THE NORTHEAST COAST FISHERIES 519 



State Department a new difficulty connected with the sub- 

 ject. One Sunday some American fishermen were hauling 

 their herring seines near the settlement of Long Harbor in 

 Newfoundland. It appears that a local statute was in force 

 forbidding such desecration of the Sabbath. A native mob, 

 whose religious scruples had been offended, set upon the 

 luckless Americans and drove them from the region. This 

 adventure brought to light the variance between the impe- 

 rial law and local regulations. The question at once arose 

 Which are paramount, treaty rights or local ordinances ? 

 The British Foreign Office at first contended that the treaty 

 was made subject to all local laws or harbor regulations that 

 affected all people alike, but ultimately acknowledged the 

 supremacy of treaty rights, and consented to have all local 

 laws at variance with them suspended. The Secretary of 

 State, Mr. Evarts, urged that " this government conceives 

 that the fishery rights of the United States conceded by 

 the treaty of Washington, are to be exercised wholly free 

 from the restraint and regulations of the statutes of New- 

 foundland." The matter was closed by Great Britain paying 

 the sum of 175,000 damages to the outraged American 

 fishermen. 



IX 



With the abrogation of the treaty of Washington in 1885, 

 and the consequent revival of the numerous restrictions im- 

 posed by the convention of 1818, it was fully expected that 

 the quarrels of the fishermen would begin anew. To 

 mitigate the losses the Americans would undoubtedly suffer 

 by the sudden withdrawal of privileges they had enjoyed in 

 the midst of a fishing season, an agreement was made with 

 Canada to continue in operation the fishery clauses of the 

 Washington treaty during the remainder of the season of 

 1885. The Dominion cherished the hope that another reci- 

 procity treaty would soon be made, and negotiations were at 

 once entered upon with that object in view. President Cleve- 

 land in his annual message of December 8, 1885, proposed in 



