Chartres Brew. 63

from two gentlemen of my acquaintance who are Magistrates for the
County and City of Cork.
I have the honor to be,
Sin
Your Excellency’s obedient Servant,
(Signed) C. Brew,
Chief Inspector of Police, British Columbsa.

To His Excellency Governor Douglas.

Victoria, V.I.,
29th December, 1858.

S1r,—With reference to Your Excellency’s communication regard-
ing the expediency of obtaining from Ireland a body of the Irish Con-
stabulary fully armed and equipped to form the nucleus of an armed
and disciplined Police Force for service in the Colony of British
Columbia, I have the honor to state that I feel it my duty to
request Your Excellency to urge that that course be adopted by the
Government.®

The Police Force in British Columbia must be an armed corps,
otherwise they would be powerless in a country occupied by armed
Indians and by an unruly mining population who may be said to be
armed to the teeth.

Arms and accoutrements will have to be procured from England,
and it certainly would much hasten the organization of the Force if a
small body of men were at the same time sent out who were disciplined
and accustomed to the use of arms and were prepared to enter at once
on their duties upon their arrival in the Colony.

Until a large immigration take place it will be extremely difficult
to find men in British Columbia fit for the police. The class of men
who now offer themselves for enrolment are with few exceptions
persons not to be trusted as peace officers. They are chiefly miners
who would never become obedient subordinates or submit themselves
to the strict discipline which must always be maintained in an armed
corps. These men, besides, merely want employment for the winter
months and are determined to return to their mining pursuits on the
opening of the spring, so that just when they knew something of their
duties and their services were most needed they would abandon the
Force.

(6) Douglas asked at first for sixty men of the Irish Constabulary Force; but after the

‘“ Ned McGowan War ”’ he requested that one hundred and fifty men of that force be sent. Lytton,
however, did not do so,
6