Northward of Vancouver's Island the coast range of mountains trends so
near the Pacific as to obstruct intercourse with the interior, but
"inside," in the language of a witness, "it is a fine open country."
This is the valley of Fraser River. Ascending this river, near Fort
Langley, "a large tract of land" is represented as "adapted to
colonists;" while of Thomson River, the same witness says that it is
"one of the most beautiful countries in the world"--"climate capable of
producing all the crops of England, and much milder than Canada." The
sources of Fraser River, in latitude 55 degrees, are separated from
those of Peace River (which flows through the Rocky Mountains, eastward,
into the Athabasca) by the distance of only 317 yards.