J»i. I'LVipi" 



■■■ ^mr-'T^-^ 



288 



No. \1. 



Closinfj Argument of Hon. liichard H, Dana, Jun,, on behalf of thr Uniteit StatcK. 



Friday, Novemlicr !)//;, 1877. 

 May it pliMso your KxctIIciil's and your Honourt! — 



Cfrlaiiily, in tin- discliai'j;o of our resiKctivi.' duties on tliis iii<,^]i occasion, \vc arc 

 met under lucsi t'avouvaliic ausjiiccis. Our trilnmal is one ofour own selection. Tlie 

 two parlies to the (juestion ((ireal Britain ami tin- I'niteil States (il'Aaieriea) lia\e eacli 

 cliosen its Uepresintative upon tlie Hoard; and as to tl\e I'resident and I Jiipire ot llit; 

 tribunal, wliile llio Treaty ohlii>-ed us, by reason of the lapse ot' time, to rel'er tlie 

 appoiuluient to the Hcprest'ulativo of a t'orei;iii Pouer at l.oiulon, yet it is W(dl known 

 that the appointment was made in conforniil\ with tlie exjircssed wish of tliose 

 Ciovermiients, who found for tiie head of this ("(airt one with character so elevated aii<l 

 acconiplislinieiits so rare that lliev had no diliicuily in ai;n'ein;; upon him liiemselvcs. 



We have been tiirtunate, (ientlcmeii of the Coiiiniission, tliat no mistorlune, no 

 serious accident, in tin; lonj;- iH-riod of tiu'co montlis, while so many >;('ntl('iiien have been 

 tojictlier, has tiillen upon us. 'I'he shadow of death has not crossed cmr jiatli, nor tiiat 

 of an\ ot' oiu's at a distance, uor even has sicUness \isitcd us in any perilous mam. r. 

 We have iieeii sustained all the while by the extreme hospitality and kindness of the 

 people of this city, who luive done everything- to make our slay here as agreeable as 

 jmssilili', iuid to breathe away any teelin;; we mij;hl have had at the be^iiuiing, lest 

 there siiouM l)e some antaiionism which wouM be felt bevond the ies;itimate contests of 



.euis- 



tlio iirofes,<i()ii. 'J'he kindest fcelinj;- and liarmony pri'vails amoni; us all- \our ■-.i.^^.m- 

 lature of tiiis Province has set apart Ibr our use lliis beautiful hall ; and while my friend 

 and associate, Mr. Tre.scot. saw in the presence of the portrait of His Majesty whicii 

 looks (iown upon us from the walls an encouraiiemeni for the settlement ot the matter 

 confided t(j us, because that Kin;;- supposed it settled nior<' than 1130 years a^-o, I confess 

 that the presence of that ti>;uro has been to me throUi;hout most interesting- and 

 even |)alhetie. It was the year iie ascended tl'.e tliroii" tliat the French W( re finally 

 driven from North America and that it all lu^came Hiiti.-'h Aimrica, from I lie Southern 

 Coast of (ieiir^ia up to the Nortli Pole, and all ti'.ese islands and iieninsulas wliich form 

 the Ciiilf of St. Laurence passed under his sceptre. And what a spectacle lor him to 

 look down upon now after KM) years I A (iniet assembly of >;iiitlemcn, witlumt parade, 

 without an armed soldier at the irate, settling- the vexed (picstitm of the (isiierics, whicli 

 in former times and luider other auspices woulil have been cause enoiii;li for war. 

 And settling- them between whom ? Helwcen his oUl thirteen Colonics — now become 

 Ji Republic of forty millions of people, bounded by seas and zones — and his own Empire, 

 its sceptre rstill held in his own line by the dau^hter of his own son, more extended and 

 counting;- an immensely lartier jiopnlatioii than when he lelt it ; showini; us not only the 

 man-nittide and increase ot the Uepublic, but the stability, the .security, and the dignity 

 of tlie Mritisli Crown. Yes, tienliemen of the Commission, when he ascended the throne, 

 and. brfiire tiiat, when his grandfather, whose portrait aho adorns these walls, sat upon 

 the throne of Kn;;-land, this w hole rei'Jon was a field of contest between France and Croat 

 Britain. It was not then Hrilish North .America. Which pow-er should liolil it, witli 

 these islands and peninsulas and tlie.se fisheries adjacent to and abmit it, deiiendc'd 

 upon the issue of war, and of wars one after another. But Cireat Britain, holding- 

 certain possessions here, claimi'd the fisheries, and made large; claims, according to the 

 s])irit of that day, covering the banks of Newfoundland, and the other banks, anil the 

 whole deep-sea fishery out of sight of land, and also up to tlie very shores within 

 hailing distance of them, without any regard to a geographical limit of three miles, 

 which is a very modern inv(>ntion. Tiiat ciJiilest was waged, and the riglits in these 

 islands and these fisheries .settled, by the united arms of Ureal Britain and of New 

 F.nglaiid. and largely, most largely, of Massachusetts. Why, l^ouisburg, on Cape l^reton, 

 held liv the French, was siipjiosed to be tlie most important ami commanding station, 

 and to have more iidluence than any other upon the destinies ot'lhis jiart of the country. 

 Its reduction was ordered by the (..egislalure of i\lass.ichuselts. And. Mr. I'resident, 

 it was a force of between 3,Ut.(l and 'l,i;00 Massachusetts men, under Pepperell, and a 

 few 1 uidrids from the other Coh nies, with JOU vessels, that sailed to l.ouisbnrg, invested 

 t( ok it for the liritish Crown, in trust for (ireat liritain and her Coh-nies. (iridley, 



aiK 

 v\' 

 in 



..yi\ 11 l.'l III.- ***»,! .-JI ■. il#.»Il, III Vlll.-V 1V*1 ^.IVtlL 1.1 III. Ill ..It'. .1.1 V .'H'lll. .-. ......... ^, , 



lo laid (lit the I'ortificatioiis at lluid\er Hill, and Pnscott, who defended them, were 

 the i'xi((iiiii;n aiiainsl l.(:iii>bui-^, and the artillery was commanded by Dwight, a 



iC F(s!cr. And wiuiiever there was war between 

 ■i(,n (if lliis euntinent or any part of it, or these 



i; all inal aici sterol ( ur liiir.d .]\a 

 Friii'.ce i.va\ iMigh.i.d lor the jos.a! 



