26 CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY

Cameron Lake, Vancouver Island, B.C. British Columbia’s Lakes are incomparable.

Nanaimo, the “Coal City”, is73 miles from Victoria, on a fine harbor
on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Its chief industry is coal mining
_but latterly it has become important as a centre of the herring fishery. It
is also the chief town of an extensive farming and fruit growing country.
The city has newspapers, a good water system, telephones, electric lights
and gas. Nanaimo coal is shipped to California, Hawaii and China, and
it is a coaling station for ocean going steamships. The Esquimalt and
Nanaimo Railway connects Nanaimo with Victoria, and there is a daily
steamer service to Vancouver. _ The population is estimated at 10,000.

Esquimalt, Victoria’s western suburb, was, until recently, headquarters
of his Majesty’s Royal Navy’s North Pacific fleet, but the ships, with the
exception of one or two have been withdrawn. Canada has undertaken
the maintenance of the fortifications, which are amongst the strongest in the
Empire. Esquimalt has a fine harbor, formerly used exclusively by the
navy, which may now be opened to merchant vessels.

COAST CITIES AND TOWNS.

Vancouver, the commercial metropolis of the province and mainland
terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway, incorporated in 1886, is the
largest centre of population, estimated at 100,300. The trade of the
city is large and steadily increasing, as it is a principal distributing point
for the northern and interior districts, and the home port of the Canadian
Pacific Railway Royal Mail steamships to Japan and China, the Canadian-
Australian Royal Mail steamships to.Australia and New Zealand, and
other lines to Mexico and California. The bank clearings for the four