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Admiralty memoranda regarding letter
from Pitcairn Island to Her Majesty
(December 1881 to February 1882)

13 December 1881


Pitcairn Island

      Letter received by Commander in Chief, Pacific Station, enclosing an acknowledgment from the inhabitants of Pitcairn Island, addressed to Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria.


MEMORANDA AND MINUTE

"Triumph", at Coquimbo

Forwarded: –


                J[sic] H Stirling
                Rear Admiral and
            Commander in Chief


The Secretary
        of he Admiralty


Submitted to forward this letter
to the Sec of State for the Colonies

E. MacGregor
27 Jan             

Is Pitcairn Island a colony?
        [—] Jan 30

No it is not, although the natives own allegiance to the Crown. The Colonial Office was suggested because that department corresponded in 1879 about a question of Magistrates, papers attached. On further consideration I doubt whether the Secretary of State will consider it within his province to forward the letter; perhaps the First Lord may see fit to forward the document to Her Majesty —

E. MacGregor 31 Jan           

I [concur on the] last proposal
[——] Feb 1

[Through whom were
the Queen's presents sent?]
      N. 3/2

Private Office –
Have you any trace?
By the enclosed papers this organ appears to have been shipped in "Opal" in May 1879 at San Francisco, but there is no correspondence shewing how it got there

E MacGregor 5 Feb     

I can find no trace in Private Office index of any correspondence on this subject.

HR Yorke           
6 Feb. 82           

I have sent this
letter to the Queen
N
11/2

On reference to Capt: of "Opal" it was
discovered that the organ was bought at
San Francisco             Hubert Dormer             24 Feb 1882

D. of Victualling
D. of Stores

      Have you any trace of having sent out an Organ or Harmonium in 1878 or 1879 to the Pacific for Pitcairn Islanders.

      It was a present from Her Majesty to the Islanders.

      There is no trace of its having been sent thro' the Transport Department or in one of HM Ships.

            Hubert Dormer

No trace in V: Department.     
[———]   
No trace as regards as Harmonium. The "Opal" took
stores out for the Pitcairn Islanders in 1879 (vide M. 2000)
& perhaps the Harmonium was shipped with them.
[———]                             
for Dir. of Stores                 

10th February
1882

Dear Sir,

      Careful search has been made, but no record can be found in our papers of any communication between Her Majesty and

the Colonial Office with reference to the organ sent to the inhabitants of Pitcairn's Island.

            Yours sincerely
            Robert [Bickersteth]

Notes.

      Pagination of the original autograph has been maintained.

      Robert Bickersteth (1847 – 1916) was an English administrator and Liberal politician. From 1880 to 1885, he was private secretary to Lord Kimberly who was Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1880 to 1882, and Secretary of State for India from 1882 to 1885. [Wikipedia]

      Hubert Francis Dormer ((1837-1913)) was a clerk in the Admiralty.

      Sir Evan MacGregor, GCB, ISO (1842 – 1926) was a British civil servant. He served as Permanent Secretary to the Admiralty from 1884 to 1907. [Wikipedia]

      Vice Admiral Frederick Henry Stirling (1829 – 1885) was a Royal Navy officer who was Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station (1879 - 1881). [n.b. source of this transcription refers to hims as J.H. Stirling] p>      Sir Henry Francis Redhead Yorke (1842 - 1914), a civilian, served as Director of Victualling for the Royal Navy and was Assistant private secretary to First Lords of the Admiralty.

Source.
Document no. 86. December 1881 to February 1882. "Admiralty memoranda regarding letter from Pitcairn Island to Her Majesty". Pages 1470 to 1479.

This transription was made from a documents in a collection of documents at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Library.

Last updated by Tom Tyler, Denver, CO, USA, Aug 20 2022.

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