Colonial Secretary Guide - Flipbook - Page 316
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF LETTER BOOKS
The letter books contain manuscript copies or summaries, with some printed or typescript copies, of all
letters and telegrams sent by the Colonial Secretary's office. Regular series of books exist from the arrival
of Governor Macquarie, with two earlier books of Lieutenant Governors Foveaux and Paterson.
Despatches sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies are listed with the records of the Governor.
Many of the letters books dated after the 1850's are not in the custody of the Archives Office of New South
Wales. They are believed to have been destroyed.
The earliest letter books form two series. Letters to persons around Sydney and overseas are together
(series 3), as are letters to the distant settlements, Newcastle, Norfolk Island and Van Diemen's Land
(series 4). In 1814 these divisions were recast and all letters sent to persons within the Colony including
its "dependencies" were together in one series (series 5) while letters to "foreign" parts, including England
and other colonies were in another (series 7).
Separate books were opened for letters to Port Macquarie (60) in June 1822, Melville Island (49) and
Moreton Bay (51) in August 1824, and Norfolk Island (56) in May 1825.
With the reorganization of the Colonial Secretary's inwards correspondence in 1826, there was a
corresponding reorganization of the out-letter books along similar lines to the "pigeon hole" system. The
letters were now copied into 26 books. A Report on the Establishment of the Colonial Secretary's Office
sent to London with despatch No. 110 dated 27 October 1827, has an appendix, dated 3 September 1827,
setting out the new system (Despatches from the Governor of N.S.W. - Enclosures etc., 1827-9 M.L. A1267-11
pp.451-66). Columns A and B are from that report, while column C shows the earliest extant date today,
and column D the present series number.
A
Title of Book
Persons addressed
C
Date commenced
D
Series number
5.1.1827
15
Boards &
Circulars
Boards
Circulars
Clerical
Archdeacon
Clergymen of the
Church of England
Church of Scotland
Catholic &c.
Church Corporation
6.10.1826
18
Commissariat
Deputy Commissary General
Commissary of Accounts
All others in Commissariat
6.10.1826
23
Customs &c.
Collector & Comptroller
Surveyor of Distilleries
Wharfingers and all others in the Customs
3.1.1827
31
Engineer
Civil Engineer
Mineral Surveyor, &c.
6.10.1826
63
Establishments
Mr Mackay
Mr McLeod
Mr Maxwell
Mr C. R. Moore
Mr Blackett
Mr Aird
Mr Murray
Government Printer
Factory Committee
Superintendent of Clocks
4.12.1826
38
