Barwise to Labouchere


The Right Honble Hy Labouchere H.M. Secretary for the Colonies &c &c &c

Sir
Early in the year 1852 Messrs Gray and Esterby [Easterby], British Merchants of San Francisco, sent their Schooner, Susan Sturge[s], Captain Roony [Rooney], on a trading voyage into the North Pacific, and amongst other places visited on this occasion, was the group of Queen Charlotte's Islands (which were found to consist of three) and on the Southern of which Captain Roony discovered in a bluff of Green Stone formation (now called Una Point,) specks of gold of various sizes, from the head of a pin to that of a barley-corn.
On the return of the vessel to San Francisco, samples of the matrix were examined by several geologists who had not seen the same formation obtained from any part of the Pacific currying gold, previously.
On Manuscript image
On my return to England at the close of that year, I brought home a box of samples, and had the honor of presenting Sir Roderick Murchison with some of them, and in the following year an application was made to The Right Honble the Earl of Lincoln, for permission from Her Majesty's Government to work the minerals in the locality described, and his Lordship most kindly had fully acceded to our wishes; but the Hudson's Bay Company, step'd in at the moment when the authority was ready to be handed to us; with the plea that it would be an interferance with their Charter, as they claimed the Queen Charlotte's group, as belonging to, and a dependency of, Vancouver's [Island].
His Lordship, was kind enough to express his regret at the circumstance, after the trouble and expence we had incured, and suggested that as the Company's Charter, would shortly expire; he would recommend, should we think it worth our while at that time, to renew our application, hehadManuscript image had no doubt it would be at once attended to.
Being the only party in England interested in the matter I beg most respectfully to renew the application for liberty to work the Mines and Minerals on the group of Queen Charlotte's Islands, laying North of Vancouver's Island in the North Pacific Ocean, but more particularly those marked on the map enclosed at Una Point.
I have the honor most respectfully to be, Sir
Your most Obedient Humble Servant,
Jackson Barwise
l 14 Alexander Street
Westbourne Park, W.
l October 9th 1857
Minutes by CO staff
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Mr Merivale
Might not the writer be referred to the P. Papers of the 19 July & the 9 Augt/53 wherein he will find the infn he will require for enabling him to take steps for working the gold in Queen Charlotte Island?
ABd 9 Oct
But is there any trace of communications between these parties &
the Duke of Newcastle (whom I suppose they mean by Lord Lincoln)?
HM O 9
I subjoin the dates of the Correspondence which passed in 1853—and the volume containing the same.
ABd 13 Oct

From Mr Taylor 7 April 1853
23 " "
16 May "
22 " "
26 " "
C.O. to Ditto 27 April "
28 May "
11 June "
20 July "
Mr Gray 26 " "
Answer 2 Augt "
Sir H de la Becke 28 April "
Emigration Comrs 4 July "
You will see in the P. Papers of 9 August/53 (Letter of Mr Peel) the Duke of Newcastle's refusal to grant the Lease to this San Francisco firm. I suppose that for the present at all events (while the Hudson Bay Co. question is unsettled) we wd. only refer the writer to that letter.
CF 13
Yes.
HL 15
Other documents included in the file
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Draft, Fortescue to Barwise, 21 October 1857, advising Labouchere could not comply with his application and referring him to the parliamentary papers of July and August 1853 for explanation.
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
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Sketch map of part of the Queen Charlotte Islands, no date.