No. 30

I have the honor to forward an Authenticated and two plain
Copies of an Ordinance of the present Session of the Legislature
of this Colony, entitled;

 No. 10. An Ordinance conferring certain privileges on the
Williams Creek Bed Rock Flume Company.

I add the Report of the Attorney General.

2. The Williams Creek Bed Rock Flume is the most important
mining speculation ever commenced in the Colony and the necessity
for granting some extension of privileges to this Company was
very apparent to me when I visited Cariboo last Autumn. The
 expenditure incurred by the Flume Company up to the date of my
arrival on Williams Creek exceeded $130,000—the prosecution of
the work had ceased—the capital estimated as required to complete
the Flume amounted to over $100,000 and the original shareholders
were dispirited and inclined to wind up the Company. Individual
Miners who had remained idle for two years waiting for the Flume
to reach their Claims were disappointed and discouraged owing to
the expected failure of the Company, and I consequently found much
depression among the Mercantile community, and a lack of that
energy and enterprise which usually pervades a rich Mining district
such as Williams Creek. During my stay at Cariboo several deputations,
from all classes, waited upon me to represent the necessity for
granting the Company privileges beyond those held under the existing
Mining Laws.

3. Under these circumstances I did not hesitate to give my
assent to some alteration in the Law and I intrusted the preparation
of the Bill to Mr Walkem, a barrister who represents the District
of Cariboo in the Legislative Council.

4. The successful completion of this enterprise will act with
two fold advantage, first in the drainage of a considerable portion
of Williams Creek known to be rich but impossible to work until
intersected by the Flume, and secondly as an inducement for the
employment of Capital in similar undertakings through[ou]t the Cariboo
District, where numerous auriferous creeks exist, but, owing to
the depth of the Bed Rock, cannot be worked by individual Miners
and must remain undeveloped if Companies are not formed to prosecute
works similar to those undertaken by the Williams Creek Company.