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The Naming of British Columbia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2014

Ged Martin
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Extract

Selecting a name for the gold rush colony of British Columbia, although apparently trivial, embarrassed the government, threatened to become the focus for a groundswell of opposition to the whole idea of establishing a new colony, and offers a curious sidelight on the role of the Crown.

On 24 June 1858 Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, the Colonial Secretary in Lord Derby's second ministry, wrote to the Queen to inform her that “in consequence of the recent discovery of Gold in the Neighbourhood of Fraser's River, on the Western Coast of British North America, rendering expedient the immediate establishment of Civil Government,” the government had decided “to erect at once a New Colony there.” Parliament had to authorize this, “& it is desirable that the name of the new Colony shall be inserted in the Bill.” Since the measure was to be introduced within a week, the procedure was slapdash. In asking the Queen to select a name, Lytton informed her that explorers had used the name “New Caledonia,” but did point out that the name had been used elsewhere, most notably for “the chief island of the New Hebrides Group in the South Seas where the French have lately signified their intention to form an establishment.” He added that the names New Cornwall and New Hanover had also been applied to parts of the coast by some mapmakers. While the monarch retained a significant role in mid-nineteenth century government, this hardly extended to, acting as a cartographical research institute for the Colonial Office. On 27 June the Queen informed her minister that she had settled on New Caledonia as the most generally accepted name.

Type
Research Article
Information
Albion , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , Fall 1978 , pp. 257 - 263
Copyright
Copyright © North American Conference on British Studies 1978

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References

1 Ormsby, Margaret A., British Columbia: A History (Toronto, 1958), pp. 148–151Google Scholar.

2 Lytton to Queen Victoria, 24 June 1858, Windsor Castle, Royal Archives, RA/B17/13. Material from The Royal Archives is published by gracious permission of H.M. The Queen.

3 Queen Victoria to Lytton, 27 June 1858, Hertfordshire County Record Office, Lytton Papers, D/EK 027.

3 Hertfordshire County Record Office, Lytton Papers, D/EK 027, Queen Victoria to Lytton, 27 June 1858.

4 The Times, 28 June, 9 July 1858.

5 Parliamentary Debates, 3rd series, cli, 8 July 1858, cols. 1096–1121Google Scholar; The Times, 9 July 1858.

6 Roebuck, J.A., The Colonies of England (London 1849), p. 119nGoogle Scholar. Castlereagh was alleged to have given up Java in 1815 because he did not know where it was, but did not like to admit it. Palmerston, according to legend, asked a Colonial Office clerk to “show me where these places are.” The duke of Cambridge, asked to locate Fernando Po, replied “How the deuce should I know?” The Times, 10 July 1858; Froude, J.A., Oceana (London, 1886), pp. 11–12Google Scholar; Thomas, D., Charge! Hurrah! Hurrah! A Life of Cardigan of Balaclava (London, 1976), pp. 334–335Google Scholar.

7 E. Wakefidd to W. Wakefield, 30 October 18S3, Sydney, Mitchell Library, Wakefield Correspondence (typescript), A3094.

8 The Times, 9 July 1858.

9 Parliamentary Debates, 3rd series, cli, 12 July 1858, cols. 1347–1348Google Scholar.

10 Ibid., 19 July 1858, cols. 1762-1770.

11 Lytton to Queen Victoria, 23 July 18S8 (Royal Archives, RA/B17/54), 24 Jury 1858 (Royal Archives, RA/B17/55), 25 July 1858 (Royal Archives, RA/B17/56).

12 Queen Victoria to Lytton, 26 July 1858, Lytton Papers, D/EK 027 (copy in Royal Archives, RA/B17/57).

13 Lytton to Derby, “Saturday morning” (24 July 1858), Derby Papers, 162/1. The papers of the 14th earl of Derby are on loan to Lord Blake, Queen's College Oxford, who kindly gave me access to them.

14 The Times, 26 July 1858.

15 Parliamentary Debates, 3rd series, cli, 26 July 1858, cols. 2097–2103Google Scholar, and royal assent, 2 August 1858, col. 2359.

16 21 & 22 Vic. Cap. xcix, preamble; The Times, 28 August 1858.

17 The Times, 1 April 1859.

18 Ormsby, , British Columbia, pp. 174–175Google Scholar.

19 Lytton to Queen Victoria, 7 April 1859, Royal Archives, RA/P22/52.

20 Lytton to Queen Victoria, 24 April 1859, Ibid., RA/P22/53, and undated note by Queen.

21 Lytton to Queen Victoria, 3 May 1859, Ibid., RA/P22/54.

22 Lytton to Derby, 3 May 1859, Derby Papers, 162/1. It is not clear whether the Queen knew Queensborough was the offending title and chose Queensland deliberately or un-wittingly. She had apparently approved the renaming of the Cove of Cork as Queens-town in 1849. ed. The Letters of Queen Victoria (1837-1861), A. C. Benson and Lord Esher(3 vols.; London, 1908), II: 225.