Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Correspondence (private letter)
Barwise, Jackson to Labouchere, Henry 9 October 1857, CO 305:8, no. 9323, 367.
Abstract
Correspondence (private letter).
Minutes (5), Enclosures (untranscribed) (1), Other documents (1), Marginalia (1).
Jackson Barwise writes to announce the discovery of gold on Haida Gwaii. He asks for
liberty to work the Mines and Minerals on the group of Queen Charlotte’s Islands,specifically, at Una Point.
The minutes list previous correspondence relating gold claims in Haida Gwaii and refer Barwise to the letter concerning Newcastle’s refusal to grant a lease to a particular San Francisco firm.
Enclosed is a draft from Labouchere to Barwise advising him that Labouchere cannot comply with his application and referring him to the parliamentary papers
of July and August 1853 for explanation and a sketch map of part of the
Queen Charlotte Islands.
Barwise to Labouchere
Early in the year 1852 Messrs Gray and Esterby [Easterby],
British Merchants of San Francisco, sent their Schooner, Susan
Sturge[s], Captain Roony [Rooney], on a trading voyage into the North
Pacific, and amongst other places visited on this occasion, was the
group of Queen Charlotte's Islands (which were found to consist of
three) and on the Southern of which Captain Roony discovered in a bluff
of Green Stone formation (now called Una Point,) specks of gold of
various sizes, from the head of a pin to that of a barley-corn.
On the return of the vessel to San Francisco, samples of the matrix
were examined by several geologists who had not seen the same formation
obtained from any part of the Pacific currying gold, previously.
On
On my return to England at the close of that year, I brought home a
box of samples, and had the honor of presenting Sir Roderick Murchison
with some of them, and in the following year an application was made to
The Right Honble the Earl of Lincoln,
for permission from Her Majesty's Government to work the minerals in the
locality described, and his Lordship most kindly had fully acceded to
our wishes; but the Hudson's Bay Company, step'd in at the moment when
the authority was ready to be handed to us; with the plea that it would
be an interferance with their Charter, as they claimed the Queen
Charlotte's group, as belonging to, and a dependency of, Vancouver's
[Island].
His Lordship, was kind enough to express his regret at the
circumstance, after the trouble and expence we had incured, and
suggested that as the Company's Charter, would shortly expire; he would
recommend, should we think it worth our while at that time, to renew our
application, hehad
had no doubt it would be at once attended to.
had no doubt it would be at once attended to.
Being the only party in England interested in the matter I beg most
respectfully to renew the application for liberty to work the Mines and
Minerals on the group of Queen Charlotte's Islands, laying North of
Vancouver's Island in the North Pacific Ocean, but more particularly
those marked on the map enclosed at Una Point.
I have the honor most respectfully to be, Sir
Your most Obedient Humble Servant,
Jackson Barwise
Your most Obedient Humble Servant,
Jackson Barwise
l 14 Alexander Street
Westbourne Park, W.
l October 9th 1857
Westbourne Park, W.
Minutes by CO staff
Mr Merivale
Might not the writer be referred to the P. Papers of the 19 July & the 9 Augt/53 wherein he will find the infn he will require for enabling him to take steps for working the gold in Queen Charlotte Island?
Might not the writer be referred to the P. Papers of the 19 July & the 9 Augt/53 wherein he will find the infn he will require for enabling him to take steps for working the gold in Queen Charlotte Island?
ABd
9 Oct
But is there any trace of communications between these parties &
the Duke of Newcastle (whom I suppose they mean by Lord Lincoln)?
the Duke of Newcastle (whom I suppose they mean by Lord Lincoln)?
HM
O 9
I subjoin the dates of the Correspondence which passed in
1853—and the volume containing the same.
ABd
13 Oct
From Mr Taylor 7 April 1853
23 " "
16 May "
22 " "
26 " "
C.O. to Ditto 27 April "
28 May "
11 June "
20 July "
Mr Gray 26 " "
Answer 2 Augt "
Sir H de la Becke 28 April "
Emigration Comrs 4 July "
You will see in the P. Papers of 9 August/53 (Letter of Mr Peel)
the Duke of Newcastle's refusal to grant the Lease to this San Francisco firm. I suppose that for the present at all events (while the
Hudson Bay Co. question is unsettled) we wd. only refer the writer to
that letter.
CF
13
Yes.
HL
15
Other documents included in the file
Draft, Fortescue to Barwise, 21 October 1857, advising Labouchere
could not comply with his application and referring him to the
parliamentary papers of July and August 1853 for explanation.
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
Sketch map of part of the Queen Charlotte Islands, no date.