DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 255 



No. 91. 1845, July 2: Despatch from the Right Hon. Viscount Falk- 

 land to the Right Hon. Lord Stanley. 

 No. 331. 



GOVERNMENT HOUSE HALIFAX 2nd July 1845. 



MY LORD, I lose no time in replying to your Lordship's Despatch, 

 No. 225 date 19 May, desiring me to inform you whether I have any 

 objections to offer on provincial or other grounds to a further relax- 

 ation of the construction of the Treaty of 1818 between Great Britain 

 and the United States; such relaxation, I learn from the above 

 despatch, going to the extent of allowing to American fishing vessels 

 free ingress, with liberty to fish therein, to all inlets of the sea which 

 measure from headland to headland at their entrance more than the 

 double of three miles, and still continuing to prohibit United States 

 fishing vessels to fish within any bays which do not measure that 

 distance at the entrance or to enter therein except under circum- 

 stances and for purposes provided for by the above treaty. 



In my former correspondence, see No. 75, date May 8, 1841, ad- 

 dressed to your Lordship's predecessor, and No. 185, date 17 October 

 1843 addressed to your Lordship I have very fully explained that, as 

 the advocate of the interests of the province, over the administration 

 of the affairs of which I have now for some time presided, I should 

 deeply lament any relaxation of the construction of the Treaty which 

 would admit of American fishing vessels carrying on their operations 

 within three marine miles of a line drawn from headland to headland 

 of the various bays on the coast of Nova Scotia ; nor, as governor 

 of the colony, do I now retract that opinion : but, as in matters of 

 this nature, much technical knowledge as well as verbal accuracy is 

 required in treating of details, I have directed the Attorney General 

 to prepare a report on this subject, which I herewith send, recom- 

 mending it to your Lordship's particular attention, and to which I 

 have only to add that I am convinced such a relaxation of the con- 

 struction of the treaty of 1818 as is apparently contemplated by 

 Lord Aberdeen, would, if carried into effect except in as far as 

 regards the Bay of Fundy, produce very deep rooted dissatisfaction 

 both here and in New Brunswick, and cause much injury to a very 

 large and valuable class of Her Majesty's subjects. 



Whether the arguments so strongly urged in the inclosed Report 

 ought to give way to considerations of national interest, which H. M. 

 Government may deem involved in the question, I do not venture to 

 pronounce, but I earnestly hope that if any further privileges injuri- 

 ous to the local interests of the inhabitants of this colony are ac- 

 corded to the fishermen of the United States, some such compensat- 

 ing advantages as are pointed out in my despatch No. 271 of the 17th 

 Sept. 1844 will be demanded and obtained for the fishermen of 

 151 Nova Scotia, and I take the liberty of again requesting your 

 Lordship to bring this important point under the notice of 

 the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 



I have the honour to be my Lord, 



your Lordship's most obedient humble servant 



FALKLAND : 



The LORD STANLEY 



&C &C &C 



