I have the honour to inform you that I am a British
subject, being born in Canada, and that on the seventeenth day of July
one thousand eight hundred and forty six I was nominated and since have
been consacrated Roman Catholic Bishop of Vancouver's Island.
I have the happiness to be one of the two first Missionaries sent out to Oregon where I have performed the sacred duties of the Ministry among the French Cana-diansCanadians and the Natives of that country for ten years.
Besides Vancouver's Island I am Administra-torAdministrator, pro tempore, of two
other Dioceses which are first: Queen Charlotte Island, including the
Sea Coast North to the Russian Settlements; second, New Caledonia.
No doubt but you know that a certain numbernumber of Canadians, after
leaving the Hudson's Bay Company'sCompany's service have been settling with their
families in the Wallamet Valley which now belongs to the United States.
On my leaving Oregon some of them were tellingtelling me they would willingly
go and settle on Vancouver's Island, would the Company allow them to do
so. I have great reason to believe that the establishment of a Catholic
Mission on the Island will cause many of them, as well as those that
will be let free, to settle on it: which they would not do if they had
no prospect of having Clergymen amongst them.
The state of things being so I will now take the liberty to expose
to you my present situation: in the whole territory committed to my
care their are about fifty thousands of Indians, of whom I may say four
thousands are already enrolled under the sacred banner of Christianity.
Having not a single Missionery to help me I saw the necessity of
coming over to Europe to find the means to bring a certain number of
Clergymen that would devote themselves and follow me; a passage for each
one of them will cost me seventy five pounds. Nothing is done yet, I
have got no house, no place of worship put up . . .

These informations may lead you to the object I have in view in
giving them: I am aware that several Roman Catholic Bishops in the
British possessions are allowed a yearly some of money by Her Gracious
Majesty's Government; a motive that encour-agesencourages me in asking for the same favour, and I am in hopes that it will be extended to the poor Mission
of Vancou-ver'sVancouver's Island, where nothing shall be spared of what can promote
the welfare, both spiritual and temporal of Her Majesty's subjects in
that remoted part of Her Domin-ionsDominions.
Please lay this letter before His Lordship the Minis-terMinister of the
Colonies.