BRITISH COLUMBIA 491 

slaves, whom he sacrifices at pleasure in gratification of any super-
stitious or other whim of the moment." 

In proof of his words, Paul Kane relates a personal experience,
which affords a vivid insight into the inherent viciousness of the
Camosun Indians: "One morning while 1 was sketching, I saw upon
the rocks the dead body of a young woman, thrown out to the vultures
and crows, whom 1 had seen a few days previously walking about
in perfect health. Mr. Finlayson, the gentleman in charge of Fort
Victoria, accompanied me to the lodge she belonged to, where we
found an Indian woman, her mistress, who made light of her death,
and was doubtless the cause of it. She told us that a slave had no
right to burial, and became perfectly furious when Mr. Finlayson
told her that the slave was far better than herself. "I," she exclaimed,
"the daughter of a chief, no better than a dead slave!" and bridling
up with all the dignity she could assume, she stalked out, and next
morning she had up her lodge and was gone. I was also told by
an eye-witness, of a chief, who having erected a colossal idol of wood,
sacrificed five slaves to it, barbarously murdering them at its base,
and asking in a boasting manner who amongst them could afford to
kill so many slaves." 

It will be amply evident to the reader, in perusing the succeed-
ing excerpts from Paul Kane's story, that he assuredly made the best
of the opportunities which his brief visit to Vancouver Island
afforded him; and, indeed, the graphic manner in which he pictures
the native customs, their peculiar barbarity, their ceremonial dances,
religious beliefs — or rather superstitions — their houses and the gen-
eral entourage of the people, not forgetting the periodical potlach,
leaves very little of the ground in this regard uncovered by his
prolific pen. 

"These Indians also flatten their heads, and are far more super-
stitious than any T have met with. They believe, for instance, that
if they can procure the hair of an enemy and confine it with a frog
in a hole, the head from which it came will suffer all the torments
that the frog endures in its living grave. They are never seen to
spit without carefully obliterating all traces of their saliva. This
they do lest an enemy should lind it, in which case they believe he
would have the power of doing them some injurv. They always spit
on their blankets, if they happen to wear one at the time. 

492 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

"I was indebted to the superstitious fears which they attached to
my pictures for the safety and ease with which I mingled amongst
them. One of them gave me a great deal of annoyance by continu-
ally following and watching me wherever I went, for the purpose
of warning the other Indians against my sketching them, telling
them that it would expose them to all sorts of ill luck. I repeatedly
requested him to desist, but in vain. At last I bethought me of look-
ing steadily at himself, paper and pencil in hand, as if in the act of
taking his likeness; when he became greatly alarmed, and asked me
what I was about. I replied, 'I am taking a sketch of you.' He
earnestly begged of me to stop, and promised never to annoy me again. 

"These Indians have a great dance, which is called 'The Medi-
cine Mask Dance'; this is performed both before and after any
important action of the tribe, such as fishing, gathering Camas, or
going on a war party, either for the purpose of gaining the good wnll
of the Great Spirit in their undertaking, or else in honour of him
for the success which has attended them. Six or eight of the prin-
cipal men of the tribe, generally medicine-men, adorn themselves
with masks cut out of some soft light wood with feathers, highly
painted and ornamented, with their eyes and mouth ingeniously
made to open and shut. In their hands they hold carved rattles,
which are shaken in time to a monotonous song or humming noise
(for there are no words to it) which is sung by the whole company
as they slowly dance round and round in a circle. 

"Among the Clal-lums and other tribes inhabiting this region,
I have never heard any traditions as to their former origin, although
such traditions are common amongst those on the east side of the
Rocky Mountains. They do not believe in any future state of pun-
ishment, although in this world they suppose themselves exposed
to the malicious designs of the skoocoom, or evil genius, to whom
they attribute all their misfortune and ill luck. 

"The good spirit is called Hias-Soch-a-la-Ti-Yah, that is, the
great high chief, from whom they obtain all that is good in this
life, and to whose happy and peaceful hunting-grounds they will all
eventually go to reside forever in comfort and abundance. The
medicine-men of the tribe are supposed to possess a mysterious influ-
ence with these two spirits, either for good or evil. They form a
secret society, the initiation into which is accompanied with great
ceremony and much expense. The candidate has to prepare a feast 

CHESLAKEE'tS \lLLAi;lO 1\ JOHNSTONE'S STRAITS 

\'1LLAGE OK TIIK IKIKXDLV INDIANS AT TIIK KNIKANl K (II- lUIKS ( ANAI, 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 493 

for his friends and all who choose to partake of it, and make pres-
ents to the other medicine-men. A lodge is prepared for him which
he enters, and remains alone for three days and nights without food,
whilst those already initiated keep dancing and singing round the
lodge during the whole time. After this fast, which is supposed
to endue him with wonderful skill, he is taken up apparently lifeless
and plunged into the nearest cold water, where they rub and wash
him until he revives: this they call 'washing the dead.' As soon
as he revives, he runs into the woods, and soon returns dressed as a
medicine-man, which generally consists of the light down of the
goose stuck all over their bodies and heads with thick grease, and a
mantle of frayed cedar-bark, with the medicine rattle in his hand.
He now collects all his property, blankets, shells, and ornaments,
and distributes the whole amongst his friends, trusting for his future
support to the fees of his profession. The dancing and singing are
still continued with great vigour, during the division of the property,
at the conclusion of which the whole party again sit down to feast,
apparently with miraculous appetites, the (luantity of food consumed
being perfectly incredible. 

"Their lodges are the largest buildings of any description that I
have met with amongst Indians. They are divided in the interior
into compartments, so as to accommodate eight or ten families, and
are well built, considering that the boards are split from the logs
with bone wedges; but they succeed in getting them out with great
smoothness and regularity. I took a sketch one day while a party
were engaged in gambling in the centre of the lodge. The game is
called lehallum, and is plaved with ten small circular pieces of wood,
one of which is marked black; these pieces arc shufHed about rapidlv
by the player between two bundles of frayed cedar-bark. His
opponent suddenly stops his shuffling, and endeavours to guess in
which bundle the blackened piece is concealed. They are so pas-
sionately fond of this game that they frequentlv pass two or three
consecutive days and nights at it without ceasing. 

"Saw-se-a, the head chief of the Cowitchins, from the Gulf of
Georgia, an inveterate gambler, was engaged at the game. He had
come to the Esquimelt on a friendly visit. This chief was a great
warrior in his younger days, and received an arrow through the
cheek in one of his battles. He took many captives, whom he usuallv
sold to the tribes further north, thus diminishing their chance of 

494 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

escaping back, through a hostile country to their own people, the
northern tribes making slaves only of those living south of them. He
possessed much of what is considered wealth amongst the Indians,
and it gradually accumulated from tributes which he exacted from
his people. On his possessions reaching a certain amount it is cus-
tomary to make a great feast, to which all contribute. The neigh-
bouring chiefs with whom he is in amity are invited, and at the
conclusion of the entertainment, he distributes all he has collected
since the last feast, perhaps three or four years preceding, among his
guests as presents. The amount of property thus collected and given
away by a chief is sometimes very considerable. I have heard of one
possessing as many as twelve bales of blankets, from twenty to thirty
guns, with numberless pots, kettles, and pans, knives, and other
articles of cutlery, and great quantities of beads, and other trinkets,
as well as numerous beautiful Chinese boxes, which find their way
here from the Sandwich Islands. The object in thus giving his
treasures away is to add to his own importance in the eyes of others,
his own people often boasting of how much their chief had given
away, and exhibiting with pride such things as they had received
themselves from him." 

It must not be supposed that the Paul Kane, to whom the his-
torian of British Columbia owes so much, confined his attention
solely to Vancouver Island. On the contrary, he made excursions
through the Haro Strait and beyond, even voyaging as far as the
mainland coast. In the course of his search for subjects for his
brush he had many exciting adventures, witnessed strange scenes and
gathered much of the Indian folk-lore of the country. Thus, on
one occasion, in an Indian encampment on the mainland coast, he
was privileged to see the medicine-man at work. Gruesome as it is,
the artist's account of that performance is worthy of notice; for it
illustrates, in a quite remarkable manner, the savage customs which
prevailed amongst the Indians of that dav. The narrative runs: 

"About lo o'clock at night I strolled into the village, and on
hearing a great noise in one of the lodges I entered it. and found an
old woman supporting one of the handsomest Indian girls 1 had
ever seen. She was in a state of nudity. Cross-legged and naked,
in the middle of the room sat the medicine-man, with a wooden dish
of water before him; twelve or fifteen other men were sitting round
the lodge. The object in view was to cure the girl of a disease affect- 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 495 

ing her side. As soon as my presence was noticed a space was cleared
for me to sit down. The officiating medicine-man appeared in a
state of profuse perspiration from the exertions he had used, and
soon took his seat among the rest as if quite exhausted; a younger
medicine-man then took his place in front of the bowl, and close
beside the patient. Throwing of? his blanket, he commenced singing
and gesticulating in the most violent manner, whilst the others kept
time beating with little sticks on hollow wooden bowls and drums,
singing continually. After exercising himself in this manner for
about half an hour, until the perspiration ran down his body, he
darted suddenly upon the young woman, catching hold of her side
with his teeth and sliaking her for a few minutes, while the patient
seemed to suffer great agony. He then relinquished his hold, and
cried out he had got it, at the same time holding his hands to his
mouth; after which he plunged them in the water and pretended to
hold down with great difficulty the disease which he had extracted,
lest it might spring out and return to its victim. 

"At length, having obtained the mastery over it, he turned round
to me in an exulting manner, and held something up between the
finger and thumb of each hand, which had the appearance of a piece
of cartilage, whereupon one of the Indians sharpened his knife, and
divided it in two, leaving one end in each hand. One of the pieces
he threw into the water, and the other into the fire, accompanying
the action with a diabolical noise, which none but a medicine-man
can make. After which he got up perfectly satisfied with himself,
although the poor patient seemed to me anything but relieved by the
violent treatment she had undergone." 

On June lo, 1B47, Paul Kane bade farewell to Victoria and
started on his homeward way. He reached Toronto in October,
1848. "The greatest hardship I had to endure," he writes after his
return, "was the difficulty I found in trying to sleep in a civilized
bed." It is only just to say, in concluding this reference to a remark-
able man, that what Catlin did in art for the Indians of the middle
and southern states, Kane did, but with a more skillful hand, for
those of the region of the Great Lakes, the territories of the Hudson's
Bav Company, the States of Oregon and Washington, and parts of
British Columbia. These pictures, the product of his brush and
brain, were originallv in the possession of the Honourable Ci. ^^^
Allen, from whose estate they were purchased bv .Mr. E. B. Osier, 

496 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

M. P. A few were painted for the Hudson's Bay Company, and
twelve were purchased by the old Legislature of Canada. Of these
some were destroyed when the buildings at Quebec were burned in
1854, and the remainder are now in the buildings at Ottawa.

486 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

no less than the painting of a series of pictures illustrative of the
manners and customs of the Indian tribes and scenery of western
North America, a subject in which he had felt a deep interest from
his boyhood. The wandering artist, as he describes himself, was
fortunate at the outset of his career to earn the good opinion and
to procure the assistance of Sir George Simpson, the autocrat of all
the Hudson's Bay Company's territories from Rupert's Land to
the Pacific Ocean. With the passports issued by that officer, Paul
Kane was armed for an invasion of the sacred precincts of the Com-
pany's western domain, and assured of a hospitable welcome by the
officers. 

What, it may be asked, has the historian of British Columbia to
do with this young artist's travels? That, however, is a question
easily answered. Paul Kane's notes as well as his paintings possess
a peculiar interest for the curious, but also a real intrinsic value
alike for the historian and the ethnologist of this particular part
of British North America, since he visited many places, well-
known and famous in local annals. Besides, his faithful and careful
observations throw much light upon that transitional period, in
which the peoples of two great neighbouring powers were adjusting
themselves to the new order of things brought about by the clear
definition of their respective spheres of influence. The artist
wandered through the territory made historic by the rivalries of the
Hudson's Bay Company, the North-West Company, and the X Y
Company. His track lay through the vast region bordering on the
great chain of American Lakes, the Red River Settlement, the val-
ley of the Saskatchewan and its boundless prairies; thence across
the Rocky Mountains, down the Columbia River to Fort Vancouver
and on to Puget Sound and Vancouver Island. 

Interesting as it is, this is neither the time nor the place to fol-
low in detail the track of Paul Kane. Suffice it to say that, after
many exciting adventures by flood and field he arrived at Fort
Nisqually on Puget Sound. What follows is best related in his own
words; for the artist's pen is no less facile than his brush. He is
wrong, of course, in some particulars — -for instance, he confuses the
old name of Fort Victoria, Camosun, with that of Esquimalt; and
then again his account of the origin of the clover which grew so
luxuriantly at Victoria is obviously at fault; for Douglas in his
report of 1842 remarks upon the rank growth of the plant in the 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 487 

vicinity of Camosuii. But much may be forgiven to one who has
bequeathed to posterity the work entitled "Wanderings of an
Artist among the Indians of North America, from Canada to Van-
couver's Island and Oregon through the Hudson's Bay Company's
Territory and Back Again," which covered the years 1845, 1846,
1847 and 1848. 

"I left Nasqually this morning," writes Paul Kane, under date
of April 8, 1847, "with six Indians in a canoe, and continued pad-
dling on, the whole day and the following night, as the tide seemed
favourable, not stopping till 2 P. M., when we reached Fort Victoria
on Vancouver's Island, having travelled ninety miles without
stopping. 

"Fort Victoria stands upon the banks of an inlet in the Island
about seven miles long and a quarter of a mile wide, forming a safe
and convenient harbour, deep enough for any sized vessel. Its
Indian name is the Esquimelt, or. Place for gathering Camas, great
quantities of that vegetable being found in the neighbourhood. On
my arrival I was kindly welcomed by Mr. Finlayson, the gentleman
in charge. He gave me a comfortable room, which I made my
head-quarters during the two months I was occupied in sketching
e.xcursions amongst the Indians in the neighbourhood and along the
surrounding coasts. 

"The soil of this locality is good, and wheat is grown in consid-
erable abundance. Clover grows plentifully, and is supposed to
have sprung from accidental seeds which had fallen from the pack-
ages of goods brought from England; many of which are made
up in hay. 

"The interior of the Island has not been explored to any extent
except by the Indians, who represent it as badly supplied with water
in the summer, and the water obtained from a well dug at the fort
was found to be too brakish for use. The appearance of the inte-
rior, when seen from the coast, is rocky and mountainous evidently
volcanic; the trees are large, principally oak and pine. The timbers
of a vessel of some magnitude were being got out. The establish-
ment is very large, and must eventually become the great depot for
the business of the company. They had ten white men and forty
Indians engaged in building new stores and warehouses." 

But the chief interest in Paul Kane's narrative centres upon his
faithful portrayal of the life and characteristics of the natives, in 

488 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

dealing with whom he displayed that keen observant attitude of
mind which, throughout, enhances the value of his work. The fol-
lowing extract gives, in part, his fascinating account of the primi-
tive peoples amongst whom he passed : 

"On the opposite side of the harbour, facing the fort, stands a vil-
lage of Clallums Indians. They boast of being able to turn out 500
warriors, armed chiefly with bows and arrows. The lodges are
built of cedar like the Chinook lodges, but much larger, some of them
being sixty or seventy feet long. 

"The men wear no clothing in summer, and nothing but a blanket
in winter, made either of dog's hair alone, or dog's hair and goose-
down mixed, frayed cedar-bark, or wildgoose skin, like the Chinooks.
Thev have a peculiar breed of small dogs with long hair of a brown-
ish black and a clear white. These dogs are bred for clothing pur-
poses. The hair is cut ollf with a knife and mixed with goosedown
and a little white earth, with a view of curing the feathers. This is
then beaten together with sticks, and twisted into threads by rubbing
it down the thigh with the palm of the hand in the same way that a
shoemaker forms his wax-end, after which it undergoes a second
twisting on a distafif to increase its firmness. The cedar-bark is
frayed and twisted into threads in a similar manner. These threads
are then woven into blankets by a very simple loom of their own
contrivance. A single thread is wound over rollers at the top and
bottom of a square frame, so as to form a continuous woof through
which an alternate thread is carried by the hand, and pressed closely
together by a sort of wooden comb; by turning the rollers every part
of the woof is brought within reach of the weaver; by this means a
bag is formed, open at each end, which being cut down makes a
square blanket. The women wear only an apron of twisted cedar-
bark shreds, tied round the waist and hanging down in front only,
almost to the knees. Thev however, use the blankets more than
the men do, but certainly not from any feeling of delicacy. 

"This tribe flatten the head, but their language varies very much
from the Chinook; however, the same patois used on the Columbia
is spoken by many of them, and T was thus enabled to communicate
easily with them. T took a sketch of Chea-clach, their head chief.
of whose inauguration I heard the following account from an eye-
witness. On his father becoming too old to fulfil the duties of head
chief, the son was called upon by the tribe to take his place, on which 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 489 

occasion he left the mountains for the ostensible purpose of fasting
and dreaming for thirty days and nights; these Indians, like all
other tribes, placing great confidence in dreams, and believing that
it is necessary to undergo a long fast whenever they are desirous of
inducing one of any importance. At the end of the period assigned,
the tribe prepared a great feast. After covering himself with a thick
covering of grease and goosedown, he rushed into the midst of the
village, seized a small dog, and began devouring it alive, this being
a customary preliminary on such occasions. The tribe collected
about him singing and dancing in the wildest manner, on which he
approached those whom he most regarded and bit their bare shoul-
ders or arms, which was considered by them as a high mark of dis-
tinction, more especially those from whom he took the piece clean
out and swallowed it. Of the women he took no notice. 

"I have seen many men on the North-west coast of the Pacific
who bore frightful marks of what they regarded as an honourable
distinction; nor is this the onlv way in which their persons become
disfigured. I have myself seen a young girl bleeding most profusely
from gashes inflicted by her own hand over her arms and bosom
with a sharp flint, on the occasion of losing a near relative. After
some time spent in singing and dancing, Chea-clach retired with his
people to the feast prepared inside a large lodge, which consisted
principally of whale's blubber, in their opinion the greatest of all
delicacies, although they have salmon, cod, sturgeon, and other
excellent fish in great abundance." 

This valiant knight-errant of the brush and pen, imbued with
the sporting proclivities of his race, then goes on to describe with a
regard for detail worthy of a fisherman of the old school, the methods
and proficiencv of the natives in the piscatory art upon which they
rely so extensively for their staple food. In this connection Paul
Kane writes : 

"All the tribes about here subsist almost entirely upon fish, which
they obtain with so little trouble during all seasons of the year, that
they are probably the laziest race of people in the world. Sturgeon
are caught in considerable numbers, and here attain an enormous
size, weighing from four to six hundredweight; this is done by means
of a long pointed spear handle seventy to eighty feet in length, fitted
into, but not actually fastened to, a barbed spearhead, to which is
attached a line, with which they feel along the bottom of the river 

490 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

where the sturgeon are found lying at the spawning season. Upon
feeling the fish the barbed spear is driven in and the handle with-
drawn. The fish is then gradually drawn in by the line, which being
very long, allows the sturgeon to waste his great strength, so that
he can with safety be taken into the canoe or towed ashore. Most
of their fishing lines are formed of a long seaweed, which is often
found 150 feet long, qf equal thickness throughout the whole length,
and about as thick as a black lead-pencil ; while wet it is very strong.
Their fish-hooks are made of pine roots, made something in the
shape of our ordinary hooks, but attached differently to the line; the
barb is made of bone. 

"Clams are in great plenty, and are preyed on in great numbers
by the crows, who seize them in their claws and fly up with them
to some height, and then let them drop on the rocks, which of course
smashes the shell to pieces. I have watched dozens of them at this
singular employment. A small oyster of a fine flavour is found in
the bays in great plenty. Seal, wild ducks and geese, are also in
great numbers. 

"The Indians are extremely fond of herring-roe, which they col-
lect in the following manner: — Cedar branches are sunk to the
bottom of the river in shallow places by placing upon them a few
heavy stones, taking care not to cover the green foliage, as the fish
prefer spawning on anything green. The branches are all covered
by the next morning with the spawn, which is washed off into their
waterproof baskets, to the bottom of which it sinks ; it is then squeezed
by the hand into small balls and dried, and is very palatable." 

The versatile author here pauses to expatiate, in a vividly graphic
manner, upon the savage customs of the native tribes of Vancouver
Island and the adjacent mainland regions. In the course of his
remarks he describes the cruel system of slavery practiced by them.
"Slavery," he says, "in its most cruel form exists among the Indians
of the whole coast, from California to Behring's Straits, the stronger
tribes making slaves of all the others they can conquer. In the
interior, where there is but little warfare, slavery does not exist. On
the coast a custom prevails which authorises the seizure and enslave-
ment, unless ransomed by his friends, of every Indian met with at a
distance from his tribe, although they may not be at war with each
other. The master exercises the power of life and death over his

BRITISH COLUMBIA 481 

Amongst the many descriptive documents which have been cited
with the object of determining and conveying, by the mouth of many
witnesses, a word picture, as exact as may be of the true position on
Vancouver Island in the initial stages of the early days, by no means
the least interesting is that of James Deans, whose record covers a
period of Victoria's history dating from his arrival there on the
i6th of January, 1853. 

Deans was one of two hundred settlers who came out under the
auspices of the Hudson's Bay Company in their barque, the Nor-
man Morrison, under terms of agreement to work for the Com-
pany for the first five vears. On landing he was employed, first in
the store and afterwards divided the balance of his term between
the Craigflower farm and the Lake Hill sheep station. 

Describing Victoria of that day, he mentions that, upon his
arrival, what is now Victoria was nothing but a Hudson's Bay Fort,
with rwo bastions, one at the north and one at the south corner. The
bastions were of huge logs, some thirty feet in height and were con-
nected by palisades about twenty feet high. 'Within were the stores,
numbered one to five, and a blacksmith's shop, besides dining hall,
cookhouse and chapel. Six or eight guns were mounted on each
bastion and, as a protection against the Indians, the place might be
considered as pretty nearly impregnable. Regular watch was kept
day and night. 

At another point the narrative touches with more detail upon
the settlement, which is now the City of Victoria. Dean's interest-
ing notes show that the site of the fort was what he graphically
describes as "an oak opening," the ground to the extent of an acre
was cleared and enclosed by a palisade,, forming a square, on the
north and south corners of which was a tower containing six or
eight pieces of ordnance each — the north one served as a prison, the
south one for firing salutes whenever the Governor visited the place
officially. In the centre of the east and west sides were main gate-
ways, each had a little door, to let the people out or in after hours.
On the right, entering by the front, or south gate, was a cottage in
which was the postoffice; it was kept by an officer of the Company,
a Captain Sangster. Next in order was the smithy. Next and first
on the south side, was a large store house, in which fish oil and other
commodities were stowed away. Next came the carpenter's shop.
Close to this was a large room provided with bunks, for the Com- 

482 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

pany's men to sleep in. Next and last on that side, was a large
building, a sort of barrack, for new arrivals. Between this corner
and the east gate was the chapel and chaplain's house. On the other
side of the gate was a large building which served as a dining room
for the officers; adjoining this was the cookhouse and pantry. On
the fourth side was a double row of buildings, for storing furs, pre-
vious to shipment to England, and goods, before taking their place
in the trading store. Behind these stores was a fireproof building
used as a magazine for storing gunpowder. On the lower corner
was another cottage- in which lived Mr. Finlayson with his family.
He was then Chief Factor. On the other side, at the front or west
gate, was the flag stafif and belfry. The central part of the enclosure
was open and always kept clear. Through this enclosure ran the
main road, leading from the two gates. On one side of this road
was a well in which a lamentable accident happened early in the
gold rush of 1858, when an Indian, sent down to recover a lost
kettle was crushed to death by the falling in of the masonry. The
brief and simple description concludes with the following somewhat
pathetic note: "Only one of all the old buildings now (1878)
remain, which is the store known as number three. It is at present
used as a theatre." 

Two other accounts of early Victoria are worthy of a place even
in the briefest annals of that period. They are especially interest-
ing from the fact that they are written by able and observant men, both
of them distinguished, the one as a naturalist and the other as an
artist. Berthold Seemann and Paul Kane, the men referred to, vis-
ited Victoria in 1846 and 1847 respectively. Their memoirs contain
charming and valuable descriptions of Victoria, the natives of Van-
couver Island, and the Hudson's Bay Company's administration.
Seemann was naturalist to the expedition which sailed in H. M. S.
Herald, under the command of Captain Henry Kellett, C. B., during
the years 1845-51, in the course of which no less than three cruises
were made to the Arctic regions in search of the unfortunate Sir
John Franklin. The Herald anchored ofT the harbour of Victoria
in the evening of June 27, 1846, and Mr. Finlayson had again an
opportunitv to extend hospitality to British naval officers, a dutv
which, from all accounts, he was both ready and admirably fitted
to perform. 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 483 

The account which follows is taken from Seemann's graphic
narrative, descriptive of the occasion. He says in part: "The Hud-
son's Bay Company selected Victoria from the excellent nature of
the soil, and, anticipating the surrender of the Oregon territory to
the United States, intended to make it their chief settlement on this
coast. In walking from Ogden Point round to Fort Victoria, a
distance of little more than a mile, we thought we had never seen a
more beautiful country; it quite exceeded our expectation; and yet
Vancouver's descriptions made us look for something beyond com-
mon scenery. It is a natural park; noble oaks and ferns are seen
in the greatest luxuriance; thickest of the hazel and the willow,
shrubberies of the poplar and the alder, are dotted about. One could
hardly believe that this was not the work of art; more particularly
when finding signs of cultivation in every direction — enclosed
pasture-land, fields of wheat, potatoes and turnips. Civilization had
encroached upon the beautiful domain, and the savage could no
longer exist in the filth and indolence of mere animal life. The pros-
pect is cheering, the change gladdening; for after making every
allowance for the crimes of civilization, still man in a savage state
exists in all his grossness, and in more than all his grossness. While
had elapsed since the settlement was made, yet all the necessaries
uncivilized man, with all the intelligence, ingenuity, cunning, and
skill of his class, seems in general to be uncleanly, to revel in filth. 

"The fort of Victoria was founded in 1843, and stands on the
east shore of the harbour, or rather creek, about a mile from the
entrance. The approach is pretty by nature, though somewhat rude
by art. The first place we came to was the dairy, an^establishment
of great importance to the fort, milk being their principal drink;
the rules of the company in a great measure debarring the use of
wine and spirits. The attendants are generally half-caste. We were
astonished at all we saw. About 160 acres are cultivated with
oats, wheat, potatoes, turnips, carrots, and other vegetables, and
every day more land is converted into fields. Barely three years
had elapsed since the settlement was made, yet all the necessaries
and most of the comforts of civilized life already existed in what
was a wilderness. The company, when forming an establishment
such as Victoria, provide the party with food for the first year, and
necessary seed for the forthcoming season; after that time it is
expected that the settlements will provide completely for their future 

484 BRITISH COLUiMBIA 

subsistence. Of course the settlers have many facilities — the fertil-
ity of a virgin soil, an abundant supply of the best seed, and that
great inducement to industry, the desire of independence, and the
assurance, almost amounting to certainty, that success will attend
their endeavours." 

The learned author then gives a spirited though brief descrip-
tion of the establishment, of which he observes: "The fort itself
is a square enclosure, stockaded with poles about twenty feet high
and eight or ten inches in diameter, placed close together, and
secured with a cross piece of nearly equal size. At the transverse
corners of the square there are strong octagonal towers, mounted
with four nine-pounder guns, flanking each side, so that an attack
by savages would be out of the question, and, if defended with spirit,
a disciplined force without artillery would find considerable diffi-
culty in forcing the defences. The square is about 120 yards; but
an increase, which will nearly double its length from north to south,
is contemplated. The building is even now, though plain to a fault,
imposing from its mass or extent, while the bastions or towers
diminish the tameness which its regular outline would otherwise
produce. The interior is occupied by the officers' houses, — or
apartments, they should rather be called, — stores, and a trading
house, in which smaller bargains are concluded, and tools, agri-
cultural implements, blankets, shawls, beads, and all the multifarious
products of Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, are
offered at exorbitant prices. There being no competition, the com-
pany has it all its own way; it does not profess to supply the public;
indeed, although it does not object to sell to people situated as we
were, yet the stores are for the trade in furs, to supply the native
hunters with the goods which they most value, as also for the use
of its own dependants, who, receiving little pay, are usually in debt
to the companv, and are therefore much in its power. In fact, the
people employed are rarely those to whom returning home is an
object; they have mostly been taken from poverty, and have at all
events food and clothing. The work is hard, but with health and
strength this is a blessing rather than otherwise." 

Seemann continues his highly entertaining and instructive nar-
rative with an all too brief reference to the officer in charge of the
post, who at all times worthily represented the great company.
"Mr. Finlayson," says the author, "the gentleman in charge of the 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 485 

establishment, appears to be an intelligent man, who by perseverance
and a uniform system of adhering to his word and offering stated
prices in barter, never receding or offering less, seems to have suc-
ceeded in impressing the natives with a considerable degree of
respect for himself and the fort. Only one brush has the company
had with the Indians, but it ended in a day or two; the gates of
the fort having been closed, a nine-pounder fired several times to
show what could be done, and judicious and conciliatory advances
made to the chief, the peaceable intercourse — from which sprang
blankets, hatchets, knives, fish-hooks, and harpoons — was speedily
re-established." 

The naturalist concludes his description of Victoria and vicinity
as follows: "On the opposite side of the harbour is a large native
village; the distance across is only 400 yards, and canoes keep up a
constant communication between it and the fort. Certain supplies
to the chiefs keep them in good humour with their intruding visitors.
Although all is not done that might be effected, yet some good must
result even from this intercourse. The present generation will
not change, but their descendants may do so, and improvement will
be the consequence. The houses are dirty in the extreme, and the
odour with which they are infested almost forbids close examination;
but they are built with solidity, the climate rendering it necessary
to guard against the cold, — and arranged with some degree of order
in streets or lanes with passages running up between them. Several
families occupy the same house — one large shed, little better than
an open cow-house or stable in an indifferent inn, the compart-
ments or walls hardly excluding the sight of one family from another.
There are chests and boxes rudelv made, in which blankets, furs,
and smaller fishing gear are kept; indeed the natives seem to
resemble their forefathers, as Captain Cook describes them, as much
as it is possible for one set of men to resemble another." 

On the 17th of June, TR41;, a young Canadian artist left Toronto
for the far west to wander from fort to fort and from tribe to tribe
as fancy or the means of transportation dictated. He had no com-
panions but his portfolio and colour-box, a gun and a stock of
ammunition. Paul Kane, for such was his name, possessed, as he
confesses, neither means nor influence, but nevertheless he started
on his travels with a determined spirit and a light heart — a good
equipment for the arduous undertaking he had projected, which was

476 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

to hold their own, all hands at the fort turned to the work of clearing
land, in which operation the Indians were gradually induced to join
for regular pay in goods. By the end of 1847 two large dairies, each
with seventy milch cows, were in full operation, and it is worthy of
notice that some of Finlayson's erstwhile ''wild Indians" now acted
as assistant dairy men. 

The field just outside the stockade, whereon the business section
of Victoria stands today, was cleared in 1847 and no less than three
hundred acres were placed under cultivation. The land was very
rich and yielded as much as forty bushels of wheat to the acre. The
butter and most of the produce raised at Victoria was disposed of to
the Russians at Sitka. 

For the sake of local enlightenment, it is to be noted that, in the
year 1845, the name of the place was changed from Fort Camosun to
Fort Albert, in honour of the late Prince Consort. The new name,
however, did not long survive, for, in the following year, in accord-
ance with instructions from England to that effect, it was again
changed to that of Victoria. It is recorded that on each occasion the
baptism was performed with the usual ceremony and royal salutes. 

In 1845 Fort Victoria became a depot for the Northern Coast and
the company's outward bound ships from England, called there to
land the supplies needed for the coast trade, after which they passed
on to the Columbia River with the remainder of their cargoes.
Manifestly Fort Victoria was rapidly rising in importance. 

The annals of the year 1846, memorable because it marked the
end of the long diplomatic struggle between Great Britain and the
United States over the Oregon Territory, record the significant fact
that six British line-of-battle ships anchored at Esquimalt. Their
visit reveals the strained relations existing at the time between the
two powers and the imminence of war. The Oregon treaty was con-
cluded in June and ratified in July of the same year, which obviated
all necessity for any naval demonstrations. Their presence at Esqui-
malt, however, brought grist to the company's mill. Finlayson
records that the ships were provided with cattle, flour and vegetables
from the farms at Victoria, so successful had become the agricultural
operations in this quarter. 

When Sir George Simpson authorized the establishment of Fort
Camosun, he was under the impression that the post would be largely'
used as a place of refreshment by the whaling fleet of the North 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 477 

Pacific; but the Governor's expectations of a lucrative trade with
the whalers were not destined to be realized. It is true that from
time to time whalers called there, but Victoria could hardly offer
the same attractions as California and the Sandwich Islands in this
respect, and consequently San Francisco, Honolulu, and other sta-
tions in the mid-Pacific archipelago monopolized the trade. Nor
does it appear that Victoria ever became a regular refitting place
for the ships engaged in the whale fishery of the Northwest Coast,
although Finlayson relates that a few such vessels called here in
1845, and continued to do so for some years. 

In this year the first of the company's vessels to enter the port of
Camosun direct from England was the J^incouver. The Company
had in its employ three vessels — the Vancouver, the Cowlitz, and
the Cohnnhia — which plied between London and the Northwest
Coast, making yearly voyages with twelve months' supplies for the
trading posts. 

From time to time, for the officers and men stationed at Victoria,
tlic monotony of life was relieved by visits from British warships,
and now and again a traveller of repute would drop in to pay his
respects to the officers in charge. One of the earliest visitors thus
mentioned, was Captain Gordon, of H. M. S. America, a brother of
the P^arl of Aberdeen, the then Prime Minister of Great Britain.
He arrived at Victoria in the summer of 1845 and was welcomed
and entertained by Mr. Finlayson witli the usual hospitality. Cap-
tain Gordon was sent out by the British Government to report upon
the Oregon territory. Mr. Finlayson spent three days on board the
/Imerica and gave the commander the advantage of all that he knew
about the country. During his stay on board Captain Park, of the
Marines, and Lieutenant Peel (the son f)f the great statesman, Sir
Robert Peel), were sent to the Columbia to reconnoitre. Captain
Gordon then paid a return visit to Finlayson, with whom he remained
several days. Finlayson had some of his best horses brought in for
the use of his guests and paid them every possible attention. Appar-
ently, however, the peaceful beauty of the surrounding country with
its great natural parks of wood and meadow, set in the silver waters
of the Straits, failed to arouse tlic admiration of the British com-
mander. It stands on record that Finlayson took Gordon, whose
favourite sport was deer stalking, to Mount Douglas, on the first of
Tunc, when the land was at its loveliest. The furtrader declares 

478 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

in his memoirs that the day was fine and the country carpeted with
beautiful \^ild flowers. Presently deer were seen; but before the
horsemen could get within range they disappeared in an impene-
trable thicket. Thereupon Captain Gordon e.xpressed great disap-
pointment and seemed anything but happy. Telling the story,
Finlayson says that he expressed his regret that the deer had made
their escape, and then in a burst of enthusiasm exclaimed "how beau-
tiful the country looks." "Finlayson," replied Gordon, "I would
not give the most barren hill in the Highlands of Scotland for all
I see around me." 

In one respect, at least, the visit of Captain Gordon is historic,
for it gave rise to the celebrated fiction that Oregon was lost to Great
Britain because the salmon of the Columbia River would not rise
to the fly. That story (already recounted in Finlayson's own words)
has been repeated so often that it has gained a certain credence
amongst those who are gullible enough to believe such things with-
out inquiring as to their truth or probability. It seems that, break-
fasting one day at Fort Victoria, Captain Gordon, to his great
surprise, found fresh salmon on the table. He immediately asked
where it came from and was told that the waters of the Strait
abounded with salmon. The Captain's sporting instincts were
aroused. He called for tackle-rod, line and fly — but was told that
the fish were taken with the troll or net — that thev would not rise
to the fly. However, after breakfast, Gordon and Finlayson went
trolling in the bay and soon caught four fine salmon. Captain Gor-
don, however, was not to be appeased, and he gave vent to his dis-
gust by saying that it was an "awful manner" in which to catch so
lordly a fish. Hence the time honoured fable, too often accepted
as fact — aljke by the wise and foolish — that Great Britain lost
Oregon because, forsooth, the salmon of that country did not know
enough to take the fly. 

After remaining for a week or ten days. Captain Gordon and his
officers returned to Port Discovery, where H. M. S. America lay
at anchor. Meanwhile, Captain Park and Lieutenant Peel had
returned from the Columbia River. Their report, says Finlayson,
was not very encouraging — at least such was the inference at the
time. Mr. Finlayson closes his reference to Captain Gordon with
the humorous remark that James Douglas was summoned from 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 479 

Fort Vancouver to satisfy the official curiosity of "the demon of
war." 

But, of all the early visitors to the fort, none aroused more
curiosity or attracted greater attention than certain wild looking
men who landed from a strange vessel early in 1849 to purchase sup-
plies. Finlayson at first mistook them for pirates and ordered his
people to arms, but was soon made aware of his mistake. The Cali-
fornia miners — for such they were — had, moreover, leather bags,
full of gold nuggets which they offered in exchange for merchan-
dise. The worthy furtrader, who had never before seen native gold
hesitated whether to accept it or not. To satisfy his doubts, he asked
the blacksmith to strike one of the nuggets on the anvil, as he had
heard pure gold was malleable. A few blows of the hammer flat-
tened the nugget as thin as a wafer. Finlayson then offered to trade
the gold at eleven dollars an ounce. The offer w^as readily accepted,
whereat he was rather perturbed thinking that the strangers would
not be willing to part with the precious metal for so little, if it were
genuine. However, having given his word, trading was com-
menced, but Finlayson was not altogether at ease about the matter
until he heard from Fort Vancouver that the nuggets were true
gold and that the rate of exchange was entirely satisfactory. Other
miners followed this pioneer band of traders, with the result that
this year a large remittance of gold was sent to London in addition
to the usual consignment of fur. 

It is bv no means an easy task at this late date to picture Fort
Victoria as it was in the forties; yet with the aid of odd letters and
reports, written at the time, one may see with the mind's eye that
little establishment which played so large a part in the history of
the West. Many a traveller enjoyed the hospitality of the fort, and
more than one of these wayfarers records his impressions of the
place. For instance Lieutenant Warre and Lieutenant Vavasour,
the two British army officers, whose presence in Old Oregon gave
rise to so much talk and conjecture, visited Fort Victoria in the
course of their travels. Lieutenant Vavasour, in a despatch to
Colonel Holloway, his superior officer, has this to say of the little
post at the southern end of Vancouver Island: 

"Fort Victoria is situated on the southern end of Vancouver's
Island, in the small harbour of Cammusan, the entrance to which
is rather intricate. The fort is a square inclosure of 100 yards, sur- 

480 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

rounded by cedar pickets, 20 feet in height, having two octagonal
bastions, containing each six 6-pounder iron guns at the north-east
and south-west angles; the buildings are made of squared timber,
eight in number, forming three sides of an oblong. This fort has
lately been established; it is badly situated with regard to water
and position, which latter has been chosen for its agricultural
advantages only. 

"About three miles distant, and nearly connected by a small inlet,
is the Squimal Harbour, which is very commodious, and accessible
at all times, ofTering a much better position, and having also the
advantage of a supply of water in the vicinity. 

"This is the best built of the Company's forts; it requires loop-
holing, and a platform or gallery, to enable men to fire over the
pickets; a ditch might be cut around it, but the rock appears on the
surface in many places." 

Captain Courtenay in command of H. M. S. Constance brought
his ship to anchor in Esquimalt harbour in the summer of 1848. He
was instructed, like Captain Gordon before him, to gather particu-
lars relating to the Hudson's Bay Company's territories. His
remarks on Vancouver Island and its infant colony are most inter-
esting, as the following excerpt therefrom shows: 

"The Hudson's Bay Company's Settlement of Fort Victoria is
only three miles from Esquimalt, so that we got our daily supplies
of Beef without much trouble. The Company have 300 acres under
tillage there, & a dairy farm of 80 Cows, together with numerous
other cattle & 24 hnxid Mares, the whole under the superintendence
of a Civil but hard Scot, named Finlaison, who has about 30 people
of all descriptions under him. They are likewise building a Saw
Mill at the head of Port Esquimalt which will be ready for work
at the end of the year. 

"Altogether the Company's affairs appear to be exceedingly well
and particularly economically managed; & my opinion is the sooner
they give up their Settlement in Oregon & retire within our frontier,
the sooner an end will be put to their bickerings with the Americans,
but I fear that the large amount of gain annually flowing into their
coffers, from being the chief Merchants and Purveyors there, will
cause them to remain as long as they can, and to cry Wolf, until, like
the Shepherd's Bo\ in the Fable, they are not listened to." 

472 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

local Indian dialect, the rush of the waters, which, if so, is obviously
descriptive of the beautiful and interesting spot, well known to sight-
seers of the present day as "The Gorge" — a natural conservation of
tidal water-power which for the first time was brought conspicuously
into notice by the original Douglas report, recently cited, and
described in its primitive simplicity as "the narrows" of the "Canal
of Camosack." On the other hand, Paul Kane, author of "The Wan-
derings of an Artist in North America," suggests that the place takes
its name from the plant camass, an edible root which grows in abun-
dance in the locality. 

The fort comprised an enclosure of one hundred yards square,
surrounded by a stockade erected in the usual manner, with bastions
at the angles mounted with cannon. Within the stockade were store
liouses, offices and men's quarters of convenient form and size, and
this work being completed and the party placed in a position to
defend themselves from attack, James Douglas again sailed for the
north, after having first brought over from the plains of Nisqually
a shipment of horses and wild "Spanish cattle," in taming which it
appears, no little difficulty was experienced, then and afterwards. 

In the spring of 1844, Mr. Ross died and Mr. Finlayson assumed
command of the post. Mr. Finlayson at once despatched an express,
by way of Nisqually, to Fort Vancouver to announce the sad news.
Upon receipt of this intelligence the authorities at headquarters
immediately authorized him to continue in charge, promising at the
same time to send another officer to assist in carrying on the operations
at Vancouver Island. Even at this early date the new post had
become one of considerable importance. 

The negotiations respecting the Oregon Boundary, dropped in
1842, had now, in 1844, been reopened, and there seemed some pros-
pect that the dispute was in a fair way of settlement. Hence, no
doubt, the anxiety of the authorities at Fort Vancouver to enlarge the
establishment at Camosun. In the event of the line following the
49th parallel, that post would necessarily take the phice heretofore
held by Fort Vancouver as the capital of the Western Department. 

The daily routine of the furtrader's life is rarely one of romance;
too often is it a sordid round of trivial duties; nevertheless there are
times when passing incidents assume an aspect of absorbing interest. |.
The furtrader spent his days in the wilderness, far from his fellow-
men and civilization. From his youth up he was inured to hardship 

2 

o 

H 

s 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 473 

and danger. In the strange scenes in which his lot was cast he
had ever to be prepared for emergencies, and ready at a moment's
notice to counter the wiles of the savages upon whose good graces the
success of his efiforts depended. In this respect the lot of Roderick
Finlayson, the second commander of Fort Victoria, in nowise dif-
fered from that of other officers in the far west. Thus, shortly after
his promotion, he was brought face to face with the native, who was
not at that time prepared either to submit to the authority of the Hud-
son's Bay Company, or to respect its belongings. The incident to
which allusion is here made amply illustrates the perils encountered
by the founders of Victoria and is typical of the age to which it
belongs. It appears that the Indians could not resist the temptation
of the C(jmpany"s cattle, which grazed in the woods and meadows
about the fort. Finlayson awoke one morning to find, to his chagrin,
that some of the best working oxen and horses had been killed and
eaten by his native allies. He immediately demanded that the per-
petrators of the outrage should be delivered up to justice, or that they
should at least indemnify the company for the loss. The Indians,
however, refused point blank to do either the one or the other, where-
upon the energetic commander promptly suspended the trade and
bluntly declared that he would have no further dealings with them
until the matter was settled. This declaration availed nothing; in
fact, it only had the effect of provoking the enmity of the chiefs,
who forthwith sounded the tocsin of war and called the neighbouring
tribes to their assistance. 

Upon receipt of intelligence of this gathering of the tribes Fin-
layson immediately armed his men and set watches, night and day,
to prevent further surprises. Meanwhile, he endeavoured by nego-
tiation to settle the dispute peaceably; but the Indians were obdurate
and exhibited every sign of hostility. Quite without warning they
opened fire upon the fort, riddling the stockades and the roofs of the
houses with their musket balls. This so exasperated the company's
men that it was with the greatest difficulty they could be restrained
from returning the fire. After this one-sided battle had waged for
half an hour, Finlayson called a parley and informed the chief that
whilst he was fully prepared to carry on war, unprovoked as it was
on his part, yet he did not wish to destroy life without affording the
natives one more chance of making the restitution due, ,\ confer-
ence ensued; and while it was in progress, the commander adopted 

474 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

a ruse which, as the sequel shows, was successful in averting a
catastrophv. The Indian interpreter was instructed to leave the fort,
making it appear as though he had escaped, but really in order to
clear one of the Indian houses of its inmates; for Finlayson had
decided to blow the lodge to pieces with a cannon-shot from one of
the bastions. Having accomplished his object, the interpreter
returned by a back entrance. Whereupon, the Indians still remain-
ing obdurate and showing no signs of coming to terms, a nine-pounder
carronade loaded with grape shot was fired at the lodge with startling
efTect, completely demolishing the structure, the dry cedar boards of
which were sent flying in fragments in all directions. "After this,"
says the resourceful Finlayson, "there was an immense howling among
them from which I supposed a number were killed. But my plan,
I was happy to find, had the desired effect." 

The astonished Indians, who had never seen the efifect of grape
shot before were completely demoralized and sent a deputation of
chiefs, to the fort, two of whom were afforded permission to enter,
which, however, they declined to do until two of the company's men
had been sent as hostages for their safety to the Indian encampment.
Finlayson then explained to the chiefs that he had it in his power to
destroy all their houses and to kill as many of them as he pleased, but
that he did not desire or intend to adopt such a course; it was, he
added, by good fortune alone that no one had so far been injured.
He repeated his demand that the offenders should be punished, or
that payment should be made for the animals stolen. Finlayson's
narrative goes on to say that the Indians, finally elected to reimburse
the company and before the evening drew in, furs to the full value of
the animals were delivered at the gate. They also promised never
to molest the company's cattle in the future. Then, says the victor,
after a pipe of peace, "we parted good friends and trade was resumed
as formerly." For the time being the promise of the tribe was duly
observed and no more animals were killed; but not many years
elapsed before one of the shepherds was murdered in cold blood — but
that story belongs at a later date. 

The night apparently brought council to the chiefs, since the fol-
lowing day they displayed a sudden access of diplomatic, albeit
belated friendliness, expressing a thoughtful and tentative curiosity,
with an ardent desire to see the effect of the big guns under safer
and less sultry conditions. Their primitive subtlety was promptly 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 475 

met with an equivalent on the part of Finlayson, by whom they were
forthwith directed to anchor an old canoe in the harbour as a target,
an order with which they readily complied — one of the cannon was
then loaded with ball trained upon this mark and fired. The missile
passing through the little boat, ricochetted over the harbour and fell
into the woods beyond. The wonderful news of the devastating
power of the great guns of the white men spread like wildfire, far and
wide, and the effect produced upon the native intelligence of the
island was of a distinctly salutory and restraining nature; so much so
that the Indians thereafter evinced great respect for the white men
and their ways. 

The next difficulty arose when a band of Indians, from Whidbey
Island, who had left the fort with the goods they had obtained in
trade, were waylaid and robbed by the Songhees before they could
reach their canoes, which were left within a short distance of Camo-
sun. The victims came hurrying back to the fort, where they were
received with every kindness. Finlayson sent at once for the chief of
the tribe responsible for the robbery, and demanded that every article
should be restored within one day, failing which trade would be
stopped and the Whidbey Indians kept at the fort, at the expense of
the Songhees, until their property was returned. In this manner
Finlayson declared and illustrated the time-honoured policy of the
Hudson's Bay Company, namely, that the monopoly undertook to
protect all Indians within its gates, no matter to what tribe or what
place they might belong; the company had nothing whatever to do
with tribal or individual quarrels or disputes, but dealt out even-
handed justice impartially to all. 

"Seeing I was determined to assert my point," writes Finlayson
apropos of the stolen goods, "the property was restored in full, after
which I sent those foreign traders away under convoy of four of our
men." 

So this affair also was settled without bloodshed and again the
white man and the Indian smoked the pipe of peace. As a matter
of fact Finlayson's action in this afifair was a master stroke of policy.
It served to secure the trade and earned the i^ood will of all the neigh-
bouring tribes — even of those on the opposite side of the Strait, —
who afterwards traded regularly at Camosun. 

After this combined display of force and diplomacv, which con-
vinced the Indians that the white men were both able and determined

BRITISH COLUMBIA 467 

they may yet be seen by those interested in the matters of which they
treat. 

In the blurred pages of these old letters and diaries one may
catch a glimpse of the furtrader at work and in so doing gain some
idea of the strange vicissitudes and stirring episodes of his career
in the days when the vast territory, stretching from the western con-
fines of Rupert's Land to the Pacific Ocean, was held by the Hud-
son's Bay Company under the license of 1821, which in 1838 was
extended for a further period of twenty-one years. For instance.
the lack of available contemporaneous records relating to the found-
ing of Victoria is particularly noticeable, yet a few odd documents
have escaped the ravages of time. Of these by far the most impor-
tant is the all too brief note book of the founder himself — James
Douglas — a name fundamentally and forever associated with the
early history of British Columbia. 

From the few pages of rough pencilled notes, written by James
Douglas while building the fort on Camosun Inlet, it is learned that
the expedition, consisting of some fifteen men, left Fort Vancouver
on the Columbia River on the first of March, 1843. The party pro-
ceeded by way of the Cowlitz River and arrived at Fort Nisqually
on Puget Sound on the ninth of the same month. At ten o'clock, on
the morning of the thirteenth, Douglas embarked on the steamer
Beaver, anchoring at dusk a few miles south of Port Townsend. On
the following day the Beaver ran into Captain Vancouver's port of
New Dungeness, where Douglas landed to inspect the place. He
visited a large village of Clallam Indians, from whom he purchased
an acceptable supply of fresh fish. The Indians cultivated small
gardens on the plain adjoining the village in which, he tells us, they
grew "very fine potatoes." The Beaver thence proceeded to Camo-
sun, anchoring off Shoal Point at about four o'clock in the afternoon.
Douglas lost no time in setting about the work in hand, as is shown
by the entry in his journal of March 15th, which reads: "Went out
this morning with a boat and examined the wood of the north shore
of the harbour; it is not good, being generally short, crooked and
almost unserviceable. On the south shore the wood is of a better
quality, and I think we will have no difficulty in getting enough for
our purpose. Small wood for picketing is scarce, particularly cedar,
which answers better than any other kind for that purpose from its 

468 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

lightness and greater durability under ground. We will probably
have to bring such as we require from a distance." 

In order to avoid the transporting of supplies, it was always the
policy of the company to make the different posts self-supporting.
It was therefore one of the first and chief duties of Douglas to find
out what were the resources of the country in this respect. The
Indians informed him that herring and salmon were taken in great
abundance along the coast and in the harbour. The salmon, they
said, ascended the Straits in August and continued to run until Sep-
tember; but they yielded large catches until well on in September,
when the great run was over. One variety, however, called by
Douglas the "bad" salmon, was taken until November, and an "excel-
lent" salmon, evidently the spring salmon, was taken by trolling
until the middle of February. Douglas remarks that the salmon
could be bought at Cape Flattery for two leaves of tobacco each,
while at Camosun the price was two charges of ammunition. He
naturally considered information respecting the food supply of the
new post a very important matter, and he gives a rather minute
description of the fish, including their measurement, colour and
weight. He did not even forget to count their teeth in the upper
and lower jaw. Douglas summarizes his own observations and the
reports of the Indians as follows: 

"Salmon All winter Quayt chin Enter Camosack. 

June Suk kuy Do not enter Camosack. 

June Hun nun Do not enter Camosack. 

June cKud-jucks Enter Camosack in greatest 

numbers.
June Quaa'l oH^h Enter Camosack in greatest 

numbers." 

Trout were taken all winter by the Indians with weir and basket,
and the pilcherd and herring came in in April and were also caught
in Camosun harbour. 

Douglas was undecided, at first, where to build, as there were
several positions almost equally eligible. "I am at a loss," he records
in his journal, "where to place the Fort, as there are two positions
possessing advantages of nearly equal importance, though of differ-
ent kinds. No. i has a good view of the harbour, is upon clear 

BRITISH COLUMBIA -169 

ground and only 50 yds. from the beach, on the other hand vessels
drawing 14 feet cannot come within 130 feet of the shore. We will
therefore cither have to boat cargo off and on at a great destruction
of boats, and considerable loss of time or be put to the expense of
forming a jetty at a great amount of labour. No. 2, on the other
hand, will allow of vessels lying with their sides grazing the rocks,
which form a natural wharf, whereon cargo may be conveniently
landed from the ship's yard, and in that respect would be exceedingly
advantageous. But, on the other hand, an intervening point inter-
cepts the view so that the mouth of the Port cannot be seen from it,
an objection of much weight in the case of vessels entering and leav-
ing Port. Another disadvantage is that the shore is there covered
by thick woods to the breadth of 200 yards, so that we must either
place the Fort at that distance from the landing place, or clear away
the thickets, which would detain us very much in our building opera-
tions." Douglas concludes his observations: "I will think more on
this subject before determining the point." 

Under date of Thursday, March i6th (1843), Douglas records,
in the careful manner of the furtrader, that the weather was clear
and warm— the gooseberry bushes growing in the woods were already
beginning to bud. Six of the men were told off to dig a well and six
others to square timber. On this day he addressed the Indians and
informed them of his intention of building a fort in their territory.
That intimation appeared to give thcni great satisfaction, as they
immediately offered to help to procure pickets for the stockade.
The offer was gladly accepted by Douglas, who promised to pay the
labourers a two-and-a-half-point blanket for every forty pickets, each
twenty-two feet by thirty-six inches in circumference. In order that
the work might be carried on as rapidly as possible. Douglas lent
his native allies three large axes, half a dozen square-headed and ten
half-round headed ones. "To be returned hereafter," added the
careful Scotsman, "when they have finished the job." 

The entry in the diary of Friday, March 17th, gains additional
interest because it records a phenomenon which startled the little
party. "Saw a luminous streak," says Douglas, "in the heavens this
evening which lasted from dusk until nine o'clock, when the moon
rose and obscured it. Its highest altitude was at Betelgeux in Orion,
due south from the position we occupied at the time of its appear-
ance, and it extended from thence in a continuous line to the south- 

470 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

west point of the horizon, forming an arc of about 90 degrees."
Douglas could not account for this phenomenon, but suggests that it
was produced by the reflection of the waters in the Strait of Juan de
Fuca; but, he adds: "It was difficult to account for its existence
even on any such principle." The sign in the heavens appeared for
five consecutive nights. Bancroft, in recording the incident, seems
equally at a loss to account for the phenomenon. If that author, who
never lost an opportunity to sneer at the men who laid the founda-
tions of British Columbia, had but taken the trouble to examine the
astronomical records of that period he would have found that the
"luminous streak" was the great comet of 1843, which was visible
from the Northwest Coast on the 27th of February and for seven
weeks afterwards. This comet was the brightest of the century up
to that time and one of the largest ever observed. Its tail was said to
be one hundred and sixty millions of miles in length. In the
records of the time it is described as "sublime and beautiful." "Few
of its kind," one authority remarks, "have been so splendid and
imposing." 

It should be mentioned that the expedition was accompanied by
the zealous Roman Catholic missionary, J. B. Z. Bolduc, who claims
to have been the first priest to set foot on Vancouver Island. No
doubt that claim was advanced in ignorance, for it was unlikely that
the worthy missionary had ever heard of the priests who accom-
panied the Spanish expedition to Nootka half a century before.
Father Bolduc afterwards wrote an account of his work in the Oregon
Territory, in which he alludes to his visit to Victoria. His efforts
were successful, if judged by the number of baptisms; but it is scarcely
likely that the natives who flocked to his ministrations realized their
import. It is on record, however, that they extended to the mis-
sionary a hospitable welcome. On Sunday, March 19th, Father
Bolduc celebrated mass in an improvised chapel. A boat's awning
made the ceiling and branches of fir trees the walls. Father Bolduc
then transferred his attention to Whidbey Island, where he pitched
his tent beside the cross planted there by Blanchet in 1840. "Before
the sun went down," writes Bancroft, "he had shaken hands with a
file of savages numbering with those so favoured on the following day
over one thousand." The natives, to show their gratitude, built a
log church, roofed with cedar bark, and tapestried with rush mats.
On the 3d of April the good missionary left for Nisqually, naively 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 471 

remarking, so writes the author already quoted, that although the
heathen had gladly received the word, he was not sure that they fully
comprehended it; for when he attempted to reform their morals they
straightway relapsed into indifference. 

The journal of Douglas breaks ofif suddenly on Tuesday, the 21st
of March. Presumably he continued his voyage northward in the
Beaver to dismantle Fort Durham at Taku Inlet and Fort McLough-
lin on Millbank Sound, in accordance with instructions to that effect.
Sir George Simpson had decided that the trade of the territories
which had been supplied by these posts was in future to be con-
ducted by the steamer Beaver. The men and supplies at Taku were
shipped on board the vessel, which then shaped her course for Fort
Simpson, where Mr. Roderick Finlayson embarked and another
officer took his place. Leaving Fort Simpson, Douglas called at
Fort McLoughlin, where, as at Taku Inlet, the men, goods and
stores were shipped, after which the Beaver sailed for Camosun,
arriving there on the ist of June (1843). 

Turning to the late Roderick Finlayson's manuscript, entitled
"History of Vancouver Island and the Northwest Coast," it is found
that the men and stores from the two abandoned forts were duly
landed at Camosun on the date aforesaid, where a few log huts were
erected for their accommodation. A large number of natives had
encamped on the scene and, as all of them were armed, their good
intentions were open to suspicion. It was noticed that no women
or children were in the encampment, a fact which aroused further
uneasiness. The combined force stationed at Camosun now num-
bered fifty armed men, far too strong a body for the natives to attack
with impunity, so they contented themselves with annoying the party
by picking and stealing whatever they could lay hands upon. Mr.
Ross, the officer, who had been in charge of Fort McLoughlin, was
placed in command of the party and of the fort, with Mr. Finlayson
as his lieutenant. As showing the varied accomplishments of Doug-
las, it is worthy of notice that, in addition to his other duties he
assumed, in connection with the dismantling of these forts and the
building of Camosun, the duties ordinarily performed by trained
auditors or inspectors. 

Three months after the arrival of the northern party at Camosun
the fort was ready for occupation. The name Camosun, it may be
mentioned, according to Mr. Roderick Finlayson, signifies, in the

462 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

Mile long, at the same Distance from the Harbour, which is the
only clear Land in this Vicinity. 

"Metchosin is an open Roadstead, One and a Half Mile East of
the former Port. It is a very pretty Place, and has a small fresh
water Run near it. There is, however, no Harbour and the Anchor-
age is exposed, and must be insecure in Rough Weather. In addi-
tion to that Disadvantage, the Extent of clear Ground is much too
small for the Demands of a large Establishment, and a great Part of
what is clear is poor. Stony Lands with a rolling Surface, so that on
the whole it would not do for us. 

"Is-whoy-malth is the next Harbour to the Eastward, and appears
on the Ground Plan accompanying this letter. It is one of the best
Harbours on the Coast, being perfectly safe and of easy Access, but
in other respects it possesses no Attractions. Its appearance is strik-
ingly unprepossessing, the Outline of the Country exhibiting a con-
fused Assemblage of Rock and Wood. More distant appear isolated
ridges, thinly covered with scattered Trees, masses of bare Rock;
and the View is closed by a Range of low Mountains, which traverse
the Island at the Distance of about Twelve Miles. The Shores of
the Harbour are rugged and precipitous, and I did not see One level
Spot clear of Trees of sufficient Extent to build a large Fort upon;
there is in fact no clear land within a Quarter of a Mile of the Har-
bour, and that lies in small Patches here and there on the Acclivities
and Bottoms of the rising Ground. At a greater Distance are Two
elevated Plains, on different Sides of the Harbour, containing sev-
eral Bottoms of rich Land, the largest of which does not exceed Fifty
Acres of clear Space, much broken by Masses of Limestone and
Granite. 

"Another serious Objection to this Place is the Scarcity of fresh
Water. There are several good Runs in Winter, but we found them
all dried up, and we could not manage to fill a single Beaker in the
Harbour. 

"The next Harbour, about One Mile and a Half East of the
former, is the Port and Canal of Camosack, which, as already said,
I think the most advantageous Place for the new Establishment.
From the general Description here given, I fear you will not dis-
cover many Traces of the level champaign Country so fancifully
described by other travellers who preceded me in this Field; and
you will also observe, that there is one important Objection which 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 463 

applies to all the Places except 'Camosack,' mentioned in the Sketch,
namely, the Absence of any Tract of clear Land sufficiently extensive
for the Tillage and Pasture of a large agricultural Establishment.
It would also be difficult to Hnd a convenient Situation for an Estab-
lishment on the rugged high Shores of any of the other Harbours,
and, moreover, these latter Places with the Exception of 'Sy-you-
sung' and 'Metchosin,' are all scantily supplied with fresh Water. 

''On the contrary, at Camosack, there is a pleasant and convenient
Site for the Establishment within Fifty Yards of the Anchorage, on
the Border of a large Tract of clear Land, which extends Eastward
to Point Gonzalo at the South-east Extremity of the Island, and
about Six Miles interiorly, being the most picturesque and decidedly
the most valuable Part of the Island that we had the good Fortune
to discover. 

"The accompanying Ground Plan shows pretty correctly the
Distribution of Wood, Water, and Prairie upon the Surface, and to
it I beg to refer vou for Information upon such Points. 

"More than Two Thirds of this Section consist of Prairie Land,
and may be converted either to — Purposes of Tillage or Pasture, for
which I have seen no Part of the Indian Country better adapted;
the rest of it, with the Exception of the Ponds of Water, is covered
with valuable Oak and Pine Timber. I observed, generally speak-
ing, but Two marked Varieties of Soil on these Prairies, that of the
best Land is a dark vegetable Mould, varying from Nine to Four-
teen Inches in Depth, overlaying a substratum of greyish clayey
Loam, which produces the rankest Growth of native Plants that I
have seen in America. The other Variety is of inferior Value, and
to judge from the less vigorous Appearance of the Vegetation upon
it, naturally more unproductive. 

"Both Kinds, however, produce Abundance of Grass, and se\'ernl
Varieties of Red Clover grow on the rich moist Bottoms. 

"In Two Places particularly, we saw several Acres of Clover
growing with a Luxuriance and Compactness more resembling the
close Swartl of a well-managed Lea than the Produce of an unculti-
vated Waste. 

"Being pretty well assured of the Capabilities of the Soil as
respects the Purposes of Agriculture, the Climate being also mild
and pleasant, we ought to be able to grow every Kind of Grain raised
in England. On this Point, however, we cannot speak confidently 

464 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

until we have tried the Experiment and tested the Climate, as there
may exist local Influences destructive of the Husbandman's Hopes,
which cannot be discovered by other means. As, for instance, it is
well known that the damp Fogs which daily spread over the Shores
of Upper California blight the Crops, and greatly deteriorate the
Wheat grown near the Sea Coast in the Country. I am not aware
that any such EfTect is ever felt in the temperate Climate of Britain,
nearly corresponding in its insular Situation and geographical Posi-
tion with Vancouver's Island, and I hope the latter will also enjoy
an Exemption from an Evil at once disastrous and irremediable.
We are certain that Potatoes thrive and grow to a large Size, as the
Indians have many small Fields in cultivation which appear to repay
the Labour bestowed upon them, and I hope that the other Crops
will do as well. 

"The Canal of Camosack is nearly Six Miles long, and its Banks
are well wooded throughout its whole Length, so that it will supply
the Establishment with Wood for many Years to come, which can
be conveyed in large Rafts, with very little Trouble, from one
Extreme of the Canal to the' other. 

"I mentioned in a former Part of this Letter that I proposed to
erect any Machinery required for the Establishment at the Narrows
of this Canal, about Two Miles distant from the Site of the Fort,
where there is a boundless Water-power, which our Two Mill-
wrights, Crate and Fenton, think might, at a moderate Expense, be
applied to that Object. A fresh-water River would certainly be in
many respects more convenient, as the moving Power could be made
to act with greater Regularity and be applied to Machinery at prob-
ably less Labour and Expense than a Tide Power; besides the Facili-
ties and immense Advantage of having a Water Communication,
instead of a tedious Land Transport for the Conveyance of Timber
from a Distance, after exhausting that growing in the immediate
Vicinity of the Mill Seat. But I saw no Stream that would fully
answer these Purposes, not even excepting the one in the Harbour of
'Sy-yousung.' We must therefore of Necessity have recourse to the
Canal, or select a Mill Seat on the Continental Shore, a Step that I
would not advise until we have gained the Confidence and Respect
of the native Tribes. 

"The natural supply of fresh Water will probably be found
scanty enough for the Establishment in very dry Seasons; but I think 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 465 

that between a small Stream at the Distance of 300 Paces, and its
Feeder, a Lake 800 Yards from the Site of the Fort, we may always
depend on having at least a Sufficiency of this indispensable Ele-
ment. The Labour of carting it from a Distance of even 800 Yards
would, however, be very great, and I would therefore recommend
that Wells should be dug within the Fort of sufficient Depth to yield
a constant and regular Supply at all Times. This, I have no Doubt,
will be found the cheapest Plan in the End, besides the Importance
of having Water at hand in Cases of Fire, or in the event of any
Rupture with the Natives." 

Douglas concludes his long report with the following review:
"It is unnecessary to occupy your Time with any further Details on
the Subject of this Cruise, as the present Sketch will enable you to
form a correct Estimate of the Advantages and Disadvantages of the
several Places visited; and I think your Opinion cannot vary much
from my own respecting the decided Superiority of Camosack over
the other Parts of the Island or of the Continental Shore known to
us as a Place of Settlement. The Situation is not faultless, or so
completely suited to our Purposes as it might be; but I despair of
any better being found on this Coast, as I am confident that there is
no other Seaport North of the Columbia where so many Advantages
will be found combined." 

In a communication to the governing committee to the Hudson's
Bay Company, dated at Red River Settlement, June 21, 1844, Sir
George Simpson represents the site of Fort Victoria "as peculiarly
eligible for a depot in every respect, except the possible scarcity of
water in very dry seasons." It was hoped to overcome that objec-
tion, however, by sinking a well to supply the immediate wants of
the post. It was also pointed out in this connection that abundance
of water could always be obtained from a never-failing stream about
a mile and a half from the establishment. The Governor adds, the
country and climate arc described as remarkably fine, the harbour
excellent and "the means of living abundant, say fish, venison, domes-
tic cattle and agricultural produce." fhe Governor then ventures
the prophecy that, the harbour being easy of access at all times, "Fort
Victoria will in all probability become available as a port of refuge
and refreshment for any vessels frequenting this sea." It was also
pointed out that the natives were not so numerous or so formidable
as the officers of the Hudson's Bay Company were led to believe. 

466 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

being "perfectly peaceable and well disposed." In one respect,
however, the natives did not favourably impress Governor Simpson;
— "Judging from the Quantity of Furs brought in," he says, "it does
not appear that they are very active, either as Traders or Hunters,
or that their Country is rich in that Way." In a later despatch
(June 1 8, 1846) Sir George Simpson remarks that "Fort Victoria
promises to take a very important Place, and is decidedly better
adapted, as regards Situation, to be the great depot for the country,
than any other of our establishments on the coast." The Governor
is emphatic upon this point, stating that the port is "easy of Access
at all Seasons, and so far distant from the disorderly Population of
Columbia that we have little Cause for apprehension from that
quarter." 

While the location of Fort Victoria is under consideration, and
especially as Sir George Simpson, Dr. McLoughlin and James
Douglas were so well pleased with their choice, it is interesting to
recall that Lieutenants Warre and Vavasour in their report upon
their famous tour of Oregon take exception to the site. "The posi-
tion," they state, "has been chosen solely for its agricultural advan-
tages, and is ill adapted either as a place of refuge for shipping, or
as a position of defence." They were more impressed with the fine
harbour of Esquimalt, or "Squirnal" as they termed it, which
afforded "anchorage and protection for ships of any tonnage." 

The early operations of the fort builders of the west are too often
veiled in obscurity. And in this case unhappily the journals which
were kept so religiously day by day, year in, year out, are but in a
few fortunate cases, available to the modern historian, who has there-
fore to rely upon odd letters and fragmentary records for informa-
tion concerning that formative era. No materials are more worthy
of preservation than these frail memorials of a bygone day and gen-
eration; and none perhaps have been treated with less respect. Some
day the great company, which did so much to preserve this territory
for the Empire, will open its secret archives to the student of western
afifairs. The journals of the different posts! were generally for-
warded to headquarters and there many of them are doubtless
immured. It is otherwise greatly to be feared that many records
which would throw light upon men and events of early days have
been lost through careless ignorance. Now and again, however, let-
ters and diaries have found their way into safe repositories, where 

WHARF STREET, 1867 

V^L 

l>nf< 

For.T stui;i;t 

CHAPTER XIV
THE FOUNDING OF VICTORIA 

In the final stages of the Oregon boundary dispute, it was borne
in upon the Hudson's Bay Company that, after all, it was within
the range of probability that the boundary line between the British
and American possessions on the Pacific seaboard of North America
might not follow the Columbia River. In the event of the selection
of the 49th parallel as the dividing line, the company's posts on the
Columbia River and Puget Sound, as well as all the forts in the
interior to the south of that line, would come under the jurisdic-
tion of the United States. There is little doubt that the Hudson's
Bay Company did everything in its power to induce the British
Government to take a firm stand with regard to the Oregon Terri-
tory — a perfectly legitimate and natural course when one considers
all that the company had at stake. The action of the company in
this respect helped to preserve for Great Britain an outlet on the
Pacific Ocean, and it may be said in all truth that its officers played
no unimportant part in rounding out the British possessions in North
America. Whatever the faults of the great monopoly, disloyalty to
the Crown was certainly not one of tlicni. 

In case the boundary line should follow the proposed compromise
of the 49th parallel, the Hudson's Bay Company wished to be pre-
pared for such a decision, which would involve a radical change
in the organization and administration of its Western Department.
It would be impossible to maintain indefinitely the posts below the
49th parallel in face of the opposition of the American settlers and,
what was more to the purpose, of the American (iovernment.
Therefore, at all costs a strong post must be built in the north to
take the place of Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River, so long
the great furtrading emporium of the west. Fort Vancou\er lies
in the midst of a rich agricultural district; Dr. McLoughlin had 

457 

458 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

taken full advantage of its situation and beyond the stockade of the
fort there stretched many a fertile field and rich pasture. The prod-
uct of the farm and the dairy found a ready market in Alaska,
where, owing to the prevailing climatic conditions, no farms or
gardens were tilled. In order to hold their trade in agricultural
products, as well as to provide for the wants of the different posts,
the directors of the Hudson's Bay Company were anxious to find a
place — with a safe and accessible harbour — where farming oper-
ations could be begun without the heavy expense involved in clear-
ing land. As it happened there was only one spot on the coast to the
northward of Puget Sound that in any way corresponded to the
river lands in the neighbourhood of Fort Vancouver — and that spot
was the southern end of Vancouver Island. Even here the amount
of arable land ready for the plow was insignificant in comparison
with that contained in the great valley of the Columbia. The jour-
nals of the early maritime furtraders, who plied up and down the
coast in the last two decades of the eighteenth century, frequently
refer to its forbidding appearance and its lack of places adapted to
agriculture. James Douglas, who knew the whole seaboard from
personal inspection, once remarked: "The Coast presents one con-
tinuous outline of dense forests, swamps and rugged mountains and
has everywhere a most unprepossessing appearance." Of the coast
region then the southern end of Vancouver Island apparently offered
the best inducements to the settler, and this did not escape the vigi-
lant officers of the company stationed in Oregon. 

Fort Langley, on the Fraser River, established in 1827, was too
far from the coast and out of the track of the whalers who it was
thought at the time would make the new post a regular port of call.
Otherwise Fort Langlev would have admirablv served the purpose
of the company, for it stood in the heart of a fertile district. A
large farm was cultivated there, the product of which was used in
the Alaskan trade. 

Sir George Simpson, the redoubtable governor of the Hudson's
Bay Company, having decided to establish a new post, Dr. Mc-
Loughlin was instructed to carry out the undertaking. Early in the
year 1842, in pursuance of this policy, James Douglas left Fort \'an-
couver for Nisqually, where he embarked with a party of six men
on the schooner Cadboro and proceeded to explore the coast of
the southern end of Vancouver Island, from Sooke to Victoria. 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 459 

After a careful and somewhat extended survey of several harbours
in this vicinitv, Douglas reports: "I made Choice of a Site for the
proposed new Establishment in the Port of Camosack (Camosun).
which appears to me decidedly the most advantageous situation for
the Proposed Establishment within the Straits of De Fuca." In the
course of his voyage Douglas examined Sooke Harbour, Pedder
Bay, the roadstead of Metchosin and the port of Esquimalt, but none
of these places seemed as eligible for settlement as Camosack, or
Camosun, long since named Victfjria. 

In his description of Camosun Douglas declares that "As a har-
bour it is equally safe and accessible and abundance of timber grows
on it for Home consumption and exportation. There being no fresh
water stream of sufficient power, Flour or Saw mills may be erected
in the Canal of Camosack at a Point where the Channel is con-
stricted to the breadth of Forty-seven Feet by Two Ridges of Gran-
ite projecting from either bank into tiie Canal, through which the
Tide rushes out and in with a Degree of Force and Velocity capable
of driving the most powerful Machinery, if guided and applied by
mechanical Skill." The place here referred to is that now known
as "The Gorge," which has long been the favourite holiday resort
and picnicking ground of successive generations of Victorians. 

Douglas, in continuing his description, enlarges upon the advan-
tages of Camosun. "In the several important Points just stated,"
he says, "the Position of Camosack can claim no Superiority over
some other excellent Harbours on the South Coast of Vancouver's
Island; but the latter are, generally speaking, surrounded by Rocks
and Forests, which it will rcijuire Ages to level and adapt exten-
sively to the Purposes of Agriculture, whereas at Camosack there
is a Range of Plains nearly Six Miles Square, containing a great
Extent of valuable Tillage and Pasture Land equally well adapted
for the Plough or for feeding Stock. It was this Advantage and
distinguishing Feature of Camosack which no other Part of the
Coast possesses, combined with the Water Privilege on the Canal,
the Security of the Harbour, and Abundance of Timber around it,
which led me to choose a Site for the Establishment at that Place,
in preference to all others met with on the Island." 

In view of the fact that Douglas' reconnaissance paved the way
for the occupation of this particular locality by the Hudson's Bay
Company, directing attention for the first time to a spot which is 

460 BRITISH COLUMBIA 

now of the first importance geographically and politically; also,
because it illustrates the thorough and painstaking manner in which
the Hudson's Bay Company's officers performed their duty, his
report invites and deserves the particular attention of the chronicler
of these early beginnings. It is true thatthe Spaniards had explored
the southern end of Vancouver Island as early as the years 1790, 1791,
and 1792, but the full narratives of their voyages have never been
published in English, nor are they generally available even in manu-
script form. Therefore no excuse is offered for quoting at length
from Douglas' report, which was written at Fort Vancouver and
bears the date July 12th, 1842. 

It would be well to preface the detailed consideration of the
young officer's able memorandum with the explanation that his
"Sy-yousung" is the modern Sooke, "Point Gonzalo" is Point Gon-
zales, and "Is-whoy-malth," Esquimalt. "Whyring"' presumably
is Pedder Bay, and "Camosack," of course, is a variation of Camo-
sun, the Indian name of the arm of the sea on the shores of which
Victoria stands. 

After making the observations upon "Camosack" which have
just been quoted, Douglas continues the account of his reconnaissance
in the following words: "I will now proceed to describe the most
prominent Features of the other Ports visited during this Cruise, in
order that you may know and weigh the Grounds of my Objections
to them as eligible Places of Settlement. 

"The finest and only District of Vancouver's Island which con-
tains any considerable Extent of Clear Land is situated immediately
on the Straits of De Fuca, beginning at Point Gonzalo, the South-
east Corner of the Island, and running Westward from it to the Port
of Sy-yousung; from whence, to the South-west Point of the Island
opposite Cape Flattery, there are no safe Harbours for Shipping,
and the Country is high, rocky, and covered with Wood, presenting
in its outline the almost unvarying Characters of the Coast of North-
west America, to which it unfortunatelv bears a too faithful Resem-
blance. 

"On the contrary, the former District of the Island, extending
from Port Sy-yousung to Point Gonzalo, is less elevated, more even,
and diversified by Wood and Plain. The Coast is indented with
Bays and Inlets; there are several good Harbours, with Anchorage
at almost every Point, where Vessels may bring up in Calms. To 

BRITISH COLUMBIA 461 

this Part of the Coast I directed much Attention; and having
travelled over almost every Mile of it, I will here state the Result
of my Observation beginning with Port Sy-yousung, the most West-
erly Harbour deserving of Notice. 

"Sy-yousung is a spacious Inlet, extending more than Two Miles
into the Country, where Shipping may lie at all Seasons of the Year
in perfect Safety, as it is protected from every Wind; there is, how-
ever, a strong Current setting through the Entrance with the Flood
and Ebb that might detain and prove inconvenient to Vessels enter-
ing or leaving Port, otherwise it is unexceptionable as a Harbour.
A shallow Rivulet, Thirty Feet wide, which takes its Rise from the
Lake in the Interior of the Island, falls into the North End of the
Inlet, remarkable as being the largest and only fresh water Stream
capable of floating a canoe that we found on this Part of the Island. 

"It can, however, hardly be called navigable, as during a short
Excursion I made upon it we had to drag our Canoe over Banks of
Gravel that traversed the Bed of the Stream at every one hundred
Yards. An extensive Mud-flat also lies ofT its Mouth, which is
nearly dry and impassable in the smallest Craft at Low Water. It
has also the reputation of being a good Fishing Stream; and, as far
as I could learn from the Natives of the Place, a considerable Quan-
tity of Salmon is caught there annually, a Consideration which
would make it exceedingly valuable to an Establishment. These
are the only good Points of this Harbour, which the Character of
the Country in its Vicinity render of no Avail, as the Place is totally
unfit for our Purpose, the Shores being high, steep, rocky, and every-
where covered with Woods. In ranging through the Forest we
found One small Plain, containing 300 or 400 Acres of Land, at the
Distance of One Mile from the Harbour; but the rest of the Country
in its Neighbourhood appeared to consist either of Wood Land or
Rocky Hills. 

"Eight Miles East of Sy-yousung is the Port of Whyring, divided
from the former by a Ridge of Woody Hills extending from the
Coast to the central high Land of the Island. This is a pretty good
Harbour, but has nothing further to recommend it, as a single glance
at the high broken Hills of naked Granite which form the East Side
of the Basin, and the equally sterile Character of the West Shore,
satisfied me that this Place would not answer our Purpose. 

"In One of our Excursions we found a narrow Plain, nearly a