Document Information

Date: 1866-08-16
By: Fenwick Williams
Citation: Despatch from Lieutenant-Governor Fenwick Williams to the Earl of Carnarvon (16 August 1866) in UK, Parliament, Correspondence respecting the Proposed Union of the British North American Provinces (London: George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode, 1867).
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No. 25.

COPY of a DESPATCH from Lient.-Governor Sir W. F. WILLIAMS, Bart., K.C.B., to the Right Hon.the Earl of CARNARVON.

(No.68.)

Halifax, Nova Scotia, August 16, 1866.
(Received […])
(Answered […])

MY LORD,

I HAVE the honour to transmit by […] certain of the inhabitants of the District of Port Medway, Nova Scotia petition to the Honourable the Commons of […] […] and […].

I have, &c.
(Signed) W.F. WILLIAMS.

The Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P.,
&c. &c. &c.

That ever since, during the political agitations which have disturbed this […] especially during the war of 1812 and the Canadian rebellions of 1837, Nova Scotia has been […] in her loyalty and that when the neighbouring Province or New Brunswick was mentioned from the American side in 1839, the Legislature of Nova Scotia […] […] the whole revenues and resources of the country at the disposal of the Lieutenant-Governor for the defense of British subjects […] […] of the Crown. They have sent representations […] Provincial Parliament since […], for a quarter of a century have enjoyed responsible […] […] a measure as have their fellow subjects in the most favoured parts of the […] […] have preserved from degeneracy and abuse their Constitutional rights and free institutions.

That the people of this Province form their […] position, have developed the […] of ship building, navigation, commerce, and […] […]. Their agricultural resources are rich and varied, while the vast mineral wealth which underlied the whole area of the country is a special guarantee of its future prosperity under favourable political conditions. The gold […] Nova Scotia, without rising to the character of dazzling […] to attract a promiscuous or disorderly population from abroad have proved steadily […] as a regular department of native industry, and a profitable investment for foreighn capital .The great iron mines already discovered give earnest in connexion with its […] fields, of manufacturing capabilities […] inferior to those of any country or similar extent. It has the […] scams in the world, and their area is extensive, affording fairground for the presumption that for the purposes of peace […] war Nova Scotia’s continued connexion with Great Britain would prove of […] advantages. […] […] of these resources, the people desire closer relations with the mother country in order to be able to enjoy more largely the benefits, as well as share more […] the responsibilities of the empire : and already the Province has enrolled […] militia and volunteers to assist in the maintenance of British power of this […], and send to sea […] of shipping, […] and owned within the Province, bearing the flag of Enflan, and […] […]than 20,000 […].

That Nova Scotia has […] […] with the mother country, the other Provinces, or with the population of the neighbouring United States, and highly prizes the privileges, so long enjoyed […]regulation […] […] but […] […] with the British Islands and […] […] and parts of the […] […]with […] countries.

That the people of Nova Scotia are […] […] to […] any populations by which […] them the institutions […] enjoy greater facilities for commercial and […] […] […], and they are willing, whenever their own […] […] Her Majesty’s […] to preserve from aggression the Provinces in the rear.

But they view with […] […] […] recently […], by which it is proposed […] to the people of […] the […] […] the Government, legislation, and revenue of this loyal and happy Province […] […] from your honourable House […]
Justice and […].

That the Province of […] […] Nova Scotia as Austria done from England, and there exists […] […] a people with […] […] a distance, with whom we have but the little commerce who have invested […] […] […] are unable to protect it, and are themselves shut from […] […] byt […] […]years should control our legislation and Government.

That the […] […] without any authority from the Legislature, and […] […] […] the people […] felegates to Canada to arrange in secret […] […] […] Provinces. That these delegates […] […] in another Province.

[…]

Blessings they now enjoy, or to try new experiments which may complicate foreighn relations, and […] add no real strength to the Provinces it is proposed to […]

The […] also to the financial arrangements, as especially burdensome and unfair to this Province. Having long enjoyed the control and benefitted by the expenditure of their own revenues, they cannot approve a scheme that will […] the greater part of […] from their hand, to keep up costly and […] federal machinery, and to meet the liabilities of Canada.

For many years the commercial policy of Nova Scotia has been essentially different from that of Canada. The […] country, pardy […] of financial […] […] as an indirect […]on her own manufactures, has adopted a tariff carrying from […] […] on imported goods.

Almost surrounded as Nova Scotia is by the ocean, her people are favourably situated for enjoying […] commercial intercours with every section of the British Empire, and with those foreign countries […] to her commercy by the enlightened policy of the Parent State : of this privilege she has […] […] by initiating, as far as local circumstances would permit, the liberal and free trade policy of […] country — ten percent, being the advalorean duty collected under the Nova Scotia tariff […] into the Province. The proposed scheme of union will give Canada, by her large […] […] Legislature the power to shape the tariff for the whole confederacy accordion to her […] […] necessities, so as to buy the same […] on British goods imported into Nova Scotia as […] […] now exacted by Canada.

That since the confederation scheme has been announced, there have been special parliamentary elections in three out of the eighteen countries of this Province, and in all three it has been concluded at the polls.

That in […] […] scheme was condemned at nearly every public meeting held by the delegate to discuss it, and numerous petitions against its adoption were presented to the Provincial Parliament, and only one in its favour, until the leader of the Government declared the measure to be “impracticable”.

That at the opening of the late Session no reference to confederation was made in the speech of the Lieutenant Governor, and down to a late period the people of Nova Scotia were led to believe that the scheme had been abandoned. A resolution was introduced toward the close of the Session, clothing the Government with power to appoint delegate, who, in connection with delegates from the order Provinces are to trace a scheme of Government, to which it is proposed to ask the sanction of your Honourable House before it has been submitted to the Legislatures that it may […], or to the people whose legal and constitutional rights and […] it may transfer or […].

The undersigned, measured by a measure that may be […] may […] implement confidence in the protection of the Imperial Parliament. They deny the authority of their own Legislature, invested with limited powers for a definite term, to […] them of rights earned by their ancestry by the most painful sacrifices, wisely exercised and never abused from more than a century, and which they had no legitimate authority to alienate or break down. They behave that any scheme of Government, gramed by a Committee of Delegate and forced upon the pRovinces without their revision or approval, would generate widespread dissatisfaction among a loyal and […] people who will not fail to […]that no change can be made in the constitution of any of the […] States which has […] been approved by the electors and that important measures, altering […] policy or measures are rarely attempted till they have been submitted […][…] rejection, by the people […] interests they are to affect.

Your petitioners therefore pray that your […] The Honourable House will […] […] in favour of Confederation in the Imperial Parliament until the people of Nova Scotia […] […] and enjoyed their Constitutional privilege to […][…][…] Honourable House may be pleased to direct that a Special Committee […][…] of the proposed scheme of Confederation, as it is likely to affect the […][…] to each other and to the mother country : or in the […] […] […] petitioners, as in duty bound will ever pray.
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