No. 5

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No.
46 of the 4th ultimo transmitting the Proclamations noted in the margin

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which you have issued as Governor of British Columbia.

I have laid Proclamations 3, 4 and 8 before the Queen and am
commanded to acquaint you that Her Majesty has been pleased to confirm
and allow them.

You will communicate this decision of Her Majesty to the
inhabitants of the Colony in the usual manner.

Proclamation 6 should have appended to it a schedule of, or should
specify by reference, the Imperial Laws which it is sought to introduce
within the Colony and Her Majesty's decision upon it will be withheld
until this amendment is effected.

On Proclamation 7 I have to observe that to tax water carriage for
the improvement of land carriage appears to me at first sight to be a
measure of questionable propriety and I shall abstain from advising Her
Majesty to take any course upon this Proclamation until I have received
from you an explanation on the subject.

The Proclamation intituled "Ditches—Rules and Regulations under
the Gold Fields Act 1859" remains under consideration.