1734 NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES ARBITRATION. 



that fact that we would not let them buy bait, although not much ref- 

 erence has been made to it, because it is not material to any specific 

 question. The fact is, however, that when the Americans made their 

 request to be allowed to get bait, they were told : " No ! " We would 

 not let our sailors sell them bait. They were the only people that 

 could sell them bait. We would not let them do it. We said : " No ! 

 You have asked for the right to fish. You must bring your own bait, 

 and you must take your own fish back again. No trading rights ; no 

 landing rights, except just such rights as are absolutely necessary to 

 enable you to fish. You want, perhaps, two or three takes of fish. 

 Very well; you must dry and cure the first one before you get the 

 second. That is all the right you shall have." 



So that, having the word " fish " taken out of the treaty, and the 

 word " trade " put in instead, let us remember what a very narrow 

 meaning was given to the word " trade." No extension of the priv- 

 ilege is gained by the change of the word ; because we would not allow 

 them to trade in fish. We would not allow them the ordinary privi- 

 leges of a trader, in buying raw material for the purpose of his in- 

 dustry. The right was just what it is expressed to be a 

 1049 right to come within our waters ; to that extent, a modification 

 of our sovereign right to expel you; a right to come within 

 them, and to stay there, and to throw your lines overboard, or use 

 your proper implements and catch what fish you can; but nothing 

 else; and only to you! Because the very same moment it is not 

 subsequent legislation, it is contemporaneous legislation we are say- 

 ing at the very same moment when we gave this right to the Ameri- 

 cans : " Nobody else is to have it. No alien shall come here. No per- 

 son not a natural-born subject of His Majesty the King, except only 

 those who by the treaties with France and the United States may 

 have the privilege." 



So that I am obliged to Dr. Lohman for drawing my attention to 

 the statement made by the United States frequently, and which I 

 dare say I might have overlooked, that foreigners came in vessels 

 there. I say that it is directly opposed not only to the statutes and 

 the documents, but to the whole policy and intent of Great Britain. 

 The Newfoundland fishery was jealously guarded, for that particular 

 purpose of increasing our fleet. At that time the United States was 

 not feared as a naval Power; that is to say, it was a new Power; it 

 had enormous tasks before it, the development of which has since 

 astonished the world, and there was no anticipation that it would 

 be likely to start upon the costly task of maintaining a great navy; 

 because unless you have a great navy, no other is much use. So we 

 did not anticipate that there would be any danger likely to arise to 

 us by allowing this privilege to this young State, or to the inhabi- 

 tants of this young State, and not to anybody else. There was no 



