Lightfoot to Newcastle
55 Cambridge Street
Hyde Park W.
June 28th 1862 To His Grace the Duke of Newcastle K.G. &c &c
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.
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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.
I have the honor to be My Lord Duke
Your Grace's most obedient humble servant
Charles Lightfoot
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
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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.
ABd 30 June
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Memo
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
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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.
TFE 2/7
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