That the "Reciprocity Treaty," so called, concluded by the United States and the Government of Great Britain, on the 5th of June, 1854, has, in the opinion of your committee, through the legislative action of the Provincial Government, been practically violated in the spirit, if not the letter, of that instrument. By reference to the schedule of articles enumerated in the third article of the treaty quoted below, which shall be admitted free of duty into the two countries, it will be seen that there can be no reciprocity under it so long as these articles only can be so admitted. This schedule appears to have been prepared with special reference to include every article of Canadian production, to the exclusion of every production of this country which could find a market in the British North American colonies. The surplus productions of these colonies consist almost exclusively of the very classes of articles embraced in the following schedule above alluded to:

“Grain, flour, and breadstuffs of all kinds; animals of all kinds; fish; smoked and salted meats; cotton; wool; seeds and vegetables; undried fruits; dried fruits; fish of all kinds; products of fish, and of all other creatures living in the water; poultry; eggs; hides; furs, skins or tails, undressed; stone or marble, in its crude or unwrought state; slate; cheese; lard; tallow; hams; manures; ores of metals of all kinds; coal; pitch; tar; turpentine; ashes; timber and lumber of all kinds, round, hewed and sawed, unmanufactured in whole or in part; fire wood; plants, shrubs and trees; pelts; fish oil; rice; broom corn, and bark; gypsum, ground or unground; hewn or wrought or unwrought burr or grindstones; dye stuffs; flax, hemp and tow, unmanufactured; unmanufactured tobacco; rags."

While this treaty throws wide open the gates of our market to a prolific agriculture, lying at our very doors, it carefully excludes nearly every article of our domestic manufactureour manufactures of iron, copper and brass-our cotton and woolen goods-our boots and shoes-our agricultural implements—our sugars and molasses-our manufactured tobacco; in fact, almost every article manufactured among us. Nor is

this all for which we have just cause of complaint against our neighboring Provinces. From the following facts and figures, it would appear to have been the intention of the Canadian government, in concluding this treaty, to make the whole thing as one-sided as it was possible to do, by an increase of their duties on all of our productions not included in the schedule, almost immediately after the treaty took effect in March, 1855.

The following table exhibits the ad valorem duties that have been levied by her successive tariffs since the ratification of the treaty, upon certain articles which we largely produce, and which in times past we largely exported to that country:

Your committee would respectfully submit from the foregoing facts, that the treaty under consideration is anything but reciprocal; that instead of working for the mutual advantage of both countries, as was the original intention or pretense, its operations are made to inure almost exclusively to the benefit of the people of Canada, and to the great detriment and injury of the people of Michigan.

With the view, therefore, of having this treaty so amended as to make it entirely reciprocal or to have it abrogated altogether, your committee would respectfully report the accompanying preamble and joint resolutions back to the Senate, without amendment, and recommend the passage of the same.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

JOHN N. INGERSOLL, Chairman.

On motion of Mr. DeLand,

The report was accepted, the committce discharged from the further consideration of the subject, and the joint resolution ordered printed, referred to the committee of the whole and placed on the general order.

Mr. Williams made the following report:

The committee on incorporations, to whom was referred

A bill to amend an act entitled "an act to provide for the construction of train railways;"

Also,

A bill to amend an act entitled "an act relative to plank roads," approved March 13, 1848;

Beg leave to report the same severally back to the Senate, without amendments, recommend the passage of the same, and ask to be discharged from a further consideration of the sub. ject.

On motion of Mr. DeLand,

JOS. R. WILLIAMS, Chairman.

The report was accepted, the committee discharged, and the bills ordered printed, referred to the committee of the whole and placed on the general order.

Mr. Baldwin, from the committec on finance, reported

A bill to provide for the payment of members and officers of the Legislature for the year 1861;

Which bill was read twice, ordered printed, referred to the committee of the whole, and placed on the general order.

Mr. Carpenter made the following report:

The committee on Internal Improvements, in accordance with the requirements of a resolution instructing them to report to the Senate whether any modification of the law providing for the payment of the Board of Control of the Saut Ste. Marie Canal is necessary, and if so, to report by bill or otherwise,

Have had the same under consideration, and have instructed me to report a bill, recommend its passage, and ask to be discharged from the further consideration of the subject.

J. CARPENTER, Chairman. The report was accepted, the committee discharged, and the

bill read twice, ordered printed, referred to the committee of the whole, and placed on the general order.

The President announced the following:

MESSAGES FROM THE OTHER HOUSE.

To the President of the Senate:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Lansing, January 8, 1861.

SIR:-I am instructed to transmit to the Senate the following entitled bill:

A bill to provide for the relief of school districts Nos. 1 and 2 of Machester, in the county of Washtenaw;

Which has passed the House by a majority vote of all the members elect, and by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elect, been ordered to take immediate effect, and in all of which the concurrence of the Senate is respectfully asked.

ED. W. BARBER,

Clerk of the House of Representatives.

The message was laid on the table, and the bill read twice and referred to the committee on public instruction.

The President announced the following:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Lansing, January 8, 1861.

To the President of the Senate:

SIR: I am instructed to transmit to the Senate the following bill:

A bill to extend the time for the collection of the taxes in the unorganized county of Delta;

Which has passed the House by a majority vote of all the members elect, and by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elect, been ordered to take immediate effect, and in all of which the concurrence of the Senate is respectfully asked,

Very respectfully,

ED. W. BARBER,

Clerk of House of Representatives.

The message was laid on the table, and the bill read twice

and referred to the committee on judiciary.

MOTIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND NOTICES.

On motion of Mr. DeLand, it was

Resolved, That all bills for the division of the State into Congressional Districts be printed, and that a statement of each by counties with population annexed, by counties and totals, be printed with each bill.

On motion of Mr. Ingersoll, it was

Resolved, That the committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of empowering the Circuit Courts of this State to change the names of persons, and that they have leave to report by bill or otherwise.

Mr. Jones gave notice that on to-morrow, or on some future day, he would ask leave to introduce

A bill to divide the State into six or seven congressional districts.

Mr. Carpenter asked and obtained leave to introduce

A bill to repeal act No. 197, of the session laws of 1859, being an act entitled an act to restore certain sections of land to town six south of range five cast, approved February 15, 1859; Which bill was read twice, and referred to the committee on public lands.

Mr. Butterfield, leave being granted, introduced

A bill to change the name of William Franklin Kelley; Which was read twice, and referred to the committee on State affairs.

Mr. Tower, leave being granted, introduced

A bill for the improvement of the State road leading from Greenville, in the county of Montcalm, to Big Rapids, in the county of Mecosta ;

Which was read twice, and referred to the committee on roads and bridges.

Mr. Withey, leave being granted, introduced

A bill to amend sections 4339, 4340, 4341 and 4342 of the compiled laws, in relation to evidence;

Which was read twice, and referred to the committee on the judiciary.