28 



any moment may be changed into prohibition, that the precarious and 

 trilling market in Spain is retained." A very large proportion, then, 

 of the produce of the cod-fishery is consumed in France ; and it is a 

 sufficient refutation of the estimate of the English colonists to say that 

 the qunntity remaining after deducting the exports, as computed by 

 M. Rodet, is not wanted in that kingdom. 



The number of vessels since the peace of 1815 has not exceeded 

 four hundred, except in the single year of 1829; and, assuming that 

 the statement in discussion is correct, these vessels employed an average 

 of sixty men each, or double the number which, as all persons familiar 

 with the business well know, is necessary on board as fishermen, or on 

 shore as "shoresmen." The same fallacy exists as to the catch; for a 

 million of quintals for four hundred vessels is twenty-five hundred 

 quintals to each, or considerably more than double the mean quantity 

 caught by the vessels of any flag in the world. To allow liberally for 

 the catch of the "boat fishery," and to consider "boat fishermen" as 

 included in the estimate, 1 cannot think that the figures of the English 

 colonial documents are accurate by quite one-half. Tf further evidence 

 of exaggeration be wanted, it may be found in the grave assertions of 

 the same writers that our own vessels fishing in the waters of British 

 America are manned with upwards of thirty-seven thousand men, and 

 catch in a year one and a half millions of quintals of fish ! 



The statements thus refiited are of consequence, as will be seen in 

 another part of this report. 



Equally exaggerated are the averments that the French and Ameri- 

 can fisheries, "bolstered up by bounties and prohibitions," have "as 

 completely swept" the English flag from the Grand Bank of New- 

 foundland "as if Lord Castlereagh had conceded the exclusive right" 

 in. 1814, or as if the "combined fleets of France and America had 

 forced it" to retreat to "the in-shore or boat fishery;" and that the 

 "French and Americans, having taken possession of the Grand Bank," 

 have, by so doing, " extended lines of circumvallation and contravalla- 

 tion round the island, preventing the ingress or egress of fish to and 

 from the shore, and, according to the opinions of those best qualified 

 to judge, greatly injuring the in-shore -^fishery — the only fishery left to 

 British subjects, and that only to a portion of the island." 



Deferring a full answer to these complaints until the subject of colo- 

 nial allegations relative to our own aggressions and violations of our 

 treaty rights are considered in detail, the only answer necessary to be 

 made here is, simply, that the "ingress" and " egress of fish to and from 

 the shore" has 7iot eiitirdy ceased, as yet, since the export of codfish from 

 the English Newfoundland fishery amounts to nearly one million of 

 quintak annually! The lamentations of a people who, though "com- 

 pletely swept" from their own outer fishing-grounds, still show, by 

 their own returns of the customs, that they have sold, between 1841 and 

 1849, both inclusive, a mean quantity of nine hundred and sixty-seven 

 tkoum,nd quintals (to be exact in the statistics) annually, may well excite 

 a smile. 



That the charge against the French fishermen of trespassing upon 

 the fishing-grounds reserved to British subjects is true, to a considera- 

 ble degree, may be admitted. Her Majesty's ships-of-war have some- 



