Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch to London
Seymour, Frederick to Cardwell, Edward 2 February 1865, CO 60:21, no. 2643, 31.
Abstract
Despatch to London.
Minutes (2), Marginalia (2).
Seymour responds to a despatch from Cardwell, in which Cardwell informed Seymour that, on the recommendation of Austin, he had suspended, with the intention of cancelling, Holmes’s appointment as Colonial Secretary of Honduras. Seymour refutes Austin’s aspersions towards Holmes and, after giving an account of Holmes’s behaviour under him in Belize, conveys his belief that Holmes
would have in every way done credit to [Seymour’s] recommendation.
Separate
2 February 1865
Sir,
I have had the honor to receive your confidential despatch
of the 16th of November, 1864 informing me that on the
representation of Lieutenant Governor Austin you hadsuspended
suspended,
with a view to cancelling, the appointment of Captain Holmes
to the Colonial Secretaryship of Honduras. You further state
that the facts admitted in my letter of the 30th of August
ought not to have been withheld from the Secretary of State
by a Governor who was recommending a candidate for employment
in a Colony he was leaving.
suspended,
with a view to cancelling, the appointment of Captain Holmes
to the Colonial Secretaryship of Honduras. You further state
that the facts admitted in my letter of the 30th of August
ought not to have been withheld from the Secretary of State
by a Governor who was recommending a candidate for employment
in a Colony he was leaving.
2. I would now very respectfully venture to add some
further explanations to that contained in my letter above
referred to. That letter was written with the utmost haste
on my return from Cariboo.
3. In the first place I should point out that at the
time I recommended Captain Holmes to His Grace
the Duke of
Newcastlethe Duke of
Newcastle the Duke of
Newcastle for an appointment Mr Austin's accusation could
by no possibility be sustained. It was not until he was
about to have his large family in uncertain circumstances
to accompany me to England that appetite and sleep forsook
Capn Holmes, and the stimulants which would have had no
effect upon a man in good health conduced to bring on a nervous
attack at Jamaica on
his passage to England. The attack—I have seen
as bad in the [Lord Brown?]
caused by imprudently drinking the
Carlsbad waters—yielded at once to medical treatment and did
not return. The Governor of the Island says, in his despatch
of the 24th of May 1864, that he never heard of the circumstances.
the Duke of
Newcastlethe Duke of
Newcastle the Duke of
Newcastle for an appointment Mr Austin's accusation could
by no possibility be sustained. It was not until he was
about to have his large family in uncertain circumstances
to accompany me to England that appetite and sleep forsook
Capn Holmes, and the stimulants which would have had no
effect upon a man in good health conduced to bring on a nervous
attack at Jamaica on
his passage to England. The attack—I have seen
as bad in the [Lord Brown?]
caused by imprudently drinking the
Carlsbad waters—yielded at once to medical treatment and did
not return. The Governor of the Island says, in his despatch
of the 24th of May 1864, that he never heard of the circumstances.
4. On our arrival in England I saw no wish on the part
of Captain Holmes to
exchange the Private Secretaryship in
British Columbia for a permanent official employment. Why
should I then gratuitously injure the prospects of a young
officer with a family dependent upon him? I mentioned to Mr
Elliot that I was willing to take Captain Holmes with me to
British Columbia and give him the chance of becoming Surveyor
General, but I did not press it & I do not
think that I wrote
a line to any one on the subject. So far then from my wishing
to foist an unworthy Officer upon my successor in Honduras, I
brought Captain Holmes with me. If I deemed him worthy to
appear at all hours in this house where visitors abound, I can
hardly be supposed to consider Captain Holmes as likely to throw
discredit upon any
public employment in another colony. It
so happens that I was hundreds of miles away from New Westminster
when the offer of the Colonial Secretaryship at Belize was made
to Captain Holmes through Mr Birch. I may venture to say
that had he contemplated the possibility of the appointment
being cancelled be would hardly have refrained from advising
Captain Holmes to leave well alone and remain in
this Colony.
exchange the Private Secretaryship in
British Columbia for a permanent official employment. Why
should I then gratuitously injure the prospects of a young
officer with a family dependent upon him? I mentioned to Mr
Elliot that I was willing to take Captain Holmes with me to
British Columbia and give him the chance of becoming Surveyor
General, but I did not press it & I do not
think that I wrote
a line to any one on the subject. So far then from my wishing
to foist an unworthy Officer upon my successor in Honduras, I
brought Captain Holmes with me. If I deemed him worthy to
appear at all hours in this house where visitors abound, I can
hardly be supposed to consider Captain Holmes as likely to throw
discredit upon any
public employment in another colony. It
so happens that I was hundreds of miles away from New Westminster
when the offer of the Colonial Secretaryship at Belize was made
to Captain Holmes through Mr Birch. I may venture to say
that had he contemplated the possibility of the appointment
being cancelled be would hardly have refrained from advising
Captain Holmes to leave well alone and remain in
this Colony.
5. I believe that I wrote strongly to the Duke of
Newcastle in favour of Captain Holmes, for I know that I,
together with the whole community, had reason to be grateful
to him when I wrote. We had had troublous times in Honduras,
and, apparently by a natural law, Captain Holmes rose to the
command of things when other
men were wanting in energy or
presence of mind. In the great fire of the 10 March 1863
when a large portion of Belize was burnt down, the Artillery
detachment was the most serviceable body present, and Captain
von Donop of HMS "Jason" placed his officers and men under
Captain Holmes's command. In the very crisis of the conflagration
when it seemed probable that the whole town
would be consumed,
hundreds of people gazed with breathless anxiety while Captain Holmes, having driven away the solitary gunner by whom he had
been assisted, kicked the head out of a barrel of gunpowder
in a burning house which was already scattering its flakes of
fire over the public buildings. As soon as the fire was mastered
the Legislative Assembly, as will be seen by a reference to
my
despatch in your office, placed almost despotic powers into
the hands of the Government. My despatch will, I think, report
that I selected for the exercise of these unusual powers Captain Holmes and the Speaker. I believe that you will find in the
Legislative minutes that the thanks of the Assembly were
specially tendered to Captain Holmes.
men were wanting in energy or
presence of mind. In the great fire of the 10 March 1863
when a large portion of Belize was burnt down, the Artillery
detachment was the most serviceable body present, and Captain
von Donop of HMS "Jason" placed his officers and men under
Captain Holmes's command. In the very crisis of the conflagration
when it seemed probable that the whole town
would be consumed,
hundreds of people gazed with breathless anxiety while Captain Holmes, having driven away the solitary gunner by whom he had
been assisted, kicked the head out of a barrel of gunpowder
in a burning house which was already scattering its flakes of
fire over the public buildings. As soon as the fire was mastered
the Legislative Assembly, as will be seen by a reference to
my
despatch in your office, placed almost despotic powers into
the hands of the Government. My despatch will, I think, report
that I selected for the exercise of these unusual powers Captain Holmes and the Speaker. I believe that you will find in the
Legislative minutes that the thanks of the Assembly were
specially tendered to Captain Holmes.
6. Again, when a great alarm was caused by a collision
with loss of life, between the black troops and townpeople,
a deputation headed by the Speaker called on me late at night
to request that I would send over to Fort George for Captain Holmes and his detachment to take charge of the town. In
purely civil matters, when acting as Colonial Secretary,
his personal popularity and tact in maintaining friendly
relations between the
Governor and the Legislative Assembly
were of great value to me.
with loss of life, between the black troops and townpeople,
a deputation headed by the Speaker called on me late at night
to request that I would send over to Fort George for Captain Holmes and his detachment to take charge of the town. In
purely civil matters, when acting as Colonial Secretary,
his personal popularity and tact in maintaining friendly
relations between the
Governor and the Legislative Assembly
were of great value to me.
7. You say that I must on reflection see that I acted
wrongly in not mentioning the unfortunate, and I allow,
suspicious, Jamaica episode of the voyage to England. I
deeply regret that I should by any omission have given you
trouble, but I feel but little cause for self reproach
in not
having introduced the system inaugurated by Mr Austin. Is
he prepared fully to carry it out? If so, has he reported to
you that one of his principal Officers, promoted since my
departure, was intoxicated on nearly every public occasion?
That Mr Price had to order that Officer out of a ball room?
That I forbad his appearing in my presence when I opened the
Legislative Session of 1862? That the
Assembly had, at least on
one occasion if not more to suspend its sitting on account of the
inebriety of its principal leader? Yet is Mr Austin prepared to
say that the mercy I showed has been misplaced? Will it disturb
his devotions to know that the clergyman he listens to has
performed the feat he deems impossible of becoming, from a
drunkard in this colony, a temperate man in the tropics?
in not
having introduced the system inaugurated by Mr Austin. Is
he prepared fully to carry it out? If so, has he reported to
you that one of his principal Officers, promoted since my
departure, was intoxicated on nearly every public occasion?
That Mr Price had to order that Officer out of a ball room?
That I forbad his appearing in my presence when I opened the
Legislative Session of 1862? That the
Assembly had, at least on
one occasion if not more to suspend its sitting on account of the
inebriety of its principal leader? Yet is Mr Austin prepared to
say that the mercy I showed has been misplaced? Will it disturb
his devotions to know that the clergyman he listens to has
performed the feat he deems impossible of becoming, from a
drunkard in this colony, a temperate man in the tropics?
8. You, Sirs,
are too far above our position to
understand the jealousy with which some men appointed to
administer a Government regard their predecessors. With
every disposition to attribute the best motives to Mr Austin,
I may mention that I have received letters from my late
servants in Belize complaining of the manner in which he
has condescended to attack even their character. It is enquired of
me whether I really stated verbally
to their new Governor
the very reserve of what I certified in writing before
leaving Belize.
are too far above our position to
understand the jealousy with which some men appointed to
administer a Government regard their predecessors. With
every disposition to attribute the best motives to Mr Austin,
I may mention that I have received letters from my late
servants in Belize complaining of the manner in which he
has condescended to attack even their character. It is enquired of
me whether I really stated verbally
to their new Governor
the very reserve of what I certified in writing before
leaving Belize.
9. During my many years' administration of Colonial
Governments it has happened to me but twice to incur censure,
even so mild as that conveyed in the despatch I have now
the honor to acknowledge. I was blamed for reporting
the misconduct of the late Chief Justice of Honduras,
who was
subsequently dismissed by the
Secretary of State & now it is intimated to me, though in
the kindest manner, that I ought to have reported the fleeting
irregularity of conduct of a gentleman who at the time was
not a candidate for office.
Not for reporting it I think but for want of candour & for personal
hostility in the manner of doing so.
subsequently dismissed by the
Secretary of State & now it is intimated to me, though in
the kindest manner, that I ought to have reported the fleeting
irregularity of conduct of a gentleman who at the time was
not a candidate for office.
10. I remain fully impressed that Captain Holmes restored
in comparative affluence & comfort to his family in Belize
would have in every way done credit to my recommendation.
