79 
ajesty’s Government in this endeavour to guard the integrity 
« of our trade and the well-being of our population. 
_ “Tt was, therefore, with feelings of profound disappointment 
_ and regret that we learned from His Excellency’s Speech at 
i. the opening of the present session of the Legislature, and from 
your despatch to him, of the 3rd inst., that Her Majesty will 
~ not be advised to give her sanction to this Bill. 
_ * This announcement awakened a public sentiment that has 
“ had its expression in the immediate passage of another similar 
4 ‘Bill, which took precedence of all other business in the Legis~ 
on lature, and will be transmitted immediately for the approval of 
A Her Majesty's Government. We most earnestly trust that the 
result of this renewed effort in support of our rights may not be 
. another disappointment, with its ruinous consequences. 
__ “ When we learn from your despatch that the main reason for 
| ty « the refusal of our Bill is that its present adoption would ‘ inflict 
| «es grave loss on the French fishermen, we cannot forbear from 
“ the expression of our surprise at this apparent disregard of the 
4 “ sufferings of our fishermen, and of the British interests which 
“ are thus made subservient to the purposes of foreigners. The 
“people of this colony have the right in our fisheries, and 
_ “foreigners have not; and we cannot see those rights sur- 
yi “rendered in defiance of our appeals without expressing our deep 
_ sense of the injustice to which our people are thus called on to 
{ By submit. 
ala Your despatch sets forth that further information is required 
_ “to enable Her Majesty's Government to appreciate the true 
_ character and bearings of our Bait Bill. The address of the 
« Legislature, already referred to, in possession of Her Majesty’s 
H «“ Government, is pregnant with facts in justification of that 
_ « measure, and appears to us to exhaust the whole subject. But 
. while we fail to see any want of completeness in the evidence 
- “already supplied, every desire is felt to satisfy any further 
_ “ reasonable requirements in this respect. 
__ * It would further appear from your despatch that, in support 
_ “of the objections to the measure, much importance is given to 
_ “the fact that the bait traffic has been long recognised, and has 
_ “only of late been resisted. We thought the reasons for this 
‘] «“ change of view had been fully explained in the representations 
4 «“ recently made to Her Majesty's Government. The traffic was 
a 
