No. 13

In obedience to the Instructions conveyed in the Duke
of Newcastle's despatch No. 41 of 31st July 1865 [1863], I have
the honor to forward the Returns connected with the Assay Department
in New Westminster for the Year ended 31st of December 1864.

2. The balance, though but a small one, is at last shown
in favor of the Department, and I am happy to say that the
working of the Office gives very general satisfaction. I
strongly therefore urge that it be not broken up.

3. The reduced Establishment which performed the work
of the Assay Department in 1864, consisted of an Assayer,
Mr Claudet, with a salary of five hundred pounds a year, and
a Melter, Mr Hitchcock with one of three hundred pounds. It
seems however likely from present appearances that the business
of the Department will be greatly extended this year by the
inducement to assaying offered by the Gold Export Ordinance,
which allows of the exportation of Assayed Gold at six pence
an ounce less than the Metal in the less pure state. New
gold mines too of great promise have been discovered on the
Columbia and Kootenay Rivers and I have therefore thought it
necessary to increase the strength of the Office.

4. As the present Treasurer has none of the scientific
acquirements which would enable him to give assistance to Mr
Claudet, I have thought it unnecessary to recommend that the
Assay Department be still under his direction.

*

I propose therefore, should you see no objection, to
confer on Mr Claudet the title of Superintendent of Assay,
without any increase of Salary. He would have direction of
the whole Department. It will be absolutely necessary to give
him an Assistant for whom a Salary of three hundred and fifty
pounds has been already voted by the Legislative Council. Mr
Hitchcock has had an additional hundred pounds a year voted
to his pay, and I propose to make him Chief Melter with a
subordinate under him at one hundred and fifty pounds a year.
It is confidently expected that the receipts of the Department
will this year more than cover this increase of expenditure.