Album was compiled by Arthur Nonus Birch (1837-1915?), Colonial Secretary of British Columbia from 1864-1867. The album represents an album as a souvenir, popular at this time. Charles Gentile, photographer, accompanied Lieutenant-Govenor Seymour and Birch on a trip to the interior to Cariboo from New Westminster in 1865. Views include: New Westminster, Hope, Yale, Kamloops, B.C.; route to the Cariboo Rd.; route to Big Bend on the Thompson River; British Columbian Indians; Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Ont.; Chaudiere Falls, Ottawa, Ont; California, USA; Ceylon. Subjects include: Lieutenant-Govenor F. Seymour and staff; crews of H.M.S. Sutlej and H.M.S. Sparrowhawk. Photographs by Frederick Dally and Charles Gentile. There are also 14 views of Ceylon, which relate to Birch's later career as Colonial Secretary of Ceylon from 1873 to 1876. He also served as Lieutenant-Governor of Penang in 1871-2.
Birch, Arthur N. (Arthur Nonus), 1837-1914 : Sir Arthur N. Birch (1837-1914), administrator, was born in England in 1837; entered the Colonial Office in 1855, and he was successively private secretary to Sir E.B. Lytton, the Duke of Newcastle, and Chichester Fortescue; in 1864, he was appointed colonial secretary of British Columbia, and in 1866 he was sent out to the colony as acting governor; his term of office lasted from August, 1865, to November, 1866; he then returned to the Colonial Office, and became successively lieutenant-governor of Penang (1871-1872), colonial secretary of Ceylon (1873-1876), and lieutenant-governor of Ceylon (1876-1878); in 1886 he was created a K.C.M.G., and he died in London on October 31, 1914.
