No. 58

Adverting to the remarks contained in my Despatch No 57 of the 3rd Instant, upon the difficulty which I have experienced in obtaining
any information from the local Agents of the Hudson's Bay Company
upon the subject of the lands surrendered to the Crown under the
Articles of Agreement of 3rd February 1862, and to the conjecture I
hazarded that at the time of the receipt of that Agreement in
Vancouver's Island no Map or Plan existed upon which sales of land to
the south of James' Bay had been made—land that although still
unoccupied has within the last few months been cut up into lots and
marked with boundary posts upon the ground—I have the honor to
forward herewith to Your Grace Copy of a letter received this day
from Mr Dugald Mactavish, the principal Officer of the Company at
Victoria, in which he confirms my conjecture, inasmuch as he states
that the requisite Map is only now "in a forward state", and that he
hopes to have
"a copy" of the same in readiness for me at an early date.

2. I enclose copy of the communication which drew this reply from
Mr Mactavish. In that communication it will be seen that I offered
the services of the Surveyor General to expedite matters; but Mr
Mactavish takes no notice of my offer.

3. On the 29h July Mr Mactavish wrote in reply to an application
previously made to him

I have yet to furnish to His Excellency a map or plan of the land to
the south and west of James' Bay, shewing such portions as have been
sold, and giving other necessary information in regard to the
same—this duty shall be attended to at the earliest possible moment,
and had it been possible to procure the services of a qualified
draughtsman, the map would have been in readiness long 'ere this.

I did not desire unduly to press the matter, I therefore delayed
again writing until the 2nd Instant, and now I am told by Mr Mactavish that he
"hopes" to have "a copy" in readiness by an "early date",
leaving the matter in reality as indefinite as ever: for if it
requires more than five Months to complete a Copy of a Map promised
at the "earliest possible moment", and which copy could most
assuredly have been made—if any original existed to copy from—in
less than three days, it is impossible to conjecture what period of
time may be involved in the expression "at an early date."

4. I will bring the whole subject before Your Grace immediately I do
receive the requisite data: in the meanwhile I abstain from any
further remark, but I deem it right, nevertheless, to make Your Grace
acquainted with the actual position of affairs in connection
therewith to shew what I have done to bring matters to a speedy
settlement.