542 OOBBESPONDBNOB, ETC. 



seven hundred and nineteen dollars over the average of the preceding 

 four years. 



Such was the treatment of colonial fish in the ports of the United 

 States, while the fishing interest in the colonies was steadily urging 

 upon the home government those complaints of the encroachment - 

 of the American fishermen which led to the naval movement of last 

 summer. If, as Lord Malmesbury intimated to Mr. Lawrence, the 

 late ministry were somewhat remiss in putting a stop to those alleged 

 encroachments, it was probably because they saw that the colonies * 

 were gaining a hundred-fold more in the markets of the United 

 States than they could lose from an American fisherman occasionally 

 by inadvertence, or even design, passing the line of the convention 

 in the eager pursuit of a shoal of mackerel. While the United 

 States were reducing duties on colonial fish, and opening their mar- 

 kets to its importation, it was probably deemed inexpedient to allow 

 the colonies to enforce too keenly their monopoly of the best fishing- 

 grounds. Admitting them, as we did, to a competition with our 

 fishermen, which has given them in our own ports the exclusive 

 possession of our foreign trade, the United States seemed to have 

 earned a title to some little indulgence, instead of increased strictness 

 in the exclusion of their vessels from a competition in those prolific 

 waters whose inexhaustible abundance remains undiminished after 

 the resort of two centuries and a half; and in which the gain of one 

 implies no loss to another. 



I have called your attention to these facts, to which I do not 

 recollect to have seen any allusion on your side of the water last 

 summer, in order to show you that if, on the one hand, some encroach- 

 ments have from time to time been made by our fishermen on the 

 reserved fishing-grounds — a thing impossible to prevent, and of 

 little serious injury — the colonists have, in the mean time, been 

 greatly favored by our legislation. Her Majesty's government will 

 find in this fact the assurance that we are predisposed to arrange 

 the whole question of the fisheries on a fair and equitable principle 

 of mutual and equal privilege and favor. I hope, in a very short 

 time, to be able to enter upon the negotiation with Mr. Crampton ; 

 and it is the President's desire that it should be conducted on the 

 footing of the most liberal reciprocity. He will deem it a piece of 

 good fortune, if among the last acts of his administration should be 

 a measure calculated to strengthen the friendly relations of the two 

 countries. 



As this subject may be one of parliamentary inquiry, and lead to 

 the production of papers, you will read this despatch to the Earl of 

 Malmesbury, and leave a copy of it with him. 



I remain, with great respect, your obedient servant, 



Edward Everett. 



P. S. December 23 — The foregoing despatch, as its date shows.. 

 was prepared some time ago; and, though it had already been sub- 

 mitted to the President for his approval, I had made up my mind to 

 ask his permission to withhold it. The conferences between Mr. 

 Crampton and myself, in reference to the entire question of the 

 fisheries and commercial reciprocity, having made the most encourag- 

 ing progress, I thought it better, upon the whole, to acquiesce in the 

 inju-1 ice, no doubt unintentional, done to my government, to my pred- 



