Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-03-25
British Columbia.


The Overland Monthly for March con-
tains very ably written article on British
Columbia, from which we make few ex-
tracts
"The natives of the northern and western
c1sts Of Vancouver Island are considered
to be treachcrous and hostile people, fire.
quently committing outrages on unpro-
tected settlers and ship wrecked mariners.
The Siwashes are an INDECENT, degenerate
branch of the human family, given to de
bauche. y in its grossesi forms, strangers 10
virtue or common decency, already doomed
to speedy extinction; and their departure to
the happy hunting grounds of their fathers
will be unregretted.
When an Indian DIES, his property is
placed on his grave, and if, at the time Of
death, possessor Of a horse, it is killed and
skinncd--the flesh CONSIDERABLY devoured
by his heirs, and the hide hung over the
grave; or, if the owner of musket, it is
first deprived Of its lock, then treated in
the same manner as the hide. Tnware
and brass kettles, all bottomless, are fire.
quently seen hanging in their cemeteries.
Immediately after the death of medi-
cine-man, or doctor, they proceed to install
another in his stead to fulfill the duties Of
that office-numbers offering themselves as
candidates for the position Hideously
painted and decorated from head to foot
with feathers and down, these candidates
are led into circle, where they are joined
by other members Of the tribe, male ard
female, similarly decorated, and armed
with Misunderstanding knives. A chant
is struck up, accompanied by the beating
of drum, to which the performers keep
! time by marching in single file around the
circle, brandishing their knives, and at reg
ular intervals kneeling, uttering in unison
a fearful groan, which has terrific effect.
70 this monotonous chant the candidates
are compelled to trip the Eight fantastic
toe" day and night, unrcmittingly, until
exhaustion prostrates them. The last one
standing-beingt the successful candidate
is then compelled to suck the blood of a
living dog, which, maddened by hunger,
he often devours. Feasting and dancing
complete the ceremonial-the whole opera
ton frequently lasting nine or ten days.
Such is the terrible ordeal their students
pass through before graduating; superior
physical endurance being the qualification
necessary to obtain an Indian medical di-
ploma.
British Columbia's existence in the flu
ture, as in the past, depends entirely upon
the extent and quality of its mineral re-
sources. So far it has been entirely de-
pendent upon the yield of its gold fields,
and these, being allu 7ial DEPOSITS, are very
unreliable and quickly exhausted. Coal
has been found, and profitably worked for
years, at Nanaimo, and other basins have
been discovered, but remain undeveloped
Silver, copper, lead, and iron groupings have
been found throughout the country, but
the capital and labor expended in the de
velopment of these minerals have been
very limited, and thus produced no salts
factory results. Nuggets of native silver,
some weighing several ounces, have been
frequently found in some of its rivers,
indicating the presence of lodges of that
valuable mineral Quartz mining is only
beginning to attract the attention of its
mining communities. The first quartz
mill-four stamps-was taken up to Car
iboo, its principal mining district, last Fall.
This is only intended to test the value of
those quartz lodges which have been
already found, many of them containing
gold, discernable with the naked eye.
One ledge, worked with arastras. yielded
$50 to the ton last Sum mer.
It's fisheries are one of its valuable re-
sources. The waters. both salt and fresh,
abound in fish. During the run of sal
mon up the Frazer, they are so numerous
that they actually push one another out of
the water, and literally line the shores
with their dead. Last Summer, the ''run"
was uncommonly large, and some idea may
be formed of their numbers when the In
dams caught as much as three thousand
pounds weight of fish each. in ore night,
with small hand-net. The destruction