30 CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF THE PROVINCES.

Vancouver’s

Island.

fit. Power was given to annex Vancouver's Island on receiving
 an address from the two Houses of the Legislature
of that Island.
Sir James Douglas was appointed Governor and by his
commission he was authorised to make laws, institutions and
ordinances for the peace, order and good government of British
Columbia, by proclamation issued under the public seal of
the colony. The first proclamation issued was one for indemnifying
 the Governor and other officers for all acts done
previous to the date of the proclamation, whilst by a subsequent
 proclamation the English Civil and Criminal law
as it existed on the date of the proclamation of the 21 & 22
Vie. ¢. 99, i.e. 19 Nov. 1858, was declared to be in force in
the colony’. The Governor continued to legislate by proclamation
 until 1864, when his proclamations gave way to
Ordinances passed by the Governor with the advice and
consent of the Legislative Council. The Legislative Council
consisted of five officials, five magistrates, and five other
members selected from the inhabitants.
Up to this time the Governor of British Columbia was
also Governor of the neighbouring island of Vancouver.
Vancouver's Island is historically an older colony than
British Columbia. Though discovered in 1592 it remained
practically unknown to Europeans for two centuries, and it
was not until 1849, when the island was granted to the
Hudson's Bay Company, that a Governor was appointed.
The first Governor called a legislative Council of nine
members, and his successor constituted an Assembly of seven
members under the direction of the Secretary of the Colonies.
 Freeholders of twenty acres, being British subjects,
were qualified to vote, and members of the legislature were
required to possess real property of the value of £300.
1 But the effect of this proclamation was modified by the Ordinance of
the 6th March, 1867, which enacted that the English law as ib existed on
the 19 Nov. 1858 should apply “so far as the same are not from local
~ireumstances inapplicable.”