{"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.14288\/1.0059973":{"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#identifierAIP":[{"value":"5fb72e3c-4d43-4ff9-92a5-e4a68354cff9","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/dataProvider":[{"value":"CONTENTdm","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/alternative":[{"value":"CORRESPONDENCE--LIGHTHOUSES","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/isReferencedBy":[{"value":"http:\/\/resolve.library.ubc.ca\/cgi-bin\/catsearch?bid=1198198","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/isPartOf":[{"value":"Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/creator":[{"value":"British Columbia. Legislative Assembly","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/issued":[{"value":"2016-03-30","type":"literal","lang":"en"},{"value":"[1880]","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/aggregatedCHO":[{"value":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/collections\/bcsessional\/items\/1.0059973\/source.json","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/elements\/1.1\/format":[{"value":"application\/pdf","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2009\/08\/skos-reference\/skos.html#note":[{"value":" 43 Vic. Correspondence\u2014Lighthouses. 367\nPAPERS\nRelating to the Claim made by the Imperial Government for re-payment of\nAdvances made to the Colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island for\nthe construction of Lighthouses.\nBy Command,\nT. Basil Humphreys,\nProvincial Secretary.\nProvincial Secretary's Office,\n12th April, 1880.\nThe Secretary of State for Canada to the Lieutenant-Governor.\nOttawa, 5th February, 1879.\nSir,\u2014I have tbe honour to transmit to you herewith a copy of a Despatch, with\nenclosures, from the Bight Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, with\nreference to a claim of Her Majesty's Treasury of \u00a36,246 19s. 10d., for advances made\nto the Provinces of British Columbia and Vancouver Island for the erection of\nLighthouses in Fuca Straits and Esquimalt Harbour, Vancouver Island.\nI have to request that you will bring these documents under the early notice of\nyour Government, and that you will inform me whether they will approve of the claim\nbeing paid by the Government of the Dominion and charged to account of British\nColumbia. I have, etc.,\n(Signed) J. C. Aikins,\nSecretary of State.\nEnclosure, No. 1.\nSir M. Hicks-Beach to the Earl of Dufferin.\nDowning Street, 30tb August, 1878.\nMy Lord,\u2014I have the honour to transmit to Your Lordship herewith a copy of a\nletter from the Treasury enclosing a correspondence which has taken place between that\nDepartment and the Board of Trade in regard to advances made from moneys voted by\nParliament between the years 1859-60, and 1862-63, inclusive, for the erection of\nLighthouses in Fuca Straits and Esquimalt Harbour, Vancouver Island.\nThe enclosed Memorandum, which has been prepared in this Department, fully\nexplains the circumstances in which these advances were made to the Provinces of\nBritish Columbia and Vancouver Island, and as tbe amount which is now claimed, viz.,\n\u00a36,246 19s. lOct, has never been repaid, I request that you will bring this matter to the\nnotice of your Government in order that steps may be taken for the payment to the\nImperial Treasury of the amount due.\nA schedule of the correspondence which took place with tbe Governors of British\nColumbia and Vancouver Island upon the subject of these advances is annexed.\nI have, etc.,\n(Signed) M. E. Hicks-Beach.\n27 368 Correspondence\u2014Lighthouses. 1880\nEnclosure, No. 2.\nThe Treasury to the Secretary of the Board of Trade.\nTreasury Chambers, 4th June, 1878.\nSir,\u2014I am directed by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to\nrequest you to inform the Board of Trade that the attention of the Lords Commissioners\nof Her Majesty's Treasury has been directed to the following sums which were voted by\nParliament for the erection of Lighthouses in Fuca Straits and Esquimalt Harbour,\nVancouver Island, upon condition (as expressed in a foot-note to the Estimates for\nLighthouses abroad for the years in question,) that one-half the same should be\neventually repaid from the Bevenue of the Colony of British Columbia, viz.:\u2014\nIn 1859-60 \u00a3 7,000\nIn 1861-62      5.000\nIn 1862-63        494\n\u00a312,494\nMy Lords request to be informed what was the actual expenditure in respect of the\nabove grant, and whether, so far as the records of tho Board of Trade may shew, any\nsum has been yet recovered from the Colony, or any correspondence, has taken place,\nsince 1863, regarding the re-payment or remission of the debt?\nTheir Lordships would be glad to obtain this information in time for its insertion\nin the \"Statement of Unrepaid Advances made to Colonial Governments from Votes of\nParliament,\" which is to be appended to the Financial Accounts for 1877-8, now in course\nof preparation. I am, etc.,\n(Signed)' Wm. Law.\nEnclosure, No. 3.\nThe Board of Trade to the Secretary of the Treasury.\nBoard of Trade, 16th July, 1878.\nSir,\u2014With reference to your enquiry of the 4th June, 1878, relative to the votes of\nParliament for the erection of Lighthouses in Fuca Straits and Esquimalt Harbour,\nVancouver Island, in the years 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862 and 1862-63, amounting to \u00a312494,\nI am directed by the Board of Trade to acquint you, for the information of tho Lords\nCommissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, that the total of the votes, less 3rd surrendered\nto the Exchequer, viz., \u00a312,493 19s. 7d., was expended, of which no sum has been\nrecovered by the Board of Trade from the Colony, nor has any correspondence taken\nplace with this Department regarding the repayment or remission of the debt.\nI have, etc.,\n(Signed) A.Stoulham.\nEnclosure, No. 4.\nThe Treasury to the Under Secretary of State.\nTreasury Chambers, 22nd July, 1878.\nSir,\u2014I am directed by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to\ntransmit to you copy of a correspondence which has taken place between the Board of\nTrade and this Department in regard to advances made from moneys voted by\nParliament between the years 1859-60 and 1862-63, inclusive, for the erection of\nLighthouses in Fuca Straits and Esquimalt Harbour, Vancouver Island, and 1. am to\nrequest that the same may be laid before Secretary, Sir Michael Hicks-Beach.\nI have to state that my Lords presume that when British Columbia wasincorporated\nwith the Dominion of Canada, tho latter became responsible for the liabilities of that\nColony, inclusive of the debts owing by the Government of Vancouver Island, and my\nLords would request, therefore, that the subject may be brought to the notice of the\nGovernment of Canada with a view to some arrangement lor the repayment to Imperial\nFunds of the sum on account of the Lighthouses, viz, \u00a36,246 19s. 10i., which will be\nrepresented in the Financial Accounts as due by the Dominion of Canada.\nI have, etc.,\n(Signed) William Law.\n\u00ab 43 Vic. Correspondence\u2014Lighthouses. 369\nEnclosure, No. 5.\nThe Colonial Office to the Secretary of the Treasury.\nDowning Street, 31st July, 1878.\nSir,\u2014I am directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to acknowledge the\nreceipt of your letter of the 22nd instant requesting that application may be made to\nthe Government of Canada for repayment of the sum of \u00a36,246 19s. 10d., being one-half\nthe expenditure of moneys voted by Parliament between the years 1859-60 and 1862-63,\nfor the erection of Lighthouses in the Straits of Fuca and in Esquimalt Harbour,\nVancouver Island.\nYou state that this sum will be represented in the Financial Accounts laid before\nParliament as due by the Dominion of Canada.\nSir Michael Hicks-Beach will at once cause an investigation to be made into this\nclaim, and will, if it snould prove to bo well founded, communicate with the Governor-\nGeneral of Canada upon tho subject, but he desires me to request that you will represent\nto the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury that the claim has been for many years\noutstanding, and is one of which tho Government of Canada are probably entirefy\nignorant, and that therefore it appears to him that it should not, without previous\ncommunication with that Government, be included in the Finance Account as a debt due\nfrom tbe Dominion. 1 have, etc.,\n(Signed) B. G. W. Herbert.\nEnclosure No. 6.\nMemorandum.\nIn a despatch of 26th October, 1858, as to the progress of the Colony of British\nColumbia, Governor Douglas transmitted a report from Captain G. H. Bichards, of\nH.M.S.Plumper, on tho harbours of Vancouver Island and the coast of British Columbia.\nIn this report Captain Bichards called attention to the necessity of lighting the British\nside of the Straits of Fuca, the American side being already lighted, and he particularly\nrecommended tho immediate erection of certain lights.\nCopies of this report were communicated to the Admiralty and Board of Trade by\nthis Office.\nThe Board of Trado replied by stating that as the lights in question did not appear\nto belong to the class of Imperial lights, it did not fait within the province of that\nDepartment to form an opinion or to give any recommendation as to the propriety of\ntheir being established. At the same time, however, they enclosed a memorandum from\ntheir professional officer, Captain Sullivan, B.N., strongly supporting Captain Bichards'\nrecommendation. In tho meantime, however, Governor Douglas had brought the\nquestion of lighting tho approaches to Vancouver Island and British Columbia directly\ntinder the consideration of this office, and he pointed out the necessity for the immediate\nerection of lights at the Bace Bocks, in Fuca Straits, and on Fisgard Island, at the\nentrance of Esquimalt Harbour, but as tbe Colony had no means for such a work he\nstrongly recommended the matter for the favourable consideration of the Imperial\nGovernment.\nGovernor Douglas' despatches were referred for the consideration of the Board of\nTrade, who were asked to reconsider whether they could not include the required\nLighthouses within the class of \"Imperial Lights,\" and give the Colony some assistance\ntowards their erection.\nTo this the Board of Trade replied that although there could be no doubt of the\nimportance of the proposed lights, they were required for the trade of the Colony, and\nnot for general passing trade, and that, therefore, they could not be properly considered\nas belonging to the class of Imperial Lights, and that if it were determined to assist tbe\nColony in their erection, application should be made to the Treasury by the Colonial.\nOffice rather than by the Board of Trade. They would, however, be happy to give their\nbest advice and assistance in tho matter, and they enclosed a memorandum from Captain\nSullivan, B.N., estimating tho cost of tho proposed Lighthouses at \u00a37,000.\nMeanwhile the Hydrographer of the Admiralty and the Naval Commander-in-Chief\non the Pacific Station had pressed upon the Admiralty the urgent necessity for the\nerection of the lights, and the matter having been also privately pressed upon this Officej 370 Correspondence\u2014Lighthouses. 1880\nthe Secretary of State, Sir. E. B. Lytton, determined to take tbe course suggested by\nthe Board of Trade, and ask the Treasury to advance the necessary funds.\nThe whole of the correspondence was therefore sent to the Treasury with a recommendation that a vote should be taken for tbe amount of the estimated cost, \u00a37,000, of\nthe proposed Lighthouses, on the understanding that one moiety of that amount would\nbe recoverable from the Colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, and that\ntbe Colonies should bear the whole charge of maintaining the Lighthouses.\nThe Treasury assented to this course, but stipulated that the whole responsibility\nfor the selection of the sites for the lights and the construction of the light towers\nshould rest with the Governor, and that the Board of Trade could only assist with advice\nand information, and by sending out the lighting apparatus. It was also subsequently\nsettled that the Governor should draw on the Board of Trade for the money, and that\nthe Board should keep the account of the expenditure. The whole of the correspondence\nwas then sent to Governor Douglas for his information and guidance, and with the\nnecessary instructions, and he was informed that the Secretary of State must leave it to\nhim to decide tbe proportion in which it would be equitable that Vancouver Island and\nBritish Columbia should contribute towards the payment of the moiety of the advance\nof \u00a37,000, but that the debt should be repaid within the earliest practicable period.\nGovernor Douglas replied that he was highly gratified to receive intelligence of the\nintended advance, and that measures would be adopted for the repayment of the moiety,\nfor which Vancouver Island and British Columbia were jointly responsible.\nThe original estimate, \u00a37,000, was, however, found to be insufficient as the works\nproceeded, and it became necessary to advance further sums from time to time, which\nwere subsequently included in tbe Imperial Estimates for 1861-2, 1862-3, but advanced\non tho same condition as the original \u00a37,000,\u2014that one-half should be repaid by\nVancouver Island and British Columbia.\nThe Lighthouses were finished in December, 1860, but it was some time before the\ntotal expenditure on them became known, and it was not until the 24th December, 1863,\nthat the Board was able to render an account of the whole sum expended in the work,\nviz., \u00a312,493 19s. 9d., and to request that measures might be taken for the recovery of\none-half of that sum, viz., \u00a36,246 19s. 10d., from Vancouver Island and British Columbia.\nThe Board of Trade account was sent to the Governor of Vancouver Island on the 2nd\nJanuary, 1864, with instructions to cause this sum to bo repaid by Vancouver Island\nand British Columbia in the proportion which be should think proper.\nNo answer seems to have been returned to this Despatch, but British Columbia and\nVancouver Island, having ceased to be under one Governor, a difference arose between\nthe two Governments as to the cost of maintaining the Lights, and from the correspondence that then took place, and which was submitted for the consideration of the\nSecretary of State, it appeared that Governor Douglas, when Governor of tbo two\nColonies, had decided that the cost of the maintenance of the Lighthouses, and also the\nrepayment of the moiety of the cost of their erection, should be defrayed in equal\nportions by Vancouver Island and British Columbia, and that British Columbia disputed\ntho fairness of such a decision. The Governor of British Columbia (Mr. Seymour) being\nabout to return to England on leave of absence, the papers were referred to him for\nreport, but ho returned to tho Colony without replying to the letter addressed to him on\nthe subject. Meanwhile, however, it had been decided that British Columbia and\nVancouver Island should be united in one Colony, and a Despatch was addressed to\nGovernor Seymour, of British Columbia, who was about to become Governor of the\nunited Colonies, reminding him that the adjustment of the respective liabilities of\nVancouver Island and British Columbia would now devolve upon him, and requesting\nhim to consider and report the arrangements which he might think best for the\nsettlement of the claims.\nTo this Governor Seymour replied on the 15th January, 1867, that he had not\npreviously been satisfied that the claims advanced against British Columbia by\nVancouver Island were well founded, and had therefore resisted them, but that now,\nhowever, that the Colonics had been united with a common Treasury, the matter\nnecessarily settled itself.\nNo steps, however, appear, since that date, to have been taken for the payment of\nthe amount, and there the matter seems to have rested until the present day.\nColonial Office, 9th August, 1878. 43 Vic.\nCorrespondence\u2014Lighthouses.\n3^1\nSchedule op Correspondence respecting Vancouver Island Lighthouses.\nNo.\nFrom whom or to whom.\nDespatch No.\nDate.\n1\n6\n76\n90\n63\n78\n194\n32\n8\n17\n53\n57\n6\n9\n14\n19\n29\n31\n31\n50\n47\n35\n36\n66\n8\n4\n15\n45\n71\n72\n17\n19\n28\n1858, 26th October.\n2\n1859, 15th January.\n1859, 4th February.\n1859, llth May.\n1859, 16th June.\n3\n4\nColonial Office\t\n5\nDo\t\n6\n1859, 23rd July.\n1859, 8th August.\n1859, llth August.\n1859, 21st October.\n7\n8\n9\nDo.                            \t\n'0\n1859, 5th November.\n11\nDo.                   do\t\n1859, 10th November.\n12\n1860, 3rd Februarv.\n13\nDo\t\n1860, 7th February.\n1860, 15th March.\n14\nDo\t\n15\n1860, 7th April.\n1860, 15th May.\n1860, 18th June.\n16\nDo.                       do\t\n17\nDo.                     do\t\n18\n1860, 28th August.\n1860, 5th December.\n1861, 4th March.\n19\n20\n21\n22\nDo.                       do\t\n1861, 2nd May.\n1861, 9th Mav.\n23\n24\n1861, 14th August.\n1862, 10th February.\n1862, 9th February.\n1862, 21st May.\n1864, 2nd January.\n1865, 23rd August.\n1866, 4th September.\n25\nColonial Office\t\n26\n27\n28\n29\nDo.                        do\t\n30\n31\n32\nColonial Office to Gov. Vancouver Island\nColonial Office to Gov. British Columbia\n1866, 10th November.\n1866,14th November.\n1867, 18th January.\nCopy of a Report of a Committee of the Honourable the Executive Council, approved by His\nHonour the Lieutenant-Governor in Council on the 7th May, 1879.\nThe Committee of Council have had under consideration a despatch from Ottawa\ndated the 5th of February, 1879, referring to a letter from the Colonial Office of the\n30th of August, 1878, with enclosures, in which a claim is preferred by the Imperial\nTreasury against tho Province for \u00a36,246 19s. 10d., being a moiety of the cost incurred\nby the Treasury in constructing Eace Bocks and other Lighthouses. In reply to the\nrequest of the Dominion Government as to whether they will pay it and charge it to\nthe Province, the Committee advise that the Secretary of State be informed that the\npayment of the claim cannot be recommended without further inquiry, as no record of\nit appears in the Provincial Treasury. They also advise that a copy of this minute be\nforwarded to tho Dominion Government.\nCertified,\n(Signed)       T. B. Humphreys,\nClerk Executive Council.\nThe Under-Secretary of State to the Lieutenant-Governor.\nOttawa, 8th October, 1879.\nSir,\u2014With reference to your letter of the 9th May last, enclosing a Minute of your\nExecutive Council dated 7th of same month, on tho subject of the claim of Her Majesty's\nTreasury for \u00a36,246 19s. lOd. for advances made to tho Provinces of British Columbia\nand Vancouver Island for tbe erection of lighthouses in Fuca Straits and Esquimalt\nHarbour, I am directed to transmit to you herewith a copy of a despatch received from 372 Correspondence\u2014Lighthouses. 1880\nthe Bight Honourable tbe Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated 9th August last,\nwith reference to the statement made in the Minute of Council above mentioned\nappended to your letter, that payment of the claim could not be recommended without\nfurther inquiry.\nI have, &c.,\n(Signed)       Edouard J. Langevin,\nUnder-Secretary of State.\nSir M. E. Hicks-Beach to the Governor-General.\nDowning Street, 9th August, 1879.\nMy Lord,\u2014I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Despatch No. 190,\nof the 10th ult., transmitting a copy of an approved report of the Committee of the\nPrivy Council on tho subject of the claim preferred in my Despatch No. 240 of the 30th\nAugust last for the repayment of the sum of \u00a36,264 19s. 10d., expended for the erection\nof Lighthouses in Fuca Straits and Esquimalt Harbour, British Columbia.\nI regret a more satisfactory reply has not been returned to this claim after the\nlapse of nearly a year from the date of my despatch, within which time there has been\nample time for the verification of the claim, the circumstances of the case having been\nfully set forth in the memorandum which accompanied my former despatch, wherein\nalso the fullest references were given to the correspondence which had passed on the\nsubject between the Department and the Governor of British Columbia.\nI trust that an examination of the correspondence which is in your possession,\nhaving been transferred to Canada from the Province at the time of its annexation to\nthe Dominion, as appears from the Secretary of State's Despatch No. 11 of the 16th\nJanuary, 1872, will enable the Dominion Government to satisfy themselves of the justice\nof the claim and to take such steps as may be necessary for its prompt settlement.\nI have, &c,\n(Signed)        M. E. Hicks-Beach.\nThe Secretary of State to the Lieutenant-Governor.\nOttawa, 14th January, 1880.\nSir,\u2014Adverting to previous correspondence upon the subject of the claim of Her\nMajesty's Treasury of \u00a36,246 19s. lOd. for advances made to tbe Province of British\nColumbia and Vancouver Island for tho erection of lighthouses in Fuca Straits and\nEsquimalt Harbour, and particularly to Mr. Under-Secretary Langevin's letter and\nenclosure of the 8th October last, I have the honour tO'transmit to you herewith, for the\nconsideration of your Government, copies of tbe despatches and correspondence in the\ncase enumerated in the enclosed schedule, and to state that it would appear from those\npapers that there is no reasonable doubt of the correctness of the demand of the\nTreasury.\nI have now to request that a speedy answer may be given by your Government in\nreference to this claim, and to add that in case no answir is received showing reasonable grounds for holding that the Province of British Columbia should not properly be\ncalled upon to pay tho money, His Excellency tho Governor-General will take it for\ngranted that the Province agrees to the payment of the claim.\nI have, &c,\n(Signed)       M. Bowell,\nfor Secretary of State.\nCopy of a Report of a Committee of the Honourable the Executive Council, approved by His\nHonour the Lieutenant-Governor in Council on the 12th February, 1880.\nOn a memorandum dated llth February, 1880, from the Minister of Finance,\nreporting upon a despatch dated Ottawa, 14th January, 1880, enclosing copies of certain\ndespatches and correspondence upon which tho recent claim made against tho Government of Canada by Her Majesty's Treasury for \u00a36,246 19s. lCd., for one-half the cost of\nerection of lighthouses on Bace Bocks, Straits of Fuca, and on Fisgard Island at the\nentrance to the harbour of Esquimalt. in the years, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, and 1863 is 43 Vic Correspondence\u2014Lighthouses. ST 3\nbased, and which amount it is now claimed the Province of British Columbia should be\ncalled upon to pay.\nThe Minister reports, after a careful examination into the circumstances connected\nwith the erection of the lighthouses in question:\u2014\nThat in the year 1859 Sir James Douglas, who was then Governor over the Crown\nColonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, and Bear-Admiral Baynes, C.B.,\nCommander-in-Chief in the Pacific, brought to the notice of the Imperial Government\nthe great necessity of lights on the north shore of the Straits of Juan de Fuca.\nThat the Imperial Government undertook the construction of these lighthouses,\nmainly for the protection of Imperial interests, it being conceded at the time by Sir E.\nB. Lytton that \" their construction was a matter of national importance, as they were\n\" requisite for the safe navigation of the waters; that losses from shipwreck which,\n\" failing sucli protection, were highly probable, would fall on the British merchant, and\n\" on the country at large in the event of the loss of any of the ships of war, the amount\n\" of which would far exceed the cost of the lighthouses.\"\nThat Esquimalt was then, as now, the only British Naval Station in the North\nPacific, and that those lighthouses were, and are, as much an Imperial necessity as the\nDockyard and other Imperial property at Esquimalt.\nThat Governor Douglas was informed in July, 1859, that Her Majesty's Government\nwould advance the sum of \u00a37,000 for the construction of these lighthouses on the condition that one moiety should be repaid by the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British\nColumbia jointly, and that he (Governor Douglas) promised that measures would\naccordingly bo adopted for that purpose. That in January, 1864, the Imperial Government informed Governor Douglas that tho cost of these works had amounted to \u00a312,493\n19s. 9d., and requested that the sum now claimed\u2014viz., \u00a36,246 19s. 10d.\u2014be repaid to\nHer Majesty's Paymaster-General.\nThat Governor Kennedy, the successor to Governor Douglas as Governor of the\nseparate Crown Colony of Vancouver Island, placed $15,148 95, being one-half of the\nsum claimed, in tho Estimates of 1865, to be paid out of Colonial revenue, but tbe Assembly refused to vote the amount. That Sir Edward Cardwell, in a despatch dated\n12th October, 1865, when commenting on the above fact communicated to him by Gov-\n.ernor Kennedy, stated that if the Assembly thought proper to adhere to their decision\nthe charge must bo defrayed out of Crown revenue. That the question appears to have\nrested there, and that the amount was either paid out of Crown revenue or the debt\nwas remitted, as statements of the assets and liabilities of both Colonies were regularly\ntransmitted to the Imperial Government, this amount not appearing as a liability, and\nits omission called forth no comment from the Imperial authorities. That the accounts\nrendered by Her Majesty's Treasury Department to the Colony of British Columbia\nclaimed only \u00a310,704 16s. 7d. as due from that Colony for the buildings at the Camp,\nNew Westminster; that the Colonial accounts for the same period show definitely that\nliability as then unpaid.\nThat the accounts of the Colony of Vancouver Island at the same date show over\n$10,000 as due by tbe Home Government to the Colony, and over $50,000 in the bands\nof tho Crown Agents, London.\nThe Minister remarks that the claims referred to in Earl Carnarvon's despatch to\nGovernors Kennedy and Seymour in November, 1866, were claims advanced by Vancouver Island against the Colony of British Columbia on account of the maintenance of\nlighthouses and the conveyance of mails, thus being totally different accounts from tho\nclaim now advanced for construction of lighthouses, and that consequently Governor\nSeymour was no doubt fully justified in reporting that the claims (for maintenance of\nlighthouses and conveyance of mails,) were well founded, and that union of the Colonies,\nwith one common treasury, necessarily settled the question. But it must be 'obvious\nthat such a report cannot have any bearing upon the claim now advanced for lighthouse construction, further than to strengthen the opinion that the claim had either\nbeen previously paid or that the debt had been remitted.\nThat this view is further supported by the fact that this amount does not appear as\na liability upon the union of the Crown Colonies of Vancouver Island and British\nColumbia in 1866, or at the subsequent Confederation, in 1871, of the united Crown\nColonies with the Dominion of Canada.\nThe Minister further remarks upon the latter portion of the despatch under con- 374 Correspondence\u2014Lighthouses. 1880\nsideration, which states \"that in case no answer is received showing reasonable grounds\n\" for holding that the Province of British Columbia should not properly be called upon\n\" to pay the money, His Excellency the Governor-General will take it for granted that\n\" the Province agrees to the jiayment of the claim.\"\nThat it must be admitted that a claim of such a character as could not be paid by\nan Imperial Governor of a Crown Colony without the direct sanction of the Colonial\nAssembly is not one that the Executive of British Columbia, under full representative\ninstitutions, could agree should be charged to the debt account of the Province by the\nDominion Government without the sanction of the Legislature.\nTho Committee respectfully submit that this claim is not one that should now be\npaid by the Province through the Dominion Government charging the amount to the\nDebt Account, as it is incontrovertible that even if not previously paid or formally remitted, that it has been abandoned by the Imperial Government for the last fifteen years,\nand under any circumstances was expenditure incurred more of Imperial than Colonial\nnecessity, and has undoubtedly been the means of preserving many vessels of Her\nMajesty's Navy from destruction.\nThe Committee concur with the views contained in the above memorandum, and\nrecommend that if this report be approved a copy thereof be forwarded to the Hon. the\nSecretary of State, Canada.\nCertified.\n(Signed) T. Basil Humphreys,\nClerk Executive Council.\nVICTORIA: Printed by Richard Woltokdeu, Government Printer.\nat tho Government Printing Office, James' Bay.","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/hasType":[{"value":"Legislative proceedings","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/identifier":[{"value":"J110.L5 S7","type":"literal","lang":"en"},{"value":"1880_32_367_374","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/isShownAt":[{"value":"10.14288\/1.0059973","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/language":[{"value":"English","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/provider":[{"value":"Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/publisher":[{"value":"Victoria, BC : Government Printer","type":"literal","lang":"en"}],"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/rights":[{"value":"Images provided for research and reference use only. 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