Collection search - Secret and confidential despatches to and from the Colonial Office [textual record]

Record information – Brief
1
Secret and confidential despatches to and from the Colonial Office [textual record]

Hierarchical level:

Sub-series

Date:

1843-1909.

Reference:

R178-42-X-E, RG7-G-3

Type of material:

Textual material

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

126296

Context of this record:

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Office of the Governor General of Canada fonds

Correspondence with the Colonial Office

Secret and confidential despatches to and from the Colonial Office
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Record information – Details

Date(s):

1843-1909.

Place of creation:

Canada

Extent:

1.6 m of textual records.

Language of material:

English

Scope and content:

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Sub-series consists of secret, confidential and private despatches to and from the Colonial Office. The despatches are in chronological order. The correspondence for the years 1867-1870 (volumes 1 and 2) includes despatches of the British representatives in the United States addressed to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

Secret and confidential despatches traditionally are not numbered. Although the definitions of secret, private and confidential changed within the colonial service during the nineteenth century, the Colonial Office maintained a marked distinction between numbered and unnumbered despatches. Throughout the middle decades of the century, numbered despatches from the Colonial Office could be, and often were, shown to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet (or Executive Council prior to Confederation), or the Legislature and then could be published if circumstances warranted. Unnumbered despatches were those of crucial import which required a certain degree of secrecy and consisted usually of two types: secret and private or confidential. In principle, permission was required from the Colonial Secretary for the Governor to show secret despatches to anyone. Private or confidential despatches could be, but were not necessarily, shown to Cabinet (Executive Council before 1867) at the discretion of the Governor.

Matters discussed in unnumbered despatches were often mentioned in numbered despatches but no specific mention of an unnumbered despatch was permitted. Researchers should note that while the scenario described above was the usual routine in the colonial service, exceptions were frequent and practices changed. Depending on the relationship between the Governor and the Colonial Secretary, private letters were often exchanged which conducted official business, albeit in the most informal of terms.

Finding aid:

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(Electronic) For records in GRB custody, see finding aid 7-2 which is a volume list relating to volumes 3-16. 7-2 (90: Open)
http://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf002/7-2_126296_vols3-16.pdf

(Paper) For records in CAB custody, see the CAB RG 7 Shelf List (see RG 7, G3 section) which is a typed volume level description which provides volume titles and inclusive dates and corresponding microfilm reel numbers. CAB RG 7 Shelf List

Additional information:

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General note:

Custodial and reference questions related to volumes 1-2, should be directed to the Canadian Archives Branch (CAB).
Custodial and reference questions related to volumes 3-16, should be directed to the Government Records Branch (GRB).

Availability of other formats note:

The contents of the entire sub-series are available on microfilm reel C-15621. That portion of the contents of volumes 1 and 2 which covers the period November 1860 to April 1862 has also been microfilmed and is available on reel C-3895.

Accruals:

No further accruals are expected.

Related material:

Additional secret, confidential and private despatches are found elsewhere within this fonds, in the Despatches from the Colonial Office sub-series, the Despatches from the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies sub-series, and the Despatches from the Colonial Secretary to the Governor General sub-series. Indeed, for the years prior to 1870, the Despatches from the Colonial Office sub-series is the primary source for such correspondence. The frequency of exceptions to rules and of changes in practice preclude any simple explanation of the separation between the despatches found in this sub-series and those found elsewhere within this fonds.

Source:

Government

Former archival reference no.:

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RG7-G-3
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

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Textual records

[Consultation90 Open]

Volume [RG7 G-3]

[Consultation 90 Open]

2;

[Consultation 90 Open]

1/1--1/3;

[Consultation 90 Open]

Volume [RG 7 G-3] 3--16

[Consultation 90 Open]

Microfilm reel C-15621

[Consultation 90 Open]

Terms of use:

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Copyright belongs to the Crown.
In order to protect the fragile originals, records in this sub-series have been microfilmed and the originals withdrawn from circulation. The microfilm must be used for consultation and copying rather than the originals.

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Date modified:: 2024-04-09