LINE, A former resident here, who went, home last summer by the Canadian-Pacific line sent a description of his voyage to a friend who has allowed us to make the following extracts from the letters. The voyage from Yokohama to Vancouver was rather monotonous, but asthe Abyssiniaapproached her destination the loveliness of the scenery aroused enthusiasm among the passengers. The writer thus describes the land The sail up the gulf and through the Straits was something to be remembered. Tt was " most lovely day. The hills on cither shore from base to summit were clothed in deepest green, whilst, beyond, the snow capped mountains of America and British Columbia stood out in grand magnificence. I have often heard the praises sung of the Inland Sea of Japan, and T freely admit that the beauties of that sea are of no mean order. But placed in comparison with those of the inland sea of Vancouver they are as a drop to an ocean, and Tam very certain that not one of those who witnessed the gorgeous sunset of that evening with its lovely after-glow. ful away down into night, will ever forget the scene. We could not have been favoured with @ more perfect day in our approach to British Columbea, and we all felt at its close that we were more than compensated for our dull monotonous experiences across the Pacific Ocean. Albeit we were disap-Boluted in not being peritted to, witness vancouver en fete, the whole place being in holiday in expectation of their first Tea steamer's arrival from Japan. The day was the anniversary ofthe destruction of the town by fire in 1886. Next morning we steamed up the Inlet and alongside the wharf, and in six hours more the homeward contingent of the Abyssiniu's passengers, accompanied by others who had come up from San Francisco to do the C. P, route, was on its way by rail to Montreal. T shall not trouble on with my impressions of that railway journey. Suffice it, that, as far as my experience went, Ifound The Times correspondent's description of it, true to the letter and I would advise all who intend. making the trip to the Rockies to procure and study his letters, adopting them and relying on them as their rade mecum though the territory. On nly way from Montreal to Liverpool, it was my good fortune to have as fellow passengers several influential Canadians deeply interested in the success of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, and in conversation with them from time to time I endeavoured to demonstrate the extreme importance of the new route as a trade route between Hongkong, China and Japan in the East, and north-west America and Great Britain in the West; and I was delighted to learn that a strong wish, I might say determination prevails all over the Dominion to have a regular line estab-Tished! without delay. Tsay nothing, regard to the Manitoban dispute with the Pacific Railroad authorities, although I do think and believe that they will do well to give a little more consideration to the wants of the territory and grind their monopoly less rigorously than they are doing,—their tariff being at the moment simply prohibitory in the interests of the colonists and the development of the coun-T confine myself entirely to the imperial and otherwise, which jan way to our Western and Eastern possession and dependencies has placed within our grasp. The Americans are keenly alive to those, and so, it is currently believed, are the Germans; and if the British nation fail to secure them we may rest assured they will not long go a begging. With good steamers across the Pacific the voyage between Yokohama to Vancouver should not occupy more than 12 days as against 17 to 20 days to Ssu Fravcleco, and in 18 days wore the wails transmited over the C. P. Route should be delivered in London, But to effect this the railway authorities shoulddotheir partof the work better than they are doing it now. At the present time the service overland is too slow entirely. The train halt sat every little station en route, and the time wasted at the various stopping points is simply scandalous. Moreover, a higher speed must be maintained, and, judging from the fact that in one night—the night before we reached Winnipeg, we gained 5 hours on schedule time,—part of a loss we experienced through a "wash out" of a ridge at Banff in the Rocky mountains—this assily be done. There should be no difficulty in doing the entire distance in 4 and a half days, and the sooner this done the better will it be for all cun-corned.
In concluding this letter I would out two or three little-things in whic! muy opinion, and viewed from a passenger's standpoint, the railroad and Customs authorities are defective and annoying.
Customs.—Men professing to be officers appeared on the wharf shortly after the "had been moored, but they not wear any uniform or' bade to distinguish them from the ordinary loafer of Vancouver. We passengers knew not in whose hands we were. Personally I experienced no trouble from this source, but some of my fellow travellers were less fortunate, and one gentleman in particular—an arrival from San Francisco via Victoria had reason to complain of the treatment he received at the hands of those seemingl self constituted guardians of the British Columbian revenues—he having been hear ly mulcted in duty on two articles of his. wearing apparel and on the contents of a luncheon basket which he had thought it advisable to provide for the use of his family (six all told) during the trip to Montreal, In justice to the administration, however, I must add that on the ease being represented to them they condemned the action of the officer, and he subsequently offered to return the amount collected. His offer was refused. He averred that what he did was simply done in the performance of his duty, and the gentleman though deeply riled was satisfied.
Passing on to the with its feeding arrangements.—There is no fault to be found with the quantity or quality of the food either at the Company's hotels or in the cars. But what every passenger did feel most acutely was the system which compels each to swallow a square meat (cust $0.75=3/-) three times a day-—from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or go without. There are but few men so constituted as to be able to stow vay so_much food in such a short space of time and feel entirely comfortable; and, on the other hand, there are not many who can go regularly nine hours or so. without refreshment. The system is highly objectionable, and the expense thereby occasioned is a very serious item to passengers who are not flush of money. Novw if there were an ala carte bill of fare, and a cold luncheon to be had at any time whilst the dining car was runing with the train, and the passengers were supplied with what they wanted, and as they felt inclined for it, the unplow: santness complained of would' be obviated. And, further, the obnoxious practice that obtains of passengers lumbering up the gangways by night, and the seats by with luncheon' baskets, and converting the carriages into so many evoking shops, to the intense discomfort and annoyance of "all aboard," would be done away with also.
Third—Thero is the sleeping accomnnodation for which a through fare has to pa $20. night. This Thave no hesitation in writing down excessive. The beds and bedding and the attendance are all that can be desired, but Sta night is a heavy price to pay, and it is moreover, most annoying to people coming from the east, who fail to see why car berth cannot be arranged in their ticket as well as a berth in the connecting At-antic steamers at Montreal or Quebec. But a still greater grievance than that ras experienced, one. that reflects. the eatest discredit on the administration. The "sie re arranged in sections of two berths exch—one above and one below. Each has a separate curtain facing, and in the little room thus provided every person, male or fenule, has to dress, un-Aressand sleep. And unless one is able to engage a whole section (two berths-—cost $40 £8), the one berth may be occupied by alody and the other by a gentleman, for the jassougers, are distributed promiseuously over the ears. Itis shameful that this shotild be, and Tam sure itis only necessary to call the attention of the mam to the practice to have it remedied, sleeper, dressing romn andlavatory would be a very simple thing to screen off a
attached and devoted to the ladies on the train—the other portion to the gentlemen, By this the susceptibilities of no one would be shocked, their comfort greatly increased, and the reputation of the line immensely enhanced.
tion between Vancouver and A proper system of telegraph Montreal, whereby the appropriate steamer accommodation for Liverpool can be secured for through-going passengers, must be instituted. In the case of us passengers from China, seven declared at Vancouver: that we wished to go through and embark by the Allan line steamer Parisian at Mon-This was eight days before the date ing of that vessel. Judge therefore of our surprise and chagrin on reaching Montreal, to find that no message had preceded us; that riv accommodation had been secured for us in the Parisian; that every first-class berth was already secured, and that if we wished to go on, we should. have to be contented with such other stateroom accomodation as she could furnish. We came on getting distributed all over the ship. Fortunately we had fine weather across the Atlantic, and, soon we forgot our grievances in the expectation of speedily reaching old England, than which there is, be lovelier or better sputall the world over. I am very glad I came by the Canadian Pacific route. No man can do justice to the scenery, it must be seen. In sume of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.