VPRS 2894 Registered Inward Correspondence to the Surveyor-General from the Guardian of Aborigines

This series comprises registered inward correspondence addressed to the Surveyor-General from W. Thomas, Guardian of Aborigines. This correspondence consists mainly of Thomas' weekly reports which provide a comprehensive daily account of his activities as the Guardian of Aborigines for that period. Apart from the weekly reports there are five letters which cover subjects such as the maintenance of an orphaned aboriginal child, requisitions and stores, and the Gippsland Aborigines. The correspondence consists of blue paper folders and single pages. At the top of the front of each folder/page, the date of the letter, date of registration, registration number and precis of the subject of the letter is written in red ink. Each file has an annual single number registration allocated by the Surveyor-General's Office. The files in this series represent a considerably broken run of the annual single number system. It would appear that these files were registered along with other letters received at the Surveyor-General's Office, but were kept separately from the majority of files or removed at some time from the general run of correspondence prior to transfer to Public Record Office Victoria. Other registered inward correspondence to the Surveyor-General held by the Public Record Office is arranged in VPRS 44 Inward Registered and Unregistered Correspondence (this series comprises inward correspondence of two registration processes - annual single number of the same sequence as VPRS 2894 and alphabetical annual single number of the same sequence as VPRS 2896 Registered Inward Correspondence to the Surveyor-General, Board of Land and Works and Board of Land and Survey relating to Aboriginal Affairs arranged by subject). Research Note: Thomas' reports and correspondence as Assistant Protector of Aborigines can be found in VPRS 10 Inward Registered Correspondence to the Superintendent of Port Phillip District, relating to Aboriginal Affairs, VPRS 19 Inward Registered Correspondence, and VPRS 4410 Aboriginal Protectorate Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly and Annual Reports and Journals. Thomas's reports and correspondence as Guardian of Aborigines for the period 1850 -1851 can be found in VPRS 2893 Registered Inward Correspondence to the Superintendent of Port Phillip District from W. Thomas, Guardian of Aborigines and E.S. Parker, Assistant Protector of Aborigines, and VPRS 44 Inward Registered and Unregistered Correspondence (unit 635). The reports for the period 1852 - 1855 are missing, although the odd report and letters for this period can be located in VPRS 1189 Inward Registered Correspondence I (units 1, 18 & 203). It would appear that while Thomas was directed to send all of his reports to the Surveyor-General in 1856, general correspondence and some reports were still directed to the Colonial Secretary and later the Chief Secretary. Reports and correspondence for the period 1856 - 1860 can be located in VPRS 2896 Registered Inward Correspondence to the Surveyor-General, Board of Land and Works and Board of Land and Survey relating to Aboriginal Affairs arranged by subject and VPRS 44 Inward Registered and Unregistered Correspondence (unit 639).