from the Pacific, branching into harbours and arms, 

 leading" to all points of the compass, and nearly sev- 

 ering the Island by Rupert Arm. On almost all 

 these shores the cretaceous coal-bearing rocks are 

 in view, mainly on Winter Harbour, (Forward Inlet) 

 where good coal has been proved, of an extensive 

 area; and again at Koprino Harbour. That the true 

 measures are on Quatsino Sound, and at Suquash, 

 the prospecting by boring and other research has 

 shown. Not long ago the Fort McNeil Coal Mining 

 Company proved the existence of a seam of coal, of 

 fair thickness, in their bore-hole, and the surface in- 

 dications there, as on the Sound, augur well for a 

 northern field of bituminous coal of great extent and 

 value. 



Continuing southerly the east coast is barren, so 

 far as coal is concerned, until after passing through 

 Seymour Narrows, the coal measures recur near 

 Campbell River, whence they run down the coast, 

 embracing Denman and Hornby Islands the Co- 

 mox area in which are the celebrated Union mines 

 of the Union Colliery Company. Thence south 

 through Qualicum, Englishman River, Nanoose, 

 Wellington, Nanaimo, Gabriola, Cedar and Oyster 

 Districts with Wellington mine extension south of 

 Mount Benson. In these localities there are fields of 

 bituminous coal of large area and productiveness. At 

 Chemainus is a break until Macpherson's, where 

 there is a promising area that will repay investiga- 

 tion. 



The chain of islands running from Gabriola to 

 Saturna and Tumbo are coal-bearing with indefinite 

 continuations beneath the Straits. 



On the large Island of Salt Spring the coal meas- 

 ures appear, and there as well as in East Saanich and 

 on adjoining isles coal will yet be found of good com- 

 mercial value. 



From Quatsino Sound, southwards, on the west 

 coast, the characteristics which denote the presence 



