No. 50

My departure for the interior of British Columbia shortly after the receipt of your Despatch No 67 of the 24th
February last, and the many matters I have had pressing upon
my attention since my return, will, I trust, be accepted as
my apology for not earlier affording the information required
in respect to the Accounts of the Colony of British Columbia.

2. I gather from the tenor of the Despatch that Your
Grace considers inattention has been exhibited to established
Rules, and to previous Despatches upon the subject of the
periodical transmissions of Colonial Returns and Accounts. I
cannot but express my deep regret that such should be considered
to be the case, and my hope that hereafter it will be found
that all Returns and Accounts will be rendered with the utmost
punctuality. I am glad however to think that the receipt of
my Despatches No 7 of the 26th January, No 12 of the 7th
February, and No 18 of the 19th February, will have afforded
to Your Grace within a short time after the date of your Despatch,
the information that was the more immediately wanted for the
furtherance of the interests of the Colony, and will have evinced
that I was not altogether unmindful of established regulations;
and I have now the satisfaction of acquainting Your Grace that
the entire Accounts, both for the year 1859 and for 1860, were
forwarded to the Commissioners of Audit on the 15th of last
month, after having undergone a thorough Audit in the Colony,
and been ascertained to be in a very satisfactory condition,
as will be seen from the enclosed copy of a report upon their
state which I called for from the Auditor at the time of the
receipt of Your Grace's Despatch, knowing the Accounts to be
then in his hands.

3. With respect to the delay that has undoubtedly occurred,
I feel assured Your Grace will not overlook the great difficulties
with which we have had to contend in the organization of Departments
in British Columbia; a Colony suddenly called into existence under
peculiar and unforeseen circumstances; a Country previously
unsettled, and unoccupied, and far removed from the parent State
from whence supplies could be drawn suitable to requirements. To
find men fitted for the many offices it was absolutely necessary
to create for the peace, order, and good government of the Country,
has from the first been to me a source of harrassing anxiety, and
although men have been found capable of discharging the more
important duties of Assistant Gold Commissioners and Justices of
the Peace with perhaps even more than ordinary discretion and
firmness, yet it can scarcely be expected at once to realize
in such men the qualities of trained Accountants, enabling them
to keep with correctness and punctuality, in addition to the
Accounts pertinent to their Department, the elaborate Accounts
incident to a Sub-Treasurer, or District Collector, all of which
it has been imperative that they should attempt to do in order
that the System of Account established for British Columbia
should be carried out. That failure should arise at first, that
greatly increased labour should fall upon the head Offices, and
that delays should in consequence occur, is no more than a
natural result. Such has been the case in British Columbia, and
to attempt to overcome these drawbacks, and to render the entire
accounts of the Colony in the first year of its existence in a
shape closely approximate to the system we were directed to adopt,
must I principally attribute the delay which has arisen in
forwarding any Accounts at all.

4. With regard to the Book of Colonial Rules and Regulations,
I have but one Copy;

*

I have, however, since the receipt of Your
Grace's Despatch communicated to the Treasurer the paragraphs
to which you draw my attention respecting the Special Returns
required. I will take care that in future these Returns are
punctually forwarded, but I cannot now, under these circumstances,
charge the Treasurer with any remissness of compliance with those
rules, and I have not, consequently, called upon him for the
explanation which Your Grace required, if the omission were
justly attributable to him. I would ask Your Grace to cause
three Copies of the Book of Regulations and Two Copies of
"Instructions to Governors of Colonies," respecting Accounts, to
be furnished to me by the first suitable opportunity, in order
that hereafter inconvenience may be avoided and the strictest
attention be given to the requirements therein contained.

5. I cannot close this Despatch without observing that the
system of Accounts established for British Columbia, which is
similar to that pursued in Ceylon, does not appear to be suitable
in its entirety to a Colony so small and so expensive as British Columbia. In Ceylon probably three or four excellent Clerks
and good Accountants (Natives) can be obtained for a less rate
of Salary than one young, inexperienced and untrained Clerk can
command in British Columbia. The multiplicity of Documents, the
consumption of paper, the cost of printing Forms, the expense of
postage, and the amount of clerical labor arising out of this
System appear greatly incongruous to the circumstances of the
Revenue and Population of the Colony. Some time back I called
upon the Treasurer to report whether he was able to suggest
some modification of the system that would have the effect of
lessening labor and expense, but he did not seem inclined to
propose any alterations, greatly approving of the system as
a whole. I notice however that the Auditor does consider that
a more simple and less expensive system might be substituted;
and I should be glad if Her Majesty's Government would permit
me to dispense with some of the More elaborate details, taking
care meanwhile that no safeguard or really efficient check be withdrawn.