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- 146 REMINISCENCES OF OLD VICTORIA
some time; and my thoughts wandered to pioneer days, and from that to the gathering of pioneers this year, which, I understood, was to be a more extended gathering than usual. I thought I should like to be there for the sake of old times, but could not make up my mind to brave the disagreeable weather at this time of year.
After considering the matter, I decided to write, if I did not go; and, further, I decided to pay a visit to Smith's Hall first. So next morning I called on Mr. Kinsman, who kindly showed me upstairs, and over the old place. ' I might well say, "the old place," for it looked old and deserted, like the banquet hall spoken of by Moore.
With my mind's eye I pictured the scene of thirty-five years ago?I was at the hall early, being enthusiastic on the subject, and noted each well-known face as the guests came up the stairs and took their seats, until about forty had collected.
There was Thomas Harris, who had been the first mayor of the city. He was very stout, and complained of the exertion in climbing up the stairs, which was passed off as a joke, of course.
There was Major McDonell, a retired army officer; Robert H. Austen, a pioneer of San Francisco, whose uncle, Judge Austen (an early resident), had been a prominent member of the "vigilance committee" of San Francisco in the early fifties, when men were tried by that committee, condemned to death, and hanged, as I myself was a witness to on two occasions.
There was William P. Sayward, the father of Joseph Sayward, and one of the best men Victoria ever produced ; Patrick McTiernan, a well-known business man ; Captain Gardner, one of Victoria's pilots; Henry E. Wilby, father of the Messrs. Wilby of Douglas Street,
PIONEER SOCIETY'S BANQUET 147
who was Portuguese Consul, and a resident of Esquimalt; Jules Rueff and E. Grancini, both Wharf Street merchants; Andrew C. Elliott, a barrister, and after-wards premier of the province; Honore Passerard, a Frenchman and property holder of Johnson Street; Robert Ridley, who claimed he was the original " Old Bob Ridley" who crossed the plains to San Francisco
in '49; Felix .Leslonis, the Hudson's Bay Company's cooper, who was a Frenchman, and used to sing a song called " Beau Nicolas" at charity concerts, and usually brought down the house.
There was S. Driard, another Frenchman, and proprietor of the Driard House, and who being, like Mayor Harris, very corpulent and asthmatic, complained, like him, of the "upper room"; James Wilcox, the proprietor of Royal Hotel, now proved to have been the " second " brick hotel built in Victoria ; William Spence, a contractor, and after whom Spence's Rock was named; John Dickson, the tinsmith and hardware man of Yates Street?a quiet, goodhearted man, an American ; James Lowe, a Wharf Street merchant, of Lowe Bros.; Frank Campbell, of " Campbell's Corner "?genial, goodhearted Frank, a man without an enemy; Thomas L. Stahlschmidt, of Henderson & Burnaby, Wharf Street merchants, and father of Mr. Stahlschmidt, of R. Ward & Co.
There were Robert Burnaby, already mentioned; J. B. Timmerman, accountant and real estate agent, a Frenchman; Benjamin P. Griffin, mine host of the Boomerang, who had been a friend of my father's in Sydney, Australia, and was accountant in a bank there; and lastly, your humble servant, who was secretary of the meeting. There were others present, but they did not see fit to become members, among them being Ben Griffin.
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