338 VENEZUELA AND AFTER 



landers, as was the general practice, and the 

 colonial government had the right to prohibit 

 the Newfoundlanders to serve and punish them 

 for serving, as was also becoming a practice. 

 It was decided that the American fishermen 

 ought not to be subjected to the custom-house 

 requirements and harbor dues that applied to 

 commercial shipping; that they were not, 

 however, excluded from the privileges of com 

 mercial shipping, provided that they did not 

 try to enjoy the liberty of fishing and the priv 

 ilege of trading at the same time. Finally, 

 on the very important question as to what 

 constituted &quot;bays,&quot; in the sense in which the 

 Americans had by treaty the right to fish in 

 them, it was decided that where the arm of the 

 sea did not exceed ten miles in width at its 

 mouth, the coast-line should be considered as 

 running from headland to headland, while 

 elsewhere it should follow the sinuosities of the 

 shore, save that for a considerable number of 

 indentations the shore line at their mouths was 

 specifically described in the decision. 



The result of this arbitration, completed by 

 the supplementary proceedings called for, left 

 apparently no opportunity for a renewal of 

 friction in connection with the Atlantic fish- 



