Born in
1810 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Philip Cadell was a mining tradesman and
inventor.
Cadell had extensive experience in mining operations in
California
before coming to
Victoria in the late
1860s. In a
1858 letter to the
Colonial Office (CO), Cadell requested
immediate employment
with
Captain Parsons' company in order to
render essential assistance with reference to the disposal of the mining Population
now in [British Columbia], towards productive operations, [and to] prevent their withdrawal from the Country.
Cadell composed reports for the
CO on how to develop mining in British Columbia and wrote to the prime minister to implement these
colonial development
plans. From 1858 to 1860, Cadell,
without solicitation or encouragement,
sent a
score of letters
to the
Colonial Office in quest of Government employment in the New Colony.
Despite his fervent desire to improve the
permanent population and the production of gold,
Cadell was not hired by any colonial officials.
Many of his letters to the office were deemed
not to be answered,
and despatch minutes reveal that officials thought
Mr. Cadell [was] not right in the head.
Cadell had an independent career in gold mining and colonial operations without the
aid of a
Colonial Office appointment.
In the 1870s, Cadell invented
Gold Washing Machinery,
and a gold extracting sifter.
Additionally, Cadell was an auditor for the city of
Victoria in the 1870s.
On 9 May 1883, Cadell passed away at the age of 73.