Ou the otlicr liaiul, the valuo of the fisheries iu question 

 iire of ijjieat iinpoitaiicc to Canada, anil there seems to be a 

 strong inclination in that country to protect what she may 

 deem her rights in the matter. She feels, it Avoukl appear, 

 that that source of wealth whicli nature has so lavishly 

 given her should be harvested for her benefit and not that 

 of another govtu'ument. It is estimated that the v;due of 

 the tisheries to Canada in 1884 was about !?15,000,00(), em- 

 ploying about G0,000 men and 28,000 boats. These figures 

 are, of course, exclusive of Newfoundland, which is not a 

 part of the Dominion of Canada. 



With some idea of the attractiveness of the fisheries off 

 the shores of the Dominicm both to its own people and to 

 the people of the Ignited States, it Avill be well to ascertain 

 if possilile, what are the legal claims of each to the waters in 

 dis])ute. 



When British North America and the United States were 

 colonies of Great Britain the rights to fish were common to 

 both. When Great Ihitain formally acknowh^lged tlie ind(>- 

 l)cudence of the colonies, the United States obtained " the 

 liberty " to take fish on the coasts of Newfoundland, but 

 not to dry or cure the same there. They were also granted 

 " the libertv " of taking and curing fish on the coasts and in 

 the bays and creeks of all British possessions iu North 

 America (is long m the same remained unsettle.d. Their 

 right " to enjoy unmolested the fisheries on the banks of 

 Newfoundland and at all other places on the deep sea where 

 the inhabitants of both countries used at any time previously 

 to fish " was explicitly acknowledged in the third article of 

 the same treaty, which was signed at Paris on September 3, 

 1783. During the years which elapsed between the signing 

 of this treaty and the breaking out of the war of 1812 the 

 liritish population increased along the shores of the l)ays 

 and creeks of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and their in- 

 terest iu the fisheries, enjoyed in common with the Americans, 

 became very much greater. When the Avar came to a close 

 the cpiestion of the fisheries was revived and Great Britain 

 considered tJiat any " liherty " formerly extended to the United 

 States had naturally terminated, and refused to grant to the 

 Americans 'W/ratui toady" the privileges they formerly en- 

 joyed of ^\fishing v'ithin the limits of JJritidi territory or of 

 using the shores of the Jiritish territories for purjwses connected 

 with the fisheries." At the same time they refused to con- 

 sider th(i claim s(4 u|) by the United Stati's Government, of 

 " an iminenwrial ami preacrijdive right totliC jisherici^^' claim- 

 ing t}i(d any rights enjoyed hy the people of the old colonies in 

 common loitli other liritish .snh/eeis ceased, in those conjitries or 

 ioa/crs ifihich v^ere dill liritish possessions trhen the Jiorjner 

 hecanx- iiidcprndeiif. AVlien no understanding could be 



