Despatches : 1784-1867.

The Despatches are divided into four sections as follows:

Despatches Received - Despatches and enclosures received by the Lieutenant Governor or the Chief Administrator of the Colony from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Governor General of Canada, the British Minister at Washington, Governors and Lieutenant Governors, and other officials, both public and private, 1784-1865. Portions of this duplicate despatches found in Colonial Office records (CO 189), Entry Books. Despatches from Secretary of State to Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick are copies; remainder of records are originals. List of contents is available at start of each volume.

Despatches Sent - Letter Book and contemporary copies of numbered despatches and enclosures sent from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick to the officials as named above, 1784-1853. Private and confidential correspondence has not been recorded. List of contents is included in each volume. Arrangement: despatches to secretary of state for colonies are usually found together at start of volumes, other correspondents come thereafter. Separate content list is available for each section. The originals of these despatches sent to Colonial Office are found in CO 188, New Brunswick, Original Correspondence.

Civil Government Letter Books - Letter book copies of numbered and private or confidential despatches sent by lieutenant governor of New Brunswick. These despatches differ from the volumes of Despatches Sent in that they include private, confidential and secret despatches not meant for disclosure to the Legislature, 1861-1867. List of contents of volume 62 found at start of volume; no index to volume 63 but documents are arranged in chronological order. Library and Archives Canada volumes 60 and 61 (1824-1826) were not filmed and included herein, but the content duplicates that of volume 48 in Despatches Sent.

Indexes -

Volume 64, Subject and nominal indexes to despatches received and sent between April 1848 and July 1867. Usually the despatch number, date, subject of the despatch, number of enclosures and page references are included.

Volume 65, Schedule or register of despatches received from or sent to secretary of state for the colonies, 1861-1865 rom governor-in-chief of the Canadas, the British minister at Washington, governor of Newfoundland, lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and military officer commanding British forces.

Volume 66, Schedule or register of despatches received and sent by lieutenant governor of New Brunswick noting despatch date, number, date received and brief description of contents.