THE TECHNOLOGIST. [Sept. 1, 1865. 
64 NATURAL CAPABILITIES OF 
and west, the softer outlines of the central table-lands ; to the east, a 
cheerless, rugged region, crammed with serrated ranges of hills ; and' 
away behind them, the peaks and ridges of the Rocky Mountains, 
glistening with eternal snow, and visible through the clear air at almost 
incredible distances. These are some of the scenes that reward the 
tourist in this remarkable region, and furnish the artist with all the 
elements of grandeur he can desire. 
It is late in the morning, even in Midsummer, before the sun shines 
down on the mining-settlements of Cariboo ; brisk, thriving little 
wooden towns, lying hemmed in by hills in the deep valleys of the 
mining creeks, at altitudes of from 3,000 to 4,000 feet above the sea. 
Here are assembled a motley population of adventurers of every class in 
society, and from every country in the civilized world : traders, diggers, 
and idlers, and not a few gamblers and desperadoes, — men for the most 
part habituated to a frontier life and inured to its attendant discomforts. 
Indeed the miners' life among the mountains and streams is fraught 
with hardships and danger. Few would imagine the amount of patience 
and endurance exhibited by the hardy pioneers or " prospectors " — those 
whose especial province it is to prosecute the search after gold. Cold 
and hunger, inclement weather, weary mountain-marches, constant expo- 
sure, and occasional isolation from all companionship, are a few of the 
discomforts habitually experienced by these sagacious men in their ex- 
ploration of the country. Strange and touching tales might be told of 
their adventures in Cariboo, where, from the bewildering nature of the 
topography, they are frequently lost for days, if not altogether, in the 
dense forests of the hills and slopes. Not the least touching history is 
that of one poor fellow, a native of Scotland, who thus became separated 
from his comrades, and, after wandering about hopelessly for days until 
his strength failed him, lay down at last in utter despair, and then, 
after scratching his own epitaph on his tin cup, composed himself quietly 
to die. 
The inclemency of the weather in Cariboo, and the rigour and length 
of the winter season are serious barriers to the proper developement of 
its mineral wealth. At the end of September the first snows fall in the 
valleys, the mining " claims " can be u laid over " — that is to say, the 
laws which oblige miners to be at work on the spot are remitted for the 
time — and the greater part of the population retire to spend five or six 
months in the milder climates of the south. The winter weather con- 
sists of a succession of severe snow-storms, and fine clear intervals ; the 
thermometer sometimes falls as low as 40° below zero (Fahrenheit), 
and every stream and lake becomes solid ice. Snow lies on the ground 
to a depth of about six feet in the valleys and accumulates in tremendous 
masses on the hill-tops, and all travelling, except on snow-shoes, is sus- 
pended. During winter, surface-digging is naturally discontinued, 
though, from the absence of floods, deep underground excavations can 
then be prosecuted with all the more advantage, the auriferous gravel 
