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“ confidence whether the proposed legislation will prove to be the |. 
“ best mode of applying a remedy for the depressed state of the — 
“ colonial fishery, or whether, after further communication with } 
“the French Government, upon a more precise statement of the 
“ facts, such remedy may be found in some other direction.— 
“ T have, &e., 
(Signed) “H, T, HoLuann. 
*“ Governor Sir G. W. Des Voeux, 
“K.O.MG., &., &e.” 
THE LEGISLATURE RETORTS. 
To this despatch the Legislature, at the very commencement 
of the session of 1887, replied (1) by re-enacting the Bait Act; 
(2) by an address to the Secretary of State; and (3) by sending 
the Premier, Sir Robert Thorburn, and Sir Ambrose Shea, now © 
Governor of the Bahamas, to London to procure the assent of 
Her Majesty to the Act. The address was as follows :— 
“To THE RicHt HonouRABLE Her MaJesty’s PRINCIPAL 
«¢ SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES. 
«“ Srr,— | 
“We, Her Majesty’s loyal subjects, the Commons House of | 
«“ Assembly of Newfoundland, in session convened, have had 
“ ynder consideration the subject of our coast fisheries, in 
“ relation to the operation of foreign fishermen and their com- © 
“ netition in our markets. The history of this important matter 
“ was exhaustively examined in an address, from both branches _ 
“of our Legislature, to the Right Hon. the Secretary of State 
* for the Colonies in May last. This address accompanied a Bill, 
“ passed in the last session, to control the sale of bait to 
“ foreigners, and set forth the reasons for the adoption of that 
“ measure, and with such completeness and force as to claim its 
“ confirmation by Her Majesty’s Government, for whose sanction 
“‘ it had been reserved. 
“The Council and House of Assembly had not contemplated 
“the possibility of successful opposition to their views in this 
“ case. The measure was the outcome of a state of things which 
“¢ placed all our interests in a perilous position, We accordingly 
“ passed the Bait Act as a measure of self-preservation, and this 
“‘ was so clearly shown in the address that accompanied it, that, 
“we saw no room for doubt of the cordial concurrence of Her - 
