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LONDON: EDWARD WEST. 18, NEWGATE STREET. 1863. ij^lS . iL„(;uu:!| L'r I, (JOllllESPONDENCE, Sfc. ] 31, Queen's Road, Camden Square, N.W., June l«, 1801. My Lord Duke, I beg most respectfully to claim your Grace's atten- tion to the Statement herewith forwarded ; a Statement con- taining complaints of a serious nature against certain Govern- ment Officials in Vancouver's Island. . f STATEMENT. At the general Election that took place in Vancouver's Island, in January 1860, I was solicited by numerous electors of the town of Victoria to come forward as a candidate to represent them in the Assembly ; I acceded to their request, and published an address explanatory of my opinion on the affairs of the Colony, founded on an experience of nearly nine years" residence therein, and having been nearly the whole of that time a magistrate and Chairman of the Sessions. A few days after my address was published, an anonymous libel (in the shape of a placard) was published and posted in the town, containing insulting allusions to ray family, and also defa- matory of my private character. The printer of this docu- ment refused (on being applied to) to give up the names of A 2 «:■ the authors of tlio libel. I then, hoping to compel a dis- closure of the names of the autiiors, brought an action against the printer in the Supreme Court of Civil Justice. The proceedings in Court at the trial were of an improper and vexatious character ; on my refusing to answer a question which was irrelevant to the statement contained in the decla- ration, inquisitorial and harsh in its tendency, and which affected the interest of society at large, I was removed from the Court in custody of the sheriff. The examination for the defence was carried on in my absence, evidence which I had given on oath was struck out by direction of the Judge, and a nonsuit recorded : I was then brought into Court, was sen- tenced to be imprisoned in the common jail, and to pay a fine of 10?. I was taken to prison and locked up with felons, Indians, and maniacs. A bill of costs was afterwards sent in by the Attorney-General (who acted both as attorney and counsel for the defence), amounting to 901. 9s. 2d., which I declined to pay : judgment was then entered up for the amount /or the Attorney-Gcnerars bill of costs, and my furniture and other effects seized under an execution ; when two days prior to the time at which the sale was advertised to take place, I was presented by a committee of gentlemen with a sum of 500 dollars, the amount of a subscription raised by the inhabitants of the Island, for the purpose of enabling me to satisfy the amount of the execution, which I did on the 14th July, 1860. In October last I accidentally made the discovery that the Attorney-Generars bill of costs contained items of payment which had never in fact been made ; and soon after Captain King, who was the printer of the libel against me, revealed to me the name of the author of the libel : it was Mr. Begbie, Judge of British Columbia ; — and he (Captain King) further informed me, that Mr. Good (then, and, 1 believe, now, the private Secretary to Governor Douglas) brought the libel in manuscript to the printing office ; and Captain King further told me, that Mr. Good gave him 201. to pay to the Attorney- General, stating that he was to defend the action. " I 5 \ It is my wish that your Grace should distinctly understand, that in bringing the circumstances above-mentioned to your notice, it is not my object to seek any pecuniary redress what- ever for the ill-treatment that I have received, but it is an official inquiry which I ask for, concerning acts, which I believe colonial officials have been guilty of, disgraceful to them in their official capacity, and that, when your Grace may be satisfied that my complaints arc well-grounded, I feel assured that such acts as my Statement contains would not be allowed to be perpetrated with impunity in any of Her Majesty's Colonies, however distant or insignificant. I have the honour to remain, my Lord Duke, Your most obedient, humble servant, Edwart) E. Langfokd. To His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, Secretary of State for the Colonies, &c. 49, St. Paul's Road, Camden Square, N.W., May 21, 18G2. My Lord Duke, I have the honour to enclose to your Grace the copy of a letter from the Registrar of the Supreme Court of De- raerara ', and also the copy of one from the Sheriff Clerk at Perth, giving information concerning JSIr. David Cameron, the Chief Justice of Vancouver Island, who is one a the officials whose conduct is complained of in the statement which I had the honour to address to your Grace on the 18th of June last, which statement was placed in your Grace's hands by Mr. C. W. Fitzwilliam. I have the honour to remain, my Lord Duke, Youi* qbedient, humble servant, Edward E. Langford. To His Grace the Duke of Newcastle. See Communication, p. 10. A 3 6 Sir, Downing Street, May 31, \8Vr2. I am directed by the Duke of Newcastle to acknow- U'dgo the receipt of your letters of the 18th of June, 1861, and the 21st of May, 1862, containing complaints against certain Government Officers in Vancouver Island. I am to state to you in reply, that any charges which you had to prefer against the administration of justice in Van- couver Island ought either to have been brought forward in the Colonial Legislature, whore their justice would have been tested by public discussion, or transmitted through the Governor, in which case he would have taken steps, before referring the charges to the Secretary of State, to give the parties inculpated the opportunity of explanation. I am to add that it is wholly impossible for the Duke of Newcastle to take any other steps on such ex parte and imperfect statements as have now been submitted to him than that of sending your letters to the Governor with instructions to submit them to Mr. Cameron, Mr. Begbie, and Mr. Good, and to forward to his Grace, with his own observations, whatever statements any of those gentlemen may think it necessary to make on the subject. I am, sir, (Signed) Your obedient servant, C. FOUTESCUE. Edward E. Langford, Esq, June C, l«(i2. My Lord Duke, Sir, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of a letter from Mr. C. Fortescue of the 31st ult., in which he states that any charges that I had to prefer against the administration of justice in Vancouver Island ought to have I J been brought forward in the Colonial Legislature, or trans- mitted through the Governor. In reply to those remarks, I bog to state, that from the peculiar composition of tho small Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island, an appeal to that body would been futile, and that from the connexion of Mr. Good and Mr. Cameron with tho Governor, I felt convinced that an application to His Excellency would have been also useless. Mr. Fortescuc remarks in his letter that my statements arc imperfect. I must observe that from the singular nature of those state- ments, and the position of tho persons that they affect, it could scarcely be expected that a complete chain of evidence could bo produced in England ; but as regards the unfitness and impropriety of the appointment of the person to whom the supreme administration of justice is entrusted, I did think that the copies of the letters from the Registrar- General at Demerara, and tho Sheriff at Perth, would have been fairly conclusive. I herewith give tho simple facts as regard the Chief Justice, which facts can be proved by witnesses in this country. The facts are as follow : Mr. Cameron is a man of obscure origin, with no legal education whatever, and a very imperfect gene- ral one ; he was an uncertificated bankrupt in Scotland, and was some time after discharged as an insolvent debtor in Demerara, shortly before coming to Vancouver Island. But for the impropriety of such a person as Mr. Cameron holding such a high and responsible office, it is extremely unlikely that I should ever have had to lay such grievances before your Grace. I can mo&t unhesitatingly assert that the purity of justice has been entirely overthrown in Vancouver Island, rendering the proceedings in the law courts in the colony the theme of scorn and derision among the colonists, as also throughout the American territory in the Pacific. I have felt dis- appointed at the delay that has taken place in instituting even the preliminary inquiries now about to be made, the treat- 8 mcnt I rcccivctl at Vancouver Ihlaml liaving boen to me fraught with serious loss and inconvonieiico. It is important forme to remark that no allusion to Mr. Carey, the Attorney- General of Vancouver Island, is nuuU> by Mr. Fortescue. The charge against Mr. Carey is, that ho committed a fraud in his professional capacity, from which I know that ho could not exculpate himself before a qualified and impartial judge. I have the honour to bo, My Lord Duke, Your obedient humble servant, E. E. Lanofouu. To His Grace the Duke of Newcastle. SlK, Downing Street, Juno 21, HKi2. I am directed by the Duke of Newcastle to acknow- ledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant, and to acquaint you that a copy of it, as of all your previous com- munications, has been forwarded to the Governor of Van- couver Island for his report. I am, sir, Your obedient servant, C. Fortescue. Edward E. Langford, Esq. '^ 13, Mornington Crescent, Regent's Park, February 20, 1803. My Lord Duke, I was informed by Mr. Chichester Fortescue by a letter dated June 21, 1862, that a copy of all my commu- nications relating to my charges against certain Officials in Vancouver Island had been forwarded to the Governor of I :>i 9 that colony for his report ; 1 am now desirous of hoinpf mndo acqimintud whether any conununication on the subject has bv.en received fVonj Governor Douglas ; and if so, I beg to request tluit a coniploto copy of the same may bo forwarded to me. I have the honour to remain, My liord Duke, Your most obedient humble servant, Edwaki) R. Lanofoiu). 'I'o llix Grace tlio Duko of Newcastle, K.Ci., &c. Sir, Downing Street, March G, 1 8fi3. I am directed by the Duke of Newcastle to acquaint you, in reply to your letter of the 20th of February, that a despatch has been received from Governor Douglas in answer to the communication addressed to him in consequence of your letter of the 21st of May, 1862, but that this despatch does not enable His Grace to come to any decision respecting the subjects adverted to in your letter. 1 am, sir. Your obedient servant, T. F. Elliott. E. E. Langford, E!!([. Perth, November 11, l«f;i. Dear Sir, I have to apologize for not sooner answering yours of the 10th ult., but you will excuse the delay when I tell you that I have for the last few weeks been suffering from indis- position, generally confined to the house, and a good deal to ra^ i 10 bed, and so prevented from obtaining the information noted below. I cannot discover that D. Cameron obt .led any more formal discharge from his creditors than is implied in the fact that certain of his creditors took bills for his com- position. By the law of Scotland, although these bills were dis- honoured when due, and '■zo rendered the proceedings for recovery necessary which I showed you, that would not revive the original claim of the creditors to twenty shilhngs per pound. William Cameron, the cousin, has made -a thorough search for the acknowledgment by David, of which he thought he was possessed, without being able to find it, and I have not succeeded in finding any specimen of his handwriting. Mr. Gray had nothing to do with the creditors, having only acted as notary for the banks at which the bills fell due. I find, however, that David has two brothers, Charles and John Cameron, who carry on business as bakers in London. Their address is 1 6, Duke Street, Strand, I regret that I am unable further to satisfy your inquiries, and remain Dear sir. Yours truly, Arch. Heu). I']. E. Langford, Esq. Colonial Registrar's Office, Demerara, June 24, 18G1. Sir, Your letter addressed to the Colonial Secretary has been received, asking for information as to the bankruptcy of David Cameron. We have no Bankruptcy Law here ; 11 V but Mr. David Cameron filed a petition to be adjudgis^ in- solvent on the 28th of January, 1851 ; — there was no o^^- sition, and on the 28th of April, 1851, the Supreme Cou'it granted a full discharge to the insolvent. * I have the honour to be, sir, \^ Your obedient servant, James C. Hitzler, Junr. Registrar. E. E Langford, Esq. THE END. EDWARD WEST, PRINTER, 18, NEWGATE STREET, EC.