Colonial Secretary's papers 1788–1825

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About the Colonial Secretary

The Colonial Secretary's Office was the channel of communications between the Governor, other government offices, and private settlers, particularly before 1856. In 1804 Governor King said: 'The Secretary has custody of all official papers and records belonging to the Colony; transcribes the public dispatches; is charged with marking out all grants, leases and other public colonial instruments; also the care of numerous indents or lists sent with convicts of their terms of conviction and every other official transaction relating to the colony and the Government ... [and manages] Correspondence from convicts and settlers on a miscellany of matters ranging for petitions for a mitigation of sentence to a request for land'.