Vancouvers Isld Grant
Teignmouth. Devon.
Sepr. 24. 1848
My Dear Sir
I have been moving about and did not receive your notes of the 19h & 23d until last night — I return all the papers you sent me.1 — The additions to the Grant are what we agreed upon when I saw you and will carry out the arrangements proposed in Mr Hawes' letter of the 4th of Sepr and assented to by Sir John Pelly in his letter of the 9th — The reservation of landManuscript image required for the formation of naval establishments was mentioned at the meeting of the Committee as desired by Lord Auckland and it was agreed that a reservation of land for the purpose should be introduced into the Grant —
With respect to the suggestion made by MrFitzgerald — the first as you state has been anticipated — The second is I think deserving of some consideration, I am disposed to think Mr Fitzgerald has putManuscript image a right construction on the terms of the Grant, and I think it questionable whether the Company should be allowed to exercise the […] exclusive right of fishing. Perhaps without altering the terms of the Grant Sir J. Pelly would have no objection to give a written acknowledgement that it was to be understood that the Colonists were not to be deprived of the right of fishing — As to the third & last suggestion— itManuscript image seems to me exceedingly unlikely that the Company will accept the Grant if liable to be dispossessed at any time by the local legislature and I do not see how we could reasonably propose such terms.
The committee of the Privy Council have only to consider the terms & conditions of the grant not the propriety of making […] a grant an grant MrFitzgerald who is opposed to the Governt making any grant to the CompManuscript imageany with some shew of reason suggested terms which cannot be accepted __. Any papers you wish to send me will reach me if sent through the Ruling Board. —
Yours very truly
Edward Ryan

Other documents included in the file
Manuscript imageA batch of extracts on the subject of Vancouver Island entitled "Memoranda &c."
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Extract of a despatch from Lord Elgin, No. 73, 6 June 1848: a testimonial in favour of the Hudson's Bay Company.
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Extract of a letter from Lieutenant Colonel Crofton to Hawes, 12 February 1848: a testimonial in favour of the Hudson's Bay Company.
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Extract from report of Lieutenant Wilkes, no date, entitled, in part, "Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition," which refers to the influence of the Hudson's Bay Company's officers over Indigenous groups, and the company's establishment at Vancouver; it discusses, also, morals and religion.
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Summary of events and correspondence related to plans for colonization of the Oregon Territory and Vancouver Island, no date.
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Extracts of letters from the Board of Management at Fort Vancouver and Fort Victoria, dated 15 March 1847 and 6 November 1847, respectively.
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Draft, Parliamentary Paper, No. 104, marked as Confidential, on Vancouver's Island; printed at the Foreign Office, March 1849.
Other documents included in the file
Manuscript imageA batch of documents on the subject of Vancouver Island entitled "Parliamentary Papers."
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An Act, printed by the Queen's Printers, concerning the "Administration of Justice in Vancouver's Island," dated 28 July 1849.
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A printed copy of correspondence between the Chairman of the the Hudson's Bay Company and the Secretary of State for the Colonies, as ordered by the House of Commons, 10 August 1848.
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A printed copy of several Addresses to the House of Commons, as ordered by the House of Commons, 7 March 1849. This includes, starting on page 9 of the document, a "Census of the Indian Tribes in the Oregon Territory […]."
Other documents included in the file
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Appears to be a timeline of the correspondence on the subject of Vancouver Island and the Hudson's Bay Company, entitled "Indexes," and headed "Hudson's Bay Coy." The first entry to the index is dated 7 September 1846.
Footnotes
  1. It is unclear as to whether Ryan refers here to the documents enclosed below.
People in this document

Auckland, Lord

Bruce, James

Crofton, John

FitzGerald, James Edward

Hawes, Benjamin

Merivale, Herman

Pelly, John Henry

Ryan, Edward

Wilkes, Charles

Organizations in this document

Foreign Office

Hudson's Bay Company

Places in this document

Fort Vancouver

Oregon Territory, or Columbia District

Vancouver Island

Victoria