The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-26 00:00:00

VANCOUVER'S ISLAND.

The followinzi, the r, port from the C.mmiqee of
her Majesty's Privy Council for Trade and Plautationi
on the grant of VallCOLiVer s Isl And to the Hudson's
Bay Company:—

At the. Curt at Windsor, the 31st day of October,
1848, present—The Queen's most Excellent Majesty,
his Royal Highness Prince Albert, Lord Chancellor,
Lord President, Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Auckland,
Lord John Russell, Viscount Palmerston, Lord Camp-
bell, Sir George Grey, Bart.
Whereas there was this day read at the Board a re-
port of the Right Honourable the Lords of the Com-
mittee of Council appointed for the consideration
of all matters relating to trade and foreign plantations,
dated the 30th of this instant October, in the words fol-
lowing, viz.:— _ _ _

lour Majesty having been pleased, by your order of
reference of the 4th of September, 1848, to refer unto
this committee a draft of a grant of the island called
Vancouver's Island, in North America, to the Hudson's
Bay Company, and copies of a correspondence relating
thereto, to consider the same, and to report to your Ma-
jesty whether, in their opinion, any amendments should
take place in the conditions contained in the said grant,
or whether any further conditions should be inserted
thereiNfor the purpose of binding the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany to use their best efforts to effect the colonisation of
the said island; we, the Lords of this Committee, have
taken the same into consideration, and having fully in-
quired into the whole matter, do:this day agree humbly
to report to your Majesty that, in our opinion, it is es-
sential, in order to enure the more effectual colonisation
of Vancouver's Island, that certain amendments should
be made to some of the conditions inserted in the
said draft grant, and that certain further conditions
should be inserted therein; and we, therefore, humbly
recommend that your Majesty should cause amend-
ments and further conditions to be inserted in
the said grant, to the following effect, viz. :—That the
grant of the fishing of all sorts of fish in the seas, bays,
inlets, and rivers within or surrounding the said island
be omitted from the said draft grant. That in that part
of the said draft which sets forth the intent of the Crown
that the company shall establish settlements of emigrants
from the United Kingdom, further conditions should be
inserted, binding the said company to dispose of all lands
thereby granted to them at a reasonable price, except so
much as may be required for public purposes; and that
all moneys which shall be received by the said company
for the purchase of such land, and also from all pay-
ments which may be made to them for or in respect of
the coal or other minerals to be obtained in the said
island, or the right of searching for and getting the same,
shall (after deduction of such sums by way of profit as
shall not exceed a deduction of ten per cent. from the
gross amount received by the said company from the
sale of such land, and in respect of such coal
or other minerals as aforesaid) be applied towards the
colonization and improvement of the said island; and
that the company shall reserve for use of her Majesty,
her heirs, and successors, all such land as may be re-
quired for the formation of naval establishments, her
Majesty, her heirs and successors, paying a reasonable
price for the same. That the neglect on the part of the
Hudson's Bay Company to observe the herein-before
mentioned conditions respecting the sale of land and
coal shall be included among the conditions upon
which it shall be lawful for her Molest), her heirs and
successors, to revoke the said grant after the expiration
of five years from the date thereof. And we accord-
ingly submit an amended draft of a grant embodying
the foregoing stipulations. The Lords of the Com-
mittee further humbly report to your Majesty that, in
their opinion, the existing provisions for the trial of
criminal offences, and also of civil causes in
Vancouver's Island, under 1 and 2 George IV., c. 66,
are inadequate for the due administration of justice,
inasmuch as that, under the 12th section of that Act,
it is provided that the courts shall not try any offender
far any felony made the subject of capital punishment,
or transportation, or any civil action or suit in which the
cause of such action or suit shall exceed in value 2001.;
and that in every case of any offence subjecting the per-
son committing the same to capital punishment or
transportation, the offender must be sent for trial to the
court of the province of Upper Canada. The Lords of
this Committee, therefore, humbly submit to your Ma-
jesty the expediency of making further and more satis-
factory provision tbr the trial of offences and civil causes
in Vancouver's Island, which, in their opinion, can only
be effected by an amendment by the Legislature of the
provisions contained in the Ist and 2d Geo. IV., c. 66.
Her Majesty, having taken the said report into consi-
deration, was pleased, by and with the advice of her
Privy Council, to approve thereof.

W. L. BATHURST.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, SATURDAY MORNING.—The guardians of the
Omagh Union at their meeting on Thursday directed
that for the pres,nt no out-door relief should be ad,
ministered by the relieving officers of any of the divisions.
The reason is thus satisfactorily explained by the
Tyrone paper:—
" The employmt nt afforded by the spring labour is so
abundant that it is difficult to procure labourers at average
rates of wages. The farmers have taken advantage of
the fine weather with which we have been favoured here
for a considerable time, and agricultural operations are
very turward in the district."