Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch from London
Pelham-Clinton, Henry Pelham Fiennes to Douglas, James 5 May 1860, LAC RG7:G8C/9, 163.
Abstract
Despatch from London.
No. 22
Downing Street,
5 May 1860
Sir,
I transmit for your infon and guidance the copy of a letter
from the
Board of Treasury and of the answer which has been returned to it by my
direction, on the subject of the repayment of the advances that have
been made from the Treasury Chest on account of British Columbia.
You will observe from this correspondence that in order to arrive
at an adjustment of the accounts
accounts of the advances made, it is essential
that full accounts with vouchers should be transmitted to this country
of all sums received and disbursed on account of Bills drawn upon the
Paymaster General and I request that instructions may be given for this
being done with as little delay as possible. You will also call upon
Colonel Moody to supply accounts for the advances made to Captain Grant
R.E. and Captain Parsons.
accounts of the advances made, it is essential
that full accounts with vouchers should be transmitted to this country
of all sums received and disbursed on account of Bills drawn upon the
Paymaster General and I request that instructions may be given for this
being done with as little delay as possible. You will also call upon
Colonel Moody to supply accounts for the advances made to Captain Grant
R.E. and Captain Parsons.
I enclose the statements referred to in the letter from the
Treasury of the Bills accepted by their Lordships down to the 10th of
March last. It would be desirable that the accounts to be supplied by
by
Captain Gosset should include the Bills drawn, down to the
close of the
financial year on 31st March last, and, for the future, that the
Accounts should be transmitted quarterly.
by
Captain Gosset should include the Bills drawn, down to the
close of the
financial year on 31st March last, and, for the future, that the
Accounts should be transmitted quarterly.
I have to call your special attention to the observations of the
Lords Crs of the Treasury on the system to be followed in accounting
for the ordinary Revenue and expenditure of the Colony. British
Columbia being, for the present considered as a Crown Colony, both the
means by which its revenue is raised and the appropriation of that
Revenue fall under the supervision of
of H.M.'s Govt. It is therefore
essential that I should be supplied with full information respecting the
financial condition of the colony. It will be your duty to transmit to
me quarterly returns of the Revenue and Expenditure
and, at the close of
each year a similar return for the past twelve months.
of H.M.'s Govt. It is therefore
essential that I should be supplied with full information respecting the
financial condition of the colony. It will be your duty to transmit to
me quarterly returns of the Revenue and Expenditure
and, at the close of
each year a similar return for the past twelve months.
It will also be necessary that as soon as possible after the
commencement of each Calendar year you should transmit to the Secretary
of State Estimates of the Revenue and
and Expenditure for the ensuing year.
These Estimates will be submitted to the L. Crs of the Treasury and on
their receiving their Lords000hips approval will regulate the expenditure
of the year. Any further or different appropriations of the Revenue
which you may be led subsequently to consider desirable must be
specially reported by you for the sanction of H.M.'s Government. On
this subject I have to refer you to the general rules contained in the
Book of Colonial Regulations and to the instructions
communicated to you
with my Predecessor's despatches No. 58 of
of 24th December 1858 and
No. 3 of 6th January 1859.
and Expenditure for the ensuing year.
These Estimates will be submitted to the L. Crs of the Treasury and on
their receiving their Lords000hips approval will regulate the expenditure
of the year. Any further or different appropriations of the Revenue
which you may be led subsequently to consider desirable must be
specially reported by you for the sanction of H.M.'s Government. On
this subject I have to refer you to the general rules contained in the
Book of Colonial Regulations and to the instructions
communicated to you
with my Predecessor's despatches No. 58 of
of 24th December 1858 and
No. 3 of 6th January 1859.
These Estimates will enable the Secretary of State to decide upon
the amount of aid to the colony for which it will be necessary to apply
to Parliament. For the ensuing year I have come to the decision that it
will be sufficient to provide, in addition to your salary as Governor,
for the Colonial Pay of the Royal Engineers which, in the absence of any
specific information has been estimated at £11,000. The assurances
conveyed in your recent despatches that for the civil
civil Expenditure of the
Colony the local resources are sufficient satisfactorily to provide,
convince me that by relieving you for another year from
the burthen of
the colonial as well as the Regimental pay of the men the increasing
Revenue of the colony will enable you to defray it's remaining military
charges. I therefore confidently rely on your being enabled to limit
your drafts upon H.M's Treasury to the amount of the colonial
Allowances of the Royal Engineers.
civil Expenditure of the
Colony the local resources are sufficient satisfactorily to provide,
convince me that by relieving you for another year from
the burthen of
the colonial as well as the Regimental pay of the men the increasing
Revenue of the colony will enable you to defray it's remaining military
charges. I therefore confidently rely on your being enabled to limit
your drafts upon H.M's Treasury to the amount of the colonial
Allowances of the Royal Engineers.
With respect to the Audit in the colony of the Treasurer's accounts
I refer you to my Predecessor's despatch
despatch No. 28 of the 3rd March 1859
in which it was stated that the Colonial Secretary might at the same time
perform the duties of Auditor. It will accordingly devolve upon Mr
Young to examine these accounts previously to their transmission to
England. You will observe that I have requested the Lords Crs of the
Treasury to furnish
Mr Young or the Colonial Secretary for the time
being with instructions for his guidance should any be requisite beyond
those
those afforded by the enclosures of Sir. E. Lytton's despatch of the
6th January 1859 above referred to.
despatch No. 28 of the 3rd March 1859
in which it was stated that the Colonial Secretary might at the same time
perform the duties of Auditor. It will accordingly devolve upon Mr
Young to examine these accounts previously to their transmission to
England. You will observe that I have requested the Lords Crs of the
Treasury to furnish
Mr Young or the Colonial Secretary for the time
being with instructions for his guidance should any be requisite beyond
those
those afforded by the enclosures of Sir. E. Lytton's despatch of the
6th January 1859 above referred to.