Colonial Despatches

Mr Elliot
This is an application from an official of V.C.I. on leave of absence here for an expensive work to be given to the local Mechanic Institute. It appears that in 1856 the Commrs of Patents gave this work to a great many Colonies gratuitously. If they have any spare copies still to give away they may be willing to give one to V.C.I. on the request of the S. State: & this might be ascertained by a personal enquiry. I shd , however, myself have preferred that a work of this value & importance shd have been sent to the Governor, for the use of the public generally, & that not V.C.I. only but B.C. should also participate in the expected benefits of information on patent Law.

Mr Blackwood
I find that copies of the publications of the Commrs of Patents were gratuitously given by the Commrs thro' this office, in 1856 to the Cape, Trinidad, Ceylon, British Guiana, Malta, the Mauritius, Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Jamaica, Antigua, Barbados, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and New Zealand.

I can find no rule laid down on the subject, but if there was one, it must have been in the Minutes on 11393, Victoria, 1855, wh paper is unfortunately missing.

Mr Halksworth
Have you any spare copies of these papers. If we have to pay for them what will they cost.

Mr Blackwood
We have no copy of this bulky work in the Colonial Office Library. It can only be obtained of [from] the Commissioners of Patents. It must be a very expensive Work, [if I] remember correctly the Binding alone was estimated to cost £60.

It will be seen by the minute within that the Comrs of Patents made us a present of the Work for certain selected Colonies. Mr Halksworth says that the binding alone is estimated at £60. Might not the answer be therefore that the Comrs of Patents some time ago presented a limited number of copies of this Work to certain selected Colonies, but that Vancouver Island was not included in the list, and that it is an extremely bulky and expensive work, and that this Department has no funds at it's disposal which could be applied to purchasing it for the use of the Colony?

I think we ought to lay before the Comrs of Patents to give a copy.

To Commrs inquiring whether they are disposed to furnish the Government of V.C.I. with a Copy.

Elliot to Bennet Woodcroft, Patent Office, 15 March 1866, forwarding copy of the letter from Alston and asking whether his request could be complied with.