The series consists of photocopies of Henry William Birch's commonplace notebook, two diaries kept by Arthur Nonus Birch pertaining to a trip to North America and his service as colonial secretary of British Columbia, correspondence with various members of the Birch family, reminiscences of life in the colonial service by Arthur Nonus Birch, and photographs. The series also includes some Birch family papers on microfilm.

British Columbia: Entry Books of Correspondence, 1 July 1858 - 11 August 1871 (C.O. 398, Vols. 1 - 7). Unit consists of letter-book copies of despatches to the governors of British Columbia from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, along with copies of letters from the Colonial Secretary to other departments of the British Government and to individuals, on matters relating to British Columbia. Indexes to correspondence appear at the end of each volume. A series of duplicate original despatches (hardcopy) is catalogued as C/AB/10.2/1. This series of duplicate original despatches often includes copies of enclosures, which are absent from letter-books which comprise this unit.

Vancouver Island: Entry Books of Correspondence, 1849-1867, (C.O. 410, vols. 1-2). This unit consists of letter-book copies of despatches from the Secretary of State for the Colonies (i.e. the Colonial .Secretary) to the governors of Vancouver Island. Subject indexes appear at the end of the volumes. Original duplicate copies of these records are catalogued as C/AA/10.2/1. Other copies, but of inferior quality, may be found on microfilm reel B00004 (1).

The item is a microfiche copy of a thesis by Patricia Elizabeth Vaughan titled "Co-operation and resistance: Indian-European relations on the mining frontier in British Columbia, 1835-1858." v, 75 pp. Thesis (M.A.), University of British Columbia, 1978. Vita. Bibliography: pages 65-75.

Henry Pering Pellew Crease (1823-1905) was born at Ince Castle, near Plymouth, England, educated at Cambridge, and called to the bar in 1849. He traveled to Upper Canada with his family and explored the Great Lakes area for mining potential before returning to England in 1851 or 2. He then worked briefly as a conveyancing barrister before becoming manager of the Great Wheal Vor United Mines in Cornwall. Following business difficulties, he emigrated to British Columbia in 1858, practicing law in Victoria and becoming a member of the Vancouver Island Legislative Assembly in 1860. In 1861 he was appointed Attorney General of the mainland colony and moved to New Westminster; he was appointed Attorney General of the united colonies in 1866 and returned to Victoria in 1868 when it became the capital of the colony of British Columbia. In 1870, he was made a supreme court judge. Crease was knighted in 1896. British Columbia. His family joined Crease in Victoria in 1860 and four more children, one of whom died in infancy, were born in British Columbia. Crease was interested in business and politics as well as the law. Both as a barrister and a supreme court judge he traveled throughout British Columbia on circuit. His wife accompanied him on some of these journeys. The Creases were prominent socially, and their house, Pentrelew, was a centre for Victoria society. Five of the Crease children lived into the 20th century, and three, Lindley (1867-1940), Susan (1855-1947) and Josephine (1864-1947), never married and lived at Pentrelew until their deaths. Susan was involved with the local Council of Women and Josephine with the Island Arts and Crafts Society. Both painted in watercolours, as did their mother. The two Crease sons, Lindley and Arthur, were sent to school in England and then practiced law in Victoria. Arthur served in France in the Canadian Army in the First World War.

The collection includes diaries, 1834-1900, correspondence inward, 1830-1904, and outward, 1830-1903, miscellaneous records and notebooks, including the minute books of the Colonial Securities Co., 1866-1868, of Sir Henry Crease; diaries, 1872-1913, correspondence inward, 1851-1922, and outward, and miscellaneous notebooks and records of Lady Crease; diaries, 1877-1937, correspondence inward, 1877-1940, and outward, 1893, and miscellaneous records of Lindley Crease; diaries, 1890-1960, account books, 1909-1954 and miscellaneous records of Arthur Crease; diaries, 1865-1943, correspondence inward, 1862-1891, 1902, and 1937, and miscellaneous records of Susan Crease; diaries, 1878-1942, correspondence inward, 1883-1890 and miscellaneous records of Josephine Crease; some correspondence inward of the other two Crease daughters, Mary Maberly (Walker) Crease and Barbara Crease; diaries, 1853, 1870, and 1898, and correspondence inward, 1847-1899, of Emily Howard Crease, Sir Henry Crease's sister, who taught school in British Columbia, and correspondence between members of the Crease and Lindley families in England and the Crease family in Victoria.

MS-2879 is an extensive collection of family papers which, in addition to the information it provides on the lives, activities and opinions of individual writers of letters and diaries, is a rich source of information on such topics as family life, childhood and the lives of women, and a major source on the economic, political, legal and social history of post-1858 l9th century British Columbia. The correspondence inward series to Sir Henry Crease includes letters from important figures in colonial and post colonial British Columbia. The collection contains some records relating to Sir Henry Crease's legal and business interests. It includes transcripts of Crease's private letter book, 1870-1873, Sarah Crease's diary of her trip to Cariboo, 1880, and her letters to her husband, 1849-1859. MS-2879 may be used in conjunction with MS-0054, MS-0055, MS-0056, and MS-0573.

Private and official correspondence, memoranda, and newspaper clippings of various members of the Crease family. Related records: MS-0054, MS-0056, MS-0573 and MS-2879. See MS-2879 for a detailed biography of Henry Pering Pellew Crease and his family.

Maps transferred to map collection as CM/Z14 and catalogued at the item level.

CALL NUMBER: T4320:0001 - 0005 SUMMARY: Sound program about early Fort Langley that accompanied a Social Studies educational kit for grades 4-5. English version.

CALL NUMBER: T4320:0006 - 0010 SUMMARY: Sound program about early Fort Langley that accompanied a Social Studies educational kit for grades 4-5. French version.;

Series consists of a diary, 1868; correspondence, 1898-1910, with R. Gosnell, E.O.S. Scholefield and R. Mohun; oaths of office; printed vita to accompany application to be appointed Governor of British Columbia, 1869; notes and drafts on history of British Columbia, history of Alaska boundary dispute; memos on Kootenay district and immigration; miscellaneous notes and clippings.

Entry Books, series 2, British Columbia: Commissions, Instructions to Governors, Petitions, Grants, Orders-in-Council, Warrants, Letters, etc. 2 Sept 1858 - 14 Feb 1871. (C.O. 381/18). Index on p. 494.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1975-04-17 SUMMARY: [No content summary available.];

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1971-01-28 SUMMARY: [No content summary available.];

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1975-02-27 SUMMARY: [No content summary available.];

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1975-11-27 SUMMARY: [No content summary available.];