TO THE EDITOR OF THE '' TIMES. " 



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\ 



Sir, 



I have read the edito'nl of the Ex^ 

 press of to-day, in which the Editor submits to 

 his readers the following question — " llow will 

 this Colony be affected when the Reciprocity 

 Treaty with the United States comes to be adopted 

 by the Dominion of Canada, should we keep out of 

 the Confederacy ?" and he then goes on to. argue 

 and to answer the question himself, introducing 

 the subjects of Finance, the late bad Fisheries, 

 &c. &c , with his views upon which I cannot 

 agree. I will, therefore, with your permission, 

 through the medium of your columns, answer his 

 question in the first place, and then take up the 

 other matters mixed with it. 



I deny that Newfoundland will be excluded 

 from the benefit of a tieaty with the United States 

 if she keeps out of the Confederation. If New- 

 foundland retain her present independence and 

 5f //'-Government, she will be enabled, with the 

 permission of Great Britain, or through her medium, 

 to enter into her own treaty, or join, as she did 

 before, other parties interested in the matter — 

 Prince Edward Island, for instance — possibly se- 

 curing a treaty more advantageous to her interests, 

 than were she a member of the Dominion and a 

 party to the terms of their treaty. 



It is true that we have had partial failures of 

 our Fisheries on the Newfoundland coast, and on 

 the Southern part of the Labrador coast ; but has 

 not this failure been caused by the numerous seines 

 used at the headlands on the arrival of the schules 

 of fisli following the caplin towards and filling our 

 bays mid inlets, which thty at one time did do 



