No. 24

1. Since I had the honor of addressing you on the 19th of May
last,

Douglas, Jamesvisits gold fields
Douglas, James.see also Governor
Governor.See also Douglas, James
Gold fieldsconditions at
Gold fieldsinspected by Douglas
in reference to the "Couteau Gold Mines," and the immigration of
foreigners into Fraser's River, as well as the measures taken to assert
the rights of the Crown, to enforce the revenue laws of the Empire, and
to protect the rights of the Hudson's Bay Company, I have as therein
proposed, made a journey to the Falls of Fraser's River, visited the Gold
diggings and seen all the Miners below that point, and I will now proceed
to give a brief narrative of my proceedings, and the information gathered
in respect to the auriferous character of the country, in the course
of that journey.

2. In consequence of the requisition for assistance made on
ShipsSatelliteenforces customs laws
Captain Prevost, Her Majesty's Ship "Satellite", was anchored off
the mouth of Fraser's River, where I joined her on the following
day with the Hudson's Bay Company's Propeller
"Otter,"
ShipsOtter
in which we proceeded up Fraser's River, with the "Satellite's" Launch
and Gig in tow to Fort
Langley

distant about 30 miles from the mouth of the River.

3. The Revenue
Officers

Revenueofficersat Fort Langley
Fort Langleyrevenue officers at
CustomsEnglish law
found immediate occupation in the seizure of several lots of contraband
goods, and taking sixteen unlicenced canoes into custody. The latter
being manned exclusively with gold miners, and containing only their
mining tools, provisions, and personal clothing, without any merchandize
for trade, I caused them to be released, granting a pass at a charge of
five dollars to each canoe, and the amount, Eighty dollars so formed, was
carried to account of the public revenue.

The contraband Goods will be brought to
trial

on the 11th of Instant under the 167th section of the Customs Consolidation Act 1853.

4th From Fort Langley we pursued our upward journey in canoes
manned chiefly by native Indians and accompanied by Captain Prevost in his gig, manned with six of the "Satellite's" seamen.

5. After journeying four days we reached Fort
Hope,

the next establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company, on Fraser's River,
and about Eighty miles distant from Fort Langley.

6. The actual gold diggings commence on a Bar of Fraser's River,
about one mile below the point on which Fort Hope is situated, and
from that point upwards to the commencement of the Falls, a distance
of twenty miles, we found six several parties of Miners, successfully
engaged in digging for Gold, on as many partially uncovered River
Minerspopulation
Indiansas miners
Bars: the number of whites on those Bars being about 190 men, and
there was probably double that number of native Indians, promiscuously
engaged with the whites in the same exciting
pursuit.

7. The diggings became sensibly richer as we ascended the
stream as far as "Hill's
Bar,"

MiningbarsHills
MiningmethodsMiningreturns
four miles below the Falls, which is the richest point workable in the
present high state of the River.

8. The gold on those Bars is taken entirely from the surface,
there being no excavation on any of them deeper than two feet, as the
flow of water from the River prevents their sinking to a greater depth.

9. Mr Hill the party after whom the Bar is named produced for
Hill, Mr., miner
inspection the product of his mornings (6 hours) work, with a rocker
and three hands besides himself, the result being very nearly six
ounces of clean float gold, worth one hundred dollars in money,
giving a return of Fifty dollars a day for each man employed. That
return the party observed was the largest days work he had ever
made on Fraser's River, and he further remarked that the same good
fortune did not attend him every day.

10. The other miners whom I questioned about their earnings
stated that they were making from two and a half the lowest to
Twenty five dollars the highest usual return to the man a day.

11. The greatest instance of mining success which I heard of in
course of our journey fell to the lot of a party of three men, who made
one hundred and ninety ounces of gold dust in seven working days on
"Sailor's
Bar,"

MiningbarsSailors
a place about ten miles above the Falls, giving a return of nearly nine
ounces a day for each man employed.

12. Thirty miners arrived from the upper country during our
stay at the Falls, with very favorable reports as to its productiveness
in gold. They told me that they had prospected the banks of Fraser's
River as far as the Great Falls, forty miles beyond the confluence of
Thompson's River, and also many of its tributary streams, in all of
which they found gold, frequently in pieces ranging from Twenty
four grains to half an ounce in weight, and they also observed that
the gold was larger in size and coarser the further they ascended the
river. Thus for example the gold found below the Falls is in thin
bright scales, or minute particles, while that found at the Great
Falls is in pieces ranging as before said, from Twenty four grains
to half an ounce in weight, a circumstance which the Miner believes to
be indicative of a richer country beyond.

13. The country about the Great Falls has not been closely
examined, but the Miners generally report its appearance to be
promising, and from any thing we know to the contrary, the whole
course of Fraser's River, even to the Rocky mountains may be auriferous.

14. Those miners were prevented going further into the country
for want of food, which compelled their return to the settlements
for supplies. They were very successful about the Great Falls, and
made from ten to thirty dollars to the man a day.

15. William C. Johnston an old Calefornia miner, told me that he
Johnston, William C., miner

had prospected Harrison's River, and had travelled from thence to the
Great Falls of Fraser's River, and that he had observed in the course of
his journey much gold bearing quartz and the most promising indications
of placer gold. Another old miner assured me that he had found large
quantities of gold bearing quartz in the mountains near Fort Hope, which
he thinks will pay better than the Calefornia quartz rock, a report which
was confirmed by other miners. The miners generally assert that Fraser's
River is richer than any "three rivers" in Calefornia.

16. Thompson's River and its tributary streams are known to be
McLean, Donaldfur trader
auriferous, and I have just heard from Mr McLean, one of the Hudson's
Bay Company's officers that gold has also been lately discovered on
the banks of the great Okanagan Lake.

17. Mr Richard Hicks a respectable Miner at Fort
Yale,

Hicks, Richard
assured me that he had found "flour gold," that is gold in powder,
floating on the waters of Fraser's River, during the Freshet and he is of
opinion that by means of quick silver, gold will be found in every part
of Fraser's River, even to its discharge into the Gulf of Georgia.

18. Evidence is thus obtained of the existence of gold over a vast
extent of country, situated both north and south of Fraser's River, and
the conviction is gradually forcing itself upon my mind that not only
Fraser's River and its tributary streams, but also the whole country
situated to the Eastward of the Gulf of Georgia, as far north as
Johnstone's Straits, is one continued bed of Gold of incalculable value
and extent.

19. Such being the case the question arises as to the course of
policy in respect to Fraser's River, which Her Majesty's Government may
deem it advisable in those circumstances to follow.

20. My own opinion is that the stream of immigration is setting so
powerfully towards Fraser's River, that it is impossible to arrest its
course; and that the population thus formed will occupy the land as
squatters, if they cannot obtain a title by legal means.

21. I think it therefore a measure of obvious necessity, that the
Landprice of
whole country be immediately thrown open for settlement, and that the
land be surveyed and sold at a fixed rate not to exceed twenty shillings
an acre. By that means together with the imposition of a customs duty
on imports; a duty on licences to miners, and other taxes; a large
revenue might be collected for the service of Government.

22. As the Hudson's Bay Company, would in that case, have to
HudsonsBayCompany exclusiverightstotrade
relinquish their exclusive rights of
trade,

compensation might be made to them for those rights, by an annual payment
out of the public revenues of the country.

23. Either that plan or some other better calculated to maintain
the rights of the Crown, and the authority of the Laws, should in my
opinion, be adopted with as little delay as possible, otherwise the
country will be filled with lawless crowds, the public lands unlawfully
occupied by squatters of every description, and the authority of
Government will ultimately be set at naught.

24. In anticipation of your instructions to carry some such plan
into effect I have communicated with Mr Pemberton the Surveyor
Pemberton, Joseph D.provisional appointment as surveyor general
General of Vancouver's Island, and desired him to make temporary
arrangements with any qualified persons he may find in this Colony for
the purpose of increasing the staff of Surveying Officers, and of
engaging actively in an extended survey of the lands of Fraser's River,
whenever your instructions to that effect are received from England,
and in the mean time, they can be usefully employed in laying out
allotments for sale on Vancouver's Island, there being at present a
very great and increasing demand for land in this Colony.

25. I beg also to remark that it is my intention to confer on
Mr Pemberton, the provisional appointment of Surveyor General of
Fraser's River, as he is a gentleman of great experience, and thoroughly
well qualified by previous training in the forests of Vancouver's
Island, and great natural talent, for that responsible office.

26. I propose to form a large and efficient corps of Surveying
Officers to be placed under the management of the Surveyor General,
and to authorize him, after due application to this Government, to
establish branch offices wherever required, which will report all
proceedings to the General office at this place, superintended by the
Surveyor General, who will be held responsible for the proper
management of the department.

27. In consequence of the unceasing demands upon my time by the
Douglas, Jameswork load
crowds of people who are flocking to this place, and the want of
assistants, my Secretary Mr Golledge being greatly overworked, I have
Golledge, Richard
been compelled to prepare this report in the midst of numberless
interruptions, and I beg that its inaccuricies may be overlooked, and
that I may receive your instructions by return of Post, as the case is
urgent and calls for rapid and decisive measures in the outset, for in
the course of a few months there may be one hundred thousand people in
the country.