Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch to London
Douglas, Sir James to
Grey, Third Earl, Henry George 31 October 1851, CO 305:3, no. 484, 65.
Abstract
Despatch to London.
Minutes (3), Other documents (4), Marginalia (22).
Douglas writes to Grey to acknowledge his appointment as governor and Vice Admiral of Vancouver Island, and its dependencies. Douglas's lengthy despatch reports on a range of subjects, which include Indigenous relations
and Missionary conversion, the grisly outcome of the Fort Rupert murders, grain-crop abundance, the discovery of gold in Haida Gwaii, the appointment of Finlayson to council, and more.
In the minutes, Blackwood asks to send on copies of Douglas's letter to the HBC, and to the Church Mission Society, and for Smith to prepare a warrant for Finlayson's appointment. Merivale asks that the discovery of gold be announced, and points out that Haida Gwaii is "not within the government of Vancouver's Island." Grey discusses the ramifications of foreign vessels sailing to Haida Gwaii, and asks to express satisfaction to Douglas for his report.
Of the four documents included in the file, the first is a draft reply from Grey to Douglas; the second is a draft letter, from the Colonial Office to Pelly, that forwards Douglas's despatch; the third is a draft letter, from the Colonial Office to the Church Missionary
Society, that forwards an extract of Douglas's letter; the fourth is a draft letter, from the Colonial Office to The Lord President,
that recommends Finlayson's appointment to the Vancouver Island council.
31st October 1851
To the Right Honble Earl Grey
Her Majestys Principal Secretary of State
For the Colonial Department
Her Majestys Principal Secretary of State
For the Colonial Department
My Lord
I beg through your Lordship to convey to Her Most Gracious
Majesty, my humble thanks for those distinguished marks of confidence,
which, it shall be my endeavour to prove, are not misplaced. ⎯ The Royal
Instructions, will be faithfully executed, and in the exercise of the
power and authority vested in me by the Royal Commission, it shall be my
study to promote, to the utmost of my ability, the honor and advantage
of the Crown, as well as the interests of Her Majestys Subjects in this
Colony. ⎯
2.
3
4
5
6
received
notice of their danger and fled from the Camp. They were however chased
into the woods, and put to death by their own people after making a
desperate resistance, in which one of the assailants was severly
wounded. ⎯7
8
9
10
least one third of the grain of this
season perished on the field, and a larger proportion was much damaged by the wet, a circumstance
which tells greatly in favour of the climate
of Vancouvers Island. ⎯11
12
13
14
They will become under proper Management of service to the Colony
and form a valuable auxiliary force, in the event of war with any
foreign power. ⎯ From my long experience of Indian character and of the
the
tribes on this Coast in particular, I am led to regret that the
Missionary Societies of Britain, who are sending Teachers to so many
other parts of the world have not turned their attention to the natives
of Vancouvers Island; as by the aid of those Societies, Schools might be established for the moral training
and instruction of the Aborigines, to
the manifest advantage of the Colony. ⎯
the
tribes on this Coast in particular, I am led to regret that the
Missionary Societies of Britain, who are sending Teachers to so many
other parts of the world have not turned their attention to the natives
of Vancouvers Island; as by the aid of those Societies, Schools might be established for the moral training
and instruction of the Aborigines, to
the manifest advantage of the Colony. ⎯15
16
am of opinion that it exists abundantly in that and other parts of
the Island. ⎯†
17
3End
Minutes by CO staff
Send copy of Paragraph 14 to the Church Missionary Society & enquire whether they
have to are able to send out any Missionaries to the Settlement?
Instruct Mr Smith to prepare a warrant appointing Mr Finlayson
to the Council.
ABd
20 Jany/52.
Mr Peel.
Par. 16. 17. announce the discovery of gold in Q. Charlotte's island, & ask a question whether foreign vessels are to be prevented from going there. Q.Ch.I. lies N.W. of Vancouver's Island, & from 2 to 4 degrees farther N. I apprehend it is not within the government of Vancouver's Island.
Par. 16. 17. announce the discovery of gold in Q. Charlotte's island, & ask a question whether foreign vessels are to be prevented from going there. Q.Ch.I. lies N.W. of Vancouver's Island, & from 2 to 4 degrees farther N. I apprehend it is not within the government of Vancouver's Island.
See also 409. The Governor [...] (a servant of the Company) writes in a very different tone from his predecessor.
With regard to the questn adverted to by Mr Merivale the
answer to be returned must be that I do not consider that it wd be expedient to issue any prohibitn against the resort to Q.C.Id of foreign vessels, even if there were no other objectn to such a step it wd be a sufficient reason against it that H.M's Govt are not
prepared to send thither a force to give effect to the prohibitn. ⎯ The rest of the despatch requires only a general acknowledgement
expressg satisfactn at the nature of the report it contains. ⎯
Adopt also Mr Blackwood's suggestns.
G.
26/
Other documents included in the file
Draft, Colonial Office to Pelly, 9 February 1852, forwarding copy of the despatch.
Draft, Colonial Office to Straith, Church Missionary
Society, 9 February 1852, forwarding extract of despatch and asking
whether missionaries could be sent to the settlement.
Draft, Colonial Office to The Lord President, 12 February 1852,
recommending the appointment of Finlayson to the council of
Vancouver Island.
Footnotes
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- Denotes the end of the paragraph marked above with the † symbol; see image scan.