1274 NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES ABBITBATTON. 



and so on. And then it goes on about the Bay of Islands. 

 768 Then, over on p. 90 : 



" This situation does not appear to have been called to the 

 attention of the Government of the United States until the spring of 

 1822, when, in anticipation of further interference by the French 

 naval officers with the American fishing vessels on the west coast of 

 Newfoundland during the approaching season, a number of the 

 American fishermen in March of that year submitted to the Secretary 

 of State depositions, setting forth the occurrences of the two preced- 

 ing years, as above recited, with a view to having their rights under 

 the treaty of 1818 determined." 



What they wanted determined under that treaty was, whether the 

 French had exclusive rights there ; not as to whether " bays " meant 

 " territorial bays." 



" Mr. Adams, the Secretary of State, promptly wrote to Mr. Gal- 

 latin, the American Minister at Paris, on June 28, 1822, enclosing 

 copies of the depositions referred to, from which, he said, 'you will 

 perceive that in the years 1820 and 1821 several fishing vessels of the 

 United States were ordered away from their fishing stations on the 

 coast of Newfoundland, within the limits secured to us by the Conven- 

 tion of 20 Octr. 1818, by armed vessels of France, and upon threat of 

 seizure.' " 



It seems to me that Mr. Adams, when he wrote that, had not the 

 slightest idea that St. George's Bay was anything but a bay. 



Much the same thing is said in the United States Argument, at p. 

 244, about the middle of the page, in the paragraph commencing 

 " The Counter-Case," I commence at the second sentence in the 

 paragraph : 



" Some thirty American vessels were fishing in the bays of the west 

 coast in 1820 and 1821 and were ordered off by French vessels of war. 

 Great Britain, in the subsequent negotiations, confirmed the American 

 right in the bays and France discontinued its interference with that 

 right." 



The word " bays " is used there in the sense in which we say it is 

 used in the treaty. 



THE PRESIDENT: All these cases of the controversy with France 

 touched the treaty coast? 



MR. EWART: Yes, Sir. That is the treaty coast, the west coast of 

 Newfoundland, where the Americans went under the permission 

 which we gave them in the 1818 treaty. 



Now, the point that was raised by the American Government in 

 connection with those circumstances, was not at all as to whether 

 St. George's Bay was a bay or not, but a mere question of the ex- 

 clusive rights of the French. That is so clear that I shall do nothing 

 but give the references and pass on. 



SJR CHARLES FITZPATRICK: If it was a part of the high seas they 

 did not require to appeal to England at all ? 



