May 23, 1859.] BRITISH COLUMBIA. 323 



that whilst such clear and statesmanlike instructions have been for_ 

 warded by the Secretary for the Colonies, for the guidance of Gover- 

 nor Douglas, the latter has admirably fulfilled his duties in the 

 management of a set of wild and untrammelled gold-diggers, chiefly 

 wanderers from California, from whose lawless deeds and outrages 

 he has taken the best measures to protect the poor Indians. 



A despatch to the Colonial Secretary from the Governor's Secretary 

 of the Colony, Mr. F. W. Chesson,* after particularizing the cha- 

 racter and habits of the Indians, eloquently and manfully points out 

 the necessity of establishing a thorough British protection of these 

 natives, and some reasonable adjustment of their claims, if the peace 

 of the colony is to be maintained. "The present case (Mr. F. W. 

 Chesson observes) resembles no common instance of white men 

 encroaching on the lands or rights of aborigines for hunting or set- 

 tlement. It more than realizes the fabulous feuds of Gryphons and 

 Arimaspians, and no ordinary measures can be expected to overcome 

 the difficulty which duty and interest require to be removed, if 

 British Columbia is to become an honourable or advantageous por- 

 tion of the British dominions." Advocating the adoption of a treaty 

 between the British authorities and the chiefs and their people as 

 legal, just, and pacific as that made by William Penn with the In- 

 dians of the eastern sea-bord of America, he rightly adds, that 

 " Nothing short of realizing lawful payment of that which it may 

 be necessary to acquire, and the proper administration of laws 

 framed in a spirit of justice and equality, can really be of service." 



Whilst the civil government is thus acting, it will, doubtless, be 

 largely supported in its beneficent scope by the co-operation and 

 aid of the mild influence of religious instruction. In addition to the 

 efforts of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, it is, indeed, 

 most gratifying to know that the benevolent Miss Burdett Coutts, 

 who annually distributes aid with boundless liberality in foster- 

 ing numberless charities and the spread of true religion, has fur- 

 nished the means for the endowment of the bishopric of British 

 Columbia ; so that, thanks to the munificence of this good English- 

 woman, the poor native Indians will find an instructor and pro- 

 tector in Bishop Hale. 



Judging from the information already sent home, the gold region 

 of the new colony presents a broad and general resemblance to that 



* Parliamentary Papers relating to British Columbia, p. 59, 



