Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch to London
Douglas, Sir James to Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle Henry Pelham Fiennes 7 December 1861, CO 60:11, no. 1166, 210.
Abstract
Despatch to London.
Minutes (2), Enclosures (untranscribed) (7), Other documents (1).
Douglas writes to Newcastle to forward a copy of a resolution passed at a municipal council meeting for New Westminster. Douglas notes that the Resolution, which accuses Douglas of delaying previous council correspondence, was delayed a few days due to a clerical
oversight and not intentionally, as alleged by the council.
The minutes agree that the “Memorialists'” assertion of intentional delays by Douglas are baseless.
Eight documents are included in the file, all of which follow a controversy between
New Westminster's municipal council and Douglas over the misplacement, or not, of a memorial, which requests the government to subsidize
direct steam-communication to the colony, and expresses dissatisfaction over what
it sees as an absentee government in the BC colony.
No. 77
7 December 1861
With reference to my despatch No 76 of the 30th November
I have the honor to forward herewith copy of a Resolution passed
at a meeting of the Municipal Council of New Westminster held on
the 18th November 1861.
2. I
2. I regret thus to trespass upon Your Grace's time and
attention, but as the Resolution is forwarded to me by the
Municipal Council for the express purpose of transmission to your
Grace, I of course do not hesitate to do so.
3. The origin of the "Resolution" is shortly this. The
Municipal Council prepared the Memorial to your Grace enclosed in my
aforesaid despatch, and instead of sending it through the Post,they
they
entrusted it to private hands. It was not therefore delivered with other
letters in ordinary course of post, but was left at the Office
subsequently, and unfortunately was inadvertently overlooked
for a few days.
they
entrusted it to private hands. It was not therefore delivered with other
letters in ordinary course of post, but was left at the Office
subsequently, and unfortunately was inadvertently overlooked
for a few days.
4. The Municipal Council have prejudged the matter and treat
it as one of intentional delay with the object of defeating their plans.
5. It is unnecessary for me to make any furtherobservations
observations in refutation of allegations which are really so trifling and so out
of reason.
observations in refutation of allegations which are really so trifling and so out
of reason.
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Elliot
See 1165.
See 1165.
The Memorialists appear disposed to impute to the Official
Authorities a desire to delay or intercept the transmission to
the Secy of State of their application for a postal subsidy,
but I cannot think that they make out their case for any thing
more than an accidental delay in the Post Office. It wd
have been more satisfactory if the Governor had called upon
the Post Master
for a written explanation, & had sent it home.
for a written explanation, & had sent it home.
ABd
3 Feby
The Memorialists show a very unnecessary sensitiveness;
the real source of feeling being perhaps a anxiety to get the
Govt to reside in their City.
I shd acknowledge, and say that the Duke of Newcastle
is quite satisfied that the Governor had not intentionally
delayed the transmission of the Memorial, nor acted with any
indifference to the important object which it advocated.
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
"Copy of resolution passed unanimously at a meeting of the Municipal
Council of New Westminster, held on the 18th November 1861,"
disputing the explanation of the governor with regard to a memorial
previously forwarded and mislaid in Vancouver Island, and expressing
dissatisfaction with the absentee government in the colony.
W.E. Cormack, Chairman, Municipal Council of New Westminster,
to Douglas, 23 October 1861, forwarding a memorial asking the
imperial government to subsidize a direct steam communication to
the colony.
V. Hall, Clerk of Municipal Council, to W.A.G. Young, Colonial
Secretary, 7 November 1861, advising that a memorial had been
previously forwarded to the governor, and asking whether it had
been received and forwarded to the secretary of state.
Young to Municipal Council, 12 November 1861, asking on behalf of the governor when and how the memorial was forwarded.
Hall to Young, 14 November 1861, advising the memorial was
forwarded on 23 October in the care of Captain Mouat who placed
the communication in the Victoria Post Office.
Young to Municipal Council, 19 November 1861,
stating the governor had not received the memorial, and requesting
that a second copy be prepared and sent.
John Ramage, President, Municipal Council, to Young, 26
November 1861, doubting that the post office had mislaid the
communication, and endorsing the resolution passed by the council
on 18 November as noted above.
