hor in the
harbor yonder, and will be leaving Monday for Esquimalt." I saw her
that evening at anchor, with the Union Jack flapping in the breeze,
and suppose the Jacks were aboard all right.

We were advised that the mint was open to visitors between the hours
of 9.30 and 11.30, and as I had not been there for about twenty years
we joined a party one morning. On presenting ourselves we were
ushered into a waiting-room with others. Later on a man in uniform
came for us. We were counted and told to follow. We were first taken
down to a room in the cellar where we were instructed as to what we
should see, and given a lot of information about the mint. This was
done where it was quiet, as where the work was done it is very noisy.
The first process was melting the silver in crucibles, which were
emptied of their contents when in a liquid state into molds, which
were in turn emptied out, were grasped by a man who passed them on
with thick leather-gloved hands to powerful rollers which rolled the
ingots out to long strips like hoop-iron, after being passed through
many times. These strips, which were then as thick as a dollar, were
passed under a stamp, which punched out the coins about 120 a minute.
They were continually being examined by various men who now and then
threw out imperfect ones. They were then passed on to another room
where there was a perfect din of machinery. They were now passed
under an immense stamp and the image was punched on under a
pressure of one hundred and twenty-eight tons. They were then coins,
and after several other examinations were cooled and passed, one
being handed around for our inspection. In addition to the dollar we
saw the same routine gone through in making a copper cent piece.
I tried to get one, but he said every one was counted and must be
produced. There were several who wanted souvenirs and wished to pay
for them. We were counted again, signed our names and left.

CHAPTER XXVI.

AN HISTORIC STEAMER.

The following interesting account of the historic steamer
_Beaver_, the first to round the Horn into the Pacific, will be
read by native sons as well as pioneers with renewed interest, as it
is many years since this account was published.

The _Beaver_ lay off the old Customs House for a long time,
until taken by the Admiralty for hydrographic work. When done with
for that purpose she was sold for mercantile purposes again.

For some years she was in charge of my old