ABGUMENT OF SIR WIUJAM ROBSON. 1749 



Now, that is a very fair way of insuring that you shall have all of 

 them, either citizens of Great Britain, or persons who, although 

 1058 not actually naturalised in Great Britain, are nevertheless 

 living there, finding their employment there, and going to 

 enrich our mercantile marine with seamen who may be vahiable after- 

 wards for the navy. I am afraid, in those days, when maritime trou- 

 bles or naval wars came on. we were not very particular about the 

 nationality of those whom we impressed, but still we did not want 

 those, of course, who could not be trusted to fight in our interests, 

 so we did not discourage the system of foreign seamen in England, 

 if it was found convenient for their employment. So that you see 

 here where we say three-fourths of them must be British subjects, 

 we did not say the other fourth may be foreigners. We do not for- 

 bid the employment of foreigners, because that would be in particu- 

 lar cases to handicap an industry. But, we say each vessel must be 

 fitted out at a British port, and you are not likely at a British port to 

 get any foreigners, except those who are inhabitants or domiciled in 

 England. So that in these three statutes you do not, as Mr. Elder 

 thinks he does, get a course of trade. You get no indication that 

 foreigners were regularly employed. None. 



All you get is not a permission to employ them, but an insistence 

 and command to employ at least three-fourth of them English, and 

 the remainder are likely to be English, because they are fitted out at 

 English ports, so the chances are that they will all be either English, 

 or English in sympathy, or perhaps in speech. But you do not get 

 a single statute here to say that foreigners are free to operate under 

 the British flag in British territory or British fisheries. You get 

 nothing of that kind. And that is what Mr. Elder wants to prove. 

 He wants to show, of course, that in 1818, when there is a right given 

 to take fish that according to the custom of that time that right was 

 exercised, not by Britons for themselves alone, but by Britons employ- 

 ing foreigners. Well, he does not show it. He does show this, that 

 according to the law in Asia and in Africa and in different parts of 

 the world, Britons were allowed to employ on their ships a certain 

 proportion of foreigners. But, when it comes to Newfoundland, then 

 you come across a law which I shall read directly, forbidding aliens 

 in Newfoundland, forbidding them altogether. As soon as you get 

 to close quarters in Newfoundland, near the treaty, you find aliens 

 being forbidden. 



In 1819, for instance, there is a statute, which I read this morning, 

 Avhich says no alien shall be employed unless he has a treaty right. 



In 1824 the same thing is repeated, no alien shall be employed ir 

 Newfoundland unless he has a treaty right. 



So that when we get to the quarter which is really important, to the 

 material and important place, we find Great Britain legislating 



