16 
Chief Justice Reeves, whose book was published in 1793; Mrdt 
Anspach, who wrote in 1827; and the Rev. C. Pedley, who 
wrote in 18638, after laborious researches into the ancient 
records of the colony— concur in treating and describing the 
French fishery on the coasts of Newfoundland as being con- 
current with that prosecuted by the English; “the French,” in 
the language of one of the historians, Chief Justice Reeves, — 
“retaining nothing more than a licence to come and go during 
“the fishing season.” 
In the assertion of the English side of the question, and — 
resistance to the French claims to “ exclusive” rights, either 
territorial or maritime, British law officers, Ministers, dip- 
g 
fy 
- 
¥ 
: 
lomatists, and politicians appear to have rivalled each other in 
the force and appropriateness of their legal opinions, their 
despatches, their speeches, and other statements of whatever 
kind. Any quotation at length here, or even any attempt to 
make a selection from so much of value and importance as has | 
been written and said upon the question would, we fear, be only © 
unduly to burden the attention of the reader with the minutiz 
— 
of a controversy the practical value of which it is not the main — 
object of the present paper to show. For the information, how- — 
ever, of those of our readers who desire to master the whole 
subject, we would again refer to the report of the Council of the 
Royal Colonial Institute, already mentioned, in which will be 
found an able résumé of what may be termed the best “authorities ” 
upon the whole question. 
The questions, or issues, as between the contracting parties, 
under these treaties, having been thus briefly stated, the great 
importance to the colony of Newfoundland, and the duty on the 
part of the Imperial authorities of arriving at some satisfactory — 
solution of these difficulties, are well and forcibly stated in a ~ 
despatch from Lord Kimberley, then Secretary of State for the 
Colonies, to Governor Hill, dated the 6th August, 1873, from 
which we make the following extracts :— 
“6, Her Majesty’s Government are fully alive to the con- 
“siderations which render it important that the long-standing 
“differences as to the French fishing rights and the settle- 
“ments of the so-called ‘French shore’ should, if possible, be — 
“ adjusted. 
“7, They regret that impediments should be thrown in thee 
