DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 849 



governed by this agreement, and also waives the right to fish on 

 Sundays. 



3. It is understood that American fishing vessels will make their 

 shipments of Newfoundlanders as fishermen sufficiently far from the 

 exact three mile limit to avoid reasonable doubt. 



4. It is further understood that American fishermen will pay light 

 dues when not deprived of their rights to fish, and will comply \vith 

 the provisions of the Colonial Customs Law as to reporting at a Cus- 

 tom House when physically possible to do so. 



But my Government has every desire to make the arrangement, 

 pending arbitration, as agreeable as possible to the Newfoundland 

 authorities, consistent with the due safeguarding of Treaty Rights 

 which we have enjoyed for nearly a century. If, therefore, the pro- 

 posals you have recently shown me from the Premier of Newfound- 

 land, or any other changes in the above modus vivendi should be 

 proposed by mutual agreement between the Newfoundland authori- 

 ties and our fishermen, having due regard to the losses that might be 

 incurred by a change of plans so long after preparations for the sea- 

 son's fishing had been made, and the voyage begun, my Government 

 will be ready to consider such changes with you in the most friendly 

 spirit, and if found not to compromise our rights, to unite with you 

 in ratifying them at once. 



Please communicate at once to your Ministers, but do not publish 

 till Monday. United States Ambassador has promised to delay pub- 

 lication till then. ELGIN. 



o 



92909 S. Doc. 870, 61-3, vol 4 64 



