Tin: WEST SHORE.
the capital of only Vancouver island, which
...rki, printing f(fitry, legislative hall and muse-
na wai
.'. . . ... i :.V . .. UiUinrr. a ! was a separate colony, mm Fiu .-v
t-rJ ittnn in that Uahty. Th grounds are tasto
folly laid out and much attrition )i given to keeping
them in ord'-r they al)i prenent a handsome ap
ltkurr The U'-w court house miaaivn build
ing ;mt (vui.l'tl t e xit (if nearly JMXiO.OO. Tho
nty hall, city and provincial jails, public and private
school and ortll-K building, hospitals, a dozen
church, most of which have tome sjcial feature!
that make thntn ink-resting, and the Urge numler of
fine business blocks and private residences contribute
much tn the Attractive aj jx aranpe of the city. Tho
lafjfe t.ne n-idrt,tv Uguu by the late Kobert Puns
tnuif, and now ling oomph-ted at a cost of nearly
jeViUiKKi, it the tnt prominent structuro of iU
class in the nty, and it occupies an elevatiou in tho
western I rt that makes it visible from every (uartcr.
A new public hospital ia U-itg built in thnoutakirta
of the t.n at a ct of alut It it locat-
el n a tract of nim-Wn acrea of land, on which ii a
lroift of oaks and ornamental trees that ia unsur
jl for rustic Uouty, A new Presbyterian church,
preparations for the construction of which are now
In progress, will l an ittiortant alditiou to tho ar
chitectural fraturea of the city.
The rnt cMual oUcrvrr in Victoria will notice,
that the nty Ii not one that ha gnu u up in a decade
It Lm in A U-n liiini into eiiiince m a proxrty
vultori by the tnrlho.li that have obtained in so
many wrsU-rn cities, nor u it a town MciatHl with
fosturoso Mi; urrt snti.juily. The Hudaon'i Hay
(V.tujny rstsblishol a trading t at Victoria early
ku the rcoi,t century In M7 a fort waa built there.
1 lie )eara IsU-r the l. u tu lttl, and in Ni'J it
was InorporslM The Crst uw arrived from En-
tho year above mentioned, when Vancouver was made
a jart of Britiab Columbia, New Westminster was
tho seat of government of the colony on the main
land, but when the two became united under the
aame provincial government Victoria was made the
general capital, which it still is. From the first, how
ever, Victoria was the chief trading point of the en
tiro British poHsesBions west of the Rocky mountains,
liocauHO it was bo accessible by water, which was the
great highway for all commerce. It has been but a
few years now that a practicable overland route has
boon in oration between Old Canada and the prov
inces of tho west connecting the two oceans. Until
alwut five years ago tho chief route for travel or traffic
was by way of Ban Francisco or Portland, so it was
no small advantage that Victoria was situated com
paratively near theBO great commercial centers to the
south. It is the oldest city in the province, and also
tho commercial metropolis and social center. Ship
ping from all parts of the world enters the harbor,
making it an important port of tho Pacific seaboard.
Victoria is increasing in size and importance from
tho force of its own momentum. The larger it grows
tho more rapid is its advancement This is true be
cauao it iK)8Be8HCB the elements of growth in and about
its borders. Though it is in a new country, and near a
Mter developed section, tho national trade restric
tions prevent competition from abroad, which would
retard local industrial progress. The development of
tho uatural wealth of the province is encouraged
in every way possible. Tho government built a great
railway for it and has subsidized lines of ocean Bteam
ships to ply to countries on the other side of the
globo, in addition to the encouragement of home en-
I L ki' I' .... . "
.u . i or many rsrs inn Uuu,ns Jiay teri.r sea. Th inllnnnM. . s
I V ......... i It l .1 .. : ' d did uuw ju IU1I UUCIBliUU,
IT. r ! "" U""m' "J onu.l .eiirit, i. iafaBed in all linC.
L!ao.. an.! hater mduitrial (r.tiba were en- of buiinesn
th. IW, ,r, tMld ti.mr i L,B ; ' h m the largest iron works on the Pacific
fc ,.f the fl,o thuty thouVU , :, 1 1 ' ,lV,Vre "tared. Five boot and .hoe fac-
.nLwmWin that rZZ Ul07apl,i?
tmt.dent hull ,u r,al .n,L U,,a lTKi 1 .c. carriage factories, two furniture factories,
M t- tad a Sradu. MJ JZ Tf ' wir6 WrkB'
mm Tl. i-j ulat, m a. ,,ru jU .UttUri " i 7' amI pickJiD8 Mttblbbment,
aU-ut .ii Wa thousand Th. ct), accaxtjl, man T Mr f ' ""WW work. cigar box fac
tfarlBiir.fi and yyngi uwicu tar, UD d.vrl' t i tKioT'l two book binderies,
h M au ,it whch if ctntnandl M U e crn' hhUrkt &D(i 40 me&1
t.al trad.rs in of tU ,.nitw. ltU N . D" the other more important manufactui.
.bment. of the city, and they turn out a
I