17
New Westminster
7th March 1862
Sir,
I have just recd yr letter of 4th March 1862
and to which it will be my duty to reply more at
length; but in the meantime I hasten to state it
makes no alteration in the request made by me in
my letters respecting the North Bentinck Arm + Bute
Inlet, the town sites at the other terminus of the
roads from thence, and more especially I beg particularly beg it may not make any alteration nor
be taken to ^ meet my request addressed to H.E. this day
& signed by me as [illegible word] H.M. Troops.
I am, [illegible word]
Sg’d R.C. Moody
Col. R.E. C.C.L.W.
y
The Col Sec [underlining appears in original document]
[Marginalia: there is a large stamp in the middle left of this page. It reads:
“PURCHASE OR POSSESSION
of This Print Gives
NO RIGHT OF PUBLICATION
Without Permission in Writing
from the
ARCHIVES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Victoria, B.C.”]
New Westminster
53
10th March 1862
Sir,
I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
[Marginalia: the following
of the [illegible number] past, conveying instructions to me.
appears along the left edge of
v In these instructions, the duties of selecting
the page:
sites for Towns, Reserves for military purposes, + those
“V
of a miscellaneous nature, and marking them out on
V
the ground; also exploring for and determining lines
V”]
of roads are to be carried out by the Magistrates of
[Marginalia: a short, vertical
the ^ different Districts, and not by the L + W Dept. Observations
in my letters, referred to in your communication, are
line runs down the right side
taken to coincide in the necessity for this arrangement
of the marginalia described
on the ground of economy. It is not improbable there
immediately above.]
may be some mistake in my taking these instructions so
literally, but as they involve expenditure of money for
which I have to ask a subsequent sanction, my desire
for such instructions to be rigidly explicit is evidently
only proper.
The
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The observations in my letter only referred to
such localities as the Mining villages I mentioned,
which are of uncertain duration of existence and
hastily selected by miners themselves from causes
of local expediency; also to the temporary and
inexpensive branch communications to them
from the main lines of roads. –
I avail myself of H.E. invitation in your last
paragraph and state, as follows:I congratulate myself in having been brought
into connection with Gentlemen of such high
stamp of character and such general intelligence
as characterize the Magistrates of B.C. – I have
served in several Colonies, I gladly seize this
opportunity of stating that the Colony of B.C.
may be considered fortunate in having
such men on the roll of its Govt – I know
by personal communication with them at times,
with what deference they express opinion, + how
reluctant they are to take upon themselves action
in matters of which they have had but little or no
experience. – I also know how willing (so far as
authorized) they are to communicate with me
direct on all “L+W” matters, + how very readily and
cheerfully they receive instructions from me + carry
out what I desire to the best of their ability.
But it is assumed in the instructions I have
d
rec that the Magistrates of the Districts are
one + all possessed of Civil Engineering qualifications.
I must therefore repeat, what I have at different
times before urged, I cannot, nor would they (I fully
believe) coincide in the view that they are so far
qualified in Civil & military Engineering, as to supersede the necessity of employing R.E. in the Colony, in
the selection of sites of the more important towns,
nor
119.
nor in surveying (I don’t mean in Lots for sale, for that
they could soon qualify themselves – it is a simple matter)
such sites that they may be embodied in Plan in such
manner as to mark “their position in all case as accu-”
“rately as possible upon the official map of” my “Department”. – The Official map on which the above
would have to be placed is only progressively made being
in fact built up from time to time by means of these
very positions being scientifically ascertained. –
The same objection exists to their determining the
direction of the main lines of roads out the ground.
With respect to the selection of Town sites on
the Coast, each officer under my command feels with
me that if Naval advice is at all to be had, it is of the
utmost importance – to avail ourselves of it by requesting
cooperation.You mention that I am to instruct the Magistrates
to make, among other reserves, those deemed necessary for
military objects. – But to select sites for military purposes requires the presence on the ground of myself,
or such military officer, duly qualified by experience +
education, as I may entrust with this duty. – I
clearly could not transfer these military services to any
one. –
In your letter the Magistrates are termed “Asst
Comrs of Crown Lands”: – May I ask whether they have
all been officially appointed as such from H.E.? They
have not been gazetted, + I am under an impression
some misapprehension exists. – Their duty, however, under such designation so far as they have been in communication with me, has been simply in matters
of Sale of Lands previously selected & surveyed by R.E.
You also mention that they are to act under my
instructions, but no instructions can supply the requisite specialité & experience.I have
[Underlining appears in
original document.]
[Marginalia: there is a small
check mark along the left
margin of the page.]
120
I have already requested the magistrate to mark
out on the ground Indian Reserves, throughout their
districts – These can be conveyed afterwards. They
can also mark out on the ground, for survey afterwards,
School Reserves & sundry other miscellaneous matters
of general Public interest, now, or likely to become so,
upon which they will be instructed from time to time
by the C.C.L.W.Under the same instructions also they can + will
regulate the occupation of Town Reserves, previously
marked out on the ground by L+W Dept., if there be
no time for previous survey + sale at Auction.It will also be well for them to regulate (so
far as they can by their influence over the miners)
convenient arrangements in what may be called Squatting Mining Villages, to be surveyed afterwards, if need be.Very many of these places will be ephemeral, but
should any mining district present a prospect of extensive Quartz mining, the selection of such Town site
+ its arrangement should be made, if practicable, by
the L+W Dept.In carrying out the above, or in any matter relating
to the L+W Dept., it is most desirable, indeed necessary,
the Magistrates should receive their instructions solely
from or through the C.C. L.W.The L+W Dept. alone, not the Magistrate of the District,
should select + mark out on the ground in Block, all
Reserves for sites of what the C. Comr. may in his judgement
consider likely to become important Towns, including all Coast Towns in good Harbours, and all Towns
or Posts along or near the Frontier Line.The above, tho’ marked out on the ground in Block,
do not necessarily require to be surveyed in detail
for Town Lots, tho’ their position on the general map
should be determined very accurately by the ordinary
process of observation.The
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The L+W Dept. also, + not the Magistrates of the Districts,
should explore for + mark out on the ground all main
lines of communication, as well as examine, modify
if necessary, and finally approve those proposed and
marked out on the ground by Civil Engrs under contract
with the Govt.
With the office of L+W also, should be deposited invariably, all Plans, Sketches, Reports or Proposals, or duplicates thereof, that may be submitted to H.E. by any
person, on subjects in any way connected with “L+W”
or with the Topography of the country, and it would
be of material advantage, if the C.C.L.W. receive them
as early as they can be spared.In all the above I have simply recommended that
the L+W Dept, + not the Magistrates, should carry
out the legitimate duties of the Dept., according
to the spirit as well as the letter of the instructtions, the Govr. is aware, I recd. from H.M. Govt.; and
in this I feel persuaded H.E. will entirely concur.
The C.Comr could always be in communication
with the Govr, receiving authority for every service
to any degree of detail. – I would respectfully submit
also to H.E. that he would find matters simplified,
expedited + economized, if he would do me the honor
to inform me always (confidentially if he think proper)
of his views as long in advance of the execution of
them as possible:- Data could then be obtained, judgment matured, + fit preparations made.Frequent postponements of a service, or even [illegible word]
changes of plan will necessarily occur here as elsewhere
but still the time will not have been thrown away.In conclusion I would refer to my letters of 31st
Decr. ’61 – 15th + 26th Feb and 4th + 7th March ’62, in reference
to the selection of the Town Site at North Bentinck Arm.In the above letters I request naval advice in cooperation
with
122
with R.E. in making such selection. The observations
+ requests made therein apply equally to Town sites
Reserves in Bute Inlet + Howe Sound. – At all three
places Reserves should be made as early as possible.
Naval aid would be productive also of considerable
economy in conveyance + other matters.I request also to be informed who + where is
the Magistrate for the District in which are
embraced the above named Ports. – Hitherto
pre-empted Lands there have been recorded with
the Police Magistrate, Mr Brew, at New Wr. – Your
letter seems to imply they are for the present
included in the Cariboo District, Mr Nind, Magistrate.In the coming season it is also important
for the L+W Dept., + not the Magistrates, to select
the sites of Towns at the termination on the Fraser
of each communication from the Coast. Also in
course of the summer, the L+W Dept should
select & mark out on the ground the Town site
at or near Kamloops – also one on the Frontier Line,
combining, as far as practicable, Military considerations
with the latter, - and also with the main communications across + along the Frontier Line. – This is the
more important at this time on account of the
Political events around us.I have to apologize for the lengthy way in which I
have availed myself of H.E. invitation in your last paragraph, to repeat what I have submitted in sundry previous
communications, but really it appears to me only right +
my duty to be very explicit.Do me the kindness to submit all the above points
to the Govr. + inform me whether I have his authority
to carry each one into execution in the manner recommended by me.I have, +c. –
sigd R.C. Moody
The Col. Secy }
Col. R.E. + C.Comr.
