1732 NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES ARBITRATION. 



untary service in those days), dragged in any man who presented the 

 slightest nautical appearance. If any such man was found in an 

 English country town, he was seized ; that is to say, he was told that 

 he must voluntarily enlist. And he was carried off and kept for 

 years fighting for his country, and getting, in that pursuit, such sat- 

 isfaction as his own patriotism might supply to his mind. In those 

 times, having no law of conscription, no right to call upon our citi- 

 zens to serve whether they would or not, we were merciless in the 

 way in which we applied, illegally, the right of seizing British citi- 

 zens and putting them on board our ships. We carried it so far 

 that we claimed the right to search American ships; and the United 

 States, after it became an independent nation, was, I have no doubt, 

 well justified in its complaints: You are taking our seamen away. 

 You call them your own, but you are really stopping our ships and 

 taking our crews. And what was the result? Can it be supposed 

 for a moment that, in that state of things prevailing internationally, 

 we allowed foreigners to come and train their seamen in our fisheries 

 in Newfoundland ? I cannot imagine such a thing. 



The statement has been made, and has found currency and support 

 by continual repetition, that foreigners in 1818 came on board these 

 boats. Well, I ask for the evidence. And I was almost going to add : 

 " When I get it, I shall not believe it." You may get some evidence 

 that foreigners here and there were on board these boats probably 

 impressed ; but that foreigners generally were recognised as a proper 

 class to exercise the right or privilege, and receive their training on 

 those ships, is, I say, not only without evidence, but against every 

 presumption of fact that arises in this case. 



I had better follow that up a little, I think. I take, for instance, 

 the statute with which we are all familiar, of 1819, to be found in 

 the British Case Appendix, at p. 565. This is the statute passed, of 

 course, in order to validate the treaty of 1818. Mark how careful 

 they were about aliens, and see how little ground there is for the sug- 

 gestion which has found its way into this case by mere assertion 

 about foreigners being employed in 1818. I read from section 2 : 



"And be it further enacted. That from and after the passing of 

 this Act it shall not be lawful for any person or persons, not being 



a natural-born subject of His Majesty, in any foreign ship, 

 1048 vessel, or boat, nor for any person in any ship, vessel or boat, 



other than such as shall be navigated according to the laws of 

 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland " 



And of course our navigation laws were very strict in confining our 

 service to British seamen 



" to fish for, or to take, dry or cure any fish, of any kind whatever, 

 within three marine miles of any coasts, bavs, creeks or harbours 

 whatever, in any part of His Majesty's dominions in America, not 



