37 



We must ulso rnnsiclctr the timft of year when the Amcr- 

 icuii harvest is riNidy. Mr. Iluliback says that the crops 

 are secured in ordinary Vffars iVoiii 4 to (> weeks «nirliBr in 

 the Uiiitod Slates, than id this country. "I have seen" 

 he says "in Virj^inia and Maryland Uirj^e fields of Wheat 

 entirely cleared hy the lOih 1)1.1 idy. At New York and 

 D.dlimore 1 hav(? seiMi <;ar;i<)es ot" \\ heat (at the tormer 

 port snnui (IdO to 7<)0 ijaarlers from North Carolina and 

 Viri^ini.'^on sale during' llie first and second weeksin Anjjnst. 

 The nature of the American climate is so dry that by a little 

 rare and ma!ia<j;(Mnent those car;>ocs uiii;hthave l)een made 

 fit to stand a voyage across the Athiiilic. The averaj>e 

 passage from Anierica is (Voni 18 to 'J') days, therefore 4he 

 Wheat mij;ht he in the I'nglish markets ut the very time 

 when the KrioH^h farmer stood nu)st in need of protection.** 

 " In anoth«.'r pan ot his pa\n})hlet, speaking' of the new Laws, 

 he says — " At present so tiilling a concession is not likely 

 to be much felt. When the States of Michigan and Illinois 

 with the territory of Wiuconsin become more populous, 

 the cidtivation of Wheat is certain to become much extended. 

 The business of convertiii<jf American Wheat into Flour is 

 therefore likelv to be a {rrowinf^- one." 



The only ofiicial return published of the quantity of 

 Wheat imported from the Unittsd States into Canada since 

 the 10th October, 1843, g;oes no further than the 5th July, 

 1844, and is as follows. 



Qrs. 



By sea 034 



Uy inland navigation or land carriage 21,161 



Total 31,795 



On the 5th of May, 1843, a Public Meeting was held at 

 Chelmsford, in Essex, to consider the propriety ofpetitioning 

 l^arliament against the measure announced to be brought 

 forward for reducing the duties on Canadian Wheat and 

 Flour. Much had been said in various publications of 

 the facility the alteration would afford to the smuggling of 

 United States' Wheat into Canada, and to remove objections 

 to the measure, a Letter written by a member of the British 

 Government, was laid before the Chelmsford Meeting 

 The following is aii extract from the Letter, " Smuggling is 

 utterly impossible, 1. Because wheat is never smuggled; 

 much less at such a duty. The smuggler gets 3s. to 5s. for 

 smuggling a pound of silk. He will not smuggle 400 or 

 500 times that weight for less money. 2. How is it possible 

 to land the Wheat on the sea beach (for the Lakes are 

 ♦Seas."* Then whv is not Wheat landed on the sea beach of 



