, 1854-09-30
VancOuver's Island.

VancOuver's Island.
Copy of Letter from Mr.. James Cooper,
M. c., to Mr.. Douglas, Governor.
Victoria, April "a, 1853.
To His Excellency,
JAMES DOUGLASS, ESQ,
Gorernor Of VamcOWUer's Island:
SIR: beg TO acknowledge the receipt
of letter dated by mistake for "4th Apt"
"4th March," from Rich'd Golledge, writ
ten, as he says, by your request. Upon the
opening sentence Of this letter, l am sorry
to have to remark that Richard Colledge
had already unfortunately divulged to at
least two persons, that he did himself, in
form your Excellency Of my absence from
home, not only before some hours" had
passed "after the issue Of .Ae circular con-
vening the late meeting" but actually at
the time when your Excellency ordered him
to write the said circular. He not only
had mentioned this circumstance, but had
also added the reply which your Excellency
made to the information which he gave
you. This inconsistency, which Is capable
Of most convincing proof, / leave your
Excellency's Secretary Richard Golledge,
to settle between you
proceed to remark that, in my judg-
ment, it is a great inaccuracy, or at least
much calculated 10 mislead, to describe
Mitchowsan as being "a distance OF eight
miles, In a straight line across the wa
ter it may be only that distance, but your
Excellency knows well that we are depend
ent on the canoes Of the natives to perform
this journey, and that even If the weather
were always favorable, (Which it often is
not) canoes are not to be had at any time,
and scarcely at O'Clock, Pm.
BY land the practicable journey is al
lowed to be fifteen miles at least, aud gen.
orally occupies about Eve hours in perform
ing, as is perfectly well known to those
who have been accustomed to travel it.
Besides, in the dark, the road is such that
it is impossible to perform the journey with
any degree Of safety at all. In short, It
was, under the circumstances, impossible
for me TO receive the notice to attend the
Council before the morning Of Tuesday,
the 29th, the day fixed in the notice for
the meeting. This consider to be a fact
undeniable, and that would be allowed by
all impartial persons who know the cOun-
try, -..-..r
With regard TO the statement your Ex-
cellency makes, that you have on all oc-
casions shown the utmost solicitude to CON
suit the convenience Of the members Of the
Council" you must allow me leave, without
making any remark as to former occasions,
to make an exception Of tk.s OCCASION, when
not only was no attention whatever, paid
to my convenience, but in my opinion, to
my rights as a member Of Council, and
likewise to the public rights Of the Colony
in general, which / consider, are very seri-
ously connected with the rights Of mem
bers Of Council, and may be very seriously
perhaps, irrevocably unjust II such kind Of
proceedings are allowed to continue.
In the next place, must observe that,
as you go on to state that ''in the exigency
Of public business it will not always be in
your power to consult the convenience Of
members Of Council" this assertion on
your part, with regard to the exigency Of
affairs for the future, forms no answer what
ever, to the assertion (Which is not to be
disproved) contained IL my former letter,
that mo public business Of any pressing
emergency arose on that day. Whatever
the case may be in future, forms no justin
cation for the past. Consequently this re-
mark Of your Excelleney's considered as
on answer to my letter is quite beside the
mark
As your Excelleney has admitted by inn
plication at least, the correctness Of my
opinion, as to the legal validity Of the trans
actions at the meetings on the S9th and
3lst ult, arising from want Of quorum,
it is unnecessary for me to repeat this
opinion. But with respect to the adding
another member to the Council, that mem
Der being servant Of the Hudson's Bay
Company, On individual entirely in the in
terests Of the Company, a Chief Factor,
and member of the Company's board Of
management the father-in-aw, too, Of
another member Of Council, also servant
of the Company, it appears to me, and
must appear to the public in general, that
it looks too much like q scheme for
throwing the public affairs Of this profess
sedly Independent British Colony eutieely
into the hands, and the management Of the