No. 13
25 April 1859
I have the honor of forwarding herewith for your information a copy of my correspondence with the House of Assembly, on various subjects relating to the public business of the Colony of Vancouver's Island, from the 21st day of February lastManuscript imagelast to the 7th day of April instant.
2. The subjects referred to therein do not require separate and distinct notice. I will however take the liberty of drawing your attention to a few points of much importance; the first being the establishment of a Mint in this Colony, a subject in relation to which, the House feel a deep interest, and in their address to me of the 31st of March last, express an earnest wish that I should recommend it, for the consideration of Her Majesty's Government.
3. KnowingManuscript image3. Knowing your own views with respect to the advantages of that measure; its benificial effects on Trade; in strengthening our connection with the Mother Country, and in promoting the material interests of the Colony; having also lately reviewed the question of establishing an Assay Office in this Colony, as a preliminary step to the establishment of a Mint, it does not appear necessary that I should revert to the subject more fully in this communication.
4. With respect to the recommendation of the House of AssemblyManuscript imageAssembly, that the coinage of the Colonial Mint should be in decimal currency, of the same value as that of the United States, that is a question which I shall take care to reserve for the decision of Her Majesty's Government.
5. The other point to which I beg to draw your attention, is respecting the reserves of public Land made for Government purposes, in the several Districts of this Colony, which the House of Assembly in their Address of the 31st of March desire may be restricted to reserves for educational purposes, and placed forManuscript imagefor that object, exclusively at the disposal of the Legislature of Vancouver's Island.
6. I declined, for the reasons stated in my reply to that address, to act in compliance with their request, as it appeared to me that the claim advanced by the House to the control of the reserves of public land, is unconstitutional, and would be an encroachment on the rights of the Crown.
I have etc.
Minutes by CO staff
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Mr Merivale
Forward the portions of this despatch and the enclosure which relate to the establishment of a Mint in VanCouver's Isd, and to the reservations of public Lands for Govt purposes to the Treasury and Land Board respectively.
ABd 10/June
HM June 11
[C] June 11
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
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Correspondence between Douglas and House of Assembly from 21 February to 7 April 1859 (12 entries, 9 pages).
Other documents included in the file
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Draft, Merivale to G.A. Hamilton, Treasury, 17 June 1859, forwarding extracts of the despatch and enclosure relative to the establishment of a mint in the colony.
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Draft reply, Lytton to Douglas, No. 5, 24 July 1859.
Douglas, Sir James to Lytton, Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer 25 April 1859, CO 305:10, no. 5895, 103. 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/V59013.html.

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