Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-06-17

the rebels and JEFF Davis. Mon camo down and
tried to induce my men to desert, while 9th ers
came around the ship with secession flags and
singing secession songs.
As not tho slightest cause for insult was offor
ed by my officers, l attribute tho treatment We
received to the fact Of being northern officers
and to sympathy Of tho citizens Of Halifax with
the rebels.
Your most obedient servant,
EDWARD DEvENs.
Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Commanding
Hon. GIDEON WELLEs, Secretary Of the Navy.
The affair of the Chesapeake is too re.
cent an occurrence to be forgotten. The
men who seized her and murdered her en-.
gincer escaped into Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick, and by means Of tagging off
cials and Il willing judiciary got rid of
punishment.
Sir, l take no pleasure in reproducing
here these wcll.authenticated distances of
the ill-will Of the British provinces.
would not have this Honse act in temper
or from any motives of revengt But l
wish to show the utter failure Of this
treaty to produce active and substantial
friendliness. And l wish further that
the House should act free from any
threat, express or imr lied. We legislate
on the supposition that the Union is to be
restored sooner or later, and all the States
under one Government. On any other
supposition than that, the immense mass
of Government bonds we are putting
upon the market would be nothing short
Of a swindle, for no one supposes that
any fragment of broken-down Govern
ment. however large, would ever pay
these vast debts. And if we are to con-
tinue one Government, surely we can
make such trade regulations as we please.
1t was objected in the other branch of
Congress to the tariff of 1861 that
iorei gn nations would take offense. Bat
luckily the objection, made, il 1 remem.
Der rightly, by the distinguished chair
man of the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
did not prevail. We made such tariff as
our own interests dictated, and have since
reaped the benefits of it. Should we
become dismembered and our Government
broken down, care nothing what this
Congress or any future Congress may say
or do. The fragments must get on as
we'll as other Governments will let them
They must defer to the opinions of any
first-class Power that chooses to interest
itself in their affairs. They must do as
they shall be lid to do. But until then
and that time ,rW nerer come-I beg
that We shall, in legislating here, consult
our own interests rather than the good or
i'll will of any foreign Power.
AS to war on account of the fisheries,
should we 60 back to the convention OF
1918, it is idle to talk about it. We
lived under that arrangement for thirty
six years without war. Some of our
vessels were seized for violating the
stipulations of the treaty, and few were
condemned. But of our whole fleets
only twenty-five were finally condemned !;
and it is computed that during that time
our vessels made at least eighteen thous-
ans voyages there. 1t is probable that
in the future the same results will follow,
and there is no reason to suppose any,
thing more serious unless We choose for
our own purposes to commence hostiities.
Why, then, should we go about beg
ing for a new treaty? Why send COM
missioners, as is provided by the rcsolu-
ton reported from the committse, whose
duty it shall be to besecch the provinces
to enter into new arrangement? They
carnot accept entire free trade. They
need revenue and cannot forego tariffs
They have already said that the Zollver.
Gin proposed two years ago was separa-
ton from Great Britain, and of course
such proposition cannot be entertained.
What, then, can commissioners propose
Nothing 1t is the idlest ceremony in
the world to send respectable gentlemen
on an errand to offer what the provinces
cannot accept, and what, if they could az
ccpt, we could not give. l hope the
amendment Of the gentleman from Yer
mont Mr.. MORRILL, will be adopted, and
the House content itself with simply Civ
ing the notice required by the treaty. Il
other and more satisfactory propositions
are to be made hereafter we can consider
them. Meantime let US place the trade
under the guardianship Of general laws
and get rid of this special arrangement
which has brought us nothing but pecun
iary loss and political obloquy.