PERIOD FKOM 1871 TO 1905. 787 



make him aware of the state of the law, while every fishing vessel 

 belonging to the United States found contravening the existing 

 Canadian Statutes, which, as I have already reminded your Lordship, 

 in these respects follow closely those passed by the Imperial Parlia- 

 ment, will, if not departing within twenty-four hours after receiving 

 such warning, be detained under the conditions described. 



I trust that the above explanation will be satisfactory to your 

 Lordship. 



I have, etc., 



(Sd.) LANSDOWNE. 



The Right Honorable 



Earl GKANVILLE, K. G., 



etc., etc., etc. 



Mr. Bayard to Sir L. West. 



DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 



Washington, June 14, 1886. 



SIR: The consul-general of the United States at Halifax communi- 

 cated to me the information derived by him from the collector of cus- 

 toms at that port to the effect that American fishing vessels will not 

 be permitted to land fish at that port of entry for transportation in 

 bond across the province. 



I have also to inform you that the masters of the four American 

 fishing vessels of Gloucester, Mass., Martha A. Bradley, Rattler, Eliza 

 Boynton, and Pioneer, have severally reported to the consul-general 

 at Halifax that the subcollector of customs at Canso had warned them 

 to keep outside an imaginary line drawn from a point three miles 

 outside Canso Head to a point three miles outside St. Esprit, on the 

 Cape Breton coast, a distance of 40 miles. This line for nearly its 

 entire continuance is distant 12 to 25 miles from the coast. 



The same masters also report that they were warned against going 

 inside an imaginary line drawn from a point three miles outside 

 North Cape, on Prince Edward Island, to a point three miles outside 

 of East Point, on the same island, a distance of over 100 miles, and 

 that this last-named line was for nearly that entire distance about 30 

 miles from the shore. 



The same authority informed the masters of the vessels referred to 

 that they would not be permitted to enter Bay Chaleur. 



Such warnings are, as you must be well aware, wholly unwar- 

 ranted pretensions of extraterritorial authority and usurpations of 

 jurisdiction by the provincial officials. 



It becomes my duty, in bringing this information to your notice, 

 to request that if any such orders for interference with the unques- 

 tionable rights of the American fishermen to pursue their business 

 without molestation at any point not within three marine miles of 

 the shores, and within the defined limits as to which renunciation of 

 the liberty to fish was expressed in the treaty of 1818, may have been 

 issued, the same may at once be revoked as violative of the rights of 

 citizens of the United States under convention with Great Britain. 



I will ask you to bring this subject to the immediate attention of 



