262 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



fishing interests to the Dominion, and make the Imperial position 

 under the Treaty of 1818 weak and helpless. 



Not very satisfactory responses were given by the Imperial 

 Government at first, and all the assurances which could be obtained 

 were in the direction of delay. Meantime, the Newfoundland 

 Government was pressing for immediate authority from, the Imperial 

 Government to have the treaty signed, but the Colonial Secretary, 

 on January 23rd, 1891, sent two cable messages to Newfoundland 

 Government, the purport of which, so far as the proposed treaty was 

 concerned, was that "the effect of the convention on Canadian inter- 

 ests must be fully considered, and further examination has shewn 

 that the probable effect would be more serious than at first supposed. 

 The question, therefore, cannot be disposed of as speedily as had been 

 originally anticipated. If Canada assents, the difficult>- now standing 

 in the way of the ratification of the convention with the United States 

 would be speedily removed." 



The Newfoundland Government now awoke to a realization of 

 the fact that Canada stood in the way of the ratification of thier 

 treaty, upon which they had built so many hopes. Then they became 

 filled with indignation. Resolutions were passed in the .'\ssembly 

 attributing to the "ignorance prevailing in the Mother country 

 respecting Newfoundland that her interests should be made sub- 

 servient to the party politics of a rival colony whose irritating policy 

 has provoked and estranged a friendly nation." 



In the midst of this embroglio the Canadian Ministers were pre- 

 paring for a general election on the issue of Unrestricted Reciprocit\' 

 with the United States, and to create a plausible issue and at the 

 same time relieve the embarrassment of the Imperial Government 

 in respect to Newfoundland they caused the well-known and ingen- 

 iously devised despatch from Lord Stanley to the Colonial Secretary 

 to be sent, announcing the desire of the Canadian Government to 

 propose a Joint High Commission to settle with the I'nited States 

 several subjects of dispute, including a renewal of the Reciprocity 

 Treaty of 1854, etc., to which an opportune reply was forwarded on 

 January 2nd, 1891. intimating that the Minister at Washington had 

 obtained an assurance from Mr. Blaine that he would be prepared 

 to enter into private negotiations at any time after March 4th. The 

 elections were then held and the Government sustained. 



After the Newfoundland Government discovered that Canada 

 was not likely to achieve anything in the way of trade relations with 

 the United States, while their opposition blocked the Blaine-Bond 

 Treaty, they began to enforce the Bait Act with vigour, and even 

 exceptional harshness, against Canadian fishermen — placing them at a 



