No. 197
Government House Victoria
Vancouvers Island
15 August 1859
Sir,
I have the honor to acknowledge your Despatch No 59 of the 30th April enclosing for my information the Copy of a Report from Her Majesty's Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioner in respect to reserving the Coal and Timber both of BritishManuscript imageBritish Columbia and Vancouver's Island for Government purposes.
2. From a careful perusal of that Report, I am able to learn that experience in such reservations does not point them out as being salutary, and that in the case of Colonies where they have been made, they have been wisely discontinued.
3. I will therefore in conformity with the views you have expressed on the subject make no reserves of Coal or Timber for Government purposes in British Columbia and Vancouvers Island my own limited experience havingManuscript imagehaving further satisfied me that such reserves are vexatious and unnecessary.
I have etc.
James Douglas
Minutes by CO staff
Manuscript image
Mr Elliot
Land Bd simply for information, & afterwards put by.
ABd 11 Oct
HM O 12
N 16
Other documents included in the file
Manuscript image
Draft, Merivale to Emigration Commissioners, 27 October 1859, forwarding copy of the despatch for information.