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*' Carried away by first impressions, a large part of mankind be- 

 come not unfrequently the dupes of misconception, and adhere tjo 

 their opinions with a pertinacity proportioned to the time they have 

 entertained them. From a source something like this, it has been, 

 and is generally, I might ahiiost say, universally, believed, by the 

 mass of our countrymen, that the right of fishing on the Banks of 

 Newfoundland, or as it is properly called, the Grand Bank, was the 

 great boon acquired, as it respected the fisheries, by the treaty of 

 1783, while unquestionably the fisheries on the Banks of New- 

 foundland no more belonged exclusively in possession or the right 

 of control either to Great Britain or the United States, than the air 

 of Heaven is the patent property of both or cither of them, with 

 power to dole out its use to such other nations as agree to conform 

 to the stipulations they may please to prescribe for its enjoyment. 

 If any thing was gained or secured on this head, it undoubtedly was 

 the Coast Fisheries, on the shores of the British provinces. This 

 is the fishery which will now come under discussion, at least, if not 

 into contest, between the two countries. It is highly important that 

 correct ideas of its value and extent should be entertained, and per- 

 haps these could not be more perspicuously traced than by taking 

 a relative view of it, compared with the importance of the Bank 

 Fishery. This I will now briefly attempt ; confident, that if in do- 

 ing it I should be reiterating to you the communication of facts of 

 a knowledge of which you are already acquainted, the motive will 

 bring along with it its own sufiQcient apology. 



"jThe Bank Fishery is carried on m vessels generally from 70 to 

 90 tons burthen, and manned with eight or ten men each. They 

 commence their voyages early in March^ and continue in this em- 

 ployment until the last of October, in which time they make iwo, 

 and sometimes three, fares to the United States, bringing their fish 

 home to be cured. The produce of these trips, if successful, after 

 paying the shoresmen the expense of making or curing, generally 

 furnishes a sutficient quantity of dried fish to load the vessel for 

 Europe. These vessels employed in fishing require cables of 

 from 160 to 180 fiithoms in length. They must always keep their 

 sails bent to the yards, so as to be ready, in case of accident to the 

 cable, or any of those adverse occurrences to which tempests or the 

 casualties incident to anchoring nearly in mid-ocean, must expose 

 them. They purchase salted clams ior bait, which they procure at: 

 considerable expense, and take with them from the United States. 

 They fish night and day, wlien the fish bite well, which is not always 

 the case, and haul their cod in a depth of water from 45 to 55 fa- 

 thoms. After catching, they head and open the fish, and place 

 them in the hold, in an'uncured, and consequently, in some degree, 

 in a partially perishing state ; and after having obtained a fare, or 

 freight, return with it to the United States, to be cured or dried and 

 prepared for exportation ; but before this is done, or they can be 

 landed, the fish is always more or less deteriorated, becomes sott- 

 er, and part of it makes an inferior quality of fish, called Jainaic<i 



