No. 25

I have the honor to forward for Your Lordship's consideration a
Memorial submitted to me by Mr Alexander Caulfield Anderson on
the subject of a debt due from him to the Government in respect
of certain lands purchased by him in 1859, and a claim which he
urges to compensation for the advantages which the local
government derived from a Map of British Columbia and notes of
Explorations which had been prepared by him.

2. The original debt due by him Anderson is Eight hundred
and Seventeen Dollars,

*

but the amount has been nearly doubled by accumulations of interest.
Mr Anderson had hoped that his
Map, and the information which had been derived from the Notes of
his explorations of which use had been made in the early days
of the Colony would be accepted as an acquittance of his liability.

3. Some correspondence passed between my Predecessor and Mr
Anderson upon this subject in 1867 and 1868, and Governor
Seymour gave authority for allowing the amount of Two hundred
and fifty Dollars

**

to Mr Anderson for the Map, but this
remuneration he considered inadequate and the matter has
remained in abeyance until Mr Anderson was recently again
called upon to pay the amount due to the Crown Fund.

4. I confess that in my opinion if the Map prepared by Mr
Anderson and the information and assistance afforded to the
Government when very little was known of the interior of the
Colony were worth anything at all, the sum of Fifty pounds was
not such compensation as he might reasonably expect. And that
the information furnished by Mr Anderson who was an early
explorer has been valuable, and may still be so in opening the
communication between this Colony and Canada, I am satisfied
from the papers which have been under my notice.

5. I would therefore recommend Mr Anderson's case to Your
Lordship's favorable consideration. If you should not think it
proper to remit the whole of Mr Anderson's liability, as I
should be disposed to do, I would submit that he might at least
as an act of favor in consideration of his services, be
discharged from the interest which has accrued on his purchase
money, and also be allowed the amount of Two hundred and fifty
Dollars which Mr Seymour had authorized to be paid to him.