Robert William Torrens served as
Clerk of the House of Vancouver Island
from
1863 to 1866.
He spent nearly six years in the British Army and, although often referred to as
Captain Torrens,
was only a
lieutenant when he sold his commission in
1851.
He may have served as a Constable in Australia's Gold Escort Militia before travelling
to
British Columbia in
1859, where he organized
an Expedition to prospect the N.W. Coast of British Columbia
and the Queen Charlotte Islands.
His report on the trip was well received by the colonial government, and an excerpt
from it, forwarded by
Governor Douglas, was printed by
the Royal Geographical Society of London in
1860.
Torrens lost his position when the colonies of
British Columbia and
Vancouver Island were united in
1866. There was no place for him in the merged colony's
administration so he was given free passage back to England.
Unable to find employment with the
Colonial Office, he became Chief Constable of Salford in
1869.
In
1880, following allegations that he accepted bribes from police officers in return for
promotion, and from criminals to
condone offences,
he resigned his post, citing health complications stemming from a broken wrist that
he suffered while on duty in
November 1879.
He was given six months pay as severance.
In
November 1881 it was reported that he had been appointed
chief commissioner of police on the Greek frontier of Turkey under Baker
Pasha.
Torrens died on
25 April 1887, at the age of 60.