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COLUMBIA 



298,000 sq. m. The river is broken by falls and 

 rapids into many separate portions, and the 

 ingress and egress are embarrassed by a surf- 

 beaten bar. Still, it is open to steamboat 

 navigation from its mouth to the Cascades (160 

 miles), and goods are carried past the obstruction, 

 for 6 miles, by railway ; the next reach, of 50 

 miles, extends to Dalles, where another railway, of 

 14 miles, has been constructed past the Great 

 Dalles channel; and immediately above this are 

 two sections, of 185 and 250 miles respectively, 

 navigable for small steamboats. The extraordi- 

 narily abundant salmon-fisheries of the Columbia 

 have been largely developed. There are a number 

 of canneries, mostly near the mouth of the river 

 (where a great jetty now makes a good harbour), 

 the annual export of canned salmon exceeds 500,000 

 cases. 



Columbia, BRITISH, is a province of the 

 Dominion of Canada, bounded in .the N. by 

 :the 60th parallel of latitude ; on the S. by the 

 United States ; on the W. by the Pacific Ocean 

 and part of Alaska ; and on the E. by the provi- 

 sional districts of Alberta and Athabasca ( North- 

 west Territories). The area of the province is 

 recorded as 383,300 sq. in., including Vancouver 

 Island (14,000 sq. m.) and Queen Charlotte Islands 

 <5100 sq. m.). The last named consist of a group 

 of about 150 islands, their united length being 156 

 miles, lying about 200 miles north-west of Van- 

 couver Island. British Columbia was practically 

 under the control of the Hudson Bay Company 

 until 1858, when owing to the discovery of gold, 

 and the consequent immigration of miners, it was 

 made a crown colony. Vancouver Island was 

 made a crown colony in 1849, and leased to the 

 Hudson Bay Company for ten years. The two 

 colonies were united in 1866, and the province 

 joined the Canadian Confederation on 20th July 

 1871. 



The scenery is rugged and picturesque, being 

 diversified with mountain, lake, and river. Be- 

 tween the western slopes of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains (highest peaks, Mount Brown, 16,000 feet, 

 and Mount Hooker, 15,700 feet) and the sea the 

 whole of the space is occupied to a considerable 

 extent by spurs and outlying groups belonging 

 to that chain. In the immediate vicinity of the 

 coast these form a nearly continuous line of 

 mountains of moderate elevation, known as the 

 Cascade Range. The territory is well watered by 

 rivers which have their origin in the highlands, 

 and find their way into the Pacific Ocean. Of the 

 rivers the most important is the Fraser, 800 miles 

 long, and 600 yards wide at its principal outlet 

 in the Gulf of Georgia, the arm of the sea which 

 separates Vancouver Island from the mainland. 

 Other rivers in British Columbia are the Columbia 

 (which has only its upper portion within the pro- 

 vince), the Stickeen, the Skeena, and the Finlay. 



Many varieties of climate are found in this 

 province. That of Vancouver Island and the 

 coast of the mainland is very similar to that of 

 the south of England. The interior of the main- 

 land is divided as to climate into three zones the 

 south, the middle, and the north. The south lies, 

 for the most part, between the 49th and 51st 

 parallels N. lat., and the fall of rain and snow in 

 this district is slight. It contains a good deal of 

 grass or pasturage lands, but for arable purposes 

 the land requires irrigation. Between 51 and 53 

 N. lat. is the middle zone ; it includes the high 

 mountains west of the Columbia, contains dense 

 forests, and the rainfall is considerable. The north 

 zone lies between 53 and 60 N. lat. 



Population. In 1891 the pop. according to the 

 final official enumeration was 98,173 (including 

 30,000 Indians), it having increased from 33,586 in 



1871 and 49,459 in 1881. The principal towns on 

 A'ancouver Island are A r ictoria, the capital (pop. 

 22,000, increased from 5925 in 1881 ), and Nanaimo 

 ( 5000 ) ; on the mainland there are New Westminster 

 (8000), formerly the capital of British Columbia, 

 and Vancouver (30,000), the terminus of the Can- 

 adian Pacific Railway. The Indians of British 

 Columbia are as a rule law-abiding and industrious. 

 The coast Indians live largely by hunting and fish- 

 ing, and are also employed in connection with the 

 lumber industry and the salmon-canneries. 



The province is represented in the Dominion 

 Senate oy three members, and in the House of 

 Commons by six. The provincial government is 

 administered by a lieutenant-governor, appointed 

 and paid by the Dominion, and a Legislative 

 Assembly of 33 members, elected by the inhabit- 

 ants. Education is compulsory and free between 

 the ages of seven and twelve. 



The province is not likely to become an agri- 

 cultural country, but there is a considerable area 

 of land available for arable and pastoral farm- 

 ing both on Vancouver Island and on the main- 

 land in the river-valleys. On the west of the island 

 but little arable land is to be found. The principal 

 settlements are upon the east and south coasts, but 

 good land is still to be found on the east coast, 

 and also on the north. The rich valley of the 

 lower Fraser, or New Westminster district, is the 

 largest compact agricultural area on the mainland. 

 There are large tracts of alluvial soil farther 

 up the Fraser and along some of its most 

 important tributaries. Of the total area (say 

 250,000,000 acres ) only about 500,000 acres are as yet 

 occupied. The fruit-growing industry is expected 

 to become important, but it is still in its infancy. 

 The principal industries of the province are con- 

 nected with the mines, the fisheries, and the forests. 

 The minerals form one of its chief resources. Gold, 

 coal, silver, iron, copper, galena, mercury, platinum, 

 antimony, bismuth, molybdenum, plumbago, mica, 

 and other minerals have been discovered in different 

 parts, copper being very widely distributed. The 

 value of gold produced in 1898-99 was $2,844,563 ; 

 of silver, $2,375,841 ; of lead, $1,077,581 ; and of 

 copper, $874,781. The quartz-mines have hardly 

 been touched ; all the metal hitherto secured has 

 come from the alluvial deposits. Coal and lignite 

 are known to exist in many parts of the mainland. 

 At Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, there is a large 

 coalfield, and the mines are the most important 

 on the Pacific coast; in 1898, 1,117,915 tons were 

 raised, of which the greater part was exported to the 

 United States. Nanaimo is connected by rail with 

 Esquimalt, the headquarters of the Pacific squad- 

 ron and the site of a large graving-dock. Iron is 

 found in many localities. The fisheries are rapidly 

 growing in importance, the annual value of the 

 produce being $4,000,000. The seas, bays, gulfs, 

 rivers, and lakes of the province swarm with food- 

 fishes. There are numerous salmon-canneries in 

 operation. The fur-sealing industry in the Pacific 

 is also a valuable one. But little timber has yet 

 been cut, notwithstanding the immense forests of 

 magnificent trees that abound in British Columbia. 

 The important commercial trees are the Douglas 

 pine, Menzies fir, yellow cypress, and maple, and 

 the shipments so far have been chiefly to Australia, 

 South America, the Cape, and China. The annual 

 output of timber is about 500,000,000 feet, the 

 produce of about 60 mills. The total value of the 

 exports of the province in 1898-99 was $14,748,733, 

 and of the imports $8,414,738, a great portion of 

 the trade being with the United States. The an- 

 nual revenue was $1,439,623, and the expenditure 

 $2,001,031. 



Until the completion of the Canadian Pacific 

 Railway in 1885, British Columbia was isolated 



