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 28 July 1862, CO 60:13, no. 8834, 303.
Abstract
Douglas, Sir James to Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle Henry Pelham Fiennes 28 July 1862, CO 60:13, no. 8834, 303.
Despatch to London.
Minutes (3), Enclosures (untranscribed) (16), Other documents (1).
No. 32
28 July 1862
I have the honor to forward to you herewith at the desire
of the Assay Department of British Columbia, certain correspondence
respecting a claim put forthby
by them to an increase of salary.
by them to an increase of salary.
2. I regret that these Gentlemen should have assumed the
position that these Documents will disclose, for it appears to
me to bear very much the complexion of an attempt upon their part
to coerce the Government into a compliance with their demands, at
a moment when they believe their services are indispensable, and
the Government wholly in their power to carry out animportant
important
measure in connection with their Department.
important
measure in connection with their Department.
3. Your Grace is aware of the project I entertained of issuing
Gold pieces from the Assay Office of the value of Ten and Twenty
dollars American currency, and Her Majesty's Government have approved
the scheme. To carry it out I consider the Staff at the Assay Office
ample, in short that is proved by the fact that a large number of
these pieces have for practice been producedby
by that staff, and
indeed the Gentlemen themselves do not pretend to assert that they
are unequal to the labor. They consider however the operation as
one in no way connected with their duties, and before undertaking
any of the work, apply for an increase of salary. I inform them
that when the contemplated arrangements are carried out I will
take their case into consideration, they reply by refusing to
"take anypart
part" in what they term "Mint operations."
by that staff, and
indeed the Gentlemen themselves do not pretend to assert that they
are unequal to the labor. They consider however the operation as
one in no way connected with their duties, and before undertaking
any of the work, apply for an increase of salary. I inform them
that when the contemplated arrangements are carried out I will
take their case into consideration, they reply by refusing to
"take anypart
part" in what they term "Mint operations."
4. They also endeavour to support their claims to increased
salary by referring to "promises of the Home Government" made
through the Master of the Royal Mint at the time he engaged them.
For these assertions I cannot find the least foundation. The
reports of Professor Graham respecting the engagement of
these Gentlemen are full and precise. An increase of
salary is promisedafter
after the first year of their engagement if
that increase was duly accorded; therefore perfect faith has been
kept with them in the promises made by Professor Graham, and not
only so, for they have since their arrival in the Colony been
provided with free quarters, an advantage which does not appear
to have been promised by Professor Graham, and one which is not
to be lightly estimated in a Countrywhere
where most of the other public
Officers have had to incur a heavy outlay in purchasing land and
building Houses for themselves. It is, however, not improbable
that Professor Graham did hold out hopes to these gentlemen that
in time they would obtain larger salaries than he could offer,
to an increase the legitimate result of their own exertions
and integrity, but such a circumstance would form no ground on
which to assert so positive a claim asthat
that put forth by these
gentlemen, nor to justify them in the course they have adopted.
after the first year of their engagement if
that increase was duly accorded; therefore perfect faith has been
kept with them in the promises made by Professor Graham, and not
only so, for they have since their arrival in the Colony been
provided with free quarters, an advantage which does not appear
to have been promised by Professor Graham, and one which is not
to be lightly estimated in a Countrywhere
where most of the other public
Officers have had to incur a heavy outlay in purchasing land and
building Houses for themselves. It is, however, not improbable
that Professor Graham did hold out hopes to these gentlemen that
in time they would obtain larger salaries than he could offer,
to an increase the legitimate result of their own exertions
and integrity, but such a circumstance would form no ground on
which to assert so positive a claim asthat
that put forth by these
gentlemen, nor to justify them in the course they have adopted.
5. I cannot therefore consider that these gentlemen have
any case of complaint to present to your Grace, and I trust your
Grace will support me in the action I have taken. The period for
which their salaries were assured to them by Professor Graham
will expire next month, and it was myintention
intention then to remodel
the Establishment for it has been a most expensive one, the entire
outlay in connection with it having exceeded £9000, while the
receipts are little more than £900. The staff has been a double
one and capable of conducting the most extensive operations, but
40,000 ounces of gold only having passed through their hands in
2 years, these gentlemen have in consequence been leading a life
of comparative idleness.Now,
Now, when there is a prospect of their
services being remunerative, they refuse to render those services
unless specially paid for them.
intention then to remodel
the Establishment for it has been a most expensive one, the entire
outlay in connection with it having exceeded £9000, while the
receipts are little more than £900. The staff has been a double
one and capable of conducting the most extensive operations, but
40,000 ounces of gold only having passed through their hands in
2 years, these gentlemen have in consequence been leading a life
of comparative idleness.Now,
Now, when there is a prospect of their
services being remunerative, they refuse to render those services
unless specially paid for them.
6. Your Grace will observe that when first requested by these
Gentlemen to refer their case to you, I declined to do so, considering
that there was no necessity to trespass upon your Grace's time with
a matter of detail which was left to me to settle. As however, they
have claimedtheir
their right to such reference, I have only to comply
with the regulations of the service and to forward the correspondence
with this my report.
their right to such reference, I have only to comply
with the regulations of the service and to forward the correspondence
with this my report.
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Elliot
The real reason, which is kept out of sight, why the Assay Office at New W. has not been a success is because the Miners do not stop at that place with their bullion, but push on with it to Victoria where they find superior means of enjoyment. The gold thence is sent to San Francisco. I am afraid that if the Assay & Coinage Office were fixed at Victoria, though it wd be the best place for the Dept, it would produce great dissatisfaction in B. Columbia.
The real reason, which is kept out of sight, why the Assay Office at New W. has not been a success is because the Miners do not stop at that place with their bullion, but push on with it to Victoria where they find superior means of enjoyment. The gold thence is sent to San Francisco. I am afraid that if the Assay & Coinage Office were fixed at Victoria, though it wd be the best place for the Dept, it would produce great dissatisfaction in B. Columbia.
If the Governor has the means on the spot of remodelling
the establisht & economizing, these Officers seem to me
to have given him a fair oppy of doing so without breaking
faith with them. Their period of service is said to have expired.
Refer to T-y &c &c.
ABd
10 Sepr/62
The attempt made by a body of Officers who have hitherto
been in comparative idleness, to extort an increase of salary by
a sort of strike is very reprehensible, and constitutes an example
which calls for effective discouragement.
I should make this remark to the Treasury, and should recommend
a refusal to increase their salaries, and to leave it to the Governor's
discretion to remodel their Department as he may think best for the
public service.
TFE
10 Sepr
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
Assay Office to W.D. Gosset, 14 July 1862, asking that the enclosed correspondence be forwarded to Newcastle and stating the basis of their claims for increased salary, four signatures.
Assay Office to Gosset, 23 May 1862, further to his
memorandum as noted above, asking that their request for increased
salary attendant on their proposed increased duties, and on past
promises, be forwarded to the governor.
Gosset to Acting Colonial Secretary, 23 May 1862, forwarding
letter from assay department asking for a salary increase and
recommending both a £50 raise and other considerations.
W.A.G. Young to Gosset, 30 May 1862, advising a salary
review would have been undertaken following the successful
implementation of the coining department, and conveying the
governor's "regret and disappointment that the application had been
received prior to that time."
Gosset to Assay Office, 3 June 1862, forwarding the governor's
reply to their application.
Assay Office to Gosset, 3 June 1862, expressing regret that
the governor based their application solely on the expected increase
of work, and advising that they held themselves "entitled to an
increase of Salary from what we were led to expect by the Master
of the Mint, before leaving England."
Gosset to Assay Office, 10 June 1862, forwarding copy of the
governor's letter requesting documentation.
Assay Office to Gosset, 11 June 1862, advising that no written
agreement was made, the understanding being a verbal one, and
referring the governor to the Master of the Mint for
corroboration, and declining to commence operations in the
proposed mint pending settlement of the issue.
Young to Gosset, 19 June 1862, discounting the claims of the
officers, with explanation, and advising that the governor considered
it part of their "legitimate duty" to assist in the proposed
project, a refusal being considered "as a direct breach of the
engagement they entered into with the Government."
Other documents included in the file
Draft, Elliot to G.A. Hamilton, Treasury, 22 September 1862,
forwarding copy of the despatch and enclosures for consideration, but
recommending that the salary increase be refused.
People in this document
Gosset, Captain William Driscoll