DESPATCHES, BEPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 185 



of the treaty stipulation contained in the convention of October 20. 

 1818; and if the British Government admits the claim of France to 

 exclusive fishery on the western coast of Newfoundland from Cape 

 Bay [Ray] to the Quirpon Islands, they will necessarily see the 

 obligation of indemnifying the United States by an equivalent for 

 the loss of that portion of the fishery, expressly conceded to them 

 by the convention, which, in the supposed hypothesis, must have been 

 granted by Great Britain under an erroneous impression that it was 

 yet in her power to grant. 

 1 am, with great respect, Sir, 



Your very humble and obedient servant, 



JOHN QUINCT ADAMS. 

 Hon. R. RUSH, Envoy Extraordinary and 



Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States, London. 



No. 55. 1823, July 8: Extract from Diary of Mr. John Quincy 



Adams. 



The Count de Menou came to inquire where were the Quirpon 

 Islands; I showed him upon Mitchell's map. We had much con- 

 versation upon the subject of the French claim to exclusive fishery 

 from them to Cape Ray. He said he had received further instruc- 

 tions from the Viscount de Chateaubriand on this affair, but there 

 were still two previous instructions which he had not received. He 

 saw it was an affair of great delicacy, and he did not see how they and 

 we could enjoy a concurrent right of fishery on the same coast. 



I told him the whole affair was a question between France and 

 Great Britain, with which we had but a secondary concern. Great 

 Britain was bound to maintain her own jurisdiction. And if she had 

 conceded to us a right which she had already granted as an exclusive 

 possession to France, she must indemnify us for it. The Count 

 spoke also upon the subject of the maritime questions arisen from 

 the war between France and Spain, upon which he said he should 

 write to me. 



109 No. 56. 1824, March 30: Letter from Messrs. Hnskisson and 

 Stratford Canning to Mr. G. Canning (British Secretary for 

 Foreign Affairs). 



No. 5. BOARD or TRADE, March 30. 1824. 



SIR, The American plenipotentiary in a conference which we held 

 with him yesterday, communicated the enclosed papers in explana- 

 tion of the circumstances concerning which he has received the 

 instructions of his Government with reference to the Newfoundland 

 fisheries. 



The general purport of this communication is that the French lay 

 claim in virtue of treaties with Great Britain to an exclusive enjoy- 



