254 MISCELLANEOUS 



by former negociations. In 1818 the British Government concluded 

 me convention of October 20th of that year with the United States, 

 in which it is, among other things stipulated, that the inhabitants 

 of the United States, shall have liberty to take fish " in common with 

 the subjects of His Britannic Majesty " on the western and northern 

 coast of Newfoundland, from Cape Ray to the Quirpon Islands. 

 Now on the assumption that the French right on that coast is ex- 

 clusive (which, as has been said, must be practically the case) the 

 Americans could acquire no right, under this convention of 1818, 

 during the period of the year occupied by the French fishery, and it 

 is believed that in point of fact no claim to interfere with the French 

 has ever been sustained by Americans; nevertheless Her Majesty's 

 Government are of opinion, in order to preserve consistency with 

 the language of the convention of 1818, it was necessary to declare 

 the French right on points between Cape Ray and the Quirpons to 

 be exclusive " against British subjects", in order to leave no semblance 

 of interference with nominal (although not in fact exerciseable) 

 rights on the part of the United States. It is very unnecessary to 

 do more than refer you to the more recent fishing treaty with the 

 United States of 1854, as it does not appear to affect the question now 

 before us. 



France also abandons her right to the use of the shore, leaving it 

 exclusively in British occupation, from the South Western point of 

 the Island at Cape Ray to the .point known as " Rock Point " in the 

 Bay of Islands, North of the River Humber, with the exception of 

 such of the five "reserved harbors" as lie within this part of the 

 Coast. To this point Her Majesty's Government attached particular 

 importance, not so much on account of the immediate value of the 

 concession, as with a view to the future advancement of Newfound- 

 land. They had learnt from various sources that the shores of the 

 Bay of St. George appeared to furnish by far the most profitable field 

 for future Colonization which the Island affords, and were singularly 

 exempt from the disadvantages of climate which have unavoidably 

 retarded agriculture in the South and South East of the Island. 

 They felt therefore that it was a very serious evil that the French 

 Shore rights, intended only for the protection of their fishery, had 

 the effect of rendering all settlement of this Coast illegal; that the 

 subjects of Her Majesty, who, notwithstanding existing prohibitions, 

 had established themselves on it, had but imperfect legal protection 

 for their industry or security for their property they believe that 

 by this concession on the part of France, the whole of the Coast which 

 civilization is likely to reach for many years will be rescued from its 

 present subjection to French Shore rights and rendered available for 

 the increasing population of the Island. 



The Concessions on the part of Her Majesty's Government (as 

 regards Newfoundland) are simply the following: 



That the traffic in Bait on the South Coast shall be rendered legal. 

 From all the information which has reached this Department, that 

 traffic is already unimpeded in point of fact, and I believe I may add, 

 that whatever assistance it may afford the French in the prosecution 

 of their fisheries, the subjects of Her Majesty who find employment in 

 thus supplying them would greatly regret the strict enforcement of 

 the existing legal restrictions on this traffic. 



