BRITISH, COLONIAL AND OTHER CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 325 



That is a question on which both Governments have an equal right 

 to form an opinion, and as to which Her Majesty's Government have 

 always endeavoured to meet the views of the French Government as 

 far as was possible consistently with the just claims of the Colony. 



As regards the difficulties which have arisen out of the establish- 

 ment of lobster factories on that part of the coast of Newfoundland 

 to which the French fishery rights extend, they have been much in- 

 creased, as your Excellency is no doubt aware, by the action of French 

 citizens who have not discontinued the factories established by them, 

 contrary to Treaty, notwithstanding the assurances contained in 

 your Excellency's note of the 25th August, 1886. 



The matter, moreover, has been complicated by the proceedings at 

 White Bay, to which the attention of the French Government was 

 called by Her Majesty's Embassy at Paris on the 8th July and the 

 4th September last. 



Her Majesty's Government are desirous of meeting the complaints 

 of the French Government in the most conciliatory manner; but they 

 are placed in a position of much embarrassment in their communica- 

 tion with the Newfoundland authorities by the continued neglect on 

 the part of France to give any effect to their repeated remonstrances 

 against the erection by French citizens of lobster factories on shore, 

 in violation of the express provisions of the Treaty and of the sov- 

 ereign rights of the British Crown. 

 I have, &c. 



( Signed ) SALISBURY. 



Lord Knutsford to Governor Sir T. O^Brien. 



DOWNING STREET, May 31, 1889. 



SIR : I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram 

 of the 1st April. 



2. The course taken by your Ministers in declining to introduce a 

 measure for marking vessels, which cannot cause any inconvenience, 

 which is common in other countries, and the only aim of which is to 

 facilitate detection in cases of breaches of the law or of existing 

 Treaties, is very unsatisfactory and disappointing to Her Majesty's 

 Government. 



3. I transmit to you, for communication to your Government, a 

 copy of the Convention concluded in 1882 between Great Britain, 

 Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, and Holland for regulating 

 the police of the North Sea fisheries, and I request that you will call 

 the attention of your Government to Articles V to XI of this Con- 

 vention, which provide for the marking of all vessels fishing within 

 the limits specified in Article IV. 



4. Her Majesty's Government is of opinion that there is no reason- 

 able ground on which the Government of Newfoundland can object 

 to the introduction into that Colony of Regulations similar to those 

 which the Governments interested in the North Sea fisheries have 

 agreed upon as best calculated to insure proper police and to prevent 

 the occurrence of disputes among rival fishermen. 



