328 NEW ENGLAND FISHERIES 



excluded from the treaty provisions. On the other hand, 

 similar rights were granted to British fishermen on the 

 eastern coasts of the United States north of the parallel 

 of 39 degrees. Fish and fish-oil, the product of sea-fish- 

 eries, were to be admitted into each country, respectively, 

 free of duty. The Newfoundland fisheries were placed 

 on the same basis as the other provinces mentioned, as far 

 as free fishing on the coast and the free admission of their 

 fish into the United States were concerned. 1 



It was claimed by the British commissioners, but not 

 admitted by the commissioners of the United States, that, 

 by this treaty, greater benefits would accrue to the fisher- 

 men of the United States than to those of the British 

 provinces, and it was provided by one of the articles of 

 the treaty that commissioners should be appointed to de- 

 termine the amount of compensation to be paid by the 

 United States to the British Government for this excess 

 of privileges granted to our citizens under the fishery arti- 

 cles of this treaty. 



The fisheries provisions of the Treaty of Washington 

 were to last ten years from the time that they went into 

 force, and could not be abrogated by either party with- 

 out a notice of such intention two years previous. On 

 account of delay in passing the necessary laws, the fish- 

 eries articles of the treaty did not go into effect until the 

 first of July, 1873. They continued in force for twelve 

 years. 



The Halifax Commission, provided for by the Treaty 

 of Washington, met in June, 1877, to determine the amount 

 of compensation, if any, that should be paid to Great 

 Britain in return for the fisheries privileges accorded to 

 the citizens of the United States under that treaty. The 

 Commission consisted of Mr. Maurice Delfosse, the Belgian 

 minister at Washington, Sir Edward Gait, on the part of 



i Snow, p. 98. 



