it appears that there is more flour and biscuit consumed in the West Indies, than the whole exportation from our North American colonies.

Beef and pork, though supplied at present by the United States, to the extent of near half the consumption of the West Indies, may certainly be supplied by Great Britain and her colonies, particularly in time of peace, when the great consumption of the navy will in some measure cease.Besides, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Canada, afford abundance of fine pasture, particularly some of the islands in the St. Lawrence, which abound with salt marshes, yielding plenty of luxuriant grass and hay, such as the Isle au Grue, where there are salt marshes of many miles extent, and where many thousand head of cattle might be fed all the year round.Even now, both summer and winter feeding is carried on there to a considerable extent.

Although it appears that nearly one half of the fish used in the West Indies is furnished by America, yet there can be no doubt that the whole might be got from our own provinces, were the Americans prohibited from going to the islands; and the colonists enabled, by bounties, to be their own carriers, instead of employing the Americans, who have besides a bounty from their government of twenty shillings a ton on all vessels employed in the codfishery.

In the different articles, under the denomination of lumber, the Americans appear to have a most decided superiority; but, it must be remarked, that part of their imports to the West Indies, is procured from New Brunswick, which already produces upwards of ten millions of feet annually. As every year is adding to the population of our provinces, their power of supplying lumber annually increases; for it is want of population, and not want of wood, that prevents our colonies from supplying any quantity that might be required.

The West India planters and merchants may say, " It is true we may be supplied from our own colonies, but not at so cheap a rate as from America; our interest induces us to give them the preference." It may be so; but it becomes a question,

whether the Mother Country is to listen to such a reason. There are, perhaps, interests paramount to theirs which must be attended to ;-the great interests of the empire are to be taken into consideration.

The British North American colonists argue with much plausibility in support of their claims to an exclusive supply of the West India islands. They grant that it is the interest of the West India planters, and of the Americans, to have a free trade to the islands; but, they contend that the planters have no right to expect supplies from a neutral nation, merely because it affords them at a cheaper rate than the British colonies. If the Americans should obtain by treaty an indulgence of a free trade, it would greatly check the prosperity of our northern provinces, and throw the whole of the trade into the hands of the Americans; so that the islands would depend on them entirely for supplies: and, if at any time hereafter, differences should take place between Britain and America, from what quarter are the islands to obtain supplies? The diminished trade and fisheries of the colonies

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may demonstrate, when too late, the fatal policy of throwing into the hands of foreigners, a trade, which, with due encouragement, might have been almost entirely confined to British subjects. The supplies required by the islands cannot greatly encrease; and the northern colonies, from their great extent, and growing population, will every year be more and more able to furnish every article that may be wanted.

This question between the West India planters and our North American colonies, is the case of two children applying to an impartial mother for a preference in some particular request. She will grant that which best suits the general good of the family, however hard or unjust either party may think it. The interests of colonies ought ever to give way, when they interfere, or are at variance with, the interests of the Mother Country.

LETTER XVII.

Quebec, 1808.

THE genial influence of a May sun has broken the icy fetters with which Canada has been so long bound up. The winter is now past-we begin to see the face of the earth, which we have looked for, in vain, these six months. You cannot conceive what pleasure arises from discovering a piece of ground which the snow has deserted-the eye rests upon it with delight; our pleasurable sensations resemble those we enjoy, when, after a long absence, we meet a dear friend.

A Canadian winter is truly a subject of curiosity to the natives of Britain, or of any of the southern countries of Europe. It presents a view of nature perfectly new, and a variety of phenomena so highly interesting, that they cannot fail to arrest the attention of any one at all conversant in natural philosophy.