Despatch to London.
Minutes (6), Enclosures (untranscribed) (2).
Seymour forwards an Ordinance…entitled; No. 5. An Ordinance to confirm certain Titles to Real Property
in Vancouver Island.Holland’s minute summarizes the forwarded ordinance and recommends sending the ordinance
to the Land Board. Minutes by Rogers and Adderley discuss particular phrases in the ordinance and potential problems. Buckingham minutes that the ordinance will be sanctioned. The included document is an ordinance
report from British Columbia’s attorney general.
No. 55
Victoria
3rd June 1868
My Lord Duke,
I have the honor to forward an Authenticated and two plain
Copies of an Ordinance of the recent Session of the Legislature
of this Colony, entitled;
No. 5. An Ordinanceto to confirm certain Titles to Real Property
in Vancouver Island.
2. The Attorney General sees no reason why this simple measure
should not be allowed, and I concur with him.
I have the honor to be,
My Lord Duke,
Your Grace's most obedient,
humble Servant. Frederick Seymour
Sir F. Rogers
Hudsons Bay Confirmatory Ordinance. There seems no objection to
this Ordce which only confirms titles granted by the Hudsons
Bay Co before 1860. But I think I wd send it to the
Land Board.
The words seem to me rather large—e.g. what if it
appears that the HBC have granted the same land to two persons.
Both grants are validated. All the Estate then in the [Cr.?]
of the HBCshd pass by the grant but nothing more.
Or after 'hereditaments' insert "not before conveyed" to meet
this possibility without raising fresh litigation as to "estate
then in HBC but nothing more."