VPRS 14271 Register of Inward Correspondence, Melbourne Land District

Full description

This series consists of registers of inward correspondence maintained by the Occupation Branch of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538) prior to the introduction of a new recordkeeping system for correspondence management for the whole Department in 1876 (see VPRS 166 Alphabetical Registers of Inwards Correspondence).

It would appear that all correspondence relating to the occupation of Crown lands was forwarded to the Branch. Here it was registered either in a general register or in registers for a specific Land District. The register in this series was that registering correspondence for the Melbourne Land District.

Whether in a general or in a Land District register, details recorded were the number of the letter, the dates of the letter and of entry in the register, the name and address of the sender, a summary of the subject of the correspondence and how the matter was dealt with. A reference was given to the number of any other piece of correspondence or file to which the correspondence was attached.

Matters dealt with in the correspondence were those relating to the making of applications for land, the process of dealing with a selection and ensuring that conditions were carried out, the performance of surveys and matters pertaining to hearings of Local Land Boards.