<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> 5 March 1858, CO 60:1, no. 4567, 2. Douglas addressee Labouchere

Published by Jim Hendrickson and the University of Victoria.

Douglas, James to Labouchere, Henry 5 March 1858, CO 60:1, no. 4567, 2.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/V58007.html. CO 60:01 CO 60 1 4567 2 7 V.I. 1858 received 11 May co_60_01_00002r.jpg Transcribed from microfilm archives, marked up in Waterloo Script, then transformed into TEI P5 XML.

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Despatch to London. Minutes (3), Other documents (3), Marginalia (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 requests that more men be sent from England to survey the boundary along the 49th parallel. His reasons are that the survey will exhaust his small labour pool and increase the rate of wages in the colony.

The minutes forward Douglas’s request to the War Department and the Foreign Office.

Enclosed is a draft from the CO to the FO with a copy of Douglas’s despatch and a copy for the Under-secretary at War; and a draft reply from Stanley to Douglas informing him that it has been decided to send fifty sappers instead of thirty.

 Douglas, James
Victoria Vancouvers 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. 7 4567, CO 60/1, p. 2; registered 11 May
Victoria Vancouvers Island
5th March 1858 Sir

1. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Mr Merivale's letter of the 24th December last, 1, December last Merivale (Permanent Under-Secretary) to Douglas, 24 December 1857, NAC, RG7, G8C/1, p. 545. informing me that the letter from the War Department, respecting the Boundary commissionaccommodation for despatch of the party for exploring the line on the 49th parallel of latitude, between the British and Americanpossessions possessions 1, and American possessions = Merivale to Douglas, REs The letter from the War Department (Benjamin Hawes to Douglas, 24 December 1857) is in Hawes to Merivale (Permanent Under-Secretary), 30 December 1857, 11734, CO 305/8, p. 358, informing Douglas that a detachment of thirty Royal Engineers are being sent to survey the Oregon boundary. The boundary east of the continental divide had been established by a convention signed in 1818, which agreed to allow the territory west of the Rockies to be occupied jointly by nationals of both countries for a period of ten years, without prejudice as to the eventual ownership of this area. This agreement was renewed on an indefinite basis in 1827, and by a treaty signed at Washington on 15 June 1846, both countries agreed to fix the boundary at the forty-ninth parallel from the continental divide to the main channel leading to the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean. The need to survey this boundary led to the establishment of a joint boundary commission, headed by Archibald Campbell of the United States and Capt. John Summerfield Hawkins, R.E. of Great Britain. Hawkins left England with his detachment on 2 April and arrived at Esquimalt on 12 July 1858, by which time the discovery of gold on the Fraser and Thompson rivers made the clear demarcation of the boundary even more urgent. See Labouchere to Douglas, 23 January 1858, No. 3, CO 410/1, p. 119; George F.G. Stanley, ed., Mapping the Frontier: Charles Wilson's Diary of the Survey of the 49th Parallel, 1858-1862, While Secretary of the British Boundary Commission (Toronto: Macmillan, 1970). Cf Douglas to Labouchere, 6 April 1858, No. 15, 5180, CO 305/9, p. 61 for Satellite. Swan notes original treaty is preserved in PRO: SP 108. was written from unavoidable circumstances, too late for communication to the Colonial Office, in the ordinary manner, and that it should be regarded as addressed to me, with your concurrence.

2. Your instructions in respect to the objects contemplated in that letter shall be implicitly attended to, and I will take measures at an early day, to provide accommodations for the party on Vancouver's Island, as suggested by Lord Panmure, and otherwise to advise the Chief Commissioner regarding the best method of carrying out the instructions of Her Majesty's Government, so faras as respects the means of transport for his provisions and stores, and the obtaining of local labor.

3. There being a great scarcity of laborers in this country Labourscarcity of LabourIndiansneed for at present, and wages consequently running very high; Mechanics refusing employment at any thing under 12/6, and common laborers 5/- a day, besides their food; it being moreover not improbable that the demand for so many additional hands, as will be required in exploring the Boundary Line may have the effect of raising the present rate of labor; I would therefore suggest for your consideration Boundary commissionincrease in numbers requested whether it would not be advisable in those circumstancesto to send out a greater number of men from England, than the 30 non-Commissioned Officers and men, mentioned in Mr Hawes' letter.

4. By pursuing that course there would not be so great a drain of labor from this Colony; wages would be kept within reasonable bounds, and what is of far more importance to the public service, the Chief Commissioner would be in a measure independent of local labor, and enabled to carry out the views of Her Majesty's Government in respect to the Boundary Line with such aid, chiefly native Indians, as can at all times be procured in this Colony.

5. I would not advise the exclusive employment of Indian labor Indianlabourneed for in tracing the boundary line;but but I think with a body of 60 white men as a nucleus, and for the purpose of maintaining a proper supervision and control, we could under any probable circumstances, by the employment of Indian labourers, even in the event of the not unlikely contingency of the whole floating white population of Vancouver's Island, leaving the Colony for the gold mines, make up a party of the requisite force to complete the boundary Survey.

I have the honor to be Sir Your most obuedient humble Servant James Douglas Governor The RightHonbleHonourable Henry Labouchere Her Majesty's principal Secretary of StateFor the Colonial Department.
War DtDepartment L[ithographed] F[orm] and the F.O.—I think. ABd 12/May.
I think with a letter recommending the Governor's cries to attention. HM May 12 C. May 13
Certainly. S. 13.
Draft, Colonial Office to E. Hammond, Foreign Office, 22 May 1858, transmitting copy of the despatch for information.
Draft, Colonial Office to Under-Secretary at War, 22 May 1858, transmitting copy of the despatch for information.
Draft reply, Stanley to Douglas, No. 1, 10 June 1858.
I was obliged to write privately & in haste, to catch a mail. HM.