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374 



very well indeed — the English was admirable, and the style not to be found fault with. 

 But there was very considerable play of imagination, and in this" respeet the learned Counsel 

 on tlic other side have a CTcat advantajje over me, for I am obliged to stick to hard facts. 

 They have followed tlic practice ot the frce-swimmiiig lish, and taken a little trip through 

 history in a most graceful but free-and-easy manner. Mr. Dana sets out by stating tiiat 

 the fisheries belonged to the United States, and partieulnrlr to tlie State of Massachusetts, 

 because, says he, they were won by the "bow and spear " of Massachusetts men. I never 

 had the pleasure of visiting any of the museums of Boston or other cities of New England, 

 where those bows and spears are, ])rcsumably, hung up, but if those bows of that olden 

 time were anything like so long as the bow which American orators, statesmen, and lawyers 

 sometimes uow-a-days draw in defence of real or imaginary American rights, then I must 

 confess that thi y must have been most formidable weapons. It is a very extraordinary 

 view, certainly, to present, that bccnusc those people fouu;ht in some former time with some 

 persons on tiie coast — Mr. Dnna docs not say whether tiiey were French, or barbarians, or 

 Indians — they at tliat time being British subjects, they thereby acijuired the right to our 

 fisheries. 



But Mr. Foster went a step further. He stated — 1 suppose it was this which set off 

 his colleagues — that we arc indebted to the people of Massachusetts for now being in pos- 

 session of Nova Scotia, and that it was entirely owing to their efforts that the British flag 

 waves to-day on the Citadel, instead of that of France. Well, it was rather a bold assertion 

 to make, certainly. I believe some of these Massachusetts men were fighting characters 

 in those days. They fought with the people of England, and came out because they could 

 not live in peace and (juiitude under British rule; they can)c out and found liberty of 

 conscience lor tlii'insclvcs. and tcriificd other people by burning witches and stripping 

 Quakers, showing that, after all, the old British intolerance was pretty well up|)erinost. 

 But tlicy were lighting people always, and they came over, and no doubt fought with the 

 French to some extent ; and lor the first time, I knew they went down to Le Pre, and 

 eonmiitted the abominable outrage of turning out all the Acadians ; I suppose they were 

 commanded by Gencial Winslow. Mr. Dana should have told Mr. Longfellow the story 

 before he wrote " Evangeline," because, probably, the British might not have suffered so 

 much in public opinion if it had been generally known that they were Massachusetts people 

 who committed the outrage. I am triad to this extent that the people of Nova Scotia are 

 relieved from the odium. A friend placed in my hands, after the statement had been 

 made, a well-known history of Jilngland, containing a statement which shows the spirit 

 in which the descent was made by the Massachusetts people upon the coast and upon the 

 French. I rind that about that time, after they had come here and fought, and — if I may 

 accept Mr. Foster's view of history as true — delivered us out of the hands of the French, 

 they sent a claim to England for their services. That claim was laid before the British 

 Parliament, which, at the instance of George II, voted them the large sum, in those days, 

 of 1 1 '),000/. for their servieis. So. besic'es being fighting men, they were cute enough to 

 get paid fijr their trouble. Now, by the rule tjui faril per nliuiii farit per se, it was Great 

 Britain herself that was fighting, and these were her hired troojjs. If the people of Massa- 

 chusetts are going to set up a claim to the Province of Nova Scotia and all the fisheries on 

 the score of their righting, the money so paiil to them should be given back, and 1 15,000/. 

 with ri5 years' interest will he a sum which we will condescend to receive for our rishcrics 

 and go and live somewhere else, as we nuist do when our rishcrics are gone. 



That is ixally the history of that transaction on which the Counsel ot the United States 

 so vaunt themselves. 1 do not say that the Massachusetts men did not fight well ; no 

 doubt they did. Mr. Foster says they were people who knew their rights, and, knowing, 

 dared maintain tlum. The people ol this Dominion also knew their rights, and will main- 

 tain them too. When 1 know that the present learned and able C'liief Justice of Nova 

 Scotia is sitting in this chamber, withir and of my voice, us I now speak — when I see the 

 portraits of his cininent predecessors, .md of Sir lenwick Wiljiiinis ot Kars, and Sir .lohn 

 Inglis ot Luckfow (both sons of Nova Scotia) looking down upon me from the walls, 1 

 know that our rights have been and arc thoroughly understood, and can, if necessary, be 

 bravely upheld and defended in the future as they have been in the past. But 1 presume 

 the day will never again come when (ireat Britain will be forced to measure strength with the 

 I'nitcd States. It is pcrtectly idle to make use of such language in an inquiry such as 

 this, and in making these remarks 1 do not wish to be understood as saying anything that 

 can be considered at all ott'ensive to my friends of the Unitt d States ; I make them simply 

 in answer to ( bscrvations mkuIc, as I submit, most unnecessarily by them. 



Mr. Dana's other propositions I will pass over as rapidly as 1 can consistently, lie said 

 we bad no territorial waters — that no nation has. He stakes his reputation on that point. 



Mr, Dana. — No; you misunderstood me. 



