Colonial Despatches

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of to Sir Frederic Rogers' letter of the 4th instant, enclosing a copy of a letter addressed to the Colonial Department in which enquiries are made respecting a person of the name of George Cook who has for some years past been in the employment of the Hudson's Bay Company in Vancouver's Island.

On enquiry I find that George Cook went out to Vancouver's Island in November 1850, as a servant in the employment of theHudson's Hudson's Bay Company. About a year afterwards he appears to have entered the service of the Pugets Sound Agricultural Company, but in 1853 he re-entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company, and was employed at the Coal Mine belonging to that Company at Nanaimo. As late as February 1859 he appears to have continued in the employment of the Company at Nanaimo, and to have drawn his wages monthly. Since that date no returns have reached this house of the servants at Nanaimo so that it is probable he may still be there. I would take the liberty of suggesting that, if further information be wanted, enquiries might be made of theSuperintendant Superintendant of the Coal Mines at Nanaimo who would readily afford the information required, or if a letter were sent under cover to him, addressed to George Cook, he would be able to put it in the way of reaching its destination.