Peel to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)
Treasury Chambers
10th June 1864
Sir
The Lords Commissoners of Her Majesty's Treasury have had before Them Mr Elliot's letter of the 31st Ultimo enclosing an Ordinance passed by the Legislative Council of British Columbia—No 3 of 1864—to apply the sum of £135,639.16.7 out of the General Revenue of the Colony for the service of the year 1864.
I am to request that you will state to Mr Secretary Cardwell, with reference to the observations in that letter, that My Lords would beunwillingManuscript image unwilling to interfere with the Legislation of the Council of that Colony further than by exercising a general supervision over proceedings of a financial character for which Her Majesty's Government may be considered to some extent responsible until a strictly Representative Assembly is constituted.
Until that form of Institution is created My Lords are of opinion that the Regulations which have been laid down for the guidance of the Officers charged with the administration of the financial affairs of Crown Colonies should be adhered to.
Certainly.
At the present occasion theGovernorManuscript image Governor, in forwarding the Ordinance, appropriating £135,639.16.7 to the service of the year 1864, has omitted to accompany it with the Estimates of Revenue—Form A of Instructions of 1848—or the Estimates of Expenditure—Form B—or with any information in regard to any increase or decrease of charge in comparison with the Estimates of the previous year.
My Lords are not prepared, without means of reference to the usual Returns, to state objections to, or approval of, the mode in which the Revenue of 1864 has been appropriated according to the Schedule annexed to the Ordinance, and They would wishtoManuscript image to receive the Estimates in the usual Form and a Report from the Governor on the subject—together with such information as may have been laid before the Council at the time of passing the Ordinance.
I am
Sir
Your Obedient Servant
F. Peel
Minutes by CO staff
Manuscript image
Mr Elliot
See Sir F. Rogers' minute on 4048. I think the Treasury are entitled to exercise much the same amount of superintendance over the Finances of B.C. as they do over the Finances of Ceylon—the composition of the Governing body—the Leg: Council—being in both colonies the same.
Desire the Governor to send home the Estimates of Revenue & the rest of the infn required by the T-y—as specified in the 2 last paragraphs of this Letter.
ABd 11 June
Sir F. Rogers
I think so. But we must take care to furnish the Governor with Copies of the required Forms, which very probably he does not possess. Mr Blackwood will attend to this when the papers return for preparing the draft.
TFE 14/6
FR 14/6
The Governor will find the required [remainder cut off microfilm].
CF 15
EC 15
Other documents included in the file
Manuscript image
Draft reply, Cardwell to Seymour, No. 17, 21 June 1864.