No Better Land: The 1860 Diaries of the Anglican Colonial Bishop George Hills, Roberta Bagshaw. Published by Sono Nis Press, 1996. Card covers. 8vo up to 9½” tall., 307pp. with black and white plates, notes, bibliography and index. In fine, unread condition.
A primary-source look into the early colonial history of British Columbia through the personal journals of George Hills, the first bishop of the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia. The diaries follow Bishop Hills from his arrival at Esquimalt Harbour in January 1860 and capture a transformative era in Pacific Northwest history: The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush; racial and political dynamics surrounding newly enfranchised Black pioneers in Victoria; interactions and observations with local First Nations communities, linguistic notes, and traditional geographical place names. Additionally, Hill details his extensive travels around the vast diocese, creating schools, and establishing early Canadian parishes.
