PEEIOD FROM 1871 TO 1905. 883 



anchor weighed preparatory to leaving port. The captain being 

 informed he must comply with the customs regulations and report 

 his vessel, headed her up the harbor. That on the way up she became 

 becalmed, when the first officer of the Terror took the captain of the 

 Rattler in his boat and rowed him to the town, where the collector of 

 customs received his report at the unusual hour of 6 a. m. rather than 

 detain him, and the captain with his vessel proceeded to sea. 



The minister observes that under section 25 of the customs act 

 every vessel entering a port in Canada is required to immediately 

 report at the customs, and the strict enforcement of this regulation 

 as regards the United States fishing vessels has become a necessity 

 in view of the illegal trade transactions carried on by the United 

 States fishing vessels when entering Canadian ports under pretext of 

 their treaty privileges. 



That under these circumstances, a compliance with the customs act, 

 involving only the report of a vessel, cannot be held to be a hardship 

 or an unfriendly proceeding. 



The minister submits, in view of the repeated groundless com- 

 plaints of being harshly treated that have been made during the 

 present season by captains of United States fishing vessels, and in 

 almost every instance traceable to a refusal or neglect to observe the 

 customs regulations, which, it is proper to state, are enforced upon 

 other vessels as well as those of the United States, herewith a letter 

 written by Captain Blake, of the United States fishing schooner 

 Andrew Bumkam,, which appeared in the Boston (Massachusetts) 

 Herald of the Tth instant, and also the editorial comments thereon 

 made in a subsequent issue of the paper referred to. 



The minister believes that the statements made by Captain Blake 

 are strictly accurate, and as applied to other vessels are substantiated 

 by the weekly boarding reports, received by the fishery department 

 from the different captains engaged in the fisheries protection service. 

 He, the minister, therefore respectfully submits that the reflections 

 of Mr. Secretary Bayard, characterizing the treatment extended to 

 the captain of the Rattler as unwarrantable and unfriendly, is not 

 merited, in view of the facts as stated by Captain Quigley and Col- 

 lector Attwood. 



The committee concur in the report of the acting minister of marine 

 and fisheries and advise that your excellency be moved to transmit 

 a copy of tliis minute, if approved, to the right honorable Her Maj- 

 esty's principal secretary of state for the colonies. 



All which is respectfully submitted for your excellency's approval. 



JOHN J. McGEE, 



Clerk, Privy Council. 



[Inclosure No. 2.] 

 

 [Extract from thp Boston Herald of October 9. 1R86.] 



A Fishing Captairfs Experience. The letter of Capt. Nathan F. 

 Blake, of the fishing schooner Andrew Bnrnham* of this city, which 

 we published on Wednesday, would apparently indicate that the 

 Canadian officials have not been disposed to push the requirements 

 of their law quite as vigorously as some of our fishermen have main- 

 tained. Captain Blake says he has experienced not the least trouble 

 in his intercourse with the Canadian officials, but that as he treated 



