Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory - Enactment No. 3

WHEREAS the said Governor and Company were established and incorporated by their said name of "The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England, trading into Hudson's Bay," by Letters Patent granted by His late Majesty King Charles the Second in the twenty-second year of his reign, whereby His said Majesty granted unto the said company and their successors the sole trade and commerce of all those seas, straits, bays, rivers, lakes, creeks and sounds in whatsoever latitude they should be, that lay within the entrance of the straits commonly called Hudson's Straits, together with all the lands and territories upon the countries, coasts, and confines of the seas, bays, lakes, rivers, creeks, and sounds aforesaid, that were not already actually possessed by, or granted to, any of His Majesty's subjects, or possessed by the subjects of any other Christian Prince or State, and that the said land should be from thenceforth reckoned and reputed as one of His Majesty's Plantations or Colonies in America, called Rupert's Land;

and whereby His said Majesty made and constituted the said Governor and Company and their successors the absolute lords and proprietors of the same territory, limits and places aforesaid, and of all other the premises saving the faith, allegiance and sovereign dominion due to His said Majesty, his heirs and successors for the same; and granted to the said Governor and Company and their successors, such rights of Government and other rights, privileges and liberties, franchises, powers and authorities in Rupert's Land as therein expressed.

And whereas ever since the date of the said Letters Patent, the said Governor and Company have exercised and enjoyed the sole right thereby granted of such trade and commerce as therein mentioned, and have exercised and enjoyed other rights, privileges, liberties, franchises, powers, and authorities thereby granted; and the said Governor and Company may have exercised or assumed rights of Government in other parts of British North America not forming part of Rupert's Land, or of Canada, or of British Columbia.

And whereas by "The British North America Act, 1867," it is (amongst other things) enacted that it shall be lawful for Her present Majesty Queen Victoria, by and with the advice and consent of Her Majesty's most Honorable Privy Council, on address from the Houses of Parliament of Canada, to admit Rupert's Land and the North Western Territory or either of them into the Union of the Dominion of Canada on such terms and conditions as are in the Address expressed, and as Her Majesty thinks fit to approve, subject to the provisions of the said Act.

And whereas, by the "Rupert's Land Act, 1868," it is enacted (amongst other things) that for the purposes of that Act the term "Rupert's Land" shall include the whole of the lands and territories held or claimed to be held by the said Governor and Company, and that it shall be competent for the said Governor and Company to surrender to Her Majesty, and for Her Majesty, by any instrument under Her Sign Manual and Signet to accept a surrender of all or any of the lands, territories, rights, privileges, liberties, franchises, powers and authorities whatsoever, granted or purported to be granted by the said Letters Patent to the said Governor and Company within Rupert's Land, upon such terms and conditions as shall be agreed upon by and between Her Majesty and the said Governor and Company; provided, however, that such surrender shall not be accepted by Her Majesty until the terms and conditions upon which Rupert's Land shall be admitted into the said Dominion of Canada shall have been approved of by Her Majesty, and embodied in an Address to Her Majesty from the Houses of the Parliament of Canada, in pursuance of the 146th Section of "The British North America Act, 1867," all rights of Government and proprietary rights, and all other privileges, liberties, franchises, powers and authorities whatsoever, granted or purported to be granted by the said Letters Patent to the said Governor and Company within Rupert's Land, and which shall have been so surrendered, shall be absolutely extinguished, provided that nothing in the said Act contained shall prevent the said Governor and Company from continuing to carry on in Rupert's Land or elsewhere trade and commerce.

And whereas Her said Majesty Queen Victoria and the said Governor and Company have agreed to terms and conditions upon which the said Governor and Company shall surrender to Her said Majesty, pursuant to the provisions in that behalf in the "Rupert's Land Act, 1868" contained, all the rights of Government and other rights, privileges, liberties, franchises, powers and authorities, and all the lands and territories (except and subject as in the said terms and conditions expressed or mentioned) granted or purported to be granted by the said Letters Patent, and also all similar rights which have been exercised or assumed by the said Governor and Company in any parts of British North America not forming part of Rupert's Land, or of Canada, or of British Columbia, in order and to the intent that, after such surrender has been effected and accepted under the provisions of the last-mentioned Act, the said Rupert's Land may be admitted into the Union of the Dominion of Canada, pursuant to the hereinbefore mentioned Acts or one of them.

And whereas the said terms and conditions on which it has been agreed that the said surrender is to be made by the said Governor and Company (who are in the following articles designated as the Company) to Her said Majesty are as follows (that is to say): --

1. The Canadian Government shall pay to the Company the sum of 300,000l. sterling when Rupert's Land is transferred to the Dominion of Canada.
2. The Company to retain all the posts or stations now actually possessed and occupied by them or their officers or agents whether in Rupert's Land or any other part of British North America, and may within twelve months after the acceptance of the said surrender select a block of land adjoining each of their posts or stations, within any part of British North America, not comprised in Canada and British Columbia in conformity, except as regards the Red River Territory, with a list made out by the Company and communicated to the Canadian Ministers, being the list in the annexed schedule. The actual survey is to be proceeded with, with all convenient speed.
3. The size of each block is not to exceed in the Red River Territory an amount to be agreed upon between the Company and the Governor of Canada in Council.
4. So far as the configuration of the country admits, the blocks shall front the river or road by which means of access are provided, and shall be approximately in the shape of parallelograms, and of which the frontage shall not be more than half the depth.
5. The company may, at any time within fifty years after such acceptance of the said surrender, claim in any township or district within the fertile belt in which land is set out for settlements, grants of land not exceeding one-twentieth part of the land so set out; the blocks so granted to be determined by lot, and the Company to pay a rateable share of the survey expenses, not exceeding 8 cents Canadian an acre. The Company may defer the exercise of their right of claiming their proportion of each township or district for not more than ten years after it is set out, but their claim must be limited to an allotment from the lands remaining unsold at the time they declare their intention to make it.
6. For the purpose of the last article the fertile belt is to be bounded as follows: C On the south by the United States' boundary; on the west by the Rocky Mountains; on the north by the Northern Branch of the Saskatchewan River; on the east by Lake Winnipeg, the Lake of the Woods and the waters connecting them.
7. If any township shall be formed abutting on the north bank of the northern branch of the Saskatchewan River, the Company may take their one-twentieth of any such township, which, for the purpose of this article, shall not extend more than five miles inland from the river, giving to the Canadian Dominion an equal quantity of the portion of land coming to them of townships established on the southern bank of the said river.
8. In laying out any public roads, canals or other public works, through any block of land reserved to the Company, the Canadian Government may take without compensation such land as is necessary for the purpose, not exceeding one-twenty-fifth of the total acreage of the block; but if the Canadian Government require any land which is actually under cultivation, which has been built upon, or which is necessary for giving the Company's servants access to any river or lake, or as a frontage to any river or lake, the said Government shall pay to the Company the fair value of the same, and shall make compensation for any injury done to the Company or their servants.
9. It is understood that the whole of the land to be appropriated within the meaning of the last preceding clause, shall be appropriated for public purposes.
10. All titles to land up to the eighth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, conferred by the Company, are to be confirmed.
11. The Company is to be at liberty to carry on its trade without hindrance in its corporate capacity; and no exceptional tax is to be placed on the Company's land, trade or servants, nor any import duty on goods introduced by the said Company previously to such acceptance of the said surrender.
12. Canada is to take over the materials of the electric telegraph at cost price; such price including transport, but not including interest for money, and subject to a deduction for ascertained deterioration.
13. The Company's claim to land under an agreement of Messrs. Vankoughnet and Hopkins is to be withdrawn.
14. Any claims of Indians to compensation for lands required for purposes of settlement shall be disposed of by the Canadian Government in communication with the Imperial Government; and the Company shall be relieved of all responsibility in respect of them,

AND WHEREAS the surrender hereinafter contained is intended to be made in pursuance of the agreement, and upon the terms and conditions hereinbefore stated.

NOW know ye, and these presents witness, that, in pursuance of the powers and provisions of the "Rupert's Land Act, 1868," and on the terms and conditions aforesaid, and also on condition of this surrender being accepted pursuant to the provisions of that Act, the said Governor and Company do hereby surrender to the Queen's Most Gracious Majesty, all the rights of Government, and other rights, privileges, liberties, franchises, powers and authorities, granted or purported to be granted to the said Governor and Company by the said recited Letters Patent of His late Majesty King Charles the Second; and also all similar rights which may have been exercised or assumed by the said Governor and Company in any parts of British North America, not forming part of Rupert's Land or of Canada, or of British Columbia, and all the lands and territories within Rupert's Land (except and subject as in the said terms and conditions mentioned) granted or purported to be granted to the said Governor and Company by the said Letters Patent.