The Colonial Land and Emigration Commission (CLEC), also known as the Colonial Land and Emigration Board, was a British government authority under the supervision of the Secretary of State for the Colonies that facilitated emigration within the British Empire.
[1] In 1837 Thomas Frederick Elliot (1808–1880) had been appointed to the latter post, and he became a member of the new body.
[2] Most immigrants it assisted settled in the settler colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, with smaller numbers settling in British colonies in New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, in parts of Australia, and South Africa[1][3] (the Cape of Good Hope).
[5] In 1852, shortly after qualifying, Irish surgeon Andrew Sexton Gray was appointed as a surgeon-superintendent for the commission, which involved accompanying migrants on assisted passage schemes as the ship's chief medical officer, as well as maintaining their welfare and discipline.
[7][8] It was formally abolished on 31 March 1878, when its staff and remaining functions were transferred to the Colonial Office.