The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-10 00:00:00

reference to it in their recently published report
At some future day the population of the province will
be large, that of Canada being at present not equal to that
of the State of New York. When the Confederation is
established, the total number will be large enough to make
it respectable among the nations, and the Lakes must, from
the nature of things, by their position and capacity, be the
seat of a great internal commerce. It is clearly the interest,
if it is not the destiny, of the people who are to inhabit
their northern and southern, their eastern and western
shores, to be on the best terms with each other. The idea
of those peaceful waters ever again becoming the scene of
naval combats should not be entertained, and the surest
way to prevent its realization, and to save the millions other-
wise necessary for their defence, is to encourage reciprocity
in trade, with the largest practicable range and scope com-
patible with the actual necessities of Government. We cer-
tainly may point to the advantages of free:trade among our-
selves. It is ascertained that commodities are annually ex-
changed between the East and the West, chiefly by the re-
stricted transportation force of railways to the extent of hun-
dreds of millions of dollars. Duties on these articles, levied
by each State on their transit, would render this interchange
almost impracticable. Considering the propinquity of the
British provinces, it is evident that their nearness might do
as much for them, under certain contingencies, as the
United States have done for each other. The nearer they
approach to our own internal system of trade, the better it
will be for them."
It may, perhaps, be found hereafter, though the
New York Chamber of Commerce has not yet de-
voted sufficient attention or turned an unbiassed
judgment to the subject, that free trade, not alone
with British America, but with Europe, is the true
solution for the financial difficulties of this conti-
nent, and that it may be better for the States to
lower their tariff to the standard to be adopted by
the Confederation than to keep it at the high level
imposed in the interest of the moribund doctrine of
Protection. At all events, it is clear that commer-
cial impediments between the United States and the
Confederation must be mutually injurious. And in
this connexion the committee of the New York
Chamber of Commerce throw out a suggestion well
worthy the attention not only of Americans and
Canadians, but of the British Government and
people. They say :
"It may be intimated in an entirely kindly spirit, that
if the Conferation about to be established to the north of
us could obtain from the Imperial Government a guarantee
that it might preserve a strict neutrality on the breaking
out of all future foreign wars in which it has no interest,
it might count on perpetual peace and tranquillity and unin-
terrupted commercial relations with the United States."
If tkis arrangement could be effected in good
faith between these three high contracting parties
Great Britain would no longer possess a vulnerable
point on the North American continent ; the
United States would on all occasions possess a
friendly and not a hostile power in the north, and
would, consequently, have no temptation beyond the
mere lust of dominion, to attempt an annexation in
form which would already exist in spirit for every
purpose for which the Americans could expect to
derive commercial or any other advantages; and the
Confederation would be at once relieved from two
of the most burdensome and unpopular conditions
attached to the union of the provinces—the cost of
the proposed fortifications, and the hardship as well
'as cost of a largely increased militia. There may
be difficulties in the way, but if the Government of
the United States, under such counsels as these,
show a disposition to aid in their removal, they need
not be formidable. That which is destined for long
and noble life does not spring from the gestation of
a day, and if British America be destined, as appears
probable, to take a place among the Powers of the
world, it is unreasonable to expect that its birth
should be attended with no difficulty. It must be
said, however, that such Canadians as have reflected
upon the proposition are not wholly satisfied that
if acceded to by all parties the agreement would be
honestly observed by the Federal Government, or
that in case of dispute provoked by the United
States, as such disputes generally are where Great
Britain is concerned, Canada or any other portion
of the Confederation would be secure from attack
unless France were a party to the compact. Party
necessities in America are often such as to render
the idea of a war with England extremely popular.
They never have been, nor are ever likely to be,
such as to blind the eyes of American statesmen or
of the American people to the flagrant impolicy, not
to say the imminent danger, of a war with France 1
and Great Britain united.

Naval and Military Intelligence.