DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 485 



fishing regulations, will be resisted by the authority of the British 

 Government as well as exposed to the violence of the coast fishermen. 

 Under this unhappy and unexpected failure of accord between the 

 two Governments as to the measure of the inshore fishing privilege 

 secured to our fishermen by the Treaty of Washington, as developed 

 in this correspondence, it becomes the imperative duty of this Gov- 

 ernment to consider what measures should be taken to maintain the 

 rights of our people under the Treaty, as we understand them, and 

 to obtain redress for their expulsion from the enjoyment of their 

 rights. 



So far as this diminution of these privileges calls for a reconsidera- 

 tion of the Treaty equivalents already parted with by this Govern- 

 ment and received by Great Britain, as suitable to the failure of the 

 privileges thus purchased and paid for, by this denial of their 

 289 exercise so as to be valuable or desirable to our people, that sub- 

 ject necessarily must be remitted to diplomatic correspondence. 



The only continuing consideration the United States is paying 

 for the Treaty period, for the expected enjoyment of the Treaty 

 concession, is the remission of our customs duties upon the fish 

 products of the provincial share in these fisheries. I respectfully 

 advise that it be recommended to Congress to re-enforce the duties 

 upon fish and fish oil, the products of the provincial fisheries, as they 

 existed before the Treaty of Washington came into operation, to so 

 continue until the two Governments shall be in accord as to the in- 

 terpretation and execution of the Fishery Articles of the Treaty of 

 Washington, and in the adjustment of the grievance of our fishermen 

 from the infraction of their rights under that Treaty. 



This measure will give to our fishermen, while excluded from the 

 enjoyment of the inshore fisheries under the continued enforcement 

 of the British interpretation of the Treaty, a restoration of the do- 

 mestic market for the products of their own fishing industry, as it 

 stood before its freedom was thrown open to the provincial fishermen 

 in exchange for the free fishery opened to our fishermen. 



I respectfully advise, also, submitting to the consideration of Con- 

 gress the propriety of authorizing the examination and auditing of 

 the claims of our fishermen for injuries suffered by the infraction 

 or denial of their Treaty privileges, with the view of some ultimate 

 provision by Convention with Great Britain or by this Government 

 for their indemnity. 



W. M. EVARTS. 



No. 173. 1880, October 27: Letter from Earl Granville (British 

 Foreign Secretary] to Mr. Lowell (United States Minister at 

 London) . 



FOREIGN OFFICE, October 27, 1880. 



SIR, Her Majesty's Government have carefully considered the cor- 

 respondence which has taken place between their predecessors and 

 the Government of the United States respecting the disturbance 

 which occurred at Fortune Bay on the 6th January, 1878, and they 

 have approached this subject with the most earnest desire to arrive 

 at an amicable solution of the differences which have unfortunately 

 arisen betwen the two Governments on the construction of the provi- 



