BEITISH, COLONIAL AND OTHER CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 515 



of this Colony, they have no desire to monopolise them, and I feel 

 satisfied that they would willingly modify the provisions of the 

 measure in favour of such Governments as would grant a reciprocity. 

 * * I have good reason for believing that as regards the 

 United States, the right of obtaining bait would be restored on the 

 opening of the American markets to Newfoundland fish * * * 

 in a word, the principle that the colonists desire to maintain is 

 ' live and let live^ and they merely object to that of let others live by 

 killing us." 



Following upon this despatch from Sir George Des Voeux to the 

 Secretary of State for the Colonies, and under date the 16th June, 

 1887, a letter was received by the representative of the Newfoundland 

 Government, then in London, from the Office of Legation of the 

 United States, intimating that : 



" Should the Government of Newfoundland see fit to give notice 

 that American fishermen be admitted to the ports of that province 

 for the purpose of obtaining supplies, the proposal will be cordially 

 accepted and acted upon by the Government of the United States. 

 In that event there would be no objection on the part of the United 

 States Government to entertain suggestions for an independent agree- 

 ment in respect to the fisheries of Newfoundland, and if made by the 

 authorised agents of the Imperial Government." 



The invitation was most cordially received by the Government of 

 Newfoundland. Negotiations were opened by His Majesty's Gov- 

 ernment with the Government of the United States of America, and 

 on the 15th of February 1888, what is known as the Chamberlain- 

 Bayard Treaty was signed at Washington. This Treaty provided 

 for free fishing in exchange for the free admission of fish and fish 

 products, the result of British catch, into the markets of the United 

 States of America. This Treaty was approved and signed by the 

 United States Government, but was rejected by the United States 

 Senate, and the fishery privileges of the United States consequently 

 reverted to those embodied in the Treaty of 1818. 



In this same year, 1888, the Bait Act referred to in the dispatch of 

 Sir G. W. Des Voeux, extracts from which I have quoted, was brought 

 into force with the assent of the Crown, and under the provisions of 

 the same, foreign fishing vessels were excluded from the inshore bait 

 fisheries, except under licence, and notices were issued to the United 

 States Government from the Department of the Colonial Secretary 

 of the 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 the 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 1890, 

 from Sir Terence O'Brien, Governor of the Colony, to the Secretary 

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

 trade arrangement between Newfoundland 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-Blaine Convention of 1890, which was virtually 

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



92909 S. Doc. 870, 61-3, vol 6 41 



