item from 1890s Vancouver

[Mike Cleven]

On my bathroom reading shelf I've lately had a copy of "Vancouver: A
Visual History" by Bruce MacDonald (Talonbooks, Vanoucver, 1992), a sort
of cartographic history of Vancouver which includes spot anecdotes
tracking the development of Vancouver society etc.  On the 1890s section
I found a picture and caption of:

Won Alexander Cumyow

"Born at Port Douglas on Harrison Lake in 1860, Cumyow was the first
Chinese native of Canada and one of the first non-Natives born on the
Mainland of BC.  During the 1890s he worked as a court interpreter in
Vancouver, translating between Native Chinook, Chinese and English."

....which leads me to ponder again the survival of any Cantonese-Chinook
materials that may have had reason to get written down, and to the state
of usage of Chinook within the pioneer Chinese community; and of course
court records, if any, that may be in Chinook......

And speaking of Early Vancouver, I'd brought down to the Lu'lu my copy
of the 2-volume "Early Vancouver" archival excerpts by Major J.S. (Skit)
Matthews; black hardbound, slightly larger than pocketbook size.  I know
the books made the circuit of the room for a while; I'm wondering if
they were still with someone when I headed off that Sunday morning, as I
haven't seen them since.  Or else I "unpacked" them haphazardly when I
got home and still haven't found them to put them back on my shelves.
If someone _did_ find them after the Lu'lu, please let me know.  These
are NOT in print and, to my knowledge, are no longer on the antiquarian
market........

Hoho Klissmass pe Klee Chee Hyas Cole....

Mike