The west shore., July 01, 1877, Page 194, Image 6

194
THE WEST SHORE.
July.
the city in this issue, is the largest, but
perhaps not the handsomest, building
on the street. It has been erected since
the Province entered the confederation
of the Dominion of Canada, at a cost
to that country ol some $35,000 and is
built in a very massive manner, of free
stone obtained from the quarries on
Tlietcs Island, situated in the Strait of
Georgia. Besides containing the offi
ces of the postal department, it also af
fords excellent accommodation for vari
ous Dominion ufliual,amungst them the
Superintendent of Indians, the resident
Dominion engineer and the Superin
tendent of telegraphic lines, whilst -till
mother portion of the buildings is
known as the Dominion Savings Bank.
There are two other banking establish
menti in the city branches of the
Hank of British North America and
the Hank of British Columbia the
former on Yates1 street and the latter
on Government street, both in close
proximity to the post-office, Messrs.
Wells Fargo & Co. have also an ex
tensive establish me ut on Goverment
street and in the same building, Messrs.
Garosche, Green tV Co., transact a gen
eral banking and discount business)
These are a few ol the more important
Structures in the very heart of the city;
hut that large and handsome buildin
which rises proudly from its founda
tion, situated at the distant head of
View .street is the new public school,
where upwards of 250 hoys and 350
girls ar e educated on the " free schools"
system. The site of the building is
one of the most beautiful which could
have possibly been selected from the
Innumerable delightful spots in which
the suburbs of the city abound, and, as
may be aeen from our engraving, the
building graces its surroundings. It
was erected a year or two ago at a cost
of ?o,o), and is a lasting monument
to the efficient educational policy adopt
ed by our British neighbors, Owing
to the already large number of pupils
availing themselves of this admirable
institution, an adjacent building, former
ly Used m 11 branch of the boys1
scho -1, has, of necessity, to be utilized
for high school purposes. Whilst the
tourist is in the vicinity of the public
ich ' !, be will doubtless learn that be
is at no great distance from another
building of general interest, both from
us peculiarity of architecture, and from
the faet of its being the residence of
the representative of Queen Victoria in
the Province. The building alluded to
is generally known as Government
House, from the fact of the Lieutenant
Governor residing there, hut in formei
day it was designated "Carey Castle,"
a mine which would at mice appear to
refer alike to the name of the person
wh'i erected it and to its resemblance,
more or less, to the " castles " to be seen
in a variety of places throughout Eng
land and Europe. It standi on very
high ground and commands an exten
sive and delighful view Of surrounding
lan land sea. ( ur engraving gives a
very faithful representation of the
structural but it is scarcely w ithin the
lim't-of things possible that it should
embrace it comprehensive scene of the
lovely flower gardens, crmpict lawns
aii'l shaded walks, w hich render the
spot chamtng to I degree, and which,
in d lys gOQ bye, have botfl the W.ir
of in my outdoor entertainments given
to the rtitf of the city by former occu
pantS ofthchuildmg.which, by the wav,
was originally erected by J, Hunter
l.wn , r.sn., w run ne ie l the position 1
" V
ol Attorncv-liener.il. Returning to1
. . k 1
it, ri Fori street, and after passing
number of private residences, on eithc
side, each W ith its well kept law r: OT ", ,
' Jtreshed, as it were, with the gentle
i'.ml.m and a hovering fragrance "t ,iir,.,rt u 1.1 t
. . w 1 . , j nroe.'o which reaches him from the
sweet tliwer. the Mecham.s l.lU ..- Straits of FttCft, the spectator turns his
Institute is reached; r very desirable
institution of its class, and one which
offers, at the moderate COSt of $1.00 per
month, an endless variety of useful and
instructive mental food. A spacious
skating rink is, at the present moment,
in course of erection on the lot imme
diately adjoining the institution, so that
it would appear, certain parties are
Strong in their belief of the future
prosperity and popularity of this por
tion of the city. At the foot of Fort
street, a good view of the harbor is
gained, but, notwithstanding the lovely
verdure which fringe-, its opposite
shores, and the broad sheet of water
which would seem all sufficient, it is
entirely inadequate to the commerce of
the port, and the staging with its tem
porary engine house, erected almost in
the centre of the waters, point to the
fact that some subaqueous strategy is
being prosecuted. In reality, for sev
eral years past, efforts nave been put
forth to remove a mass of rock Which
seriously interferes wit!-, the navigation
of the harbor. The success resultin
therefrom, has, however, as vet been
only partial. The city possesses nat
ural drainage, and when funds permit
of the undertaking, a complete system
of sewage may he carried out at much
lighter cost than would attend an un
dertaking of that nature elsewhere.
The water supply is copious and is con
veyed in iron pipes from Elk Lake,
situated some six miles from the city.
The cost, winch the corporation has
been put to already in this connection,
foots up to a total of $170,000. Vic
toria is also well lighted by a private
Gas Company. A volunteer tire de
partment is another of its public insti
tutions, and the immunity of the city,
with its large majority of wooden build
ings, from the ravages of the tire fiend,
speaks volumes both fur the efficiency
of the members of the various com
panies and the excellence of the ma
chinery with w hich they are provided.
Itesiiles the Marine Hospital, already
alluded to, there are St. Joseph's 1 lospi
tal, a new stone building, beautifully
clean, ami with admirable appointments
throughout; the Royal Hospital and
the French Hospital. The Royal is
supported by public subscriptions and
Government aid, whilst the French
partakes more of the nature of a private
institution, its advantages being open
to members of the French Benevolent
Society. There are also many other
objects of interest to be een in every
part of the city, amongst them mav be
mentioned a tine building known as St.
Ann's Convent, a most benevolent in
stitution, situated on Humboldt street,
and conducted by "Sistei- of Charitv."
Almost every religious denomination
has its church, and the general beauty
of the city, as beheld from a distance.
is greatly enhanced by the stately spires
ami towers of several of the edifices.
Beacon Hill, w hich lies about a mile
from the center of the city, is a natural
park of unsurpassed K el mess, and in
iu part of the globe can the traveler
And a place of resort, adjacent to an Im
portant business conmuinitv, at once so
charmingly rural and so easy of access
til those who toil for their living in the
heart ot the cilv. From the summit of
the hill, at early dawn, a most maguih.
cent view may he beheld. Facing the
spectator who is look-tig south, the
stately chiefs of the Olympian range
rise in their grandeur; away to the left,
Mount Baker and the Cascades cleave
.u e .1 1 e r . .
,htf ;lir t,ir thousand or teet upw ards,
, iU . . , , ,,. .
anil on the right the lovelv foliage ot
the oniMinir Vancouver Hills and the
placid entrance to Ksquimalt Harbor,
I,--, - ftkftSMM u.rl.1 .l O.
face northward, or nearly so, and then
he beholds, reposing almost at his feet,
the city, its outskirts a little more than
a stone's throw off, and yet so near to
all the lovely verdure which surrounds
him. Before he leaves he takes one
more glance seaward, and now can just
discern in the distance the white cliffs
of Dungeness, which the rising sun
has illuminated; and then again, look
ing a little to the right, Race Rocks
and the light-house, standing boldly out
aT.ninst the misty background, catch his
eye for the first time that morning.
Hut apart from the beauty of the pano
ramic view obtainable from Beacon
Hill, the Park is very naturally a
fashionable promenade, and being sur
rounded by a race-track which by the
wav requires to be graded it is often
the scene of trotting and running
matches, whilst the youth of the city
enjoy its spacious levels with base-ball,
football, cricket, and other athletic exer
cises. The roads in the vicinity of the
city arc excellent, and branch out in al
most every direction; favorite drives
are consequently numerous, ami in fact
it would be difficult to select any road
which has not its wav-side charms of
scenery. Regattas are held during the
summer months, and the stretch of
water which reaches from the harbor
to "The Gorge," a narrow rapid some
three miles distant is rendered lovelv
and picturesque beyond description by
the overhanging banks of verdure.
There are other charming spots to
which allusion might well be made, but
for the purposes of this article it must
suffice to state that the city abounds in
interesting features, and that the un
precedented number of new residences
which are at the present time being
erected, shows that the place is appre
ciated by those who live there, and that
they have every intention of making it
their permanent home. Already sash
ind door factories, tanner ies, six brew
eries, soap and ciffar lactones, iron
foundries, shoe, match, wagon and
boot factories, are beins successfully
onductcd, and but a very slight ad
Htional impetus to trade would doubt
less provoke the erection of buildings
for other industries and ventures. The
population of the city as taken by the
municipal authorities in 1S76, was some
S,:oo, (exclusive of J ,000 Chinese and
1,000 natives,) but this number may be
safely increased 50 per cent., as during
many months out of the year a large
Influx is felt from the mainland of Brit
ish Columbia and neighboring States,
The city has mail communication direct
with San Francisco four times a month,
for which the Dominion Government
pay a subsidy of $50,000 per annum,
1 steamers ply between ports on
Pugct Sound and Victoria at least twice
11 week, carrying the overland mails
and passengers, thereby creating a
traffic w hich tends materially to build
up and sustain the general prosperity of
the community.
Tim: resources of Marion county are
great that to enumerate them in de
tail would be too tedious. She has un
limited water power, exhaustless forests
of tine timber for building or manufac
turing, .in. I -..1 und dun. nc foi nrodue.
all kinds of grains, fruits and vege
tables of this latitude to perfection, and
profitable as in anv country under
the sun, having most excellent means
of transportation by both water and
railroad.
"No," she said, and the wrinkles in
net bee smoothed out pleasantly, "No,
I do not remember the last 17-year
locusts. I was an infant then."
There is nothing but a plain slab at
the head of the mound, but the simple
inscription upon it task its own sad
story: "He was umpire in a close
game."
FACTS CONCERNING OREGON.
HEAI.THFULNESS Of THK CLIMATE.
The experience of the early mission,
aries, the employes of the Hudson's
Bay Company, and the American set
tiers that followed them, during the
course of a period of thirty years, is
that the climate of Oregon is a healthy
one. In comparing the rates of mor
tality in the Pacific States with that of
some of the States east of the Rocky
Mountains, the following facts are ob.
tuined: The deaths in Arkansas in.
1S60, were at the rate of one person
out of every 4S; Massachusetts and
Lousiana lost one in 57; Illinois and
Indiana, one in S7; Kansas, one in 68
Vermont, the healthiest State on the
Atlantic slope, lost one in 92; Califor
nia lost one in 101; Oregon, one in
172 and Washington Territory, one in
22S. " The equable temperature, sum
mcr and winter, the absence of high
cold winds and sudden atmospheric
changes, render people less subject to
bronchial, rheumatic and inflammatory
complaints than they are in countries
where the thermometer swing entirely
around the circle. In July and August,
as at the East, children are troubled
with summer complaint, but the dis
ease is ordinarily quite amenable to
treatment, and seldom runs into dys
entery .
POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.
Oregon is divided into twenty-three
counties, viz.: Baker, Benton, Clacka
mas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Curry,
Douglas, Grant, Jackson, Josephine,
Lake, Linn, Lane, Marion, Multno
mah, Polk, Tillamook, Union, Umatilla,
Wasco, Washington and Yamhill.
Eastern Oregon comprises the coun
ties of Baker, Grant, Lake, Union
Umatilla and Wasco.
MAKKKT FACILITIES ASI) COST OF TRANSPOR
TATION. The Columbia River forms the
northern boundary of Oregon, and is
navigable to the Willamette, one hun
dred miles from the sea, at all seasons
of the year for sea-going steamers; and
for steamboats to Wallula, a displace of
two hundred and forty miles, with two
interruptions, one of six miles at the
Cascades, and one of fourteen miles at
The Dalles, where portages are made
by means of railroads forming connec
tions with the boats. Above Wallula
the Columbia and one of its tributa
ries, the Snake River, is navigated to
Lewiston, during periods of high wa
ter, a point in Idaho Territory at the
base of the Hitter Root Mountains.and
over four hundred miles from the
ocean.
The Willamette River is navigable
to Portland, twelve miles from its
mouth, for ocean steamers and sea-going
vessels; and above Portland for
river steamers as high as Ilarrisburgat
all seasons, and during high water as
high as Eugene City, R distance of
two hundred miles from Portland, by
the course of the river. The Yamhill
and Tualatin Rivers, tributaries to the
Willamette, flowing from the west,
navigable during periods of high wf
ter to the interior of lart'C airriculturat
districts situated in Yamhill and Wash
ington counties.
The business of that part of Oregon
drained by these waters employs about
thirty river steamboats. All points ot
the Columbia from The Dalles down,
and on the Willamette from Salem
down, are in daily communication with
Portland. San Francisco is the ptnj
pal market for the products of thaWf
lamette Valley, although a large trade
exists with British Columbia and the
lumbering districts of Paget Sun1,
large cargoes ol wheat, flour and other
Oregon products arc also shipped 10
the Sandwich Islands, China, An-