Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Correspondence (private letter)
Cooper, John to Fortescue, Chichester 16 June 1865, CO 60:23, no. 5886, 235.
Abstract
Cooper, John to Fortescue, Chichester 16 June 1865, CO 60:23, no. 5886, 235.
Correspondence (private letter).
Minutes (5), Other documents (4).
Cooper to Under-Secretary of State
London
June 16th 1865
Sir,
I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication
[of] the 1st instant with enclosures.
For the information of Mr Secretary Cardwell, I have the honor
to state that the report of the Finance Committee is incorrect.
The Statement of account, from February 13th 1864, the
commencement of the Hospital year, together with the vouchers, and a
balance of something over 20$ was handed by me, to the President of the
Institution prior to my departure.
How the Finance Committee have arrived at the result stated in their
report, in the absence of any explanation
from them I am at loss to
understand. It is evident they have ignored the existence of my reports;
their proper course, was I conceive, if there were any items they could
not have understood in my accounts to have asked for an explanation.
from them I am at loss to
understand. It is evident they have ignored the existence of my reports;
their proper course, was I conceive, if there were any items they could
not have understood in my accounts to have asked for an explanation.
At this distance from British Columbia, and the documents I left
with the President, Captain Cooper, it will be somewhat difficult to
point out all the errors in the Finance Committee's Report. I may
mention however that I notice a balance of upwards of 200$, which
was due to the Treasurer at the close of the previous year, and which
appears in the printed Report of the
Institution's affairs for the year ending February 12th 1864;
it is not entered in the Finance Committee's Report. The amount of
Subscriptions or rather Donations, said by them to have been received
by the Treasurer, is in excess of the correct amount by about 400$. This
error may have arisen from the circumstance of the Donation List having
been commenced in 1863, and continued through 1864, many who put
down
their names in the former year, did not pay till the latter; the
amount received prior to February 12th 1864, was accounted for in the
Report of the year ending upon that date; and the balance about 500$
received afterwards was accounted for in the Report given by me to the
President; the several amounts received in each year were pointed out
to him. I am thus able to point out errors in the Report of the Finance
Committee as under,
This balance I have no doubt I could explain if I had the documents
before me, and shall unravel it immediately on my return to the Colony.
down
their names in the former year, did not pay till the latter; the
amount received prior to February 12th 1864, was accounted for in the
Report of the year ending upon that date; and the balance about 500$
received afterwards was accounted for in the Report given by me to the
President; the several amounts received in each year were pointed out
to him. I am thus able to point out errors in the Report of the Finance
Committee as under,
| $ | ||
| Balance due to the Treasurer on February 12th 1864, say | 210 | |
| Donations received and accounted for prior to Feby 12th 1864, and charged by the Finance Committee in error, say | 400 | |
| Balance in hand in January 1865, handed to the President and omitted in the Finance Committee's Report, say | 25 | |
| Total errors explained | 635 | |
| Difference of Finance Committee's Report | 685 | .72 |
| Balance unexplained | 50 | .72 |
About the middle of January, on returning from Victoria, I found an
Auditor, Mr McMicking had been appointed; but I thought it better
to hand the accounts to the President, who thoroughly understood them, at
the same time that I handed him the balance,
and my resignation of the post
of Honorary Treasurer; which I had held by public re-election since the
establishment of the Hospital. My time upon this occasion was barely
sufficient to enable me to bid friends farewell &c, having to leave by
the following trip of the Steamer, in order to arrive in Victoria for
the San Francisco Steamer.
The accounts and vouchers for the previous years, were inadvertently
packed in one of twelve cases of Clothing Books Papers &c; had I thought
it a matter of any moment, I would have had the cases unpacked, and
handed these documents to the President; but as the trouble would
have been considerable, I left it until my return to the Colony.
I trust this explanation will be considered satisfactory, and
that the
instructions recently issued to the Agents General may be
withdrawn. Should I not have been sufficiently explicit upon any point,
it will afford me pleasure to give any further explanation in my power.
instructions recently issued to the Agents General may be
withdrawn. Should I not have been sufficiently explicit upon any point,
it will afford me pleasure to give any further explanation in my power.
The Under Secretary of State
for the Colonies
for the Colonies
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Elliot
The Board of Management of the Royal Columbian Hospital, of which Institution Mr Cooper was the Honorary Treasurer, appointed a Committee to inquire into the state of the accounts—and the following is in substance the result of their investigation.
The Board of Management of the Royal Columbian Hospital, of which Institution Mr Cooper was the Honorary Treasurer, appointed a Committee to inquire into the state of the accounts—and the following is in substance the result of their investigation.
1st The Hospital Accounts are in a loose and unsatisfactory
condition.
2. No record is kept of the Receipts & Expenditure, and
the Vouchers for 1862 and 1863 are not to be found.
3. Every effort was made to have
the Accounts audited before
Mr Cooper left the Colony, but he treated the Board of Management
with disrespect & refused to hand over the Accounts & Vouchers to the
Auditor appointed by the Board.
the Accounts audited before
Mr Cooper left the Colony, but he treated the Board of Management
with disrespect & refused to hand over the Accounts & Vouchers to the
Auditor appointed by the Board.
4. So far as the Committee are able to ascertain from the
incomplete Documents in their hands there is a balance of 685 Dollars
unaccounted for.
The Committee regret that for the want of the
necessary Documents they are unable to prosecute the enquiry.
Mr Cooper meets these charges by stating that he handed over the
Accounts from February 1864 to
the President of the Institution
before he left the Colony, and that the Accounts & Vouchers for the
previous years, 1862 and 1863 were inadvertently packed in one of his
Cases, and that he could not without considerable trouble get at
them: That he judged it better to hand over the Accounts & balance
to the President than to [the] Auditor because he (the President)
thoroughly understood them. Mr Cooper points out several errors
in the Report of the Committee, which he asserts, would reduce the
balance from 685 to 50 dollars & that this balance could be explained
if he had access to the Documents.
the President of the Institution
before he left the Colony, and that the Accounts & Vouchers for the
previous years, 1862 and 1863 were inadvertently packed in one of his
Cases, and that he could not without considerable trouble get at
them: That he judged it better to hand over the Accounts & balance
to the President than to [the] Auditor because he (the President)
thoroughly understood them. Mr Cooper points out several errors
in the Report of the Committee, which he asserts, would reduce the
balance from 685 to 50 dollars & that this balance could be explained
if he had access to the Documents.
Mr Cooper's Statement may be quite accurate, but until its
accuracy is ascertained by comparison with the Receipts & Vouchers I
do not think it can be accepted as releasing him from responsibility.
accuracy is ascertained by comparison with the Receipts & Vouchers I
do not think it can be accepted as releasing him from responsibility.
VJ
20 June
Mr Elliot
Mr Cooper's Statements cannot, it appears, be substantiated without reference to documents which are in B. Columbia, & which are only accessible to himself. The case cannot, therefore, be completely disposed of until after his return to the Colony. Further payments to him, on acct of his 1/2 salary, have in the meanwhile, been stopped. This inconvenience will, I suppose, be serious to Mr Cooper; but I do not think we should be justified, in the present doubtful state of the question, in taking off the stoppage.
Mr Cooper's Statements cannot, it appears, be substantiated without reference to documents which are in B. Columbia, & which are only accessible to himself. The case cannot, therefore, be completely disposed of until after his return to the Colony. Further payments to him, on acct of his 1/2 salary, have in the meanwhile, been stopped. This inconvenience will, I suppose, be serious to Mr Cooper; but I do not think we should be justified, in the present doubtful state of the question, in taking off the stoppage.
ABd
20 June
Mr Cardwell
Mr Jadis has supplied a clear statement of the case and I have myself been through the papers since, and with quite the same results.
Mr Jadis has supplied a clear statement of the case and I have myself been through the papers since, and with quite the same results.
I agree with Mr Blackwood that we could not remove
the stoppage of Salary.
I annex a draft.
TFE
22 June
Other documents included in the file
Summary of Cooper's references, prepared by Colonial Office
staff, no date.
