Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Correspondence (private letter)
Nind, Philip H. to Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle Henry Pelham Fiennes 20 July 1862, CO 60:14, no. 7253, 471.
Abstract
Nind, Philip H. to Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle Henry Pelham Fiennes 20 July 1862, CO 60:14, no. 7253, 471.
Correspondence (private letter).
Minutes (3), Other documents (3).
Nind to Newcastle
Woodcote House
July 20th 1862
My Lord Duke,
I have the honour to accept the prolongation of leave of
absence from the Colony of British Columbia for six months offered
to me in your Grace's letter of the 4th Instant in reply to myapplication
application to be granted additional furlough for the recovery of
my health.
application to be granted additional furlough for the recovery of
my health.
I have the honour to state for the consideration of your
Grace that having made enquiries of the Colonial Agents General
respecting the amount of half salary due to me I was informed that
instructions had been received by them to pay me half salaryat
at
the rate of Four Hundred and Fifty Pounds (£450) per annum full
salary—but on the 1st January 1862 my salary was increased to
Five Hundred (£500) per annum with an allowance of an additional
Hundred Pounds (£100), and previous to leaving Victoria I was
given to understand by the Colonial Secretary of British Columbia
that whilst in England I should be able to draw half salary at the
amended rate. I trust should your Gracefind
find my figures correct
that the Colonial Agents may be authorized to issue to me the
higher pay.
at
the rate of Four Hundred and Fifty Pounds (£450) per annum full
salary—but on the 1st January 1862 my salary was increased to
Five Hundred (£500) per annum with an allowance of an additional
Hundred Pounds (£100), and previous to leaving Victoria I was
given to understand by the Colonial Secretary of British Columbia
that whilst in England I should be able to draw half salary at the
amended rate. I trust should your Gracefind
find my figures correct
that the Colonial Agents may be authorized to issue to me the
higher pay.
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Elliot
Mr Nind's representation that his salary has been increased by the Govr from £450 to £500, & that an allowance of £100 per ann: has further been added is correct. This increase appears in the Colonial Estimates of 1862 which accompanied the Governor's desph of the 30 Novr/61. But the Duke of Newcastle has not yet sanctioned those Estimates. On the contrary His Grace has (27 Feby/62) complained of the means in whh those Estimates have been prepared—of the disposition of the Governor to increase the amount of them, & finally instructed him to curtail some of the items so as to admit of his paying the charge for the R. Engineers abt which so much
correspondence with the Governor
and with the Treasury has passed. The Governor has ansd the
Duke's strictures on the Estimates (see 6357/62) by saying that
"the increase of the Civil expenses of the Colony is one of the
inevitable effects resulting from the extension of population
and discovery" &c &c.
Mr Nind's representation that his salary has been increased by the Govr from £450 to £500, & that an allowance of £100 per ann: has further been added is correct. This increase appears in the Colonial Estimates of 1862 which accompanied the Governor's desph of the 30 Novr/61. But the Duke of Newcastle has not yet sanctioned those Estimates. On the contrary His Grace has (27 Feby/62) complained of the means in whh those Estimates have been prepared—of the disposition of the Governor to increase the amount of them, & finally instructed him to curtail some of the items so as to admit of his paying the charge for the R. Engineers abt which so much
correspondence with the Governor
and with the Treasury has passed. The Governor has ansd the
Duke's strictures on the Estimates (see 6357/62) by saying that
"the increase of the Civil expenses of the Colony is one of the
inevitable effects resulting from the extension of population
and discovery" &c &c.
The desph containing the above explanation is now under
the consn of the Treasury, it having been sent to that Dept
in consequence of the appeal therein made for more time before the
Colony shall be required to pay for the Engineers. From the
foregoing recital I think it is plain that we ought not at present
to authorize payment to Mr Nind of the increase in his
Emoluments. We have told the Governor that he must curtail his
Civil Expre. He makes a base, general sort of defence for his
augmentations. Will you declare that it
is insufficient, and disallow
all instances of increased civil expenre—for Mr Nind
cannot alone be made to suffer—or will you admit his argument?
It is a serious thing to under pay Officers such as Mr Nind, on
whom the brunt of Colonial work falls. They are posted up the
Country—have to live a very hard, rough life—they have to
maintain a position distinguished from the Miners, who are earning
much more than they do in salary. Taking into consideration the
price of provisons I can scarecely think £500 a year, with an
allowance of £100 for horse, [& cow?]
a bit too much to assign
them. But you have said the Estimates must be curtailed. Where
will you begin—who is so to be first example? If it is to be
done at all I think reduction must be general & not exceptional.
is insufficient, and disallow
all instances of increased civil expenre—for Mr Nind
cannot alone be made to suffer—or will you admit his argument?
It is a serious thing to under pay Officers such as Mr Nind, on
whom the brunt of Colonial work falls. They are posted up the
Country—have to live a very hard, rough life—they have to
maintain a position distinguished from the Miners, who are earning
much more than they do in salary. Taking into consideration the
price of provisons I can scarecely think £500 a year, with an
allowance of £100 for horse, [& cow?]
a bit too much to assign
them. But you have said the Estimates must be curtailed. Where
will you begin—who is so to be first example? If it is to be
done at all I think reduction must be general & not exceptional.
ABd
23 July/62
The expenditure which the Governor was told that he must
curtail in order to admit of paying his share of the cost of the
Royal Engineers was the expenditure on roads and public works.
No
question was raised in our general despatch dated 13 May 1862 of
his diminishing his ordinary Civil expenditure. I think that for
this and other reasons, it would not be advisable to treat the
contribution to the Engineers as a reason against any
augmentations of salary which may in themselves be reasonable.
No
question was raised in our general despatch dated 13 May 1862 of
his diminishing his ordinary Civil expenditure. I think that for
this and other reasons, it would not be advisable to treat the
contribution to the Engineers as a reason against any
augmentations of salary which may in themselves be reasonable.
My own opinion therefore is that it would be equitable to let
Mr Nind have the benefit of drawing half the increased salary
of £500 instead of £450, from the date at which the Governor made
the increase. I have not the Estimate before me, but this data
can be looked to in the division upstairs. In order however to
prepare against the contingency of the Treasury's raising
objections, I should tell Mr Nind that the Agent is authorized
to issue to him half his salary at this increased rate, subject to
repayment if on a general revision now in progress of the British
Columbia Estimates, it should be found necessary to decline
confirming the proposed augmentations of salary.
I should further tell Mr Nind that he cannot be allowed to
draw half of the extra allowance of £100 to which he refers. This
is a special allowance to be made to Magistrates on account of the
high price of provisions at distant Stations in the Colony, to
which they may be sent. It is therefore purely local in it's
character and does not form part of the Emoluments
of which an
absent officer is entitled to draw a moiety.
of which an
absent officer is entitled to draw a moiety.
TFE
23 July
Other documents included in the file
Fortescue to Nind, 1 August 1862, advising that he would be
issued half salary based on a rate of £500 per annum, with
conditions explained, but that the £100 supplement was "purely
local in it's character and does not form part of the emoluments of
which an absent officer is entitled to draw a moiety."
