Cover image for Circular Despatches received from the Secretary of State.
Series:
Circular Despatches received from the Secretary of State.
Series Number:
Access:
Open
Start Date:
18 Apr 1860
End Date:
27 Dec 1932
Excludes Dates:
24 Apr 1914 - 02 Jan 1917
Creating Agency:
01 Jan 1825
Series notes:
The matters dealt with in these despatches relate either generally to all colonies or to two or more of them; some relate only to the Australian colonies. Circulars were used to communicate with the colonial Governors on common matters between them and the Crown, the British Courts, the Treasury, the Foreign Office, the Board of Trade and other central agencies; to inform them about matters which would or might be of interest to their governments; and to call for information about common matters. This is the most voluminous series of despatches after GO1, and it probably constitutes a fairly complete set of the issuances from the Colonial Office during these years; it is therefore of interest in studies in British colonial history generally, apart from its value exclusively to Tasmania. The Governor referred circulars to his advisers, and as a result many have attached to them memoranda from the Premier and other Ministers.

The following subjects are commonly dealt with: trade arrangements, shipping and navigation; consular arrangements, postal and other matters concerning communications; defence and the protection of British interests abroad; British treaty arrangements and colonial agreements with foreign powers; Civil service regulations and other matters, precedence and ceremonial; research into various fields (e.g., diseases and agriculture) of interest to some or all colonies. Many of these despatches transmit British official or semi-official publications relating to such questions as these.

After the establishment of the Commonwealth this State continued to receive the circulars distributed among the Crown colonies; from January, 1908, many of the circulars bear the additional mark "Dominions" and in 1917 a new series, not printed, was introduced to take the place of the Circulars.

These records are part of the holdings of the Tasmanian Archives
Items: