No. 3

With reference to the many despatches mentioned in the margin

*

respectfully, yet vainly, protesting against the charge made
upon the Colony by the Imperial Treasury for payment of certain
expenses incurred by the detachment of Royal Engineers while
stationed here, I now venture to forward a memorandum on the
subject prepared by the Acting Colonial Secretary. Mr
Young, having served under Sir James Douglas during the whole
time that the Engineers were in the Colony has been able to
furnish a more detailed account of the several items of the
Account than I had hitherto been able to procure. I think he
has made it out that the sum of £10,704.16.7 was charged
against the Colony in error.

2. I would add a few remarks to Mr
Young's. In the first place. "No. 1. Temporary Barracks at
Esquimalt for Marines." Esquimalt was not, at the time when the
expenditure was made, even within the limits of British
Columbia, nor was it so for many years after. "No. 2.
Temporary Barracks at Langley for the Royal Engineers."
Utterly useless to the Colony and have long since disappeared.
"No. 3. Clearing Site for Camp New Westminster." Colonel Moody
selected a heavily timbered piece of land a mile from the town
for his Camp. He employed civil labour to clear it. The
expenditure has been utterly thrown away, as far as the Colony
is concerned. New Westminster would be in a much more
prosperous condition were not the small resources of the
citizens spread over two several town sites a mile apart.

As regards No. 4, 5, 6, and 9, Mr
Young very justly observes that the Colony would not have been
called upon to provide accommodation for its Civil Servants.
The only building that has turned out to be of advantage to the
Colony is the house Colonel Moody built for himself, but then it
is inconvenient for people in town to have to walk a mile
whenever they wish to see me. Had this House not existed it is
probable that I should have built a larger and more commodious
one in the City of New Westminster out of the £10,000 placed at
my disposal for the purpose and thus it is probable that the
great expenditure incurred in Victoria in building a Government
House would not have arisen. I think however that I made a very
fair proposal in my despatch No. 60 of 8th
Oct. 1864, when I suggested that the outlay incurred on the
present Government House should be received by the Imperial
Treasury in full satisfaction of all claims on the Colony.

"No. 7. Houses for Military Stores" are useless. I shall
repair them. They may fall to the ground.

"No. 8. Survey Office." This is of some use to the Colony,
but is, like all the other Camp buildings, at an inconvenient
distance from the town.

"No. 10. Military trail from Camp to Burrard Inlet." This is
now impassable and a new road has been opened to the Inlet at an
expense of £3,600.

"No. 11. Lieutenant Palmer's exploration from Hope to Colville
for Military purposes." It will be seen from the correspondence
I enclose that Sir James Douglas disapproved of this work being
undertaken.

3. I must venture to repeat that the Imperial Treasury has been
far from indulgent to the Colony in this matter.