Naden base, Esquimalt
mmbc 670P

In a dispatch on July 16th, 1858, Lord Lytton noted: "A party of Royal Engineers will be despatched to the colony immediately. It will devolve upon them to survey those parts of the country which may be considered most suitable for settlement, to mark out allotments of land for public purposes, to suggest a site for the seat of government, to point out where roads should be made..."

From 'History of British Columbia From its Earliest Discovery to the Present Time' by Alexander Begg, p. 223, Toronto, 1894

Following this notice, the Royal Navy (R.N.) was soon present in Esquimalt Harbour. The R.N. leased the Beaver in 1862 to conduct an eight year hydrographic survey of this coastal region. At this time there were extensive warehouses on the harbour and goods were being shipped from this harbour to the port of Victoria. In 1865, Esquimalt Harbour was made Pacific headquarters for the R.N.. Under the Terms of Union in 1887, a dry-dock was completed at Esquimalt. Soon, Esquimalt had the largest dry-dock facility on the Pacific coast of Canada, and Canada's maritime fleet laid its west coast foundations there.

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