222 MISCELLANEOUS 



[Inclosure No. 2.] 



Memorandum of Mr. William Thomas. 



[Conversation which took place between Mons'r Adolphe Fabvre, commanding the Frencii 

 corvette "La Fortune ", and Mr. William Thomas, named by Sir John Harvey, Governor 

 of Newfoundland, on the part of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, on the subject 

 of an arrangement for the common Interests of the French and English fishermen on 

 the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador.] 



WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 1844. 



No. 1. Conversation commenced by referring to the concurrent 

 right of fishing by the English on that part of the coast of New- 

 foundland assigned by treaty to the French. This point was insisted 

 on by Mr. Thomas, but denied by Captain Fabvre, and subsequently 

 reserved for the consideration of their respective Governments. 



No. 2. Captain Fabvre then proposed that a concurrent right of 

 fishing should be admitted by the French on all the French coasts 

 to the westward of this Island, and that a like concurrent right of 

 fishing should be granted to the French on that part of the Labrador 

 coast which is situate in the Straits of Belle Isle, immediately oppo- 

 site to Newfoundland. This was decidedly objected to by Mr. 

 Thomas, as offering in his opinion no advantage to great Britain, 

 but tending to increase the difficulties, and promote collision between 

 the fishermen of the two nations. 



No. 3. In consequence of this opinion, it was proposed by Mr. 

 Thomas to confine the respective fishermen within certain defined 

 limits, and for this purpose he submitted to M. Fabvre as the French 

 limits a line of coast extending from Bonne Bay to Cape St. John, 

 on which coast only the French should have the exclusive right of 

 fishing, the French ceding to Great Britain the exclusive right of 

 fishing from Bonne Bay to Cape Ray. 



No. 4. To this M. Fabvre rejoined that such an arrangement 

 might be made, provided the French were allowed to retain exclusive 

 possession of the four ports of Cod Roy, Red Island, Port-au-Port, 

 and Lark Harbor, and further, that the English should not be re- 

 stricted from the export of bait from Newfoundland to St. Pierre. 



No. 5. Mr. Thomas replied that if these four ports were reserved, 

 France would retain the best fishing ground on the whole western 

 coast, while an active competition would be encouraged between the 

 Fishermen of the two nations, arid the danger of collision become 

 greater than ever. 



M. Fabvre then said that without these four ports he considered 

 the French would be making too great a sacrifice. Mr. Thomas said 

 he considered the obtaining of an exclusive right of fishing on the 

 coast before proposed by him, and perhaps adding to that the exclu- 

 sive right of fishing on the Island of Belle Isle, together with the 

 great advantage which must accrue to the French from the English 

 being permitted to export to St. Pierre such caplin as they may have 

 to dispose of beyond what may be sufficient to bait our own boats, 

 would be an ample remuneration for any surrender that France 

 might be called on to make under such an arrangement. 



Captain Fabvre replied that he did not reject the last proposition, 

 but that he did not consider himself sufficiently authorized by his 

 Government to accept it; and therefore the conversation was con- 

 cluded by an agreement to refer what had passed to the respective 

 Governments, each party expressing his separate opinions thereon. 



WM. THOMAS. 



