Blanshard, Governor Richard to Grey, Third Earl Henry George 8 April 1850, CO 305:2, no. 5505, 49.

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Despatch to London
Blanshard, Richard to Grey, Henry George 8 April 1850, CO 305:2, no. 5505, 49.

Abstract

Despatch to London. Minutes (4), Other documents (2), Marginalia (2).

This document contains mentions of Indigenous Peoples. The authors of these documents often perpetuate a negative perspective of Indigenous Peoples and it is important to look critically at these mentions. They sometimes use terminology that is now considered hurtful and offensive. To learn more about modern terminology pertaining to Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous ways of knowing, and decolonization, please refer to the Glossary of terms.

Blanshard writes Grey to report on several fronts: his arrival to Victoria, his trip to Fort Rupert, the nature of the coal-extraction affairs there, and of a petition by Captain Hill to apprehend two U.S. Army defectors that had absconded north on an HBC vessel; Blanshard closes with a query on how best to assemble a governing council made up of landholder settlers when so few appear to be present.

In the minutes, Merivale points to Blanshard's unfavourable account of Vancouver Island's natural capabilities, and suggests that Blanshard wait until the settler population becomes sufficient to nominate a council.

Of the two enclosures, the first is a draft reply to from Grey to Blanshard, and the second is a draft from the Colonial Office to Pelly, forwarding a copy of Blanshard's report to Grey.

5505. Vancouver's Island.

Fort Victoria.
Vancouvers Island.

April 8. 1850.

Copy

My Lord,

I beg to inform you of my arrival at Victoria, the settlement of the Hudson bay company in Vancouvers Island, on the 10th March ult. in H.M.S.S. Driver, on the 11th I landed and read my commission in presence of Commander Johnson of H.M.S Driver and the Officers and servants of the Hudson

3Ansd 16 July /50 No 4.
Copy to Sir J Pelly for informn of H.B Compy 23 July /50

Bay Company; No lodging being ready for me I have been compelled to remain on board the Driver during her stay in the colony, and took the opportunity of visiting Fort Rupert, a new settlement which has been formed at Beaver Harbour for the purpose of working the coals with which the North Eastern part of the Island is said to abound; About six months ago the Hudson Bay company sent a party of Scotch miners to Beaver Harbour, but they have not yet been able to discover coal in any quantity; at the depth of seventy feet the largest seam they had struck was only eight inches in depth, and the surface coal which former reports describe as being three feet in depth and of excellent quality, nowhere as I am assured by the miners exceeds ten inches of which one half is slag. Should they persevere

there is no doubt that a supply of coal may eventually be obtained which will greatly increase the value of this colony but the miners are unprovided with proper implements, discontented with their employers, and can scarcely be induced to work.

An application was made to me by Captain Hill commandant of the U.S. military post at Chelakom to allow a force to proceed to Vancouvers Island to apprehend two men, military deserters from the United States Army who had he stated been taken from Chelakom by a schooner belonging to the Hudson Bay company, incurring thereby a heavy penalty under the local laws of the state of Oregon. This I declined to allow, as I conceive that no reciprocal arrangement exists between Great Britain and the United States for the arrest of deserters for purely military offences.

The quantity of arable land, or land that can be made arable is so far as I can ascertain exceedingly limited throughout the Island, which consists almost entirely of broken ranges of rocky hills, intersected by ravines and vallies so narrow as to render them useless for cultivation _

A Mr MacNeil, Agent of the Hudson Bay company at Beaver Harbour, who is considered to be better acquainted with the Indian population than any other person, estimates their number at the very largest at ten thousand, and these he considers to be steadily decreasing, although the sale of spirituous liquors has been for a considerable time prohibited and the prohibition appears to be strictly enforced. As no settlers have at present arrived, I have considered that it is unnecessary as yet to

nominate a council as my instructions direct, for a council chosen at present must be composed entirely of the officers of the Hudson Bay Company few if any of whom possess the qualification of landed property which is required to vote for members of assembly, and they would moreover be completely under the controul of their superior officers, but as no immediate arrival of settlers is likely to take place, and my instructions direct me to form a council on my arrival I should wish for a farther direction on this point, before I proceed to its formation.