Dawson to Labouchere

Having been informed that it is the intention of Government to form
a Colonial establishment in Vancouver's Island, I beg to be allowed to
present myself to your notice as an applicant for any ministerial or
judicial appointment that it may be the intention of Government to
establish there & that may be vacant.

I am a member of the 
English bar of many years standing—and have
also acted for many years as a magistrate for the counties of Berkshire
and the West & East Ridings of Yorkshire & am a deputy lieutenant of the
latter Riding.

Family considerations & circumstances connected with that distant
locality have induced in me a wish to reside & probably finally settle
there. If you should incline to the opinion that there is 
any ground
for entertaining my application, I could proceed immediately to lay
before you testimonials of my fitness from lawyers & brother magistrates
who have known me & with whom I have been in the habit of acting for
many years up to the present time.

As an apology for the seeming indelicacy of thus intruding on you
my own pretentions, I can only urge my impression 
that in the case of so
comparatively little known & remote a settlement, it is not likely that
many persons duly qualified for such an appointment & at the same time
willing to accept it, would be known to you unless they took the liberty
of introducing themselves.