846 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 



inward report to him and requested permission to land the clothes of 

 James Sampson, who had been lost from my vessel on the Grand 

 Banks. He told me he had sent a man for me. After I got there 

 this man came in. The officer was holding my papers and told the 

 man to go back and take charge of the vessel. I asked him why he 

 held my papers; he replied he seized her because I had allowed my 

 men to go ashore before reporting at the custom-house; that all he 

 would tell me was he said he would telegraph to Ottawa and find out 

 what to do with me; and he did telegraph immediately. About 5 

 o'clock p. m. the collector received an answer, and told me to deposit 

 $200 and the vessel would be released. The collector would not allow 

 me to land this dead man's clothes until after I had paid the $200 

 fine. I gave the clothes to the shopkeeper to give to Sampson's 

 widow or friends. I came out of Arichat about 11 a. m. on the 8th 

 of September, 1886, having bought there one bushel of potatoes with 

 the collector's permission, and arrived at Provincetown September 

 14, 1886. I sailed from Arichat with all my crew on board, and had 

 not at any time intended to leave any of my crew at that port. They 

 were hired men, shipped to be discharged on return at Provincetown, 

 and on our arrival there were all paid off and discharged. 



Some of the crew that went ashore at Arichat returned aboard as 

 early as 7 o'clock and all were aboard about the time the vessel was 

 seized. I gave them no money there and had none myself. I further 

 say I did not enter Arichat with any intention of violating any law 

 of the Dominion of Canada, nor for any business, but solely because 

 of the stress of weather that had driven me there. It was mere kind- 

 ness only that prompted me to offer to land Sampson's clothes there 

 where his friends could get them. There was no profit to the vessel, 

 crew, or myself expected in so doing, or attempted to be gained in 

 entering the port of Arichat other than shelter from the stress of 

 weather we had been under from Quero Bank. If any revenue law 

 of Canada was violated by my vessel or by myself, the same was done 

 through ignorance and inadvertence and not with any intention to 

 defraud the revenue or offend the laws. 



MURDOCK KEMP. 



Personally appeared before me Murdock Kemp, at Provincetown, 

 State of Massachusetts, U. S. A., this 27th day of September, 1886, 

 who subscribed and made oath to the foregoing. 



[SEAL.] JAMES GIFFORD, 



Notary Public. 



Sir L. West to Mr. Bayard. 



WASHINGTON, October 21, 1886. 



(Received October 22.) 



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

 the 19th and 20th instant, requesting me to draw the attention of Her 

 Majesty's Government to the proceedings of the Canadian authorities 

 in the cases of the United States fishing vessels Everett Steels and 

 Pearl Nelson, and to inform you that I have lost no time in com- 

 municating copies of those documents to the Earl of Iddesleigh. 

 I have, &c., 



L. S. SACKVILLE WEST. 



