Dec. 12, 1859.] ON BKITISH COLUMBIA. 35 



country — except such as, like gold, can be carried with great ease in small 

 weight and compass — practically valueless." 



The Chairman, in behalf of the Society, returned thanks to his Grace the 

 Duke of Newcastle for his kindness in sending these communications, and also 

 to Lieutenants Mayne and Palmer and Chief Justice Begbie, who had prepared 

 them, and to whom geographers were highly indebted for papers descriptive of 

 this slightly-known country. On looking over the accompanying pictorial 

 sketches, it was evident that vessels of some size could ascend high up the 

 rivers, — a fact which greatly increased the value of British Columbia. It was 

 very gratifying to see young officers of the navy employed in examining and 

 developing that great distant colony of the British empire, and he was especi- 

 ally pleased to find that one of those so distinguished was the son of his friend 

 Sir Richard Mayne. The red line on the map indicated the separation between 

 the mainland of the United States and that of the British territory ; and in 

 carrying the line eastwards down the river Columbia to the island of San Juan, 

 it must be obvious to every one that it was of the highest importance to Eng- 

 land that she should possess a free transit of her auriferous and other products 

 from the Fraser Eiver and its affluents, by the mouth of the Columbia, to the 

 Pacific. In looking at the map suspended before them, the attention of the 

 Society was also naturally called to those passes of the Eocky Mountains 

 which Captain Palliser and his associates had traversed, and also to the point 

 (Fort Colville) at which they had recently arrived ; and it was to be hoped 

 that, before this session closed, geographers would be in possession of much 

 valuable information respecting the interior of this vast country, apparently 

 so rich in gold. He regretted that the engineer oflficer, the chief of the survey 

 along the British frontier. Colonel Hawkins, had been prevented from being 

 present. 



Sir Edward Belcher, r.n., f.r.g.s., on being called uix)n, said that he 

 regretted he could not afford any information about the district in question, 

 and little even about the coasts of Vancouver Island, as he had not touched 

 on the coast beyond Nootka Sound. When he was there, in 1838, he found 

 the natives were cultivating potatoes, and he afterwards learned that they sold 

 them at very low prices to the whalers : further, that they were imported by 

 these vessels to the Sandwich Islands, where they w^ere in gi'eat demand. 



The point, however, which caused him much concern was the limiting 

 boundary on the 49th parallel. 



In the year 1838, by direct instructions from the Home Government, as 

 well as confidential instructions from the naval Commander-in-Chief in the 

 Pacific, it became his duty to report on the Oregon question, and at that period 

 so little was our Government aware of the true state of affairs that in his 

 instructions he was taught to expect that he would find the English located on 

 the northern bank and Americans on the south, and he was cautioned particu- 

 larly not to give any ground for offence on the part of the latter. This 

 division at that period, it would be seen, pointed out the Oregon as our natural 

 boundary, confining us more nearly to the 46th, instead of the 49th, parallel ; 

 but, to his surprise, he found the British colours flying on Fort George, on the 

 southern side of the entrance, ^nd not a single American located on the whole 

 line of the Oregon up to the Hudson Bay settlement at Fort Vancouver! 

 On his arrival there he learned that the temporary Governor had not only 

 permitted but invited American missionaries to settle on the Wallamette (a 

 southern tributary, but in the Hudson Bay territory), and, moreover, had 

 provided them with seed, sheep,* and every facility for forming a settlement. 



* At this period such supplies were so niijgardhj withheld from Her Majesty^„, 1 

 ships, as to cause the other officers of the Hudson Bay Company, at Fort Vans 

 couver, to openly reprobate the conduct of their chief ! ~ > 



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