Colonial Despatches

I informed you in my despatch No. 72 of 26th November, that I purposed to transfer Mr William George Cox, Assistant Gold Commissioner in Cariboo West to a similar position at the Kootenay Mines. I would beg leave now to report that I have postponedthe the transfer for a year at least.

2. The Kootenay Mines are daily increasing in importance, and are the same time, at present, so inaccessible from the Seat of Government, that the position of Gold Commissioner and Police Magistrate in the new district becomes one of the utmost importance. That Officer must take upon himself the duties of Governor, Judge, and, to a certain extent, those of Legislator also. Mr Cox has all the good qualitiesattributed attributed to him in my former despatch, but he has faults which I thought it unnecessary on a previous occasion to allude to. The manners which have made him popular with Miners and Indians are not quite those which I should wish the American population on the Kootenay to think characteristic of the English Public Officer. But I should probably have left his appointment untouched but for the further development of apeculiarity peculiarity which I observed in him during the Expedition into the Chilicoten Country. Mr Cox wishes to be entirely uncontrolled. He will avoid co-operating with another Officer if he can, or attending to instructions which are not Commands from the Governor. I made great allowance for his occasional disregard of my wishes in his former position of a Civilian suddenly called upon to lead an Expedition against savages and overlooked the circumstancesentirely entirely when I offered him the post on the Kootenay. The Appointment was speedily followed by the request that he would come to New Westminster before assuming the duties of his New Office. I wrote informally, but any other Officer would have taken my note as a command. I stated that I considered it of great importance that he should meet his predecessor on the Kootenay, Mr Haynes, and also the Colonial Secretary, before taking uponhimself himself duties of enormous importance in a country entirely new to him. I offered him a room in my house, and he was well aware that his travelling expenses would have been paid, but he apparently wished to be totally unfettered by instructions and announced, though in perfectly respectful terms, his intention of proceeding direct to the Kootenay.

3. Upon the receipt of this intimation I sent for Mr O'Reilly, the Gold Commissioner at Cariboo,now now in attendance on his Legislative duties, and said I should feel obliged if he would take charge of the Kottenay district for this year, when the proper management of its affairs is of almost vital importance to the Colony. Mr O'Reilly consented. I am not aware if this Gentleman is known to your Department, but I may assure you, that there is no one in this Colony—indeed taking his long Cariboo experience into consideration—there is noone one out of it either, whom I had sooner see represent the English Government during the first year that thousands of American Miners will be under its rule.

4. I propose to leave Mr Cox in charge of Mr O'Reilly's Office in Cariboo East during the latter Gentleman's employment elsewhere. This arrangement inflicts no hardship upon Mr Cox. It has always been held that the Governor can change the scene of duties of the AssistantGold Gold Commissioner at his pleasure and Mr Cox on receiving notice of his appointment to the Kootenay, merely expressed his readiness to serve wherever I might direct.