atting with one another, several little groups of Victoria's
respected citizens are having their afternoon chat on the several
topics of the day. I see them now, as I saw them then, a row of
chairs, some of them tipped back and the occupier perhaps smoking.
There was, likely, Alexander Gilmore, merchant tailor. Then half a
dozen guests in the front of the Colonial Hotel, which was next door
to Fletcher's music store; then Joe Lovett of Lovett's Exchange, and
then the subject of my little sketch, Tommy Geiger. He was well known
and well liked by all, and fond of a joke was Tommy. No one ever
thought of calling him other than "Tommy" in those good old days.
Very few fortunes were made in those days on Government Street, or
those summer afternoon chats, sitting on tipped-up chairs would not
have been held.

It must have been a slack time of the day to be able to enjoy
themselves in this free and easy manner. A customer goes into one of
these stores, the proprietor gets up, goes in to serve him, and then
returns to his seat to resume the conversation. They did not worry,
they lived quietly, were able to bring up their families as they
should, and to-day these families represent some of our best business
men. So I say "_requiescat in pace_." He was an enthusiastic
fireman in those days when volunteer firemen did so much for nothing
and that efficiently, too.

THE ROSTER OF THE "FIFTY-EIGHTERS" IN THE PROVINCE.

The following is a list of those who remain of the twenty thousand
people who arrived in Victoria from San Francisco in 1858, the first
year of the gold excitement:

Anderson, James R. November. Str. Cortez, from San Francisco. Ar. with sister; retired Deputy
Minister of Agriculture
Adams, Frank. July Str. Pacific, from San Francisco. Ar. young, with father and mother;
now with firm of E. B. Marvin & Co.
Allatt, Frederick. August 12. Str. John L. Stephens, Ar. young, with father and mother;
from S. Francisco. now carpenter and contractor
Alexander, March. Str. Oregon, from San Francisco. Ar. with wife and son
Charles.
Borde, August. April. Str. America, from San Francisco. Ar. with father and mother;