\ t f %;Ki! ^Vsi -•V »- -'3 ^ tWT IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT.3) .'N • -' "! J^ / ) „- Ç- ^Sdenœs , Corporation' 23 WIST MAIN STMIT WIBSTIR,N.Y. 14SM (716) •73-4503 f».atà4i(meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symboi V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Map», plates, charte, etc., may be filmed at différent réduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely ijiclu^ed in one exposure are filmed beginningm the upper left hand corner, left^to right and top to bpttom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: 1 2 3 L'exemplaire filmé fut reproduit grflce à la • - générosité de: Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Les images suivante^ ont été reproduites avec le plue- grand s6in, conipte tenu de la condition et de la netteté de l'exemplaire filmé, et en - conformité avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. 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Il 'K ¥ « 1 1 2 3 -^ J 4 M 4 5 6 -< " ,■* 32X ^'«•éiteài'ft-^^ijaïîji'j»*»." ^-jài^-it'i I i. ^^ uimÂM&dM'^Jiy «m Wi 1 l'.I'.ï •» . vW lj#ei4«C"!'AM**'> si î,fci.!t .".'•<' -^1 J f^. w^W *EECB L fl*5 z- .. • V . . OF TES , '•>'^ HON. MR. JUSTICE HAMBURTOir, HP. • H- nr VHK 1^ HOUSB O^COMMONS, ON TUE8DAY, THS 2Ut OF APRIL, 1860, ON THB h*»"^ HEPEAL OF THE DIFFERENTIAL DUTIE8 lu ON FOBEIGN AND COLONIAL WOOD. '^«i ïM LONDON: ÊDWAED STA^îFORD, é, CHAEING GBOS^» 1860. ' 9 «' A. . V .v"l ' y ^ «■*? /*>! f^ fe-A . / ;f T \ Vf-<'^S! li.'^ y tW^j^^^,' -> ^„'s#4.*i .v ""f^rf^Nf" *• y**, ■Pf, f^ ■■- / SPEECH. «sjs When the clause of theOustoms Act, equalisin^ the dutiea on foreign and colonial wood, was moyed by the Chancellor of the'Exchequer, Mr. Justice HaUburton rose and said he had an amendment to propose, which wasof thegreatest iiùportance to the Colonies, and British North America, and especially to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, with which he was more immediately connected. But as it was near midnight, and Members were not generally aware that the aubject was to be brought on at that time, he hoped that the Bight Honourable Gentleman would not press the discussion in a thin House, when the supporters of Government were almost the only persons présent. He must move, " that the Ohair- man report progress.^' The Chancellor qf the Exchequer said he was quite certain that though the hour, quarter to twelve, might be considered late in some countries ; it was, accord- ing to the uà^ of that House, an early hour. (Laughter.) The présent was a most fevourable "fîmé— - -—^■- — . - ■ == ^^èsxù^V,,,!^ X -1 '.„• t-x*^ j, i / 'M^ .'»* î II t w -»t ■,.'- 'm ■ i:? Mr. Halibùrtonr—Oh, yes; a naost favourable time for you. (Laughter.) The Chancellor : — It is a most satisfactory time for the discussion of the question, the House being in a cabn and temperate mood, and having nothing to * Bway it« judgment. (Laughter.) Mr. Haliburton : — ^Yes ; it will suit you very well, but under such circumstances it is useless for me to proceed. I must withdraw the amendment, and Bubmit. (Cries of " Go on," " Proceed," &c.) , Mr. Haliburton then said, he felt that fhere was \ no other alternative left to him ; he should, there- \ fore, not persist in his motion to report progpress, \ but proceed at once to laybefbre the House the rea- Isons upon which he had felt it his duty to move the amendment, which had just been read by the Chair- i^an. But he assured the Committee he never rose linder circumstances of sùch great embarrassment. He prôposed to move that in page 16, line 31, of the BiU, aller " sawn or split, planed or dressed," shiètuld be inserted the words '' except deals, bat- ^ tens, and boards, which shall remain at the pre- " sent duty." No person reading that short line of the Bill, and the concise exception claiïse, could sup- '^ pose that undeme&m those words lay a measure of as gre^t importance as ever was brought before the Housei. Wixen he jconsidered that the vast popula- tion of \ those «xtensive colonies in North America to ba effected by this financial measure were not only whoJly unrepresented in that House, bilt I If il j ' #!., no recognizeë and officiai chaniiel whatever in this country by i^jch their wante or their wishes could be maée kno A( to the Government ; that there wàs nota single i^dividual présent who couW possiMy feel any interesl in them beyond that désire to do justice whicb wâs thé characteristic of ail English- men ; and that Me himself, upon whom ïiad devolved the task of advoèating^ their cause, was a strangep both in this countç-y and that House, a pamful feel- ing of isolation came over him, which he was quite certain was never before experienced by any mem- ber of that assei^bly. He must, therefore, crave the indulgence of «he House while hestated the case of our fellow-subjects on the other side of the At- lantic. British America, as they were ail well aware, was essentially a foi-est country, and as such its main export was the timber of thàt forest which covered its surface. That constituted; their great staple of trade. It was that, that engagid andoccu- pied during their long winter months, not only the floating labour of the colony, but the agricultural class, whose work was suspended at that season by the severity of ^ northem climate; it gave^émploy- ment also to their teams of oxen and horses in transportmg the hVige logs to the margin of the frozen brooks or rivers, to be ready, m the spring, fop rafting to the saw-mills^ to be mannfôctured into deals and boards for exportation. The interestô of the whole people, theWfore, were more or îess in- ^èlvéd in ^è trade, Mî l^itev^ afféc^' ti^ ?^t^^ ■^*s 7 '- î'-T A' Si tl- '>a«liâ«ïi'Vî5l^^^*^5H^^ ( (^^'-^i^ ' jiijiî: «^vA fafeû' ^ iîî^'îî^^^Vi^-hjvj 3.vXi**^ k '^ f n^ t "I?: -r«^^.if^>\\ '^ m. 6 affected alao the welfare of the whole country. It i was of far more importance to them, and its influ- ence more universaDy felt, than that of every other branch of industry. ^In this respect there was a wide différence b^ween them and tbe people of Engiand. Hère, tbere are so many vast and varions interests, if any one was ruined, it would not affect the gênerai prosperity of the whole nation. Its in- fluence was local and Hmited. Hère also evCTy class was efficientlyrepresentediii this House. The cork-cutters, the sïlk-weavers, the paper-makers, and others similarly situated, who were ail for free trade for the rest of the world, but Protectionists for them- selves~(« Hear," and laughter)— were so power- fully and so ably represented, that they could make themselves heard aûd felt, and, as we had lately seen, could command supj^rt for their views even among some of the oldest and foremost of the advo- çates of free trade, who claimed exemption for their constituents from the opération of their own prmci- ples— but who waa hère to speak for those three mil- lions of able, mtelligent, enterprising and loyal men, who, though unrepresented, were sufficienily nu- merous and powerftd to lay the foundation of a large empire ? (Hear, hear.) If he felt discourage- ment at this state of things, it was ndt diminished by the considération, that the measure emanated jS-om the ChanceUor of the Exchequer, one of the ^^..œost doquent, ingenious, andprsua^vejl men,but as he described hiînself the other night,the most ^ — , M^î iUkfcji^ mJtmMâi T'.' ■r'i »,«;■ *t\ im^rvious to reason on this subject. (Laug^hter.) Wheh^ he looked ai thé opposite benches, and saw a majority there who, impd[l6d b^ the influencé of £ree trade doctrines^ had borne down ail oppo^ cation^ carried him through ail the phases of bis new commercial scheme^ and enabled him to repeal^ indirect taxation^ he felt the tide was running* against him^and that it was hopeléss for him, unaided and alone as he was, to struggle agàinst it. Still 4ie wou|d appeal from the Ghancellor of the Exche- quer to the good honest English feeling of members, - who loved fair plày, and who, if they could not assist, would at least sympathise with the weakerS^ party. (Hear, hear.) In former days it was the policy of the country to nurtiire and foster its colo- nies. That was the period whén the gentlemen on his side of the House were known by the well-de- fined and time-honoured name of Tories, and before they adopted a new nomenclature with a sliding'.«' ■scale, and called themselves Coiiiservatives— libéral, "^ Advanced, or Progressive Gon^rvatives, and used other aliases having but little meânûnfijoid less sensé in them. In those good old timips Cwas thé. habit of this country to regard its colonies ^th favour and affection; and he recollected in"" lus younger days, that " Ships, colonies, tijàd c^ummeroe," coâsti- ^uted a standing toast. It wa0, perhaps, an ampli- fication, for colonies induded and enabraced ttie other twq. Those good ol^ days were^now passed, to cotton-^ ^. giv^ I-»! I n i't"Y^,'"'i twist and ootton yams. Niçw idea» and néW prm- ciples had arisen. Then it was considered that it WBB ovâ duty to , promoté ihe welfare and dé- fend the territoriQB of our distant posseesions, on the p^inciple that those who beget childreç and plant colonies were bound tp protect and support them. Therefore every encouragement was given to tliat forest country to furnish suppliée of .timber to Englànd, at the period when the North of Europe (the ,only other source firom whence we could dérive it) was by the machinations of the uncle of the présent Emperorbf the French closed against us. In this way the ^^ëèy of Great Britain Mid thô prosperity of the colonies were ensured. In 1842, Sir Robert Peel thougbt that the time had arrived when the people of this country ought to bave the advantage of a compétition wtween the foreigner and the colonist, and therefore reduced the differ- ential duties on their respective productions, so as to give the consumer the benefit of a. cheaper supply. Now he found no feult with the principle, but with the manner in which it wa© carried out. Ho notico- was given of the réduction, as was the case now. The change was so sudden and so violent thatit cauW universal distress and gênerai bankrupt(ry^ ambng those engt^ed in the trade. Large sums of linoney had been invësted in the érection of saw miUs, great outlay had been incprrèdin felling the timber,^ c.-v-.;,„ V,:.— *:• 10 barely covered the cost of production and freig-ht ; but when th^ supply in the British market^ from the Korth of Europe was small^ some little profit was realised j and that tiberefore was a spéculation and not a leg^imate trade. While thin^ were thus situated^ the Chancellor of the Exchequer had thought it a proper and appropriate tiikie to introduce without notice his scheme for equalisingf the duties. It was a mat^r of the greatest importance^ and not to be regarded in the %ht of a mère pecuniary afikir, but as afFecting the very tenure of the colonies. He en- treated the House to consider whether they intended to put it out of the power of those provinces to belon^ to them or not. He could tell them this measure would eut the first strand of the cable which con- ijected them with this country. When it was first announced^ there were a few colonists at Liverpool, as there generally were at this season of the year, in arranging for the sale of their spring exports of lumber. The intelligence filled them with dismay. Had they received due notice, they might bave had time to withdraw from the trade, but the supply for the coming year was already prepared, the timber had been eut and manufactured, and must either rot where it was, or be shipped at a certain and fearfîil loss. They were in the greatest perplexity . Among those merôhants was a Mr. McAvity, the Mayor of^ the city of (^ John, the capital of New Brunswick, who was^^iompleting . hia.iiontracta with the mer-; chaiËts of liverpool, fer Aupplying them Airith deale. .\^. I ■tuit^ \ i^iiAtfiJidfi - =.ji.a «ioAi-Aî- ^ ^iik^6itbil^ .' m^u I ,A' \ •fum^ 11 He was a very respectable man, dlid filled an officey towhich he had been elected by a very différent élass of persons from the "sixpoimd" househôlden^ who were about to receive the franchise in En^land^ althoiîgfh he certainly desired to cast no réfection upon the gentlemen ]^ho composed "the strikes" in this country. (Laug-hter.) Mr. McAvity, who to a certain extent was clothed with a représentative , character, addressed a letter in behalf of his éountry- men to the ChanceUor of the Exchequer, entreating him to afford an opportunity to the peoPP to be j\ affeçted by this measure to be heard before it should be passed into a Law. Now he (Mr. Haliburton) had read this letter most attentively, and certainly he could perceive nothing impertinent in it, or calcu- lated to excite the ire of thât high iimctionary. (Laughter). Private affairs, said the writer, com- pelled him toretumimmediately to^iis own country, but before he left England, he must express his con- viction that the Bight Hon. Gentleman could not be aware of the extrême injury, that the new scale ofduties wouldinflict upon Her Majesty's subjects in New Bî'unswick, more especially those engaged in the manufacture and exportation of deals. He also insisted, that he and hisfc^ow colonists who had esipended large Bums of money in saw mills and other requirements of the trade, upon the fàith of the continuance of the présent duties, had on that Wûnt of notice aggrayatedthe difficulty, and greatly ■ % 'i\ , ' miA*^ ft-'- ^^ < ^iyL.Ù '^irtL^ li J 4'^ ^^ uiit^ '"fMr "!V^'. / là w \' \ ittcreased the loss inflicted upon them^ by this change of policy. In this country no suoh inconvenience could pcmbly he experienced^ for ncfisooner was an ^tentionto repeal or impose a duty even hinted at, than an intimation of it/nras instantly conveyed by post, by railway, or by telegraph, to the most remote parts of the kingdom. It was immediately known at John O'Groafs house, when up would rise the Member, haying* the honour to represent the fertile région where that celebrated house stood, and make known the opposition of the gentlemen of '* Groats." (Laughter). Mr. McAvity did no more than en- treat for delay. He respectfully avowed bis convic- tion that should the proposed change be carried out without a reasonable opportunity being given to those affected by it to express their opinion upon it, "such a hasty proceeding would undoubtedly create serions discontent, among, a people who had always been conspicuous for their attachment to the institu- tions of this country.'* Well, if there was anything improper in the tone of that letter, perhaps some Honourable Member would begood enough to point it out to him, for he confessed as a simple-minded Golonist he was unable to discover it(hear hear, and a laugh). Now came the Right Hon. Gentleman's answer, which he must sajf was not such a one, as he thought it becoming in a Chancelier of the Exchequer to make. It was very haughty, and very superdlious. The liberty the provincial mayor teken in fiddrën^^tîm, ieemed fo amaze Um. I > ^ I A 4-' &_.#Bs«ït.^i Kl» * 4 » , , . 1 , ibSi liûiM, 'JiÀsm f^'- .. „-*Tr'''yt:: What î I a man from New Brunswick, who could in n^^ way influence a singfle vote in that House, venture to expostulate with him? What sort of a fellow wafi t^at , to address a British Chancellop of the Exchequer? (Laugfhter^. The man must hâve been dumfoundered at the answer he received, before he got home, if he didn't die of fi%ht. (Renewed laughter.) In your letter, said the Chancellor, you «protest" as well as « remonstrate "— dreadfid words ! 1— and, frbm this formidable commencélnent, one would naturally bave eipected that some fearful oaths or extraordinary Yankee expletives had been hurletl at him, but after ail he only " protested"— a thmg which the Noble Secretary for Foreign Afiàirs bas been too much blamed for not doing on the Savoy ques- tion. But the Rig-ht Hon. Gentleman appieared to hâve got excited by the hardihood of the man, in venturing to "protest" and "remonstrate" against any change in the Timber Duties,until the people of New Brunswick had had an opportunity of express* ing their views on the subject. «Were I to ex- amine your language critically, he said, I could not admit your right individually to protest against any législation Which Parliament may think it right to adopt for the equaliiation of the duties on foreign and colonial wood." (Cries of hear, hëar, from the Ministerial side.) Yes, said Mr. Haliburton, yo» do right to say " hear," for you bave a.good deal more Jto*^ear " yet (a lau gh)^ "and when^you désira to * re-__ Vf il. monstrate' on behalf of the inhabitants of a Oolony, :î!ci^J,^s*^^,t,^^*JY^ V 'fio-4L«Jy* *., ijh^At >i^ ■^ l^. H'' ,.-û/ 1* 1 miiBt reni&rk, that youp remonstrance owght to be addressed to the Secretary of State for the Colonies— (Hère spoke the Circumlocution Officer) (alaugh)— who would exercise his discrétion as to bringing it bfefore the Minister of Finance." That was a way of conciliating the Colonists certainly 1 1 A mère pro- vincial merchant had no right to use the words «protest" and « remonstrate." They sounded highly indécent to English ears, especially if ad- dressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Em- perors and Secretaries of State were alone permitted to utter them. That was the mode in which the ChanceUor of the Exchequer had thought proper to address the pepple of British North America, men in every way superior to and différent from their six pound voters who hardly kne^ what they were talking about. A coloni8t,forsooth,1»ras told that he must not présume to approach a personage like the ChanceUor of the Exchequer of aU England; but that he, the mayor of a pettifogging place like St. John, New Brunswick, must go back to his own country, and then address his, Governor (for no communication' could betreceived but through him), and he wduld forward his protest to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, who would use his own discrétion, whether or not he would lay it before the Minister of Finance. (Laughter.) In. ail pro- bàbiUty the Secretary of State for that department never would comply with the reque et, because l ong before the Colonïst could reach hisTîomé and gët >\ i* / ^ \^ )£ 1%. n'i^ . 'f&f «4.L. i^-it.-_i aoÀi-ÀLL^ -.MbtJi I * lô - « tibroug^h the circmnlocutioii office^ ihd Bill.would. hâve passed. througti Parliament^ and he would be told; it had arrived too late.— (Hefu*, hear, and a laug^h.) Nothing* could be more intolérable thon this* The Ghancellor of the Exchequer tben goes- oti to State, that be knew of no cbrcumstance which could lead a Golonièt, exercisingp ordinar j prudenee, to reckon on the permanence of a law for retaining' the différentiel duties on timber. But surçly, plain principles of justice suggested, that if their export trade was to be eut off, some little notice ougpht to be ^ven them, to enable them to withdraw their capital^ fmd seek other sources of employment. If such ex- pectatîons could not be entertained by prudent men, ail he could/ say was, that ail the inhabitants of British America were equally imprudent, for most certainly they ail did eutertain such expectations, and did rely on the justice and the wisdom of Parliament. The Bight Honourable Gentleman went on further to say, "you describe the change as destructive of the trade and the prosperity of the Goknists, if so, it can only be because the d^erential duty exacts from, the people of England, who provide for the Military and Naval defence of New Brunswick, at their own chargée, an artificial price for its produce." — Now this would be a most ungenerous tatiut if it were true, but in point of fact there was not a word of truth in it. NotWng could justify this boast, — If jou do^rotect tlfena, it is no more thiui yoùr duty / to do 80. itovL planted the Colony, and y ou are W,'- ÏTT \- *" boundto défendit/ and small praise would be due to you for so doing*. — But unhappily you don't doi, it^ and never dîd, and ijtJ^ well known never will. Of ail countries in the world, don't talk of defending New Brunswick ! Di^d the English Government protect it when they sent ont Lord AshBurton to settle the boundary linewith the United States; who^ with a lîill knowledge of the ahsurdity of the American daim, with a stroke of his pen surrendered one-third of the proyince, (and that portion too which included its best timber land), together with a dis- trict that in one place embraced both sides of the river, and so confiised ^e boundary, that the settlers in the upper part of the province hâve to pass through American territory to reach their own capital ? Not content with thus disreg^rding their just territorial rights, he actually gave them the privilège of a free navigation of the River $t. John, and transferred to them the i>nly safe and practical mail-route the colony had to Canada. If this is the way you protect New Brunswick, weU may they say, " we can protect ourédves from our enemies, but save us fi'om our friends.*' You protect the colonies 1 Did you pro- tect Nova Scotia when you gave^p its fisheries to the Americans ? In such hot haste was this done, that when the delegates from that provmce (who were sent for to save appearances), arrived at Québec, they found the Oovei^r-General had actually signed the treaty. In thià mftnner was sacrificed one of the noblest IBsheries in the world. Ignorance and rashness were - » / M 1 V'î^lïJÉ a 17 the -characteristics of the treaty, for it con|;ained a clause^enabling» the Americans to land on the:uncul- \ tivated shores of the Cotonies, for the purpose of (drying their nets and curing their fish, wlien in foct there is not an acre of land from the bordera 6f Canada to the limits of the State of Maine, that ia not private property ; so that thèse forei^ fishermen now claim to use any land, not enclosed or under actual cultîvation, for the purposes of their ffshery— but what are colonial rights when they stand in the way of a supply of cotton? In much the samé way was Canada protected in the Reciprocity Treaty, which was so badly drawn up, that the clause conceding to them the navigation of Lake Michegau in the same manner as exerfeised by the vessels and ^ beats of the Americans, was so loosely wocded, that they hâve been restricted to use it only as a direct and not as a coasting trade j and by the same incon^ clusive ranguage hâve been e^cluded from the me oi the American canals, which Was promised in retum for a simiiar right conferred upon them to pass through those on the British siàe of the bouridary.— Was it protection to the North-west country, when by so gross a blunder, that it would, on a compétitive examination, hâve caused the rejection of a candidate for the commission of an ensign in a marching régi-, ment, one-half of the beautîful territory of Oregou was given up, the settlements of the North-west -£!oi n pan y aba n d o ned, and ardiWâon-Kae-estaJHishi B .T'a '4' l>etweeii the United States and ns^ in snch utter ignorance of the country, that we are now in a state of great difficidty abont dur title to the island of St. Juan. — Or was Newfoandiand now protected from the aggrensions of the Prench, who were quietly annezing" a large portion of it to their possessioner, and erecting fortifications in their neighbourhood^ çontrary to the express terme of the Ireaty. He was going to say, that if that was the pro- tection with which they were taunted, it , would \be far better for colonists H» be without it, but that he should leave them to say when the proper ^me came.' But Mr. McAvity, as the Bight iponouraMe Gentleman had observed, was about to ri^turn hmne. If he did sa by the New Yo^, and not ' tl]|é Halimx routCj he would hâve another pri^of the " foi^tering care of England, for he would Jbe compelled- to go from thence to Canada, and then by the Grand Trunk again to enter the United States at Portland^ and from thence to proceed by steamer to St. John, for there is no mail route through the provinces to Canada, and in winter the people of the upper coun- tries had to receive their letters through the territory of the States. This inconvenience had been severely felt in time of war, ànd might hereafter cost us the colonies. It is to be hoped the Mayor would retum a wiser man tban when he left home. Hère he was told )'ou must submit to the loss of your traffic on timber. It i s the resuit of a fr ee-t rad e p o licy, which to be a panacea for alî evils. " Look we hâve h^'C L. ^* , ■'a. - *^-Ji*wi5i-fcSfc-^ ih^ êi> » While in 1869 the import of foreign wood w^ w n colonial 1,611,681 1,366,667, 1,248,060 2,614,626 .ÏJVÏ : •j ÇÊl\»iïiX xWtiï...^ «BÏK. -'Aj^,... /i-AV. ^*i t" ^i'^ . ÉhÂt, i ; 81 i^^Finding" that neither Mr. , M(^Avity nor Aïr. Itenkin had madé any impression okllhe Minister ^#|Finance, the colonists l^en temp9rarily résiding' at livèrpool, drew ^p a Pétition to Parliament on the subjectj which pétition was also signed by many firms of the highe^t respectability in that plaçe^ who were conversant ivith and interested in the colonial, trade. It was a temperate, respectfiil^ and remarkably well written document. They pràyed the House'to griiint time for th^t^^omitrymen to be h«ard in opposition^ to this measuré, and àbove ail not to withdraw the |)rotection without notice, espe- cîally as colonial wood destined for the ïiigiisb^ market, from Aecessity must be always prepared dming- the preceding* autumn and winter; that they now had the whole stock for the présent yearjm hand, and the sacrifice would be most disastrous. They then set ont at large, the reason why the re- mission of duties should not apply to " deals, boards^ and the productions of their sa w-mflls/' ^lifterJthey had proceeded thus far, they practically experi» enced, as they had bflen done befpre, how utterly helpless they were. To whom could they é^pply to advocate their cause ? They had no représentative in that Bouse. Thére was no Membei* particularly ^interested in them or their trade, the Golomal OfBce was an impérial and , not a colonial department, and was designéd to carry out the policy of the Govem- mqBt, an^ not to forward the view s or promot^ thfL I» ii>\ 1 welfare of those. distant dependencies. They had tW-i^'' "Ui ■s^n^i ni*. \ . f thA^Jj[(ff7 "» jher^jfa^ fa mily b^^ resided for nearly ISO^'eai^ consecutively utider a, i^%^'^ wgt' sKaaBS**!*,,, âs^iSBèfetii lMb:-i»«'ù4 very encourtiging th% toT>ç Wrd at the Bar of .thatHouse. (Hëar, an4 alaugh.) But Dr. Frank- lin about that period wrote a Httle treatise, which he would recommend Honourabk Gentlemen on the otber side bf the Hquse to read, for they were travelling on the same road as their predecessors. It>as entitled " Bules for making- a Great Nation mto a very small one." Having thus aecounted for the causes which had given rise to the Pétition, he would now State precisely what they did ask, and m this respect he must say their demand was very moderate and very reasonable. They had instructed him, m order to concihate the ship-builders, to ask tor no rétention of duties on such articles of wood as were used m their U-^e. In that branch they would endeavour to compote with the Baltic mer- «ftante, and, if they could not do so, abandon the ..export. They also féWed the opposition of the owners of saw-mills in this country, and requested him not ^ press for the maintenance of the differ- ential duties oi| round or square timber, so as not to mterferewiththe intereste of the British mills. But what they did ask most eamestly was a continuance of protection for deals and boards, as there was an immense capitel invested in mills for manufacturin^ them, whidi this measure would utterly annihilate Ihere was an enormoua stock now accumulated durmg the past autumn and winter, on the faith of the contmuance of the présent rate of duties, and r- ""-'"'' '""^ VI uuues, ana they had grent r eaao n to. op m pteinôf ThiT sudden^ \ lf« 4 VL» S r-i- %n -< ' -s.^* f>p-^f' ^,-^^î||.i3Ry.^^B^^ [ • 2Ô aiid unexpected change. — It would cause very great distress. The réduction of the price in the Liverpool market wouldu^ect ail the varions parties tô whom it hàd given employment. The labourer would lose the earnings of the past year — ^the con- tractors would be gteat sufferers, and the exporting merchants, who had furnished on crédit the supplies necessary for carrying on the manufacture, would be still greater losers, for advantage would be taken of their necessities hère, and the funds would be wantingforthepayment of British good», usually purchased hère by the proceeds of the lumber, on which ail had hithertô confidently relied. AU this would naturallyraise the question in North America, whether, as they had ail: I9ie disadv.antagés of the connexion with Great Britain, and ùone of the advantages, it was in their power to continué it on such terms, and whether they ought not to set up for themselves and become independeoit — will théy not say, " wfe are as numerous now as the Ameri- cans were when they became a separate nation. We bave three millions of men of more sterling stufF than they had at the period of their révolution. — Had we not better part now, and part not as they did, but as good friends. We can then make treaties for ourselves, or we can unité with our iieighbours with whom our commercial relations tire so nearly alUed. Why should we be placed in a worse con- dition th a n our f ell ow subjects i i LJ B nglandl The.^ •fft. Chancellor of the Exchequer h^ already relieved ''^if«**f^'>ilir 'i^S^^U^ i ■.'^^:, '' i 36 many British înterests^ why are we alone to suffer ? He had granted a draw-Wck to the paper makers, and to the holders of wine ? Were the people of British America^ the props and su{f|)orts of this country, undeserving of a simil'ar act of justice, for the stock of timherthey had now aceumulated V He was aware that the Bight !Ëonourahle Gentleman denied that the equalization of the duties would pro- dace the effects, he had described. In his letter to Mr. McAvity, he said, " the sinister prédictions of evils in 184S, as likely to follow irom the measure of Sir Bobert Peel, hàd not been realized." He^ould . now shew that the shipping interest of the country was so seriotidy affeoted by that act, that it had not recovered at the preseât time, and this he would prove by Cnstom House retums. The number of vessels that entered the St. Lawrence from the sea in 1841, the year preyious to the réduction on Foreign Timber, which vessels were chiefly engag«d in the wood trade was 1458; in 1843, the number decretised to 1081 ; in 1843, the number was 1419 ; in the folio wing* year, it was nearly the same, namely 1420 ; but in 1848, it decrea^ed to 18ô0. To take a period of ten years, that is from 1840 to 1850, the accountB would stand thus : — The arrivais of British Ships inwards to Guiada In 1840, were . . . 2416 In 1850 . . . . 1867 Decreafle in Teu Years 76S /\f, <^ ^4*>> c wggmum. 'i$., / 27 The number outwarfs, In 1840, was In 1850 . ►i^/ 2090 1337 Decrease . . . . 762 ' To come nearer to the présent time, that able, intelligent, and trustworthy gentleman, Mr. Ran- kin, demonstrated in his letter to the Chancelier of tlMhiBxchequer, that fro'm 1840 to 1859, a period of 19 years, the import of içiréigD. wood to this cùiàity increased 134 per cent, while the increase on Colonial Timber was only Q^ per cent, and also as the duties and ireight now stand, that the Baltic Timber has an advaûtage over that from the Colonies, of 40 per cent of' the cost of production. The prime cost of the article in both countries was nearly equal, the cheap labopr in the north of Europe, being compensated by the superior skill and enter- prise of the Colonists, but there was, from the comparative len^h of their respective distances a great disparity; according tô the liverpool Tele- graph Shipping List of the 3rd instant, it appeared that the freight from Gottenburg to Hjoll was 22« 6rf, and td Dover 82« 6dy while frpm British North America it is from 80* to 85« per load. Deal therefore cannot be introduced hère from the latter, undeK £7. 7« Qd, but from the Bdtic it can be imported at £6. 17« Qd. The act therefore of Sur _^bert Pftfil in 1842 , and the subséquent reduc- 4" tions that had taken place had so per^yzed the '^ yjÂÈ^ té4*i^JÈ^'xu> JL •^■fi tS" «*?"' 28 shipping interest of the Colonies, that this sea- gomg trade had become stationary for years past — and it was a melanpholy fact that their able, mte%ent, and skilful shipmast^rs were seekinff occupation elsewherej some had accepted em- ployment in the States, and others in England, and he was happy to say that they were among- the most trusty ànd successful commandera sailing ont of the Port of Liverpool, and yet this was the time selected by the ChanceUor of the Exchequeî', to withdraw this smaU protection— and what was the reàson, he aUeg^ed for this measure ? It was, for- ^^*^f JP lower the price to the consumer hère? Put wi^he réduction of duty effect that object? î^ar from it, so f^r from making- this particular description of wood, namely, deals and boards, cheaper, it wiU enhance ite price. A few London naerchants who hâve a mopopoly of the Baltic trade, after drivingr out of the market; their own countrymen on the other side of the Atlantic, wiU regulate the price to suit themselves. They hâve ah-eady raised the price to the extent of half of the duty, and here- after will estabhsh their charges as they please. We know ah-eady what the combination of a few people can do who possess a monopoly, for some eiffht or twelve persons now estabhsh the price of copper, a^d hâve been known to raise or lowqr it to the estent of ten pounds per ton, in oràer to exclude cwipçtition. . This meaaure, therefore, will cauie a Al t I ^wr3rg*9«(rfeBr^1iff îWOTûé^^^^ n^^mn"Œe^ -*■/ im'^ i^iku ,ArA' 'sJtJfcL''iJt4Pia A't- jMa.'"^ïr*'.^'i„ii&? fx-^m /-l 1*"«<» «T- ' ' •" T-^T^^ f *"'f(,"'?^«'f'S^*Sî^ïf \ ■41' 29^ colonial shipping'. As far as Nova Scotia is con* cemed, he could spéak from personal knowledge, that it would quite exting^sh this branch of their trade. The iinancial defect of this scheme was, per- haps, the smallest part of the mischief. It was the duty of a statesman to take a larger view of the subject. This was a maritime counta-y, and required to maintain her supremacy on the océan; was it wise to prostrate the mercantile marine of the third largest ship-ownin^ country in the world, for Britiah North America ranked in this respect next to the United States? It afforded the greatest nursery we hâve for seamen. He had listened ni^ht after nig-ht, to what sailors called "long- yams" about a naval reserve, a measure Ihat had often been tried and had as often failed, and ît appeared to him that those who talked about it did not know the meanin? of the term. The Government were i^orant of its purport, but every merchant) and every incorporated Company thoroughly understood it. They first paid their expenses and declared a dividend, and then laid aside a certain sum for conthig-encies, which they called a reserve fund^ but a reserve implied a sur- plus. Now, the reason the Government failed was, they were déficient of sailors, and had no surplus of seamen from which alone a reserve could be formed, and yet the Big-ht Hon. Gentleman iras doing" his best to diminish the number still fur*--; 4hep,^ by thf0ffing4b& colonittl sh ip pi ng^^^g^^^ems^ • H .V f ployraent. France was acting in a veiy différent l',£;A.-tid..Bi«*istôî«ÉsîL.'A'ïi».ui*Wi Ji^ jusM. K ,*»■' tJl'VW" -t -f- ■" • ■ ^ vu ri ■ •- tr» h??* 30 maàner.— «fce grave bounties (which hô did not adf England to g^ve) to those engageif in the deep séa fisheries, and. Jiad now thirty thou- sand seamen on the coast of Nçwfoundland, which country she was quietly annexing to St. Pierre, our attention was withdrawn by an ignis fatuus m Savoy, ^hich, however interçsting to Europe, did not afféct us in the same manner as the loss of our . own territory. He did not ask for bounties, but «i»^^ «<.?"¥>> ™^*fï 'i-^'Sf ■^^"1 «1»^ .--■ 1' rrr,! r 32 opposition to the parent State. Indeed, New Engfland\fornished het quota of régicides in the person of \the Rev. ïïugi Pétera, who very pro- perly expidted his offence on the gallows. The présent colobies, on , the contrary, were . mainly settled by mhn who had fought and bled in the service of theiAsovereign. During the trying time of the revolutioto, British North America remajaed tnie to her aUegi^ce, and, when the rev(51utîo/was over, thousands ok loyalists abandoned their homes and their poperty k the United States, and sought an asylum in the Wildemess of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Canada, in order to hâve the honour and satisfaction of hviiû and dying under the Bri- tish flag. Thèse were ke men who begat the pré- sent race, and who had bfequeathed their loyalty as an mheritance to their chiWren. Nothing could be so insulting to such a peçpife as to treat this senti- ment with ridicule. In IS^they evinced, by their noble conduct, the sincerity of\their convictions. At that time. Napoléon the FirsL having^subjugated nearly aU Europe, was marchinV, with the greatest army the world had ever then knoyn, upon Moscow> and it seemed as if England was\ on the brink of destruction. That was the occasion Which the Ame- ricanâ thought most appropriate to jok the common enemy, and accordingly declared war Winst their mother country. Canada was invaded àt aJl points, and let me.ask who repeUed the/b<^ts thà\ had thns convert ed^herpeacefal ti yf i tory in mw=bm i.^i^* ,-.i^*V^jV-^ i-l "i'i' iJ j^tn^f^ u~ ■J- *,^ ^'.■aifif... \ : as; it your army and navy ? Of the firet, yoti hàd no régiments to spare^ ail wére wanted in a Kfe and death stïTiggle in Europe^;? and of the last, your ships on the lakes were captured for want of sailors to man them. No, it was the gallant militia Of the conntry, aided hy some fevr soldiers who were thei'e at the time, just enough in number to impart disci- pline, who drove back the invaders, and compeïled them to recross the border. Thèse were deeds and not boasts. Again, at a later period, when French and American intri^es, combined with disloyal counsels from this country, ading' on those who were of foreign extraction, and especially the Radi- cal and Chartist emigrants fiHnn Bogland (similar people to those deluded mert whom the HonouraWe Member from Manchester lately congratulated, that they were going- to a country where they would' not ïïa^to bow to a Lord, or crouch to an aristocrat). Whài thèse combined influences induced those mis- guided men to rtÉise the standard of revolt, what had then happened ? WW, though the (îovemments at the United States andVOreat Britain weTe at peû<*, the arseqals of the former were threwn open and'^ purposely left unprotectéd for the use of the hordes of the border population, who inyaded Canada for "^ the purposes of plunder and rapme. He wèuW «sk, who suppressed the revoit? He was proud to say itwas mainly efiècted by the militia. NBr did not meanto undervalue the services of the smal! wiilitnry _ foroe ^ftt wto in the conntiy at 1*e time. They behaved then, as they always do, with great gai :** c '. .^^^.,<^U1'^ i^rfU'eiSilli^, U^*K»g' ,,^^*'^J^t.*'i.« Î.Vv-^ t^ ^' ~ -"^-Wl 5>îr.- ,-•; _»Hl Tf »<«t«W»>»^i'l " y^-ti-'-^^P- .-»^ . A 84 lantry, for wherever they are enga^ed they cover thëmselves with glory ; but in this case the conduct of the militia was above ^ praise. When Sir Jahii 'Coiborne wrote to Sir Francis Bond Hea^ and asked hinj if he could spare any of the military, he made this cglebrated reply~« Take ^them ail, 1 will 'place myself at théhead of tbe militià and drive the rebêls and Yankee sympathisera out'of ^e country ;" and he did so most effectually. And hSe he must take leave to say, that that most intelli^t, most popular, and constitutioual Govemor (by^^ the best that was ever sent td Canada) is a livin^Sonu- n^ent of ihe ingratitude of this country, during; e^^fy succeeding- Administration, from that time to this. The people'of North America, thei-efore, deserved an indulgent considération from the Government of this country. In addition to the other claims which they poa- sessed, he ought to state that they had always shewn' thëmselves most ready to comply with the wishes of the Home Government. As soon as they were able, they ^elieved this countçy of the expense of their local government, and had taken it upon thëmselves to carry it on, on a scale of munificence and hbe- rality, which, considering theh- means, was almost unequalled. They paid the Govemor whom Eng- land had sent p^t to them from the meagre treasury of à young colony, neariy double that which was received by the Président of the United States, A n d wh at w^^he^tam^at was mad^ t o t he m^? On a récent occasion, when the question, what ..; f,ii ui>i»2'é!j0^^ÎS- J'.lrt^s i ,', ^■.-àSAètti. J. ■\- rs sa names should be pren toifour différent townabips in Upper Canada, had been referred to the Governor for bis décision, bis wifô had tbe good taste to im- pose upon tl^em the namea/of Tiny, Fldiss, Opps,and Emily, thèse beiiig the nâmes of the pampered lap- dogs of a pampered master. Against tbeir enemits colonists were able to protect themselves. He only asked proteiitipn for them ag^ainst the répétition of such an insuit as that he had just mentîoned. The American8,8lave-holders as they were, exhibited more "considei-ation for theii* negroes. Instead of naming them after\jtiieir dogs, they eaUed them Cato, Seipio, |- Venus, and Juno— (Laughter)-after the beroes of antiquity and the goddesses of the Heathen Mytho- logy. Were our North American Colonists to be ' placed^ upon a lower level than tbe negro ? (Hear, _ hear.) He for one should enter bis indignant, pro- ^ test ag^inst acts so contemptuous as those to,5irhich he had referred. They had also undertaken to pay twenty thousand pounds a year towards the main- tenance d" tbeir fortifications and defences, upon the express undertaking of the Govemor-General, that, in considération of the loss they had sustained b/ tbe réduction of the differentiâl duties/and tbeii- great liberality in relieving the Home Government of jts large military estabhshment, that they should be assisted in the formation of a railway from Que- bec to Halifax, that Canada might bave a winter outlet to the Atlantjc , and a ma il: route indepeadeat^ of the United States. That pledge, he waa grieved tosay, was still unredeemed, thougb Canada had ''Jarinr-Ja^-ml, r\ f! «^ - *i^&t il 6*^ l*IlV ^ ^\^t yâ^ 36^ honourably fiilfilled-her part. One of the reasons tauntingply liasiçned bythe Chancellor of thé Exche- quep to him (Mr. Halihurtou) the other eyening^, for not considering* the interest of the <^lonieS| in the commercial trèaty with France, was, that the colo- nîsts had impofied taxes .upon* the introduction of English manufactures into theif country. Now he dfd not stand there to apologise for this, to those wh0 had no right to call them to account If they hàd thought proper to do so, it mùst be re- colljBcted that they had a perfect right to impose what taxes they plerfsed. The theory of Govemmeot under which they lived was, that for ail internai mat- tersthey wè^e suprême;; but that ail extiernal matters were within the jurisdicl^n of the parent state. If the Chancelier of the Exchequer had known any thing about the colonies,. he would hâve known that both there and in the United States there was a great répugnance to direct taxation. Both countries relied on the imposition of indirect taxes, a^cl he recollected, that when he was » memiber of the Législature of Nova Scôtia, the people weré un willing to submit to be taxed, even for the support of common schools, notwithstandmg theirgreat desîre to exteud the benefit of éducation to the entire population. Nor must i« be forgotteny that if there were high imposts iû the shapë of customs dues, they païd those dues themselves, and they submitted tô them most wil- lingly, bécause a large revenue was necessary for j^^^^^P'^g» V '"^^ "^ Q^ <^Pft^ and railways, thp) 4 \ < \ î .resoupces of the country^ They were imposed, not u'I^iiia jSf ■thâi'i^ I -J^Sl 4 i V for protection, becâuse they bad no incipient manu* factures tô prdtect, but eolely for th^ pûrposo qf ' Revenue, and they were laid upon ail importa from ail countries alike. But would it be beUeyed, that • that ivhich waa thua ignorantly and indignantly y^ imputed to them, as a fault, was in f3*ct tbe resuit of positive orders from tWs countiy. Those who presided in tbat precious establishment in Downing Street, that mouldering-ruin tbe Colonial Office» not vénérable l)ut uusightly in its decay, tbe débris of which had choked up tbe tboroughfarq— tbat insti- tution wbicb operated like a nightmare on tbe éner- gies of tbe distant provinces— tbose g^uardians of that melancholy regrion bad positively ardered, tbat colonial taxes sbould opejjate alike on ail importa, irrespective of origin, in order tbat tbey thernselves mightnot be embarrassed in tbçb* treaties witb foreign nations. How ungenerous was it tben to impute as a fôn against England, a literal compliance witb officiai régulations. Tbey bad every reason to oomplain of their position and their treatment. But if tbey bad to submit to injustice from Dngland, tbey bad to sustain every species of ridicule from tbeir Bepnb- lican neigbbours, wbicb was more tban buman iMtture could bear. Tbe people ôf tbe United States said tô them, '^ you now belong as a dçpendency ta £2ngw ' land, and bave mucb tbe worst of tbe connection. You bave no Hember in eitber House of Pfurliaxnent j -ua sB ociate y4) u raclv c 8 wi<^ -u a y^nd y^qjr will entitle you to ten Hembertk tbf 3«qiate,^»d X^O Àijiii, V II •- "^ S c>. A'S . * W ,-;•.• .*r 38 .ntheHo«serfHepre6entativ^. iDrteadofbeiW e„.^hed «pon by «s; and unprotected by E J «hould form the most powerfui nation in the world and no one wonld dnr, to trespaas upon you. I».' «tead „f be.ng: excluded a« you now Je f™» ail m.penal patronage, every office from that of tbe Président downward would be open to you and your chïïdren as an object of ambition. We bave a consul .„ every sea-port of Great Britain and a mm^ter rendent in'Londpn, but you harûo re cogm»d officer toprotectyou in auy part ôf Z kingdom. You are no where EveV, rt. 2*. «0-^n.o bave tbeir a'^ba^tX: ago than last year thé 6oy^7ot Jl^^^Z flmtfrom 1840 to 1860, the tonnage of the Ttete had .ncreased seven hund«d per cel This «zX dlirfelt"'t,f ,*'''' "■'^'"«'^ »" "- T'T ° *'''*'y '"""■•P««««i by any in the worid hey eo^d not but d.eU with ^in on tÎ "»hfy»g &ct, that by injurions legisLion "et ' mé by unw.«, treaty concessions to the AmericL? «Y tonnage during^he whole of that long 2 had b^^neariy stetion^-y. Thèse taunil"^ evermortrfyu,g,theyhad borne patiently, f^ tW enamaured with its institutions. ^ "^ ^ ^ 4 ^ :,.x^^- ^ 39 He then warned the House, most seriously, not • put it out of the power of Coloniste to continue the connexion, Self-preâervation may cause them to séek safety m independence, or in annexation with th^ neighbours, with whom their commercial deal- m^were daily increasing-. He (Mr. Haliburton) was W afraid, in using this langage, that he should be misunderstood, for his opinions were well taiown\ In aU that he had written, and he had wnttenWh, and in aU he had said, and he had addressed many assemblies in this country, his sole ^ject had been, to unite in mdissoluble bonds Great Bntam ai^d.her noble North American Colonies, to combme the raw material of the new with the manu- factoring- ékiU of the old world, andso to incorporât^ them iiito one body politic, that they might grow and prosper together, possessing as they did ona coiï^mon language, one common Hterature, one bessed System of .freedom, and one great and glonous flag. He was, therefore/ not afraid of bemg misunderstood^ and he would conclude by «xpressing an eamest hope, that the most intimate relations might for ever endure between the two countries, for he was quite certain, if properiy cul- tivated, they would be alike profitable and hcHiour. abletoboth.--(Greatcheers.) • I -■ ■ .-■ ^ THE END. ■'»ï.l )■ ' • ^ ■ n]^.ff t>% ^ J^n^^iïîh » i*-4>i^;\iîj» y«««iwir' A \ ^ ^ i^"* '^*l'^ ^ -/'^.T " ^^^ & ^«r-'j '"'^fW^^"^ '* [i'-' 1 ■ k ■ F- ?■, ■ ■ ^^H M r % 1 ^^^ ' ' ••'» ■ ■ J F ' "^^ 1 ■ ,, M • il ■ 1 11 ' -'i M •■:| r ' ■ ^^^^ ^ ^m ' ;l ï ' :i'; ^^^B^ - Jl ^F >4»_ 5- r" /.. H^^HL ^ P '■"'^ k b' t "^I^^^^^L, ^^^1 r fi- "^i^^^^^^^^^i L^^^^V F tf - i ..■^ r — ■ '■■'■u ^ 1 - ' ' \ -, 'H ^ t « ■'* 1 , • • • - ., I !^- ^i }^ .■2'i' ¥ . X,' < %-r b?i- '( ■■■' V Ti;^''(§»w\. .t-'«. • A^V ''%-M^i \ ■'' ■^^t-^^ t ■3