CURRENT LITERATURE.
Vancouver Island and British Columbia. By Matthew INfacfle, F.R.G.S. (Longman and Co.)—The author is qualified for the task he has under- taken by a residence in the colony of five years, apparently in a clerical capacity. His book is the first attempt to give a complete account of the colony ; of its geography, climate, flcira, fauna, and aborigines, and also of its commercial, mining, and agricultural capabilities ; and it is par- ticularly valuable, from the very conflicting nature of the reports con- tained in the letters of "correspondents." The great disadvantage under which the colony rests is its inaccessibility, and the great richness of its gold mines has attracted a population who may not unfairly be called the scum of the earth. But the climate is admirable, and its agricultural capabilities great. Probably the farmer as distinguished from the cattle- breeder would nowhere have a better chance of average success. Mr. Mae writes with a moderation of tone and fulness of information which inspire the reader with confidence in his statements, and any one wishing to acquaint himself with the state of the colony and the prospect it holds out to an emigrant cannot do better than consult this handsome volume, which is duly supplied with maps and statistics of all sorts. With reference to the San Juan question, the author calls attention to the speech of Mr. Benton in the United States Senate in 1846 on the ratification of the Oregon Treaty, who was certainly under the idea that it gave America the island. This at least shows the bona fides of the American claim.
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