I minuted
Governor Seymour's former despatch, but I am in no way
responsible for the draft which did not pass through my hands.
The present despatch shows that
Governor Seymour was perfectly
well founded in the knowledge which he intimated, although it was
natural that some surprise should be felt at it in the absence of
an explanation from him of it's source.
I think that it only remains to acknowledge this despatch and
to state to
Governor Seymour that his explanation shows that he was
quite justified in the knowledge
which which he expressed of
Lord Lytton's
original arrangement with
Mr Cooper, when he went out to
British
Columbia.
I hope to satisfy your Grace from accident not from negligence.
B. Columbia had only been recently made over to the Eastern
Dt when
Governor Seymour's despatch arrived—& there was no
Gentlemen in the
Dt conversant with Columbia correspondence.
But inquiry & search was
made & in the
B. Columbia Entry
Volume was found the despatch notifying
Mr Cooper's app
t
& the conditions on which it was made & no other—nor indeed was
there anything to lead to an idea that [there] could be anything
further. The reason the Confidential despatch was not found arose from
its being entered in a different Vol: namely the
Vancouver Entry Book.
Hence when
Mr Elliot's minute with your Grace's sanction came
back to the
Dt there was no known reason why it should not be
acted on.