36 REPORT OF THE SCOTTISH COMMISSION 



The Arrow Lakes are spots of beauty, but the mist often hides 

 them partially from view. Just enough was seen in the early part 

 of the day to show that the country is very rugged and wild. By 

 noon the fog had cleared away, and a fine panorama presented itself 

 to the view. It was a forest and mountain country, with valleys 

 of some extent, apparently piercing the hills here and there. At 

 the lake side there were a few pretty cottages, and quite a number 

 of log cabins sitting in clearings which the settlers were making in 

 the forest. Arrowhead, situated at the foot of a precipitous 

 mountain at the north end of Arrow Lake, came into view about one 

 o'clock. Revelstoke, on the main Canadian Pacific Railway line, 

 was reached at 3.30. Two hours later, the west-bound train steamed 

 into the station with the main wing of the party, and the whole 

 Commission was together again. Dr Saunders, Director of Experi- 

 mental Farms, had been with the main wing for some days, and 

 those who had been in the Kootenay district had only time for a few 

 minutes' conversation with him, as he was leaving at Revelstoke. 



About seven o'clock on Monday, 14th September, we had reached 

 Agassiz, a town which had some little connection with the geologist 

 of that name. A cousin of his, about 1862, sailed up the Fraser 

 River, and, mounting a hill, looked down on the valley below. 

 Thinking it was a good place to live in, he sent men who were with 

 him to clear things up, and later on he came as the first settler, and 

 settled there, and the town built on his land got its name from him. 

 The soil in some parts is silt, and very good. Mixed with 

 the silt there is a deal of sand, and the soil is thus easily worked. 

 The rainfall, however, is somewhat heavy. The main industry 

 is dairying. Fruit-growing is developing, and the region has 

 attractions for resourceful men. A hospitable party of settlers 

 escorted us through a scene of surpassing beauty to Harrison 

 Springs, where we were entertained to luncheon. The farms 

 vary in extent from 10 to 600 acres. Land in the immediate 

 vicinity of Agassiz sells at from 60 to 300 dollars per acre. In 

 the afternoon we drove to the experimental farm. At 8 p.m. 

 we left for Vancouver, which we reached about midnight, and next 

 morning we were driving round the city with Vancouver's notable 

 men, as genial a company as we could have wished. A wonderful 

 city it is. In 1886 it contained 600 inhabitants ; to-day it contains 

 from 60,000 to 80,000. It has a beautiful situation. The streets 

 are wide and long, and the city has been built, like most Canadian 

 cities, on some reasonable principle, the idea of extension being 

 ever kept in view. 



In the afternoon we left for Victoria. During the sail, you never 

 lose sight of wooded hills and loftier rugged mountains. It is home- 

 like, reminding one of some of the Scottish lochs. When you get 

 among the islands on the Victoria side, the scenery leaves little to 

 be desired. It was dark before we got into Victoria. Next morning 

 we explored the island as far as that could be done, from 8.30 to 

 12.15. As the island is 300 miles long by 30 miles broad, the ex- 

 ploration was by no means exhaustive. The island has a delightful 

 climate, with a moderate rainfall. Its proximity to the markets 



