Colonial Despatches

I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordships dispatch No 6 of 20 Novr 1850, approving of the provisional appointment of Mr John Sebastian Helmcken as magistrate at Fort Rupert, and further mentioning your Lordships concurrence in the opinion that a tax on the importation and manufacture of ardent spirits would be desirable so soon as a legislature should furnish the necessary authority. Mr Helmcken has as a I previously informed your Lordship resigned his appointment, and has been removed from Fort Rupert to Victoria; therethere is unfortunately no one remaining whom I consider at all fit to take his place., Moreover Mr Helmcken's having been called on since his arrival here to give up or furnish copies of his official correspondence while magistrate, to the Hudson's bay company's agent, thus using his authority as chief factor in the companys service over Mr Helmcken, has quite confirmed me in my opinion of the impropriety of making appointments among the company's servants. Even after retiring from the service they are in a great measure subject to the same influence as they recieve certain allowances which may be forfeited if they act in any manner that is considered as prejudicial to the company, the forfeiture would be at once enforced by the Agents in this country and the great distance from England would render any appeal to the Directors in London a work of time and uncertainty,

I have heard that fresh specimens of gold have been obtained from the Queen Charlottes Islanders, I have not seen them myself, but they are reported to be very rich, the Hudson's bay company's servants intend to send an expedition in the course of the summer to make proper investigations.