VPRS 122 Outward Letter Books

Full description

This series contains the copies of outward letters from the Lands Branch of the Colonial Secretary's Office (and briefly, the Chief Secretary's Office). Separate volumes were used within the system for correspondence on general matters, on specific matters and to specific persons. Included in these volumes is correspondence relating to Immigration as well as to lands matters.

The first four units in this series contain letters to private persons and government officials concerning all matters relating to land administration. Other matters concerned personnel matters and the discovery and transport of gold. Immigration matters include those to private persons about the issuing of naturalisation certificates and to government officials notifying them of matters relating to immigrant ships.

Outward letters to the Auditor-General conveyed the Lieutenant Governor's instructions and decisions on various applications made by the Auditor-General regarding such matters as approval and notification of staff appointments, decisions on salaries and adjustments to salaries and approval for the payment of expenses to staff.

Volumes dealing with applications (Units 6 and 11) contain acknowledgments of the receipt of applications made to lease land or purchase land under preemptive right with others seeking further information or notifying the applicant of a result of or decision on the application. Some correspondence is to government officials notifying them of land which could be purchased in their area.

The outward letter book to other colonies (Unit 7) contains copies of letters from the Land Branch to the Colonial Secretary in other colonies conveying the Lieutenant Governor's instructions and decisions on various applications made by them covering such subjects as appointments, the purchase of land, proposed surveys and administrative procedures. Immigration related letters covered such subjects as the arrival of immigrant ships and nominations for immigration.

Unit 8 contains copies of letters to the Colonial Treasurer. Subjects covered include the notification of private persons owing the government money for such things as the purchase of land and notification of government officials to whom the government owed salaries or compensation.

Correspondence to the Surveyor-General (Unit 9) dealt with such subjects as staff appointments, salaries, requests for estimates and returns and requests for surveys and tracings in cases of disputed boundaries.

The Confidential Letter Book to Local (Unit 10) contained confidential letters to both government officials and private persons. The first letters in the volume concern the discovery of gold, the effect of this on monetary transactions and the appointment of a board to enquire into the disposal of surplus gold received in issuing Gold Licences. Other subjects include the appointment of a new Colonial treasurer, notification of an audit of the Colonial Treasury and the Collector of Customs, capital cases and staff misconduct.

As well as containing the acknowledgment of land applications, Unit 11 contains correspondence with private persons to answer complaints about proposed roads and bridges or to inform persons of government decisions to build roads which might affect their property.

VPRS 122/P1 was created in 2002:
Unit 1 was previously registered as VPRS 119/P Outward Letter Book to Auditor-General
Unit 2 was previously registered as VPRS 120/P Land Application Outward Letter Book
Unit 3 was previously registered as VPRS 2880/P Outward Letter Book to Other Colonies
Unit 4 was previously registered as VPRS 2881/P Outward Letter Book to the Colonial Treasurer
Unit 5 was previously registered as VPRS 2882/P Outward Letter Book to the Surveyor General
Unit 6 was previously registered as VPRS 2883/P Confidential Outward Letter Book to Local
Unit 7 was previously registered as VPRS 2885/P Outward Letter Book regarding Land Application Acknowledgments, Roads and Bridges.