Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch to London
Blanshard, Richard to Grey, Henry George 12 May 1851, CO 305:3, no. 6824, 18.
Abstract
Despatch to London.
Minutes (2), Other documents (1), Marginalia (4).
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 to Grey to acknowledge the receipt of the public seal of the Vancouver Island colony, and to reiterate his reasons for deferring the nomination of a colony council,
which are, largely, a result of the HBC's domination of the colony. Lastly, Blanshard relates that reports of gold in the Haro Strait are so vague as to be ignored.
The minutes discuss some ambiguities in the HBC's grant. And, Merivale points out that Blanshard has not forwarded the related HBC information required to make a decision on such matters, and that Blanshard's letter should be sent on to the HBC for explanation.
Included in the file is a draft letter from the Colonial Office to Pelly, which forwards a copy of Blanshard's despatch for observation.
I beg to acknowledge the receipt of
your Lordships despatch No 3,
of 29 June 1850 transmitting the public seal of the colony of Vancouvers Island, and Her Majesty's warrant and sign manual authorizing and
directing its use.
I have also to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordships despatch
No 4 of 16 July 1850 approving of my reasons for deferring the
nomination of a council for the present and pointing out the expediency
of establishing the council and other prescribed institutions without
any unnecessary
unnecessary delay —
unnecessary delay —I can assure your Lordship that I am deeply impressed with a sense
of the expediency of the prescribed measures, but I regret to add that
there is at present a total want of the necessary materials either for a
council or for any other legislative, or executive appointments, The
whole tendency of the system pursued by the Hudson's bay Company being
to exclude free settlers, and reserve the Island either as an enlarged post of their own, or a desert.
I have received a communication from the Hudsons bay Company
stating that no salaries are to be paid out of the proceeds of the land
sales, but must be raised in the Island either by taxes on imports, or otherwise. This is in fact repudiating the clause
in their grant which
binds them to provide, at their own expense, all necessary civil and
military establishments,
their own arrangements tend to prevent a tax paying population settling here, and
that the harbours shall be open to
all nations for the purposes of trade is prominently put forward in the
prospectus they have published.
their own arrangements tend to prevent a tax paying population settling here, and
that the harbours shall be open to
all nations for the purposes of trade is prominently put forward in the
prospectus they have published.3(
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Merivale
The Charter Grant provides that the Company shall defray the entire expense of any Civil and Military Establishments, but it neither authorizes nor forbids the imposition of taxes.
The Charter Grant provides that the Company shall defray the entire expense of any Civil and Military Establishments, but it neither authorizes nor forbids the imposition of taxes.
11 Augt 51 VJ
It also devotes all the fund arising from land sales (except 10 per
cent) to the "colonization & improvement of the island." It is not very
clear whether these words would include the expenses of civil government
or not. In the present instance however the Governor, by not annexing
the "communication" he has received from the Company, has made it
impossible to take any definite steps: we do not know what salaries are
in question. Probably this desp. had better be referred to the Company
for explanation?
Other documents included in the file
Draft, Colonial Office to Pelly, 3 September 1851, forwarding copy of Blanshard's despatch for observation.
Footnotes
- This addressee information appears at the foot of the first page of the despatch.
- This text runs perpendicular to main body text; see image scan.
- This paragraph has been marked as a passage of interest, presumably by a reader in the Colonial Office; see image scan.