so that the annual meetings of the Board shall commence on the first Tuesday in December of each year, was then taken up for consideration.

Mr. MICHENER, of Philadelphia, moved to amend by striking out the words "first Tuesday," and inserting the words "third Tuesday," and striking out the word "December," and inserting the word "October," so that the annual meetings of the Board shall commence on the third Tuesday in October of each year.

Mr. MICHENER advocated the passage of the amendment in a brief speech, and it was agreed to.

Some discussion followed upon the question of the adoption of the proposition, as amended, Messrs. BURWELL, of New Orleans, and ATKINSON and ROPES, of Boston, speaking in its support; and Messrs. McLAREN and MOWER, of Milwaukie, and PEDDIE, of Newark, against it. At the close of the discussion, the yeas and nays were demanded, and the roll was called, with the following result: yeas, forty; nays, five. So the proposition, as amended, was adopted.

The proposition to amend the seventh By-law was read as follows:

Substitute for the By-law as it now stands, the following:

The annual assessment laid by the Executive Council shall be considered as due at the beginning of the year, which year shall commence with the annual meeting; no constituent body shall be represented at any meeting of the Board, unless its assessments then due shall have been paid; and any associated body participating in the proceedings of an annual meeting, shall be held liable for the assessment of the ensuing year.

Mr. WELSH, of Philadelphia said he did not think the phraseology of the proposed amendment expressed the idea that it was desired to convey. He therefore proposed to substitute for the second clause the following: "no delegate shall be entitled to a seat at

any meeting of the Board, unless his constituent body shall have paid the assessment for the preceding year."

Mr. ROPES, of Boston, seconded the amendment.

Mr. WRIGHT, of Chicago, moved to further amend by striking out the word "ensuing" in the last line, and inserting the words "current official.”

Both amendments were agreed to, and the question being on the adoption of the proposition, as amended, it was agreed to unanimously. The amended article reads as follows:

ARTICLE VII. The annual assessment laid by the Executive Council shall be considered as due at the beginning of the year, which year shall commence with the annual meeting; no delegate shall be entitled to a seat at any meeting of the Board unless his constituent body shall have paid the assessment for the preceding year; and any constituent body participating in the proceedings of the annual meeting shall be held liable for the assessment of the current official year.

DELEGATION FROM THE DOMINION BOARD OF TRade.

Mr. PLUMER, of Boston: Mr. President, I have the honor to present to you and the National Board of Trade, the Hon. JOHN YOUNG, Chairman of the Canadian Delegation, and President of the Dominion Board of Trade, with his associates, who now appear on this floor by invitation of the Board. (Applause.)

The PRESIDENT: It is with very great pleasure, gentlemen of the Dominion Board of Trade, that I accord to you a hearty welcome to seats in this body, and to a participation in its debates. The questions that you have come here to represent are questions of deep interest, not only to your own country, but also to the United States. I look upon this union of your body with ours as an evidence of that fraternal feeling which ought to exist between the two countries, and I hope, that from this fusion of the commercial elements of the two countries, some propositions will be adopted here, and sent to the Governments of both countries, that will tend to promote such an understanding between us as may ultimately lead with the unanimous approval of both countries to complete commercial identification. (Applause.)

Mr. YOUNG, of Montreal: Mr. President,-I beg to thank you and the members of the National Board of Trade for the compliment you have paid to the Dominion Board, by inviting a delegation of its members to be present at this, your annual convention. When in Boston last June, your Executive Council passed a resolution appointing a Committee to confer with a Committee of the Dominion Board for the purpose of considering "the relations that should exist between the United States and the Dominion of Canada for trade, and for the common use of the natural and artificial highways of the two countries." We promptly acted on your suggestion, and both Committees had agreed to meet at Chicago in October last, but this meeting was prevented by the lamentable fire there, and it was decided to meet here. Our Dominion Board have, like yourselves, no connection with the Government, or with any political party. Our Constitution is almost a copy of yours, and, like you, we meet as merchants to discuss all matters affecting trade and commerce, not in any sectional spirit, but in what may be considered for the general or national good. We believe that this meeting of the mercantile men of the two countries, here in St. Louis, will be fraught with beneficial results. I need not point out to you the vast advantages of a free exchange of industry of your States with each other, and how disastrous to trade it would have been for each State to have its cordon of custom houses. It is only six years ago, when in our country, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Canada, had each their separate tariffs. All this, however, was changed by the act of confederation, and a free trade, as between your States, now exists between these provinces, to the great advantage of all. Looking at the geographical position of Canada and the United States, it is highly important for the interest of both countries that some plan should be devised through which an exchange of the natural products, at least, of each country should be obtained, and it is also important that the cost of transportation between the eastern and western portions of both countries should be reduced to the least possible amount. This is a great work to accomplish, and we will gladly aid you in effecting it. The time, I believe, is peculiarly favorable for agitating a change in our commercial policy. In the present condition of Canada, much will depend upon the liberal and friendly policy of your Government. We are and must continue to be neighbors to each other. We speak the same language. Let a stranger come into this room, and it would be impossible to tell the Canadians present from those born in the United States. The fact is, we are all sprung from the loins of our grand old mother England, and her great glory will be that she has had such boys as JONATHAN

and JEAN BAPTISTE, and that they settled on this continent. The Washington Treaty, which has been entered into between the United States and England, is a great event, for it buries forever all possible differences, and although that treaty may not be acceptable to numbers both in Canada and with you, yet what is complained of in the treaty may be made acceptable, by the suggestions which your Board and ours may make for a further extension of its commercial provisions. There is no doubt that the Committees who are to confer together, and report to you as to what, in their opinion, should be done to extend and consolidate the trade relations between Canada and the United States, will consider the extent and greatness of both countries. The great difficulty in the past has been, both in your country and ours, that no adequate conception of the future trade was formed, when canals and other public works were commenced. The Erie Canal was scarcely finished in 1827, when it was evident an enlargement was necessary, and when that enlargement was made, so that its capacity was increased for boats of seventy-eight to two hundred and ten tons burthen, it was again evident that a mistake had been made, and a further enlargement is now demanded. The Welland Canal was the first made with locks of twenty-two feet, and these were enlarged to twenty-four feet. The Lachine and other canals were made with locks of nineteen feet, and these have been enlarged, and the fact is now made evident to all, that the future trade of this continent between the West and the East, renders it imperatively necessary that the canals must be made to accommodate steam and other vessels of from nine hundred to one thousand tons burthen. Nor is there any room for any kind of sectional jealousy, because the extent of that trade will require every avenue for it that can be made, either by rail or by water. I believe, Mr. President, I am not mistaken in making this assertion. Why, sir, I remember some thirty years ago packing pork in Ohio, and selling a part of it at Cleveland to go to Chicago. In 1850, I sent the first vessel from Canada to Chicago, and took away from there the first cargo of grain that was sent to Canada, and yet last year there was shipped from five of these lake ports of flour and grain, equivalent to one hundred and twenty-two million bushels. I believe that, at least, six cents per bushel can be saved in the transport of such produce every year, and that six days can be saved on each voyage between the West and the East, by improved communication. I merely glance at these facts to show the importance of our present meeting. We have not the power to carry them into effect, but we have the power as mercantile men, knowing and understanding the business of the country, to point out and urge on

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our separate governments, and upon our representatives, those changes which are necessary to secure such results. By means such as these, friendly feelings and interests will steadily but surely grow up between the people of your country and ours, and the rivalry between each will be who can best improve their separate locations. Railroads and canals will no longer be required to be built for military objects, nor will a standing army he required for defence, for I would rather have a twelve foot channel from the head of Lakes Superior and Michigan, to the ocean at Quebec and Montreal, to Lake Champlain, and on to the Hudson at New York, through which propellers could sail without breaking bulk, as a bond of eternal peace between the two countries, than all the war material that could be kept up. (Applause.) With these few remarks I shall defer any further observations until the Committee makes a report.

The members of the delegation then took their seats. The proposition of the Milwaukie Chamber of Commerce for the adoption of a new By-law, was taken up for consideration, and the proposed By-law read as follows:

The expenses incurred by the members of the Executive Council in attendance upon its meetings, shall be defrayed from the general fund of the Board.

Mr. MOWER, of Milwaukie, moved its adoption.

After some discussion, Messrs. MOWER and HOLTON, of Milwaukie, advocating the proposition, and Messrs. TAYLOR, of Cincinnati, ROPES, of Boston, and SEALY, of Newark, opposing it, the question was put, and the proposition lost.

Mr. ABLE, of St. Louis: I learn from the Nashville delegation, that there is a large number of their most prominent merchants and business men present-some thirty or thirty-five-for the purpose of extending the hospitalities of their city to this Board. I move that they be invited to seats within the hall.

Carried.

Mr. STANARD, of St. Louis: Before proceeding to the discussion of the next subject upon the programme, I desire the