The Council of Advice first emerged as a constitutional device for colonial rule in colonies captured by Britain during the wars against France between 1793 and 1814. The search for some new form of government for colonies of conquest had been necessitated by the difficulty generally experienced in assimilating formerly foreign colonies into the traditional British pattern of representation. Experience in Quebec between 1764 and 1791 had led to the gradual recognition of conciliar government as a workable substitute to bridge the gap between military rule and the grant of representative institutions. Between 1794 when a Council of Advice was first introduced in the island of San Domingo, and 1825, when the Cape of Good Hope was granted a council of this type, the composition, function and scope of such councils was gradually defined and elaborated. There was a continual interplay of precedent and example from one colony to another, facilitated by the growth of the Colonial Office in London during the early decades of the 19th Century. Councils of Advice were also introduced into some a-typical colonies of settlement, notably New South Wales, where the particular circumstances of the colony gave rise to the further development of the conciliar pattern of government, influenced by the practical experience in Quebec prior to 1791. Thus the Council of Advice at the Cape of Good Hope from 1825-1834 was but one example of an instrument of government which was being widely used in the British empire, and which was still developing in form and function during the period under consideration. The Council of Advice at the Cape reflects this fluidity. The composition of the council was altered on several occasions during the nine years of its existence; the degree of independence allowed to council members was a question which arose on several occasions, especially in relation to discussion of policy decisions taken in London; moreover, the council met at the discretion of the governor and four different men held this office during the period 1825-34, each with his own individual idea of the function and value of a council of advice. Preface, p. 1-2.