Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch to London
Seymour, Frederick to Grenville, Richard 6 March 1868, CO 60:32, no. 4517, 89.
Abstract
Despatch to London.
Minutes (4), Enclosures (untranscribed) (7), Other documents (1).
Seymour forwards a memorial from a
Public Meeting held at NNew Westminster protesting against certain statementsfrom Richards regarding the approach to New Westminster by sea and notes that there are both official and unofficial statements from Richards. Cox’s minute summarizes and states the intent of the forwarded memorial. Cox’s minute further discusses determining a new capital for British Columbia. Rogers minutes that Victoria should be the new capital and the reasons why. Robinson’s minute discusses how to proceed following the decisions in Rogers’s minute. Included documents describe the remarks Richards was reported to have made regarding approaching the Fraser River from the sea.
No. 15
New Westminster
6th March 1868
My Lord Duke,
I have the honor to forward a memorial to Your Grace agreed upon
at a Public Meeting held at New Westminster protestingagainst
against
certain statements respecting the town and the approach to it by
sea said to have been made by Captain Richards R.N. Hydrographer to
the Admiralty.
against
certain statements respecting the town and the approach to it by
sea said to have been made by Captain Richards R.N. Hydrographer to
the Admiralty.
2. I cannot exactly see why Your Grace should have been
addressed on the subject. It is certainly difficult to
reconcile Captain Richards' official and unofficial Statements
regarding thenavigation
navigation of the Fraser. If irreconcilable, I should
be disposed to lean to those for which he is officially responsible.
navigation of the Fraser. If irreconcilable, I should
be disposed to lean to those for which he is officially responsible.
Minutes by CO staff
Sir F. Rogers
This Petition the result of a Public Meeting at New Westminster remonstrates agst certain disparaging statements made by Captain Richards—& which have been laid before the Duke of Buckingham by persons (D. Fraser & others) representing the interests of Victoria—agst the
capabilities &c of their Harbour—in fact it is Protest
in favor of New Westminster for the future Capital of B. Columbia.
This Petition the result of a Public Meeting at New Westminster remonstrates agst certain disparaging statements made by Captain Richards—& which have been laid before the Duke of Buckingham by persons (D. Fraser & others) representing the interests of Victoria—agst the
capabilities &c of their Harbour—in fact it is Protest
in favor of New Westminster for the future Capital of B. Columbia.
In Dec: last Governor Seymour informed his Grace (1300) that he
intended to let both parties eat their Christmas dinner in peace
without letting them know that he had heard from his Grace on
the subject—& in 2607 led his Grace to expect
a further
communication by the next opportunity.
a further
communication by the next opportunity.
He now 6th
March sends home this Memorial but does not even allude to the
Capital question.
I would therefore refer you to the minutes on 2710—from which
it will be seen that it was proposed that if the next Mail
(this was on the 18 March) did not bring a decision from Gov Seymour
it should at once be
settled here.
settled here.
CC
2 May 68
I should decide the question now and I should decide it in favor
of Victoria on the simple ground that it is far more populous &
important.
I shd not be inclined to go into the Harbour question, because it
is a question on wh, if people choose to argue, they may argue for
ever.
I think the dph shd
make Mr Seymour understand that HG is not very well pleased
at having had the uncertainty & consequent agitation &
irritation kept up all this time.
FR
2/5
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
Memorial, Citizens of New Westminster to Buckingham,
20 February 1868, protesting the statements made by Captain
G.H. Richards and others about New Westminster, thirteen signatures.
Newspaper clipping, unnamed, no date, containing letters
from Donald Fraser and Richards to the Colonial Office
regarding the location of the capital, along with Elliot's reply.
Newspaper clipping, unnamed, no date, reporting proceedings
of the public meeting that led to the protest.
Newspaper clippings,
Vancouver Island Pilot,
no date, describing the relative merits of Victoria and
New Westminster harbours, including favourable comments about
New Westminster attributed to Richards.
Newspaper clipping, unnamed, no date,
reporting letters from Vice Admiral John Kingcome to
Seymour and from Lord Gilford to Kingcome, concerning the
navigation of the Fraser River.
Newspaper clippings, unnamed, no dates, reporting letters from H.
Holbrook, B.C. Chamber of Commerce, to James Cooper, Harbour Master;
Cooper to Editor,
British Colonist;
and Cooper to Seymour, concerning misrepresentation of facts
about the navigation of the Fraser by H.M.S.
Malacca.
Other documents included in the file
Draft reply, Buckingham to Seymour, No. 28, 16 May 1868 requesting Seymour to inform the memorialist that Buckingham received the memorial and acknowledging Seymour’s decision in a later telegram selecting Victoria as the capital.