow, milking entirely clean, and
without injury to the cow; in fact, ho says, to her ad-
vantage, as it is beneficial to have the work done quickly;
and the machine is intended to do it quicker than it is pos-
sible by hand. It is said that cows stand this machine
milking more gently than by hand. At any rate, the con-
trivance is an ingenious one, and we have no doubt will
work. lts practical utility we cannot vouch for. We only
chronicle the fact of the recent invention of a milking-
machine. The manner of its construction is simple enough.
It consists of two diaphragm pumps made of tin and india-
rubber, so arranged as to be easily taken apart for washing.
The teat-cups lare made tapering to fit any size, and at-
tachedflexible joints, so as to spread apart to suit wide-
spreading by
teats, or those more contracted. It is possible
that it will prove a very useful invention. If so, we pre-
sume that farmers will hear more of it,—.Yew York
Tribune,