Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch to London
Douglas, Sir James to Lytton, Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer 9 December 1858, CO 60:1, no. 1062, 503.
Abstract
Despatch to London.
Minutes (2), Other documents (1).
Douglas thanks the CO for allowing him to pay the crews of the “Satellite” and “Plumper” from the local revenue. He enumerates the total for the past quarter and announces
that he has “liquidated” one third of the sum.” He qualifies that if the extra allowance
had been limited to the crew and not applied to Captains and Officers as well the
charge would not have become “an intolerable burden” on the colony’s “limited income.”
The minutes forward to the Admiralty and print for Parliament.
Enclosed is Merivale to the Secretary to the Admiralty forwarding a copy of the despatch for information.
No. 46
1. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your Despatch No 24 of the
24th of September
1
in which you kindly approve under the peculiar
circumstances in which I was placed, of the allowance of pay to
the companies of H.M. Ships "Satellite" and "Plumper", from the local
revenue equal to their rate of pay from the Crown.
2. That.
2. That extra allowance of pay was made for three months up to
the 30th September last, when it was not considered necessary to
continue it for a longer time, and with the knowledge and approval
of Admiral Baynes, who concurred with me regarding the allowance as
unusual and forming a troublesome and inconvenient precedent, that
decision was made known to Captains Prevost and Richards, to announce
to their respective ships companies.
3. The charge for that quarter was as follows—
"Satellite" £2253.14.8
"Plumper" £1118.11.7
£3372. 6.3
4. I"Satellite" £2253.14.8
"Plumper" £1118.11.7
£3372. 6.3
4. I have already liquidated one third of that sum; I propose
to pay a second instalment very shortly, and the third will be paid
as soon as circumstances permit.
5. Had the extra allowance been limited to the ships companies,
the amount of pay would have been moderate; but applying as it did
to the Captain and Officers, the charge became an intolerable
burden on our limited income, and to me a source of ceaseless
trouble and anxiety.
Minutes by CO staff
Other documents included in the file
Merivale to Secretary to the Admiralty, 2 February 1859,
forwarding copy of the despatch for information.
Footnotes
- = Lytton to Douglas, 24 September 1858, No. 24, CO 398/1, p. 104, extra pay for ship crew. Prevost wrote to Douglas on 28 June requesting ?? the pay increase. Douglas to Stanley, 25 July 1858, No. 32, 9254, CO 305/9, p. 157.
People in this document
Baynes, Rear Admiral Robert Lambert
Lytton, Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer