No. 7

1. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch
No. 9 [Vancouver Island],
of the 14th of
August,

and I hasten to attend to your
requisition for information on the subject of the disposal of land
Landssale of
in British Columbia, to Companies or private individuals.

2. In order to meet your instructions more fully on that
subject, I directed Mr Surveyor Pemberton to draw up a report
Pemberton, Joseph D.
describing in a general manner the existing arrangements for the
sale of land on Vancouver's
Island,

and the proposed arrangements
Landdisposal of
for the sale of land in British Columbia. That report I have now
the honor of herewith transmitting to you. It embodies my own views
on the subject of land sales, except on one or two points.

3. Mr Pemberton for instance suggests that the system of
Pemberton, Joseph D.
Crown landspayment for
receiving payment for Crown Lands by four annual instalments; instead
of immediate payment, should be abandoned, on account of the trouble
and difficulty of collecting the instalments, but reasons equally
cogent may be urged in support of the existing system, such as the
benefit and relief it gives to poor settlers, and I am therefore of
opinion that the same system may be extended with advantage to
British Columbia in all sales of country lands exceeding 50 acres,
but not in sales of Town Lands, which are always paid for on
Town landsand title deeds
receiving the Title Deeds.

4. We propose to sell country land in Fraser's River and
Fraser Riversale of land on
other mining Districts at the fixed price of £1 per statute
Mining districtssale of land on
acre, and Town Land according to the public value of the site.
I think however, it might be advisable to adopt a lower selling
price than £1 per acre, in purely Agricultural Districts, where
Landagricultural, sale of
no minerals are found, for the purpose of encouraging early
settlement. That however is an arrangement which may be reserved
for further consideration.

5. I propose for the present to reserve all Mineral Lands,
Mineral lands
which are generally speaking unproductive under cultivation, for
the purpose of revenue, such as a great part of the narrow belt
of table land, extending from the River to the mountains, on the
banks of Fraser's River, between Forts Hope and Yale.
Fraser Rivermining land
Fort Hopemining land
Fort Yalemining land

6. A series of meteor[o]logical observations would no doubt
be highly interesting to the public and we propose to have them
taken at the Surveying Office as soon as they are established,
Surveying office
Meteorological studies
and we are supplied with the proper instruments.

7. With those few observations I will close my remarks on
Mr Pemberton's report.
Pemberton, Joseph D.report of

8. I beg also to assure you that we shall attend to the
instructions contained in your said despatch, concerning the
disposal of land; preventing persons from squatting on the
Landdisposal of
Squattersprevention of
 Public lands; keeping separate accounts of all Revenue derived
Revenuefrom land sales
from the sale of land, and its applications at present to the
purposes of survey and communication, and the necessary accounts
will be furnished from time to time after the public lands are
brought into the market.

9. I shall also not fail to give effect to your views in
regard to the naturalization of foreigners, and you may rest
Foreignersnaturalization of
assured that there will be no just cause of complaint, for
favors shewn to the Servants of the Hudson's Bay Company; and that
HudsonsBayCompany favoursinsaleofland
every precaution will be taken to repress speculation and
Landspeculationcontrol of
land-jobbing, and to protect the public interests committed to my care.