MISCELLANEOUS. 1233 



that, with regard to the other bays on the British American coasts, no 

 United States fisherman has, under that convention, the right to fish 

 within three miles of the entrance of such bays as designated by a line 

 drawn from headland to headland at that entrance. 



"But while her Majesty's government still feel themselves bound to 

 maintain these positions as a matter of right, they are nevertheless not 

 insensible to the advantages which would accrue to both countries 

 from a relaxation of the exercise of that right ; to the United States as 

 conferring a material benefit on their fishing trade; and to Great 

 Britain and the United States, conjointly and equally, by the removal 

 of a fertile source of disagreement between them. 



"Her Majesty's government are also anxious, at the same time that 

 they uphold the just claims of the British crown, to evince by every 

 reasonable concession their desire to act liberally and amicably 

 towards the United States. 



"The undersigned has accordingly much pleasure in announcing to 

 Mr. Everett the determination to which her Majesty's government 

 have come, to relax in favor of the United States fishermen that right 

 which Great Britain has hitherto exercised, of excluding those fisher- 

 men from the British portion of the Bay of Fundy, and they are pre- 

 pared to direct their colonial authorities to allow henceforward the 

 United States fishermen to pursue their avocations in any part of the 

 Bay of Fundy, provided they do not approach, except in the cases 

 specified in the treaty of 1818, within three miles of the entrance of any 

 bay on the coast of Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. 



"In thus communicating to Mr. Everett the liberal intentions of her 

 Majesty's government, the undersigned desires to call Mr. Everett's at- 

 tention to the fact that the produce of the labor of the British colonial 

 fishermen is at the present moment excluded by prohibitory duties on 

 the part of the United States from the markets of that country; and 

 the undersigned would submit to Mr. Everett that the moment at 

 which the British government are making a liberal concession to 

 United States trade, might well be deemed favorable for a counter 

 concession on the part of the United States to British trade, by the 

 reduction of the duties which operate so prejudicially to the interest 

 of the British colonial fishermen. 



"The undersigned has the honor to renew to Mr. Everett the assur- 

 ances of his hign consideration." 



Mr. Everett rejoined: 



"The undersigned, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipoten- 

 tiary of the United States of America, has the honor to acknowledge 

 the receipt of a note of the 10th instant from the Earl of Aberdeen, her 

 Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in reply to 

 the communication of the undersigned of tlm 1 5th of May last, on the 

 case of the 'Washington/ and the construction given by the govern- 

 ment of the United States to the convention of 1818. relative to the 

 right of fishing on the coasts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. 



"Lord Aberdeen acquaints the undersigned, that, after the most de- 

 liberate reconsideration of the subject, and with every desire to do full 

 justice to the United States and to view the claims put forward on be- 

 half of their citizens in the most favorable light, her Majesty's govern- 

 ment are nevertheless still constrained to deny the right of citizens of 

 the United States, under the treaty of 1818, to fish in that part of the 



92909 S. Doc. 870, 61-3, vol 3 39 



