No. 61

I went on the 10th Instant in company with the Roman
Catholic Bishop of British Columbia and the Reverend Father
Fouquet, of the Order of Mary Immaculate, to visit the Indian
School established by the Mission at St. Mary's on the Fraser,
30 miles above New Westminster.

2. As soon as the vessel which conveyed us hove
in sight a feu de joie was fired by some Indians
who had come to the Mission to see the first inspection of the
Native Schools made by the Governor of the Colony. On our
landing a salute was fired likewise with all the muskets
available. We were then escorted through an Arch erected
by the boys and extremely well decorated under the direction
of the priests. A Song of welcome to me was then sung by
the boys in Chinook and Addresses read to me by them in
English and French. Immediately afterwards they sang "God
save the Queen" in English extremely well and then we followed
them to the School room.

3. There were forty-eight boys present, of whom, I
believe upwards of forty were of pure native race. The
remainder had some intermixture of White blood. Their ages
ranged from eight to fourteen years. Their fine healthy appearance
and good clothing at once satisfied me, that in this institution
at least the native race was not weakening and dwindling by
contact with Europeans. Indeed the pupils appeared more robust
and active than the boys of their age whom I had seen in the
forests, and their cheerful faces presented an agreeable
contrast to the worn and anxious countenances of the Seniors
who came to be present at the Inspection.

4. The School room was large, clean and well ventilated.
It had been decorated with flags, boughs and ribbons by the
boys. I found them on examination to have made very considerable
progress in arithmetic, geography, and spelling. Some of the
handwriting was extremely good. The priests have almost
entirely thrown aside the inconvenient Chinook Medium and teach
the boys in English. Even better than the writing was the
singing. I have not heard in any school with which I have
officially come into contact, here or elsewhere, any piece of
music so well delivered as was one Catholic hymn by these Indian boys.

5. We visited the dormitories and found them thoroughly
ventilated, and supplied with double rows of small beds as
neat and clean as any children of the lower classes could desire.

6. About an Acre has been already laid out in flower
gardens and orchard by the pupils, and additional land is
now being fenced in and cleared for the planting of potatoes.

7. The regular inspection over, the boys competed
for trifling prizes in archery, canoe racing and athletic
games. It was gratifying to observe the spirit of order
and discipline which restrained the manifestations of the
great animal spirits evidently enjoyed by all.

8. On our departure the whole school stood bareheaded
on the bank while they sang again their Chinook song of
welcome, and at my request the Catholic hymn once more.
They closed with "God save the Queen," and three as hearty
cheers as any English schoolboys could have given.

9. Though the Establishment at St. Mary's is not yet
on a large scale, it is sufficient to show that the native
race can thrive and improve under civilized habits. Mind
and body seemed to have expanded together, and the cultivation
of the brain, if one could judge by the demeanor of the students towards
their preceptors, to have improved the impulses of the heart.