| Show TL TA nine ivie of still juan island to me states A 1 1 T culau w amb 1171 e of cf I 1 a journals are quite llight li t of the ilio resent controversy be tw tween L en the united states arid and great britain concerning the ott ownership ot of 1 die lland hand of san juan at first th wight it it is apparently an insi bifi li laut laiu matter but to the careful ob bervee of events as they are trans on the pacific coast it becomes till an altair aclair of magnitude and worthy vor iby e of profound consideration such rapid strides as americans are to people and civilize the iho country to the west vest of t the ile rocky mountains and such vast re results s alts as i a eien ve I 1 I 1 ten tell years jears has anade should awaken ev citizen to the in m the future of our possessions on oft the pacific thirteen years ago ind and mark the time lime who would have hate cared about the ownership of the lands 1 about the entrance tr tc the golden gate now new in what part pariot of alid world are they so ba as not to know their value alue at the north too far distant to J come in in rivalry wiehl san francisco I 1 our country possesses island waters of such extent and value V and harbors harbora so capacious and safe as with nit the mildness of the climate affording acce access s every day in in the year to place hern without any adiv question un ri hi the hole world around these bt straits inlets sounds lays and hat harbors rs limber for spars and ship aluff buchas such as can be found nowhere else a exists in m inexhaustible liei c and rid ships are beginning to come every quarter of the and moth bouth pacific oc oceans caris for this turn lumber bar 4 and are n now oh inaugurating g a 1 trade that shall astonish them the world in in d a very few years eighteen monts since since gold dold was fo found und in british colbuth columbia bia nod the brecious Ire cious metal meal is exist over a vast region embraced in the british and american possessions to the north and east of the straits of J puca fuca the short time tim e that has elapsed witnesses the opening and success ful fu fettler settlement rient of a large extent of country on fraser river and thera pid advancement ot the cominer commercial cial town own of victoria on vancouver island while the british government is concentrating at Esqui esquimalt malt the nucleus of chev pacific navy to check the tendency alre already dy apparent of en english hish supremacy in these waters as well as to protect thelast foreign co commerce winch which will all be our 0 omers there I 1 the government of tae 1 ic united states slates should not only maintain our right to the island of san juau juan but commence to fortify it in the best manner as an osset offset to lie british works on vancouver Is and san juan has an admirable position n iiron commanding as it does the stravis ot of iuca auca in in a wide range the canal do haro separating it from vancouver and also al 0 rosario rosano straits dividing it from the mainland thus it boint commands bands the entrance to tho the gulf at 0 georgia and effectually that of fraser river mer there are other important elements to the prosperity pio penty of ashing ton territory the only coal nae e mateyec have hate yet yec found on the ceist of easy access is is there again the fishr fisher ies les aich h intelligent persons haie bave assume assumed d will nl rl clial ival all other ather products iba in a few years will at least fornwall for form niall an import important source of w wealth eally these taken with her agricultural r resources soura make up a whole which will strike stal e the reader as ve very ry significant of the importance to the country country of our possessions in in these northern wa va tera the rhe writer anter well remembers the prevailing idea which existed but a few years since since that the coustry around the sound as it etwas avas call ed vas mas ili nearly carly worthless worthies havin having abundance of timber timba r to be sure but after tile pile driving should cease on our city front little w would be the demand and where here the then n would be the market mark tho the change chang a the damand in in this market for lum ber bar is is more than half supplied from there hile ships directly from japin japan china austrilia australia and south sout 11 america go and come for turn lumber ber arid and spars without barid haling occasion occasion to visit san francisco francico at all these remarks are made to direct the attention of those ibo ho do not note the fact that however little they may ha have a known about the island of san juan and whatever they may have hare thought to the contrary it is an important spot in an important part of our country D |
