676 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 



Captain Kennedy, R. N. to Governor Sir J. Glover. 



" DRUID," AT ST. JOHN'S, August 26, 1879. 



SIR : I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excel- 

 lency's letter, inclosing a copy of a letter from the United States' 

 Consul, together with correspondence relating to a disturbance 

 between some English and American fishermen, at Smith's Sound, 

 Trinity Bay, on the 16th of this month. 



In compliance with your Excellency's wishes, I have detailed Her 

 Majesty's gun- vessel " Zephyr " to convey Mr. Prowse, Q.C., to that 

 part, to ascertain the truth of the charges advanced by the Americans, 

 and I have to add that the " Zephyr " sailed this morning in pursu- 

 ance of these orders. 

 I have, &c. 



(Signed) W. R. KENNEDY. 



Mr. Prowse to the Colonial Secretary. 



ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND, August #7, 



SIR: Having proceeded to Smith's Sound, in Trinity Bay, in Her 

 Majesty's ship "Zephyr" by order of the Government, to investigate 

 the facts connected with an alleged obstruction by Newfoundland 

 fishermen to the taking of bait fishes by the crew of an American 

 schooner called the "Howard Holbrook" I have the honour to to re- 

 port, for the information of his Excellency the Governor, that, hav- 

 ing made a careful examination of the facts at Smith's Sound, where 

 we arrived last evening, and having taken a number of depositions 

 there, which are appended to this Report, I am enabled to state that 

 the facts of the case are as follow : 



The American schooner "Howard Holbrook " arrived at Aspey 

 Cove, Smith's Sound. On Thursday, the 14th August, the master came 

 in a dory, with the witness Martin Ryan, to that cove to seine for 

 squid ; the man referred to in the depositions, John Cooper, and his 

 two men-servants, were on the beach preparing to have their break- 

 fast. A conversation took place between Ryan and Cooper, the pur- 

 port of which is given by Cooper, and confirmed by Ryan. Ryan 

 said to Cooper that he was a Newfoundlander, and could seine; 

 Cooper replied that he could not. Ryan said he would ; and Cooper 

 replied " You'd better try." Not a word was said by McFaden, the 

 master of the jCmerican schooner and not a word was said by Cooper 

 or any one else to him. Cooper alleges that he threatened no violence, 

 and that he never intended to do any. 



After the short conversation, which lasted a few r minutes, Ryan 

 and the master of the schooner went down to Lower Lances Cove, 

 which is a short distance from Aspey Cove, and there shot their seine. 

 and hauled some herring. 



The schooner remained in the Sound until the following Monday, 

 buying squids and jigging them, and that instead of any obstruction 

 being offered to the American (Ryan's evidence shows) they were 

 treated with the greatest kindness and hospitality. 



