THE FISHERY CONVENTIONS 621 



Irish fisheries" in pursuance of the provisions of which they 

 presumed they had acted, and " whether the oysters in question 

 were captured within those limits." The reply was that the 

 oysters were taken two and a half miles from the shore, but 

 that the most extensive and valuable oyster-beds on the east 

 coast of Ireland lay at a distance of from five to ten miles from 

 and parallel to the shore, and so far as they, or any other beds, 

 were "within the reach of ordinary shore boats, and were 

 habitually frequented by and afforded the means of living to 

 a shore population, the Commissioners conceive they are justly 

 entitled to be considered Irish beds, and to come within their 

 control." 1 



The Irish Members of Parliament strenuously supported this 

 contention, and they succeeded in getting a clause inserted in 

 the Convention Act of 1868 enabling the Irish Commissioners, 

 with the approval of the Queen in Council, to regulate the 

 dredging for oysters on any oyster-beds situated within the 

 distance of twenty miles seawards from a straight line between 

 Lambay Island and Carnsore Point an area of nearly 1300 

 square (geographical) miles, outside the three-mile limit, includ- 

 ing the Arklow and Wexford banks, and stretching from 

 twelve and a half to nineteen miles beyond the ordinary limit. 

 All such regulations were to " apply equally to all boats and 

 persons on whom they might be binding," and they were binding 

 " on all British sea-fishing boats, and on any other sea-fishing 

 boats in that behalf specified in the Order, and on the crews of 

 such boats." 2 By an Order in Council, dated 29th April 1869, 

 regulations were made under this section of the Act appointing 

 a close-time ; but no other boats than British boats were therein 

 specified. 3 



In the interval between the two conventions with France, 

 referred to above, there were some other treaties that dealt 

 with territorial waters to which allusion may be made. The 

 provisions of the treaty of 1818 with the United States respect- 

 ing the fishery rights on the coasts of the British dominions in 

 America (see p. 581) had given rise to disputes, and in particular 

 the words "within three marine miles of any of the coasts, 



1 Parl. Papers, Sess. 1867-68, Fisheries (Ireland), 135. 



2 31 & 32 Viet., c. 45, s. 67. 



3 Report front the Select Committee on Oyster Fisheries, 8, 166 (1876). 



