BRITISH, COLONIAL AND OTHER CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 367 



Commanding His Majesty's ship Brilliant, dated the 4th instant, re- 

 porting on the fishery in the Bay of Islands. 



2. As regards the Sunday fishing by Americans, mentioned by 

 Captain Anstruther. I have to state that at the beginning of this 

 month the United States Ambassador informed the Secretary of 

 State for Foreign Affairs that the United States Agent in New- 

 foundland had reported that one of the American vessels had been 

 engaged in Sunday fishing, that an immediate investigation of the 

 facts had been ordered, and that in the meantime the strictest in- 

 junctions against such fishing had been repeated in the proper 

 quarter. 



I have, &c., ELGIN. 



Admiralty to Colonial Office. 



ADMIRALTY, January 1, 1907. 



(Received January 5, 1907.) 



SIR: I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Ad- 

 miralty to transmit herewith, for the information of the Secretary of 

 State for the Colonies, copy of letters, Nos. 87, 88, and 89, dated 13th 

 ultimo, with enclosures, which have been received from the Senior 

 Naval Officer, Newfoundland, relative to the winter herring fishery 

 in Bay of Islands. 



I am, &c., EVAN MACGREGOR. 



[Inclosure No. 1.] 



No. 87/346.] Brilliant, AT BIRCHY COVE, December 10, 1906. 



SIR : I have the honour to submit the following report on the winter 

 herring fishery .in the Bay of Islands for the season 1906. 



2. Herring struck in on 14th October. 



3. H. M. S. Brilliant arrived and anchored in Birchy Cove on 19th 

 October. 



I found there the United States fishery vessel Potomac, flying the 

 pennant of Lieutenant Hinds, U. S. N., also the Newfoundland reve- 

 nue cruiser Fiona, with Inspector O'Reilly on board. 



On the way through the bay, and up the Humber Arm, I had 

 counted 50 schooners, 9 of which, as I shortly afterwards learned 

 from Mr. Alexander, the American Fishery Commissioner on board 

 the Potomac, were American. 



4. I very quickly got into communication with Mr. Levi March, 

 Stipendiary Magistrate, who put all the information he could in my 

 possession. The position was, that since the signing of the Modus 

 Vivendi by the Governments of Great Britain and the United States 

 of America purse-seines had become legitimate instruments for taking 

 herring on the part of American fishermen, whereas they were for- 

 bidden to Newfoundland fishermen by the Rules and Regulations 

 respecting the Fisheries of Newfoundland. It was this state of 

 affairs which rendered the attitude of the fishermen of the two nations 

 towards each other somewhat strained, and trouble was expected by 

 the local authorities. 



I took immediate steps to ascertain the disposition of the New- 

 foundland fishermen by inviting the most influential of them to meet 



