No. 9

1. I have the honor of submitting the following remarks on
the subject of establishing a sea-port Town for the Colony of
British Columbia.

2. The Colony of British Columbia possesses an extent of
about 500 miles of sea coast, stretching from the point where the
49th parallel of Latitude first strikes the sea coast to the
line of the Russian Possessions in Portland Canal.

3. That circumstance obviously suggests the necessity of
establishing in British Columbia for the convenience of trade
more than one seaport Town, where vessels may enter with cargoes
of foreign goods.

4. One sea-port town, and that of the greatest present importance
should be established at the entrance of Frasers River, and another
in some convenient and accessible harbour, on the Coast of British 
Columbia north of Vancouvers Island.

5. There is unfortunately no convenient harbour for shipping
at or in the near vicinity of Fraser's River, that is to say
between the boundary of the United States in the 49th parallel
of latitude to Point Grey, at the entrance of Burrard Canal.

6. Extensive sand banks, sweeping five miles from the land
into the Gulf of Georgia, and reaching from Point Roberts to
Point Grey, form an open unsheltered anchorage, but there is no
harbour on that section of the coast.

7. The ship channel into Frasers River, winds in a somewhat
tortuous and narrow passage through those sands, and has a depth
of water sufficient for vessels drawing 18 feet.

8. Beyond the sands the river increases in depth and the
current in force and velocity. The banks for the first ten miles
are low being only a few feet above the water level, and there is
a wide extent of wet marshy country on both banks of the River,
intersected by creeks and covered with sedge willows and coarse
grass.

9. The low wet District passed, the country presents a new
aspect being more elevated and covered with Pines and other forest
trees.

10. That is the point where the sea port Town can be established
to the greatest advantage, and for this reason that it is accessible
to sailing vessels, which owing to the lofty banks on both sides of
the River, beyond that point, can rarely depend upon a fair wind, or
ascend further without using the warp, or by the help of steam.

11. The "Port of Entry" for all ships entering Fraser's River for
trade, should be established somewhere about that point, known as
H.B.C. Tree, 
the first explorers of the River having marked a
tree with those letters, and the point has ever since retained this
name, while for the convenience of general trade, and to prevent
the risk and delay consequent on entering the River, a Customs
House Officer might be stationed at Point Roberts, or at some more
convenient point on the sea coast, outside of Fraser's River, to
enter ships bound to other Ports in the Gulf of Georgia, north of
Fraser's River.

12. The accompanying Chart shewing the character of the country
near the mouth of Fraser's River, and the point where it is here
proposed to place the sea-port Town, will be found useful for
reference.

13. I would propose another plan which is however open to
adoption only, should Vancouver's Island be incorporated with British 
Columbia,

and this is that the safe and accessible harbour of Esquimalt
Vancouver's Island should be made the Port of Entry to sea going
vessels for both Colonies, leaving the navigation of the Gulf of
Georgia and other inland waters for a class of steam vessels
calculated to do the work with safety and despatch. This latter
plan is very popular with the property holders of Vancouvers Island,
who are generally desirous of having the sea port Town of British 
Columbia at Esquimalt or Victoria, where it now is, but if that
plan should appear objectionable to Her Majesty's Government, then
there will remain the alternative of selecting the point before
described, about ten miles from Point Pelly

up Fraser's River,
where the land is level, dry and otherwise well adapted as a town
location.

14. One of those two places will I apprehend have to be adopted
in fixing upon the site of the sea port Town of British Columbia.

With reference to the accompanying
Chart.