2576 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



By Mr. Thomson : 



Q. You commenced fishing in 1859 ? A. Yes, as master of a vessel. 



Q. Had you ever been in the gulf before that ? A. Yes. 



Q. How many years previous ? A. One year. 



Q. What year? A. Eighteen hundred and fifty-eight. 



Q. How did you go there, as one of the crew f A. Yes. 



Q. Had you any interest in the voyage except as one of the crew? 

 A. No interest, other than in what I caught. 



Q. Where did you fish then ? A. At Magdalen Islands and Bank 

 Orphan. 



Q. Did you fish any where else ? A. Those were about all the places 

 where we caught the mackerel; we may have tried some other places 

 possibly. 



Q. How many did you get that time f A. I think 258 barrels. 



Q. Had you a license that year? A. I think not. 



Q. Then you had a right to all the inshore fishing ? A. Yes. 



Q. Where did you try first, at the Magdalen Islands or Bank Or- 

 phan ? A. At Bank Orphan. 



Q. You went through the Gut of Canso, I suppose ? A. Yes. 



Q. Did you run straight to Orphan Bank? A. From where! 



Q. Through from the Gulf of Canso ? A. No. 



Q. Where did you go to fish first ? A. It would be a difficult thing 

 to run straight with a vessel. 



Q. Did you go direct from Causo ? A. We went directly there, as 

 fast as we could from the Strait of Causo to Bank Orphan. 



Q. You went direct without fishing anywhere till you got to Orphan 

 Bank? A. Yes. 



Q. Where does it lie? A. To the southward of Bouaveuture Island. 



Q. You passed Prince Edward Island? A. Yes. 



Q. And went away to the northward and westward ? A. To the north- 

 ward. 



Q. Somewhat to the westward ! A. No. 



Q. Is it direct to the north? A. I cannot say to a point; it is so, as 

 near as I can recollect. 



Q. I suppose you never heard of good fishing at Prince Edward 

 Island ? A. I may have heard of it. 



Q. And yet your captain never staid t3 try any place at the island ? 

 A. We went to Bank Orphan. 



Q. You passed by East Cape and North Cape ? A. I don't know that 

 we saw North Cape. 



Q. You saw East Cape f A. I am not certain about it. I don't recol- 

 lect that we saw it. 



Q. Did you pass within sight of the island at all ? A. Yes ; if it had 

 been daylight we would have been in sight of it. 



Q. Were you near enough to see the island ! A. I don't recollect that 

 I saw it. 



Q. You went direct to Orphan Bank ? A. Yes. 



Q. How many mackerel did yoa catch on Orphan Bank? A. L can- 

 Dot tell you positively, but I think one-half of the trip we toolj there. 



Q. You got 240 barrels altogether? A. Yes, about that, as nigh as I 

 can recollect; I would not be positive of the exact amount. 



Q. Why did you fix the amount at 240 barrels if you have no memo- 

 randum ? A. It is as nigh as I can recollect. 



Q. That is about 20 years ago. Have you no memorandum of it? 

 A. I think the vessel carried about 240 barrels, and she was full. 



Q. Then you had a full cargo before you caine home ? A. Yes. 



