lulvantuge to both countries tVoiii a purely coiiiinercial point 

 of view. Not only tlid it settle for the mouieut au ever- 

 present cause of irritation, but it t)pened a lar^e and increas- 

 ing market to the export trade of British North America, 

 while the Americans were able fco prosecute one of their 

 great industries at a decided advantage, and at the same 

 time obtain additional buyers for their tlour, corn, meal and 

 manufactured goods. The Americans, by their great(^r en- 

 t(!rprise and the superiority of their vessels, practically beat 

 the British American fishermen in theii* own waters, and 

 derived advantages, it was claimed, beyond any granted by 

 the United States. In those days the provinces were isola- 

 ted from each other, and a commercial or political union be- 

 tween them seemed still far off. In the absence of such a 

 union, the people were not animated by a national feeling, 

 but some of them began to consider whether a closer con- 

 nection with the United States was not among the i)robabil- 

 ities of the future. Manufactures were brought in large 

 quantities from the United States in return for the natural 

 products sent them by the provinces, and there was no pros- 

 pect of the growth of a native manufacturing industry to add 

 to the wealth and give additional employment to the peo- 

 ple, large numbers of whom were aimually leaving the 

 country for the manufacturing districts of New England. 

 Whilst the treaty lasted the balance of trade with respect to 

 manufactured goods, amounted to X18,000,000 sterling in 

 favor of the United States. The treatv came to an end in 

 1805 hi/ the action of the Washington Government. 



In the meantime, while the people of the provinces were 

 endeavoring to consolidate their Government and establish 

 a federation on a sound basis, they found themselves again 

 threatened with the fishery question. The Ct)Uvention of 

 1818 was again in force, and the fishermen of New England 

 were alleged to be once more ranging in their waters. The 

 efforts of the two governments to bring about a satisfactory 

 commercial arrangement were entirely unsuccessful. The 

 question then constantly pressed itself upon then) how best 

 to meet the difficulty of maintaining their rights without 

 bringing about any serious international complication. The 

 correspondence between England and Canada, as it ap])ears 

 in the Canadian Blue Books, from 18(17 to 1871, is not very 

 flattering to the national vanity of those Englishmen who 

 believe there are times when a little firmness is necessary 

 in the maintenance of undoubtid Imperial rights. All the 

 despatches of the British Government are in the (hrection 

 of c(mci'liating the United States in every way possible, until 

 at last it was pointed out in one Canadian Minute of Coun- 

 cil that " the course suggested (the freedom of the fisheries 

 for another year) would certainly be regarded by the Amer- 



