No. 24, Ecclesiastical

In my Despatch No 224 of the 18th October last, reporting
to your Grace on the state of British Columbia, I took occasion,
while adverting to the existing means of moral

and religious
instruction in the Colony, to inform your Grace that Divine service
was regularly held in the several Towns of Lower British Columbia,
by resident Clergymen, and that the almost total absence of crime
went far to shew how usefully, and extensively, the influence of
their teaching is felt.

2. It did not however occur to me, to inform your Grace

at
the same time, that I had on the part of this Government done
everything in my power to promote the good cause, by encouraging
the residence of an ordained and educated Clergy in British Columbia.

3. Having no authority to apply any part of the Public Revenue
to the aid and support of Churches, there was little in my power to
bestow, beyond the sincerest sympathy and advice, in aid of the
zealous

Clergy of the Church of England, and the Methodist
Episcopal Church, who first entered the field of Missionary
labour in British Columbia.

4. I did not however hesitate to assign to the Clergy of
those persuasions respectively, on their application, a Church,
School, and Dwelling House site, forming a block of four building
Lots, or about one acre of Land, in extent, in all

Towns where
they resided. Thus free grants to that extent, viz., one acre,
have been made for the use and benefit of the Church of England,
and of the Methodist Episcopal Church, respectively, in the Towns
of Yale, Hope, Derby, Douglas, and New Westminster, as a small
return for the valuable services rendered to the country by the
Clergy of those Churches, who have hitherto received no other
compensation from the Government.

5. I have to request

Your Grace's sanction for those grants,
and authority to continue the same practice in all other Towns
of British Columbia, where ordained Ministers of the Gospel may
think proper to take up their residence, and further, seeing that
one of the duties most deserving the attention of Government, is
to provide means for the moral and religious training of the
people, I would take the liberty of

recommending to Her Majesty's
Government, that free grants of One hundred acres of rural land,
should be made in aid of every Cure, formed in British Columbia,
provided they be not otherwise supported at the Public expense,
and there be a resident Clergyman, and a place of Christian
Worship erected.

6. A grant of Land to that extent would not be burdensome
to the Colony, and would nevertheless form an attractive

inducement, for Christian Churches to devote their attention
to the Country, until population increases, and other provision
is made for the maintenance of a Christian Clergy, and the
erection of places of Christian Worship.

7. It is not my intention to advocate the establishment of
a dominant and endowed Church, as that object could not be
accomplished without

injustice, in a country to which persons
of all religious persuasions are invited to resort, but I
conceive it would be advisable to extend in the manner before
indicated, the protection and support of Government, to the four
grand denominations of Christians, viz. the Church of England,
the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Roman Catholic

Churches, which
are all represented by classes of the population in this Colony.

8. I shall be glad to receive the instructions of Her
Majesty's Government on this subject.