UNITED STATES AND CANADA 45 



Being informed that at one time there was a feeling 

 in this country that something like a war between 

 Great Britain and the United States might resultfrom 

 the Fishery troubles, and being asked if there was any 

 similar apprehension in England, Mr. Chamberlain 

 said, with great earnestness, that he was sure that 

 the possibility of a war between the United States 

 and Great Britain never entered the head of any 

 sensible man in England. He added that he be- 

 lieved if nothing at all were done regarding the dis- 

 puted interpretations of the Treaty of 1818, out of 

 which all the Fisheries troubles have arisen, the local 

 irritation might continue, but no war would ensue. 

 The trouble would be mostly confined to the agencies 

 employed in administering the law under that Treaty. 



Being asked again if he thought that the only effect 

 of a failure to agree upon a new Treaty now would 

 be a continuation of the local troubles between the 

 Canadians and the American fishermen, and a 

 continuation of diplomatic correspondence, Mr. 

 Chamberlain was not willing to contemplate such a 

 contingency. But he admitted the ultimate possi- 

 bility of the patriotic pride of the Americans or the 

 patriotic pride of the English getting up, and when 

 that was excited he admitted there would be danger, 

 but such a state of affairs he regarded as very remote. 

 He expressed the opinion that in this country and in 

 England the newspapers were probably a little more 

 bloodthirsty than the people. Some one having 

 asked him if it was not true that the Canadian news- 

 papers had expressed a decided apprehension of a 

 war with the United States, Mr. Chamberlain said 



