Mauritius: Chancellor's appointment, the Mauritius Royal Commission, and miscellaneous papers, 1905-1919

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Shelfmark: MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 284/2 (1)

Held at the Weston Library

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Folder 1: Miscellaneous papers about Mauritius, 1905-1919 (see also MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 284/3, folder 1, fols. 53-103):

(fols. 1-4) an account of Mauritius, date-stamped, by a soldier who had been stationed there eleven years before, 1 Jun 1905
(fols. 5-10) particulars of loans raised by the Colony and outstanding at 30 Jun 1911, n.d.
(fols. 11-17) address in French, unsigned but endorsed in Chancellor's hand 'Duclos', about the proposed return of Mauritius to France. J.A. Duclos was an Elected Member of the Council of Government, and a leader of the anti-retrocession movement, n.d. [1919?]
(item 1) confidential publication on Colonial Currency in the Eastern Colonies, issued by the Treasury: Part IV, Mauritius and Seychelles, Feb 1912
(item 2) an unbound collection or articles in French about Mauritius, illustrated with photographs, possibly proofs of a publication entitled 'Maurice pittoresque' (these words appear at the foot of certain pages). The first article describes the unveiling of the statue of King Edward VII on 24 Jun 1912 in the presence of Chancellor (see MSS. Brit. Emp. s. 284/3, folder 1, fols. 29-32) n.d.
(item 3) souvenir of the centenary of the Mauritius Turf Club, Sep 1912
(item 4) the Seal of Mauritius, applied to a sheet of paper bearing the crest of the Colony. The words 'Old Seal' appear below it in Chancellor's' hand. A second sheet carries two impressions of the Seal. Both sheets are enclosed in a Minutes Sheet, n.d.

Folder 2: Chancellor's appointment to Mauritius, 1908-1913:

(fols. 1-6) three circular letters from Lord Crewe, Secretary of State for the Colonies, giving particulars of the Governors' uniform, with illustrations, 18 Aug 1908-8 Oct 1910
(fols. 7-8) draft of a letter from Chancellor to Lionel Earle, Private Secretary to the Secretary of State, Lewis Harcourt, saying that he would be prepared to accept an offer of the Governorship of Mauritius if he could retain his position in the Royal Engineers, 20 May 1911
(fols. 9-12) draft of a letter from Chancellor to Harcourt about Chancellor's anxiety concerning the climate of Mauritius, and a reply from Earle dated 9 Jun 1911, n.d.
(fols. 13-14) note by Chancellor, headed '1911', about reactions to his appointment, and giving precedents for the appointment as Governors of retiring Secretaries of the Committee of Imperial Defence, n.d.
(fols. 15-16) letter from Harcourt to Chancellor telling him of his appointment, 21 Jun 1911
(fols. 17-20) letter from G.V. Fiddes, Colonial Office, referring to the Report of the Royal Commission on Mauritius and giving Harcourt's instructions on various points, and a draft of Chancellor's reply, 6 and 10 Jul 1911
(fol. 21) letter from A.E. Collins, Colonial Office, to Chancellor about Governor's uniform and the constitution of Mauritius, 13 Jul 1911
(fols. 22-39) Commission signed by George V, appointing Chancellor Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Mauritius and its Dependencies, with eight printed copies, 22 Jul 1911
(fols. 40-66) letter from Harcourt to Chancellor transmitting the above, together with copies of Letters Patent and Royal Instructions, 31 Jul 1911
(fols. 67-68) copy in Chancellor's hand of a message from the King, to be conveyed by him to the people of Mauritius, 8 Aug 1911
(fols. 69-70) telegram from George Smith, Colonial Secretary in Mauritius, to the Secretary of State, about proroguing the Council of Government, forwarded to Chancellor with a covering letter from Harcourt, 11 and 14 Sep 1911
(fols. 71-76) despatch from Chancellor to Harcourt referring to the latter's letter of 6 Jul (fols. 15-16) and giving an account of the procedure he proposed to adopt in carrying out his duties as Governor, and Harcourt's reply, 16 Mar and 4 May 1912
(fols. 77-98) copies of Letters Patent and Royal Instructions, 11 Sep 1913.

Folder 3: Papers concerning the Mauritius Royal Commission, 1909, 1910-1914:

(item 1) Report of the Commission, Part IV, Appendix D., pp. 127, Confidential Minutes of Evidence, heard before Sir Frank Swettenham, KCMG (Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George), Chairman, Sir Edward Loughlin O'Malley and H.B. Drysdale Woodcock, with A.J. Harding as Secretary, Jun 1910
(items 2 and 3) copies of memoranda by A.J. Harding, which he wrote for the Commission, with a covering note by him to Chancellor, fastened in two collections. The first deals with the educational system of Mauritius, the second with the history, finance, taxation, military contribution, and ecclesiastical establishments, n.d.
(items 4-10) despatches relative to the recommendations of the Commission, between Governors Sir Cavendish Boyle and Chancellor and Secretaries of State Crewe and Harcourt. Subjects covered include agricultural banks, education, immigration, irrigation, labour and Poor Law Relief, 21 Nov 1910-14 Mar 1912
(item 11) correspondence about the recommendations of the Commission on the revenue and taxation of the Colony, between Harcourt and Chancellor, 14 Jun 1912-14 Aug 1914
(item 12) report by Samuel Wilberforce on the prospects of co-operative credit banks among Indian small planters in Mauritius, 2 Jul 1913
(item 13) copy of Despatch No. 96 from Chancellor to Harcourt, pp. 21, recording measures taken to give effect to the recommendations contained in the Report of the Commission; an enclosure shows a comparative statement of personal emoluments for the years 1908-1909 and 1913-1914. Attached is a letter of appreciation of this record from Harcourt, and a covering note from H.J. Read, dated 14 and 21 Apr 1914, 20 Feb 1914.