Sargeaunt to Elliot (Assistant Under-Secretary)
Offices of the Crown Agents for the Colonies
Spring Gardens, London, S.W.
May 24 1865
Sir,
Referring to your letter of the
16th July 1864 I have the
honor to report, for
Mr Secretary Cardwell's information, that
with a view of taking advantage of the favorable state of the
Money Market the Crown Agents offered to public competition on the
13th ultimo the
British Columbia Debentures authorized to be
issued under Ordinance N
o 7 of that year on the conditions
specified in the enclosed advertisement.
The total amount then allotted was only £10,900 at rates
ranging
from from 100 to 103, averaging £100.9.3.
The Crown Agents having expressed their readiness to
receive offers at par for the remaining portion of the Loan
until the 20th ultimo, have disposed of further Bonds to
the amount of £16,700, making a total of £27,500 Debentures
sold, which have realized £27,650.2.6.
This amount has enabled the Crown Agents to meet the
following liabilities on behalf of the Government of
British
Columbia, viz
t:
Bill drawn by Colonial Treasurer in favor
of Bank of British Columbia adverted to in
Mr Julyan's letter of 29th November 1864 |
£9,000 |
Loan from Bank of British Columbia raised
under the authority of Mr Elliots
letter of 2 Decr 1864 |
15,000.0.0 |
Interest on the above liabilities |
263.5.2 |
Due to Sinking Funds since December last |
3,250.0.0 |
|
£27,513.5.2 |
There is therefore no provision at present for the debt
due to Her Majesty's Treasury on account of the Barracks
erected for the Royal Engineers, nor for the monies advanced,
and liabilities incurred, by this Office on behalf of the
Colonial Government,
amounting in amounting in all to about £14,000.
The Crown Agents have instructed their Brokers to effect
sales at par as opportunities may offer, though there is
but little ground to hope for the speedy realization of the
residue of the Loan except at a sacrifice.
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Elliot
The English money market is not so favorable to
speculations in
B. Columbia as it has been on
previous occasions. But still the sale of the
Debentures on the
13 ulto was effected at a
small premium, though it is apprehended that premium may not continue.
I conceive we must send the Governor a copy of this letter for
his infn & warn him that the C: Agents must be kept in funds:
otherwise there will be no means of meeting the bills: & that he must
remember that there are no other funds against which these bills can
be drawn.
See 5046.
10,700 at an average premium of about 1/2 per cent & 16,700 at par.
Send to
Govr as proposed by
Mr Blackwood—stating, I
shd say,
that as bills are arriving from the colony drawn against their 10,000£
deb
res the Agents will be necessarily forced to dispose of these
deb
res at a sacrifice.
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