156 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. ix. 



British Columbia Government to appropriate for that purpose," 

 shall be handed over to the Dominion in trust for reserves, etc. 

 These provisions, while apparently guaranteeing justice to the 

 Indians, really proved a bar to the well meant policy of the 

 Dominion. The land grants in British Columbia were by no 

 means on so liberal a scale as usual in the other provinces, and 

 were, further, very unequal, being in some cases only about five 

 acres to a family, while over the whole province the average was 

 not more than 6 to 10 acres. The Dominion Government wished 

 the size of reserves to be fixed at 80 acres per family. The 

 local government proposed 20 acres, which was accepted by the 

 Dominion for the coast, but for the interior — where white settlers 

 are allowed to pre-empt a double quantity of land — it was wished 

 to increase this to 40 acres. The local government would not 

 accede to this, and it eventually appeared that they intended the 

 20 acre basis to apply only to new reservations, and not to lead 

 to the enlargement of those formerly made. Dissatisfaction and 

 agitation meanwhile arose among the Indians, who soon became 

 aware, to a more or less complete extent, of the state of afi'airs. 

 Certain missionaries get the credit of partly fomenting and 

 rather exaggerating the difficulty, with a view of bringing about 

 an arrangement suited to their own interests ; but to what degree 

 this may be true I do not know. 



In the end, after several propositions and counter-propositions, 

 an agreement was arrived at between the two governments, of 

 which the following is the substance : — 



A commission of three is appointed, one member by each of 

 the governments, the third jointly. This body shall enquire into 

 all matters connected with each band of Indians, and fix reserva- 

 tions, for which no standard size is given, each nation being 

 dealt with separately, on an equitable and liberal basis. It is 

 also provided that, in accordance with the increase or decrease 

 of the number of Indians, the reserves may from time to time be 

 enlarged or diminished in size. 



This body has since been reduced to a single commissioner, 

 who is superintending the allotment of permanent reserves on an 

 equitable basis to the Indians of the province. 



While, on comparing the Indian policy of the British Columbia 

 Government with the Canadian, where 80 acres may be taken as 

 the minimum size of reserve, the provision made for the Western 

 Indians appears slender, it will be seen from the sketch already 



