17 



than tlieirs. The ^varies of Canadian flonr sert into oiir market are gfonerally their best 

 erades, usuallj' conipetiug' with our best grades for white wheat tliiur, wliile what we send to 

 Canada is if onr poorer grades. Yet our poor flour stands upon record iit forty-five per cent, 

 higher value than their liest grades." Here is another illustration. " We import from Nova 

 Scotia ]()0 pounds dry fish free of duty; they a'e entered at our custom-horse in Portland at 

 $2 90; we send the same bundle offish on to Montreal, wliich they enter tliere free of duty 

 at $4 60 ; we have only transferred the same bundle of fish and got a ' balance of trade' in 

 our favor of 60 pi^r cent, of the original amount that the same bundle offish was entered for 

 at our custom-house in Portland, when jJ'.rhaps that was all that we had to do with it." 



" By this sort of fiscal legerdemain," says the Times, '' the weak points in 

 much of our reciprocal trace, so called, are dexterously concealed from view. 

 Our exports assume a false magnitude as compared with our imports. The 

 adoption of the same values in both cases would overthrow any pretence that 

 the * balance of tra le' is in our favor, and would demonstrate the insignificance 

 of whatever advantriges accrue to iis from the treaty contrasted with those 

 which we have for ten years conferred upon the provinces." 



In the last monthly report we referred to the fact that the Canadians partook 

 of all the benefit resulting from our domestic high prices, created by the civil 

 conflict, without being subjected to the loss of life and burden of debt which 

 the rebellion imposed on American citizens, and the renewal of the treaty was 

 inadmissible until equalily of burdens, as well as benefits, was imposed by the 

 treaty itself. 



In the table of British imports of wheat and flour, published in the leading 

 article of this number, we find this objection fully sustained. The expoits of 

 wheat and flour by the United States and the Canadas to Great Britain, for 

 eleven months of 1864 and 1S65, are as follows : 



From — 



United States 



British North America. 



Wheat, bushels. 



1864. 



14, 627, 2^,4 



2, 173, U70 



1865. 



1,897,524 

 549, 389 



Flour, pounds. 



1864. 



194, .590, 704 

 42,949,120 



1865. 



26,490,912 

 18,666,256 



It will be seen that Canadian exports shared the same fate as our own — a 

 most serious decline. And this took place while the British imports of bread- 

 stuffs largely increased from Russia and France. Why this result ? Becaiise, 

 under the reciprocity treaty the advance of prices in the United States equally 

 advanced those of Canadian wheat and flour ; and, indeed, of all other of its agri- 

 cultural productions, until this advance was too great to admit of an export to 

 Great Britain. For this temporary and incidental benefit of the war the 

 American farmer has had. to lay down life, and for all time to come must feel 

 the burden of a he&vy taxation ; but the Canadian enjoys the benefit, freed 

 from these penalties. 



Is it any wonder that the Canadas sent their most eloquent advocate to the 



Detroit convention to persuade us of their most loving affection, (since the 



rebellion was crushed,) and who, with honored commendations, would have 



persuaded that cunvention to recommend a renewal of the treaty ; or, in other 



2 A 



