1070 MISCELLANEOUS. 



of the Treaty of Utrecht, and by subsequent Treaties founded there- 

 on, the subjects of France exercise an exclusive right of fishing on 

 the best and most productive fishing ground; and by the American 

 Treaty of 1818, the subjects of the United States enjoy almost equal 

 privileges. Under the sanction of these Treaties the French and 

 Americans have monopolized the whole of the deep sea fishery on 

 the Grand Bank and other Banks, as well as the fisheries from the 

 principal Harbours in the Island. The subjects of France claim and 

 exercise an exclusive right to fish in all the Harbours between Cape 

 Ray and Cape John, an extent of upwards of three hunred miles of 

 coast; they also occupy the Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, on 

 the opposite side of the Island. These privileges give the French the 

 command of the Northern fishery, the Western fishery, and the fish- 

 ery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The possession of the Islands of 

 St. Pierre and Miquelon gives them command of the fishery on 

 the Grand Bank and the productive fishing grounds in the Gulf of 

 St. Lawrence. The subjects of the United States of America par- 

 ticipate in all these advantages ; and the consequence is, the subjects 

 of Foreign Powers have engrossed the whole of the deep sea fishery. 

 To show to your Majesty the great decrease of the British deep sea 

 fishery, the General Assembly have only to state that in former 

 periods the British employed on the Grand Banks upwards of four 

 hundred ships, of the burthen of from 80 to 200 tons ; and upwards 

 of 1000 large boats, manned with from four to six men each, on vari- 

 ous other Banks. At the present time there are fitted out for the 

 Grand Bank from the Island of Newfoundland, by your Majesty's 

 subjects, not more than two small vessels, and the large class of 

 boats is reduced to about two hundred. In short, we can state that the 

 deep sea fishery has passed into the hands of Foreigners, and the only 

 fishery left to Your Majesty's subjects is the inshore fishery, prose- 

 cuted in small boats, each manned by two or three men. The Gen-, 

 eral Assembly have to state to Your Majesty that the deep sea Fish- 

 eries have always been considered the great nursery for seamen, and 

 they humbly presume to express to Your Majesty their opinion that 

 it is not consistent with sound policy to allow them to be engrossed 

 altogether by foreigners. On a moderate calculation, the number of 

 fishermen and seamen employed by them in the Bank and other 

 Fisheries of Newfoundland, does not fall short of forty thousand 

 men. 



The General Assembly wish to draw Your Majesty's attention to 

 the value attached to the Newfoundland Fisheries by the Govern- 

 ment of France, which will more clearly appear by reference to 

 the Report of the Minister of the Marine of that country, for the 

 year 1829, to the King of France, recommending a continuation of 

 the Bounties for the support of the French Newfoundland Fisheries. 

 He said " Besides, the expense of Bounties is not without compensa- 

 tion, and it may be said none other is more beneficial to the state." 

 " This fishery employs and gives support to 12,000 seamen, who, even 

 supposing they could be employed in peaceable times in Your 

 Majesty's Navy, would cost the country from six to eight millions for 

 six or eight months in the year. In 1828, the total amount of Boun- 

 ties reached three millions. Thus this trade gives to the state for 

 three millions that naval advantage which the Admiralty could not 



