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Historic manuscript DS, signed “Victoria R” and "VR," 60 pages, 8 x 12.5, May 17, 1851. Lengthy document carrying formal instructions to James Douglas, the newly appointed Governor of Vancouver Island, proclaimed a colony only two years before. Headed, "Instructions to Our Trusty and Wellbeloved James Douglas Esquire, Our Governor and Commander in Chief in and over Our Island of Vancouver and of its Dependencies," the manuscript contains highly specific instructions on the duties of his office, written in a large calligraphic hand.
The instructions specify the oaths of allegiance to be taken by the Governor and his agents, the appointment of councillors, the making and enforcing of laws and ordinances, the appointment of judges and justices, the holding of Council meetings, the election of General Assemblies among the freeholders of the Island, and the enactment of laws and statutes. The Governor is required to transmit copies of each law or statute to the home government, and is enjoined from appointing any judge or justice not been confirmed by the Council of the Island. He is to deliver periodic reports "of the wants and defects of the Island…the chief products, what improvements have been lately made," and is to "take especial care that Almighty God be devoutly and truly served throughout your Government." Signed at the head in ink by Queen Victoria, "Victoria R," and initialed at the conclusion, "VR." In very good to fine condition, with some scattered creasing, and a bit of foxing and staining the to signed page.
Sir James Douglas (1803–1877), often hailed as the 'Father of British Columbia,' was a pivotal figure in the colonial history of Canada’s West Coast. Douglas began his career in the fur trade with the North West Company and later the Hudson’s Bay Company, rising to the rank of Chief Factor before transitioning to colonial administration. In 1851 he was appointed Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island, and in 1858, amid the tumult of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and rising American expansionist pressure, he became the first Governor of the newly established Colony of British Columbia, asserting British sovereignty and helping to shape the region’s early governance. Knighted by Queen Victoria in 1863 for his service, Douglas governed both colonies until his retirement in 1864, leaving a legacy as a foundational architect of British Columbia’s emergence as a Crown colony.
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