394 



> 



1913 the workmen engaged in giving it its periodical coat of 

 varnish reported that in many parts dry rot had set in and that 

 it could no longer be considered safe. It was, in consequence, 



seen 



repair was out of the question. And so came to an end the flag- 

 staff of 1861, up to then the finest of its kind in Europe. 



The flagstaff had not long been lying on the ground when the 

 following letter was received by the Director from Mr. J. H. 

 Turner, Agent-General for British Columbia. This and the three 

 following letters form the opening pages of the history of the new 

 flagstaff, and it is of considerable interest that Mr. Turner knew 

 Mr. Stamp, and was in British Columbia when the first flagstaff 

 was sent over. 



Office of the Agent-General for British Columbia, 



17th December, 1913. 

 Lt.-Col. Sir D. Prain, C.M.G. 



Dear Sir, 



The British Columbia Flagstaff at Kew Gardens, I learn 

 from the newspapers, has been blown down. It is a somewhat 

 singular coincidence that on the 22nd October, I wrote to 

 Sir Richard McBride, Premier of British Columbia, suggesting 

 to him that the Provincial Government should obtain a really 

 good specimen of a British Columbia tree for a flagstaff and ship 

 home to London. It would be a comparatively easy matter to get 

 one at least 200 ft. or over in length. I am indeed informed 

 that quite recently a fine specimen, 220 ft. in length has been 

 erected in Vancouver City. 



"When I wrote to the Premier about it, I had not heard of the 

 misfortune at Kew, My idea was to have a fine Douglas Pine or 

 Cedar erected in one of the London parks. The principal 

 difficulty in the matter is the transit to England, very few owners 

 of vessels like to take timber of such proportions. 



I should very much like to know what is the condition of the 

 Kew flagstaff, as I was in British Columbia some 50 years ago 

 when it was shipped to this country, and I knew Captain Stamp, 

 the shipper, somewhat intimately. 



Yours faithfully, 



(Signed) J. II. Turner. 



■ 



\gent-General for British Columbia 



Office of the Agent-General for British Columbia, 



8th January, 1914. 

 Lt.-Col. Sir D. Prain, C3I.G. 



Dear Sir, 



I thank you very much for your letter of the 19th ultimo, 

 respecting the Flagstaff at Kew, and for the interesting informa- 

 tion you append to it, being a copy of a paragraph which appeared 



