Despatches from the Colonial Office : 1784-1842.

            A series of despatches from the Secretaries of State for the Colonies to the Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of Quebec, Lower Canada and Upper Canada.  In 1841 when Upper and Lower Canada were united to form the Province of Canada, the records which had accumulated until that time were transferred to the Office of the Governor of the United Province. At the time of Confederation in 1867, these records were retained in the Governor General's Office.
            

            The series contains numbered despatches on all subjects of concern to both the British Government and to Officials in the colonies.  In addition, there are circular despatches, military despatches, as well as secret and confidential despatches.  Enclosures have not in all cases been preserved with the despatches.  The documents are arranged chronologically.

            

            The Registers and Indexes are available on two reels of microfilm. Calendars for the period 1784-1841 were published in the Reports of the Public Archives of Canada between 1930 and 1938.

A detailed inventory and microfilm shelf list are available in print and as a PDF in the electronic finding aids section.            

The complete series of Despatches date from 1784 to 1867 and include the United Province of Canada. Only the Despatches for 1784 to 1842 are included in the Loyalist Collection.