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te UE a

28 The Fraser River Mines.

FP a a ate ay AS Seeds

On second thoughts, and comparing dates, I think that I shall be
able to return to Langley if necessary by the 31st inst., and therefore
shall for the present, at all events, leave things as they stand.—M. B. B.

Fort YALE,
18th Jany, 1859.

Dear GoverNor,—I have only time to write a few hurried lines
to give you the smallest account of a great meeting held here by the
Hill’s Bar men calling themselves “ citizens of Fort Yale”. But of the
last there were about 6 and about 200 from the bar.2t A deputation
of 3 asked Col. Moody and myself to attend: we had not any notion of
it previously, but went down directly, accompanied by Whannell and
ultimately by Captn. Grant,

The proceedings commenced with three cheers for the Governor:
then an address was read with a good many epithets, pitching heavily
into Whannell. This Coll. Moody very properly stopped and requested
that the reader of the address wod. omit epithets. This produced a very
bald reading: and I took the liberty of suggesting a short adjournment
in order to re-draw the resolutions with an eye to the adjectives. This
done the address was read: I have not got a copy: the purport was an
expression of confidence in the British Law, confidence in British
administration, an offer of assistance if necessary to maintain that law,
and an impeachment of sundry misdeeds of Captn. Whannell’s. The
address was received in solemn silence by Coll. Moody as to anything
contained in it: he merely gave answer that his ear and his heart were
open. In answer, however, to a previous very excellent (but superla-
tively humbugging) address from a red-shirted miner named Wilson,?®
both Coll. Moody and myself had given a few words, not above 5
minutes apiece, expressive of the general intention of the Gov’t to carry
out the laws without fear or favour: And in conversation with Wilson
and a very fine young fellow, not more than 21 or 22, who has already
the distinction of being Ned McGowan’s lieutenant, we had both
impressed them with the fact that His Excellency could make no answer
to the address: that the mere fact of our presence here, in such weather,
our proceeding to action, and quite alone (in the first instance) shewed
our resolution to examine into matters, and that, whatever might be the
particular terms of the address, the line of action ultimately adopted
wod be utterly irrespective of their views or sentiments and wod be
guided solely by facts. There was also, I must tell you, for at last I

(24) Hill’s Bar.
(25) Possibly the same Wilson as he mentions in his letter of February 3, 1859, post, p. 38.