Colonial Office 327 consists of emigration correspondence registers for British North America. This class derives from the four general and emigration "subject" registers created by the Colonial Office in 1849-1850. They were: CO 327, British North America, Emigration Registers; CO 328, British North America, General Registers; CO 375, West Indies, Register of Correspondence (not copied by the Archives); and CO 428, Emigration, Register of Correspondence. It was at this time that the Colonial Office was developing its modern registry systems. Consequently the registers exhibit many anomalies and irregularities especially in the early years covered by the registers. This material is available on microfilm reel B-1627.
Colonial Office 327 was discontinued in 1863 when it was fused with CO 328 which was itself closed following Confederation. Despite the fact that most North American emigration correspondence was registered in CO 327, procedural changes in the Colonial Office resulted in the actual correspondence being filed with various classes including: CO 384, Emigration, Original Correspondence; CO 6, British North America, Original Correspondence; CO 42, Canada, Original Correspondence.
The following list provides the years, register class and class of correspondence to which the CO 327 registers pertain: PRO Index Room No. 12875, Years 1850-1855, CO 327 vol. 1, Class of Correspondence CO 384, vols. 88-95; PRO Index Room Number 12876, Year 1856, CO 327 vol. 2, Class of Correspondence CO 42 vol. 606 (correspondence integrated with Emigration, Canada); PRO Index Room Number 12876, Years 1857-1859, CO 327, vol. 2, Class of Correspondence CO 6, vol. 24; PRO Index Room Number 12876, Years 1859-1863, CO 327 vol. 2, Class of Correspondence CO 6, vols. 25-38 (Emigration "subject" becomes "Public Office" until 1863).
