PERIOD FROM 1871 TO 1905. 767 



can fishing- vessels under the treaty of 1818 as shall effectually pre- 

 vent any encroachment by them upon the territorial waters of the 

 British Provinces for the purpose of fishing within those waters, or 

 trespassing in any way upon the littoral or marine rights of the in- 

 habitants, and, at the same time, prevent that convention from being 

 improperly expanded into an instrument of discord by affecting in- 

 terests and accomplishing results wholly outside of and contrary to 

 its object and intent, by allowing it to become an agency to interfere 

 with and perhaps destroy those reciprocal commercial privileges and 

 facilities between neighboring communities which contribute so im- 

 portantly to their peace and happiness. It is obviously essential that 

 the administration of the laws regulating the Canadian inshore fish- 

 ing should not be conducted in a punitive and hostile spirit, which 

 can only tend to induce acts of a retaliatory nature. 



Everything will be done by the United States to cause their citi- 

 zens engaged in fishing to conform to the obligations of the treaty, 

 and prevent an infraction of the fishing laws of the British Prov- 

 inces; but it is equally necessary that ordinary commercial inter- 

 course should not be interrupted by harsh measures and unfriendly 

 administration. 



I have the honor, therefore, to invite a frank expression of your 

 views upon the subject, believing that, should any differences of opin- 

 ion or disagreement as to facts exist, they will be found to be so 

 minimized that an accord can be established for the full protection of 

 the inshore fishing of the British Provinces, without obstructing the 

 open-sea fishing operations of the citizens of the United States or dis- 

 turbing the trade regulations now subsisting between the countries. 

 I have, &c., 



T. F. BAYARD. 



Sir L. West to Mr. Bayard. 



WASHINGTON, May 10, 1886. 



(Received May 12.) 



SIR : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of 

 this day's date, and to inform you that I have lost no time in trans- 

 mitting a copy of this important communication to Her Majesty's 

 Government. 



I have, &c., L. S. SACKVILLE WEST. 



Mr. Bayard to Mr. Phelps. 



No. 289.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 



Washington, May 11, 1886. 



SIR : With reference to your telegram of the 9th instant, in regard 

 to the fisheries question, I transmit to you herewith a copy of a note 

 which I addressed to Sir Lionel West yesterday on the subject. 

 I am, &c., 



T. F. BAYARD. 



