Peel to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)
Treasury Chambers
10th June 1864
Sir
The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have
had before Them
Mr Elliot's letter of the
31st Ultimo
enclosing an Ordinance passed by the Legislative Council of
British Columbia—No 3 of
1864—to apply the sum of £135,639.16.7 out of
the General Revenue of the Colony for the service of the year
1864.
I am to request that you will state to
Mr Secretary
Cardwell, with reference to the observations in that letter,
that My Lords would be
unwilling unwilling to interfere with the Legislation
of the Council of that Colony further than by exercising a general
supervision over proceedings of a financial character for which
Her Majesty's Government may be considered to some extent
responsible until a strictly Representative Assembly is constituted.
Until that form of Institution is created My Lords are of
opinion that the Regulations which have been laid down for the
guidance of the Officers charged with the administration of the
financial affairs of Crown Colonies should be adhered to.
At the present occasion the
Governor Governor, in forwarding the
Ordinance, appropriating £135,639.16.7 to the service of the
year
1864, has omitted to accompany it with the Estimates of
Revenue—Form A of Instructions of 1848—or the Estimates of
Expenditure—Form B—or with any information in regard to any
increase or decrease of charge in comparison with the Estimates
of the previous year.
My Lords are not prepared, without means of reference to
the usual Returns, to state objections to, or approval of,
the mode in which the Revenue of
1864 has been appropriated
according to the Schedule annexed to the Ordinance, and They
would wish
to to receive the Estimates in the usual Form and
a Report from the Governor on the subject—together with
such information as may have been laid before the Council
at the time of passing the Ordinance.
I am
Sir
Your Obedient Servant
F. Peel
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Elliot
See
Sir F. Rogers' minute on 4048. I think the
Treasury are entitled to exercise much the same amount
of superintendance over the Finances of
B.C. as they
do over the Finances of Ceylon—the composition of the
Governing body—the Leg: Council—being in both colonies the same.
Desire the Governor to send home the Estimates
of Revenue & the rest of the infn required
by the T-y—as specified in the 2 last paragraphs of this Letter.
Sir F. Rogers
I think so. But we must take care to furnish the
Governor with Copies of the required Forms, which very
probably he does not possess.
Mr Blackwood will
attend to this when the papers return for preparing the draft.
The Governor will find the required [remainder cut off microfilm].
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