3232 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the 

 same to be true and by virtue of the Act passed in the 37th Year of Her 

 Majestys Reign entitfed an act for the suppression of voluntary and 

 extrajudicial Oaths 



Pirate Cove Strait Causo July 20. 1877 



EBENEZER C PEEPLES 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE AT 



PICTOU, NOVA SCOTIA 

 PIRATE COVE July 20th 1877. 



I hereby certify that at Pirate Cove on this 20th day of July 1877 

 before me and in my presence the above named Ebenezer C. Peeples 

 voluntarily made and subscribed the foregoing " Solemn Declaration. 

 Attested : 



OSCAR MALMROS 



U. S. Comul 

 No. 157. 



I, Samuel Peeples of Port Mulgrave on the Strait of Canso do sol- 

 emnly declare that I am 34 years old that for 16 years up to within 5 

 years I have been one of the crew of some American Mackerel or cod- 

 fishing vessel that I am of the opinion that nearly if not fully two 

 thirds () of the crew of American fishing vessels are subjects and in- 

 habitants of the British North American Provinces that the Provincial 

 fishermen catch quite as many mackerel when fishing alongside of an 

 American Mackerel fishing fleet as they would catch in case there were 

 no American fishing vessels on the Mackerel grounds Of the British 

 North American coasts until within about the last 6 years the Ameri- 

 can Mackerel fishing vessels began to arrive on the fishing grounds of 

 the Gulf of St Lawrence at the beginning of June but during the last 

 5 or 6 years but very few arrived until after the 4th of July and during 

 the present season they have but just now arrived in any numbers the 

 reason why they have during the last 6 years arrived so late in the Gulf 

 of St Lawrence is that the Americans have had a very good catch dur- 

 ing the early part of the summer season off their own coasts up to 

 about the middle of July the mackerel in the Gulf are rather poor they 

 don't begin to fatten until about the middle of July about d of the 

 entire catch of the American Mackerel catching fleet in the Gulf of St 

 Lawrence is caught off-shore that is out side of the 3 mile line from shore 

 and only about is caught inside that limit the codfish caught by the 

 American cod fishing vessels is all caught outside the 3 mile limit on 

 the grand banks of Newfoundland and other places on the high seas 

 the Americans do not dry their nets on the coasts of the British North 

 American Provinces or at least but very rarely and do not at all cure 

 their fish on these coasts I consider the presence of American fishing 

 vessels on our coasts and in our ports as of the greatest benefit to the 

 inhabitants of the Provinces as they spend much money in all the ports 

 where they call and they are in the habit of calling at a great many 

 Provincial Ports in the course of the season in fact when we have not 

 the custom of the American fishing vessels in the Strait of Causo there 

 is but very little business done of any kind and I make this solemn dec- 

 laration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of 

 an Act passed during the 37th year of Her Majesty's reign entitled an 

 Act for the suppression of voluntary and extra-judicial oaths. 



Dated at Port Mulgrave July 21st 1877. 



SAMUEL H PEEPLES 



