difficulties, one incident in particular presenting a
dramatic climax to the affairs of state in the newly-
created colony of Vancouver Island.

The well-known Canadian historian on printing,
Aegidius Fateaux, in his “Introduction of Printing into
Canada" (Chap. VI., p. 14), published by the Rolland
Paper Company Limited, describes the above
mentioned incident as follows: “Even the ‘Colonist’
had some difficult storms to weather. If credence may
be given to Duncan George Forbes Macdonald (Brit-
ish Columbia, London, 1862, p. 278) it was very nearly
strangled in its cradle beneath the weight of a pro-
clamation by which the Governor, Sir James Douglas,
dissatisfied with Amor de Cosmos by reason of his
independence, armed himself against the latter with
certain ancient statutes which had long fallen into
disuse and drew up claims which were equivalent
to complete extinction. Macdonald states that there
was a regular rising of all the colonists, who, by way
of protest, subscribed on the spot the guarantee of
£800 which had been stipulated by the governor and
thus ensured the continuance of the threatened
newspaper.’

We have thus far given a brief synopsis of the
events leading up to and surrounding the introduc-
tion of the printing press into Vancouver Island,

« PAGE THIRTY-EIGHT »

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