THE TECHNOLOGIST. [Stlvt. 1, 1865. 
50 NATURAL CAPABILITIES OF 
northwesterly direction. Foremost among its peculiarities is the extra- 
ordinary length of shore-line, bearing, indeed, an enormous proportion 
to the actual span of the coast, and due to the existence of a continuous 
series of long arms of the sea, which everywhere pierce the coast, and, 
in some instances, penetrate inland to distances of eighty and even 100 
miles. Numberless archipelagos of rocky islets stud the whole sea- 
board, and, bordering closely upon the mainland, furnish protection to 
its shores ; and further still to seaward, Vancouver and Queen Charlotte 
Islands, separated only by narrow straits from the Continent, form huge 
natural breakwaters which shield it from the full force of the Pacific. 
Thus, the entire seaboard, with its inlets, and numerous outlying 
islands, presents an extraordinary net-work of sheltered water-com- 
munication, so continuous, indeed, that the experienced navigator, 
familiar with its intricacies, and perplexing tidal-irregularities, may 
work his way along shore from end to end of the coast, and rarely, if 
ever, be forced to seek the open sea. The inlets are everywhere deep 
and narrow, and, although subject to strong winds and tides, and by no 
means abounding in anchorages, they present scarcely any material 
obstacles to navigation by steam vessels of the largest class. Piles of 
giant mountains rise everywhere abruptly from their shores, and snowy 
peaks and glaciers, pine-clad slopes, rugged cliffs, and precipices, gloomy 
valleys and picturesque waterfalls, combine in endless succession to form 
an aggregate of sublime and wild, though desolate and unattractive, 
scenery. 
According to the most recent Parliamentary enactments, the colony 
of British Columbia, apart from its numerous inland dependencies, 
comprises all the territories stretching from the 49th to the 60th 
parallel of latitude, and from the culminating ridge of the Rocky 
Mountains to the shores of the Pacific, a small strip of Russian territory 
along the extreme northern seaboard alone excepted ; and beyond the 
parallel of 56° N., that portion of the soil to the east of the Rocky 
Mountains, extending as far as the 121st meridian, is further included 
within the bounds of the colony. But, of the immense area thus cir- 
cumscribed, all that portion lying to the north of the 54th parallel 
remains, and is likely to remain, an uninhabited wilderness. Little 
only is known of these extensive solitudes. Indeed, the officers and 
servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, who dwell at fur-trading posts 
widely scattered throughout the district, and are, with the exception of 
scanty native tribes, its sole inhabitants, are the only white peoj>le 
possessing any personal acquaintance whatever with its geography and 
natural capabilities. 
From them we learn that, although not entirely devoid of attractive 
features, and occasional patches of good soil, this portion of the colony 
is on the whole cheerless and uninviting, and especially ill-adapted for 
Occupation by man. Moreover, its high latitude, and extreme elevation, 
and the rigorous climatic influences to which it is subject, are elements 
