BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND GEEAT BRITAIN. 37 



be completed in season to enable the President to make the result 

 publicly known to the citizens engaged in the fishing on the British 

 American Atlantic coast. 



I have, &c, 



T. F. Bayard. 



Mr. West to Mr. Bayard. 



British Legation, 

 Washington, June 20, 1885. 



My Dear Mr. Bayard : I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your 

 note of yesterday's date, concerning the proposed temporary arrange- 

 ment respecting the fisheries, which I am authorized by Her Majesty's 

 Government to negotiate with you on behalf of the Government of 

 the Dominion of Canada and the government of Newfoundland, to be 

 effected by an exchange of notes founded on your memorandum of 

 the 21st of April last. 



The two memoranda which I handed to you on the 13th instant con- 

 tain, as you assume, the acceptance by the Dominion and the British 

 American coast provinces of the general features of your above-men- 

 tioned memorandum, with the understanding expressed on their side 

 that the agreement has been arrived at under circumstances affording 

 prospects of negotiation for the development and extension of trade 

 between the United States and British North America, a contingent 

 understanding to which, as you state, you can have no objection, as 

 you regard it as covered by the terms of your memorandum of 

 April 21. 



In authorizing me to negotiate this agreement, Earl Granville 

 states, as I have already had occasion to intimate to you, that it is on 

 the di-t irict understanding that it is a temporary one, and that its 

 conclusion must not be held to prejudice any claim which may be ad- 

 vanced to more satisfactory equivalents by the colonial governments 

 in the course <>f the negotiation for a more permanent settlement. 

 Earl ( rranville further wishes nic to tell you that Her Majesty's Gov- 

 ernment and the colonial governments have consented to the arrange- 

 ment, solely as a mark of good will to the Government and people of 

 the United States, and to avoid difficulties which might be raised by 

 the terminal LOB of the fishery art ides in the midst of a fishing season : 

 and also that the acceptance of such a modus vivendi does not, by any 

 implication, affect the value of the inshore fisheries by the Govern- 

 ments of Canada and Newfoundland. I had occasion to remark to 

 you that while the colonial governments are asked to guarantee im- 

 munity from interference to American vessels resorting to Canadian 

 water-, no such immunity is offered in your memorandum to Canadian 

 vessels resorting to American waters, but thai the Dominion Govern- 

 ment presumed thai the agreemeni in this respect would be mutual. 

 As you accepted this view, il would, 1 think, be as well that mention 

 should be made to this effect in the notes. 



[Jnder the re ervations, as above indicated, in which I believe you 

 acquiesce, I am prepared to accept the understanding on behalf of 

 British North America, and to exchange notes in the above sense. 



I have, &c., 



L. S. S \< k\ ii. i, k West. 



