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Public Offices document
McCulloch, John Ramsay to Elliot, Thomas Frederick 26 October 1858, CO 60:2, no. 10972, 175.

Abstract
Public Offices document. Minutes (4), Other documents (2), Marginalia (1).
McCulloch confesses that he has not seen Gosset concerning the order of stationery for British Columbia. He regrets that he cannot provide an estimate of costs.
The minutes decide to order stationery without Gosset’s input or an estimate.
Enclosed is a draft from Elliot to the Comptroller of the Stationery Office advising that Lytton would be forwarding, through the Treasury, a request for an ordinary supply of stationery; and a draft from Elliot to the Treasury requesting that Gosset’s application for stationery be complied with.
McCulloch to Elliot (Assistant Under-Secretary)
Stationery Office
26 October 1858
Sir,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22nd Instant 1 in regard to Stationery required for British Columbia; 2
A further Lr of explanation has come in today from Gossett [Gosset]. [Abd.]
and I beg to state with reference to this matter for the information of Sir Bulwer Lytton.
That I have not seen Captain Gosset, to whom reference is made in your letter, and that consequently no steps have yet been taken in the matter.
I observe that you desire me to send an Estimate of the cost of the articles to be sent out, for Sir Bulwer Lytton's approval. I presume however, that this paragraph must have been inserted in your letter by a mistake.NoManuscript image No such Estimates have been supplied by this Office for many years past. And I have already had occasion in my letter to Mr Barnard of the 30th June last, 3 to bring the subject under Sir Bulwer's notice, and to show the entire worthlessness of such Estimates, and the time, trouble, and expense needed for making them out. I, therefore, take it for granted that the preliminary Estimate will not be required. It is enough surely, if only necessary articles be ordered, to know that they are supplied at the lowest prices at which they can be obtained, under a system of fair competition. I beg to add that there is not a Clerk here who could be spared to make out such Estimates.
I have etc.
J.R. McCulloch
Comptroller
Minutes by CO staff
Manuscript image
Mr Elliot
Order the Registration Stationery without an estimate. Capn Gossett has failed, it seems to call on the Comptroller as desired. Capn G. sails on Sat: & is now at Windsor. We must move without him, I fear.
The alternative is to write to him to night, & desire him to specify to us the precise stationery & quantity he wants—& then for us to order it.
ABd 27 Oct
Manuscript image
It seems to me that the best thing for us now to do is to inform the Comptroller that Captn Gosset has probably been prevented from calling on him by the urgent demands on his time on the eve of sailing, but that Sir E.B. Lytton will therefore forward in the usual channel through the Treasury a request that the Comptroller will have the goodness to furnish such a supply of ordinarystationeryManuscript image stationery as may appear to him likely to be suited to the wants of the Government of British Columbia. Then write to the Treasury to that effect. I propose this, for otherwise the Treasury would justly call us to account for ordering stationery from the Comptroller without their intervention.
TFE 27 Octr
I agree.
C Oct 27
Agreed.
EBL Oct 29
Other documents included in the file
Manuscript image
Draft, Elliot to Comptroller of the Stationery Office, 11 November 1858, advising that Lytton would be forwarding through Treasury, a request for an ordinary supply of stationery.
Manuscript image
Draft, Elliot to Sir Charles Trevelyan, Treasury, 11 November 1858, requesting that Gosset's application for stationery be complied with.