<persName ref="prs:douglas_j"><surname>Douglas</surname>, <forename>James</forename></persName> to <persName ref="prs:labouchere_h"><surname>Labouchere</surname>, <forename>Henry</forename></persName> 20 August 1856, CO 305:7, no. 9708, 82. Douglas addressee Labouchere

Published by Jim Hendrickson and the University of Victoria.

Douglas, James to Labouchere, Henry 20 August 1856, CO 305:7, no. 9708, 82.The Colonial Despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871, Edition 2.6, ed. James Hendrickson and the Colonial Despatches project. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria. https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/V56019.html. CO 305:07 CO 305 7 9708 82 19 V.I. 1856 received 28 October co_305_07_00083r.jpg Transcribed from microfilm archives, marked up in Waterloo Script, then transformed into TEI P5 XML.

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Despatch to London. Minutes (4), Enclosures (untranscribed) (1), Other documents (1).

This document contains mentions of Indigenous Peoples. The authors of these documents often perpetuate a negative perspective of Indigenous Peoples and it is important to look critically at these mentions. They sometimes use terminology that is now considered hurtful and offensive. To learn more about modern terminology pertaining to Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous ways of knowing, and decolonization, please refer to the Glossary of terms.

Douglas informs Labouchere that a gang of Queen Charlotte Islanders have been residing near the colony and attacked and nearly destroyed a Cowegin village. Their attack was met with anger and violent retribution by the Cowichans; Douglas enlisted the HBC steamer Otter to escort the northern Indians back home to avoid further conflict.

He also announces the arrival of Rear Admiral Bruce and the appointment of J. S. Helmcken as the speaker of the house for the House of Assembly.

The minutes approve of Douglas’s measures in dealing with the First Nation’s conflict as well as his speech given at the opening of the House of Assembly. They note that Douglas’s opinion on the Reciprocity Treaty seems to differ from that of the HBC.

Enclosed is a draft reply from Labouchere to Douglas approving of his actions as well as a copy of the speech given by Douglas at the Legislative Assembly.

 Douglas, James
Victoria Vancouver's Island
Labouchere, Henry Inserted revisionDesc with @status="unproofed". Changed idno @type="received" into a date element. Gave existing date an @type="sent" and reordered bibl contents.
No. 19 9708, CO 305/7, p. 82; received 28 October
Victoria Vancouver's Island
20th August 1856 Sir

In my letter No 15 of the 22nd of July I made known to Her Majesty's Government that a not unreasonable degree of alarm existed in the minds of the inhabitants of this Colony, in consequence of the great number of northern Indians congregated in the settlements. A gang of Queen Charlotte Islanders, who had been several months residentresident here, soon after the date of that communication, attacked and nearly destroyed a native "Cowegin" village situated about 50 miles north of this place. The "Cowegins" few in number fought desperately and were all slaughtered on the spot; and the assailants made off toward their own country with a number of captive women and children.

When tidings of that disaster reached the Colony, the remaining northern Indians, though still numerous were greatly alarmed, and the Cowegins incensed by the loss of their friends, were only restrained from attacking them en masse, by their respect for Her Majesty's Government, and the dread of giving us offence. They however hovered on the borders of the settlements, and shot every northern Indian without respect to Tribe or person, who ventured abroad. In those circumstances it became necessarynecessary to apply a remedy, as the excited passions of the hostile savages would have eventually brought on a collision within the limits of the settlements, where the northern Indians had assembled for protection, and they were afraid to leave the Colony as the route to their distant homes leads directly through the "Cowegin" Country. There was also great cause to fear that so large a number of Indians united by a common sense of danger, if permitted to leave in a collective body, would in all probability, from a feeling of their own strength, become dangerous, and commit numberless depredations on the less powerful native Tribes of Vancouver's Island, who might be surprised and cut off in detail.

I therefore adopted a plan which without displeasing the Cowegin Tribe, was considered by the northern Indians as a mark of peculiar favorfavor; this was to despatch them on their return homeward, under the escort of the Hudson's Bay Company's Steamer "Otter," and according to that arrangement, fifteen large canoes manned with about 300 northern Indians were sent away from this place on the morning of the 7th of August, and were conducted as far as River de Grullas, about 150 miles north of Victoria, where they were left to make their own way. The Colony was thus delivered from the greater number of the northern Tribes who have been resident at this place since the end of spring, and I am in hopes they will not renew their visits next year, in bodies so formidable.

I have now the satisfaction of announcing the arrival of Rear Admiral Bruce in Her Majesty's Ship "Monarch" at Port Esquimalt on the evening of the 11th of Instant; and the "Trincomalee""Trincomalee," Captain Houstoun, arrived the following day. The "Alarm" and "Brisk," are also under orders to repair to Vancouver's Island, and are daily expected here. The health of the squadron is generally good, and there is an abundant stock of vegetables and fresh provisions in the Colony for their use.

Admiral Bruce proposes to prolong his stay till the first week in September, and one of the ships will remain here after his departure for the protection of the Colony.

The House of Assembly was opened on the 12th of the present month. The affair passed off quietly, and did not appear to excite much interest among the lower orders.

I herewith forward a copy of my address to the assembly on that occasion, which I can only hope will meet with your approbation. As mentioned in one of my previous communicationscommunications, the House of Assembly consists of seven Members vizt John Muir Soke District John S. Helmcken ) Esquimalt District Thomas Skinner ) J.D. Pemberton ) James Yates ) Victoria District E.E. Langford ) John F. Kennedy ) Nanaimo District

J.S. Helmcken has been elected speaker of the House, but nothing further has been done; in consequence of objections having been raised to the validity of the election in one instance, and to the property qualification in two cases, making three out of the seven members, against whose return, petitions have been sent in, leaving only the speaker and three members at liberty to act, and that number is insufficient to form a Committee of enquiry, the House therefore hardly know how to get over the difficulty. One of the petitions is evidently got up for mere party purposes, and if that were withdrawn therethere would be four members and the speaker, who might proceed to regulate the affairs of the house. In the Territorial Governments of the United States, the practice in such cases, is for the Governor to grant certificates of qualification to a majority of the Members; who then proceed to constitute the house, but I am not certain if such a course would be in harmony with English law; nevertheless if the House should appeal to me on the subject, I will have recourse to that expedient.

I have the honor to be Sir Your most obedient humble Servant James Douglas Governor The Right HonbleHonourable Henry Labouchere Esqre Her Majesty's principal Secretary of State For the Colonial Department.
Mr Merivale Approve, I presume, of the measures taken by the Governor for getting rid of the Northern Indians, and approve also his speech on opening the two Houses of the Legislature. ABd 28 Octr/56
The Governor seems to differ very much from his employers the HBC about the advantages of the Reciprocity Treaty.

I am sure I do not know how he is to get over the difficulty about constituting a quorum of his House of Assembly but we can only say that we wait for his next report on that subject.

HM O 29
Mr Labouchere I suppose that there is no other alternative. JB 3 Novr
We can do nothing else. HL 4
Draft reply, Labouchere to Douglas, No. 19, 10 November 1856.
Speech by Douglas opening the Legislative Assembly, 12 August 1856.