tion which has risen in a day, over which the British banner proudly floats, the symbol of strength and safety, of progress and enlightenment borne on the flying wings of time, and which nation will one day,-and that not far removed-glitter in the wealth and splendour meet for the sovereign cities of the North Pacific. The extensive gold fields which in all probability will be found within the neighbouring American territory, will, in their influence, both tend to swell their triumph and enhance their greatness by augmented wealth.

C

CHAPTER XXII.

PRODIGIOUS DOINGS.

I REALLY felt it quite worth the passage-money from New York, to see the rampant excitement, and to watch the eager speculation going. on amongst the disordered community assembled together at Victoria. There were individuals who but two weeks previously had been plodding their way in San Francisco, tolerably well satisfied with the profits of a small and legitimate business, who now looked upon themselves, and were looked upon by others, as millionaires. They would tell you that they owned a thousand or twelve hundred lots in the town of Esquimault or Squimalt as it was pronounced

which cost them but five dollars an acre but a

few days since and which they now sold at as many thousands per acre; and had any doubt been expressed as to their being able to "realize" as much for the remainder, they would favour you with a smile of pity at your ignorance and want of foresight. This sort of thing was highly amusing, and afforded me considerable entertainment.

When I awoke on the fourth morning after my return, I found an ex habitué of St. James's, who slept in the same room with me, very busily occupied at the table in drawing the plan of a house which he proposed to erect forthwith on one of the lots in whose ownership he rejoiced. I asked him how much his lots had advanced

since he bought. "Two hundred and fifty thousand," was the prompt reply, meaning so many dollars-fifty thousand pounds. I thought him luckier than I had been, and began to regret "most awfully" my absence up river during the best buying times.

However, I had six lots, three of which were first class, that is, well situated and worth any amount of money, and the other three, yet to be surveyed, might turn out equally well. I

did not hope for much beyond, as land in private hands was held at too high a price to speculate in. The time for getting it cheap, as I have already mentioned, had gone by, the halfdozen lots, at a hundred dollars each, allowed per man by the Company excepted. The real estate panic was, however, higher than it had ever been, and promised to become still more mad and desperate with each succeeding week. The individual who occupied the next bed to me was "raising a brick windmill on the hill," and considered himself to be, taking into consideration that and other " 'specs," the richest man in Victoria, and worth about a million and a half of dollars.

I observed that the coloured people, i. e.

niggers," collected here, many of whom were "real estate" owners, conducted themselves in a manner rather bellicose than otherwise, which of course excited derision; and one of their number I heard attempted to take his seat with white people at a boardinghouse table in town, but was expelled in a manner as prompt and merciless as the style of doing the thing was ludicrous. The newly ap

pointed police of the place were negroes, and consequently heartily despised by the Americans.

Some enterprising individual opened a butcher's shop in a canvas house on the open space in front of the fort, and, as a reasonable consequence, several others followed his example,—some, even, building houses, and the whole space was very soon staked off into claims. One morning, however, a notice made its appearance on the gate-post of the Fort, warning, or rather calling upon these appropriators of the land to quit it by noon on the day following, by which time most of the tenements had disappeared, having been removed to the outskirts.

I heard but little inquiry made as to the richness of the "mines," as

everybody took it the richest ever heard of; and that being a settled fact, they were too much whirled in the maze of their own exciting speculations to dwell long at a time on the subject of the diggings. But diggers from California, who intended to become diggers on the Frazer, arrived in half frantic haste to ascend that river, and were only the

for granted that they were