Land, Man and the Law

During the Hudson Bay Company's years, when trapping and trading were the only concerns of the few white occupants of British Columbia, land tenure was of little interest and few provisions were made for it. With the arrival of settlers, the officers of the colony were forced to act. Encouraging settlement, forestalling speculation, and securing revenue were the three aims of Colonial and early Provincial legislature. This book examines their success in the face of rapid exploitation of natural resources.