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many with unsavoury reputations—loafers and idlers, gamblers, roughs
and toughs, San Francisco “ boatmen,” ex-convicts, and murderers. As
Judge Begbie says, the “lives of some of them would not be worth an
hour’s purchase in any street in San Francisco.” Douglas had indeed
a difficult task before him: to organize a civilized and peaceable com-
munity out of this unpromising material; to enforce the law, maintain
order, and punish crime; to provide means of transport on land and
water ; to explore the country and survey towns and agricultural lands;
and to do all this out of current revenue—for Sir E. B. Lytton seemed
to think it strange that a community brought into existence only by
the presence of gold should need monetary assistance. It is not sur-
prising that Douglas asked at once for a detachment of soldiers; in
response Colonel Moody was sent out in command of a body of Royal
Engineers.

In California, whence the miners came, law had been so poorly
enforced and life had been held in such small esteem that the people
had been compelled twice to rise in their power and form Vigilance
Committees to arrest and punish malefactors and to protect life and
property. These self-constituted bodies had, in 1851 and again in
1856, usurped the positions of the feeble courts and had been both
accusers and judges. They had tried and hanged many murderers;
others they had deported or ordered to leave the state. Opposed to
the Vigilance Committee was the Law and Order party. In the migra-
tion to British Columbia were included “ Vigilantes” as well as “ Law
and Orders,” and naturally they both brought to this new land the
animosities engendered in the old. But the strong hand of Governor
Douglas and the stern justice of Judge Begbie soon made them realize
that conduct which had been freely permitted in California would not
be tolerated under the British flag. In the correspondence of Judge
Begbie and Mr. Brew herewith reproduced will be found references to
the smouldering trouble between these two factions; it will, however,
be observed that it went no further than useless threats or a trifling
assault.

To provide transportation from Victoria to the mining region
Douglas issued “ sufferances” to American steamers for a limited
period. He strove to impose terms requiring them to carry the goods
of the Hudson’s Bay Company only, and also to pay to that company
“as compensation” two dollars for every passenger carried by them
into the mining region. These restrictions were immediately disallowed
by Sir E. B. Lytton; but in the interval they were the source of much
friction. Under the “ sufferance ” plan the American steamers “ Sur-
prise,” “ Umatilla,” “ Enterprise,” “ Seabird,” and “ Maria ” during the