Euclosure N°5.
To His Excellency Sir John. H. Glover G. C. Mc. G. Governor and Commander in chief in and over the Island of Newfoundland and its dependencies.
May it please your Excellency
arce
11
The Chamber of Commerce of.
of
St Johns, having lately had under con- sideration the defenceless state of the Capital in the event an outbreak of hostilities between Great Britain and any foreign nation, begs respectfully to bring this condition of affairs under the notice of your excellency in Council".
The fact that some of the the crimen Great powers after the Crimea War re- fused to sign the Treaty of
the Treaty of Paris binding
war not to fit out privateers or issue Letters of Marque's and moreover the immense amount of damage done to Commerce by filibusters during the American Civil War, lead the Chamber to seriously consider how helpless the Colony is, and how liable it would be to attacks of like character were the friendly relations l'etween Great Britain and such nations as Russia or the United States to ve dis- turbed.
them
in the event
of
Up to the year 1870 a sufficient " garrison of Imperial troops was stationed here but since their withdrawal nothing has been done to supply their place; and it is the jecting of insecurity caused by the present Europeun complications that
145;3