Flatheads, that it requires more laziness to kill an Indian than any creature living. The noble redman condescends sometimes to sell the products of his squaw's industry, but, that done, he hies to some spot where the so-called "missionary whiskey" is sold, and invests his money in this fiery liquid, which, according to local tradition, is said to be "able to kill at three hundred yards on sight." The result of the investment, is that the demoniacal yelling of drunken savages often disturbs the silence of the night, and keeps many a pale-face engaged in hurling imprecations at them when they should be soundly sleeping.

wheezing tugs, and a large number of swift, whitesailed boats, above which looms occasionally the stately form of a full-rigged lumber-ship, bound in or out; on both sides of the Sound dense forests, that extend to the horizon in every direction, greet the vision; while far to the north towers the Olympic Range, whose snowy crest competes with the heavy masses of fleecy cumulus clouds for supremacy. This grand scene, illumined by the mellow light of the evening sun, produces a picture which cannot be excelled in color, breadth, or motion. It presents, at a coup-d'œil, contrasts of light and shade, tranquillity and energy, action and repose; yet all blend harmoniously together. At night the pictorial effect is The presence of the siwashes in this locality has somewhat enhanced, for at high tide the water forms affected the conversation of the whites to such an several canals through portions of the suburbs, and extent that the uninitiated stranger would be at a this reflects, with the most minute accuracy, the loss to understand many of their terms. It is not scintillating lights of the city; even persons passing unusual, for instance, to hear a young lady, who patalong its shores are seen in the mirrored sea as if ters her French glibly, say that hiyou persons atthey were walking on the star-dotted sky. On tended the last sociable; that Mr. Smith is a great moonlit nights the heavy forests, changed into tyee, or chief, in society; that the Browns are elip spiral wreaths of foliage, and the snowy range, near-tillicums, or of the first families; that a certain spot ly two hundred miles to the north, are reflected with photographic minuteness, so that a person need scarcely move from his piazza to behold one of the grandest scenes imaginable.

This city, so rich in scenic treasures, possesses a most agreeable climate also, for during the hottest days of July and August-and they are nothing to the torrid climate of the Atlantic States-cooling breezes from the snow-clad mountains and the frigid waters of the Sound fan it to a most delicious temperature, that leaves the traveler nothing to wish for in that direction. The nights are always cool enough to enable one to sleep soundly beneath a fair quantity of bed-clothing; and the twilight lasts so long that even those with poor sight can read a book as late as nine or ten o'clock without any other light than that furnished by Nature. If I wished to revel in a season of dolce far niente, I know of no other place on the continent that I would prefer to this charming spot, for none seems to possess a tithe of its manifold attractions. Here may be enjoyed all the pleasures of the rod and gun in a most unusual degree, for one need scarcely move three miles from town to try his powers on bear or deer, while grouse and other game-birds are so numerous in July and August that they can be killed with revolvers, or even sticks and stones. The Sound affords a great variety of fishing, and every stream abounds with trout, and furnishes ample scope for the fly-fisher to test his skill.

is a good picnicking illahee; or that the last concert was a closh musical wa-wa-a good concert. The word chuck was the most frequent term I heard for water among the pioneers, and tyee for some local celebrity. All the old citizens speak the Indian tongue, known as the Chinook, as fluently as the natives themselves. This language, which is formed of Indian, English, and French words, was originated by the Hudson Bay Fur Company in order that the coast tribes might have one language, which traders could understand. The result of their linguistic efforts is, that any person now who speaks the Chinook can travel among the Northwestern tribes with facility, as all, except the very old people, will readily understand him. The missionaries have also found it very useful in giving instruction in Christian doctrines, and nearly all their sermons are now delivered in that vernacular.

The most popular hymns have been translated into metrical Chinook, so we find every red-man indulging in psalms when he is seized with a fit of devotion.

They render them somewhat incongruous, if not ridiculous, however, quite frequently, by uniting with them an erotic or bacchanalian ditty, composed by some poetical white scapegrace whose ideas of propriety might be considered open to criticism. I heard a young warrior, for instance, who was quite proud of the numerous hymns which he had committed to memory, commence one by stating how little he cared for only one bottle of whiskey, then suddenly plunge into a petition to the Omnipotence to give him his daily bread and a seat in Zion after death. I could not help laughing at the sudden transition, and this act of mine so incensed him that he broke

Civilization and barbarism can also be contrasted at a glance, as Indian villages are scattered about in various places along the beach, and large numbers of their occupants may be encountered along-shore digging for clams, or selling them and other pisca-off suddenly, and no amount of persuasion could again torial commodities to the white inhabitants. It is certainly amusing to watch the red lords sit quietly in their canoes, while their spouses ply a sharp stick in search of the bivalves, and, when they have gathered a boat-load, lazily paddle ashore to receive it.

It seems to me, judging from the actions of the

induce him to try his vocal power. The red-men who frequent Olympia do not indulge much in such devotional exercises, however, they being too much absorbed in hunting for fire-water to have any time to spare for pious purposes. I bade adieu to this classical city with feelings of regret, as I found its inhabi

tants kind, genial, and hospitable, and devotedly attached to their charming abodes.

Going aboard the handsome steamer that plies between Olympia and British Columbia, a run of twentyfour miles placed me at Steilacoom, a hamlet having a population of about three hundred. The scenery around this is very charming, owing to the long stretches of flower-clad prairies which extend from it in every direction; the numerous groves that deck them, as if they were planted by a skillful landscape-gardener; and the magnificent view which the Cascade Range, with its heavy masses of snow, presents at all times. Pretty tarns are also quite numerous, and one, American Lake, is famous for the clearness of its water, and the fact that it rises and falls as if it were governed by the action of the tides in the Sound. These lakes are always the scene of an animated bird-life, as large flocks of wild-geese, ducks, and other natatores, may be found riding their pellucid waters at all seasons. Steilacoom itself, though unknown to general fame, has some historical importance. It was from it that General Harney dispatched Lieutenant Pickett, since famous as a Confederate commander, to seize San Juan Island, which the British Columbians claimed for themselves.

Many stirring anecdotes of those days are related by the enthusiastic pioneers, and with honest pride they dwell upon the integrity, spirit, and bravery of that fine type of the American soldier, the veteran general, and the gallant nonchalance of his young officer, who, when told by the pompous British commander that if he did not quit the island the English fleet would land its soldiers and capture his miserable excuse of a fortification, replied that the threats could in all probability be enforced, but that many a red-coat would deck its bastion ere they were fulfilled. His careless bearing, easy indifference, and genial hospitality, prevented, undoubtedly, the angry Britons from overcoming a prudent inactivity, and this led to our late quiet possession of the place through the gracious assent of his Germanic majesty. When the island was occupied conjointly by British and American troops, and magistrates were appointed by both nations to mete out justice to all, the judicial dignity of:

streets are indicated solely by charred stumps, and the houses have no more regularity of arrangement than if they were dropped in a shower of rain. All lumbering - marts have a certain air of picturesqueness and activity unusual to places of their size, and Tacoma is no exception to the rule, for, though its avenues may exist only on paper, yet its miles of logs scattered along the beach, its piles of sawed lumber, and the number of ships in the harbor, prove that it will at some future day have the importance for which its people sigh.

the Britons was so shocked by the action of their American contemporaries on the bench that they were compelled to retire from the association through fear of ridicule. The English magistrate appointed to the island circuit being impressed with his own importance appeared in court in faultless attire, and wearing the most fashionable gloves. His Yankee confrère, who was appointed apparently for the special purpose of contrast, appeared in an old suit of rusty gray, a collarless flannel shirt, and his large and horny hands never knew any covering other than a coating of clay. British dignity could scarcely stand such company, and it was only a severe sense of duty that made the English justice bear with the association. The last straw, however, was heaped on one day, when the American judicial came into court with unkempt hair and beard and the inevitable old suit, but arrayed, ye gods! in a brand-new pair of glaring-yellow kid-gloves, through which the hands seemed to have sprawled. When he took his seat on the bench, to the disgust of the other, and held up his hands, with fingers outstretched, the audience in the court roared with laughter to such an extent that no business could be transacted. This attempt at imitation or mockery was so evident that even the Britons could not suppress their laughter; and the result was, that the Eng-ments have agents there to purchase the quantity lish magistrate retreated from the bench in a fit of disgusted anger, and vowed he would never again sit with such a boor. He kept his word; so the American residents were tried thereafter before their rude though just and fun-loving justice of the peace. This was what they aimed at; so American diplomacy had gained another victory.

The trees used for the manufacture of lumber are confined to two principal species, the Picea Douglasii or red, and the P. grandis or yellow, fir. These forest giants stand preeminent in utility and profusion, and are excelled in dimension only by the Sequoias of California. The first-mentioned species often attains a height of four hundred and a diameter of fifteen feet, and one has been known to yield eighty thousand feet of lumber! The second is not considered to be as useful for general purposes as the first; but for special objects it is without a rival. It is the tree usually selected for the enormous ship-spars which the Territory exports to all portions of the world; and so much are its qualities appreciated that the principal European govern

they may desire. The wood is fine-grained and elastic, and capable of standing a very heavy pressure before yielding. There are some thirty lumber-mills along the Sound, which cut about four million feet per year; but that is only a fraction of what they can do, for they can supply the whole world with timber if necessary. This region must, therefore, become in the future the great ship-building and the lumber mart of the world, its resources in woods being apparently unlimited.

From Tacoma all travel to the northward, except by Indian trails, is by water, roads not having been opened up yet between the various points. This causes steamboats to flourish, and their heavy smoke may be seen curling upward in all directions throughout the Sound. Every variety, whether engaged in the passenger-traffic or not, seems anxious to secure a fare, and this propensity on the part of the captains was the means of enabling me to get away from Tacoma a day in advance of the departure of the regular steamer. I was fortunate enough to secure a passage for Seattle, some thirty miles to the north, on a craft so small that a waggish friend on shore advised me in case I chewed tobacco not to move it in my mouth for fear of upsetting her; but notwithstanding her diminutive proportions she possessed speed, and soon landed me at my destination.

Tales of this sort, and many others of a kindred class, are related with great gusto and native flavor by the Steilacoomers, as they consider that their town had no small share in the action that led to the capture of San Juan. Taking the train four miles back of this hamlet, I next halted at Tacoma, the northern terminus of the railroad. The route led through the same omnipresent forests that characterize the entire area west of the Cascade Range-an area embracing some thirty thousand square miles. The embryo city | of Tacoma occupies a charming location on Puget Sound, from which fine views of Mounts Rainier St. Helen's, Olympus, and other famous snow-peaks, are visible. Avenues, parks, and public squares are laid out among burnt stumps, felled trees, and piles of dirt; but, as the city does not boast any population worth mentioning, it will be at least a year or two before these high-sounding boulevards are ready for occupation. Half a mile below it is old Tacoma, a rudely-built hamlet possessing three hundred inhabitants, and boasting a daily newspa- The scenery down the Sound was made more per. Being devoted to lumbering, the residents look than usually interesting by the frequent sight of with envy upon their new rival farther up, as they fishing-hamlets and the presence of large fleets of fear that it will capture their trade and leave them Indian canoes bound for the fishing-grounds. The financial wrecks at some indefinite future time. adulations bestowed upon this splendid inland sea This village, which is old in name but young in ex- have been glowing indeed, yet to me its great charm istence, gives one an excellent idea of the amount of lies more in its own magnitude and the calm grandpatience and energy required to build a town in the eur of its surroundings than in brilliant effects. wilderness, and its most unromantic aspect when | During the day, if the weather be fine, the colors

lous the great navy-yard of the country will be established there.

visible are confined to three, namely, the glistening | sumed that when the Territory becomes more popuwhite of the snow-peaks, the deep, sombre green of the forests, and the blue of the sky and water. To find brilliant effects one must wait until the roseate hues of the evening sun illumine the scene, and then colors which the eye cannot even recognize, so soft and delicate are they, greet the vision in such numbers as to be compared only to the kaleidoscope. Strong contrasts of color, magnitude of area, and cold sublimity may, therefore, be said to form the characteristics of the Puget Sound scenery.

The city of Seattle, which is now supposed to be the future metropolis of the Territory, has a population of about three thousand, and, being the centre of a large area of country, does a very heavy business compared with its size. It boasts the honor of being the seat of the Territorial University, a large wooden structure, having pretensions to the Ionic school of architecture, which sits perched on a piece of eleAt Seattle the tourist will find a most interesting vated ground that commands a fine view of the bay body of water in Lake Washington, it being the in front and portions of Puget Sound proper. As a largest tarn in the Territory. It has a length of seat of learning it is, of course, far below what its twenty-five miles, and a width of from three to five; high-sounding name indicates; academy would, perand as a representative of lakes buried in wooded haps, be more appropriate, but that name would regions is one of the best on the continent. It is never do for the ambitious Westerners, who like sonosurrounded by heavy forests, which extend in un- rous terms, even though they are but the shadows of broken lines up the many-ridged hills which always the substance. It is open to both sexes; but its adsurround such bodies of water in the Northwest; vantages are not, evidently, much appreciated, judgwhile high above all looms Mount Rainier, a snow- ing by the number of pupils on the rolls, the averpeak estimated to be over fourteen thousand feet in age yearly attendance not exceeding one hundred height. It was supposed at one time that the Fed- and sixty. The corps of professors-amounting, I eral Government would use this lake as a fresh-wa- believe, to something like two, or perhaps one-is ter naval station for the building of vessels. The supported by a tuition-fee, as the land-grant which selection would be an excellent one, as it could be the institution owns is not yet sufficiently valuable connected with the Sound by a channel that would to yield funds enough to pay expenses. The comnot cost over one million dollars, owing to its having mon schools are very well attended; for, according an altitude of eighteen feet above the sea-level, and to law, every child between the age of eight and sixbeing distant only one mile, by way of Lake Union, teen must attend school at least three months in the from Duwamish Bay. Its banks yield coal, iron, year. There are about one hundred and eighty and lumber, and the water is deep enough to float schools in the Territory, attended by nearly six thouthe heaviest ships; and from these facts it is pre-sand children, and this, out of a total population of