RESOLUTIONS

OF THE

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK,

IN RELATION TO

The treaty between the United States and Great Britain, commonly known as the reciprocity treaty.

JULY 20, 1861.-Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and ordered to be printed.

RESOLUTIONS in relation to the treaty between the United States and Great Britain, commonly known as the reciprocity treaty.

Whereas, under the treaty made by the United States with Great Britain, on behalf of the British North American colonies, for the purpose of extending reciprocal commerce, nearly all the articles which Canada has to sell are admitted into the United States free of duty, while heavy duties are now imposed upon many of those articles which the United States have to sell with the intention of excluding the United States from the Canadian markets, as avowed by the minister of finance and other gentlemen holding high official positions in Canada; and similar legislation with the same official avowal has been adopted by the imposition of discriminating tolls and duties in favor of an isolating and exclusive policy against our merchants and forwarders meant and intending to destroy the natural effects of the treaty and contrary to its spirit;

And whereas we believe that free commercial intercourse between the United States and the British North American provinces and possessions, developing the natural, geographical, and other advantages of each, for the good of all, is conducive to the present interest of each, and is the only proper basis of our intercourse for all time to

come;

And whereas the President of the United States, in the first session of the thirty-sixth Congress, caused to be submitted to the House of Representatives an official report setting forth the gross inequality and injustice existing in our present intercourse with Canada, subversive of the true intent of the treaty, owing to the subsequent legislation of Canada;

And whereas the first effects of a system of retaliation or reprisal

2

RESOLUTIONS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF NEW YORK.

would injure that portion of Canada known as the Upper Province, whose people have never failed in their efforts to secure a permanent and just policy for their own country and ourselves, in accordance with the desire officially expressed by Lord Napier when British minister at Washington, for the "confirmation and expansion of free commercial relations between the United States and British provinces: Therefore

Resolved, (if the assembly concur,) That the senators and representatives in Congress for the State of New York are requested to take such steps, either by the appointment of commissioners to confer with persons properly appointed on behalf of Canada, or by such other means as may seem most expedient, to protect the interests of the United States from the said unequal and unjust system of commerce now existing, and to regulate the commerce and navigation between "her Majesty's possessions in North America and the United States in such manner as to render the same reciprocally beneficial and satisfactory," as was intended and expressed by the treaty; and

Resolved, (if the assembly concur,) That the foregoing preamble and resolutions be transmitted to our senators and representatives in Congress, with a request that they be presented to both houses thereof.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.

JULY 22, 1861.--Referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and the Militia, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. MCDOUGALL submitted the following

RESOLUTION.

Resolved, That it is the policy of the government to organize an army of not less than 150,000 men, on the basis of the regular army of the United States, the commissioned officers of which shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

JULY 24, 1861.-Referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs, and ordered to be printed.

To the honorable the mayor, aldermen, and common council of the city of New London:

The committee appointed by the court of common council of the city of New London "to act in conjunction with his honor the mayor upon the subjects connected with the establishment of a naval depot or naval school within the limits of the harbor of New London," &c., beg leave respectfully to report the following facts, opinions, and remarks, a portion of which are derived from or predicated upon communications received from Robert Allyn, navy agent, addressed to the honorable Benjamin Stoddard, then Secretary of the Navy, and bearing date, New London, April 8, and May 1 and 3, A. D. 1799.

In the year 1799, previous to the establishment of any government dock yard or naval depot in this country, it was in contemplation to establish one grand national depot for the construction, repair, and safe-keeping of the United States navy. All the harbors within the then limits of the United States, from Maine to Georgia, were examined for this purpose, and that of New London being found to possess the greatest advantages, in the estimation of the senior officers of the navy, and in the judgment of nautical men acquainted with the subject, was recommended over all others for that purpose.

When the subject came before Congress, State jealousy and local rivalry, always exercising a controlling influence in matters connected. with the distribution of patronage, decided the selection, and divided the benefits between Portsmouth, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Norfolk.

Without going into particulars in reference to each of these places, it is only necessary to state (what no nautical man will venture to contradict) that neither Portsmouth nor Boston have any convenient outer harbor or place of rendezvous, and that both are bad winter