62 The Fishery Question. 



The convention of 1818 was recognized as 

 the basis of this understanding. No limit 

 was set to the amount of a possible award. 



One commissioner was to be nominated by 

 the President of the United States, one by 

 Her Britannic Majesty, and in case the gov- 

 ernments were unable to agree upon a third 

 within three months, the nomination was to 

 be made by the Austrian Ambassador at 

 London. Canada protested in the first in- 

 stance to the nomination of any foreign rep- 

 resentative at Washington. The chairman 

 of the English Joint High Commission had 

 admitted the impropriety of the nomination 

 of the Belgian minister in particular. After 

 the lapse of the prescribed time and the fail- 

 ure of an attempt to renew the reciprocity 

 treaty of 1854, the nomination devolved upon 

 the Austrian Ambassador, who selected M. 

 De la Fosse, Belgian minister to the United 

 States Government. 



The pertinacity shown by the British Gov- 

 ernment to obtain the appointment of this 

 gentleman was apparent throughout the 

 diplomatic correspondence, subsequently pub- 

 lished. Had it been generally known at the 

 time, it is extremely improbable that either 



