754 APPENDIX TO BRITISH CASE. 



VIII. The treaty is a complete surrender of any claim of a right 

 now existing either under the treaty of 1783, the treaty of 1818, the Acts 

 of Congress and the British Orders in Council of 1830, or the twenty- 

 ninth article of the treaty of 1871, for vessels of the United States 

 engaged in fishing anywhere on the high seas, and even having a 

 commercial character also, to enter any port of British North 

 America for any commercial purpose whatever, and puts in the 

 place of these clear rights, which, in respect of British fishing vessels, 

 exist in the United States to the fullest extent, greatly restricted and 

 conditional rights as arising solely from a present grant of Great 

 Britain. 



IX. It binds the United States to be content with whatever is 

 given by this treaty as the full measure of its rights, and to be 

 content with it forever, or until greater hospitality and freedom of 

 intercourse can be obtained by further concessions or considerations 

 on our part. 



X. In the face of all this it leaves British North American fishing 

 vessels possessed of all commercial rights in all the ports and waters 

 of the United States. 



XI. Whatever privileges of commerce, hospitality, or humanity 

 are thus provided for in the treaty are to be obtained only upon 

 condition that no fishing vessel of the United States shall receive 

 any of them unless such fishing vessel shall, under regulations of the 

 Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, be branded with an 

 official number on each bow, and that such regulations shall, before 

 they become effectual, be communicated to Her Majesty's Gov- 

 ernment. 



XII. It provides that general, and even then," much limited, 

 451 commercial rights and rights of transhipment, as mentioned 

 in article fifteen, shall be obtained only at the price of exempt- 

 ing all Canadian fishery products from our custom duties. 



XIII. Its provisions concerning the executive and judicial treat- 

 ment of American vessels and fishermen that may be seized or arrested 

 for supposed illegal conduct are, to make the most of them, nothing 

 other, and probably something less, than a statement of what the laws 

 and conduct of any administration of every Government professing 

 to be civilised should adopt and exercise as an act of duty and justice. 



XIV. Instead of diminishing sources of irritation and causes of 

 difficulty, different interpretations and disputes, it will, the committee 

 thinks, very largely increase them. 



Various other suggestions adverse to the wisdom of ratifying this 

 treaty might easily be made, but the committee does not think it 

 necessary to go into them. 



The committee can not but hope, that if these ill-advised negotia- 

 tions, which, as is known to all the world, can not properly commit 

 the United States in any degree until they shall have received the 

 constitutional assent of the Senate, shall fail to meet the approval 

 of this body, Her Majesty's Government will take measures to secure 

 justice and fair treatment in her North American dominions to 

 American vessels and American citizens, in all respects and under 

 all circumstances, and that that Government will see the justice and 

 propriety of according to American vessels engaged in the business of 

 fishing all the commercial rights and facilities in her North American 



