The New York herald., 1872-10-23

within an ace OF precipitating hOstlites. Ihe had
| Baynes the two countries would have been at war.
The only time during the two weeks he was In
| the neighb0rhood that General SCOTT visited san
Juan was the day previous to his departure, when
| he came into the harb0r IN the Massachusetts, ana
sent his aid with orders for the garrison to be re-
return TO the posts from which they were taken,
! ana the heavy guns 10 be replaced on board the
on the return Of General Scott in accordance with
his suggestions, by agreement between the TWO
| A JOINT MILITARY OCCUPATION
was entered into. The British established a camp
OF 100 marines at the northern end, and which by
similar force they have occupied up to the present
date the American troops, equal in number, retain
ing their old camp near the harbor. This was
originally named by Colonel Casey Camp Pickett,
as an evidence OF the appreciation OF the conduct
4 Of that commander but the name was changed in
1851 10 that ot Camp San Juan, by which it is
known. Pickett, having resigned and gone South,
became afterwards famous as the General who led
the terrible charge at Gettsyburg; Forsyth, the the
brigader general and chief OF star (which position
he now holds to General Phil Sheridan in his Vir-
! ginia campaigns. Colonel Casey was the gallant
| General Casey OF the Army OF the Potomac and
| Pleasonton, who, as adiutant general to Harney,
the cavalry leader OF that name, since Commits
/ siOner OF Internal Revenue.
/ THE SIZE AND FERTILITY OF SAN JUAN.
! The island OF San Juan Is about fifteen miles in
length and in Its widest part, about seven and con-
tains about forty thousand acres OF land The north
! ern portion ls mountainous and heavily tmbered
| hut the southern part has many beautiful prairies
and is exceedingly fertile. The pasture Is so nutr
tions that the mutton raised upon 1t rs remarkable
/ for the decacy OF its flav0r. There Is near the
hareor s, valuable quarry Of limestone; a; These
quarrles as yet found on the American side of the
waters OF Puget Sound, and up TO the working OF
e on san Juan an anan M Washngnn 1r
Territory had TO be brought from vancouver's
Island or California. Coal Is also found in
this archipelago. or the lower end OF san Juan
are the best fishing waters on the Sound. Great
quantities OF balibut, Goldfish and salmon taken
vicinity at certain seasons when the Hudson Bay
Company used San Juan as fishing station they
THREE THOUSAND BARRELS OF SALMON.
From this source alone profitable business might
be established. The population Of the island is at
present about four hundred, Of which 200 are
military. There are seven large islands between the
disputed channels besides many small ones, but
settled, though q few Americans have taken up
land claims on Orcas, Lopez and Blakely.
BASIS OF THE BRITISH CLAM.
The ground upon which the British based their
claim to Rosario Straits as the proper boundary is
that 1t was the channel used by the Hudson Bay
COmpanys vessels. At the time of the treHy in
1916 the vessels employed in passing between Vic
toria, the trading post az Nisqually near the head
and the other ports on the northern coast, were
the Hudson Bay Companies steamer Beaver and
the e swS
In the trade with California and the Sandwich
Islands.
Each year two ships were despatched from Eng
land, bringing out trading goods and other sup
plies and returning with the furs collected at the
depot, at Victoria vancouver's Island from the
various posts of the Rocky Mountains. On the ar
rival OF these ships the posts on the Sound, Frazer
River and the northern coast were in the spring
of each year fitted out with what was estimated as
q supply sufficient to answer for trading purposes
and the support of the employees for year ahead.
The usual course for the two vessels especially as
signed to this duty was to take load OF supplies
up to Nisqually Tor that post and the station at
COwlitZ Plains, some fifty miles south or the first
named place. The farm at The C0wlitz was started
especially for the purpose OF raising grain potatoes
and other vegetables for the supply not only OF
their northern posts, but also the Russian possess
siOns at Sitka and the Aleutian Islands For their
breadstuns the Russian Americans were entirely
dependent upon this farm, and large and lucra-
tive trade was the consequence OF this necessity.
At Nsqually were large herds of cattle which were
provisions were taken on board by the Beaver and
Cadboro and, with the other supplies delivered at
the posts on Fraser River and up the coast Com
ing down from Nisqually the vessels naturally in
their trips to Fraser River turned into Rosario
Straits. It was the first channel from up
This manner OF delivering the annual supplies is
the main reason why the Rosario Straits was COM
monty used by the Fur COmpany's vessels. Another
canse may be found in the fact tnat the Canal de
Haro is
BROAD, DEEP ARM OF THE SEA,
being, in fact, but continuation OF the Straits OF
Fuca sweeping in with rushing tide and meeting
the waters OF the Straits OF Georgia at its northern
end: Its extreme depth made the anchorage, espe.
cally TO sailing vessel In case OF calm, dificult
to reach, and, when found, it Afforded but poor
Rosario Straits, on the contrary, much
narrower D. row % charnel. II Is % not comparatively deep,
anSeas sseerss s and s m
the action and canton OF the Hudson
Bay Bay y,ompanys , shipmasters is the S whole
boundary That the steamer Beaver had gone
through the Canal de Haro previous to 1s4s cannot
he denied, and that the CadbOrO had also done so Is
evidenced by the fact that Of the passes at the
head Of the canal is known by the name OF the Cad
Victoria to trade passed through the Canal de
Haro, as did also the Indians from Fraser River
The company traders and factors at Fraser River
frequently visited Victoria between the trips OF the
vessels. They invariably came through the canal.
That the Canal de Haro is a channel but recently
known v, was % an absurd statement invented by the
In 1853 Lieutenant Alden passed through the
nor Douglas, Of vancouvers Island, gave him much
valuable information concerning 1t and evinced
aadl thorough and complete ao knowledge S Of its
previously stated, the site and established the post
at Victoria in 1872. At the present and for years
past the Canal de Haro has been the usual route to
Fraser River, the Nanaimo coal mines and the saw
mills at Burrard's Inlet In 1857 the British steam
Plumper vessels before alluded to- arrived at Van
cOuver's Island. When they went to Nanaimo to
coal they passed up the Canal de Haro.
as the Fraser River excitement, consequent upon
the Of gold N M tnat yer ana s trSa %
the ocean steamers from San Francisco. Steamers
to be used between victoris and Fraser River were
brought up from California. Others were hastily
built the Sound for this purpose. Some OF these
smaller steamers also piled between the American
towns and the river In the great rush OF gold
miners the steamers were crowded to their utmost
capacity and In addition all sorts OF water con-
veyances were brought into use, schooners sloops,
boats and canoes. The route at first adopted was
through the Canal de Haro, but the steamers event
ually adopted a still nearer passage After going
part way up the canal they turned inside of Saturna
! Island and went through what is known the
Active Pass.
No British sailing or other vessel during the gold
excitement, went To Fraser River from Victoria
by the way OF Rosario straits. In the hurry of
those stirring times the master OF any vessel who
went in such roundabout way to reach his desIi-
nation would have not only been severely rdiculed
but would certainly have lost his carrying trade
both OF passengers and goods
The assertion frequently made by the English
that san Juan IL necessary for
THE PROTECTION OF vANCOUvER's ISLAND
Is as absurd as the pretended ignorance OF the
navigability OF the Canal de Haro. The nearest