AWARD CP THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1485 



The legislative council pray Your Majesty to continue to employ such 

 a force as will prevent any encroachment on their fishing groumU and 

 isecure to them the enjoyment of rights to which they are exclusively 

 'entitled. 



MICHL. TO BIN, 



Pretident. 

 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL CHAMBER, April 4, 1853. 



No. 26. 

 TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 



The humble address of the inhabitants of the city and county of St. John, 

 adopted at a public meeting regularly convened. 



it please Your Majesty : 



We, Your Majesty's faithful and loyal subjects in the city and county 

 St. John, in the Province of New Brunswick, beg leave to approach 

 \Your Majesty with renewed assurances of our sincere devotion to Your 

 ['Majesty's person and Government. 



In common with all Your Majesty's loyal subjects in the North 

 ^American colonies, we are deeply impressed with the present and pro- 

 rspective value of our coast fisheries to the present and future inhabitants 

 ! thereof. 



Viewing the inshore fisheries as the natural, inherent, and inalien- 

 able right of Your Majesty's subjects in the provinces, not to be con- 

 ceded, alienated, or affected without their consent, we have learned 

 jwith much anxiety, from the announcement in Your Majesty's speech 

 I to the Imperial Parliament, that negotiations are now pending between 

 jiYour Majesty's Government and that of the United States upon the 

 '^subject of the North American fisheries, the nature of which has not 

 transpired. 



Believing, as we do, that "as the value of a participation in our fish- 



eries by the citizens of the United States would greatly exceed any con- 



i cession that the United States Government can offer to the inhabitants 



| of the British colonies," we humbly, but earnestly, entreat Your Majesty 



! to refuse to entertain any proposition for a modification or alteration of 



i the Treaty of 1818, unless such proposition shall embrace the full and 



entire question of reciprocal intercourse in commerce and navigation 



1 between Your Majesty's North American colonies and the United States, 



upon terms that will be just and reasonable ; and that, before any treaty 



is agreed upon, Your Majesty will be graciously pleased to afford your 



loyal and faithful subjects in the provinces an opportunity of becoming 



acquainted with the terms proposed, and of laying their case before Your 



Majesty. 



And as in duty bound will ever pray. 



CHAKLES JOHNSTON, 



Chairman. 



JANUARY, 1853. 



