DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 821 



seek to prevent the Americans from taking the bait, in the hope that 

 as the result of that prevention, their profitable trade may be restored. 



The Resolution which I have quoted referring to the Fortune Bay 

 case is a clear threat of violence to prevent the exercise of the Treaty 

 right. If the threat should be carried out it is too much to expect 

 that some at least of the American fishermen will not refuse to yield 

 to lawless force which seeks to deprive them of their rights and of 

 their means of livelihood. 



We shall do everything in our power to prevent such a collision, 

 and we should indeed deeply deplore it, but the true and effective 

 method of prevention plainly must be the exercise of proper control 

 by the Government of Newfoundland over the fishermen of New- 

 foundland, and it seems to me that the danger is sufficiently real and 

 imminent to justify me in asking that the Government of Great 

 Britain shall take speedy steps to bring about the exercise of such 

 control. 



I have, &c. (Signed) ELIHU ROOT. 



494- No. 246. 1906, February 2: Letter from Sir Edward Grey 

 (British Foreign Secretary) to Mr. Whitelaw Reid (United 

 States Minister at London) enclosing Memorandum dealing 

 with Mr. Roofs note to Sir M. Durand of 19th October 1905. 



FOREIGN OFFICE, February 2, 1906. 



YOUR EXCELLENCY, The views of the United States' Government 

 with respect to the position of affairs on the coast of Newfoundland, 

 and to the rights of American fishing-vessels in those waters under 

 the Treaty of the 20th October, 1818, as set forth in Mr. Root's 

 note to His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington of the 19th Octo- 

 ber, 1905, have received the serious attention of His Majesty's Gov- 

 ernment. 



I have now the honour to inclose a Memorandum dealing seriatim 

 with the six propositions formulated by Mr. Root, and with his ob- 

 servations with regard to some of the provisions of recent New- 

 foundland legislation for the regulation of the fisheries. 



As, owing to the prompt measures adopted and to the conciliatory 

 spirit displayed by both Governments, the fishing season has now 

 closed without any collision between the British and American 

 fishermen, or the development of any such friction as was at one 

 time anticipated, it is unnecessary to deal more particularly with the 

 latter portion of Mr. Root's note, which was devoted to that side of 

 the question. 



I have, &c. (Signed) EDWARD GREY. 



[Memorandum enclosed In above.] 



Mr. Root's note to Sir M. Durand of the 19th October, 1905, on 

 the subject of the United States' fishery in the waters of Newfound- 

 land under the Convention of the 20th October, 1818, may be divided 

 into three parts. 



