Response to an invitation to attend
the Reciprocity Convention, held last year, will illustrate the
benevolent idea of the treaty, and exhibit the opinion of a
distinguished admirer of the United States upon the renewal of the
instrument. The letter, itself, is dated London, 10th June, 1865. 'The
project of your convention gives me great pleasure. I hope it will lead
to a renewal of commercial intercourse with the British North American
Provinces, for it will be a miserable thing if, because they are
in connection with the British Crown, and you acknowledge as your Chief
Magistrate your President at Washington, there should not be a
commercial intercourse between them and you, as free as if you were one
people, living under one Government.'
"To make 'one people,' though living under two separate Governments,
was the great, and has been the successful, object of Lord Elgin and
Mr. Marcy. But the 'miserable thing' has happened, and the treaty is at
an end.
"On the 23rd May, 1864, I put a question on the subject of the renewal
of this treaty. The question and the answer of the Under-Secretary for
Foreign Affairs were as follows: -
[From "HANSARD," Monday, May 2nd, 1864.]
"'Mr. Watkin said he wished to ask the Undersecretary of State for
Foreign Affairs to state the present position of negociations with the
Government of the United States in reference to the proposed
termination or repeal by the United States of the "Reciprocity Treaty,"
and of the "Bonding Act," under which instruments facilities for mutual
commercial interchange have been afforded, and a large and increasing
trade has grown up with the colonies of British North America?
"'Mr. Layard, in reply, said there were no negociations pending with
regard to the suspension or repeal of the Reciprocity Treaty, and the
Government had received no official information upon the subject of the
"Bonding Acts."'
"On the 17th February, 1865, I again called attention to the question
becoming more and more urgent, by moving for 'Copies of all papers in
the possession of Her Majesty's Government respecting the Reciprocity
Treaty and the Bonding Acts, of dates subsequent to December, 1861.'
"In reply, the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs said (see 'Hansard,'
17th Feb. 1865): -
"'He had only to report what was stated by the noble lord the other
night, that there were no papers on the subject of the Reciprocity
Treaty; as the hon. gentleman was aware, no notice with respect to the
treaty had been given to Her Majesty's Government. Resolutions on the
subject had been submitted to Congress, but there had been no
intimation given to Her Majesty's Government, consequently, there were
really no papers to lay on the table.'
"Thus we have it on the direct declaration of the organ of the
Government, that no negociations were undertaken having any reference
to the retention or renewal of the treaty up to the 23rd May, 1864; and
that there were no 'papers' even in the possession of the Government up
to the 17th February, 1865, bearing upon so momentous an international
question.
