610 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 



On the other hand, I find with the instructions issued by Vice 

 Admiral Wellesley, and forming a part of them, a letter marked 

 confidential^ from the secretary of state for the colonies to the lords 

 of the admiralty, dated Downing Street, April 12, 18G6, in which is 

 expressed the opinion of her Majesty's government, that the United 

 States have renounced the right of fishing within three miles of a line 

 drawn across the mouth of any British bay or creek, and also that 

 American fishermen should not be interfered with, either by notice or 

 otherwise, unless they are found within three miles of a line drawn 

 across the mouth of a bay or creek which is less than ten geographical 

 miles in width, in conformity with the arrangement made with 

 France in 1830, and that American vessels found within these limits 

 should be warned that by engaging or preparing to engage in fish- 

 ing they will be liable to forfeiture, and should receive notice to 

 depart. 



The vice-admiral communicated a copy of these instructions, which 

 he proposed to issue immediately to the commander of the Plover, 

 to the secretary of the admiralty on the 27th of April last; and 

 though it is not doubted that on receipt of the later instruction ad- 

 dressed to him on the 5th ultimo, by the lords commissioners of the 

 admiralty, he will modify the directions to his subordinates so that 

 they will be in conformity with the views of the admiralty, and 

 without entering into any consideration of questions which might 

 be suggested by the letter referred to, which I understand to be super- 

 seded by later instructions, I think it best to call your attention to 

 the inconsistencies referred to, in order to guard against misunder- 

 standings and complications that might arise in the absence of 

 modifications of the instructions communicated in your note of the 

 3d instant. 



Hamilton Fish. 



Mr. Thornton to Mr. Fish. 



Washington, June 11, 1870. 



Sir, I had the honour to receive yesterday your noteof the 8th 

 instant relative to an apparent discrepancy between the instructions 

 issued by Vice Admiral Wellesley inclosed in my note of the 3rd 

 instant and those given by the Admiralty to him, which accompanied 

 my note of the 26th ultimo. You are however quite right in not 

 doubting that Admiral Wellesley, on the receipt of the later instruc- 

 tions addressed to him on the 5th ultimo will have modified the direc- 

 tions to the officers under his command so that they may be in 

 conformity with the views of the Admiralty. In confirmation of this 

 I have since received a letter from Vice Admiral Wellesley dated the 

 30th ultimo informing me that he had received instructions to the 

 effect that officers of Her Majesty's Ships employed in the protection 

 of the Fisheries should not seize any vessel unless it were evident and 

 could be clearly proved that the offence of fishing had been committed 

 and the vessel itself captured within three miles of land. 



I avail myself at the same time of the opportunity to point out to 

 you, in compliance with an instruction which I have received from 

 the Earl of Clarendon, that the Circular of the 16th ultimo of your 



