324 MISCELLANEOUS 



French fishermen for their own use, the latter have a right to de- 

 mand that such fishing-grounds be vacated, and to call on the proper 

 authority to enforce their demand; but Her Majesty's Government 

 cannot admit their right to found thereon a claim for compensation 

 in respect of hypothetical profits which might have accrued to them 

 but for the use of such cod-traps. 



They are nevertheless prepared to take steps to cause the effect of 

 these cod-traps upon the net fisheries, both British and French, to be 

 carefully examined, and will then consider how far their suppression 

 may be advantageous to the fishing interests of both nations. 

 I have, &c. 



(Signed) SALISBURY. 



M. Waddington to the Marquis of Salisbury (Received March <?.) 



[Translation.] 



LONDON, March 5, 1888. 



MY LORD: In reply to the note which I had the honour to address 

 to the Foreign Office formulating reservations on the subject of the 

 interpretation given by the Newfoundland Government to the Bait 

 Act, Your Lordship was good enough to state in your note of the 16th 

 December that this Act maintained entire the rights of my Govern- 

 ment in that country. 



I have the honour, in accordance with instructions received, to take 

 act of this statement, not, however, without observing that in no case 

 could it have appertained to the Newfoundland Parliament to in- 

 fringe by any legal disposition the rights which accrue to us from the 

 Treaties. 



I have, &c. 



(Signed) WADDINGTON. 



The Marquis of Salisbury to M. Waddington. 



FOREIGN OFFICE, November 23, 1888. 



M. L'AMBASSADEUR : I have carefully considered, in conjunction with 

 Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies, your Excellency's 

 note of the 2nd September on the subject of the lobster fishery carried 

 on by Mr. Shearer at Port Saunders, on the west coast of Newfound- 

 land. 



I have the honour to inform your Excellency that Her Majesty's 

 Government have received Reports from the British naval officers on 

 the Newfoundland Station on this subject, which show that proper 

 and sufficient steps were taken by Captain Hamond to satisfy the 

 obligation imposed by the engagements between this country and 

 France to prevent Mr. Shearer from interfering in any way with the 

 reasonable enjoyment by French citizens of their rights of fishery. 



Her Majesty's Government are unable to assent to the claim ad- 

 vanced by your Excellency that the French Government must be the 

 soie judge as to what constitutes such interference within the terms 

 of the British Declaration of 1783. 



