MISCELLANEOUS. 1197 



very good. Every place here mentioned is within a few hours' sail of 

 the frontier ports of Maine, and many of them are within cannon-shot 

 distance of the shores of the United States. The fishermen of both 

 countries meet on the same fishing grounds; borrow and lend "bait;" 

 ask after each other's "woman"* at home; narrate the wonderful cures 

 of the last-discovered remedy for the "reumatis;" complain of the 

 "scacity" of fish, and the low price of "ile;" discourse about "flat- 

 hooped flour;" and generally conduct towards one another as friends 

 and brethren, owing allegiance to one government. Indeed, the ob- 

 servation of quite twenty-five years authorizes me to say that the 

 colonists always agree far better with the Americans than with each 

 other. Our countrymen are not often considered interlopers when 

 they leave the fishing grounds nearest home and visit those of Grand 

 Menan; but the fishermen of Campo Bello, and the other islands on the 

 British side of the Passamaquoddy, are sometimes roughly accosted 

 and ' ' twitted " when they venture to take the same liberty. Frequent 

 attempts have been made to disturb the friendly relations which have 

 generally existed between the people of the two flags, but without suc- 

 cess. The efforts of officious individuals, and of functionaries of the 

 colonial government, have been alike disregarded. The captains of 

 the British ships-of-war on the station, gentlemen in their feelings, 

 have steadily refused to stoop to wage a petty warfare against the 

 American boats that cross the imaginary boundary line in the waters 

 of the Passamaquoddy, though, of course, they have always obeyed 

 their instructions. Yet, in the spirit of Nelson, who looked at the 

 signal he meant to disobey with his blind eye, they have never been 

 able to see a " Yankee," or to distinguish one from a subject of her Maj- 

 esty. Some of them as I remember the stories of by-gone years ad- 

 mitting the necessity of driving off the aggressors, have asked, "How 

 are we to know them are they marked?" Others, sending their barges 

 into the fleet of boats, have directed that "All who say they are Ameri- 

 cans must be told to go to their own side of the line;" but, strangely 

 enough, the unbroken silence of the fishermen to whom the question 

 was propounded afforded proof that all were "Bluenoses." Still 

 others, satisfying themselves, by peering through glasses from their 

 quarterdeck, that all the boats in sight must belong to the islands in 

 New Brunswick, have thought the sending of barges to inquire a 

 needless ceremony. One, in 1840 the captain of the Ringdove in 

 his official report, recommended that "every British boat should have 

 a license;" otherwise, said he, "it is impossible to discriminate them 

 from Americans." 



Those who seek to put an end to this state of things, whatever their 

 motives, do not take into the account that the instant they shall ac- 

 complish their object, border strifes will follow of necessity. Before 

 renewing their efforts, they may be kindly asked to consider that har- 

 mony and good-fellowship between the inhabitants of frontier settle- 

 ments are indispensable, and far better securities against the 

 marauder's torch and bludgeon than armed ships or bodies of troops. 



The produce of the boat-fishery of the Bay of Fundy, and of the 

 Passamaquoddy, is not only small hi value, but generally inferior in 

 quality. An increase of this fishery, under present circumstances, is 



*They thus speak of their wives. 



