BRITISH, COLONIAL AND OTHER CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 469 



inshore bait fisheries, except under license, and notices were issued to 

 the United States Government from the department of the Colonial 

 Secretary of this colony calling attention to the provisions of the 

 said act. 



By virtue of the authority vested thereunder in the Governor in 

 Council, a tax of $1.50 per net ton was imposed upon all American 

 fishing vessels visiting this coast in quest of bait fishes. 



Our relations with the United States continued in this form until 

 the year 1890, when, by a despatch bearing date 28th February, 1800, 

 from Sir Terence O'Brien, governor of this colony, to the Secretary 

 of State for the Colonies, the question of a direct and independent 

 trade arrangement between this colony and the United States of 

 America was revived. This negotiation resulted in my being author- 

 ised to proceed to Washington to assist in bringing about such an 

 arrangement. The result of my visit to Washington was what is 

 known as the Bond-Elaine Convention of 1890, which was virtually 

 upon the same lines as the Chamberlain-Bayard Treaty of 1888. This 

 convention was approved by the United States Government, but was 

 not ratified by His Majesty's Government, owing to a protest from 

 the Government of the Dominion of Canada, wherein it was con- 

 tended that before such ratification was made the Canadian Govern- 

 ment should be afforded an opportunity to negotiate a similar treaty 

 on her own behalf. His Majesty's Government furnished repeated 

 assurances to this government that the ratification should riot be indefi- 

 nitely postponed, and that when it should appear to His Majesty's 

 Government that a reasonable time had been afforded the Govern- 

 ment of the Dominion of Canada in which to negotiate, the assent of 

 the Crown to the convention would be forthcoming. 



In view of the fact that the United States Government had signi- 

 fied its willingness to exchange a free market with us for bait privi- 

 leges, and that our convention was not held in abeyance by reason 

 of any action or want of action on its part, the government of this 

 colony extended to United States fishermen for a period of twelve 

 years all the privileges that it was contemplated should be granted 

 under the Convention of 1890. 



During those twelve years the government of this colony persist- 

 ently urged His Majesty's Government to fulfil its undertaking as 

 regards the United States convention, but without avail. 



In 1902 I was in England in connection with His Majesty's coro- 

 nation and the conference of colonial premiers, and after those func- 

 tions were over I availed myself of the opportunity of pressing upon 

 the then Secretary of State for the Colonies Mr.' Chamberlain the 

 unfairness of the treatment that had been meted out to us as a colony 

 during the twelve years previous in relation to our proposed trade 

 arrangement with the United States of America, and begged the 

 privilege of being again permitted to proceed to Washington to re- 

 open negotiations with the United States Government for an arrange- 

 ment upon the lines of the Bond-Blaine Convention. That distin- 

 guished gentleman, who will ever be justly regarded as the greatest 

 friend the colonies have had in the Colonial Office, acceded to my 

 request, and furnished me with the necessary authority to proceed to 

 Washington. The result of my visit was what is known as the Hay- 

 Bond Treaty of 1902. This convention was ratified by the Secretary 

 of State of the United States on behalf of his Government, and by 



