THE FISHERIES QUESTION 327 



years it was increased to $2 per ton. The license was so 

 large that it became practically prohibitive, there being but 

 twenty-five vessels that availed themselves of this privilege 

 in 1869. In 1870 the system of issuing licenses was dis- 

 carded. Preparations were made at once for enforcing the 

 provisions of the treaty of 1818. During the summers 

 of 1870 and 1871 many seizures of American fishing ves- 

 sels were made, although the instructions given by the 

 British Government in 1870 were very explicit that no 

 seizures should be made unless it was clearly evident that 

 there had been illegal fishing and the vessel itself was cap- 

 tured within three miles of land. In the case of two ves- 

 sels, at least, the Canadian authorities had caused seizures 

 to be made on the grounds of entering harbors to secure 

 bait, and of securing bait. 1 



In 1871, the Joint High Commission met at Washington 

 to settle the disputes between the two governments, chief, 

 of which were the Alabama claims. The fisheries dispute 

 also received much of the attention of the Commission. 

 The Treaty of Washington, signed by the Commission 

 the 8th of May, 1871, contained nine articles regulating 

 the fishing relations of the two countries. 



By Article XVIII of that treaty it was provided that, 

 in addition to the liberty secured by the treaty of 1818 

 to take, cure and dry fish on certain coasts of the British 

 North American provinces, the inhabitants of the United 

 States should have, in common with the citizens of Her 

 Majesty's government, the liberty to take fish of every 

 kind, except shellfish, on the coasts and shores, and in 

 the bays, harbors and creeks of the provinces of Quebec, 

 Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward's Island, 

 with their adjacent islands, without being restricted to 

 any distance from the shore. These liberties applied only 

 to the sea-fisheries, the shad and salmon fisheries being 



i Moore, Vol. I, pp. 796-797. 



