Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-02-05
Annexation of British Columbia.

we UUl ~ Oui tAcuuH5cS tn1J THIS
question is beginning to attract considara-
bic attention. In the New \ crk Tr,Epnr
of JAN 9th, we find short editorial upon
the petition Of the citizens OF British Co
lumbia. calling attention to valuable ar
tic!c arncarin- in the columns Of that'day.
which VIC give to our readers:
rur NORTHWEST CeA.T---THE COMMAND OF Pr-
GET SurNn.
Cont. George Vancouver. in May. l;sa. thu,
pictured .,ir island which bears his name !:
To lrsrriha the leauties If this region. will.
on some future occasion. be n very grateful task
to III, pen of the s!iliful l'ancgyr,t. The
serenity Of the climate, the innumerable pleas
in.. landscapes and I'll" abundant fertility that
unassistcd nature puts forth. require only to
be enriched by the industry Of man with vii
lages. mansions. cottages, and other holdings.
Ia render it the most lovely country that can
he imagined: while the labor Of the inlabi
| tan,s would he amply rewarded in the boun
| ties which nature seems ready ~ brstow Oh
cultivation
sirJArioS AND CLIMATE.
Vancouycr's Island lies between tho raral.
l-ls of Is 90 aud 81 : north latitude, uni
1913 and I2-- west longitude. Its climate.
! in the succession of ii, seasons and general
thermal conditions. apl'roxinates closely to
! that OF Great Britain. The winter months Or
dnarily are the sarlc az thns. in the West OF
England. When exceptional and severe they
/ are like those OF the En9lsh nlidlandcountic,.
| The temperature is miller and the seasons are
more etiuablc than on the corresponding area
| of the opposite American mainland. Winter
disappears in March. The autumnal -in,lan
summer is very long. Indeed, the isthcrihal
relations between Vancouvcrs Island and
Great Britain. are nearly identical. The diff
| fcrcnces are that in Vancouver the springs are
/ later and col Ter. (good for whcaD the suf.mcrs
dryer DIETER for wheat and good for MANY and
| tie sun hOtter-but the average mean temper
allure in Great Britain and Nancouvcrs Island
! is the same Last winter roses bIoolncdin the
open air in Victoria in January, and ice did
NOT form thick enough on the fresh water ponds
| in the ncighborhood 20 outfit 1; single drink
ing saloon in the city.
AGRICULTURAL AND MINERAL EEALTH.
The average yield of wheat on vancouver
is 30 bushels to the acre, CT pounds to the
| bus!icl of oats 40 bushels OF 4i pounds, Of
POTATOES 200 bushels and unappr;achabiy OK
cclcnt The established reputation of vege-
tables grown in Washington Territory AMI
Oregon stands high, though We have, heard
more than one American say that the tcgrt;-
bles of Vancouvcrs Island were better.
Vancouver has incxhaustibc wealth in three
seams of the best coal west Of Pennsylvania,
in myrials Of salmon cod. halbut, sturgeon,
herring smell, haddock, whiting and picharL,
and in the king timber OF the Pacific coast.
the Oregon red pine. The coal is extensively
| mined, and sold all over the Pacific coast and
in japan and China. The fisheries are. inds.
putably, in connection with those Of the wa
tiers of Puget Sound, some of the richest ON
earth. Victoria is but II days sail from the
best whaling ground left to the New Bedford
harpooners. The timber of Vancouver cannot
! he surpassed. The Colonial authorities have
declared that the supply of its red pine is in
cxhaus.iblc. Its growth is enormous. 1t is
often obtained 100 feet long, squariAg IS inches
forC0 feet.
i THE LUMBER TRADE.
The extraordinary size. straighnrss and
| uniform thickness of these wonderful trees
their strength and feasibility, the straightncss
and beauty of their grain, their marvellous
durability and freedom from knots and sap
wood, place them beyond all competition in
the inasting sparring, planking, flooring and
decking of ships. Tie French Spanish, Sar
dinian and Dutch Governments are supplied
with masts aud spars by contract with a com
pany which has saw-mills at the head Of the
Alberni Canal IN Barclay Sound This timber
is the same which constitutes the PRINCIPAL
item of the wealth of Puget Sound. The H.
port upon its qualities made by the French
engineers i'll the Imperial dock yard at Toulcn
and the comparative tests of it with japanese
and other oaks, made by the ship-buildel
Westerveit in Hakodada, demonstrates that il
is uncqualed. The ports at which it isshirpctl
can be made at night as well az in open day
The island, wonderful in its climate and in it,
wealth of SOIL coal, timber, ores, and fishes, is
wonderful also in the number and excellence
of its harbors.
The colonial authorities of VancGuvcrs Isl
and have officially sanctioned the declaration
that Her geographical position gives he,
commercially. and in a military point of view
strategically, the command of the North Paci
tc and that " to the golden regions and
fertile plains of British Columbia, Nancouvcr's
Island will be as the strong man armed that
kccpcth the door,.
Effect OF NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD.
The people Of the United States ought t,
have that door in their own hands, and the
opening and shutting thereof. Particularly
should they control this command of tho
North Pacific" since it is certain that tho
North Pacific Railroad will soon be built from
Lake Superior to Puget Sound. The strait ot
San Juan dc Fuca will be the outlet of the
| W thS "ihS tduCOu|cf . iSiailu Walls
the Strait on the north. The commerce, the
industry, the manufacturing. the agriculture
that will spring up on Puget Sound and its
shores, under the influence OF this continental
railway. will be amazing The shore lines Of
that inland sea are 1900 miles long. On the
eastern side they are tringcd to the water and
covered back TO the mountains, with forests Of
pine, fir and cedar of hight and diameter OF
clearness, strength and straiehtncss Of clcav
age that the Atlantic slope people cannot b.
made to comprehend and refuse to believe
So deep are these waters and so bold thcil
banks. that in most parts of the Sound man
of-war may anchor with twenty fathons unde,
her stcrn-post and have her jib-boo1ii among
tho trees on the shore Twelve huge saw
mills there are making lumber for the Pacific
coast, the Sandwich Islands, Japan, China, and
British India. Some of these cut $50 900 fee,
day. One Of them owns and constantly EN-
ploys seventeen large ships.
COAL SUPPLIES.
And yet the lumber business of Puget Sound
is in its infancy. Its fisheries are untouched
| Ile thirty miles OutcrOn Of nycoIInn+ l,;%,,,,;