1860-03-01
THURSDAY
Frost. Chisholm Resigned
Lempriere started at ¼ to 10- in
canoe with Chisholm & LeTray – went
to Cornish Bar & walked back –
No water in Coes ditch & only three
men holding on to their claims (Howard
& Co.) Pollard arrived on route to Yale
& brought a barrel of Porter to make up
for the one he lost – which I refused
to take. Did not see a bin on the
way from Cornish Bar.
[overwritten text]
Crickmer sent
in a Puppy by
Pollard
1860-03-02
FRIDAY
Fine morning walked to see
the Traps – Helo. Held court
In office all day preparing my
monthly accounts – Indians arrive
from a hunting expedition – Higher [illegible]
Landvoigt returned & [illegible] – two mails, no
English letters – Recd Arnolds school
sermons, which arrived by the Princess Royal
Landvoigt came up. Charles came in the
evening.
1860-03-03
SATURDAY
Up early slight rain walked to trap
one sprung – & lots of tracks but held
In office – busy writing letters –
Charles lounched – went again to traps
& set 3 more – saw more tracks
Express arrived, & reported that the
mail was on the way but would not
arrive for about two days. How very
provoking – getting very uneasy for
my letters from home.
1860-03-04
SUNDAY
Heavy rain during the night
Up early & walked with Charles
to the Traps – Helo – but traps sprung
and lots of tracks. Robson service
Walked with Charles – very cold &
stormy – Writing letters – – Read –
Service at 6 ½ – – Read &
turned in at 10- PM
1860-03-05
MONDAY
Wet morning –
Busy in office – received
Trading licences – Mail arrived
Letter fr Mamsey & 2 papers.
Recd £ [left blank]
and £10//10//0
from Capt Gosset. Posted No 5-
& Enclosure to the Colonel – & papers
Dined at the Fort –
1860-03-06
TUESDAY
Snow slight –
Greys boat went down. In office
all day – Wrote letters and
made up accounts –
Wrote to Saunders with reference
to Puget Sound ditch Company
1860-03-07
WEDNESDAY
Wet morning – Charles & Findlaison
went to the Traps – In office
nearly all day.
Henrietta steamer arrived with
miners mostly china men
Mail from Westminster – Pitman
& Seymour spent the evening. Sutton
came to speak about license
for Harrison river.
1860-03-08
THURSDAY
Wet night
Henrietta returned at 8- A.M.
Walked with Charles to the Traps –
Helo – Very seedy bad head ache
Spent evening at the Fort
1860-03-09
FRIDAY
Beautiful morning – Went up river
to French Bar Trafalgar Bar
& Miners Bar – only issued one
mining license to a China man
Numbers promised to come
down & pay Walked home from
Coquihalla – Pringle arrived with
mail – Circuit issued – Letters from
Ker Good enclosing receipt for £25-
Pringle & Charles dined –
[overwritten text]
Ker wrote to
ask me to be
[illegible] his Security
for £700 on [illegible]
1860-03-10 *
SATURDAY
Very fine morning – Wrote to
Ball – Humfrey – & Haynes enclosing
notice for assize – Received
Trading licences – & Crown Rent.
Pringle fussy as ever & ready for
any grievance that may turn
up. Long chat with him about
appropriating library money to the
building of a church & Rectory
Commenced making my garden
1860-03-11
SUNDAY
Beautiful morning – Service at
11- AM – Robsons congregation attended
Walked with Charles & Mrs to Coquihalla
Quite like a summers day. Walked
with Charles to the Traps, four
wild dogs cought – & of course
Mamalused – Elliot arrived
no service – Pringle came
in the evening – Findlaison crusty
1860-03-12 *
MONDAY
Beautiful day more like June
Elliot went to a Pic nic – In
office – Prisoner Flynn affects
illness Fits of Apoplexy – Cought Hazel
with bottle of rum.
Walked with Pringle & selected
a lot for Nind – & one for
Myself – Pringle breakfasted and dined
Invited by Huntoon & Curtz to a Party
went for short time with Elliot
1860-03-13
TUESDAY
Special Constable Rattray
Wet morning – Wrote to Cary
Nind Lempriere Good & Ker, Gaggin
& Humfrey – Pringle applied to me
to sign a release of $50- from loan
to Library – which I refused to do.
Walked with Pringle to Coquihalla, and
bought from him Lots
1860-03-14
WEDNESDAY
Fine morning – Went in canoe
to Hudsons bar – visited all the
miners between there, & Hope, brought
up blankets &c belonging to James Mead
& Jno Reid – who had been discharged from
the boat of Nicholas Santiff- Marshall (Union
bar) paid his Trading license Very wet
evening.
1860-03-15
THURSDAY
Very wet morning – Funeral of
Mrs Jones – London Bar – Died 14th March
Busy in office – Working in
Garden – Findlaison went to
Union Bar to serve summons for
County Court. No dinner –
Pringle remained very late
1860-03-16
FRIDAY
Wet morning – Held court
at 11- A.M. – Report of the
Henrietta being at Cornish bar set
Pringle in the fidgets about the mark
Smith arrived in time to prevent our
sending for the mail. Bushby &
Begbie arrived – Long chat with
Bushby.
1860-03-17
SATURDAY
Cold morning – Begbie very
facecous – Walks with him
to Coquihalla – Coe & Begbie on
very over intimate terms –
Begbie busied himself about
Goods lot – Capt McClintock
arrested on Capias – Marshall
having sworn an affidavit
Discharged Hazle – Heavy
fall of snow.
1860-03-18
SUNDAY
Fine morning – Went to
Yale with Begbie & Bushby
Passed Pringle on the way
No service – arrived at
Yale at 6 – Dined at
Powers – Spent the evening
at Saunders – where I slept
sat up very late – Begbie
paid me $330 – lent him
to buy mules –
1860-03-19
MONDAY
Yale assizes – Grand Jury
sworn – no business – Walked
to Canion with Saunders – &
visited the Indian Camps –
walked again with Begbie &
Elliot – Cards at Saunders
at which I won $9-25 –
1860-03-20
TUESDAY
Heavy fall of snow Left Yale
at 3 PM & arrive at Hope at
5½ – Very cold – Pringle fussy
as usual – Read – Signed summons
for Juries – Turned in early
No Mail though it has
been reported on the way from
Harrison River since Saturday
1860-03-21
WEDNESDAY
Fine bracing morning S.E. wind
Busy in office Begbie &
Bushby arrived from Yale
Walked to Goods farm.
Thos Campbell arrested for
stealing – Englhardt pistol
pleaded guilty – sentenced to
1 months in prison and with hard
labour. Whist Bushby Begbie
Pringle & myself.
1860-03-22
THURSDAY
Paid Smith $130- for Lot
Also $100- to hand to Ball in
part payment for Lots
Bought from Simon Popper
Mail arrived – Letter fr Mamsey & 3 papers
Also heard from the Gov offering to
expend £1500 in exploring & opening a
trail to Shamilkameen – held meeting
with reference to the above – when it was
agreed to raise $150 to explore. Elliot
arrived
1860-03-23
FRIDAY
Assizes opened at 11- AM Chas
Murphy fined $15- for non attendance
on Petty Jury. Crickmer arrived on
route to Yale. Long chat with
Begbie about his lots here also
our purchase of the lots at West Minster
Subscription opened for Bridge over
Coquihalla – Meeting in Court House
with reference to the bridge.
Begbie snubbed Pringle
[overwritten text]
Begbies present
of beer arrived
by Canoe
1860-03-24 *
SATURDAY
Walked with Begbie, Coe, & Sutton to
Quequehalla – Specification for
Bridge drawn up. Drew as Bills
for £100- each on Provincial Bank of
Ireland Omagh, two sent to Burnaby
one to Stewart to negotiate – squared
accounts with Bushby. Begbie
& Bushby start with Pollard –
Elliot & Charles dined – Pringle came
in the evening – as crabby as could be
1860-03-25
SUNDAY
Beautiful morning
Service at 11- – Walked with Elliot at
back of town to Coquihalla, oppressively
hot – Found Finlaison on our return fooling
with the girls. Wrote letters. Service at
6½ – very good attendance, & collection
Pringle announces that he will have sermons
regularly in the future. Very uneasy day
Wrote letters ill late.
1860-03-26 *
MONDAY
Fine morning. Posted No 6 to
Mamsey enclosed to the Captain
who I advised of having drawn on the
Provincial B. of Ireland for £300-
Busy getting subscriptions for Bridge
Bothe prisoners Flynn & Campbell
get rusty & refuse to work – locked up helo
muchamuc. Dined at Fort. Charles
came over in the evening. Coe Sutton
& Pringle called – Finlaison procures
the honeysucel
1860-03-27
TUESDAY
Fine morning – Prisoners again rusty
& again locked up – Finlaison went to
Union Bar to execute warrant on
Chas Murphy – fined for non attendance
as Juror – , went to Cornish bar
& Maria Ville Island. Walked over
flat at the opposite side of river
with Charles & then home – very
tired. Crickmer arrived from Yale
dined & slept. Pringle called
[overwritten text]
[Rosey] [borey alis]
1860-03-28
WEDNESDAY
Fine & very warm
Crickmer went down in Grays boat
Crow called & gave me some very fine
specimens of scale gold from Lytton
Landvoigt called with reference to the
Bridge. Coe proposed to have only
one pier in the Bridge –
Pringle declared withdrew his
record of land at opposite side of
river. Charles Recorded it.
1860-03-29
THURSDAY
Heavy shower of Rain – beautiful
day – busy writing up my cash books
Pringle called & bothered me so that
I had to go to walk with him – Walked
over the land he had intended to
purchaise of which I dont think much
afterwards walked over mountains to
opposite Maria Ville Island & home
by Island – Came across in separate
canoes – tired & turned in early
1860-03-30
FRIDAY
Beautiful morning – Prisoner Campbell
refused to work. Held Court
Working in garden.
No at all well –
1860-03-31
SATURDAY
South E. wind, fine morning
issued mining licenses Held court
at 11- – Making up accounts for
the month. Appointed to meet the
Bridge committee at 7- PM, elected
Treasurer Dined at the Fort & met Gillet
an English merchant, & regular
cockney – Charles & he spent the
evening.
Back to Peter O’Reilly’s 1860 Diary
Peter O’Reilly’s 1860 diary has been transcribed by volunteers and staff of the Vancouver Island Local History Society and is for informational purposes only. Researchers interested in this diary are advised to consult the original document housed at the Royal British Columbia Museum & Archives, found in MS-2894, the O’Reilly family fonds.