THE FISHERIES QUESTION 325 



of Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, 

 and of the several islands thereunto adjacent, without being re- 

 stricted to any distance from the shore; with permission to land 

 upon the coasts and shores of these colonies and the islands 

 thereof, and also upon the Magdalen Islands, for the purpose 

 of drying their nets and curing their fish; provided, that, in so 

 doing, they do not interfere with the rights of private property 

 or with British fishermen in the peaceable use of any part of 

 the said coasts in their occupancy for the same purpose." l 



By the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 the American fisher- 

 men gained fishing liberties analogous to those enjoyed 

 under the Treaty of 1783 ; but the liberty thus defined ap- 

 plied solely to the sea-fishery. The salmon and shad fish- 

 eries, and all fisheries in rivers and the mouths of rivers, 

 were expressly reserved for British fishermen. It was 

 provided by the second article of the treaty, that British 

 subjects should have, in common with the citizens of the 

 United States, "liberty to take fish of every kind, except 

 shellfish, on the eastern seacoasts and shores of the United 

 States north of the 36th parallel of north latitude, and on 

 the shores of the several islands thereunto adjacent, and 

 in the bays, harbors, and creeks of the sea coast and shores 

 of the United States and of the said islands," on precisely 

 the same conditions, including the reservation of salmon, 

 shad, and all river fisheries, as were made in the first article 

 with respect to the reciprocal liberty secured to American 

 fishermen. 2 



For a number of years the treaty seems to have worked 

 to the satisfaction of both parties. The number of Ameri- 

 can vessels frequenting the Canadian waters increased, as 

 did the extent of their business. On the other hand, it 

 was a period of unexampled prosperity for Canadian in- 

 terests. "From the making of the reciprocity treaty until 



1 Elliott, p. 75. 



2 Moore, I, p. 792. 



