Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Correspondence (private letter)
Lightfoot, Charles to Pelham-Clinton, Henry Pelham Fiennes 28 June 1862, CO 60:14, no. 6480, 435.
Abstract
Correspondence (private letter).
Minutes (3), Other documents (1).
Lightfoot to Newcastle
55 Cambridge Street
Hyde Park W.
June 28th 1862
To His Grace the Duke of Newcastle K.G. &c &cHyde Park W.
H.M. Secretary of State for the Colonial Department
My Lord Duke,
As an intending emigrant to British Columbia I am naturally
desirous of acquainting myself, with the History resources & details
of that Colony previous to my departure from England. I therefore
take the great liberty of addressing myself direct to Your Grace,
for the purpose of requesting that you would cause me to be
referred to the best sources of information on the subject,
whether books, or otherwise.
I shall be "called to the Bar" in Michaelmas Term of the
present year, after which it is my intention to proceed at once to
British Columbia.
I have been for many years engaged very extensively in
Mercantile pursuits (chiefly between this Country & India and the
Colonies) prior to studying for the Bar; and am perfectly and
practically (from great experience) versed in all the principles
and usages of Trade & Commerce, Shipping, &c &c.
I speak four European Languages besides English, and though I
know not how far such qualifications would be useful in such a
Colony, in the hope of rendering them available for acquiring an
independence, and at the same time possibly making them useful to
others I am very desirious of as far as by any means is
attainable, adding to my store of local information.
May I therefore be permitted to beg of your Grace that you
would at this same time pardon my (I fear) unusual request, and
cause me to be furnished with references to the information I am
searching after.
P.S. May I request that any answer with which I may be
favored may be addressed to me as under—viz—55 Cambridge Street,
Hyde Park.
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Elliot
We can only recommend this Genn to purchase & read up the Parly Blue Bks on the subject of B. Columbia: & he might be referred to the Land Board where possibly he will acquire useful infn. Mr Pemberton—the Surveyor Genl of V.C. Isld published a work on that Island & on B. Cola but the book rather dwells on the superiority of V.C. over B.C. & I do not think that, on the whole, it wd be prudent in us to endorse any publication not governmental.
We can only recommend this Genn to purchase & read up the Parly Blue Bks on the subject of B. Columbia: & he might be referred to the Land Board where possibly he will acquire useful infn. Mr Pemberton—the Surveyor Genl of V.C. Isld published a work on that Island & on B. Cola but the book rather dwells on the superiority of V.C. over B.C. & I do not think that, on the whole, it wd be prudent in us to endorse any publication not governmental.
ABd
30 June
Memo
I hear that Col: Circulars are becoming scarce, and that the Treasury wishes them to be as much as possible sold.
I hear that Col: Circulars are becoming scarce, and that the Treasury wishes them to be as much as possible sold.
Therefore in further letters, the sentence on that subject
had better run as follows:
The Colonization Circular, published by Messrs Groombridge of
Paternoster Row, contains some of the Governors Regulations [in]
relation to Vancouver Isld and B. Columbia.
TFE
12 Jy 1862
Other documents included in the file
Fortescue to Lightfoot, 7 July 1862, advising where he might
obtain information on British Columbia.
Minutes by CO staff
As we receive frequent inquiries from persons who contemplate
Emigration to British Columbia, I have prepared the present draft
in order that, unless any objection to it should appear, it may be
followed as a precedent in similar cases of inquiries from men of
Education. To humble Emigrants it would of course be
inapplicable.