1906-7. TRANSACTIONS. 



The Causes that Lead to the War of 1812 



By B. Sulte, F. R. S. C. 



[Delivered Nov. 23, 1906. 



What is here offered is not a connected account of the events 

 which occurred between the years 1785 and 1811, leading to a 

 renewal of war between Great Britain and the United States, but 

 simply a sketch of the principal subjects of dispute and grievance 

 between the two powers. I Umit my treatment of the subject so 

 as not to exceed the measure of a paper suitable to the present 

 occasion. Limitation, in this case, means considerable condensa- 

 tion. 



As regards facihty of communication with England and the 

 rest of the world, Canada was at this period on about the same 

 footing as England had been in regard to Rome some two thousand 

 years earlier. The mail between Quebec, Halifax and New York 

 was only monthly, and even so was subject to irregularity. In 

 the Quebec Gazette of the 10th November 1792 it is stated that the 

 latest news from Philadelphia is to the 8th October and relates to 

 a battle on the Wabash river between an expedition under the 

 American general Wilkinson, and a body of Indians. Again on 

 the 29th December we read: "Yesterday's post from Montreal 

 brought New York papers to the 27th November. " In those days 

 the mail from England took two months to reach Halifax. In 

 1791 this mail, which before was monthly only, was made fort- 

 nightly. 



The shipping employed in the foreign trade of Canada — if 

 that term can be applied to her trade with Great Britain and her 

 dependencies — -is shewn by the following statement taken from 

 the Quebec Gazette of the 17th November, 1791: 36 ships, 1 snow, 

 47 brigs, and 6 schooners, or 90 vessels in all. In 1805 the total 

 had increased to 146 vessels with an aggregate burthen of 25,136 

 tons; in 106, to 191 vessels, chiefly square-rigged, with an aggre- 

 gate burthen of 33,474 tons. 



The finances of the Province were not under the control of 

 the House of Assembly, but under that of the Governor General 



