396 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE BY LAND. 



North- West Passage bj Land is tlie real higliway to 

 the Pacific ; and let us hope that as our countrymen 

 gained the glory of the former brilliant achievement, 

 valueless to commerce, so they may be the first to 

 establish a railway across the continent of America, 

 and reap the solid advantages which the realisation 

 of the old dream has failed to afford. 



The cacoethes scribendi is upon us, and we would 

 fain run on through many pages, to describe our 

 sojourn in the fair land of California, fruitful in 

 strange scenes and curious adventures. But the 

 reader, wearied perchance by the dull details and 

 prosings of this last chapter, will agree with us that 

 the book is already long enough, and we dare not 

 gratify our wish to write more. He might ask, 

 however, what became of our friend, Mr. O'B. That 

 migratory gentleman, like the Wandering Jew, or 

 the soul of the celebrated John Brown, is doubtless 

 still " marching on." When we returned to Victoria, 

 after our journey to Cariboo, Mr. O'B. had departed, 

 and his portrait is therefore wanting in the Frontispiece. 

 He had " moved on " to San Francisco. When we 

 arrived in that city, he had " moved on" to Melbourne, 

 Australia. From there he has probably "moved 

 on" to New Zealand, or again reached India, to 

 circle round to England in xiue course, happy in any 

 country free from w^olves, grisly bears, and Assini- 

 boines. 



The many kindnesses we received from Sir James 

 Douglas, and numerous other friends in Victoria, 

 must remain undetailed, though not forgotten. We 



