Letterbooks : 1749-1824. | The Loyalist Collection

Call Number:

HIL-MICL FC LPR .N6L5L4

Category:

Nova Scotia

Creator:

Nova Scotia. Lieutenant Governor.

Material Description:

10 microfilm textual records (21 volumes) ; 35 mm

Background:

The Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor's records, which are on microfilm in The Loyalist Collection, cover a period of time when the administrative functions for the British colonies were placed under the jurisdiction of several different government boards and departments. In 1768 the separate office of Secretary of State was established. In 1782 Colonial affairs were placed in the Home Secretary's Department, and in 1784 jurisdiction was transferred to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. A separate Secretary of State for the Colonies was appointed in 1854. These records focus on the colonial government and colonial administration of Nova Scotia.

Contents:

The Collection contains, chiefly, despatches from the Governors, Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of Nova Scotia to the Secretary of State in Britain and other officials. Many of the documents are transcripts, but the majority are originals. Volume 35 includes transcribed letters from Governor Edward Cornwallis which discuss such topics as Acadians and natives or indigenous peoples. Volumes 49 to 57 contain the despatches and letters of Sir John Wentworth and include one volume from June 1767 to October 1770 when he was Governor of New Hampshire. Other correspondents include: Governor Francis Legge, Lieutenant Governors Marriot Arbuthnot, Richard Hughes, Sir Andrew Snape Hammond, John Parr, Sir George Prevost, Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, and Lord Dalhousie.

Organisation

Volume 35. 1749 June 22-1753 Oct. 22, Letter book of the governors to the Board of Trade and Plantations; transcripts

Volume 36. 1753 Oct. 20-1760 Sept. 1, Letter book of the governors to the Board of Trade and Plantations; transcripts

Volume 37. 1760 Oct. 26-1781 Nov. 25, Letter book of the governors to the Board of Trade and Plantations; transcripts

Volume 38. Calendar 1715-1794

Volume 38A. 1752 - 1753 Oct. Letter book of Governor Peregrine Thomas Hopson to Baord of Trade and Plantations; originals

Volume 39. 1763-1764, Letter book of the governors to the Board of Trade and Plantations; originals

Volume 40. 1749 June 22-1764 Dec. 18, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; transcripts

Volume 41. 1763 Oct. 7-1764 Nov. 9, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; transcripts

Volume 42. 1765 May 2-1767 Sept. 17, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; originals

Volume 43. 1767 Feb. 27-1771 Oct. 18, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; transcripts

Volume 45. 1776 Jan. 1-1782 Dec. 7, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; transcripts

Volume 46. 1778 August 17-1779 Nov. 19, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; originals

Volume 47. 1783 Oct. 26-1789 July 25, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; originals

Volume 48. 1789 July 25-1794 Dec. 21, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; transcripts

Volume 49. 1783 Oct. 21-1808 Sept. 8, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state

Volume 50. 1792 May 13-1793 Nov. 17, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state

Volume 51. 1793 Nov. 30-1796 Dec. 21, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state

Volume 52. 1796 Dec. 21-1800 Jan. 15, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state

Volume 53. 1800 Jan. 17-1805 Jan. 25, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state

Volume 54. 1805 March 28-1808 Sept. 8, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; see volumes 111-113 for continuation

Volume 55. 1767 June 17-1770 Oct. 18 (with partial index) Dispatches and letters from Sir John Wentworth to various officials; originals

Volume 56. 1772 Feb. 7-1774 Oct. 25, Dispatches and letters from Sir John Wentworth to various officials; originals

Volume 57. 1774 Nov. 2-1778 May 15, Dispatches and letters from Sir John Wentworth to various officials; originals

Volume 58. 1808 Jan. 2-1810 Nov. 15, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; transcripts

Volume 59. 1811 Jan. 19-1813 July 13, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; transcripts

Volume 110. 1866 Jan.-1867 July, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; originals with a few printed documents

Volume 111. 1808 June-1816 June, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; original office copies

Volume 112. 1816 Dec.-1820 April, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; original office copies

Volume 113. 1820 June-1824 April, Dispatches from governors to secretary of state; original office copies

Volume 137. 1784 October-1791 February, Dispatches and letters from governors and secretary of Nova Scotia and other provinces in North America; originals; with surname index at end

Originals:

The original records are held by the Nova Scotia Archives.

Archival Ref. No.:

NSA (formerly PANS) RG 1, volumes 35-43, 45-59, 110-113, 137

Finding Aids:

A calendar and summary of material - "Catalogue of Despatches from the Governors of Nova Scotia to the Board of Trade and Plantations and Secretaries of State" - ranging from volumes 18 to 48 (years 1715-16 to 1794), inclusive, is available in volume 38 (on reels 2 and 3). These document listings contain the main subject matter, not details. These appear to have been filmed out of order by volume.
Document listing for Vol. 45, Jan 1776 to 7 Dec 1782 has been scanned from the film, titled "Dispatches from Governors of Nova Scotia to the Secretary of State, and organised chronologically and is available.
The Inventory of Manuscripts in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia, Halifax: PANS, 1976, provides an inventory of this material (HIL-GOV L33FP73 In62m and MIC-GDL CD3645 .N6 P82).
Related finding aid: "Report on Canadian Archives" for 1894 contains a calendar of Nova Scotia State Papers (CO 217) for correspondence from the administration in Nova Scotia to the Secretaries of State and Board of Trade, for dates 1603 to 1801(HIL-GOV fn45 R426 1894).
A microfilm shelf list providing microfilm reel numbers for the volumes is available.

PDF Finding Aid:

NS Lieutenant Governor Letterbooks Shelf List.pdf Catalogue of Despatches. Vol. 45. 1776-Dec. 1782.pdf Contents_Letterbooks_NS-Lt-Governor.pdf

Notes:

Volume 44 is not available in the Loyalist Collection. However, the Table of Contents for that volume has been copied from volume 38 and is available in print. See also RG 2, vols. 35-43, 45-59, 110-113, and 137.