The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-02 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 2, 1858.

was correct. Had he done so, he would have found
it was entirely beyond dispute ; and if he will do
so yet, we will accept the reply, which he may
elicit from any respectable retailer in the trade, as
a settlement of the water controversy.
The Economist has some admirable discussional
remarks on this subject ; and, in replying to him,
our observations in one direction will dispel the
strange and incredible delusion into which a re-
spectable firm of distillers in the south of Scotland
have fallen in the communication to us *given else-
where. In fact, the statistics of the Economist,
rightly read, entirely upset their theory.
The Economist says, as say our correspondents,
there are no data, since the equalisation of duty, to
distinguish between whisky consumed in Scotland
and England. This is a mistake, into which we
observe Mr. Caird, M.P., among others, has fallen,
in a letter he has addressed to the Times, which,
by the way, bears a most suspicious resemblance to
letter from the same quarter in our own columns.
It was in the belief of this that Parliament refused
in the first instance to make 'a return of the discri-
minating kind we have now got. But it was dis-
covered that in the Excise-office there were mate-
rials for the purpose. Each retailer is compelled
under a severe penalty:to enter on the counterfoil of
his certificate-book--exactly resembling a bank
check-book—the name of the person to whom and
place to which every gallon of whisky is sent ; and
in the same way every distiller or person who pays
duty and takes whiskey out of bond is compelled
to have entered in the permit, of which a counter-
foil is also kept, the person to whom and place to
which the whisky is sent—so that if it is sent to a
London house it is included as whisky entered for
consumption in England, and if a Scotch house it
is included as whisky entered for consumption in
Scotland. That there might be no mistake, we
ascertained the fact yesterday from the collector of
Excise at Edinburgh. This will also clear
up a discrepancy between the Economist and
us. The Economist enters in "the net revenue
collected," all the duty paid in Scotland, al-
though the whisky may afterwards be sent to
England, or even to France, as much of it is to be
turned into inferior brandy ; whereas we confined
ourselve to what was collected on the article entered
for home use.

We cannot help remarking, before we close these
remarks, how entirely the figures, given in the
Economist, of the quantity of home-made spirits,
on which duty has been paid for consumption ill
the United Kingdom, tally with the gradual pro-
gressive increase in Scotland since 1854, the year
of the Forbes Mackenzie Act :-
1855 22,270,000 gallons.
1856 23,620,000 „
1857
If we were to object to anything said by so im-
partial a writer as our brother of the Economist, it
would be for asserting that we have raised these
" exclusively, in reference to" the Forbes Macken-
zie Act. We have not said so, and we did not so
intend. We agree very much with our contem-
porary in his views of that legislation, and in no
respect more than when he says " that there are
many and important elements besides the effect of
this much-contested Act." It is a most mischievous
thing, in our judgment, to bring down great social
problems to be measured and manipulated by some
piece of handicraft, substituting a mechanical slide
for moral exercitation, and dealing with mind as
men would with matter. We have had no wish in
these discussions to hold up our country to the re-
probation of other notions. Our wish has been, by
exposing our infirmity and shame, to awaken the
people to a just sense of their condition, and to
stimulate them to those measures of social refor-
mation which alone can cope with so great an
evil.

THE EAST INDIA COMPANY.

Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the
East India House, when the thanks of the Court
were voted unanimously to Sir Frederic Currie,
Bart., chairman, and to Mr. William Joseph East-
wick, deputy-chairman, for their great application
and attention to the affairs of the East India Com-
pany during the period they have filled those
offices.

At the same Court of Directors the following re-
solution was also passed unanimously, namely :
" That upon this, the last occasion of their meet-
ing, the Court desire to record their deep and
grateful sense of the valuable assistance which
they have uniformly derived from the eminent
talent and devoted zeal manifested by the members
of the home establishment in their various depart-
ments. The character of that establishment is too
well known and too highly recognised to require
from the Court any further expressions of commen-
dation ; and they cannot doubt that, in the transfer
about- to take place, the great reputation of the
home service will be maintained under the same
fostering system of encouragemont which it has
been the object of the Court to pursue, and which
has produced a result signally beneficial to the
public service."

IMPROVEMENT IN THE TRADE OF LIVERPOOL.
—The Liverpool Customs Bill of Entry of this day
(Thursday) shows that the receipts of the month of August
of the present year exceeds the month in 1857 by £28,550.
If we take the revenue for the months of :July and August
of this year, and compare them with the same months of
last year, there is an increase on the two months only
of £71,276 Is. 4d.
THE INSURRECTION IN CANDIA.—We have ad-
vices from Canea to the 17th August, announcing the re-
kindling of the flame which, as might have been foreseen,
was only momentarily smouldering to pacify the Greek and
French Consuls, who seem to have had an important part
in the outbreak. The Cretans, it is clear, did not rise to
get rid of an objectionable governor, but to obtain solid
concessions and guarantees for their future maintenance,
not without a hope also of shaking off entirely the Ottoman
yoke. A monster meeting was to take place on the 18th at
Apocorona, in the village of Vrises, having for its object
the demanding from the Government of the Sultan an elec-
tive Council, with powers to deal with all questions new
falling under the jurisdiction of the Mollah Effendi, and
likewise the appointment by the people of a Christian to
represent them at Constantinople, in regard to all com-
plaints they may prefer to the Sultan. The armed bands
already assembled at Apocorona number 4,000, whom Sami
Pasha is endeavouring by mild and persuasive means to
keep quiet, without much prospect of success. The British
Consul !Mr. Ongley, had not yet returned from Constanti-
nople, but he is said to have most fully cleared himself of
the charges brought against him of being leagued with
Vely Pasha.
OPENING OF A NEW TOWN-HALL AT NEWCASTLE-
ON-TYNE.—The magnificent new music-hall, which com-
pletes the entire suite of the New Town-hall buildings
built by the Cgrporation in St. Nicholas-square, was opened
yesterday afternoon. It was a general holiday in the town,
and the hall, a most noble building, has been quite crowded
by the inhabitants of the town and the gentry of the dis-
trict. The Sacred Harmonic and Choral Society, conducted
byMr. Webbe, haveperformed Mendelssohn's "Elijah." In
the evening there was to be a miscellaneous concert, and to-.;
day the same society will perform the "Messiah." The.
New Town-hall, which has just been opened, forms a very
striking object in the centre of the town. Besides the
large and spacious musio-hall, it contains a large corn ex-
change, the council chamber of the corporation, the offices
and board-room of the River Tyne Commissioners, a
hotel, and a considerable number of shops and other places
of business.

A" WELL MIXED RACE.—There is now in Ro-
chester, New York, a man aged 106 years, whose ancestry,
together with his own progeny, will exhibit one of the
strangest mixtures of races ever heard of. His name is
John Shenandoah O'Brien and he was born in Boston,
1752. His father was an Irishman, and his mother an
Indian, of the Oneida tribe. When 12 years old he was
sent to France, and there educated as a physician. He
returned to America and served in the revolutionary war ;
afterwards he went back to France, and there married the
daughter of the Emperor of Morocco, by whom he had
eight children ; with her he lived in the United States for
some time. He then married an American woman, de-
scended from the Teutonic line, and after her death mar-
ried a negress, who was 50 years younger than himself,
and by whom he had four children. In his children are
united the blood of the Celts, the Teutons, the African,
and the North American Indian.— United States Paper.
THE EAST INDIA AND CHINA MAILS.--The
Panther arrived at Malta from Alexandria with the home-
ward Bombay mail on the 14th, and left for Marseilles
early on the morning of the 15th.. The Ripon arrived on
the 20th from Southampton and Gibraltar with the out-
ward mails, and left on the same afternoon for Alexandria,
having on board Major Crawford and 219 non-commis-
sioned officers and gunners of the Royal Artillery, en route
for India.

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A TRIP TO VANCOUVER.

The following is extracted from a letter dated
San Francisco, July 15 :—ln my last letter I stated
that I proposed going up to Vancouver's Island,
with the view of satisfying myself by personal
observation as to the all-absorbing topic of the gold
discovery on Fraser River. I have carried that
intention into execution, and propose now to give
you a few notes from my itinerary :
Left San Francisco on Thursday, the 24th of
June, at 4,4 p.m., and arrived in Esquimalt Har-
bour, near Victoria, on the following Tuesday, at
6in the morning7—distance, 800 miles. The
steamer was so crowded with gold-hunters, specu-
lators, merchants, tradesmen, and adventurers of all
sorts, that exercise even on the quarter-deck could
only be coaxed by the general forbearance and
goodhumour of the crowd.
The voyage from San Francisco to Vancouver's
Island, which in a steamer is made all the way
within sight of the coast, is one of the most agree-
able when the voyager is favoured with fine
weather. I know none other so picturesque out of
the Mediterranean. The navigation is so simple
that a schoolboy could sail a steamer ; for a series
of 18 headlands, which jut out into the ocean all
along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Wash-
ington Territory, serve as landmarks to direct the
mariner in his course.
The northern portion of the coast of California
and the whole length of the coasts of Oregon and
Washington are thickly wooded. In fact, this vast
stretch of country is one continuous pine forest.
From the shore, where the trees dip into the sea,
back to the verge of the distant horizon, over hills,
down valleys, across ravines, and on and around
the sides and tops of mountains, it is one great
waving panorama of forest scenery. Timber enough
to supply the wants of the world for ages, one would
think. Yet the broken character of the country re-
lieves the scene from monotony, and it fully realizes
the idea of the grand and the beautiful combined.
Having for several years entertained a conviction
of the vast importance to England of the possession
of Vancouver's Island, both politically and commer-
cially, and of the absence of any other point on the
coast which can ever rival it north of San Francisco,
I watched with much interest the different bays and
anchorages as we passed them. There is not a safe
harbour, not a spot adapted for a commercial port,
between San Francisco and the island. Humboldt
Bay is capacious, and vessels can lie with tolerable
safety when once in, but it is inaccessible in heavy
weather, and is difficult of exit.
There are several harbours along the coast which
are good enough in summer, during the prevalende
of the north-west winds ; but in winter the south
east winds blow up the coast, and make them all
unsafe and difficult of access.
We have now rounded Cape Flattery, and are in
the Straits of Fuca, running up between two shores
of great beauty.. On the left is the long-looked-
for Island of Vancouver, an irregular aggregation
of hills, showing a sharp angular outline as they
become visible in the early dawn, covered with
the eternal pines, saving only occasional sunny
patches of open greensward, very pretty and pic-
turesque, but the hills not lofty enough to be very
striking. The entire island, properly speaking, is a
forest. On the right we have a long massive chain
of lofty mountains covered with snow, called the
Olympian range—very grand, quite Alpine in aspect.
The tops of these mountains are seldom free from
snow. The height is unknown, perhaps 15,000 feet.
We ran up through this scenery early in the morn-
ing, biting cold, for about 40 miles, to Esquimalt
Harbour—the harbour which confers upon Van-
couver's Island its pre-eminence.
The harbour of Esquimalt is a circular bay, or
rather a basin, holloived by nature out of the solid
rock. We slid in through the narrow entrance
between two low, rocky promontories, and found
ourselves suddenly transported from the open sea
and its heavy roll and swell into a Highland lake,
placid as the face of a mirror, in the recesses of a
pine forest. The transition was startling. From
the peculiar shape of the bay and the deep indenta-
tions its various coves make into the shore, one sees
but a small portion of the harbour at a glance from
the point we brought up at. We therefore thought
it ridiculously small after our expectations had
been-so highly wrought in San Francisco.
The whole scenery is of tho Highland character.
The rocky shores, the pine trees running down to
the edge of the ake, their dark foliage trembling
over the glittering surface which reflected them,
the surrounding hills, and the death-like silence. I
was both delighted and disappointed—delighted
with the richness of the scenery, but disappointed
at the smallness of the harbour. Can this little
loch, imprisoned within natural ramparts of rocks,
buried in the solitude of a forest, be the place which
I hoped would become so famous ; the great destiny
of which has been prognosticated by statesmen and
publicists, and the possession of which is bit-
terly envied us by neighbouring nations ;—this
the place where England is to centre a naval
force hitherto unknown in the Pacific' whence her
fleets are to issue for the protection of her increas-
ing interests in the Western world ;—this the sea-
port of the Singapore of the Pacific ; the modern
Tyre, into which the riches of the East are to flow
and be distributed to the 'Western nations ; the ter-
minus of railway communication which is to con-
nect the Atlantic with the Pacific ?
Our steamer swings, and I obtain a new view
which reveals another and larger portion of the Bay.
of Esquimalt, in which ride at anchor her Majesty's
frigate Satellite and the Plumper surveying vessels.
A survey of the bay satisfies one that it is a capa-
cious harbour, capable of containing a large fleet—
hundreds of vessels when its capacity is made avail-
able by engineering—the building of wharves,throw-
ing out of jetties, scarping the rocky shores, &c.
And it has the natural advantages of a good bot-
tom for anchorage, is almost landlocked, and by a
little building at the entrance can be made com-
pletely so ; deep water, five, six, seven, and eight
fathoms, easy of access. Victoria-bay, over which
vessels pass in entering, being itself a safe anchorage,
and of great capacity. The harbour is admirably
adapted for fortifications, which could. be built at its
entrance in such a manner as to make it impreg-
nable. Guns could be so placed on the promonotories
and on an island just outside, in Victoria-bay, as to
completely command the entrance, and under the
fire of which no vessel could live ; and, what is of
infinite importance, there is a portion of the harbour
which could not be shelled, and which is well adapted
for the building of a dockyard. The ground on two
sides of the harbour is eligible for a city, and=
what is a curious 'feature in the landscape, and may
become yet of great commercial importance:—
an arm of the sea, called the Victoria Arm, runs up
into the country from Victoria several miles
_to
within 600 yards of Esquimalt harbour. This is
navigable for small vessels ; and should Victoria
continue to be the capital of the colony and the
commercial city, nothing is easier than to carry mer-
chandise in a variety of craft from the harbour to
the city by the Victoria Arm (which would be an
inland navigation) free from the swell of the open
sea between the two places. A short cut or canal
would join, this arm to the harbour.
I am indebted to Captain Prevost, of the Satel-
lite, and to Captain Richards, of the Plumper, for
much information regarding the harbour, which I
dare not trespass upon your space with in extenso.
Captain Richards pointed out to me the position
in which the Leviathan should lie if she comes out.
She will have no difficulty in entering, and'there is
as good a berth inside for her as she can find
anywhere.
To return to the period of arrival in Esquimalt
harbour. Our' first impression of solitude was soon
dissipated. Shoals of canoes filled with. Indians,
several sail-boats manned by fishermen from
San Francisco, and about six or seven shore-boats,
surrounded' the steamer, all ready to take us and
our goods and chattels on shore. The Indians in-
terested me much. I saw at once that they were
far superior in the scale of humanity to the Cali-
fornian aborigines. They are industrious.
One girl attracted notice from her strange equip-
ment. Her hair was parted with much precision
on the very top of the head, and hung down over
her ears
and on her shoulders with some grace.
Along the division formed by the parting of the
hair of this young girl's head was drawn a line
of bright red paint, which extended down the fore-
head. Another red line crossed from both sides of
the head, and passed along the eyebrows, till it
met over the. nose. This painting looked well.
Her hands were small and pretty, and she paddled
with much grace. She would allow the canoe to
get under the bows of the steamer, and near the
wheels, as if en purpose, and then dexterously ex-
tricate it with an easy movement of the paddle,
which was really beautiful to see. She wore a
brass armlet on a well-turned arm, but no other
ornament. She was evidently a lady in her way—
the belle of the tribe, perhaps. Her mother was
in the canoe with her, and she did all the touting
for hire, in so far as eager looks can be called soli-
citation without a word being spoken. Other girls
now app
appear, and a few have the red paint lines on
the head and across the forehead, but none of them
equal in
grace and tidiness my first attraction.
The fops among the lads also affect paint on the
face, drawing lateral lines on the cheeks, which
give them a zebra sort of look. They all appeared
to me harmless ; many industrious ; but many
others fast becoming corrupted by the influx of
emigrants and the abundance of money,—the men
getting drunk on the sale of their strawberries,
fish, &c., and the girls getting fast corrupted by
the coarse and idle ruffians hanging round Victoria.
I had an interview with a chief—a great chief
of the Cowitchen tribe the Catholic Bishop of
Victoria being the interpreter. The Indian feared
that the influx of strangers would bring spirits

into his dominions and corrupt his people. The
bishop has great influence over the Indians of the
island, and speaks their language fluently.
This chief was a lad about 25 years of age, of
middle height, square build, a big flat head, a stupid
inexpressive face, a dull inconstant eye, which I
could not get him to fix upon me at all. A bad fea-
ture was that eye, denoting insinoerity and treach-
ery. His appearance was altogether very mean ;
no native dignity, no presence, such as some high-
born Indians possess. He was dressed in a red
flannel shirt, and had some sort of apology for a
pair of trousers. This completed his attire. No
shoes and no covering for the head. His feet were
large and flat, but his hands small and well formed.
He emitted such an odour in the hot noon-day sun
as made me very thankful when the interview was
over.

The number of Indians on the island is consider-
able—as many as 18,000. Most of them live by
fishing, but some tribes follow the chase.
Victoria is distant from Esquimalt, by land, about
three miles ; round by sea double the distance. The
intervening ground is an irregular promontory,
having the waters of the Straits of Fuca on the
south, the Bay of Victoria on the east, and the
Victoria arm encircling it on the north. The soil
is good, and produces fair crops of the ordinary
cereals, oats, barley, and wheat ; and good grass,
turnips, and potatoes.
I came the first time to Victoria round by water.
The rowing of our boat was much impeded by kelp.
The shore is irregular; somewhat bold and rocky—
two more facts which confirmed the resemblance of
the scenery to that of the western coast of Scotland.
As we are rowing up the bay, all impatience to
catch a sight of the future capital of another English
colony, of which our heads are full, we meet four
stout hairy miners paddling a canoe—an ugly
cradle of a thing built impromptu by some Yankee
carpenter, or perhaps by the miners themselves—
but how inferior in shape and construction to the
native vessel ! " Hurrah, for the Frazer !" yelled
the miners as they passed, with a will that made
the mountains echo. " Poor fellows !" remarked
the captain of the steamer, " you little know the
voyage of 70 miles you have before you cross the
Gulf of Georgia ; if a storm arises you will have a
sneezer." The love of gold and of adventure will.
make men dare anything. A thousand such canoes
similarly freighted with provisions have been
paddled out of Victoria—perhaps a great many
more, for it is calculated that there were a thousand
of them on the river last week, all built within the
last two months at Victoria. Some are supposed to
have been lost on the passage.
I bring you at last to Victoria. It stands nobly
on a fine eminence, a beautiful plateau, on the rocky
shore of the bay of the same name. There is no
finer site for a.city in the world. The plateau drains
itself on every side by the natural depressions which
intersect it, and there is space enough to build a
Paris on.

The prominent object in making the approach by
water is the Hudson's Bay Company's fort, built on
a rocky bluff, in the foreground of the picture.
Properly speaking, this is not a fort. A high wooden
enclosure of palisades has wooden bastions at two
diagonal corners, where several guns are mounted
m two galleries. One of the bastions enfilades the
front and south side of the square, and the other
defends the back and north side. In the enclosure
are the buildings for the transaction of the com-
pany's business, and for the residence of some of its
officers. A certain degree of military regime is
maintained. The gates are closed at night, and
perfect order and a complete division of labour
exist throughout the establishment. The arrange-
ments are simple enough, and the men who conduct
them quiet and unassuming to a degree.
The fort possesses an interest of its own indepen-
dently of the natural beauty of its position. Those
plain, whitewashed wooden walls acquired an im-
portance in my eyes when I reflected that this was
the place where was concentrated the moral power,
the tact, energy, and firmness of purpose by which
a few well-instructed Englishmen and Seotchmen
rule 80,000 savages, and turn their labours to pro-
fitable account. While tribes of these savages are
at war with America almost continually, and at
this moment, when a fierce and bloody contest is
actually going on between them and the Federal
forces, whom they have lately beaten, the meanest
of the Company's servants has a safe passport and
a hearty welcome wherever he goes—not a hair of
his head will the Indians touch.
As to the prospects of Vancouver's Island as a
colony I would say that if it shall turn out that
there is an extensive and rich goldfield on the
mainland in British territory, as there is every
reason to believe, the island will become a profit-
able field for all trades, industries, and labour.
The population will soon increase from Canada,
whence an immigration of many thousands is
already spoken of, from Australia, South America,
the Atlantic States, and, no doubt, from Europe
also. If this happens, the tradesman and the la-
bourer will find employment, and the farmer will
find a ready market, at good prices, for his pro-
duce.

Should the gold suddenly disappear, the island
will have benefited by the impulse just given to
immigration, for, no doubt, many who came to mine
will remain to cultivate the soil and to engage in
other pursuits. If this be the termination of the
present fever, then to the farmer who is satisfial
with a competency—full garners and good larder,
who loves retirement, is not ambitious of wealth, is
fond of a mild, agreeable, and healthy climate, and
a most lovely country to live in, the island offers
every attraction. Its resources are plenty, of
timber, towards the northern portion producing
spars of unequalled quality, which are becoming of
great value in England, and will soon be demanded
in France, now: that the forests of Norway and
of Maine are becoming exhausted ; limestone in
abundance, which burns into good lime for building
and for agricultural purposes ; coal in plenty, now
worked at Nanaimo, on the northern side of the
island, by the Hudson's Bay Company ; the quality
is quite good, judging from the specimens I saw
burning ; it answers well for steam purposes, and
would ''have found a ready sale in San Francisco
were it not subject to a heavy duty (of 30 per cent.,
I think) under the American tariff; iron, copper,
gold, and potter's clay. I have no doubt that a
goldfield will be discovered on the island as it gets
opened up to enterprising explorers. A friend of
mine brought down some sand from the sea-beach
near Victoria and assayed it the other day. It pro-
duced gold in minute quantity, and I have heard
of gold washings on the island. The copper is. un-.
developed. The potter's clay has been tested in
England, and found to be very good. The charac-
ter of the soil is favourable to agriculture. I visited
seven farms within short distances of Victoria.
The crops were oats, barley, wheat, peas, potatoes,
turnips, garden herbs and vegetables, fruits, and
flowers ; no clover, the natural grass supplying
sufficient food for the cattle and sheep. The crops
were all healthy, but not heavy. The wheat was
not thick on the ground,"nor had it a large head.
It was such a crop as would be an average only in
a rich, well-cultivated district of England, or Scot-
land ; far lighter than you would see in the rich
counties of England and in the Carse of Gowrie.
I was informed that, the ground was very badly
prepared by Indian labour—merely scratched over
the surface. Flowers Of the ordinary sorts do well,
but delicate plants don't thrive, owing to the cold-
ness of the nights. Sheep thrive admirably.
During my stay the climate was charming ; the
weather perfection,—warm during the day, but
free of glare, and not oppressive ; cool in the even-
ings, with generally a gentle sea breeze. The long
days—the protracted daylight eking out the day to
2 o'clock at night—the lingering sunset, and the
ample " gloaming," all so different from what I
had been accustomed to in more southern latitudes,
again reminded me of Scotland in the summer
season.

The scenery of the inland country around Vic-
toria is a mixture of English and Scotch.' Where
the pine (they are all " Douglas" pines) prevails
you have the good soil broken into patches by the
croppings of rock, producing ferns, rye grass, and
some thistles, very few. This is tie Scottish side
of the picture. Then you come to the oak region ;
and here you have clumps, open glades, rows, single
trees of umbrageous form, presenting an exact copy
of English park scenery. There is no running
water, unfortunately, but the meadows and little
prairies that lie ensconced within the woods show
no signs of suffering from lack of water. The
nights bring heavy dews, and there are occasional
rams, which keep them fresh and green. I am told
that in September rains fall which renew the face
of nature so suddenly, that it assumes the garb of
spring, the flowers even coming out. The winter
is a little cold, but never severe. I have heard it
complained of as being rather wet and muggy.
Frost and snow fall, but do not endure long.
The climate is usually represented as resembling
that of England. In some respects the parallel may
hold good ; but there is no question that Vancouver
has more steady fine weather, is far less changeable,
and is on the whole milder. Two marked diffe-
rences I remarked,—the heat was never swelter-
ing, as is sometimes the case in England, and the
wind never stings, as it too often does in the mother
country. The climate is unquestionably superior
in Vancouver.
What I ought to have begun by stating I may
mention now, that Vancouver's Island lies between
48 deg. 17 min. north, and from 123 deg. 10 min.
to 128 deg. 30 min. west, which position would
entitle it to a mild climate, as all the countries on
the Pacific are more temperate than those parallels
in the northern hemisphere.
The style of living in Victoria is rather unique.
I slept on a trestle, rolled up in rough blankets in
a small room, where two others also slept--s, place

you would not think too good for, your dog. I
washed my face al fresco—that is, in an open
meadow—and brushed my boots in a tiny room,
which served for kitchen laundry, refectory, and
sitting-room for my landlady and her husband.
My visitors said, I was housed luxuriously by
comparison with their accommodations. Ame-
ricans sleeps three and four, or more, in a bed. To
have a bed to one's self was thought quite aristo-
cratic, " exclusive" they called it.
But the feeding is the most disgusting part of the
campaign. I went into a place to have coffee one
morning early, for I rose betimes, in compliance
with the ancient maxim—that " the early bird
catches the worm ;" my- spirits fell when I saw
three Frenchmen drinking out of one cup. I asked
timidly, if I could have a cup to myself, and
I got one, but no saucer. Such coffee ! what a
strong flavour of burnt beans or pease. I abandoned
this nasty house in disgust, and next morning pa-
tronized a tent kept by a lady. The wind was
high, the tent open at both ends, and the
cooking done in the open air, over a sort of oven
improvised in the bushes. The table—rough, un-
planed deal boards—was so covered with dust
and sand that I could have written my
Order for breakfast upon it with my stick.
The plates were turned upside-down, to keep
their insides clean. All this did not look propiti-
ous ; but a hungry man must eat. I rasped a loaf
of bread and stroked the sand off it with the sleeve
of my shooting jacket, which, luckily, was a rough-
spun garment, and answered admirably. I broke
off a hunk, and, having turned my back to the wind
placed the bread and the beefsteak in my bosom, as
I may say—that is, I leaned over them and the
plate they were on, to keep off the dust—and,
doubling my body so as to bring my face down on
the plate at each mouthful grabbed, made a clean
and an excellent meal. You used to be eloquent
once upon the adulteration of food. Do you
remember what the wretches adulterated butter
with ?
Twenty thousand persons are supposed to have
left California and 10,000 to have gone from Ore-
gon and Washington territory, all for Frazer River,
The majority passed through Victoria. There are
some 15,000 at least in the mines. The rest are,
the most of _ dispersed between Victoria and
places across the Straitsfri-American -territory, anti
perhaps 1,000 disappointed miners have returned
to California.
One of the first measures taken was to license

the miners ; British and foreign were treated alike.
The tax is 21s. sterling, commuted to 5 dols. a-
month. The licence is not transferable. Mining is
not allowed where it would destroy roads, impede
access to houses, &c. The proper observance of the
Sabbath is enjoined. Claims are allotted in sizes
varying with the nature of the ground, arranged
so that each miner shall have sufficient space to
work in, and to prevent monopoly. These rules
have been modified for the • better accommodation
of the miner, and his labours are facilitated by
the change.
The Governor was on a second trip up the river
when I left Victoria on the 12th inst., carrying out
administrative measures in person.
In Victoria a commissioner of police and men.
under him hate been appointed, and the peace and
good order of the place are really perfectly pre-
served ; the crowds of all nations assembled in a
state of squatation, to use a new paraphrase, behav-
ing very peaceably. I have walked 'several times
through the encampment of tents, filled with weary
sleepers, at late hours-11 at night to 1 o'clock in
the morning—without molestation, the only sound
heard being that of such sleepers as " drive their
pigs to market" o' nights.
Trade is licensed on a scale graduated according
to the character of the business, wholesale and re-
tail. The only heavy licence is upon the sale of
liquors, which is 600 dols. a-year, and none too
high, particularly as its proceeds are to go to the
support of schools, of which one is established al-
ready.. Victoria is a free port, and I hope, for the
general good, it will so continue. The rule is liberty
to all, but no violation of law and order. All such
are promptly punished with severity. .
My tale of the Frazer River Mines is soon told.
The water is too high to permit more than a very
few miners to work on the river. The mass of
them lie idle on its banks, waiting for the water
to fall. Those who have money to pay for provi-
sions can have enough on the spot, for which they
have to thank the humane and liberal policy of
the Hudson's Bay Company.
Those who have no money must starve. The
alternative is as clear as the sun at noon day.
They can neither • buy food nor leave the place.
They cannot spread themselves over the country,
for the following reasons—The banks of the river,
high up where the miners are congregated, are
steep and lofty perpendicular walls of rock which
cannot be scaled. The other portions of its banks are
covered with impenetrable forests, without a track
or a trail, which they "dare not penetrate for fear
of the Indians.

There is a trail above Fort Hope known to the
Hudson's Bay Company's people, which leads up to
Thomson's River and adjacent country, and which
are supposed to be very rich in gold, but there are
no means of transport available as yet. Some
miners have gone up, and their story is this :—A
man has to carry his provisions in his blankets, on
his back, up a laborious ascent in hot weather.- He
cannot cerry over 501 b. in weight besides his traps,
and tools, and firearms. He takes several days to
perform the journey. At its termination one-third
part or more of his stock of provisions has been
used on the tramp. He digs and digs successfully,
but, as lie is in a wilderness where his supplies
cannot be renewed, after a few days' work he must
hurry down before his little stock of eatables is
exhausted ; or if he remains until he shall have
eaten it all he dies of hunger. There is no
relief for him. So he comes back with some, but
not much, gold.- Several are said to have perished
of hunger in this upper region, but I could only
trace this horrid fate to two men. Unfortunately
for themselves, the California miners would not
listen to advice to defer their departure till the
usual season of low water in the river, but rushed
up unrefiectingly, and reached the pface long be-
fore they could work. The result is misfortune
and disaster to most and disappointment to nearly
all.

On the other hand, I have the most satisfactory
testimony to the fact, that wherever a miner can
work on the Frazer or on the Thomson Rivers, or
elsewhere, gold ii-obtained in abundance.
The river (the Frazer) will fall in September
low enough to admit of washing in its bed, and
miners can work in it till March, as I was informed
by old residents.
My object in going north was to ascertain if a gold-
field really exists, and its extent if there does. I
have not succeeded in my object. I could not travel
in the interior alone, and I could not obtain an
escort. I tried hard, but the thing was simply
impossible:
I did not go to Frazer's River. As there is no
mining, or only a very little, there was nothing to
see which would repay me for the voyage. The
statement I gave of the state of matters on the river
is, however, correct.
I may add that I have the distinct authority of
Governor Douglas and of one of the chief factors
who has long resided in the interior for stating.
publicly that for several years back they have had
evidences of the existence of gold being found in
many places extending over hundreds of miles of
the country to which the notice of the world is now
attracted, and that both these gentlemen believe the
auriferous country to be rich and extensive.
- The total export of gold in the past three weeks
was 1,779,127 dollars by the steamer and by sail-
ing vessels.
The number of persons who left for the north is
greater than I supposed ; 22,753 went by sea ;
considerable numbers went by land.
Money is abundant, and seeking investment, but
none offering.

AND HEARING,—SPEC-
[ADVERTISEMENT.I—SIGHT
and B. Solomons, opticians,
PERSPECTIVE GLASSES.
icca
_ly.
Observe—opposite the
TACLES.—POIVERFUL TELsE.SCOPES.—OPERA, RACE, AND
39, Albermarle-Street,
Majesty's Royal Letters Patent
York Hotel, W. By
improvements in the most
extraordinary improvements
Camp, Race-course
extraordinary power that
ive Glasses, to know the distances.'
fpoerwvealrfutilabalehdandhriepthxteartOpera, and
an a inches,with an extra eye-piece, will
some, three
These TelescPoeiesi.
hepalfossesssuch
show distinctly Jupiter's moon, Saturn's rings, and the
double stars ; with the same telescope can be seen a person's
countenance three and a half miles distant, and an object
from 16 to 20 miles. For the waistcoat pocket, and are of
larger, and all sizes, with increasing powers accordingly.
The Royal Exhibition, 1851. A valuable, newly-invented,
very small, powerful Waistcoat-pocket Glass, the size of a
walnut, by which a person can be seen and known one and
a half mile distant. They answer every purpose on the
Race-course and at the Opera-houses. Country scenery
and ships are clearly seen at 12 to 14 miles. They are in-
valuable for shooting, deerstalking, yachting, to sportsmen,
gentlemen, gamekeepers, and tourists. Opera, Camp, Per-
spective, and Race-course Glasses, with wonderful powers.
—lnvaluable persevering Spectacle Lenses of the greatest
transparent power. The great advantage derived from this
invention is, that vision impaired becomes preserved and
strengthened,a nd very aged persons are enabled to employ
their sight at the most minute occupation—can see with
those lenses of a much less magnifying power—and they do
not require the frequent changes to the dangerous effects of
further powerful assistance. Persons can be suited at the
most remote part of the world by sending one of the glasses
out of their spectacles in a letter, and stating the distance
from the eye they can read small print with it, and those
who have not made use of spectacles by. stating their age.
Deafness.—New Discovery.—The Organic Vibrator, an ex-
traordinarily powerful, small, newly-invented instrument'
for deafness, entirely different from all others, surpassin,g,
anything of the kind that has been, or probably can be, pro-
duced. Being of the same colour as the skin, is not per-
ceptible. It enables deaf persons to hear distinctly at
church and at public assemblies ; the unpleasant sensation
of singing noises in the ears is entirely removed, and it
affords all the assistance that possibly could be desired.-39,
Albemarle-street, Piccadilly, opposite the York hotel, W,

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, WEDNESDAY MORNING.

CARDINAL WISMIAN IN THE SOUTH.

A letter from Parsonstown, dated Tuesday night,
and published in Saunders's Newsletter, gives the
following not very flattering account of the recep-
tion of the Cardinal in the King's County. The
sketch is plainly the production of no friendly hand,
but that the visit was a failure as regards and'
public display, is fully confirmed by a letter in
another Dublin paper :
" The first intimation that this town was about
to be honoured with a visit from Dr. Wiseman was
given yesterday morning by a Roman Catholic
clergyman from an adjoining parish, who was the
bearer of a despatch for Father Egan, the parish
priest of this town, containing the announcement.
On the receipt of the news his reverence was on
the alert, and messages were sent to all the adjoin-
ing parishes to colleet a goodly array of the deg,
and to command a large attendance of the peasantry'
to welcome him. The promised visit did not create
any excitement whatsoever. From the fact of the
majority of the town-council being Protestant, ne
effort was made to induce that body in their public
capacity to pay their respects to the cardinal. Any
attempt of the kind would have proved unsuccess-
ful. However, in order to keep up appearances, in
the afternoon there was a small gathering of priesia
and shopkeepers in a parlour at one of the hotels;
Certainly not more than 20 individuals were , pre'
sent. Father Egan took the chair, when an address,
which had been previously prepared by one of his
curates, was adopted for presentation this day..
The morning was beautifully fine, but the event'
of the day seemed to be treated with the utmost
indifference by all ranks and classes, who appeared
determined to follb* their usual avocations. The
streets presented their every-day appearance, and
the visit of any itinerant showman would have
created as great a crowd and an equal amount of
interest. 11 o'clock was fixed for the arrival of
the Cardinal ; but at that hour there was nothing
whatsoever visible to lead any person to suppose
that the presence of so distinguished a personage
as a really alive' cardinal was momentarily ex-
pected. At 12 o'clock the pupils of the national
schools in the town and its vicinity were let loose
and Father Ekan, accompanied. by one of hia
curates, proceeded in a hackney carriage to the
town of Cloghan to await the arrival of this
prince of the church.' Their reverences returned
about half-past 2 o'clock and announced that
there was no appearance of Dr. Wiseman, which
caused the idlers in the streets and also a large
congregation which had assembled in the chapel.
to disperse. However, shortly after three o'clock
the Cardinal arrived in the carriage of Mr-
Ennis, M.P., at whose residence, Ballinahearn.r
county of Westmeath, he had been on a visit. 1_,,b5
entry was of the most humiliating description. .1"
triumphal arches spanned the streets, no flowerg
strewed his path, and his advent was not welcomed
by the smiles of lovely women.' None of the Ca-
tholic gentry of the county were present ; but in-
deed there are very few of that class resident within
its borders. The Cardinal slowly traversed On
streets, his only escourt being about 200 ragge.a,
urchins, who whistled and yelled. The people d];
not prostiate themselves before him. Not a heal
was uncovered along the route, and altogether his
reception presented a sad contrast to the elaborate
descriptions which have been given of the eheera
and devotedness of the thousands who attended
him at Ballinasloe and elsewhere, as has been 0,
vividly portrayed. The Cardinal having alighted
at the residence of Father Egan, where he remained
for some time, from thence he proceeded on foot--
but not in official costume—to the chapel, where,
after the performance of some religious ceremonial,
he, accompanied by a large crowd, went in a Car-
riage to the Earl of Rosse's park, where he was re-
ceived with the ordinary courtesy and polite atten;
tion with which all visitors are there received ;and
having inspected the monster telescope, observe"
tories, workshops, &c., he left town about 5 o'clocs•
for Ballinahown."

THE HARVEST.
A Dublin journal gives a glowing account of the
prospects of the harvest and of the prosperous state
of the country generally. Wheat is one of the best
crops ever seen in Ireland. The yield is heavy, tile
quality good, and it has been garnered in excellent
condition. All doubts about the potato are at an
end, and never was the crop more productive. The
green crops, too, which now form so important a
feature in our improved agriculture, will yield 0s
heavy return this year ; turnips, mangolds,
are of such superior bulk and quality that even the
farmers themselves are satisfied, and have nothing
to grumble at but the fact that abundant crops,
bring low prices. Still, however, the prices crop
agricultural produce are highly remunerative ; and,
besides, where there is plenty there is employment,
industry, contentment, comfort, diminished pau-
perism, diminished crime, diminished taxation,
lighter burdens, and more enjoyment for all classes-