266 



States by these fisheries. They knew that the harbors, coasts, and 

 seas of their possessions in North America swarm, at stated seasons of 

 the year — and this, as he was informed, was one of these reasons — with 

 these fishing vessels. Yet suddenly, without notice of any kind, we 

 are informed from the public journals, and semi-officially by a sort of 

 proclamation from the Secretary of State, that a very large British 

 naval force has been ordered into these seas for the purpose of enforcing, 

 at tlie mouth of the cannon, the construction which Great Britain has 

 determined to place on that convention." 



Mr. Mason said: "I had supposed, in this civilized age and between 

 two such countries as Great Britain and the United States, that were 

 it the purpose of England to revive her construction of the convention 

 and require that it should be enforced, ordinary national courtesy 

 would have required that notice should have been given of that deter- 

 mination on the part of Great Britain. But, sir, when no such notice 

 is given — when, on the contrary, the first information which reaches us 

 is that Great Britain has ordered into these seas a large naval force for 

 the purpose of enforcing this alleged right, I know not in what light it 

 may strike senators; lor it strikes me as a far higher offence than a 

 breach of national courtesy — as one of insult and indignity to the whole 

 American people. This morning, in the first paper I took up, from 

 the North, I see extracted from one of the British colonial newspapers, 

 printed at St. John, New Brunswick, a formal statement of the actual 

 naval forces ordered by Great Britain into those seas. It consists of 

 the Cumberland, a seventy-gun ship, commanded by Sir G. F. Sey- 

 mour, who, I believe, is a British admiral, commanding on the West 

 Indian station; and then follows an enumeration of steam- vessels, 

 sloops-of-war, and schooners, and the entire number, nineteen, ordered 

 to rendezvous there, and with the utmost despatch. For what pur- 

 pose? 



" To enforce at once, and without notice to this government, so far as 

 I am informed ; and yet we have some information through the quasi 

 proclamation of the Secretary of State, at the mouth of the cannon, of 

 the construction which the British government places on that convention. 

 I do not know what view has been taken by the President of this extra- 

 ordinary movement ; but I think I do know what the American people 

 would demand of the Executive, under such circumstances. If there 

 be official or satifactory information to the Executive that this extraor- 

 dinary naval armament has been ordered by Great Britain into the 

 North American seas, for the purpose of executing instantly the con- 

 struction which Great Britain places on the convention, I say the 

 American people will demand of their Executive that all the force of 

 the home squadron shall be ordered there instantly, to protect American 

 fishermen. Sir, we have been told by the poet who most deeply read 

 the human heart, that 



' From the nettle danger 

 We pluck the flower safely.' 



And if I may be told there is danger of collision, I would answer at once, 

 there is no danger; but if there were, it becomes the Executive imme- 

 diately to resent that which can only be looked on as an indignity and 



