DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 457 



shall have been ascertained and recognized, is a matter of inter- 

 national obligation. 



It is not explicitly stated in Mr. Evarts' despatch that he considers 

 any recent Acts of the Colonial Legislature to be inconsistent with 

 the rights acquired by the United States under the Treaty of Wash- 

 ington. But if that is the case, Her Majesty's Government will, in 

 a friendly spirit, consider any representations he may think it right 

 to make upon the subject, with the hope of coming to a satisfactory 

 understanding. 



I have, &c, (Signed) SALISBURY 



272 No. 110. 1879, August 1: Letter from Mr. Evarts to Mr. 



Welsh. 



DEPARTMENT or STATE, 

 Washington, August 1, 1879. 

 JOHN WELSH, Esquire &c &c &c 



SIR, You will readily understand that the pressure of current busi- 

 ness, especially during the regular and special sessions of Congress, 

 has prevented so immediate attention to the claims of the Fortune 

 Bay fishermen, as definitely laid before me in their proofs completed 

 during the session, as would enable me to give in reply a full con- 

 sideration to the despatch of Lord Salisbury of the date of November 

 7, 1878, in reply to mine to you of 28th September, 1878. 



But other and stronger reasons have also induced me to postpone 

 until now any discussion of the questions, arising out of the occur- 

 rences to which those despatches referred. 



It so happened that the transactions of which certain citizens of 

 the United States complain, were brought fully to the attention of the 

 Government about the same time at which it became my duty to lay 

 before Her Britannic Majesty's Government the views of the United 

 States Government as to the award then recently made by the Com- 

 mission on the Fisheries, which had just closed its sittings at Halifax. 

 While the character of the complaint and the interests of the citizens 

 of the United States rendered it necessary that the subject should be 

 submitted to the consideration of Her Britannic Majesty's Govern- 

 ment at the earliest possible moment, in order to the prevention of 

 any further and graver misunderstanding and the avoidance of any 

 serious interruption to an important industry, I was exceedingly 

 unwilling that the questions arising under the award and those pro- 

 voked by the occurrences in Newfoundland should be confused with 

 each other, and least of all would I have been willing that the simul- 

 taneous presentment of the views of this Government should be 

 construed as indicating any desire on our part to connect the settle- 

 ment of these complaints with the satisfaction or abrogation of the 

 Halifax award. 



I also deemed it not inadvisable, in the interests of such a solution 

 as I am sure is desired by the good sense and good temper of both 

 Governments, that time should be allowed for the extinguishment of 

 the local irritation, both here and in Newfoundland, which these 

 transactions seem to have excited, and that another fishing season 



