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Date: 1865-06-25
By: A.J. Smith, John C. Allen
Citation: Despatch from A.J. Smith and John C. Allen to Lieutenant Governor Arthur Gordon (25 June 1866) in Journal of the House of Assembly of the Province of New Brunswick (1866).
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New Brunswick.

Message to the House of Assembly, 25th June, 1866.

ARTHUR H. GORDON.

His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor lays before the House of Assembly, a copy of the Report of the Delegates to England, the Honorable Messieurs Smith and Allen.    A. H. G.

The Report, with Enclosures, communicated by this Message, were read at the Clerk’s Table, and are as follow:—

UNION OF COLONIES—RECIPROCITY TREATY—RAILWAY FROM TRURO—PROVINCIAL CREDIT WITII MESSRS. BARING.

Memorandum of the Delegates to England.

To His Excellency The Honorable Arthur H. Gordon, C. M. G., Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief of the Province of New Brunswick, &c. &c. &c.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY,—

Having had the honor to be appointed Delegates, under the authority of an Address of the House of Assembly presented to Your Excellency on 7th June last, to proceed to England for the purpose of making known to the Imperial Government .the views and feelings of the louse of Assembly and the people of this Province on the subject of the Resolutions adopted at the Conference of Delegates held at Quebec on the 10th October, 1864, on the subject of the Union of the British North American Colonies; and being also charged by Your Excellency with the duty of making known to Her Majesty’s Government the wish of the Government of this Province to be consulted with reference to any negotiations with the United States of America, in relation to the Reciprocity Treaty; and being also instructed to co-operate with the Delegates to be sent from Nova Scotia with a view of entering into a contract for the construction of a Railroad from Truro in that Province, to intersect the European and North American Railway in this Province ; also to make an arrangement with Messrs. Baring Brothers for a standing credit on behalf of the Province; we have the honor to submit the following Report.

We left for England on the 20th June, and arrived there on the 3d July last. Shortly after our arrival, we waited upon the Right Honorable Mr. Cardwell, Her Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies. and announced to him the object of our mission. We subsequently had several interviews with him, at which we presented in detail the objections to the scheme, and, in the terms of the Resolution authorizing our appointment, informed him of the views and feelings of the House of Assembly and people of the Province on the subject. Mr. Cardwell admitted the force of many of the objections, but stated that the policy of the Imperial Government was in favour of the Union of the Colonies.

 With regard to that part of our duty relating to the Reciprocity Treaty with the  United States, we have to report, that Mr. Cardwell informed us that the Government of this Province should participate in any negotiations in relation to the subject, and that he would take the necessary steps for that purpose.

We have further to report to Your Excellency that, in conjunction with the Hon. Dr. Tupper, and the Hon. W. A. Henry, the Delegates from Nova-Scotia, we had several meetings with the International Contract Company of London, with the view of entering into contracts for the construction of a line of Railway from Truro in Nova Scotia, to intersect the European and North American Railway in this Province, the result of which was, that the Delegates of Nova Scotia, on behalf of the Government of that Province, entered into a contract with the Company for the construction of that portion of the road from Truro to the boundary line of this Province ; and we, on behalf of this Government, and in accordance with the provisions of the Act of Assembly passed in the 27th year of Her Majesty’s Reign, to aid in the construction of Railways, made a contract with the same Company for the construction of that portion of the road from the boundary line to the European and North American Railway, at some point between Moncton and Point du Chene. A copy of the contract is hereto annexed.

We have, lastly, to report, that we entered into an arrangement with the Messrs. Baring Brothers of London, for a standing credit to the Province for £25,000 sterling. A copy of our correspondence with Messrs. Baring, in reference to this matter, accompanies this Report. Respectfully submitted.

(Signed)                      A. J. SMITH, 

JOHN C. ALLEN.