XML | Preceding document | Next document | Cite this document

Public Offices document
Pelly, Sir John Henry to Grey, Right Honorable, Second Baronet, Sir George 22 January 1847, CO 305:1, no. 93, 91.

Abstract
Public Offices document. Minutes (3), Enclosures (untranscribed) (1), Other documents (1), Marginalia (3).
Pelly again writes to Lord Grey on the subject of land grants to the Hudson's Bay Company in the wake of the Oregon Treaty of 1846. In response to Grey's earlier request, Pelly provides as an enclosure of historical significance: a case note drawn up for, and approved by, Attorney General John Jervis and Solicitor General David Dundas.
93 North America

Hudson's Bay House
January 22. 1847
Printed for Parlt
10 Aug /48 (P.P. 619)
My Lord
No 5
Mr Under Secretary Hawes, in the letter which, by your Lordship's direction, he did me the honour to address to me on the 14th Ult, stated that you were prepared to assent, on Her Majesty's behalf, to my proposal
4Ansd. 2d Feby
that certain lands in Vancouver's Island, or in other parts of the Oregon Territory, should be granted to the Hudson's Bay Company; but that before making that grant, you would require the production, by the Company, of an Opinion from Her Majesty's Attorney and Solicitor General to the effectManuscript image that the acceptance by the Company of such a grant would be consistent with their Charter of Incorporation
On receiving this intimation I directed a Case to be drawn up for the Opinion of the Attorney and Solicitor General which Case, with their Opinion thereon, I have the honour to transmit to your Lordship herewith.
Your Lordship will perceive that the question raised in the Case is confined to the single point on which you expressed a wish to receive information, namely, whether the Hudson's Bay Company have power under their Charter to hold lands, within Her Majesty's Dominions, westward of the Rocky Mountains.
I have the honour to be
My Lord
Your Lordship's Obedient
humble Servant
JH Pelly
1To the Right Honourable
The Earl Grey
&c &c &c.
Minutes by CO staff
Manuscript image 25 Jany

The next step is, I apprehend to desire the Compy to transmit the Draft of such a Grant from the as they are desirous to receive from the Crown, of the Lands in question.
JS
Jy 25
BH
G. 27/
Other documents included in the file
Manuscript image
Draft, Hawes to Pelly, 2 February 1847, saying Grey is prepared to "receive and consider the Draft of such a Grant as the Company would desire to receive. . . ."
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
Manuscript image
2Case presented by Crowder and Maynard on behalf of the Hudson's Bay Company, no date, as per despatch.3
Minutes by CO staff
For the opinions of the Atty Genl, & to confer with the Solr Genl.
BP
Compy  2
Manuscript image
The charter ordains that the Company shall at all times thereafter be capable to purchase & retain lands. Their ability in that respect is not therefore limited to the lands specifically granted by the charter, and if, as is stated, the charter contains no limitation preventing them from acquiring land beyond a particular district, we are of opinion that they may receive & hold in their Corporate Capacity and lands within her Majestys Dominions situate westward of the Rocky Mountains —
Temple
  19 Jany 47.
John Jervis.
David Dundas.
Footnotes
  1. This addressee information appears at the foot of the first page of the despatch.
  2. The following case, though not transcribed here at this time, is significant. It details a legal opinion as to whether or not, and to what extent, the Hudson's Bay Company is able "to receive and hold in their Corporate Capacity any Lands within the Dominions of the British Crown" westward of the Rocky Mountains. The basis for this legal argument invokes the "Charter granted by Charles the 2nd in the year 1670."
  3. The following minutes appear on the enclosure document.
  4. This text runs perpendicular to main body text; see image scan.
People in this document

Crowder

Dundas, Sir David

Grey, Right Honorable, Second Baronet, Sir George

Grey, Third Earl, Henry George

Hawes, Benjamin

Jervis, Sir John

Maynard, Joseph

Pelly, Sir John Henry

Stephen, Sir James

Temple, Third Viscount Palmerston Henry John

Places in this document

Oregon Territory, or Columbia District

The Rocky Mountains

Vancouver Island

Pelly, Sir John Henry to Grey, Right Honorable, Second Baronet, Sir George 22 January 1847, CO 305:1, no. 93, 91. The Colonial Despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871, Edition 2.0, ed. James Hendrickson and the Colonial Despatches project. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria. https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/V475HB01.html.

Last modified: 2020-03-30 13:22:16 -0700 (Mon, 30 Mar 2020) (SVN revision: 4193)