New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-31
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
ANNEXATION.

PETITION OF THE BRITISH coLUMBIAYs FOR
| ANNExATIoN TO THE UNITED sTATEs-DIs-
4 POSITION OF THE GovERNMENT-YIEws or
| MR.. SUMNER.
WASHINGTON Dec. 9O.-Mr. Vincent Coyer Of
New-York yesterday handed to President Grant
memorial signed by a number OF the property
holders and business men of Victoria to be followed
by another, which will contain the names of ell the
British merchants and others at Victoria, Nanimo,
and other places in favor of the transfer of British
Columbia to the United States. The President,
to-day, returned to Mr.. Coyer verbal reply that he
had read the memorial with great interest and sent
it to the Secretary of State Mr. Colyer also showed
the memorial to Senator Sumner Chairman of the
| Committee on Foreign Relations, who after reading
it, said the movement was important and could have
but one termination. Meanwhile. our Government
waits for the movement of England, which is fast
| seeing the uselessness and impracticabty of q
| European Empire in this hemisphere. Both the
President and Senator Sumner desired their replies
to be made known to the memorialists The follow
| ing is the memorial
To His Ercellency the President Of the United States:
Your memorialists beg leave most respectfully TO
| represent that we are residents of the Colony of
! British Columbia many of us British subjects, and
all of us deeply interested in the welfare and prog
| ress of our adopted country; that those who are
British subjects penetrated with the most pro-
| found feelings of loyalty and devotion to Her
Majesty and her Government. and that all entertain
for her feelings of the greatest attachment and to the
country; that while we thus indulge such feelings
we are constrained by the duty owe to ourselves
and families in view of the contemplated severance
of the political ties which unite this colony to the
mother country to seek for such political and COM
mercial affinity and connection will assure tho
immediate and continued prosperity and well-Beng
of this our adopted home that this Colony is now
suffering great depression owing to its isolation, a
scarcity of population and other causes too numerous
to mentions that view with feelings of alarm the
| avowed intention of Her Majestys Government
| to confederate this Colony with the Dominion
Of Canada as we believe such can only tend
to still further depression and ultimate injury for
the following reasons, viz That confederation can
not give protection against internal enemies or
foreign foes, owing to the distance of this colony
from Ottawa; that it cannot open to us market for
the produce of our lands forests, our mines, or
our waters; that it cannot bring population tour
greatest NEEDY, as the Dominion itself is suffering
from lack of it, that our connection with the Domn-
ion can satisfy no sentiment of loyalty or d'yotion
that her commercial and industrial interests are op-
posed to ours that the tariff of the Domn on Will
be the ruin of farmers and the commerce. OF our
chief cities; tKat we are nstigated by evcy serti-
ment of loyalty to Her Majesty by our attachment
to the laws and institutions of Great Britain, and
our deep interest in the prosperity of adopted
country to express our opposition to severance
from England and confederation with Canada.
We admit that the Dominion may be aggrandized
by confederation but we can see no benefit either
present or future which can accrue TO therefrom
That we desire market for coal and lumber and
our fish and this the Dominion seeks for the same
produce Of her own soil; she take nothing from
us and supply us nothing ia return That coIfede'
! rating this colony WITH Canada may reheYe the
mother country from tue trouble and expense OF fos-
terng and protecting tins isolated distant colony,
but it cannot free us fIca longendurng depres-
SON. owing to the lack VI poralation, as Aforesaid,
| and the continued want of home market ffr our
produce Tho only remedy for the evils which beset
us we believe to be in close union with the ad'0in-
ing States and Territories We are already joined to
them by unity of objects aud interests. Nearly all
our commercial relations are with them; they fur
nish the chief markets have for the products of
mines land and waters they supply the colony
with most of the necessares of life; they furnish Us
| the only means of communication with the outer
world, and we are even dependent upon them for
the means of learning the events in the mother
country or the Dominion of Canada. For these rea-
sons we earnestly desire the acquisition of the col
ony by the United States. 1t would result at once
in opening to unrestricted market for our pro-
ducts, bring an Win ~,
duce the investment of capital in our coal and quartz
mines and in our forests 1t would insure us regular
mails and communication with the adjoining States
and Territories aud through them with the world at
large 1t would lessen the expenses of our govern
ment by giving us representative institutions and
immediate control of our domestic concerns, besides
giving us protection against foreign enemies;
and with all these we should still be united
to q people of our own kindred, religion,
and tongue, and a people who for all time
must intimately affect US in all our relations
for veal or VICE. That in view of these facts we
respectfully request that your Excellency will cause
this memorial to be laid before the Government Of
the United States, and that in any negotiations
which may be pending, undertaken between your
Government and that of Her Most Gracious Majesty
for the settlement of territorial other questions
that YOU will endeavor TO induce Her Majesty to
consent to the transfer of this colony to the United
States. We believe that Her Majesty earnestly
desires the welfare and happiness of all her people,
in view of the circumstances that for years she has
consented to the annual exodus of tens of thousands
of her subjects to the United States and that she
will not let political tradition and sentiments
influence her against measure which is so earnes ly
desired by the people of this poor isolated colony
Dated British Columbia, November, 1869.
THE SOUTHERN CooLIE TRADE.