Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Despatch from London
Labouchere, Henry to Douglas, James 8 July 1856, LAC RG7:G8C/1, 418.
Abstract
Despatch from London.
Enclosures (untranscribed) (10).
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.
Labouchere writes to Douglas transmitting the correspondence with Swanston
relative to the selection of Mr. Cameronas the Judge of the Vancouver Island court.
Enclosed are ten documents, the first three address the correspondence mentioned;
the petition against Cameron, five newspaper clippings regarding a pacific railroad,
Indian depredations,
the war in Rogue River,and the Otter; and a letter from Ball to Swanston informing the latter of Cameron’s appointment.
No. 12
Downing Street,
8th July 1856
Sir,
I transmit for your information copies of a correspondence with
Mr Robert L. Swanston of San Francisco relative to the selection of Mr Cameron for the Office of Judge of the Supreme Court of Van Couver's Island.
Governor Douglas
&c &c &c
&c &c &c
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
1. R.J. Sangster to Thomas Banister, 4 January 1856, enclosing
memorials and documents describing the unfavourable state of affairs on
Vancouver Island.
2. Swanston to Banister, 20 December 1855, enclosing 2.1
below, which was signed by 3 of the five members of the committee, the
other two (E.E. Langford and T. Skinner) being afraid of retaliation by
the Hudson's Bay Company.
2.1 James Cooper, R. Barefield [E. Banfield], and James Yates to
Banister, no date, reporting they were appointed a committee at a public
meeting in February 1854 to draw up a petition, which was delivered to
the Colonial Office nearly two years ago, and requesting Banister's
assistance.
4. Newspaper clipping, no date, advocating a Pacific Railroad,
acquisition of the Sandwich Islands, Vancouver Island, and all of
British North America. [First pages missing; looks like a Whig
platform.]
5. Newspaper clipping, "More Indian Depredations," from a
Washington Territory newspaper.
6. "The War in Rogue River," Olympia Pioneer and Democrat,
no date.
9. J. Ball, Colonial Office, to Swanston, 1 July 1856, responding
to earlier complaints against Cameron but informing him of Cameron's
appointment. [File needs more work]