Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch from London
Labouchere, Henry to Douglas, James 28 February 1856, LAC RG7:G8C/1, 369.
Abstract
Despatch from London.
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.
Labouchere writes to Douglas to inform him of the
present state of affairs between Her Majesty’s Governmentand the HBC regarding Vancouver Island. Labouchere notes that the land given to Vancouver Island is ultimately in control of the Crown and requests a sum of account statements from the Island.
No. 6
Downing Street
28th February 1856
Sir,
In connexion with my despatch of this day's date, respecting the
calling to-gether of a General Assembly, I wish to call your attention to
the present state of affairs between Her Majesty's Government and the
Hudson's Bay Company with reference to Vancouver's Island.
2. The grant of the Landof
of the Island to the Company is subject
to the condition that the Crown may repurchase and take it from the
Company at the expiration of the Company's License for trading with the
Indians (that is to say in 1859) on payment to the Company of
"the sums heretofore laid out and expended by the Company in and
upon the said Island and premises, and the value of their Establishments
property and effects then being therein."
of the Island to the Company is subject
to the condition that the Crown may repurchase and take it from the
Company at the expiration of the Company's License for trading with the
Indians (that is to say in 1859) on payment to the Company of
"the sums heretofore laid out and expended by the Company in and
upon the said Island and premises, and the value of their Establishments
property and effects then being therein."
3. In order that both the Company and Her Majesty's Government may
be prepared for the contingency of this final settlement, I wishto
to be
furnished with a specification of the present state of the account: that
is to say, of the sums hitherto expended by the Company in the manner
described in the Grant, and also of the sums realized by the Company by
the sale of Land and applied from time to time "towards the Colonization
and improvement of the Island." This account should be separate from
the biennial "Return" to be made as farther specified by the Grant, of
the Colonists settled and land disposed of. And having been once
furnished, it should be continued for eachensuing
ensuing year.
to be
furnished with a specification of the present state of the account: that
is to say, of the sums hitherto expended by the Company in the manner
described in the Grant, and also of the sums realized by the Company by
the sale of Land and applied from time to time "towards the Colonization
and improvement of the Island." This account should be separate from
the biennial "Return" to be made as farther specified by the Grant, of
the Colonists settled and land disposed of. And having been once
furnished, it should be continued for eachensuing
ensuing year.
4. I have communicated the contents of both these despatches to
the Hudson's Bay Company.