Actuated  by  the  generous  and  neighborly  spirit  which  has
characterized  our  legislation,  our  tariff  laws  have,  since  1866,
been  so  far  waived  in  favor  of  Canada  as  to  allow  free  of  duty
the  transit  across  the  territory  of  the  United  States  of  property
arriving  at  our  ports  and  destined  to  Canada,  or  exported  from
Canada  to  other  foreign  countries.
When  the  treaty  of  Washington  was  negotiated  in  187 1,
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  having  for  its
object  very  largely  the  modification  of  the  treaty  of  1818,  the
privileges  above  referred  to  were  made  reciprocal  and  given  in
return  by  Canada  to  the  United  States  in  the  following  lan-
guage, contained  in  the  twenty-ninth  article  of  said  treaty  :

It  is  agreed  that,  for  the  term  of  years  mentioned  in  article  thirty-three  of
this  treaty,  goods,  wares,  or  merchandise  arriving  at  the  ports  of  New  York,
Boston,  and  Portland,  and  any  other  ports  in  the  United  States  which  have
been  or  may,  from  time  to  time,  be  specially  designated  by  the  President  of
the  United  States,  and  destined  for  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  possessions  in
North  America,  may  be  entered  at  the  proper  customhouse  and  conveyed  in
transit,  without  the  payment  of  duties,  through  the  territory  of  the  United
States,  under  such  rules,  regulations,  and  conditions  for  the  protection  of  the
revenue  as  the  Government  of  the  United  States  may  from  time  to  time  pre-
scribe ;  and,  under  like  rules,  regulations,  and  conditions,  goods,  waves,  or
merchandise  may  be  conveyed  in  transit,  without  the  payment  of  duties,
from  such  possessions  through  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  for  export
from  the  said  ports  of  the  United  States.
