Sproat, Anderson and Irwin to Secretary of State
London,
11 King William Street, E.C.
5th October 1868
My Lord Duke,
We have been requested to present to your Grace the accompanying Memorial, which bears the signatures of the leading firms, and Companies, representing in London the trade, and the productive industry of British Columbia.
Many influential names would have been added if it had not been deemed of pressing importance that your Grace's attention should be drawn to the subject at the earliest moment.
Newspapers lately received from British Columbia and also private advices received by the Memorialists, express the anxiety of the colonists of British Columbia that the opportunity of benefitting by the new Reciprocity Treaty should not be lost; and the Memorialists hope that your Grace may feel justified in endeavouring to secure, through the Foreign Office, the opportunity for the colony to give more formal expression to its claims and wishes in regard to the extension of the Treaty to the British Columbia trade with the neighbouring American states.
We have the honour to be,
Manuscript image My Lord Duke,
Your obedient Servants
Gilbert M. Sproat
James Y.S. Anderson
James V.H. Irwin
Honorary Secretaries
to the Memorialists
Minutes by CO staff
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Mr Elliot
The Memorialists pray that his Grace will move Lord Stanley to instruct HM Minister at Washington to endeavour to secure that the benefits of the Reciprocity Treaty shall be extended to all the N.A. Colonies so that option may be reserved to B Columbia to make application for the extension of its provision to that Colony.
WR 7 Oct 68
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This letter appears to me to require alittleManuscript image little deliberation.
The first question will be whether it will be right to act upon it at all without referring to the Governor of British Columbia.
Supposing that this is thought right it would still I apprehend be inexpedient to ask the Foreign Office to make any special move on the present point unless some communications on reciprocity are at all events in progress on the part of our Minister at Washington. For we are continually told that it is a bad plan to make frequent applications to the American Govt. The utmost therefore that could be done, I think, would be to forward this to the Foreign Office, and to say that if the subject of a renewal of the Reciprocity Treaty should come under discussion at Washington, the Duke of Buckingham will see no objection to the British Minister's endeavouring to ascertain whether the American Govt would be willing to extend it's provisions to B. Columbia, but that His Grace does not wish to recommend that any communication should be made to the American Govt expressly on account of the present application, nor unless the subject of Reciprocity should be at all events under discussion.
Perhaps, however, to Governor first, and not to F.O.?
The Writers must be answered.
TFE 9/10
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I should first refer the Memorial to Govr and send Copy to Ld Monck for Canada & if no objection, ask F.O. to instruct Thornton to endeavour to lead any overtures, which may be made, in that direction.
CBA 11/10
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Acknowledge the letter &c—copy to Governor for his opinion and copy to Lord Monck for his information.
B&C 11/10
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
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Memorial signed by representatives of commercial, banking, landed and other interests in British Columbia to Secretary of State, asking that "the benefits of the Reciprocity Treaty shall be extended to all the North American Colonies."
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Newspaper clipping, The Weekly British Colonist and Chronicle, 22 August 1868, "Reciprocity—Who is to Blame for our Omission from the Treaty."
Other documents included in the file
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Rogers to Sproat, 19 October 1868, advising Buckingham would communicate with Seymour and Monck on the subject.
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Rogers to Under-Secretary of State, Foreign Office, 20 October 1868, forwarding copy of correspondence for information.
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Draft reply, Buckingham to Seymour, No. 89, 21 October 1868 transmitting Sproat’s letter and accompanying memorial as well as the Colonial Office’s reply to Sproat regarding extending the Reciprocity Treaty to British Columbia and requesting Seymour to provide a report on British Columbia and the Reciprocity Treaty.
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Draft reply, Buckingham to Monck, Canada, No. 214, 24 October 1868 transmitting Sproat’s letter and accompanying memorial as well as the Colonial Office’s reply to Sproat regarding extending the Reciprocity Treaty to British Columbia.