I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordships dispatch No 6 of
20 Novr 1850, approving of the provisional appointment of Mr John
Sebastian Helmcken as magistrate at Fort Rupert, and further mentioning
your Lordships concurrence in the opinion that a tax on the importation
and manufacture of ardent spirits would be desirable so soon as a
legislature should furnish the necessary authority. Mr Helmcken has
as a I previously informed your Lordship resigned his appointment, and
has been removed from Fort Rupert to Victoria; there is unfortunately no
one remaining whom I consider at all fit to take his place., Moreover
Mr Helmcken's having been called on since his arrival here to give up
or furnish copies of his official correspondence while magistrate, to
the Hudson's bay company's agent, thus using his authority as chief
factor in the companys service over Mr Helmcken, has quite confirmed
me in my opinion of the impropriety of making appointments among the
company's servants. Even after retiring from the service they are in a
great measure subject to the same influence as they receive certain
allowances which may be forfeited if they act in any manner that is
considered as prejudicial to the company, the forfeiture would be at
once enforced by the Agents in this country and the great distance from
England would render any appeal to the Directors in London a work of
time and uncertainty,
I have heard that fresh specimens of gold have been obtained
from the Queen Charlottes Islanders, I have not seen them
myself, but they are reported to be very rich, the Hudson's bay
company's servants intend to send an expedition in the course of
the summer to make proper investigations.