The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-10 00:00:00

AUGUST 10, 1852.

there would be at least 50,000 . or 100,000 persons
present on the anniversary of tne first victory (as it
is called) of General Scott ; but up to last evening
less than 10 000 had assembled. Few distinguished
men of the Wbig party were there, and the whole
thing was likely to prove a failure. The fact can
no longer be concealed that the Whigs made a very
unfortunate nomination, and no enthusiasm can be
got up anywhere for General Scott. On the other
hand, the mass meetings for Pierce and King
are characterized by unprecedented enthusiasm and
numbers.
The fishery excitement is extending, and the
new Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Kennedy, of
of Baltimore, has started all our navy-yards
and arsenals into activity. A powerful force is pre-
paring for the north-eastern coast, and in a short
time several of our largest and most efficient steamers
will be on their way. There is no subject on which
the Americans are so sensitive as their fisheries. I
confess that, with a knowledge of the exasperated
state of feeling along the Canada frontier and through-
out the British provinces, and a knowledge also of the
policy which the President and his Cabinet are deter-
mined to carry out,—l confess that I entertain the
most serious apprehensions of the final result. Our
Government expects a collision. Of this fact there is
no doubt.
This morning Judge Bosworth was to have given
his decision in the Maine case, but a telegraphic
dispatch has just been received of the sudden death of
Judge Sanford, at Toledo, and all the courts will
meet only to pass resolutions of respect to his memory
and adjourn. I rejoice in the delay, for it will secure
the hearing of the extradition case before the Supreme
Court of the United States at Washington, where we
know that wisdom and moderation and learning and
justice will prevail.

THE NORTH AMERICAN FISHERIES

QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOR OF TAE SUN.
believe that no wise or sagacious man will
deny that, if there are in the world two great coun-
tries who, in a moral, physical, social, and com,
mercial point of view, are in a position to do each
other the utmost possible good or the greatest pos-
sible mischief, these couutries are the Anglo-Saxon
nations.

On the day before General Woolfe gained the bat
Angle
-Salton,
Abraham,
singlen roodß. British t
ni sf h l a subject, j ewc ti
t, hni
no
the countries 'bordering on en
of two
lakes, or the
S'.Gulfofin
Nova
onroGrston,
htwofo
Colonelsm al l settle-
mentso gl n .
Thoszorgeiar, sovereignty west
thorp's small colon
e
dunvdast regions extend-
ing Allegheny Mountainys.
of the Bourbons of France an
to the Pacific were then the
Anglo-
Americans, although highly prosperous, Spain. The
ceed 2,000,000 of inhabitants, wil did not ex-
to the eastward of the Allegianiens werenhie all settled
in small
towns on the shores of the Atlantic.' At%
day the population subject to the Queen
oft the present
England
and the citizens of the United States possess all the
vast dominions extending from the islands
and shores
of the Atlantic to the coast of the Pacific, from Hud-
son's Bay to the coast of Mexico, from the Bay of
Chesapeake to the Bay of San Francisco, from the
mouth of the St. Lawrence to the mouth of the Co.
lumbia. Since that period they have increased from
two millions to thirty millions. Awful, indeed, in
prospect would be the consequence of any policy which
might possibly involve the United Kingdom and the
United States of America in the certain calamities of
a war. Civilization in .America and Europe would,
for a time, be paralysed ; and not only the present
generation, but future generations, would experience
the disastrous results of any interruption of peace and
social and commercial intercourse between the mem-
bers of the great Anglo-Saxon family, who, although
they have different governments, are, nevertheless,
bound together by historical bonds and common asso-
ciations and customs as one people. Not only are
they bound together by the benefits of mutual navi-
gation and commerce, but by the inseparable bond of
language, education, and traditionary usages ; they
speak the same language, are educated at schools
where they are taught the same lessons, trained at
firesides where the mothers instil into their children
similar morals. They read the same literature, pro-
fess generally the same religion, and study and obey
the same laws. Until a very late period both nations
have had a common history. Therefore, if there be
one course of policy more than another which British
statesmen or British subjects should advocate, it
should be a policy best calculated to maintain peace
and friendship between the United Kingdom and the
United States of America.
It is no wonder, then, that reflecting men should
look with alarm upon the recent measure of the pre-
sent Government in sending a naval squadron to
drive American fishermen from the fishing-grounds of
British America. I concluded that when the North-
Eastern and Oregon boundary questions had been
settled, the true policy of the British Government
ought to have been to place the relations of the
British Empire and the United States of America as
nearly as possible on the same commercial and mari-
time arrangements as if they were still under one
great federation. If the United States had remained
under British dominion until the present day, the
ships and their fishing crafts would freely enjoy our
home and colonial and coasting trade, and exactly
the same freedom of fibbing along the shoals of New-
foundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as British
vessels, while all British shipping would partake of
the coasting trade and fisheries of the United tates.
That both nations would derive great benefit from
such freedom of trading and fishing cannot be denied.
Instead, therefore, of sending ships of war, which will
inevitably come into collision with the vessels of the
United States, ought not such a free commercial and
maritime arrangement be at once negotiated with the
American Government?
Before the late Lord Ashburton sailed to America,
for the purpose of settling the north-eastern boundary.
ted he sub-
(lispute, which he so satisfactorily exec.o ,
mitted to Sir Robert Peel some very liberal observa-
tions on the maritime and commercial intercourse be-
tween her Majesty's subjects and the citizens of the
United States. Sir Robert Peel did me the honour
Lord Ashburton's sug-
of requesting my opinion on
f th
gestions, and I find (having a copy o e same now
before me) that the above were the conclusions to
which I arrived respecting them. Bat at that time
ripe for Sir Robert
matters were not sufficiently
Peel carrying out what he considered sound interna-
tional policy. It was necessary for him first to repeal
the corn-laws, the taxes on the essential food of man,
before he could venture to meddle with the navigation
laws. It was the early wish of the American Go-
vernment and Mr. Pitt, who entertained the pro-
posal, that the commercial and maritime inter-
course between all the dominions of the
British Crown and the United States of America,
should be placed exactly on the same footing.
Under such a system, Great Britain might have
enjoyed every possible trading advantage with the
United States which it would have been just to pos-
sess, had they continued under British domination.
The trade, navigation, and fisheries of the United
States ought, in like manner, to have derived
every
commercial and maritime advantage, which could have
been on the most liberal understanding obtained from
the mother country, without being subject
to the •
in-
capacities of the Colonial-office, or the veala dministra-
tion of colonial Governors, to the interference
of the
British Parliament, or to the absolute
exercise
sovereign prerogative. But the liberalof the
policy proposed by Mr. Pitt as Chancellorcomtnerc:' al
of the
Exchequer, under the Shelburne Administration,
of Mr. Adams, on the part of the and
defeated by an adverse party in
United States, was
finally led to the adoption ofa counterpart to the
Great Britain, which
British navigation law b
which until lately was y the United States, and
enforced with regard to all
British vessels arri •
ung in the United States. Dal
all the relaxations made recently in our nevigetiotre
laws have been met with perfect reciprocity bioaste
United States. Now, if the British colonial and
ing trade and fisheries Ameri-
can were fairly opened to
can vessels, the coasting trade and fisheries of thet
United States would be at once thrownrdOeyn
b her
British vessels, and which is so much _I!
desererunswick.
Majesty's subjects in Canada and
Ne'vitio,) with the
There would be no necessity for g
Pe- °tiaths wise and
United States. Why not at once adopt
by
soing a war the
profitable course, instead of boz h of war
irritating and insulting ormesee:c; The laws of the
among the American fishter•w
hatever privileges Arne.
United States provide tohteher
countries, the vessels of
rican vessels enjoy,
eioo. so American ports and seas.
those countries wilip.l Scotland, nor the latter Bag-
England does n
coasting trade and fisheries are
land, although thed British subjects, so far from
to both, an
common a would be greatly benefited, '" the
being ii
beiug iej is
'and fisheries of the
coasting ult.
d States weree British dominioes
and the United States f b rendered freely common
Inhabitants s 0 oth countries. We admit
to the at
right of England to
once the enforce the provisions of
the treaty of 1818, but we dread the fatal consequences
of sending a naval armament to enforce the
strict ob-
servance of that treaty.
I am, Sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. MACGREGOP 1,.
1, Prince's-terrace, Hyde-perk, Aug. 7, 1852.

TUE CITAIIIMANSIIIP OF COMMITTEES r TTIE
HOuSE or Gortimo fi commonly rumoured that tl:e
Government will have no inconsiderable difficulty in award-
ing the vacant office of Chairman of Committees. There
are, it is said, a Lost of clamorous applicants for the place,
amongst others, Mr. Newdegate, Mr. Floyer, Mr. 11. K.
Seymer, Captain Boldero, and Mr. T. Mackenzie.

EasT INDIA.—It is stated, in a Parliamentary
- - . ----
paper just issued, containing the annual report (pursuant to
Act of Parliament) of the A.,,,ts of Government in India,
passed by the President of the Council of India in Coun-
cil, with the assent of the Governor-General, fur public
and other purposes, that the number amounted to 45 in the
year 155,..)