No. 7
Downing Street
18th December 1854
Sir,
With reference to that portion of your Despatch No 35 of the 17th August last in which you state that you had chartered a Vessel belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company as a Guard ship for the protection of the Settlement, whereby an expenditure ofManuscript image £600 a month would be incurred payable as you presumed by Her Majesty's Government, I have to acquaint you that they do not admit that the danger to which the Colony may be exposed from Privateers or otherwise justifies the proceeding which you have adopted, and that they cannot therefore sanction or hold themselves in any way responsible for the outlay incurred on this account as a charge upontheManuscript image the Imperial Treasury.
The precautions which they deemed it advisable to take for the protection of the Island were reported to you in my despatch of the 5th August, in answer to yours of the 16th May applying for instructions on this subject, which I regret you did not wait to receive before incurring the heavy charges which they are under the necessity of disallowing.
I have the honor to be Sir,
Your most obedient humble servant
G. Grey

People in this document

Douglas, James

Grey, George

Organizations in this document

Hudson's Bay Company

Places in this document

Vancouver Island