The New Far West and the Old Far East, being notes of a tour in North America, Japan, China, Ceylon ... With maps and illustrations

Front matter

THE NEW FAR WEST AND THE OLD FAR EAST. A JINRIKISHA AT YOKOHAMA THE NEW FAK WEST AND THE OLD FAE EAST, BEING NOTES OF A TOUR IN NORTH AMERICA, JAPAN, CHINA, CEYLON, Etc. BY W. HENRY BARNEBY, AUTHOR OF " LIFE AND LABOUR IN THE FAR FAR WEST," ETC. WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. LONDON: EDWARD STANFORD, 26 & 27 COCKSPUR STREET, CHARING CROSS, S.W. 1889. [AU rights reserved] TO THE RIGHT HON. SIR MICHAEL E. HICKS-BEACH, Bakt., M.P., D.C.L., PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE, AS A S.MALL TOKEN OF AFFECTION AND REGARD THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.

Preface

. In publishing this ATolume, I Avish to point out to my readers that I have purposely avoided going over old ground. In my last work entitled Life and Labour in the Far Far West, published in 1884, I described many places in Canada, revisited in my recent tour. I do not consider a repetition of the same facts necessary ; and though in some cases I may be obliged to mention places visited before (for the sake of comparison), it will be as briefly as possible — Granville, now Vancouver City, in British Columbia, excepted. The new ground in Canada, over which I lately travelled, was a district recently opened up by the Manitoba and North Western Railway, through the " park-like lands of the Fertile Belt ; " from Portage-la- Prairie to Langenburg, and by the Canadian Pacific Rail way, from Calgary over the Rocky, Selkirk, and Cascade Mountains to the new terminal city of VancoiiArer.

It was owing to the invitation of a friend (the Vice- President of the Manitoba and North Western Railway), who asked me to accompany him in his private director's " car," over both his own line and that of the Canadian Pacific Railway, that I was induced to make this my third visit to the Dominion of Canada ; ancl the more especially as I was offered facilities for visiting certain

PREFACE.

. VIII people who had settled there, and who had been guided by my advice in selecting the locality of their future homes. I was anxious to see how they were prospering, and to hear from themselves their impressions of the country ; fancying that letters home are not always quite so unbiassed as they should be, but that they often from somewhat interested motives paint the country in too rosy colours. This portion of my book Avill comprise that under the title of The New Far West. Those uninterested in emigration or farming in Canada are recommended to skip chapters vii., viii. and ix. altogether. After leaving Canada and the United States, I returned home via, Japan, China, Ceylon, and Egypt — all neAv countries to me, my experiences in those regions being described in the portion of the volume entitled The Old Far East.

I cannot flatter myself that all parts of this volume will be of equal interest to every reader, but the chapters referring to the agricultural lands of Canada may be useful to intending emigrants, and the others are the result of my personal observations, which though cut short and rendered meagre in parts by a severe illness, still I trust may interest those who have not yet visited those far distant lands. In conclusion, I wish to thank those gentlemen who have taken the trouble of verifying my views, and in par ticular the Rev. Phipps Onslow, of Upper Sapey Rectory, Worcester, who has perused and slightly corrected this volume previous to going to press. W. Henry Barneby. Brcdenbury Court, Bromyard, Herefordshire, and Longworth, Hereford. Carlton Club, S.W., June 1889. CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE I. TORONTO TO WINNIPEG CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY 1 II.

WINNIPEG TO BANFF AND DONALD, OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY ... ... 11 III. DONALD TO REVELSTOKE, OVER THE SELKIRK RANGE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY ... ... ... ... 26 IV. REVELSTOKE OVER THE GOLD RANGE AND CASCADE RANGE TO VANCOUVER CITY, BRITISH COLUMBIA CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY ... ... ... ... ... 38 V. VANCOUVER CITY, BRITISH COLUMBIA ... ... ... 50 VI. LULU ISLAND AND CAPILANO CREEK VANCOUVER CITY TO VICTORIA, VANCOUVER ISLA.ND ... ... ... 63 VII. "THE PARK-LIKE LANDS OF THE FERTILE BELT." MANI- TOBA — BINSCARTH ... ... ... ... ... 74 VIII. " THE PARK-LIKE LANDS OF THE FERTILE BELT." MANI- TOBA LANGENBURG — CHURCHBRIDGE — SOLSGIRTH ... 92 IX. " THE PARK -LIKE LANDS OF THE FERTILE BELT." MANITO- BA SHOAL LAKE MINNEDOSA RAPID CITY NEEPAWA 106 X. VICTORIA, VANCOUVER ISLAND — BRITISH COLUMBIA ... 121 XI.

VICTORIA, B.C., TO SAN FRANCISCO, U.S.A. ... ... 134 XII. THE PACIFIC OCEAN YOKOHAMA, JAPAN ... ... 153 xiii. japan (continued) ... ... ... ... ... 170 xiv. japan (continued) ... ... ... ... ... 186 xv. japan (continued) ... ... ... ... ... 203 xvi. japan (continued) ... ... ... ... ... 221 xvii. japan (continued) ... ... ... ... ... 232 XVIII. HONG KONG — CANTON ... ... ... ... ... CONTENTS. X CHAP. *"AOE XIX. HONG KONG— CEYLON ... ... ... ••• ■•• 257 XX. CEYLON ... ... ... ... ••• ■•• ■•■ 270 XXI. EN ROUTE HOME — CONCLUSION ... ... ... ••■ 279

Appendix

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

F ... ... ... ... ... ... 312 MAPS. 1. THE NEW FAR WEST, FROM LAKE SUPERIOR TO VANCOUVER island ... ... ... To face p. 148 2. A KEY MAP TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF YOKOHAMA, JAPAN ... ... ... ... ... ,, 202 3. A MAP OF THE WORLD, SHOWING THE AUTHOR'S ROUTE „ 290 ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. a jin-rikisha at Yokohama ... ... ... Frontispiece 2. OX WAGONS STARTING FOR CARIBOO ... To face p. 39 3. GORGE ON THE FRASER RIVER ... ... ... „ 43 4. BINSCARTH FARM, MANITOBA ... ... ... ... „ 81 5. FUJI- AMA, JAPAN ... ... ... ... ... „ 160 6. KIGA, NEAR MYANOSHITA, JAPAN ... ... ... „ 167 7. A PARTY AT NIKKO, JAPAN ... ... ... ... 196 8. ASCENT TO A SHOGUN's TOMB ... ... ... „ AND THE OLD FAR EAST.

Chapter I. Toronto To Winnipeg

— CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILAVAY. Prairie Fires — Wooden Railway Bridges — Dining Car — Emigrants' Comforts — A Lonely Station — Change of Pieckoning Time — Scotch Settlers — Courteous Officials — Depreciation of Land — Good Land Neglected. W7E left Toronto by the Northern Railway, and in ten hours' time reached North Bay Station, on the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, between Montreal and Vancouver City, about 364 miles west from Montreal. Here we had to wait a considerable time, as the Pacific Express w*as already two hours late on its journey, so w^e were able to look about us. North Bay is situated on Lake Nipissing, a rather pretty lake, dotted with islands, and the town itself is said to be a rising place. It is reported that there is some good land in the neighbourhood ; but if so, B it is the last we noted on our journey for many miles west.

But as it is a "junction station," there must be a fair prospect of some business doing here. Upon the arrival of the Canadian Pacific train, we travelled along the north shore of Lake Nipissing, passing through forest mostly very much burnt. In the open spaces cleared by fire young self-sown trees Avere growing ; but in other parts, where the fires had not done their work so thoroughly, we steamed through miles and miles of bare, blackened poles, showing what terrible destruction had been caused by the raA-*ages of these unchecked forest fires. Rocks, charred trees, and scrub brushwood formed the order of the day, and succeeded each other in very monotonous regularity. The train kept up a good pace, quickening at times, especially down some of the inclines, where it appeared to go almost too fast ; but doubtless this was in order to make up for lost time.

I was struck by the great number of wooden bridges we passed over; keepino them in efficient repair will prove a heavy expense some day. On each bridge I noticed water barrels marked " C. P. R. fire barrel" dotted along on each side, in case of fire from falling cinders. Every precaution is taken with these bridges ; and a number of watchmen are kept especially to examine each of DINING CAR. 3 the principal ones immediately after the passing of a train. WTe passed Sudbury in the course of the afternoon, from which place a branch line is being made to Sault- St. -Marie, a narrow strait between Lakes Huron and Superior, over which a bridge was being built (since completed). The country now appeared quite uninhabited, and we only noticed an occasional settler's or platelayer's log house ; but even these were very rarely to be seen.

We saw but one saw-mill, and only passed one passenger ancl one freight train during the day. I cannot see where the traffic to pay for this part of the railway is expected to come from. At present one passenger train is started six times in the week from each end of the line — wTest to east, and east to west ; so there must be a string of trains running at equal distances, for it takes five days fourteen hours to reach Vancouver City from Montreal, and vice versa — the distance being 2906 miles ; a long way for the same car to run, but the locomotives are changed at certain points. It is a great convenience for travellers to have the same carriages all the time ; though, to home readers, the idea of stepping into a " through carriage " for a run of nearly six clays, over a distance of almost 3000 miles, must appear strange.

A dinins car was attached to our train from 8 A.M. B to 8 p.m., so there was no occasion for refreshment rooms at the stations ; but I do not know how emigrants get on, or what chance they have of buying anything. Their comfort is, however, considerably studied, and they are supplied with convenient bed racks, like the " Pullman's " in some respects, but with no mattresses. The permanent way and rolling stock of the Canadian Pacific Railway are excellent, and the carriages superior to any I have seen elsewhere, either in the States or Canada. The tariff in the dinins* car is moderate, three shillings being the fixed charge for each meal, and the catering is very good indeed. There is also a very appreciable difference between the courtesy of the officials of this line and that which I have noticed as conspicuous for its absence in many other parts.

A leaf out of the C. P. R. book might in this respect be taken with advantages by employe's elsewhere. A traveller between North Bay and Winnipeg, a distance of over 1200 miles, must not expect to see any rich agricultural lands, for if he does he will be disappointed. Minerals there are said to be in abundance, but these are not generally visible at present. On leaving Onaping we continued to pass through forest, lake, and scrub wood scenery, all very monotonous, for about 100 miles. We were told that this forest is about A LONELY STATION. 5 400 miles in length, and every part of it is very much blackened and charred by forest fires. It was a pleasant change when, after some hours of darkness, we caught the first view of Lake Superior at Heron Bay. The engineering work along the north side of the lake must have been exceedingly heavy and difficult to carry through, especially before reaching Jack-fish Bay, where the line is taken through granite rocks of the most formidable description.

Jack-fish Station, on the bay of that name, did not appear a desirable situation in which to spend a long winter, its only surroundings consisting of a pair of cabins and a fisherman's boat. After ascending a steep incline, we plunged into the forests and rocks again, and proceeded to Schreiber, a large depot for railway people, platelayers, &c, but nothing more. It was, however, quite refreshing to see a few houses a°*ain. After this we travelled on through some very good lake and forest scenery to Nepigon Bay, where we crossed the river of that name, which runs from Lake Nepigon, famous for its trout fishing (and also for its mosquitos). The views of Lake Superior from Jack-fish Bay up to Red Rock Bay were exceedingly fine. During the rebellion in 1885 ** the corps of volunteers under General Middleton were conveyed a considerable 1 See Appendix A. distance by the Canadian Pacific Railroad ; but at that time the line between Jack-fish and Red Rock Bays (a distance of about 70 miles) was not completed, OAving to the very heavy rock cutting before alluded to.

The volunteers marched a great part of this distance, over the frozen surface of the lake, ancl after submitting to great hardships, took train again at Red Rock Bay. We took on board two or three passengers at Nepigon, the first who had availed themselves of the train since we joined it at North Bay, a distance of 564 miles. This tends to corroborate the theory of there not being many local passengers in this part. At Port Arthur we came upon a partially open country, where a few cows were grazing. These were the first we had seen for 629 miles, the whole of the intervening country being ap parently (so far as we could judge) uninhabited and devoid of cultivation. Port Arthur is very well situated on Lake Superior, and is the steamboat junction for Owen Sound, on Georgian Bay, Ontario. A few miles more and we arrived at Fort William, an old Hudson Bay Company's trading station, and here we stopped to have our train examined after its long run of 1000 miles from Montreal.

From this point westwards, the new mode (to us) of reckoning time was used by the railway company, SCOTCH SETTLERS. 7 namely, one to twenty-four o'clock, beginning at midnight. Soon after leaving Fort William w-e skirted the Kaministiquia river (said to be very good for trout, and almost a virgin stream for fishing), which is Avell wooded on either side. The trees in this district are untouched by fire, and thus form a most delightful change after witnessing the devastation caused else where. Lake and forest followed each other in due succession until we emerged at Selkirk Station, about twenty miles from Winnipeg. The settlement hard by was formed some years ago by Lord Selkirk, and named after him. It is .said that the settlers here have intermixed very much with the half-breeds; but the present race still speak broad Scotch.

There was palpable evidence on all sides that these people are poor farmers, and have made no progress. Shortly afterwards we arrived at Winnipeg, a distance of 1059 miles from North Bay (where we had joined the Pacific Express), and 1423 miles from Montreal. I must confess that I have never seen a more hopeless country through which to run a railway, and I cannot understand how this section of over 1000 miles out of 2900 miles c-in possibly be expected to pay, except perhaps as a through connection. Briefly speaking, this (say) 3000 miles of railway between Montreal and Vancouver City may be divided as follows — 1000 miles of forests and rock, 1000 miles of prairie and agricultural lands, 1000 miles of mountain and wastes. Four years had passed since I was last at Winnipeg ; and during that time the suburbs of the town have been greatly extended, but in the city itself I did not think there was much difference, except in "Main Street " ; this has been A'ery much improved, and is now paved with wood, and many of the houses have been rebuilt, some with a rather top-heavy style of " battlement," giving the street a somewhat irregular appearance.

The various back streets appear to have been at a standstill, and the magnificent streets laid out to the right and left of Main Street are still unbuilt, ancl consist of side-walks and telegraph-poles only. Excepting Main Street, all the streets are in a deplorable state of ruts and unevenness ; the declivi ties at the corners appear complete traps, certain to overturn any carriage other than the native buggy. There seemed to me to be a want of " go " about the place in comparison to what I had observed in 1883, and the streets were very empty ; but this, I was told, was due to the farmers all now being busy in the country, as harvest operations were in full progress. While at Winnipeg I took the opportunity of visit- DEPRECIATION OF LAND. 9 ing the small property I had purchased in 1881, near Otterbourne, 30 miles south of Winnipeg.

Mr. Herbert Power, who has now such a practical knowledge of land in Manitoba, accompanied me, as I was anxious to hear his opinion of the property, and of the quality of the land. On reaching Otterbourne Station, Captain Leckie, the postmaster, drove us out the three miles in a very primitive buggy. First of all we visited the brothers McVicar, who live on a neighbouring section, and whose acquaintance I had made in 1883. Since then their father has built a new house about a mile off; but this was the only improA-*ement I could notice in the Otterbourne district in the last four years. The Me Vicars were again most hospitable, and, having freely expressed themselves to the effect that they would like to hang " all them speculators," very kindly offered to show me my land. The depth of soil there is about four feet, and Mr. Power, Captain Leckie, and Neven McVicar all agreed that it was land of a very first-rate description.

At the same time, this and other land around has gone down in value quite 30 to 50 per cent, since I was last here in 1883 ; in fact, it is difficult to put a price on it, as there are no buyers. All the land round my sections, except that occupied by the McVicars, is still " unsettled," and held by non-residents. I have on former occasions pointed out the mistake people make by rushing far West (unless they are miners), instead of settling down on the rich lands of the Red River Valley ; and I am in no fear of contradiction Avhen I repeat that this is the best land, not only in Manitoba, but I believe in the whole of Canada and British Columbia. Yet the population is small and scattered, and the money-making power of the settlers does not appear to be very rapid ; for when I reminded McVicar of how he had told me when I was at Little Bredenbury before that he could not get married because there were no girls, he replied, " There are no girls at all now, and I could not keep a wife if I had one."

As regards the climate here,1 a severe hailstorm had occurred about the middle of July, and had considerably injured the standing crops ; but it was purely local, and was also very partial, striking one field ancl sparing the next. The Me Vicars said that at the time we were there (the end of August) the frost was beginning to whiten the grass. 1 For further information as to climate, see Life and Labour in the Far Far West, by AV. Henry Barneby. Cassell and Co., London, 1884. LEAVING WINNIPEG. 11

Chapter II. Winnipeg To Banff And Donald, Over The Rocky Mountains, Canadian

PACIFIC RAILAVAY. A Burnt Prairie — Untidy Houses — Ogilvie Elevators — A Barren Country — Traffic in Buffalo Bones — A Successful Coal Mine — A Gathering of Monarchs — A Cure for Rheumatism — Primitive Bathing Establishment — An Original Advertisement — Anthracite Co.il Mine — A new Field for Alpine Climbers — A Difficult Pass — Change of Time. Leaving Winnipeg for the west, I was exceedingly sorry not to revisit Southern Manitoba ** by the way, in order to see what improvements (if any) had taken place there since 1883. This district is traversed by the South-Western branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and is a part of Manitoba, in which I take great interest. On account of the superior quality of some of the land, it is a favourite district for bond fide settlers and emigrants, though it has to my mind been somewhat overlooked by the general public.

However, by following the route adopted, I had an 1 See Life and Labour in the Far Far West. opportunity of observing the whole of the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The prairie immediately adjoining the track was much burnt, owing to fires started by falling cinders or sparks from passing loco motives ; and perhaps the comparative absence of " settlement " may be due partly to this, as well as to the fact of the land being held by speculators. The Manitoba and North-Western Railway, and the district adjoining now opened up for settlers, which Avill be described later on after visiting Vancouver City, branches off at Portage la Prairie. This place I now passed for the fourth time in my life ; it is one of the oldest settlements, and is almost entirely devoted to wheat raising. The late autumn is, I think, a very favourable time to see the country, — for the stacks are finished, and are dotted about in every direction ; but at Burnside (the next station to Portage la Prairie) the wheat-fields cease, and rough unreclaimed land again appears.

The wheat farming round Portage always strikes me as superior to any other in Manitoba or the North-West Territory ; round Carberry, too, there is a considerable amount of good farming. Brandon, again, is said to be a head centre for grain growing ; but I remember that in 1883, Avhen I inspected this district, I was more struck with the business prosperity of the town, than with the look of the district and the neighbourhood from an ao-ri- GIL VIES ELE VA TORS. 13 cultural point of Ariew. Brandon itself now (1887) appears to have developed ; seAreral buildings Avhich were in wood at the time of my last visit are now re-erected in stone, and there are also some new public buildings. On the northern side of the station, how ever, several poor-looking structures have recently been put up, and the neighbourhood of the station generally does not do credit to the rest of the place, being neglected and untidy ; this is a pity, as Brandon bears such a good name.

The next few towns we passed did not appear to haATe made any recent progress, till reaching Elkhorn, where considerable improvement was visible ; and its neighbour Virden has made even greater strides still. A large proportion of the land passed through to-day is not worth cultivating ; I need not mention particular localities, but it must be understood that I am referring especially to lands adjoining the railway. Further away on each side there are many settled houses ; and " Ogilvie's " elevators are to be seen at nearly all the stations ; these have been, for the most part, erected since my last visit, and are a sure sign of the increased prosperity of the country, which is satisfactory. Mr. Ogilvie is the great miller, not only of the province of Manitoba, but also of the whole Dominion of Canada.

At some stations there was competition, as I noticed other elevators bearing the name of Messrs. McBean Brothers. Virden has much increased in size since I was last there, and now possesses a cheese factory, a flour rolling mill, an English church, town-hall and school, and many new buildings for the growing population. Leaving Virden w-e passed several other places which I had visited in 1883, including the capital, Regina, and Moosejaw ; and continued our journey westwards over a very bad bit of line (caused, I believe, by the softness of the land over which it passed), where our car, which w-as attached to the end of the train, shook in the most alarming manner, so that we fully expected it would leave the track. However, all went right, and after a very unpleasant experience of three aud a half hours' rocking, the line improved.

The country west of Moosejaw, along the Canadian Pacific Railway, appears to be absolutely worthless for farming purposes, until within 40 or 50 miles of Calgary— a great deal is completely desert, with sage bush as the principal crop, and alkali abounds throuoh out the district. It is true that the Canadian Pacific Railway Company have started trial farms here and there. I cannot say how they are answering, but at any rate they stand alone ; no settlers appear to have been tempted to follow the example, for I hardly TRAFFIC IN BUFFALO BONES. 15 noticed any settlers' huts at all. The towns adjoining the A-arious railway stations have, as a rule, not been much enlarged in the last four years. At Swift Current the principal traffic appeared to be huge piles of buffalo bones, which are found here on the prairie in great numbers, and are bought by the traders from the Indians to make into manure.

Maple Creek has not made much advance in farming, but this place and Calgary are developing as shipping points for Montana cattle. The Americans send their cattle in bond to Maple Creek, whence they are despatched by rail ; there is a duty of 20 dollars a head for each animal imported into Canada from the States. At Dunmore the North Western Coal and Navigation Company make a junction with the Canadian Pacific Railway. This little line is 109 miles long, and has only recently been opened, for the purpose of bringing coal from the Gait coal mines — a speculation started as a company by Sir Alexander Gait a few years ago, and which is proving a great success. Passing Medicine Hat, which has increased a little since 1883, and which for commercial purposes is probably a good centre, owing to the A7arious coal mines in its A-icinity, we continued our way through a very barren country, where the prairie was composed of loose shingle and pebbles, and where there Avas not a house or dwelling of any kind to be seen, except here and there an occasional cabin.

As I drove over it in 18S3, I know that this class of land continues to within about 40 miles of Calgary ; but there its character changes entirely, and Calgary is recoo-nized as the head centre of the cattle and ranching business. Around Fort McLeod (to the south of the line) is the finest district in the Dominion for ranching, and the various companies and private individuals who follow this calling have already been described,1 ancl are too well-known for there to be any need for me to touch on the subject now. A stage runs in five days from Calgary to Edmonton, which latter has the reputiition of being also a fine country, though better for cattle and horses than wheat growing, owing to the summer frosts. Then again further north is the Peace River district, which is very well spoken of, but not much opened out as yet.

At Calgary, which is beautifully situated, there is an excellent Immigrants and Enquiry Office, with a large immigrants' shed attached. From here the foothills of the Rocky Mountains are seen, and the scenery rapidly improves, until at Banff, in the heart of the Rockies, it is very grand and striking indeed. This little town (which has sprung into existence during the last twelve months) is situated in 1 See Life and Labour in the Far Far West, by AV. Henry Barneby. Cassell .ind Co., London, 1884. "MOUNTAIN MONARCHSZ 17 a wild rough valley at a spot from which many mountain valleys diverge ; hence there are not one or two solitary mountains only to admire, but two or three dozen of them, all grand and majestic, but almost devoid of vegetation, except for a few trees growing apparently out of the solid rock.

When I saw them the mountains all had a sprinkling of snow, but some of it is annual. They seemed like a gathering of " mountain monarchs " assembled here in conclave. The grandest, to my mind, and I believe also the highest, is the Cascade Mountain, said to be 10,000 feet high, but Banff itself is at such an elevation above the sea that it hardly looks its height; and this is the case with all others in the Rocky Mountain range, as far as my experience goes. Seen from Banff this portion of the range has a rugged grandeur, which would be relieved more or less by its pine forests, if these had not been damaged to an irreparable extent by fires which must at times have made the mountains look as if they themselves were all ablaze. The remnants of the forest are straight pines of no girth, looking, indeed, rather like a plantation ; but the soil here, even in the bottom lands, would not allow of much growth.

Being detached from the train, and leaving our car on a siding, we took two buggies to view the beauties of the neighbourhood, and drove first to the " City," where c there was more bustle going on in erecting houses than in any other place I had seen along the line. Everything w-as new ; the " City " consisted of at least as many tents as houses, but the preparations every where showed that in another year's time all this would be changed. We crossed the Bow River — a beautifully clear stream almost as blue as the Lake of Geneva — on a bridge made of wooden rafts fastened together ; but this bridge is soon to give Avay to a new and ugly structure of light iron and wood. The road was excellent, as all these roads are ; they are made by the Govern ment, for the Dominion has taken possession of a district ten or more miles square here as a National Park (said to be 24 miles long and nine Avide).