Colonial Despatches

Permit me briefly to lay before Your Grace the following particulars relatively to a purchase of Land made by me in Vancouver's Island.

By a letter from Mr Joseph Pemberton, Colonial Surveyor, dated Victoria, Vancouver's Island December 12 1859 an allotment was made to me of 159 Acres of Land in the North Saanich district, being part of 200 acres for which I had applied at the price of £1 p[er] acre.

I paid £50 down on account of this purchase which has been duly ackn[owledged] by Governor Douglas. I wrote at a later period to the Colonial Surveyor respecting the [remainder?] of the Land to be allotted beyond the 159 Acres but received no reply. I have thus become a purchaser of Land at £1 p acre, in good faith that no subsequent act of the Colonial Legislature would interfere with the [then?] existing appraisement of Land, so as to depreciate its actual value.

This, however, has recently been accomplished by the Pre-emption system, and a reduction of the Government price to 4/2 per acre with extraordinary facilities for payment.

It is but too obvious that this measure must be ruinously injurious; and would be most unjust to the original purchasers of Land, unless some provisional compensation were made.

I would therefore respectfully prefer a claim for the restitution of the Sum of Fifty Pounds £50 Sterling paid by me as already explained, the Government taking back the 159 acres of Land so far allotted me.

May I further solicit an early answer from Your Grace on this subject and in the meantime I remain