ROSTER OF THE FIFTY-EIGHTERS
Being those remaining in 1908 of the 20,000 people who came to
Victoria from California in the year 1858. Total, 45.--E. F.
Before the year 1858, Victoria was a trading station or fort of the
Hudson's Bay Company. In that year the news that gold had been
discovered on Fraser River had reached San Francisco. It was not long
ere the news travelled all over California and craft of all kinds
were soon on the berth for Victoria. The list of steamers alone is
a long one, and they were mostly taken off the Panama route, and
are all to-day a thing of the past. There was the _Pacific_, the
loss of which caused the greatest loss of life of them all put
together, the _Cortez_, _John L. Stephens_, _Oregon_, _America_,
afterwards the _Brother Jonathan_, _Orizaba_, _Commodore_,
_Republic_, _Sierra Nevada_, and several smaller ones.
Of those on the framed list there is Frank Adams, who has spent the
best part of his life here, and is a partner in the firm of E. B.
Marvin & Co.; James R. Anderson, late deputy minister of Agriculture,
whose father was the first Collector of Customs for Vancouver Island
in 1858; Frederick Allatt, who has also been here from childhood, and
whose father was an early time contractor; Charles Alexander, of
Saanich; August Borde and his mother, the former water rates
collector for the city; Samuel Booth, who was in business in the
city market building; Ralph Borthwick, and Thomas J. Burnes, formerly
hotel men, and the latter a chief of the early Volunteer Fire
Department. Walter Chambers, who came an infant, and who is so well
known in connection with the lumber industry of this city; Mrs.
George Cogan and Mrs. Henry Collins, two daughters of the late Mr.
Rabson, of Esquimalt and Comox; Alexander Gilmore, one of the pioneer
clothiers of this city; Henry Gribble, who for years kept a fancy
goods store, and who is to-day blind; Mr. Judge Harrison and his
mother, whom I have known since 1859; Mrs. O. C. Hastings, _nee_
Miss Layzell, with whom I went to school in 1859; David W. Higgins,
of whom I need say little, as he is so well known as an editor and
writer of such interesting stories of early pioneer life; William
Humphreys, late alderman and Cariboo miner; Samuel Kelly, who was
another prominent volunteer fireman, chief of the early fire
department; Charles Lombard, who was an amateur singer, assisted to
make life pass pleasantly at the various concerts of early times;
Mrs. Edward Marvin, mother of Mr. Frank Adams; Mrs. McPhaden, of
Vancouver, and sister of Judge Harrison; Captain William Moore, the
veteran steamboat captain, one of the best known men of British
Columbia; Mrs. Moore, John Moore, the veteran purser, and his brother
William; James Moore, one of the discoverers of gold on the Fraser
River; Mrs. Alex. Phillips, her son, whose husband and father was a
pioneer soda water maker of the early days; Mrs. W. Scott, whose
husband was steward on so many of the early steamers of these waters;
Louis G. McQuade, of P. McQuade & Sons; Thomas W. Seward, a veteran
miner of Cariboo, and who is a familiar figure on our streets
to-day as he strolls about; John B. Sere, of the Richmond, a former
proprietor of the Hotel de France, on Government Street; Chas.
McK. Smith, brother of Amor de Cosmos, founder of the _Colonist_;
Stephen A. Spencer, a pioneer photographer; George Stelly, owner
of the Clarence Block, and a pioneer teamster of long ago; Frank
Sylvester, who died a month ago; Mrs. Julia Travis; Joseph W. Carey,
formerly mayor; E. Cody Johnson, caretaker of the city market; Mrs.
R. Wolfenden, wife of the King's Printer. This list will be framed
and hung in the Parliament Buildings for the inspection of the sons
and daughters of the above in the years to come.