[i.ONGi.Kvl I)lKFl(rLTI!';S WITK XEWFOUNlJl.AND 259 



United States Government. Under this, ll^nited States fishermen 

 were to have bait on the same terms as Newfoundland \essels, and 

 have all privilege of touching, trading, selling fish, oil, etc., and getting 

 supplies, without other charges than light and harbour dues. In 

 return. United States to admit codfish, cod-oil, seal oil, herrings, 

 salmon, etc., from Newfoundland, the produce of Newfoundland 

 fisheries. No acknowledgement of this appears in any of the Blue 

 books. 



The next step taken was a letter sent by Sir William Whitevvay 

 to the Colonial Secretary, dated September 9th, 1890, in which he 

 declares that as he understood Her Majesty's Government "had 

 consented to negotiate with the United States Government for an 

 arrangement respecting Newfoundland interests, his colleague, Mr. 

 Bond, is about to proceed to New York, and he asks that he be fur- 

 nished with the necessary authority for communicating to Her 

 Majesty's Minister at Washington, the views of the Newfoundland 

 government, in order to the attainment of the object desired." This 

 request was submitted to the Foreign Office and Lord Salisbury, 

 Foreign Minister, forwarded a note to Sir Julian Pauncefote, the 

 British Minister at Washington, in which he intimates that this 

 note will be handed him by Mr. Bond, who has been commissioned 

 by his Prime Minister "to communicate to you the views and wishes 

 of the Newfoundland Government with regard to an arrangement for 

 the admission of fish and other products of Newfoundland to the 

 United States free of duty, in return for concessions as to the purchase 

 of bait by Ignited States fishermen." 



This letter of introduction from Lord Salisbury looks innocent 

 upon its face and was discreetly drawn. It seemed only to authorize 

 Mr. Bond to convey to Sir J. Pauncefote the views of the Newfound- 

 land government; but the reference to an arrangement with the 

 United States opened the door to many weighty matters, and events 

 have shewn that it would have been more prudent to have given no 

 such general authority witiiout previous consultation with the Cana- 

 dian Government. The former effort to obtain such authority might 

 well have been a warning against any step which seemed to dix'ide 

 Imperial interests in North America, in the disposition of the important 

 fishery question. 



Armed with tins letter, Mr. Bond h;ed to Washington and was 

 soon placed by the British Minister in touch with Mr. J. G. Blaine, 

 the able and eminent Secretary of State, who was only too glad to 

 circumv^ent Canada by an arrangement with Newfoundlantl which 

 would very largely sweep away all the leverage which the enlorcement 

 of the Treaty of 1818 afforded for a friendly arrangement between the 



