Series consists of correspondence between the Governor General and the Colonial Office. The series includes despatches from the Colonial Office, 1784-1909; despatches from the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, 1794-1867; despatches from the Colonial Secretary to the Governor General, 1868-1909; secret and confidential despatches to and from the Colonial Office, 1843-1909; letter books of despatches from the Colonial Office, 1793-1855; drafts of despatches to the Colonial Office, 1790-1913; drafts of enclosures to despatches from the Lieutenant Governor, Upper Canada, to the Colonial Office, 1838-1841, 1861-1869; correspondence and drafts of secret and confidential despatches to the Colonial Office, 1856-1913; letter books of despatches to the Colonial Office, 1799-1902; and telegraphic despatches from the Colonial Office, 1902-1923.
The official correspondence between the Governor and the Colonial Office was the means of communicating all manner of instructions on what was desired by the Crown and reporting on concerns and accomplishments of the colonial government. From its creation, this correspondence was organized chronologically within series of in-coming and out-going despatches, according to jurisdiction - for Quebec and Lower Canada, for Upper Canada, for the Province of Canada and, after 1867, for the Dominion of Canada - and to some extent by nature - as for the secret and confidential despatches. Entry books of despatches received are grouped together, as are the drafts and entry books or letter books of out-going despatches.
The text of any one despatch may be found in multiple locations: as received by the addressee; as recorded (in an entry book) 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 entry books and other record-keeping practices of the past facilitate searches between and within series.
RG7-G-1
RG7-G-2
RG7-G-3
RG7-G-5
RG7-G-9
RG7-G-10
RG7-G-12_
RG7-G-22_
RG7-G-9-A
