Murdoch to Elliot (Assistant Under-Secretary)
22nd March 1867
Sir
With reference to your letter of 9th inst, authorizing the omission from the Deed for the reconveyance of Vancouver's Island to the Crown of certain words objected to by the Solicitors of the Hudson's Bay Co, I have to report, for the information of His Grace the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, that we have had the Deed engrossed with the words omitted, and left with the Company for execution.
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2. We have now received a letter from the Solicitors of the Company, of which the enclosed is a copy, requesting that they may have a duplicate of the Deed "signed by the proper authority on behalf of Her Majesty." This application appears to be only reasonable.
3. I have therefore to request the instructions of the Secretary of State as to who should execute the Deed on the part of the Crown. If it is thought fit, as in the case of the grant of Guano Licences, that this duty should devolve on us, it would doubtless be satisfactory to the Company that we should have an expressManuscript image direction to that effect, which we could exhibit to them as our authority for acting in the matter.
I have the honor to be,
Sir
Your obedient
humble Servant
T.W.C. Murdoch
Minutes by CO staff
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ABd 23 March
TFE 23/3
FR 23/3
Sir F. Rogers
It seems proper that the Land & Emigration Commissrs should execute this deed for the re-conveyance of Vancouvers Island; and that an Express direction to that effect should be given them.
HTH 26/3
Mr Holland
Will you draft it.
FR 26/3
CBA 27/3
B&C 27/3
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
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Copy, Maynard Son & Co. to S. Walcott, Emigration Commissioner, 20 March 1867, asking for a duplicate of the reconveyance "signed by the proper authority on behalf of Her Majesty."
Other documents included in the file
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Elliot to Emigration Commissioners, 29 March 1867, advising that they had been granted authority "to execute on the part of the Crown the Deed for the reconveyance of Vancouver Island to the Crown."