3234 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



No. 159. 



I, John Murray, do solemnly declare that I was born and always have 

 been living at Port Mulgrave on the Strait of Canso ; that I am 49 years 

 of age that since I was 19 years of age I have been engaged in fish- 

 ing during the summer seasons that with the exception of two 

 seasons I have always shipped in American fishing vessels during those 

 2 season I was in Provincial vessels the Americans do not dry ttyeir 

 nets on the coasts of the Dominion except occasionally for half a day 

 nor do they cure their fish on these coasts the crew is about composed of 

 natives of the British North American Provinces who are still residing 

 in the Provinces and are of course british subjects the Americans catch 

 all their codfish on the banks or off-shore. I do not think that Provin- 

 cial fishermen catch any smaller number of fish on account of fishing 

 alongside of American fleets of mackerel fishers the mackerel fishery 

 has much fallen off during the last 5 years and especially during the 

 last 2 years it has almost been an entire failure the cause of the falling 

 off of the mackerel fishery is not known during the present season 

 mackerel promise to be in fair quantities in the Gulf of St Lawrence 

 from all I have lately heard the American fishermen i. e. mackerel 

 fishers begin to come in June but of late years they don't arrive on the 

 fishing grounds in any number until after the 4th of July the mack- 

 erel are poor until after they have spawned that is about the middle of 

 July they are just getting fat now the Americans catch by far the 

 larger quantity of mackerel outside of the three mile line from shore, I 

 should not think that the Americans catch more than one fourth of their 

 entire catch of mackerel in-shore that is inside the 3 mile limit the 

 cost of outfit of American vessels engaged in the fisheries is considera- 

 bly higher that that of Provincial fishing vessels, their outfit is much 

 better too than that of the Provincials fat mackerel and fat herring 

 caught by Provincial 6shing vessels are nearly all sold in the United 

 States, and 1 make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing 

 the same to be true and by virtue of an Act passed during the 37th year 

 of Her Majesty's reign eutituled an Act forthesuppressionof voluntary 

 and extra-judicial oaths. 



Dated Port Mulgrave July 21st. 1877. 



JOHN MURRAY 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE AT PICTOU, N. S. 



PORT MULGRAVE July 21st 1877. 



I hereby certify that at Port Mulgrave on this 21st day of July the 

 above named John Murray voluntarily made before me and subscribed 

 in my presence the foregoing " Solemn Declaration. ' 

 Attested : 



OSCAR MALMROS 



U. S. Consul, 

 No. 160. 



I, John H. Ingraham, of North Sydney, Cape Breton, Merchant and 

 Trader, do solemnly depose and say : 



That I have been doing business as a trader and general merchant at 

 North Sydney, Cape Breton, for the last twenty years. 



During that period the port of Sydney has been visited annually by 

 a number of vessels engaged in prosecuting the cod and mackerel fish- 

 ery, belonging to the United States of America. Withia the last five 



