Head to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)
Hudsons Bay House
20 October 1863
Sir
The Committee of the Hudson's Bay Company have reason to think that the arrangement respecting the lands of the Company in British Columbia, laid down in the Memorandum signed on the 11th of Octr 1861, by Mr Walcott and Mr Dallas and sanctioned by the letters of His Grace the Duke Newcastle and Mr Berens of November 2nd and November 7th (respectively) in the same year, have not yet been carried into effect with the promptitude on the part of the Colonial Government which His Grace intended.
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I have therefore to request that instructions may be given to the Officer administering the Government of British Columbia to cause without delay grants to be made of such lands as the Company is entitled to retain under the above Agreement.
The Clause of the Memorandum providing for Arbitration affords a ready mode of settling any disputes as to fact which may arise and the provision for compensation where the lands in the immediate vicinity of the Forts or Posts may have been granted previous to the Agreement, would seem sufficient to secure to the Company their full rights.
The Committee feelconfidentManuscript image confident that His Grace will be as anxious now, as he was in 1861, for the fair and equitable settlement of their outstanding claims.
I am Sir
Your obedt Servant
Edmund Head
Minutes by CO staff
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Sir F. Rogers
As Mr Walcott personally conducted this negotiation perhaps we had better refer the letter to the Land Bd—accompanied by a copy of the Duke of Newcastle's desph of the 15 Novr/61—adding that the Govr has not reported the steps taken by him on the subject. L[edger] F[olio].
ABd 22 Oct/63
Yes, and instructions shd be given to Mr Seymour, who will soon be here.
FR 22/10
N 23
Other documents included in the file
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Elliot to Emigration Commissioners, 27 October 1863, forwarding copy of Head's letter, and copy of a despatch addressed to Douglas in 1861, for observations and suggestions.
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Elliot to Head, 7 November 1863, suggesting that instructions respecting the conveyance of lands to the Hudson's Bay Company should be given to Seymour instead of Douglas.
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Draft reply, Newcastle to Seymour, Separate, 15 January 1864.
Minutes by CO staff
We promised Sir E. Head in our letter of the [blank] to draw Mr Seymour's attention to this subject, and from it's importance I think that probably the letter should be signed by the Secretary of State?
TFE 4 Jan
Sent to Gov. Seymour in London.