New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
1873

NEW WESTMINSTER, the former capital of British Columbia, is beautifully situated on the north bank of the Eraser River, 85 miles from Victoria. Lat. 49° 12' 47' N., lon. 122° 53' W. The town boasts of a very handsome Episcopal Church (of stone) and the only peal of bells on the coast, presented some years ago by Miss Burdett Coutts, now Baroness in her own right. There are also very neat churches in connection with the Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and Methodist denominations. The town also contains a telegraph office, 2 newspaper offices, 1 distillery, 1 grist mill, 3 saw mills, a public hospital, a mint and assay office, court house, gaol, penitentiary, legislative building, government house, savings bank, a number of stores, &c. At present the principal industry is salmon fishing, of which immense numbers run up the River Fraser. Sturgeon also of fabulous size besides other kinds of fish are caught in great abundance. Magnificent trout are taken in various small streams in the neighborhood. New Westminster was a prosperous and busy place when it was the capital, but since the removal of the government to Victoria it has materially decreased in business and population. But nothing can deprive it of its magnificent site and of its unequalled climate and scenery. The steamers from Vancouver Island make it their forwarding station for all passengers and freight from abroad; and the river steamers make it their headquarters, whence they convey passengers and freight to Yale, 100 miles distant, the head of navigation on the Fraser River, and supply the demands of the whole of the interior. Steamers run twice a week between New Westminster and Victoria. Burrard Inlet, one of the finest harbors on the Pacific coast, and spoken of as the probable terminus of the Canada Pacific railway, is only a few miles from New Westminster.

Lovell's gazetteer of British North America; J. Lovell; Montreal, 1873

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