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lates into the best information which he and his colleagues at Ghent 

 could obtain, and thus represents as the information upon which 

 they as well as he had acted. It may be proper to refer also to 

 documents, showing, 1. The extent of the interest in the fisheries 

 of which the British government intended at the negotiation of 

 Ghent, to obtain from the United States the tacit or implied surren 

 der. 2. The value of this interest as estimated, by British autho 

 rities. 



The instructions from the Secretary of State to the American 

 commissioners at Ghent, commanding them in no event to surren 

 der the fisheries, but if such surrender should be insisted on to break 

 off the negotiation, were dated the 24th of June, 1814. By a singular 

 and fortunate coincidence of events they were received on the 

 evening of the 8th of August, the very day upon which the British 

 plenipotentiaries had notified to us the intentions of their govern 

 ment not to grant the liberties in the North American fisheries, 

 which, as they stated, had been granted by the treaty of 1783. 



In the 6th volume of Nile s Register, p. 239, under date of the 

 llth of June, 1814, there is a memorial of the merchants and prin 

 cipal resident inhabitants interested in the trade and fisheries of 

 Newfoundland, to admiral Keats, who had been some time governor 

 of that island, and was then about returning to England. It was 

 dated 8th November, 1813, and in the Register was preceded by 

 the following remarks, which serve to indicate the popular feeling 

 of the time. 



From Niles s Register of llth June, 1814. The Fisheries. 



&quot; The following memorial has excited considerable interest, par 

 ticularly in the eastern States, so far as we have heard of its pro 

 mulgation, I cannot doubt, from the high ground assumed by Great 

 Britain since her victories on the continent, but that she will at 

 tempt to exclude us from the fisheries as the grand nursery of her 

 seamen, etc. This opinion is strengthened by hosts of &quot; Extracts 

 of Letters from England&quot; Let those who have calculated on the 

 &quot; magnanimity&quot; of Great Britain look to it ; those who have ex 

 pected nothing of her justice &quot; are blessed for they shall not be 

 disappointed.&quot; 



&quot; The Boston Centinel says this memorial is alarmingly interest 

 ing. It was borne to England by admiral Keats^ the late governor 

 of Newfoundland, who has promised to give it his support.&quot; 



&quot; JVo peace without the fisheries&quot; has begun to be the cry. If pa 

 triotism has failed, we are pleased to see that interest is about to 

 unite the people ; and I am very much mistaken in the character 

 of the middle and south if their representatives shall for a mo 

 ment abandon the one iota of the rights of the eastern population, 

 however perverse it naay have been to the views of an immen^ 

 majority of our citizens. If we * pull together all will be well. 



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