AWARD OP THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3421 



change subsequently? A. No; I say originally, because the history of 

 this matter commenced some time back. Do you wish ine to describe it ? 



Q. If you please ? A. It is simply this: When I came from Newfound- 

 land, in May last, I was requested to put together the various facts with 

 which I was familiar in relation to fisheries, and especially in connection 

 with ocean physics, and such like ; so 1 commenced to do so immediately 

 afterwards, and this was the result. 



Q. Were you requested to do so by any officer of the Dominion Gov- 

 ernment? A. Yes ; by Mr. Whitcher. 



Q. He asked you to put these facts together? A. Yes. 



Q. You did not confine yourself to Newfoundland ? A. O, no. 



Q. This is a great book, comprising 150 very large pages, relating to 

 the mackerel, herring, and other fisheries, with chapters on the effect of 

 the Washington Treaty upon the United States, and the general condi- 

 tion of the United States fisheries, and the total extinction and disap- 

 pearance of cod in certain places, &c. ; it purports to be an argument 

 regarding the effect of the fishery clauses of the Treaty of Washington 

 on the fisheries and fishermen of British North A merica ; were your in- 

 structions to prepare such a book ? A. The matter was left to myself. 



Q. To prepare what you like ? A. Not what I liked ; but to prepare 

 a paper on the general subject of fisheries connected with the Washing- 

 ton Treaty. No definite instructions were given me at all. 



Q. Does this title describe fairly the work which you undertook to 

 do ? A. I think it does, at least as far as a title can do so; but you 

 might describe it in a different way. 



Q. At all events your nanje was put to it and you approved it ? A. 

 Certainly. 



Q. Then of course you understood that you were to write upon the 

 effect of the fishery clauses of the treaty upon the British fisheries and 

 British fishermen ? A. No ; I did not understand anything of the kind ; 

 that was left entirely to me ; no instructions were given me at all with 

 regard to what I should write; I was merely to describe what I knew 

 with respect to the fisheries of British North America, and particularly 

 with their relation to the Treaty of Washington. 



Q. Y"ou were to describe the effect of those clauses upon these fisher- 

 ies? A. Yes. 



Q. And the fishermen ? A. Yes. 



Q. And that is what you undertook to do ? A. Y"es. 



A. And that you put into the hands and left to the discretion of an 

 officer of the Dominion Government? A. I beg your pardon. 



Q. When you had finished the manuscript you put it under the con- 

 trol and discretion of an official of the Dominion Government ? A. Cer- 

 tainly not. 



Q. Perhaps I have misunderstood you ? A. That was not the case. 

 At the time when I received the instructions, in the first instance, of 

 course, I was told to place it in the hands of the printer. 



Q. When it was completed ? A. Yes. 



Q. You were not to print it of your own option ? A. No. 



Q. You were to print it or not, according as you received instruc- 

 tions? A. Yes. 



Q. Then, having received instructions to print it, yon did put it into 

 the hands of the printer ? A. Yes ; I placed my manuscript in the 

 hands of the printer. 



Q. And you superintended the printing of it ? A. I corrected the 

 proofs. 



