290 MISCELLANEOUS 



purpose of endeavoring if possible to see if anything could be done 

 to allow our Nova Scotia coal to be admitted on terms of reciprocity 

 if nothing else would be. I had a letter of introduction to the late 

 lamented Chas. Sumner who received me with the utmost kindness 

 and consideration. In the course of our various conversations Mr. 

 Sumner stated to me in the frankest manner : " Of course you know 

 I am Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations and I can 

 tell you that notice for the abrogation of the treaty was written with 

 my own hand and I will tell you further it was done to punish your 

 country for the sympathy you extended to the South in the late 

 rebellion." That is a historical fact which I feel perfectly justified 

 in stating in my place here although during the lifetime of that 

 eminent man, whose premature death was a matter of regret to the 

 whole civilized world, I felt it right to keep my mouth shut on the 

 subject. I made no mention of it at all, except to my intimate 

 friends in my own country, but it is a fact well known in Washing- 

 ton at this day that that was the sole cause of the treaty being abro- 

 gated. But for that fact, possibly it might have been in force today, 

 and we should not have been troubled with these various controversies 

 about commercial union and unrestricted reciprocity. We should 

 have been living, no doubt, this day under the reciprocity treaty of 

 1854. 



27.) 



Hon. Mr. HXAVLAN. * * * Now bear with me a moment while 

 I describe to you a master of an American fishing-vessel. Probably 

 his father had been a fisherman and this description will apply 

 alike to our Canadian fishermen or perhaps in a greater measure 

 than to the United States fishermen he has served his time before 

 the mast of one of those fishing vessels until he has accumulated 

 a little money, going to the Grand Banks and mackeraling in the 

 summer. By his industry and temperate and careful habits he has 

 so impressed a merchant that he is able to take care of a vessel that he 

 is placed in charge of one, and all his earnings he puts into that 

 vessel, owning perhaps one-sixteenth of it. That vessel is his home 

 his everything. It is not only his past and present, but it is his 

 future. He knows that if he is successful in his voyages it advances 

 him until he becomes owner of the vessel and is able finally to retire 

 as he has seen others retire. I point this out to show you how care- 

 ful these fishermen are not to get into trouble. After living for 30 

 years where a large number of American fishermen frequent during 

 summer season I may say. and I do say it with due consideration that 

 taking any other body of men as they are I doubt if you will find 

 any that are better behaved under all the circumstances connected 

 with the matter, and when you find fault with those fishermen 

 with whom are you finding fault? It is true that the navigation 

 laws of the United States, which have not been repealed since they 

 were passed in 1876, are very illiberal as compared with those of 

 England. They require the master of a vessel and two-thirds of 

 the crew shall be American citizens. Any man who has had any- 

 thing to do with vessels in the United States will tell you that this 

 law is almost in abeyance. It is not going too far to say that two- 

 thirds of the men who manned the American fishing vessels are 



