Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Public Offices document
Peel, Frederick to Rogers, Frederic 28 July 1863, CO 60:17, no. 7375, 308.
Abstract
Public Offices document.
Minutes (2), Enclosures (transcribed) (1), Other documents (1).
Peel to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)
Treasury Chambers
28 July 1863
Sir,
With reference to your letter of 22nd Ultimo, on
the subject of the Assay Establishment at New Westminster,
British Columbia, I am commanded by the Lords Commissioners
of Her Majesty's Treasury to transmit to you the enclosed
copy of a Report on the subject from the Master of the Mint,
dated 2nd Instant, and to request that you will state to the Duke of Newcastle that Their Lordships are prepared,
under the circumstances, to accede to the proposal of the
Governor of British Columbia, contained in his despatch of
10th April last, and to sanction the continuance for the present, of the Assay Establishmentat
at New Westminster
with the following reduced Staff: Vizt
one Chief Assayer.
one Assistant or Operative Melter.
at New Westminster
with the following reduced Staff: Vizt
one Chief Assayer.
one Assistant or Operative Melter.
My Lords request that a Return may be furnished,
annually, in a form similar to that forwarded by the
Governor, of the Work performed by the Assay Department,
in order that opportunity may be afforded for reconsidering
the question of the Establishment or, perhaps, of withdrawing
the Department altogether, if not eventually self-supporting.
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Elliot
The new Treasurer of B.C. whoever he shall be, ought to possess, or acquire before he assumes his Office, some knowledge of "Assaying."
The new Treasurer of B.C. whoever he shall be, ought to possess, or acquire before he assumes his Office, some knowledge of "Assaying."
Communicate the result to the Governor.
By the engagement with the Assay Officers they were to
be assured their salaries for 2 1/2 years. They will have
served nearly 3
by the time they are discharged. And the
operative melter was to be allowed £50 for return passage
money. Thus the Melter being retained we are under no
engagement to pay the journies home of the discharged officers,
though, I think, that if the Governor shd consider it right
to give them some help we ought not to demur. But possibly
the discharged may find profitable employment on the spot,
or at Victoria.
by the time they are discharged. And the
operative melter was to be allowed £50 for return passage
money. Thus the Melter being retained we are under no
engagement to pay the journies home of the discharged officers,
though, I think, that if the Governor shd consider it right
to give them some help we ought not to demur. But possibly
the discharged may find profitable employment on the spot,
or at Victoria.
See T-y Lr 9454/59.
ABd
29 July/63
Draft to Governor.
TFE
29/7
Documents enclosed with the main document (transcribed)
Report, Master of the Mint to George Arbuthnot, Treasury
Royal Mint
2nd July 1863
Sir,
With reference to the correspondence on the subject
of the Assay Department of British Columbia, which you
have allowed me an opportunity of perusing, I beg to offer
a few observations for your consideration.
The ordinary expenditure of the Establishment may be
assumed to be approximately represented in the return
supplied of last year's outlay on Salaries and expenses of Office.
The Expenditure on these heads during 1862 amounted
to £1886.1.6. consisting of Salaries £1650 and Expenses
of Office £236.1.6. A charge of £1848.15.9. for works
and Buildings during the same year must have arisen (I
presume) out of the preparations made for minting gold. The
Staff is limited to an Assayer,Assistant
Assistant Assayer, Melter
and Operative Melter. An additional Office, that of
Accountant, recommended by Captain Gossett, was never
filled up. The scale upon which the Establishment was
originally constituted does not appear extravagent. But
unfortunately the revenue has proved much smaller than
was anticipated. In the same year (1862) the receipts
of the Establishment are given as £575.12.0. Of the
whole yield of Gold less than one third is found to be
assayed within the two Colonies, by public and private
Assayers together, and of that amount again about 40 per
cent only passes through the Government Assay Office at
New Westminster. The most unfavorable feature of the
case is the large proportion of Gold which escapes the
Colonial Assayers, being carried by the American Miners
to San Francisco in California, where they prefer to
Winter. Governor Douglascan
can see no prospect of rendering
the establishment remunerative, or of maintaining it
without a heavy charge to the Colony. He therefore
recommends that if the Assay Department at New Westminster
is to be retained, the staff should be reduced. He
considers that one Chief Assayer and one Assistant or
operative Melter would be sufficient to meet all the
requirement of the Colony. I beg to express my
concurrence in the propriety of the reduction proposed,
and also in the selection of the Offices to be retained.
Assistant Assayer, Melter
and Operative Melter. An additional Office, that of
Accountant, recommended by Captain Gossett, was never
filled up. The scale upon which the Establishment was
originally constituted does not appear extravagent. But
unfortunately the revenue has proved much smaller than
was anticipated. In the same year (1862) the receipts
of the Establishment are given as £575.12.0. Of the
whole yield of Gold less than one third is found to be
assayed within the two Colonies, by public and private
Assayers together, and of that amount again about 40 per
cent only passes through the Government Assay Office at
New Westminster. The most unfavorable feature of the
case is the large proportion of Gold which escapes the
Colonial Assayers, being carried by the American Miners
to San Francisco in California, where they prefer to
Winter. Governor Douglascan
can see no prospect of rendering
the establishment remunerative, or of maintaining it
without a heavy charge to the Colony. He therefore
recommends that if the Assay Department at New Westminster
is to be retained, the staff should be reduced. He
considers that one Chief Assayer and one Assistant or
operative Melter would be sufficient to meet all the
requirement of the Colony. I beg to express my
concurrence in the propriety of the reduction proposed,
and also in the selection of the Offices to be retained.
With regard to the question of the location of
the Assay Department, I would only remark that its
position at the seat of Government is likely to conduce
to security and efficient management.