212 MISCELLANEOUS 



must pay an extra price for ever} 7 barrel of flour, and in the snme 

 proportion for every other article you may want or require. When 

 his bill is made put, it has a large appearance; but when he considers 

 we have protective duties which will enable him to pay his bills, he 

 puts it in his pocket and commences his fishing voyage. 



After making his voyage, hearing that fish are worth a fair price 

 in the United States, he collects his fish on board his craft, and 

 generally take them to the port whence he was supplied in the spring. 



On making enquiry of the price of fish, he finds them very low ; on 

 asking the cause, he is told why the duties are so high, it takes about 

 one-fourth, including freight, insurance, &c., to have them disposed of 

 in the United States. With this reduction, the fisherman often taking 

 his whole voyage to the merchant who supplied him, finds it will not 

 amount to a sufficient sum to pay his bills. 



What now is to be done ? He calls upon his merchant and asks if 

 the protective duty will not be of service to him; the answer is, Oh ! 

 no, that is to protect the mechanic, those who have factories, the 

 farmers, &c. He has a little property, and that must go to pay the 

 balance of his bills, and perhaps not sufficient left to supply his 

 family through the coming winter. But how will those do who sail 

 in American vessels? When arriving in the United States they 

 generally procure good wages, or should they ship on shares, their 

 fish is taken to a market in the United States, free of duty or expense. 

 As these vessels are generally bound to some port in Nova Scotia, 

 those who are Nova Scotia men can take their little supplies for their 

 families, and have them landed at their doors, nearly as low as they 

 can be procured in the United States. When their voyages are accom- 

 plished, they either proceed on to the United States and receive their 

 share, or, as the practise is in some places, a merchant supplies them 

 with goods to the amount of their voyage. He then receives a draft, 

 which is accepted by the owner of the vessel, payable in the United 

 States. This answers the purpose of the fisherman, and likewise 

 makes remittance for the merchants, who can step on board the 

 packet and proceed to the United States, collect his drafts, make 

 arrangements for a new supply for the coming season, and return. 

 This appears to be the state of a large part of Nova Scotia at present. 

 There has been a difference of opinion respecting reciprocal trade 

 between the United States and the British Colonies. As regards the 

 cod fisheries, it is my opinion, that American fishermen affect our 

 shore fisheries more by being kept on the outer banks, when if they 

 were admitted freely into our ports, our fishermen would be enabled 

 to procure larger fares; I have no doubt that the convention between 

 the Americans and British has been the cause of the American fisher- 

 men procuring theirs much sooner than they would have done had 

 they been admitted freely into our ports. As regards the mackerel 

 fishery, it is a question not so easily decided. There is but little doubt 

 the Americans would enjoy some of the privileges which now belong 

 to British subjects; but could we receive something equivalent for 

 those privileges, by having the same privilege in the American market 

 our fish produce going there free of duty, our coasters having the 

 same privilege in American ports as they had in ours, this might have 

 u tendency to bring Nova Scotia on a level with other countries, and 

 prevent our young men from leaving the province. The means to be 

 employed for the prevention of those who might trespass on the fish- 



