Colonial Despatches

I have to acknowledge your letter of 9th instant enclosing a copy of a Report on the claims of the Hudson's Bay Co against Her Majesty's Government on account of VanCouvers Island, submitted to the Lords of the Treasury by Mr Andoe who had been appointed by their Lordships to examine those Accounts. The result of Mr Andoe's report is to reduce the claim of the Hudsons Bay Co against the Crown from £53,569.14.2 at which they had stated it, to £27,412.10.4.

Mr Andoe's means of arriving at a correct judgment on these accounts have been so much greater than ours, that it would be scarcely possible, if any difference of opinion existed between us, to set our judgment in opposition to his. At the same time I must add that I see no reason to question the correctness of the conclusions at which he has arrived. I presume that the next step will be to communicate those conclusions to the Company with the grounds on which they have been arrived at, that the Company may have the opportunity of offering any explanation they may desire to give on the several items objected to by Mr Andoe.