No. 15
New Westminster
6th March 1868
My Lord Duke,
I have the honor to forward a memorial to Your Grace agreed upon at a Public Meeting held at New Westminster protestingagainstManuscript image against certain statements respecting the town and the approach to it by sea said to have been made by Captain Richards R.N. Hydrographer to the Admiralty.
2. I cannot exactly see why Your Grace should have been addressed on the subject. It is certainly difficult to reconcile Captain Richards' official and unofficial Statements regarding thenavigationManuscript image navigation of the Fraser. If irreconcilable, I should be disposed to lean to those for which he is officially responsible.
I have the honor to be,
My Lord Duke,
Your most obedient
humble Servant.
Frederick Seymour
Minutes by CO staff
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Sir F. Rogers
This Petition the result of a Public Meeting at New Westminster remonstrates agst certain disparaging statements made by Captain Richards—& which have been laid before the Duke of Buckingham by persons (D. Fraser & others) representing the interests of Victoria—agst theManuscript image capabilities &c of their Harbour—in fact it is Protest in favor of New Westminster for the future Capital of B. Columbia.
In Dec: last Governor Seymour informed his Grace (1300) that he intended to let both parties eat their Christmas dinner in peace without letting them know that he had heard from his Grace on the subject—& in 2607 led his Grace to expectManuscript image a further communication by the next opportunity.
He now 6th March sends home this Memorial but does not even allude to the Capital question.
I would therefore refer you to the minutes on 2710—from which it will be seen that it was proposed that if the next Mail (this was on the 18 March) did not bring a decision from Gov Seymour it should at once beManuscript image settled here.
His Grace's despatch of the 1 Oct: last No 67 was in favor of Victoria.
CC 2 May 68
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I should decide the question now and I should decide it in favor of Victoria on the simple ground that it is far more populous & important.
I shd not be inclined to go into the Harbour question, because it is a question on wh, if people choose to argue, they may argue for ever.
I think the dph shd make Mr Seymour understand that HG is not very well pleased at having had the uncertainty & consequent agitation & irritation kept up all this time.
FR 2/5
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I agree.
CBA 5/5
B&C 11/5
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
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Memorial, Citizens of New Westminster to Buckingham, 20 February 1868, protesting the statements made by Captain G.H. Richards and others about New Westminster, thirteen signatures.
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Newspaper clipping, unnamed, no date, containing letters from Donald Fraser and Richards to the Colonial Office regarding the location of the capital, along with Elliot's reply.
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Newspaper clipping, unnamed, no date, reporting proceedings of the public meeting that led to the protest.
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Newspaper clippings, Vancouver Island Pilot, no date, describing the relative merits of Victoria and New Westminster harbours, including favourable comments about New Westminster attributed to Richards.
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Newspaper clipping, unnamed, no date, reporting reply of Richards to a civic address of 1860 including his statement that the problems of navigation on the Fraser are "of a trifling nature."
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Newspaper clipping, unnamed, no date, reporting letters from Vice Admiral John Kingcome to Seymour and from Lord Gilford to Kingcome, concerning the navigation of the Fraser River.
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Newspaper clippings, unnamed, no dates, reporting letters from H. Holbrook, B.C. Chamber of Commerce, to James Cooper, Harbour Master; Cooper to Editor, British Colonist; and Cooper to Seymour, concerning misrepresentation of facts about the navigation of the Fraser by H.M.S. Malacca.
Other documents included in the file
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Draft reply, Buckingham to Seymour, No. 28, 16 May 1868 requesting Seymour to inform the memorialist that Buckingham received the memorial and acknowledging Seymour’s decision in a later telegram selecting Victoria as the capital.
Minutes by CO staff
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Mr Cox
The first part of Sir FRs Minute is disposed of. See Govr Telgm 4659—This despatch is written with the view of acknowledging despatches respg the Capital which are undisposed of & of carrying out the last sentence of Sir FRs Minute.