Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Correspondence (private letter)
Nias, George Elmes to Stanley, Lord Edward Henry 3 July 1858, CO 6:29, no. 7981, 7.
Abstract
Correspondence (private letter).
Minutes (3), Enclosures (untranscribed) (2).
Nias submits a petition for the implementation of regulations on land sales in Victoria which would force land speculators to “substantially improve” the land within a limited
time period. Nias hopes to discourage “American Land Grabber[s]” from speculating on Vancouver Island.
The minutes agree to send Nias’s letters to Douglas as a “caution” but disagree with Nias as to the extent of damage caused by “land jobbing.”
Enclosed is Nias’s petition praying measures be taken to require all purchaser of lots in Victoria to improve within a reasonable time; and a clipping from the Daily Evening Bulletin,
San Francisco, on land speculations in Victoria.
Nias to Stanley
I take the liberty of forwarding to you the enclosed Petition,
and respectfully request you to present it to Her Majesty, for whom I
entertain feelings of profound respect.
My Lord:
I should like briefly to state to your Lordship my reasons for
presenting the enclosed petition, as I should wish to enlist your
advocacy of a course, which founded on justice and right, would
materially advance the best interests of a most important new
settlement,—if neglected, will seriously retard its prosperity and early
development.
My eight years residence in California has given me ample
opportunity of judging of the bad effects provided by the absence of such
a regulation, and in San Francisco it was for 5 or 6 years and is still
to some 
extent, one of the greatest evidences of American mis-rule; I
allude to the selling "Town lots," in new settlements, without
requiring the purchasers to substantially improve the same within
a limited period, or forfeit their purchase money.
extent, one of the greatest evidences of American mis-rule; I
allude to the selling "Town lots," in new settlements, without
requiring the purchasers to substantially improve the same within
a limited period, or forfeit their purchase money.
I believe the bad effects of the absence of this regulation have
been felt in other colonies, and I am under the impression that there is
some general law requiring town lots, on government land, to be improved.
I will not occupy your Lordships time with arguments to prove the good
policy and justice of such a law, you are doubtless fully acquainted with
them. In the present instance its absence will be particularly
injurious, as from its proximity to American settlements, numbers of
American "Land Speculators" have gone down, with the sole purpose of
buying all the land in and about the town of Victoria, they can lay their
hands on, merely for the purpose of holding & reselling, at an enormous
advance. The American "Land Grabber," seldom improves land in his own
country, and only folly would suppose he would do so on British
soil, for indeed only those who have lived some years among them can tell
the jealousy and hatred the great bulk of Americans bear towards Britain
and all pertaining to her.
(Do not let the foregoing lead you to suppose that I am
prejudiced against Americans;—it is only the result of experience.
I have made it a point to cultivate the acquaintance of and associate
mostly with Americans, and as to outward appearance and speech am an
American. And could if your Lordship desired furnish you some very strong
arguments against the Bal[l]ot and universal sufferage. I was a strong
Radical when I left England. I am anything but a radical now, and shall
return to see Victoria under the British flag at the earliest
opportunity, with great pleasure.)
I see by the papers that His Excellency Governor Douglas has some
doubts of the policy of allowing the law to be monopolized as it was—for
he had closed the "Land Office" & given notice that no person could
purchase more than six lots. But this is absurd as the lots might appear
in the names of twenty persons, and yet belong wholly to
one. "Substantial Improvements" in a limited time, is the only remedy.
I enclose some cuttings, in preference to sending you a whole paper
to wade through and remain your Lordships
Very obedient Servant
GE Nias
GE Nias
Minutes by CO staff
Mr. Merivale.
It would be desirable, I think, to send copies of these Letters to Governor Douglas, and Caution him on this subject. It is only reasonable that purchasers of Town lots should improve within a stipulated period.
It would be desirable, I think, to send copies of these Letters to Governor Douglas, and Caution him on this subject. It is only reasonable that purchasers of Town lots should improve within a stipulated period.
I think copy of this should be forwarded to Gov. Douglas by next
mail as a caution, though strictly speaking the land is the Company's,
not the Crown's: & also to the HBC. What Mr Nias says is in the
abstract perfectly right: land jobbing is the curse and canker of new
colonies: no land should be sold, not only in town lots but in country
lots, except to men bound to improve them. But where Mr Nias is wrong, in
common with all inexperienced reasoners on this subject, is in his belief
of the efficacy of "regulations" to check the evil. No one will
believe—till they have seen it proved—that "regulations" to check land
jobbing are not worth the paper they are written on. Only one
speculative writer ever had a clear perception of this. E.G. Wakefield,
who was eminently also a practical man. He, therefore, preached the
doctrine that all land should be sold at so high a price (fixed upset) as
will render it rarely worth the "land jobbers" while to buy: and the
proceeds spent in helping the bona fide purchaser to labour. All
favourers of cheap and easy schemes, meant to look well rather than to
work, have abused him ever since. But the proof of his sound views is in
the steady thriving of the only colony in which they were ever thoroughly
adopted—South Australia. However, fortunately or unfortunately, we
cannot try his scheme in North America, with the States, the land
of cheap sales & land jobbing, close by.
So far, however, I should be inclined to differ from Mr Nias,
that I do not see much mischief in the public from land jobbing in
town lots, beyond the lots of revenue, which is of course
provoking. But land jobbing in country land kills improvement.
HM
Augt 12
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
Petition of George E. Nias, San Francisco, 3 July 1858, praying
measures be taken to require all purchasers of lots in Victoria to
improve them within a reasonable time.
People in this document
Lytton, Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer