The Fishery Question. 41 



the news of the battle of New Orleans, were 

 aware that a strong party at home wished 

 peace on almost any terms. 



England made territorial claims, and, as an 

 inducement for their consideration, offered the 

 old fishing privileges stated to have been 

 abrogated by the war. The instructions of 

 the United States commissioners were to 

 obtain peace and preserve the Fishery. The 

 British Government refused to accept, in ex- 

 change, a renewal of the previous English 

 right to navigate the Mississippi.^"^ 



In 1782 part of the river was supposed to 

 be in British territory, but this was now 

 known to be an error. England maintained 

 that her right of navigation had also been 

 abrogated by the war. The negotiations 

 were marked by considerable temper on both 

 sides, and the Americans quarrelled among 

 themselves. Peace was concluded, but noth- 

 ing was said in the instrument concerning the 

 Fisher}^ England lost the navigation of the 

 Mississippi, which she had never used. The 

 theoretical basis of the American claim does 

 not appear to have been clear in the minds of 

 eminent American statesmen. Gallatin wrote 

 to Monroe that on the subject of the Fisher- 



