215 



with which she then proceeds immediately to Europe, or returns 

 to the United States ; and this tish, thus caught and cured, is es- 

 teemed the best that is brought to market, and for several years pre- 

 vious to that of 1808, was computed to famish three Jourtk parts ot 

 all the dried tish exported trom the United States. This tishery 

 was also about that time taking a new form, which would have Had 

 a double advantage, both in point of profit and extension ; tor some 

 of our merchants were beginning to send their large vesseis to the 

 Labrador Coast, and its vicinity, to receive there, from small fishing 

 boats they employed or purchased from, cured fish, to load their 

 vessels with immediately for Europe, thus saving so great an ex- 

 pense in getting the fish to market abroad, as would in a short time 

 have give^n our merchants a command of the European markets, 

 and would have also afforded an encouragement to a small but very 

 numerous boat fishery, which, from receiving the pay for their Ja.- 

 bour on the spot, could not fail to have been greatly excited and in- 

 creased and enabling the persons concerned in the exportation 

 from the coast, to receive at home the proceeds of their adventures 

 from abroad, about as early as the hank fish could have been put 

 into a state fit to be exported from the United States ; in addition to 

 which we were prosecuting a very productive salmon and macka- 

 rel fishery, in the same vicinity, as most of the pickled fish we had 

 received for some years prior to the war were caught on those 



" This Coast Fishery, then, most highly important and invaluable 

 as I think it must be admitted to be, even from the foregoing hasty aad 

 imperfect sketch of it, merits every possible degree of attention and 

 effort for its preservation on the part of the government of the 

 United States. The refusal of the British commissioners to re- 

 new or recognise the stipulation of the treaty of 1 783, respecting 

 it and the notification, I hope not formally given, that it would not 

 hereafter be permitted without an equivalent, are alarming inGica- 

 tions in reference to the future peaceable prosecution of this fish- 

 ery, and of the dispositions of the British government with regard 



^"^ -The difference of expression used in the third article of the^ 

 treaty of peace of 1783, as to the right of fishing on the Banks ot 

 Newfoundland, and the liberty of fishing on the coasts of the Bri- 

 ish provinces in North America, however it niight have originated, 

 ,ffnpH. a diversity of expression which, in the present instance, 

 tm be seS a/d be made to give the partizans of Great Britain 

 Ind of the produces a popular colour of justice in support of their 

 'riments,^vhen they contend, as I think they probably wi I do 

 that Tn so mportant a compact the variance of language could not 

 have been a matter of accident; that if precision m the use ot 

 ferms in their most literal sense is any where to be expected, it is 

 rpr^anlyto be looked for in an instrument which is to form the 

 raramoun law between two nations, whose clashing interests have 

 Cu^ht them into collision, and which is generally framed by men 



