Correspondence between E.B. Borron and D. Laird

__NOTITLE__

Name of document:

Correspondence between E.B. Borron and D. Laird

Type of document:

Primary documentation, letters, National Archives of Canada

Summary of the data:

In these two letters, written by E.B. Borron, M.P. for Sault Ste. Marie to D. Laird, Minister of the Department of the Interior, Borron requests an increase in the annuity payments under the Robinson Treaties from $1.00 a head to $4.00 a head to the First Nations and Métis in the regions surrounding lakes Superior and Huron. According to the letters, the increase was necessary in order to fulfill the provisions of the Robinson-Superior Treaty, 1850. The provision Borron is referring to is the following:

The said William Benjamin Robinson, on behalf of Her Majesty and the Government of this Province, who desires to deal liberally and justly with all Her subjects, further promises and agrees that in case the territory hereby ceded by the parties of the second part shall at any future period produce an amount which will enable the Government of this Province without incurring loss to increase the annuity hereby secured to them, then, and in that case, the same shall be augmented from time to time, provided that the amount paid to each individual shall not exceed the sum of one pound provincial currency in anyone year, or such further sum as Her Majesty may be graciously pleased to order. ("Treaty No. 60")

In Borron's second letter he writes that the sale of timber lands in the Robinson Treaty territory as well as the money being derived from the sale of mineral and agricultural lands should result in an increase in the annuity payments to the "Indians and Half-breeds" in the area. The pay list for the Michipicoten First Nations notes that 68 'half-breeds' were included and paid the increased annuity of $4.00 in 1876.

Important dates mentioned in the document:

November 28, 1874: Date of first letter from E.B. Borron to D. Laird.
April 1, 1875: Date of second letter from E.B. Borron to D. Laird.

Important people discussed in the document:

E.B. Borron
D. Laird
William Benjamin Robinson

Specific location(s) mentioned in the document (if applicable):

Manitoulin Island, Ontario
Penetanguishene, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Michipicoten, Ontario

Non-specific location(s) mentioned in the document (if applicable):

Lake Huron, Ontario
Lake Superior, Ontario-Minnesota-Wisconsin-Michigan
Pigeon River, Minnesota–Ontario
Georgian Bay, Ontario
Garden River, Ontario

Specific event(s) identified in the document (if applicable):

Robinson-Superior Treaty, 1850 (September 7, 1850)

Relevant citations:

Gale, Alison. "Robinson Treaty Métis: Historical Report." Claims Research and Assessment Directorate Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. (1998). Print.

Library and Archives Canada, E.B. Borron, RG. 10, "Letter from E.B. Borron to D. Laird," volume 1963, 28 November 1874, file 5045-1, microfilm reel C-12777.

Library and Archives Canada, E.B. Borron, RG. 10, "Second Letter from E.B. Borron to D. Laird," volume 1963, 1 April 1875, file 5045-1, microfilm reel C-12777.

Library and Archives Canada, W.B. Robinson, RG. 10, "Treaty No. 60," volume 1963, 7 September 1850, file 5045-2, microfilm reel C-11122.

Library and Archives Canada, Unknown, Hudson's Bay Company, Michipicoten, RG. 10, "Michipicoten Pay List," volume 1999, 1876, file 7294, microfilm reel C-11131.

Was the information found online (yes/no)?:

No.

Document links and URLs (if applicable):

N/A

Date of access:

N/A

Webmaster if identified (for online documents only):

N/A

If you would like to contribute to this page or have more information please see How to Submit Changes and New Stories.