Vancouver Island; Its Physical Geography, Climate, and Mineral ResourcesAuthor(s): C. ForbesSource: Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 8, No. 3 (1863 - 1864),pp. 83-87Published by: Wiley on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of BritishGeographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1798830 .

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8ws 8ws BI\RCH 14. 1SG4.] DR. FORBES ON VANCOUVER IStANTD. BI\RCH 14. 1SG4.] DR. FORBES ON VANCOUVER IStANTD.

in lS14, on rollers; presented by Sir l-'. I. Murchison. Adas l)y

H. 3Ioll, on 62 sheets; presented by S, }I. Drach, Esq. World, on

AIercator's projection (printed ill colours by Berghaus and Stul1)-

nagel); by purchase. Atlas-Fortified Towns of Europe, on 25

sheets, lS65; by purchase. Africa F;ve Views, coloured, of Free

Town, Sierra LeoIle (Ackerman); by purchase. Atlas Zur In-

dustrie uncl Halldelsgeographie, 3 sheets; by Drs. Elein alld Lange.

NetTlerlallds l0 sheets of tl1e Topographical Atlas; presented by

Chev. T. Swart, H.C.X.R.G.S. Continuation of the Ordnance Survey

Maps.

EXHIBITIONS. Three larger-sized Photographs to illustrie L;eut.

Palmer's Paper, riz.:-'lown of Victoria, Vancouser Island; Trea-

sury and Assay Offices, New AVestminster, British Columbia; Holy

Tlinity Church, Nent West1ninster, British Columbia.

The first Papez read was

" Trcsncouver lslcl11d; its Physical Geograp7lyf Climate, and Altnexal

Resomrces.' By Or. C. EORBES, R.N.

AFrEnX noticing the contradictortr statements ctlrrent as to ourPacific

colonies in North Alnelica, the Paper deseribed the ablmpt character

of the seaboard scenely of Vancounter, alternating with numerolls

fiord-like hart)oltrs that had beell worn in the metamorphic and trap

rocks which fo1m the basis of the island. The inland or rlorth-eastem

shore, on tlle othel halld, is 2ll0re undulating, attesting the exis-

tence of sedimentary locks, chiefly carboniferous sandstone witll

occasional belts of limestone. The face of the country is almost

11nifOrm1Y COzezed Wit11 denSe fOreSt; bUt t1saCtS Of giaSS-1and are

OCCaSiOna11Y met Wit11^ and 10Ve1Y 1akeS and ta1mS abOUnd. T?e

TerY irregU1ar COnfigUratiOn O? the COaSt PreC1UdeS the POS;Sibi1itY Of

a nN-;gabie 1iVe1 beiDg FOUnd anYWheie thrOUghOUt {.he ;S1And;

What St1 eaXnS there are bCiNg USUa11Y \inter-tOIrentEX drY in SUE

mer, bUt With a 1ittie manageinent CAPab1e Of SUPP1Sing W&ter-POWer

t1110U^>110Ut the Sear TOSSib1Y tObe UtiiiSed in t11e fUtU1e fOr EUC11

needed iirigatiOn Of many PO1tiOnS. OW;ng tO the C1aS-SUbSOi1

t11eTe Are nUInE10TlS SPriNgS CV Of eXCe1Tent W&ter."

After gianCing at the geO10giCa1 StrUCtUre Qf t1Re iS1and the SAin

FeatUre Of WhiCh ;S t}1at it iS CCCUPied {hrOUghOUt aimOSt ;tS WhO10

]ength bY a baCkbONe Of traP, the aTlthOr POinted1Y Ca11S attentiOn

tO Certain StrOnglY-nRarked featl1reS Of g1aC1a1 ?CtiOB, \\rhere iCe-

drift haS SCOOPed OUt the hara traP-rOOk and dePOSited enORmOTIS

areaS Of hEaP aBd g1Anit1C bOU1de1S C11;efIS At t11O SOUth-eaSter11

in lS14, on rollers; presented by Sir l-'. I. Murchison. Adas l)y

H. 3Ioll, on 62 sheets; presented by S, }I. Drach, Esq. World, on

AIercator's projection (printed ill colours by Berghaus and Stul1)-

nagel); by purchase. Atlas-Fortified Towns of Europe, on 25

sheets, lS65; by purchase. Africa F;ve Views, coloured, of Free

Town, Sierra LeoIle (Ackerman); by purchase. Atlas Zur In-

dustrie uncl Halldelsgeographie, 3 sheets; by Drs. Elein alld Lange.

NetTlerlallds l0 sheets of tl1e Topographical Atlas; presented by

Chev. T. Swart, H.C.X.R.G.S. Continuation of the Ordnance Survey

Maps.

EXHIBITIONS. Three larger-sized Photographs to illustrie L;eut.

Palmer's Paper, riz.:-'lown of Victoria, Vancouser Island; Trea-

sury and Assay Offices, New AVestminster, British Columbia; Holy

Tlinity Church, Nent West1ninster, British Columbia.

The first Papez read was

" Trcsncouver lslcl11d; its Physical Geograp7lyf Climate, and Altnexal

Resomrces.' By Or. C. EORBES, R.N.

AFrEnX noticing the contradictortr statements ctlrrent as to ourPacific

colonies in North Alnelica, the Paper deseribed the ablmpt character

of the seaboard scenely of Vancounter, alternating with numerolls

fiord-like hart)oltrs that had beell worn in the metamorphic and trap

rocks which fo1m the basis of the island. The inland or rlorth-eastem

shore, on tlle othel halld, is 2ll0re undulating, attesting the exis-

tence of sedimentary locks, chiefly carboniferous sandstone witll

occasional belts of limestone. The face of the country is almost

11nifOrm1Y COzezed Wit11 denSe fOreSt; bUt t1saCtS Of giaSS-1and are

OCCaSiOna11Y met Wit11^ and 10Ve1Y 1akeS and ta1mS abOUnd. T?e

TerY irregU1ar COnfigUratiOn O? the COaSt PreC1UdeS the POS;Sibi1itY Of

a nN-;gabie 1iVe1 beiDg FOUnd anYWheie thrOUghOUt {.he ;S1And;

What St1 eaXnS there are bCiNg USUa11Y \inter-tOIrentEX drY in SUE

mer, bUt With a 1ittie manageinent CAPab1e Of SUPP1Sing W&ter-POWer

t1110U^>110Ut the Sear TOSSib1Y tObe UtiiiSed in t11e fUtU1e fOr EUC11

needed iirigatiOn Of many PO1tiOnS. OW;ng tO the C1aS-SUbSOi1

t11eTe Are nUInE10TlS SPriNgS CV Of eXCe1Tent W&ter."

After gianCing at the geO10giCa1 StrUCtUre Qf t1Re iS1and the SAin

FeatUre Of WhiCh ;S t}1at it iS CCCUPied {hrOUghOUt aimOSt ;tS WhO10

]ength bY a baCkbONe Of traP, the aTlthOr POinted1Y Ca11S attentiOn

tO Certain StrOnglY-nRarked featl1reS Of g1aC1a1 ?CtiOB, \\rhere iCe-

drift haS SCOOPed OUt the hara traP-rOOk and dePOSited enORmOTIS

areaS Of hEaP aBd g1Anit1C bOU1de1S C11;efIS At t11O SOUth-eaSter11

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.139 on Wed, 14 May 2014 14:01:57 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

DR. FORBES ON VANCOUVER ISLAND. [AIARCH 14,1864. 84

extreluity of the island. These and their localized cognates furnish ts:cellent building material in unlimited quantities.

The soils are:-1. Coarse gravel, bearing fine timber. 2. A calcareous leam of good quality, producing excellent crops of vege- tables, and suitable for clover. 3. A tich dark-brown humus, which only requires subsoil drainage to produce the very heaviest crops of wheat and celeals.

As to hydrography, Dr. Forbes cited as exhallstive the adlairable ' Sailing Directions ' of Captain Richards, the present Hydrographe to the Admiralty, who has dwelt at great length upon the tidal irre gularities of the sound separating Vancotlver from the mainland. The author then inited attention to the very low temperature throughout the year of this portion of the Pacific, owing to the pre- valence of Arctic-cllrrerlts, and the numerous rivers fed by mo]ten snows that debouch into it; its boreal character being indicated by the presence of numerous marine-shells, hitherto supposed to be confined to the Arctic zone. Along the western shore extends a thain of ballks, stoclXed with abundance of excellent fish.

The climate of Vancouver Island in its general thermal collditions soluewhat resembles that of England; but is lnodified by the low temperatllre of the ocean and the snowy mountain-chains, while even to the south-east the Olympus Range of Washington (U.S.) Territory, which run east and west, presents to the colony a northern aspect usually covered with snow. The restllt is that, {ill as late as Midsuinmer day, there is a bright clear atmosphere witl1 cold winds. The winter-frosts are occasionally very severe, but, as a rllle, what is called an open winter is the characteristic of ATancourer some- what resembling that of the West of England. In summer the winds are usually south-west and north-west;, a1ld moze rarely north; the latter hot and dry, owing to thei1 having traversed the parched and heated soil. Tl1e autun1n is of greater duration than that of Europe, in consequence of the Indian stlmmer prolonging it. In brief there are two seasons? passably learked, a dry and xvet, the lleaviest rainAll invariabl- occurring at night. The whole surface may be roughly estimated at 12,000,000 acres (abollt four times the area of Yorkshire), of which only 1,000,000 are available for the stock- breeder and agriculturist. The most important position commer- cially and strategically is in Tooke district, ablltting Oll San Juan de Fuca Straits, where the employment of a iw steam-tugs would greaily facilitate the approach to one of the most commodious land- locked harbours on the entire coast,

Anot.her available harbou1 which can be entered at all times, and possesses excellent holding ground, i.s Esquimalt :[3ay, Tvhich is

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MARCII 14,1864.] DR. FORBES ON VANCOUVER ISLAND. 85

admirably situated to form the head-quarters of the Royal Naval force in the Pacific.

After describing Victoria, the present capital, and its harbour, which being onlr accessible for large Tessels at or near high-water, vhile the anchorage outside is unsafe-makes the site of the capital anything but well-chosen, the author records his opinion in favour of a shorE canal being constructed to connect it with Esquimalt Harbour already described.

The Paper then glanced at the attelupts that have been made to open lIp a new zoute by the Sound, and up some of the numerous lateral Sords, to the Gold District, instead of the present difficult routo up the Fraser. One of these is by :Bentinck Arm, the othet by Bute Inlet; but the officer detached reported unfavourably against both, though adrnitting that, being pressed for time, he had scant opportunity for examining whether a mole available route might ilOt exist. Should either of these be opened, Nanaimo, situate on a land-locked bay of the Gulf of Georgia, would become the great centre of busixless. The carboniferous deposit llere has beeIl proved by boring to extend to the depth of at least 84 feet, in which two thin sealns of coal xvere passe(l throug;h; and a good vein of copper has been struck, and is being worked. As, moreover, this point commands both these loutes, it will become a great commercial station, whence stealn-lines would radiate to the Russian settlements, and all the principal settlements of the Colony, as they could coal here at the pit-mouth. One single seam irregu- larly worked by the Hudson's Bay Company, with t.heir scanty staff, has yielded 63,154 tons, valued at 8 dollars per ton, or 101,0461. The price is now 6 dollars at the pit-mouth, but a far larger quantity is being raised of late; 22,000 tons the filst year, chiefly for San Flan- cisco; and vessels of large size (one of 1500 tons) noav frequent a harbour, where, except Her Majesty's ships, a few slnall trading- schooners were once the largest craft. The coal is hard and lustrous. This seam, which has been lUOSt favourably reported on by analytical geologists and practical men, is 3 ft. 10 in. thick, and has been found over an area which, supposing it preserves the same average, implies a supply of at least 1,000,000 tons. Beneath there are a 5 ft. seam and a 2 ft. 6 in. seam, the uppernlost being found at a depth of 60 fathoms. Another carboniferous seanl, possibly the same as that of Wantimo, occurs at the extreme north-west point of the island, where Johnson' Straits, full of excellent anchorage for steamers, lose thetn- selves in the Pacific; the country immediately to the south being a kind of prairie-land, little explored, and very imperfectly surveyed. The strata of coal lie here horizontally.

This content downloaded from 91.229.248.139 on Wed, 14 May 2014 14:01:57 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

DR. FORBES ON VANCOUVER ISLAND. [MARCH 14, 1864. 8G

Somewhat similar featllres occur at int.ervals along even the precipitous west coast, w:here a Company is working another seam of coal.

Clayoquot Sound d;Sers fionl all otllels in being beset at its entrance by banks and shoals, and has a sandJr bottom instead of the usual mud. Barclay Sound is studded with islands aSording good anchorage. At the upper end is a remalkable cleft} kllown as Alberni Ganal, giving passage to the olltlet of a chain of lakes, on a level plateau; on the opposite descent from which lies at a short distance, Wanaimo, already lnentio:ned. At Alberni about 1 S,000,000 superficial feet of Douglas pine and other excellent planking} besides tast rlumbels of ships' spars, are turned Ollt here by one firtn alone (a London one), which has the honour of opening up to commerce the splendid timber of the region. To give an idea of the amount of the timber-trade here, it Inay suffice to state that in the first nine lYlonths of 1863, no fewer than 13,500 tons of shipping cleared hence with tImber; the Americans claiming 7280. The markets were widely scattered; Europe, (:hina, Alanilla, and Chili being among those e:aumerated, besides the ordinaly local demand. Ship-building, fish-curing, furs, oil, &c., constittlte the staple branches of commerce from Barclay Sound.

Agriculture usually follows the same four-cours0 rotation as in England and the green crops are alulost identical. The wheat averages 25 to 30 bushels to the acre.

There is ample eluployment for the rod and gun, and the hunter (as distinguished froIn the sportsman) will find ill the forest plent.y of opportunity for proving his prowess upon the puma, the bear, and the wolf, besides elk and variorls kinds of deel. The sall:non here vill not, according to Dr. :E5orbes, r;se to the fly.

The Paper concluded by emphatically disclaiming tllat mere falm- intw could for tnany years to come be regarded as a money-making speculation; but ttlling t7^e soil himsegf, the agriculturist Illight surround himself witl} every comfort, exchanging his dairy-ploducX3 and frtlit against imported alticles. The author, above all, cautioned the lower classes at home from emigrating in the hope of firlding at any of tl;le gold-fields what are called i' Poor Alen's diggings." - Tllat business has passed into tlle hands of a class possessing large capital; and, as a general sumnary it may be broadly stated that tlle prospects of AJancouver are prospective to be reaped by the filst suitable en:Li- grallts and capitalists who can develop its lesourees.

The PBESIDENT relnarked, that on many occasions we llad had communi- catiollsfrommedical men attaGhedtoourllavalsquadlons;but,duringhis connection with the Society, he recollected no occasion OI1 nhich a Papet more replete with l,nowledge zIpon various branches of science had been pre-

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-MRCIF 14, 18G4.] -MRCIF 14, 18G4.] PALMER ON BRITISH COLUMBIA. PALMER ON BRITISH COLUMBIA. 87 87

sented than this of Dr. iForbes. He might have fancied that he ̂ sas presiding at the Geoloaical Society, so admirable were the observations of Vl. li:orbes upon the geoloCy and structure of Vancouve.r Island. NVhether it respected the geoloay, the meteololoay, the botany, or the statistics of that island, all these were so well colabined in this l'aper, that he had much pleasure irl calling upon the Meeting to return thanks to Dr. Folbes for his valuable com- munication. He should not request any gentleman to address the Meeting until after the next Paper had been read, as the two subjects were intinlately connected * and then he would first call upon Captain Xichards, under whose ordels Dr. Forbes had obtailled his knowledge, and who had himself made an admirable sulvey of Vancouver Island.

The second Paper treated of

rhe Geogtaphy of Brittsh Columbta and the C!ondJion of the Carzboo Gotd l)estagct. By Lieut. H. S. PALMER, B.E.

LIEUT. PALMER mentioned that since the fist discovery of gold in British Columbia in 1858, fresh deposits had gradually been traced farther and farther northward, till ultimately the well-known fields of Cariboo had been reached, o00 miles from the mouth of the Fraser. Entrusted with the task of a general survey, he details the geot,raphical outline of the colony, the seaboard of which extends 500 miles, protected throughout almost its entire length by Van- couver and Queen Charlotte islands. This seaboard is indented in the most extraordinary manner by deep bays and arms of the sea, presenting an extent of sheltered inland navigation, and an actual lengtll of shore-line, such as are nowhere equalled on any similar stretch of coast in the world.

The most marked physical feature of the country, viewing it from the shole inland, is the parallelism of two mountain ranges with a elevatecl intervening plateau of rolling country 100 miles in breadth. The coast-line of mountains is known as the Cascade or Coast range, 120 lailes wide, the western slopes of which arse covered xvith the most magnificent forest. Its sea-front is everywhere bluff and abrupt and quite close to the shore, except where the Fraser falls into the San Juan Fuca Sound, when it recedes some 40 miles. The eastern side of the range is drier, the trees luore scattered, and 1he general profile less abrupt. The plincipal crest of this chain is about 5000 feet above the sea, a peculiar characteristic being the almost entire absence of peaks. The rivers on the east side are naturally longer and less impetuous than those on the west, but occasionally some of them rise on the plateau, and thread the Illountains t.ill they fall into the sounds. Abo-e some of these, glaciers are said to have been seen; but nothing authentic seems to be known on this subject.

ror,. VII r. H

sented than this of Dr. iForbes. He might have fancied that he ̂ sas presiding at the Geoloaical Society, so admirable were the observations of Vl. li:orbes upon the geoloCy and structure of Vancouve.r Island. NVhether it respected the geoloay, the meteololoay, the botany, or the statistics of that island, all these were so well colabined in this l'aper, that he had much pleasure irl calling upon the Meeting to return thanks to Dr. Folbes for his valuable com- munication. He should not request any gentleman to address the Meeting until after the next Paper had been read, as the two subjects were intinlately connected * and then he would first call upon Captain Xichards, under whose ordels Dr. Forbes had obtailled his knowledge, and who had himself made an admirable sulvey of Vancouver Island.

The second Paper treated of

rhe Geogtaphy of Brittsh Columbta and the C!ondJion of the Carzboo Gotd l)estagct. By Lieut. H. S. PALMER, B.E.

LIEUT. PALMER mentioned that since the fist discovery of gold in British Columbia in 1858, fresh deposits had gradually been traced farther and farther northward, till ultimately the well-known fields of Cariboo had been reached, o00 miles from the mouth of the Fraser. Entrusted with the task of a general survey, he details the geot,raphical outline of the colony, the seaboard of which extends 500 miles, protected throughout almost its entire length by Van- couver and Queen Charlotte islands. This seaboard is indented in the most extraordinary manner by deep bays and arms of the sea, presenting an extent of sheltered inland navigation, and an actual lengtll of shore-line, such as are nowhere equalled on any similar stretch of coast in the world.

The most marked physical feature of the country, viewing it from the shole inland, is the parallelism of two mountain ranges with a elevatecl intervening plateau of rolling country 100 miles in breadth. The coast-line of mountains is known as the Cascade or Coast range, 120 lailes wide, the western slopes of which arse covered xvith the most magnificent forest. Its sea-front is everywhere bluff and abrupt and quite close to the shore, except where the Fraser falls into the San Juan Fuca Sound, when it recedes some 40 miles. The eastern side of the range is drier, the trees luore scattered, and 1he general profile less abrupt. The plincipal crest of this chain is about 5000 feet above the sea, a peculiar characteristic being the almost entire absence of peaks. The rivers on the east side are naturally longer and less impetuous than those on the west, but occasionally some of them rise on the plateau, and thread the Illountains t.ill they fall into the sounds. Abo-e some of these, glaciers are said to have been seen; but nothing authentic seems to be known on this subject.

ror,. VII r. H

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