Colonial Despatches

[Minute on above:]

Mr Blackwood
Had not we better wait till the Treasury answer us before writing to Messrs Coutts? Otherwise Messrs Coutts may apply for the money before the Treasury have given the Paymaster the authority to pay.

Put these mema by. They may perhaps be useful to refer to hereafter.

Schedule concocted by Mr Seymour and Mr Blackwood. August.

Submitted to Lord Carnarvon August. Copy furnished to Mr Seymour.

Put by.

This Memm contains the opinions of Govr Seymour & Govr K-y on the proposed Union. These opinions are extracted from their despes.

It also contains some observations of my own.

The paper is a little out of date—Oct./65—and since it was written Govr S. has considerably modified his opposition to the project of Union. See P 34 P.P. 31 May/66. But I think on the whole you will derive infn from a perusal of the paper.

Lord Carnarvon
I should suggest yr reading, first, a sketch on quarto paper I wrote for Mr Adderley. It is only an outline but it will supply you with dates and facts.

2. Read the P.P. No 2, 31 May/66 & especially Govr Seymour's Letter from Paris, P. 34.

3. Read a short mem. of mine headed Van C. Isld. It will give you an idea of the behaviour of the Assembly. For detailed infn as to the conduct of that Body look at the printed papers on the Finances of V.C.I. Those papers are confidential & have not been communicated to Parlt—see especially Govr Ky's confidential despes.

4. & 5. are 2 other mema of mine which explain themselves.

6. A desp. of Govr S. No. 36. 29 Apl/65 contains a good deal which you shd know as to B.C., & V.C.I.

7. The Pamphlet called B.C. and V.C.I. is worth looking at as supplying infn.

8. Finally I shd suggest your reading Sir E. Lytton's speech in Hansard on introducing the Bill making B.C. a Colony.

I think the preceding papers will tell you nearly every thing you will wish to know. But I may perhaps add as a summary that the reasons which commend the project of uniting these two Colonies are firstly of an Imperial nature. It is inconvenient to have to deal with two separate Governments when one would suffice. It is desirable to have one system of commerce, one code of Laws & one policy for dealing with the Indians. Union will destroy the feelings of envy & rivalry which have subsisted in the two Colonies towards each other. With the adjoining districts of the United States it is better that a single Governor should act than two—whose views might not be always in harmony. These motives the Duke of Newcastle was fully alive to, & they wd have led him to unite the Colonies under one Governor in 1863, but he was prevented by the bitter feeling of animosity existing in the two communities against each other. His ideas are explained in his despatch P. [blank]. The desire for Union comes now from only one side. B.C. has made no sign in favor of the measure. V.C.I alone asks for it. And she only does so because she is in a state of ruin. So long as the Officials of B.C. resided at Victoria & spent their Salaries there & the miners passed the winter & wasted their hard gained earnings the Victorians were content. But when the B.C. Officials were obliged to live in the Colony, & a Governor was appointed who made it his business to develope B.C. & not smother it, as Sir J. Douglas had done then the Victorians began to be dissatisfied. They had to raise money for their Civil Establishments—the Merchants had overspeculated—the public Officers were defaulters—the Assembly employed their time in uttering scurrilous & personal invectives—their Sessions lasted 9 months, but produced no measures, and seeing no other way of escape H.M. Govt was finally solicited to grant them unconditional Union with B.C. as an escape for their difficulties. I have conversed with Naval & Military Officers—merchants & individuals private and public and I have not met with any second opinion on the subject. One & all are in favor of Union. The Governors, moreover of both Colonies (now) recommend it. Under these circes I conclude that the measure is a wise one. At any rate affairs cannot be worse in V.C.I than they are now & they may be better. As for B.C. I think there is little doubt that she must thrive—so that we need feel little anxiety about her. But still she may derive advantage from Union though in a less proportion than V.C.I.