Separate

On my appointment to the Government of the United Colony of
British Columbia Your Lordship was pleased to state that you had
come to the conclusion that the salary ought to stand at five
thousand pounds (£5,000) a year with an allowance not exceeding one
thousand pounds (£1,000) for travelling expenses. Your Lordship
further observed (Letter of 13th August 1866),

it is true that the Revenue is in a deficit and that retrenchments
are necessary to equalize the income and expenditure but I think
that the arrangement which I now propose is on all grounds and for
all parties the fairest.

2. On my return to the Colony I found the financial
depression much greater than I had been lead to expect. There
were outstanding debts of considerable magnitude to meet, and
heavy expenses to make in the way of compensation to Public officers
for loss of situations and passages home. There were cases of
great hardship brought under my notice daily and I thought it would
look very badly for me, when bringing
forward the Estimates to move for any increase to my pay. Nor was
there any necessity for my doing so. Four thousand pounds (£4,000) a
year was guaranteed to me by Law and I could of course have, with Your
Lordship's sanction taken one thousand pounds (£1,000), a third
of Governor Kennedy's salary, from the fund from which he drew it,
the Crown Fund of Vancouver Island.

3. I have now to apply to Your Lordship for instructions in
the matter. I am ready cheerfully to forego one thousand pounds
(£1,000) a year should Your Lordship require it not doubting
that the loss will be made up to me in some other way. But I would
beg to receive the titular possession of five thousand pounds (£5,000)
a year in order not to weaken my claims when the time for
applying for a pension shall arrive.

4. I have already surrendered for this year five hundred pounds
(£500) of my travelling allowance. But this generosity is more apparent
than real. I shall not this year undertake the very expensive
journey to Cariboo, but confine myself to visiting all the settlements
of Vancouver Island and making myself as familiarly acquainted
with it as I am with the mainland.