38 TREATY PROVISIONS RELATING TO FISHERIES 



Mr. Bayard to Mr. West. 



Department or State, 



Washington, June 20, 1885. 



Sir: I have just received your note of to-day's date in regard to the 

 proposed temporary arrangement touching the fisheries. 



Undoubtedly it is our clear and mutual understanding that the ar- 

 rangement now made is only temporary, and that it proceeds from the 

 mutual good-will of our respective Governments, and solely to avoid 

 all difficulties which might otherwise arise from the termination of 

 the fishing of 1885 in the midst of the season. 



I understand, also, that the same immunity which is accorded by 

 this agreement to the vessels belonging to the citizens of the United 

 States, engaged in fishing in the British American waters, will be 

 extended to British vessels and subjects engaged in fishing in the 

 waters of the United States. Perceiving, therefore, no substantial 

 difference between our respective propositions and these statements 

 as contained in our correspondence on the subject, I shall consider the 

 agreement as embodied in our memoranda and the correspondence 

 between us as thus concluded; and public notification to that effect 

 will be given in a few days by the President. 



I have, &c, 



T. F. Bayard. 



Mr. Bayard to Mr. West. 



Department of State, 



Washington, June 22, 1885. 



Sir: In compliance with your verbal request of this morning that 

 I should restate part of my note to you of the 19th, I repeat that the 

 arrangement whereby a modus vivendi on the fishing question has 

 been reached, rests on the memoranda and correspondence exchanged ; 

 that your memorandum of the 13th instant expressed the under- 

 standing on your side that the " agreement has been arrived at under 

 circumstances affording prospect of negotiation for development and 

 extension of trade between the United States and British North 

 America; " that I not only had no objection to such an understand- 

 ing, but, in fact regarded it as amply embraced in our proposal to 

 recommend a commission to deal with the whole subject in the in- 

 terest of good neighborhood and intercourse, and that the recom- 

 mendation of any measures which the commission might deem neces- 

 sary to attain those ends would seem to fall within its province, and 

 such recommendations could not fail to have attentive consideration. 



Having thus not only admitted the proviso of your memorandum 

 in your own language, but gone still further and pointed out that no 

 limits would be set, so far as I was concerned, to the proposals to be 

 brought forward in the suggested commission on behalf of either 

 party, I do not see how it is possible for me to give any stronger as- 

 surance that the understanding has " been reached under circum- 

 stances affording a prospect of negotiation for the development and 

 extension of trade between the United States and British America." 



I have, &c, 



T. F. Bayard. 



