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The series consists of certified lists of grand and petit jurors for the judicial district of Vancouver, created in 1900 and sent to the office of the Provincial Secretary. The lists contain the names, addressed and occupations of the jurors as well as their number on the jurors roll.

This series includes notes, reports, and correspondence concerning appeals to Cabinet pursuant to the Civil Service Act and to the Private Detectives' Licensing Act.

This series contains general correspondence between the Deputy Minister and Agents-General for British Columbia in London. The series includes a confidential report from the Fire Marshall on a fire that occurred at Government House in 1957. There is also general correspondence with the B.C. Commissioner for Trade and Tourism, San Francisco (1962-1974) and general inquiries to the Hon. the Premier (1953-1969). Letters includes notes and petitions from Vancouver City Archivist (Major Matthews) to HM the Queen, praying that the Westminster Regiment be allowed to bear the suffix "Royal." There are also three photographs of BC House in London, England, taken in 1951.

This series contains correspondence, reports, and miscellaneous documents regarding financial grants to the City of Victoria Centennial Celebrations (1962), British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame (1968-1973), and the Vancouver Indian Centre Society (1963-1969).

This series contains correspondence, memoranda, and newspaper cuttings pertaining to the appointment and tenure of Lieutenant Governor the Honourable George R. Pearkes, V.C. Includes beribboned oath of allegiance and oaths of office, 13 October 1960.

This series contains certified copies of the Grand and Petit Jury Lists for Nanaimo district, 1900.

This series contains letters inward to the Department of the Provincial Secretary, 1892-1917. During the period covered by GR-1330 (1892-1917) the Provincial Secretary was variously responsible for the departments of Mines, Education and Immigration. Within these departments he was responsible for the Legislative Library and Archives, the Queen's Printer, the Bureau of Statistics, the Civil Service Commission, and various agencies concerned with health and social welfare. The multiplicity of his duties accounts for the range and diversity of the records in GR-1330.

Among the records are correspondence to, and from, the Lieutenant-Governor and the Executive Council, correspondence from Dominion officials concerning colonization and settlement, applications from organizations wishing to register under the Benevolent Societies Act, memoranda of association from businesses seeking to be incorporated under the provincial Companies Act, petitions from community groups requesting schools and improved municipal services, plus letters from private persons applying for appointments in the civil service. Also included are records arising from the administration of the provincial elections, hospitals, and asylums.

This series contains 1 page of prison returns for June 1875.

This series contains the Provincial Secretary's register of letters inward. The register appears to be a clerk's interim or 'working' copy.

This series contains a mailing list for provincial government publications.

This series contains commemorative certificates, cartoons and momentos presented to Deputy Provincial Secretary L.J. Wallace by various organizations and community groups to mark centennial celebrations of 1966, 1967, and 1971.

This series contains Hospital Programmes Administration files covering the period 1911-1946. Records include correspondence and reports relating to the operations of community hospitals throughout the province. Includes correspondence pertaining to resident physicians, local hospital boards, and the administration of the Hospital Act.

This series contains records of the Deputy Provincial Secretary relating to the operations of the Ministry's branches. Many of these records deal with heritage conservation, museums, and cultural organizations. Records also deal with the administration of Royal Canadian Humane Association awards for bravery and life-saving.

GR-1661 is a pot-pourri of records accumulated by the office of the Deputy Provincial Secretary and by his various Assistant Deputy Ministers.The diversity of this collection is testimony to the multi- faceted operations and responsibilities of the Provincial Secretary's department.

A substantial number of the files deal with Heritage Conservation policies and heritage sites, such as Craigflower Schoolhouse, Barkerville, and Fort Steele.Many of the files also deal with cultural organizations and activities, with provincial fitness and recreation programmes, and with special interest groups.Other files in this unit pertain to the Royal Canadian Humane Association awards for bravery (which were coordinated by the ministry), to specific legislation re:the provincial flag, the provincial tartan, etc., and to the organization of out-of-town cabinet meetings.

This series contains miscellaneous correspondence and reports. These records were originally a part of the Provincial Secretary's central registry but, for reasons unknown, became separated from the department's main files. A wide variety of subjects are addressed in these records.

Many of the records in this unit concern investigations carried out under the authority of the Departmental Inquiries Act and the Public Inquiries Act. Many relate to conditions in public institutions and activities of government employees. Many inquiries relate to hospitals and schools in the province, including Vernon Mental Hospital, Tranquille Sanatorium, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and Provincial Mental Hospital at Essondale. Other inquiries and Commissions include bribery of the Liquor Control Board, the Beban Mine disaster, Royal Commission on Dominion Provincial Relations, Inquiry into the death of John Meredith Sweeney and the state and management of the Quartermaster Stores of the Provincial Police Force.

The records also relate to child welfare programs, including the general management of the Provincial Industrial School for Boys and to the Girls' Industrial School, ca. 1930-1945. Additional documents in this collection relate to subjects such as squatters' claims at the Granville Townsite [Vancouver (1887)], to the Fraser River Flood Relief programme (1894), applications for seed, the Victoria Consolidated Hydraulic Mining Co., government perquisites, legislation, estates, and to proposed sites for the University of British Columbia (1910). "Anti-Oriental" petitions and voting returns of the 1924 beer-by-the-glass plebiscite also included.

This series consists of poll-books, voters' lists, and correspondence relating to two landmark elections in British Columbia: the election of 1871 of representatives to the provincial legislature, and the election of 1872, called to elect provincial members to the Dominion House of Commons - respectively the first provincial election and the first federal election held in B.C. These records document B.C.'s last "open voting" elections (i.e. a secret ballot was not used). Compiled by A.F. Pemberton, Chief Returning Officer for Victoria, the records pertain to Victoria City, Victoria District, Esquimalt and Metchosin.

The election of 1871 was held in various parts of the province between October and December. It was conducted in accordance with the Colonial Election Regulation Act [34 Vic., No. 13, a statute which affirmed the practice of open voting (as opposed to the secret ballot). Thus, the poll books in this collection show the names of electors and the candidates for whom each elector voted. Voter's qualifications were determined by the colonial Qualification and Registration of Voters' Act [34 Vic., No. 156]. To qualify for the franchise, a voter had to be male, a loyal British subject, over twenty-one years of age, literate (at least able to write his name), and a resident in B.C. for no less than six months. In addition, qualified electors had to meet one of the following criteria: occupy premises with an annual rent of $40 or more; own freehold property having an assessed value of at least $250; have a pre-emption claim of 100 acres or more; possess a free-miners' license.

The Dominion election of 1872 was held under the authority of two federal statutes: the Interim Parliamentary Election Act of 1871 [34 Vic., c.20] and the Act to Re-adjust the Representation in the House of Commons, 1872 [35 Vic., c.13]. The first statute made provisions for holding a federal election in B.C.; the second confirmed the number of MPs to be elected from B.C. [6] and established federal electoral boundaries. 2 MPs were elected from the district of Victoria; 1 MP from the district of Vancouver (i.e. Vancouver Island north of Victoria and adjacent to the Gulf Islands); 1 MP for each of the districts of New Westminster, Yale, and Cariboo. Section 5 of the Interim Parliamentary Elections Act declared that the laws already in force in B.C. would apply to the election of 1872. Accordingly, polling for the province's first federal election was carried out under colonial legislation noted above. The Dominion election was also carried out in accordance with B.C.'s Corrupt Practices Prevention Act [34 Vic., No. 158], a colonial statute which stipulated that candidates had to declare all expenses incurred during their campaign. Hence the documents in Box 1, files 6 & 7 of this collection.

The records in GR-1667 relate solely to the Victoria electoral district. For elections to the provincial legislature, the riding included areas within the city's limits. Federally, however, the electoral district of Victoria embraced the City of Victoria and adjacent areas of Saanich (Victoria District), Esquimalt and Metchosin. A.F. Pemberton was the district's chief Returning Officer in both elections. In the provincial election -- held on 16 October 1871 -- Pemberton established the district polling station at the Police Barracks in Bastion Square. In the Dominion election -- held on 2 September 1872 -- he established six polling stations. The polls were open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Three candidates contested the two Victoria seats: Amor DeCosmos, Henry Nathan and Robert Beavan. DeCosmos, and Nathan were elected. The results of the election, and returns from each of the polling stations, were published in the Victoria Daily Colonist (3 Sep 1872).

The series consists of miscellaneous correspondence inward and outward on diverse topics. Most of these records pertain to the 1920s and early 1930s. Included are files dealing with the exclusion of Orientals (1921), the preservation of Craigflower schoolhouse and other historic sites, acquisitions (of paintings and photographs) by the Archives department, removal of Indian totem poles, petitions protesting the dismissal of Judge Helen Gregory MacGill (1929), and the Bedaux Sub-Arctic Expedition (1934). Early files include a memorandum on the benefits of establishing a Treasury Board for the provincial government (1872) and a letter of introduction for John Blair, landscape architect (1896).
Also included is a schedule referred to in order-in-council no. 911, confirmation of reserves, reductions of cut-off's and new reserves, Ditchburn-Clark Commission.

This series consists of correspondence and reports concerning laws, statutes, titles, and emblems. Records include files regarding the Provincial Elections Act, Engineering Profession Act, Daylight Saving Act, Public Documents Disposal Act, and Historic Objects Preservation Act. Records also concern the authorized use of the name "British Columbia", provincial coat-of-arms, and royal styles and titles. Additional files concern Court mourning observances and Princess Margaret's Portland Island. These records were originally part of a larger series, transferred separately to the PABC and catalogued as GR-1661.

This series contains general correspondence files of the Minister's office, Ministry of Provincial Secretary and Travel Industry. The first series (B06231-B06239) relates to the Provincial Secretary component and the second series (B06240-B06246) relates to the Travel Industry component of the ministry. Many of the files deal with tourism promotion and other travel industry-related topics.

This series contains schedules of returns of convictions.

This series contains correspondence and by-laws for Saltspring Island (1871-1882) and the Municipality of Surrey (1880-1886).

This series includes a report by R.E. Sproule on Kootenay mines (1882), a petition for bridge over Thompson River at Penny's Crossing (1884), a petition for a mining recorder at Kaslo (1894), correspondence regarding the return of Goose Spit, Comox, from the Admiralty (1906), and mss. voters' list for Skeena district (1907).

This series includes a suggested draft for the 1872 Public Schools Act by Thomas Nicholson (1871), correspondence regarding the school at Burton's Prairie (1882) and correspondence regarding a request for an additional teacher at New Westminster High School (1889).

Copy of a memorandum (undated) to P.D. Walker, Deputy Provincial Secretary, from Rodney DeLisle, District Agriculturalist (Columbia-Kootenay), describing his visit to Colony Farm at the Provincial Mental Hospital (Essondale), Alexandra Ranch at Tranquille Sanatorium and the Provincial Industrial School for Boys at Port Coquitlam in 1930.

The series consists of volumes of indexes to Orders in Council (OIC) created between 1872 and 1984. The indexes relate to GR-0113 Orders in Council. The oversize volumes were maintained by the Provincial Secretary's office prior to the introduction of an automated indexing system in 1985 and digitization of the records, now available on the BC Laws website: http://www.bclaws.ca/. In most instances, OICs are indexed under the name of the statutes to which they relate. The series also includes ledgers recording documents issued under the Great Seal. The ledgers are arranged by Act name and list the relevant OIC as well as the name and address of the appointee mentioned in the OIC.

The series consists of records created by the Dept. of the Provincial Secretary between 1957 and 1963 with regard to the reconstruction of Government House. The records include correspondence with donors, suppliers and government agencies regarding the rebuilding and refurnishing of Government House after the fire of 1957, including the redesign of the gardens. There are six photographs showing a donated silk carpet, artwork and chairs. The series also includes six plans showing aspects of the house and gardens (including layout and names of plants). The plans have been given the following registration numbers: 24112B, 24113B, 24115B, 24117B, 24114C and 24116C.

Volume II, July 1899 - Feb 1900 (vol. I not extant), of a Diary Journal kept by the Provincial Secretary, Charles Augustus Semlin, noting appointments and letters inward relating to many aspects of the office.

Annotated copy of the Schedule referred to in order-in-council 911/23, regarding confirmation of Indian reserves, new reserves, and the reduction and cut-offs of reserves within various British Columbia Indian Agencies. The Schedule amended the work of the Commission on Indian Lands and Indian Affairs in general in British Columbia, 1913-1916, and is commonly known as the Ditchburn-Clark Report. This copy of the Schedule has been "certified correct" by William E. Ditchburn (for the Dominion government) and John William Clark (representing the provincial government) and is dated 10 May 1923. See also GR-0931.

Register of visitors to the Parliament Buildings.

The series consists of Unemployment Relief Committee files kept by the Provincial Secretary from 1931 to 1933. The files contain records regarding the provision of direct relief for unemployed men and include: organization charts, financial information, circulars, copies of registration forms, correspondence between Provincial departments as well as intergovernmental correspondence between the Provincial and Federal or Municipal governments. There are also memoranda prepared for the Provincial Secretary and reports and requests for information from the Provincial Police, Government Agents, District Engineers and other groups.

The series consists of financial statements solicited by the Provincial Secretary's office in 1920. Forms were sent to hospitals throughout the province requesting that each hospital provide the cost of constructing and equipping their hospital for the period 1903 to 1920. Some of the completed forms are accompanied by correspondence.