No. 29

With reference to my despatches No. 28 of the 19th Instant and
No. 30 of the 21st, I have the honor to forward a petition addressed
to me by certain persons in Victoria professing to be British Columbia
miners together with my reply.

2. I believe the course usually taken in such matters is to
investigate the signatures and point out to the Secretary of State that
such a one is not a Miner at all, and generally to endeavour to
discredit the testimony of those who ventured to appeal against an Act
to which the Governor is a party. You will see that I have adopted
another way of dealing with the question and have frankly entered into
the matter with the petitioners and assumed the position of a neutral
friend between a somewhat uncourteous meeting of the Mining population
and a legislative body entitled as such to be addressed in more
respectful language than that adopted in Victoria. The petitioners have
not preferred any request that the matter might be referred to you, and
it is of my own free will that I submit the enclosed documents.