, 1878-06-07
EDITORIAL NOTES.

ing enllNeneu. The business pulse
throbs with more energy and life
than it has for months.
Capt Geo. H. Burton's company
of soldiers has been ordered from the
station at the head of our bay to Van
couver, w. Y. We are sorry to lose
them, but presume their new quar-
ters will be sufficiently pleasant to
involve no loss on their part.
The third years term of school at
Union Academy, at Olympia, under
Prof. NJ. G.. Royal as principal, has
just closed after appropriate examin.
tions. The eminent success of this
institution and it's bright prospects
were never more apparent than at
present.
Mr.. III. Fl. Bancroft and wife, of
San Francisco, have been in town
several days during the past week
collecting information for their new
history Of the Pacific states and ter
ritories, now in course Of preparation.
We acknowledge call from and the
pleasure Of the acquaintance Of the
gentleman. He founded the busi
ness house of A. l.. Bancroft & Co.,
booksellers and stationers, of San
Francisco, and is a brother of the
senior member of that firm. Mr..
Bancroft left San Francisco April
30th, remained in Victoria and vein.
ity about a month, and is now on the
the Sound expecting to remain long
enough to collect all the valuable in
formation obtainable in reference to
our territory. We feel assured that
his genial disposition and the sssid
uity with which he plies his vocation
will be abundantly rewarded. He is
the author of magnificent work on
the Pacific Indians, and its signal
success seems to have induced him
to undertake his present task. He
has already devoted his entire time
and attention to it for about three
years, having something like dozen
assistants, and informs as that at
least two years more will be required
TO complete the necessary prepara
ton. His method is to interview as
many as possible of the old settlers
and make record of their personal
experiences and recolections, after
which the information so Obtained
together with that derived from pam.
plets and other sources-is carefully
conned and compiled in proper form.
The undertaking is a gigantic one,
and might well stagger a more deter
mined mind than that Of its projec.
tor, but we feel sure the result will
he the most comprehensive, reliable
and valuable history Of the kind ever
published.
The Seattle "Intelligencer" of a
a recent date, contains brief cores
pondence from Milton which re.
opens the discussion regarding the
relative speed Of the tugs Mastick
and Donald. Its assertions are so
plainly and notoriously at variance
with the facts in the case that they
would not need correcting were all
our readers familiar with the incident
referred to. Our reference to the
"avowed purpose" of the Donald try
ing to beat the Mastick from this
point to Seattle on the occasion OF
the Odd Fellows excursion to the
latter place, was based upon Capt
Rogers own boasting that he kept
his tug lying at Union wharf the
night previous ON PURPOSE for the
race, and that he exactly carried out
his own previous assertions in get,
ting up steam in the morning and
running down below Point wilson,
remaining there until the Mastlck
started, and then giving chase. This
can be substantiated by witnesses
enough to silence all cavil. That
the race was kept up to within the
vicinity of Skagit Head, instead OF
point Lip-Lip, that the Donald, aiter
starting, "dropped astern" cons'oera'
bly, before "hauling OFF, and that her
6remen Tor one of them at least) hso
the PROMISE of "largely increased
pay" provided the Mastiok was beat,
en-, we think can be substantlated
also to the satisfaction of all. we
did not intimate that extra speed
was claimed for the Donold; neither
did we assert that the Mastick has
any great pretensions in that llne' but
we did and do assert that Captain
Rogers matched the Donald against
the Mastick, AFTER PREVIOUS BOAST,
ING, for the sake of little glory ard
that he signally failed to get away
with it," Be this as it may, the boats
are still running and there VIII yet
IA