xiv INTRODUCTION. 



were so amply rewarded, that I dare to hope 

 even these poor sketches of our wanderings may 

 be interesting to those who have not yet had 

 time to look at England's great North- West for 

 themselves, or to take toll of the big game of 

 Canada before it has all been driven out and 

 replaced by ' bleating idiotic sheep ' and lowing 

 herds. 



I have added to the story of our wanderings a 

 few words (or nay wife has for me) about British 

 Columbia as a land to live in, for I hear, on 

 trustworthy authority, that there are more 

 English gentlemen (retired soldiers and others) 

 asking for information about our most western 

 towns in America this year than ever before, 

 and almost every number of the Field which I 

 take up contains some inquiry with regard to 

 British Columbia. Whether Vancouver, the 

 town, or Victoria, the capital of Vancouver 

 Island, becomes the nucleus of the English 

 population on our Pacific coast, it seems to me 

 that the degree of England's influence on the 

 Pacific depends a great deal upon the class of 

 emigrants we send out there now, and if there is 

 added to the great mass of English muscle and 

 energy which the mines must attract in the next 

 few years a proportion of the more polished 

 elements of English society, I venture to think 



