No. 5

I informed you in my despatch No. 72 of 26th November,
that I purposed to transfer Mr William George Cox, Assistant
Gold Commissioner in Cariboo West to a similar position at
the Kootenay Mines. I would beg leave now to report that I
have postponed the transfer for a year at least.

2. The Kootenay Mines are daily increasing in importance,
and are the same time, at present, so inaccessible from the
Seat of Government, that the position of Gold Commissioner
and Police Magistrate in the new district becomes one of the
utmost importance. That Officer must take upon himself the
duties of Governor, Judge, and, to a certain extent, those of
Legislator also. Mr Cox has all the good qualities attributed
to him in my former despatch, but he has faults which I thought
it unnecessary on a previous occasion to allude to. The manners
which have made him popular with Miners and Indians are not
quite those which I should wish the American population on the
Kootenay to think characteristic of the English Public Officer.

*

But I should probably have left his appointment untouched but
for the further development of a peculiarity
which I observed in him during the Expedition into the Chilicoten
Country. Mr Cox wishes to be entirely uncontrolled. He will
avoid co-operating with another Officer if he can, or attending
to instructions which are not Commands from the Governor. I
made great allowance for his occasional disregard of my wishes
in his former position of a Civilian suddenly called upon to
lead an Expedition against savages and overlooked the circumstances
entirely when I offered him the post on the Kootenay. The
Appointment was speedily followed by the request that he would
come to New Westminster before assuming the duties of his New
Office. I wrote informally, but any other Officer would have
taken my note as a command. I stated that I considered it of
great importance that he should meet his predecessor on the
Kootenay, Mr Haynes, and also the Colonial Secretary, before
taking upon himself duties of enormous importance in a country
entirely new to him. I offered him a room in my house, and he
was well aware that his travelling expenses would have been
paid, but he apparently wished to be totally unfettered by
instructions and announced, though in perfectly respectful
terms, his intention of proceeding direct to the Kootenay.

3. Upon the receipt of this intimation I sent for Mr
O'Reilly, the Gold Commissioner at Cariboo, now in attendance
on his Legislative duties, and said I should feel obliged if
he would take charge of the Kottenay district for this year,
when the proper management of its affairs is of almost vital
importance to the Colony. Mr
O'Reilly consented. I am not
aware if this Gentleman is known to your Department, but I
may assure you, that there is no one in this Colony—indeed
taking his long Cariboo experience into consideration—there
is no one out of it either, whom I had sooner see represent
the English Government during the first year that thousands
of American Miners will be under its rule.

4. I propose to leave Mr Cox in charge of Mr O'Reilly's
Office in Cariboo East during the latter Gentleman's employment
elsewhere. This arrangement inflicts no hardship upon Mr Cox.
It has always been held that the Governor can change the scene
of duties of the Assistant Gold Commissioner at his pleasure
and Mr Cox on receiving notice of his appointment to the
Kootenay, merely expressed his readiness to serve wherever I
might direct.