No. 9

On arriving in this Colony I found the Legislative Council,
created under the authority of the Order in Council of 11th
June 1860, in its first Session.

2. Beyond delivering an opening address, my Predecessor
appears to have taken but little part in Legislative proceedings,
and the Council, new to business, and guided only by their zeal,
had made a degree of progress in Legislative work, which would
have detained a more experienced body much longer. In addition
to making Laws with unusual rapidity, the Council wandered
frequently into the province of the Executive Government, and
passed many resolutions on subjects which did not perhaps
properly come within their cognizance.

3. But I must state that most of the Bills passed by the
Council appeared to me to have a beneficial object, and that
the resolutions tendered—though somewhat irregularly—sound
advice to the Government. The productions of three months, of
the Council's industry, lay before me to deal with as soon
as I arrived. Each day raised some fresh topic of importance
for discussion within the Council, or decision by me outside,
so that I became convinced that were I to allow myself even to
share in the responsibility of Legislation, I must check the
exuberant activity of the Council. I therefore seized the very
earliest moment when a Prorogation became possible, and went
down to the Council, with the closing speech of which I have
the honor to submit a copy.

4. Though I have in this Address noticed questions of
the greatest magnitude and pronounced an opinion on most of them,
with a confidence which might appear, on the 12th day of my
administration of this Government, rash, I would beg your Grace
to notice, that I am but little pledged to carry out the resolutions
of the Council. I have chosen to consider them as authority for
spending the amount mentioned in each, in the manner specified
therein, but I have reserved to myself perfect freedom of action
in most cases. There are but three resolutions of importance in
which I have formally concurred. But one that I have actually
commenced to carry out. The progress of the two others has not
passed beyond negotiation. I am at work in making a good road
from Quesnel Mouth into Cariboo. I am in correspondence respecting
the Establishment of a Light Ship at the mouth of the Fraser and
the securing Steam communication between New Westminster and
San Francisco. In all these matters I shall shortly address your
Grace further. Today I will only say, that I consider the making
of a road into Cariboo, as the most important and beneficial work
which could be undertaken in the Colony. The last forty five
miles to the gold mines are now accomplished in from two to five
days, according to the weather. I trust before the winter sets
in to see them travelled over in five hours.

5. The Ordinances assented to, or reserved, shall be separately
reported on, and in another despatch I shall fully report upon
a subject which engrosses much attention in this and the
neighbouring Colony of Vancouver. The Legislature of that Island,
have, I believe, sent home resolutions praying to be united to
British Columbia under one Governor.

*

The Council here protest
against union upon any terms. I have noticed the resolution of
my own Council in the 15th paragraph of my address. It is due
to Your Grace to explain my meaning more plainly than I have done
to the Council. The strong opinion I have to express is that it is
simply impossible, in my opinion, to govern satisfactorily the
district of Cariboo from Vancouver Island. Victoria cannot, in
my opinion, ever again be the seat of Government for the vast
territory of British Columbia.

6. I should mention that I presided at the first meeting
of the Council held after my arrival in the Colony. My presence
however evidently operated as a check on the freedom of debate.
I absented myself from subsequent meetings and thereby in my
opinion made a considerable step towards the conferring liberal
institutions in the Colony.

7. I shall in obedience to the XIth Section of the
Royal Instructions of 11th January 1864, prepare standing
Rules for the Government of the Council before its sitting in
December. I shall, in them, have to determine clearly the amount
of control over the general affairs of the Colony which shall
be allowed to this branch of the Legislature and prevent a
repetition of the neglect of important constitutional principles,
which was conspicuous in the Session it became my duty to close.