Series:
Correspondence, "Civil Branch".
Series Number:
Access:
Open
Start Date:
01 Jan 1841
End Date:
31 Dec 1845
Creating Agency:
Colonial Secretary's Office (1) (TA151) | 01 Jan 1825 | 31 Dec 1856 |
Related Series:
CSO76 Correspondence relating to Convict Matters. | 28 Mar 1839 | 14 Sep 1841 |
CSO15 Draft Outward Correspondence. | 01 Jul 1842 | 31 Jul 1845 |
CSO31 Transmission Register of Papers ("Civil Branch") sent to Departmental Officers. | 19 May 1841 | 04 Jan 1848 |
CSO16 Correspondence, "Record Branch". | 01 Jan 1841 | 31 Dec 1845 |
CSO22 Correspondence, "Legal Branch". | 01 Jan 1841 | 31 Dec 1847 |
Controlling Series:
CSO9 Register of General Correspondence, "Civil Branch" | 01 Jan 1841 | 31 Dec 1845 |
CSO10 Index to General Correspondence, "Civil Branch". | 01 Jan 1841 | 31 Dec 1845 |
Subsequent Series:
CSO11 Correspondence, "Civil Branch". | 01 Jan 1845 | 31 Dec 1847 |
CSO20 Correspondence, "a" Series. | 01 Jan 1845 | 31 Dec 1847 |
Series notes:
The "Civil Branch" correspondence tends to be concerned with those matters previously dealt with in the general series (CSO 1 and CSO 5), with the exception of convict administration and the relations of Van Diemen's Land with the other colonies. No hard and fast rule can be stated, however, and it is not difficult to conclude that the division of labour on a subject basis (if that were reason for the creation of the "branches") broke down in practice.
An undated schedule apparently drawn up when this division was planned gives some idea of what the functions of the "Civil Branch" were intended to be: Civil Branch: Aborigines, Aide de Camp, Caveat Board, Comm[issaria]t as regards Treasury, Clerical, Comptroller [General of Convicts] as regards Roads, Customs, Councils [Executive and Legislative], Education Board, Miscellaneous, Orphan Schools, Post Master General, Queen's Orphan School, Registrar-General, Roads, Survey, Treasurer &c, Van Diemen's Land Co.
Analysis of subjects dealt with in the correspondence largely confirms this departmental allocation, but the "Civil Branch" was not confined to this area of administration, nor can one be sure that any of the subjects dealt with by this "branch" will not also be found in either or both of the other two.
These records are part of the holdings of the Tasmanian Archives
System of Arrangement:
With the introduction of this triple division in the registry, the old system of binding the files in strict numerical order was abandoned; though they were still kept in relative order (i.e., higher numbers after low), any volume may contain files numbered from the whole range of the registration series (1-3225). Hence it is necessary, after having found the number of a file from the index (CSO 10), to use the register (CSO 9) in order to find the volume in which the file is bound. Copies of outward letters begin to be fairly consistently included with this series. One volume is known to be missing
Items: