e queen was agreed to by both branches of the
legislature in which it was stated that the exclusive use of the
fisheries by the inhabitants of British North America would be much more
advantageous and satisfactory than anything which the United States
could offer as an equivalent. It was also stated that no reciprocity
treaty with that country would be satisfactory to New Brunswick which
did not embrace the free exchange of raw materials and natural products
and the admission of colonial built vessels to registry in American
ports. The tone of the discussions on this subject, both in 1853 and
1854, shows that reciprocity with the United States was not generally
regarded as being an equivalent for the giving of the fisheries to our
neighbours, and it is quite clear that, so far as New Brunswick was
concerned, the reciprocity treaty would not have been agreed to had it
not been that the matter was in the hands of the British government, and
that the legislature of the province was not disposed to resist
strenuously any arrangement which that government thought it wise to
make.

CHAPTER III

THE PROHIBITORY LIQUOR LAW

The House which had been elected in 1850 was dissolved after the
prorogation in 1854, and the election came on in the month of July. It
was a memorable occasion, because it was certain that the topics
discussed by the House then to be elected would be of the very highest
importance. One of these subjects was the reciprocity treaty, which at
that time had been arranged with the United States through the British
government. This treaty provided for the free interchange of certain
natural products between the great republic and the several provinces
which later formed the Dominion of Canada, and it had been brought about
through the efforts of Lord Elgin, who at that time was governor-general
of Canada. The treaty was agreed to on June 5th, and was subject to
ratification by the imperial parliament and the legislatures of the
British North American colonies which were affected by it. In the St.
John constituencies there was at that time a strong feeling in favour of
a protection policy, but this did not interfere with the desire to
effect the interchange of raw material with the United States on
advantageous terms. Tilley had been originally nominated as a
protectionist, and still held views favourable to the encouragement and
protection of native industries by means of the tariff, but he was also
f