pression of such sentiments, not the least important of which you heard the other day. Lord Kimberley, a prominent member of a Government whose words and whose acts did certainly give rise to grave doubts in the minds of Colonists and of their friends-not belonging to one only, but to all political parties at home-assured us in no measured terms at the banquet to which I have referred, that no set of persons would now dare to propose to Englishmen the disruption of the Empire. But I venture to think that even that was not enough, and Lord Kimberley seems to have forgotten motions made in the House of Commons by supporters of the Government and members of our Institute, calling for still closer union with the Colonies. He has forgotten the discouraging replies of the Government to these motions. We still have work to do, though we have helped to call forth some patriotic sentiments. May we then work on and prosper till all parts of the Empire are united still more closely than they are even now, when energetic men have put a "girdle round about the earth in 40 minutes.” His Grace added that he was happy to see amongst the guests of the evening the son of a distinguished man in South Africa. He had also lately had the pleasure of seeing at his house an eminent public man from the Cape (M. de Roubaix), who had assured him that he should carry back to his Colony the most agreeable impression of the improved tone of public opinion on Colonial affairs, as was so strongly manifested at the late telegraph celebration, and for which the Colonial Institute might, in his opinion, fairly take credit to itself. Mr. KINNAIRD said the President had made an edict that there were to be no more toasts and no speeches, but he thought they would do wrong so to separate, particularly after the cheerful announcement which the Chairman had made that the Institute was likely to get larger premises owing to their increasing necessities. No doubt the noble Duke alluded to Downing-street-(laughter)where there was a vacant spot on which his Grace had perhaps cast his eye. Looking to that sentiment, and to their prospects, he thought they would fail in their duty if they did not at the inauguration of another session drink to the great Council of the Empire under their noble friend the President. (Cheers.) The Duke of MANCHESTER, in his reply, thanked the members for their reception of the toast, but said it alluded to what at present did not exist. He could at present only hope for the advent of that which he should hail with great pleasure. He could only hope that the time might come when some one more fit than himself, might be President of a real Council of the Empire. He saw no reason why there should not be such a Council, for there were plenty of men capable of forming one. England would not then stand alone, but would be combined with those enormous territories over which the British Empire extended. (Cheers.) If he could contribute towards effecting such a magnificent result, he should feel that he had done his duty in life by having aided that which would be a matter of pride to England in all future generations. (Cheers.) AN Ordinary General Meeting of the Institute was held at the The Right Honourable Viscount BURY, M.P., read the following BALANCE SHEET OF THE WASHINGTON TREATY OF CONTENTS. Fenian Raids of 1865, 1866, and 1870. Exclusion of Fenian Claims from Discussion, 3 May. Art. 26-Free Navigation of the St. Lawrence. The Canadian Canals, the American Canals, and Lake Michigan. The San Juan Boundary-Map showing Award of the Emperor of Germany. Complete Treaty Signed, 8 May. Prospective Value of the Three New Rules. Present State of International Law. Alteration made by New Rules. American View of their own Conduct with Regard to Neutrality. Decision with Respect to the Fisheries. THERE is a class of questions, which, belonging emphatically to politics in the highest sense of the word, lie outside the range of party disputes, and are judged by all good citizens on grounds altogether separate from their party predilections. To this class belongs the treaty lately concluded with the United States of America. I propose to submit to the Royal Colonial Institute a balancesheet, showing on one side the profit, and on the other the loss, accruing from this Treaty to the people of Great Britain and of her Dependencies. It cannot be wise, it cannot be patriotic, to exaggerate any advantages we may have obtained, or to extenuate concessions we have been obliged to make: we should try to strike an honest balance between the two. Allow me, having said so much by way of preface, to take the protocols of the conferences of the Joint High Commission as my text, and to make a running commentary on the various clauses of the Treaty. The questions placed before the Joint High Commission were(1.) The Fisheries. (2.) The Navigation of the St. Lawrence, and privilege of passing through the Canadian Canals. (3.) The Alabama Claims. (4.) Claims of British subjects arising out of the War, but having no reference to the Alabama Claims. (5.) The claims of the people of Canada on account of the Fenian raids. (6.) The revision of the Rules of Maritime Neutrality. If we turn to the correspondence which preceded the appointment of the Joint High Commission, we shall see that the English Government did not at first propose to include the Alabama Claims among the matters to be referred to the Commission. Our Minister at Washington,* Sir Edward Thornton, in his letter to Mr. Fish, with which the correspondence commenced, proposed that a Joint High Commission should be appointed, "to treat of and discuss the mode * 26 Jan. 1871. of settling the different questions which have arisen out of the Fisheries, as well as those which affect the relations of the United States towards Her Majesty's possessions in North America." This sentence, very cautiously worded, is obviously intended to mean the Canadian Claims for Fenian raids, and the disputes which had arisen respecting Canadian Fisheries; and it was these questions alone that the British Government was in January, 1871, prepared to discuss. Mr. Fish, in his reply, shows plainly that this was the impression left upon his mind by Sir Edward Thornton's letter. He saw that a discussion of the Fenian Claims was by no means to be desired by the United States; he therefore evaded the attack, and while he agreed to the appointment of a Commission, he took occasion to add that the main subject in dispute between England and America was the Alabama Claims.* Sir Edward Thornton answered in effect- - Very well, we will agree that the Alabama Claims shall be discussed; but do not forget that it is part of the bargain that the Canadian grievances shall be adjudicated upon." Mr. Fish saw his advantage: Sir Edward Thornton had been induced to treat the Alabama Claims as the principal subject to be submitted to the Commission. Mr. Fish was therefore careful to do the same. It was only parenthetically, at the end of his reply, that Mr. Fish says, "With reference to the remainder of your Note, the President desires me to say that if there be other and further claims of British subjects or of American citizens, he (the President) assents to the propriety of their reference to the same Commission."‡ Thus, at the very outset of the discussion, we were diverted from our purpose. We proposed a Commission to decide Canadian grievances, and it was straightway settled that the main subject of discussion should be the Alabama Claims; and, further, Mr. Fish successfully paved the way for a refusal on the part of America to discuss the Fenian Claims at all.§ No reply was sent to Mr. Fish, his view was taken for granted, and within a week Lord de Grey and Mr. Bernard were on board the Cunard steamer bound for New York, to deal as they best might with the diplomatists of Washington, leaving Sir Stafford Northcote to follow by the next steamer. I have insisted upon this point-the change of the subject originally proposed because it is one of much interest to the Colonial Institute. The original subject proposed for consideration was a Canadian grievance. Far from obtaining satisfaction for that 3 Feb. 1871. § 11 Feb. 1871. *30 Jan. 1871. 1 Feb. 1871. |