Collection search - Governors' despatches to and from colleagues: Quebec, Lower Canada, Upper Canada and Canada [textual record]

Record information – Brief
1
Governors' despatches to and from colleagues: Quebec, Lower Canada, Upper Canada and Canada [textual record]

Hierarchical level:

Fonds

Date:

1774-1913

Reference:

R17904-0-2-E, RG7-G6,G7,G14,G15A,G15B,G16A,G16B,G17A,G17B

Type of material:

Textual material

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

105402

Context of this record:

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Governors' despatches to and from colleagues: Quebec, Lower Canada, Upper Canada and Canada
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Record information – Details
Date(s):

1774-1913

Place of creation:

No place, unknown, or undetermined

Extent:

8.770 meter(s)

Language of material:

English

Scope and content:

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Although practice varied in detail from one colony to another and over time, despatches exchanged between the Governor-in-Chief and Lieutenant Governors, with the Commander of the Forces, the British Minister at Washington and with certain senior government officers were traditionally filed or recorded together. The resulting series of despatches received, drafts of outgoing despatches and entrybooks of despatches received or sent may not at first glance appear as so coherent a mass, particularly as not all the records have survived. As has been noted with respect to other series, the text of any one despatch may be found in multiple locations: as received by the addressee, as recorded (in an entrybook) by the signatory for future reference, or as a duplicate/copy sent to a third party for reference. Thus, while no one series can be said to be complete, the texts of all documents relevant to a specific question can generally be tracked down in at least one location. Numbering of despatches, chronological sequence within entrybooks and other record-keeping practices of the past facilitate searches between and within series. Only the pre-Confederation records from the Governor's offices are described here. The post-1867 records are in the custody of Government Archives Division and described within GAD inventories.

Provenance:

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Quebec, Lower Canada, Upper Canada and Canada. Governors. Despatches to and from colleagues

Additional name(s):

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Upper Canada. Lieutenant Governor

Biography/Administrative history:

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Quebec, Lower Canada, Upper Canada and Canada. Governors. Despatches to and from colleagues : The Governor of Lieutenant Governor of each colony in British North America may be seen to have maintained three levels of communication, which are reflected in the structure of the record-keeping systems in their offices. At the first level were despatches exchanged with the Colonial Office (for which see the description of despatches in series G 1 et seq,). At the second level were despatches exchanged with fellow governors and senior officials who might be categorized as colleagues. The entrybooks demonstrate substantial variations in place and time as to who was considered a colleague. At both levels, the despatches were prepared for the governor's signature (though rarely in his own hand).

At the third level were letters addressed to and received from subordinates (for which see the description of the Secretaries' correspondence, series G 20, et seq.). Responsibility for preparing and signing correspondence at this level was delegated to the Private, Civil or Military Secretaries. Great consistency is evident in the segregation of despatches prepared in the Governor's name (first and second levels) from letters prepared at his orders but signed by his Secretaries (third level).

As a representative of the Crown in and for the colonies of British North America, each Governor or Lieutenant Governor undertook certain responsibilities for external relations and was obliged to maintain a close degree of co-operation with the British Minister at Washington. Filing practices demonstrate that the despatches were considered as communications with colleagues. The same may be said of correspondence with the Commander of the Forces.

Finding aid:

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(Other) David W. Parker's Guide to the Materials for United States History in Canadian Archives (Washington, 1913) and Guide to the Documents in the Manuscript Room at the Public Archives of Canada (Ottawa, 1914) provide volume-by-volume analysis of the original G Series. Finding Aid 690 provides conversion tables to correlate the G Series references given in Parker's guides with the modern RG 7 references. 690 722

(Electronic) The arrangement within the series is predominantly chronological, with some classification by subject or province. Entrybooks customarily were prefaced with a schedule or table of contents. The shelf lists in the Guide for RG 7 identify both the volume contents by date and the reel numbers for the series which have been microfilmed. (99: Closed pending processing)

Finding Aid 722 is a calendar of the correspondence found in series G 14, volumes 1-19.

Additional information:

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General note:

The term letterbook has been used generally to describe volumes in which the text of documents was recorded. Entrybook is the more correct generic term for such volumes, when all manner of documents are recorded therein; letterbook should be reserved for volumes in which only correspondence was recorded.

Availability of other formats note:

All of these series are available on microfilm. The reel numbers are identified in the shelf lists (see above) that serve as finding aids to these series.

Reproduction note:

Microfilming of series G 15A and G 15B was completed in 1952. Microfilming of series G 6 and G 7 was completed in 1980. Microfilming of series G 14, G 16A, G 16B, G 17A and G 17B was carried out in 1981.
Subject heading:

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Fisheries

Canada - History - Fenian Invasions, 1866-1870

Canada. Public Works Canada

Lighthouses

Upper Canada - Officials and employees

Upper Canada - Officials and employees - Salaries

Colonial administrators - Lower Canada, 1791-1841 Lower Canada. Governor-in-Chief, [1795-1841], [1818-1841]

Colonial administrators - Canada, [1841-1866] Canada (Province). Governor-in-Chief, [1841-1867]

Diplomatic and consular service, [1812-1866] Quebec (Province). Governor-in-Chief,[1841-1867]

Boundaries, [1812-1866] Great Britain. Treasury, 1793-1834

Treaties, [1812-1866]

Tariff, [1812-1866]

Commerce, [1812-1866]

Extradition, [1812-1866]

Governors - Canada (Province of), 1841-1867

Governors - Lower Canada, [1799-1840]

Hunters' lodges (Secret societies), [1839-1842]

Embargo, [1812-1866]

Jurisdiction, Territorial, [1861-1866]

Lower Canada - Despatches, [1804-1841]

Canada - Despatches, 1841-1867; 1867-1878

Nova Scotia - Despatches, [1821-1877]

New Brunswick - Despatches, [1821-1877]

Prince Edward Island - Despatches, [1821-1877]

Newfoundland - Despatches, [1821-1877]

Lower Canada - Entrybooks, 1799-1840

Governors - British North America, [1787-1849]

Colonies - British North America, [1799-1840]

Lieutenant Governors - Nova Scotia, [1861-1866]

Lieutenant Governors - New Brunswick, [1861-1866]

Lieutenant Governors - Prince Edward Island, [1861-1866]

Lieutenant Governors - Newfoundland, [1861-1866]

Lower Canada - Internal entrybooks, [1787-1839]

Quebec - Internal entrybooks, [1787-1839]

Lieutenant Governors - British North America, [1787-1839]

Canada - Internal entrybooks, 1839-1867

Quebec - Despatches, [1787-1839]

Church and state - Quebec, [1787-1791]

Church and state - Lower Canada, [1787-1839]

Lower Canada - Public works, [1821-1841]

Canada - Emigration and immigration, [1841-1877]

Lower Canada - Emigration and immigration, [1821-1841]

Boundaries, Provincial - Canada, [1821-1877]

Indians of North America - Canada - Government relations, [1821-1877]

British North America - Politics and government, [1821-1877]

British North America - Despatches, , 1840-1842

Great Britain - Diplomatic and consular service, [1805-1806], [1818-1842]

Upper Canada - Entrybooks, 1805-1806, 1818-1841

Leave of absence - Upper Canada, [1793-1834]

Upper Canada - Accounts

Upper Canada - Treasury letterbooks, 1793-1834

Indians of North America - Canada - Stores, [1793-1834]

International Relations

Great Britain

Grande-Bretagne
Source:

Private

Former archival reference no.:

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RG7-G6,G7,G14,G15A,G15B,G16A,G16B,G17A,G17B
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Textual records

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