Murdoch to Elliot (Assistant Under-Secretary)
               
            
            
               
               
                     Emigration Board
                     
                  
               22nd March 1867
               
               Sir
                
            
            
               With reference to your letter of 
9th inst, authorizing the
               omission from the Deed for the reconveyance of 
Vancouver's Island
               to the Crown of certain words objected to by the Solicitors of the
               Hudson's Bay C
o, I have to report, for the information of His
               Grace the 
Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, that we have had the Deed
               engrossed with the words omitted, and left with the Company for
               execution.
               
 
            
            
               2. We have now received a letter from the Solicitors of the Company,
               of which the enclosed is a copy, requesting that they may have a
               duplicate of the Deed "signed by the proper authority on behalf of
               Her Majesty."  This application appears to be only reasonable.
               
            
            
               3.  I have therefore to request the instructions of the Secretary
               of State as to who should execute the Deed on the part of the
               Crown.  If it is thought fit, as in the case of the grant of Guano
               Licences, that this duty should devolve on us, it would doubtless
               be satisfactory to the Company that we should have an express

               direction to that effect, which we could exhibit to them as our
               authority for acting in the matter.
               
               I have the honor to be,
               Sir
               Your obedient
               humble Servant
               
T.W.C. Murdoch
               
               
               Minutes by CO staff
               
               
               
               
               
               
                  
                  Sir F. Rogers
                     It seems proper that the Land & Emigration Commiss
rs should
                     execute this deed for the re-conveyance of 
Vancouvers Island; and
                     that an Express direction to that effect should be given them.
                     
 
                  
                  
                   
               
               
                
            
            
               Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
               
                
                  
                  
                     Copy, 
Maynard Son & Co. to 
S. Walcott, Emigration Commissioner, 
20
                        March 1867, asking for a duplicate of the reconveyance "signed by
                     the proper authority on behalf of Her Majesty."
                     
                     
 
            
            
               Other documents included in the file
               
                
                  
                  
                     Elliot to Emigration Commissioners, 
29 March 1867, advising
                     that they had been granted authority "to execute on the part of
                     the Crown the Deed for the reconveyance of 
Vancouver Island to the
                     Crown."