"The next fact in the history is that delegates from Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, are found at Washington on the 24th January, 1866, and that they remain there till the 24th February, on which day they report that after many days' discussion they have failed to do anything, and that the Reciprocity Treaty is finally at an end. "Our Government having done nothing, the Provinces, it would appear, had, at the last moment, to send 'delegates' themselves to negociate; a mode of procedure altogether very unlike the action of 1854. "The following papers give a _resume_ of the discussion :-- "WASHINGTON, "_February 7th_, 1866. "'SIR, "'We have the honour to inform Your Excellency that our negociations for the renewal of Reciprocal Trade with the United States have terminated unsuccessfully. You have been informed from time to time of our proceedings, but we propose briefly to recapitulate them. "'On our arrival here, after consultation with Your Excellency, we addressed ourselves with your sanction to the Secretary of the Treasury, and we were by him put in communication with the Committee of Ways and Means of the House of Representatives. After repeated interviews with them, and on ascertaining that no renewal or extension of the existing treaty would be made by the American authorities, but that whatever was done must be by legislation, we submitted as the basis upon which we desired arrangements to be made the enclosed paper (marked A). "'In reply we received the Memorandum from the Committee, of which a copy is enclosed (B). And finding after discussion that no important modifications in their views could be obtained, and that we were required to consider their proposition as a whole, we felt ourselves under the necessity of declining it, which was done by the Memorandum also enclosed (C). "'It is proper to explain the grounds of our final action. "'It will be observed that the most important provisions of the expiring treaty, relating to the free interchange of the products of the two countries, were entirely set aside, and that the duties proposed to be levied were almost prohibitory in their character. The principal object for our entering into negociations was therefore unattainable, and we had only to consider whether the minor points were such as to make it desirable for us to enter into specific engagements. "'These points are three in number.