BRITISH, COLONIAL AND OTHER CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 289 



harbors of the colonies. The Council submit that this was not the 

 principle on which the Cobden treaty was based. It was not held by 

 its author that because France declined to reciprocate with England 

 as fully as the latter desired, therefore England should tax or exclude 

 the wines of France, until she consented to remove her protective 

 duties from iron and cutlery. 



" VI. If little can be said in favor of the revived policy of 1818 

 in an economical point of view, still less can be said in its favor 

 politically. It is essentially a policy of exclusion enforced by the 

 armed ships of Her Majesty's fleet, and therefore tends seriously 

 to estrange a friendly but proud and sensitive nation, whose citizens 

 freely admit the rights of Great Britain to prevent them from fishing 

 within the three miles limit, but who assert that their cargoes of fish 

 taken without that limit are not contraband, and that to refuse the 

 right of entry at such Colonial custom houses is unfriendly, and 

 they affirm, illegal; and this view of the case has been taken by an 

 eminent Queen's Counsellor of the Prince Edward Island bar. The 

 Hon. Edward Palmer, who agrees with the Attorney and Solicitor- 

 General in their view, supposing the cargoes of fish for which entry 

 was sought to have been taken within the three miles limit, but 

 asserts that for cargoes taken beyond that limit, the right of entry 

 cannot be refused. 



VII. The Council would also urge upon the notice of the Secre- 

 tary of State, the impolicy of pressing an odious system upon an 

 unwilling people. They assure Lord Kimberley that their fellow 

 colonists are enthusiastically loyal in their attachment to Her 

 Majesty's person and family, and are notorious for their adherence 

 to British institutions; their trade connections with the United 

 States' citizens have not undermined their loyalty, nor persuaded 

 them that better political institutions than their own exist elsewhere ; 

 and the Council submit that the policy of exclusion will lack one of 

 the chief elements of success, if it does not obtain the moral support 

 of the people for whose supposed benefit it is undertaken." 



I am glad to observe that my hon. friend opposite (Mr. Howlan) 

 was one of the signers of that paper. It was worthy of him, born 

 down by the sea and inheriting the broad views he possesses. I am 

 sure that he will agree with me that it was the true policy for the 

 Dominion to pursue. 



******* 



Hon. Mr. Dickey. ** They gave a notice at the earliest moment 

 for the abrogation of that treaty, but with regard to the ^Reciprocity 

 Treaty, the circumstances are somewhat peculiar and I may mention 

 to the House how that treaty was annulled. It was not abrogated in 

 consequence of any harshness or supposed injustice on the part of our 

 Government, who were simply acting upon our treaty rights. Dur- 

 ing a portion of the time I oelieve my hon. friend from Ottawa was 

 a member of a Government which held power for five years, and it is 

 just to that Government to say that the abrogation of the treaty was 

 in way due to any harsh conduct on their part but solely owing to 

 the fact that notice was given by the United States Government to 

 punish the people of this country for the sympathy they had extended 

 toward the south in the unfortunate civil war. I am in a situation to 

 give the very best possible evidence of that, because it became my 

 duty some twenty odd years ago to proceed to Washington for the 



