No. 86

I have the honor to transmit to Your Lordship the usual copies
of three Ordinances passed by the Legislative Council during the
last Session entitled respectively—

An Ordinance to facilitate the issue of Crown Grants.

An Ordinance to amend and consolidate the Laws affecting
Crown Lands in British Columbia.

and

An Ordinance to assimilate the Law relating to the Transfer
of Real Estate and to provide for the Registration of Titles to
Land throughout the Colony of British Columbia.

2. I forward these Ordinances together as they form a group of
measures having relation to each other. I have taken much
interest in their preparation as I was early convinced that an
uniform and amended system was necessary in respect of the Land
laws of the United Colony, and I strongly recommend them to Your
Lordship's favorable consideration. But it would be superfluous
for me to trouble you with lengthened explanations in addition
to the exhaustive reports from Mr Crease the late Attorney
General which are annexed.

3. Some objection has been made to the third of these
Ordinances, and I forward copy of a Letter addressed to me on
the subject by the Managers of the Banks of British North
America, British Columbia and the Agents of Messrs Wells,
Fargo, & Co with an opinion from their legal Advisers setting
forth the grounds of their opposition to the measure. I am
not however disposed to regard their objections as valid, and
they are I believe sufficiently answered by Mr Crease in his
special Report upon them which I also forward.