have hero proixised, or wliother, in the event of there appcnriii); to you any ohjectioii to proceed hy 

 Convention in tlilx matter, you can uasurc niu that the United States' tioverninent will take the earliest 

 opportunity uf urgently recuuiiueudiug Cuugruss to carry out the object aforuHaid l>y the means of 

 legislation. 



"I avail, &c. 

 (Signed) "H. L. BULWKlt. 



" Hon. D. Webster, 

 "&c. &c." 



un 



(FAtract) 



" Her Jlajt'sty's fioverunient am prepareil, on certain conditions, and with certain reservations, to 

 make the ('on('es.><ion to whicii so nuicii im])ortaiice seems to have lieen attached Ity Mr. (.'laylon, 

 viz., t<> throw open to the liHhermi<n of the I'nited States the lislu-ries in the walei's of the 

 Uritisli Ni.'tli Anierii'un Colniiies, with jiermissioii to tlmse lislicnueii to land on tiie coiLst of tliose 

 ('oli)uii's for the ])urpose of ilryinc their nets and cnriui,' their lisli ; jirovided tliat in so doinj; they lio 

 ncit interfere with tlie owners of |)rivate property, or with the ojienitions of llritish lisliermen. 



"Her Majesty's (!ov<'rnment would reiiuire, as an indispensaliie comlition, in letnin for tbi.s 

 (oni'csHion, that all lisli, eill" " fii'sli or cured, imjMirti'd into tlie Uniteil States from tlie Itritisli Xoiih 

 American possessions, in vessels of any milion or descriptiiin, should be ailniitted into ilie I'niteil 

 States duty free, and upon terms in idl respects of ei|uality witli lish imported iiy citizens of the 

 Tnited States. 



" N.ll. — As the toneessiou alxive stated a)i]ilies solely to tlie sea lishery, tlie (islieiies in estuarie; 

 iind mflutlis of rivci-s are not of course included. 



" Her Majesty's ("lovernmeiit ilo not jn'opose that any part of this ariMiiiremeiit should apply to 

 N'ewfoundlnml." 



How, nftcr reading the nhove, can it be asserted that Her Majesty's (lovern- 

 mcnt made an otter to tlirow open the fisheries in return for llie free admission of 

 lish ? This offer was part only of a {general proposition to put the commercial 

 relations between the United Stales and the Hritisli North American Colonies upon 

 a better footinj;, and it was expressly made contingent upon the establishment of 

 the reciprocal free inlerchiinyc of nil natural produniioiis. 



VII. 



The -^th section, and a very large additional portion of the Answer, is devoted to 

 a consideration of the advantages alleged to be derived by Hritisli sul)iects from the 

 pro\isions of the Treaty of Washington. These are: — 1st, increased catch of lish 

 taken by Colonial fishermen, as the rcsidt of tlie adtnission of American fishermen 

 into Hritish waters ; 'Jnd. incidental benetits arising to the inhabitants of the Cana- 

 <linn fishing villages, and others on tiic coast of the maritime provinces, from traflic 

 with American fishermen. 



This subject is introduced for tl\e purpose of diminishing any compensation to 

 which (ireat IJritain may l)e entitled. In the first place, tiiese alleged benefits .ire not 

 tounded in fact, and, secondly, their considcratitm is Inytnui the duty of tite Coniinis- 

 sioners and the scope of the iiupiiry. 



The attention of the Commission is directeil to the entire absence of anytliing 

 whatever in the Treaty to warrant the introduction of this large mass of extraneous 

 matter in the Aiuswer, inasmuch .ns the Commissioners, when csfiniatiiig any advan- 

 tage which may .•iccrue to (ireat Hritain under tlie Treaty, are coiilineil to the 

 subjects named in Articles XIX and XXI. 



There are, it will be apparent, many reciprocal advantages which both nations 

 may enjoy, as the result of the Treaty, to ccrf.iiii classes of iiiiliviihials not wiliiin 

 the province of the Commission to consider, and those above alluded fo are clearly 

 and unmistakablv among the number. 



To support these as.sertions in the .\nswer, lengthy extracts arc (pioled fronvtj 

 'speeches delivered in tlie Canadian House of Commons, upon the occasion of the 

 <lebate on the ado|)tion of the Treaty of Washington. 



The sjieakers, it must be consitlcred, were addressing themselves to the Treaty 

 of W^ashingttm as a whole, and not simply to the Kishory Clauscfi of that Treaty. 

 In dealing with thesis clauses, not one of those speakers ventured the assertion or 

 o|)ini(m that the advanlfiges to be derived by Cana<la were in any way or sense 

 equivalent to those conferred upon the United States. They spoke, and the assemhly 

 was impresst 

 lent and payi 

 secure(i by Article XXI II of the Treaty. 



It is reasonable to assume, consideriim' especially the* occasiuii and circumstances 

 [280] » I ^ V 



by them addressed was impressed, with the full knowledge of the clauses which pro- 

 vide for the assessi lent and payment to Canada of full compensation for the privileges 



