1885. J SETTLING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. 97 



SETTLING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



BY A lumberman's WIFE. 



DUEING the night of the 27th of March 1884, after a 60 hours' 

 sail from San Francisco in the Canadian Pacific steamship 

 Mexico, we rounded Cape Flattery and entered the Straits of San 

 Juan de Fuca. It was our intention, if circumstances proved favour- 

 able, to make our home in the province of British Columbia ; and 

 it was, therefore, with more than the ordinary interest of tourists, 

 and with hopeful expectation, that about 6 XM. on the morning of 

 the 28th we opened the door of our cabin and stepped on deck. 

 For three days we had been gazing at the " waters wan " of a 

 northern sea, and on Saturday night we fell asleep tired with watch- 

 ing the unbroken line of the distant American coast. But on 

 Sunday we awoke to find ourselves in an earthly paradise, that 

 surpassed in loveliness anything that we had before even dreamt of 

 or imagined. The scene that met our eyes was one of extreme 

 beauty. On our right hand, as we steamed slowly up the Straits, 

 we had the snow-covered range of the Olympian INIountains, 

 apparently rising out of the blue water. On our left were the 

 green fir-clad hills of Vancouver Island, their dark outlines showing 

 distinctly against the bright blue background of the sky. The 

 more distant landscape before us was at first hidden by a light haze, 

 which the sun gradually dispelled, revealing a wider expanse of 

 water, and then, farther away on the mainland, the isolated snow 

 peak of Mount Baker. The dark fir hills of the island had an aspect 

 of undisturbed restfulness, which charmed us by its contrast with 

 the glittering ripples of the Straits and the dazzling brightness of 

 the mountains. The Olympians form a long, continuous range, and, 

 rising directly from the sea-level, they impress one as more lofty 

 and majestic than their height, which varies from 4000 to 6500 

 feet, would lead one to expect. Mount Baker, in Washington 

 territory, is between 10,000 and 11,000 feet high. 



At Cape Flattery a j^ilot had been taken on board, and under his 

 guidance we sailed slowly up the Straits, keeping at a sufficient 

 distance from the Vancouver shore to avoid the low line of rocks 

 that stretch far out into the water, and are known as the Cape 

 Eace rocks. After passing the Cape Eace lighthouse, we were told 

 that we were in sight of Victoria ; but that meant that Victorians, 

 who were on the look-out, could see us. The only signs of man's 

 habitation that we could see were a few scattered farm-houses along 

 the shore, half hidden by the thick forest surrounding them. Pre- 



