324 



She will not make »ucli lif?ht work of her TroiUics as 



li 



herst'lf a dtle to these flshei'ics 

 our friends liavo dono. 



Ill tlic iini; of hisloricu! titles adopted by our learned friends, tlic Seandinavians 

 wouUl wipe out even t!ie flaim of Ciilninl)us, for tliree or four centuries before the 

 discoveries of lh(! {jreat (Jcmitkie navii;;ator, some of their fishermen liad visited profitably 

 (lie banks of Newtbundlanil. My learned friends should Ix* as much alarmed at the 

 conso(|nences of tlieir fietion, as '.Mr. Seward was wlun dealing with the Headland 

 ipu'stion in the Senate— p. of tin' llritisji Ilrief — 'le pointed out that tlie constructicm 

 put upon tlie wonl bay, by thosi»\viio roiiline<l them to bodies of w;iter six miles wide at 

 tlieir nioulli, would surrender all tiu; i;real bays of the rniled States. 



While listening; with pleasure to the narration of the };reat achievements of the 

 Massachusetts boys, we could not understand why they slied their blood for those poor 

 and iniprodiictive lisheries. We looked a little at history, we searched for a confirma- 

 tion of the pretensions of our frii'iids, and we found a very diirercnt account, in the 

 writings ot" lliiir j^reat statesmen, both as to the hasis of their claim aiul as to the value 

 of the fisheries. 



John Qiiiney Adams, who represented with others, as has already been mentioned, 

 the I'l'itcd States at the Tre.ity ot" (ihent, in ISM, collected intormation. lie applied 

 to Mr. James 1Jo\d, and this 'y:entleman, writin;; from lloston on the 8th .March, isl.'j, 

 communi(ate(l to liim what will he foimd from pie.-e 211 to paj;e 218 of his " Duplicate 

 Letters." A few citations will not be out of place here : — 



"Till' slidii'', tlic ircik^. till' inlet' ■ I'tlic liny of 1'iiiiily, the Uiiy nf ( 'lialt'urs, rttul tlio f!nlf of St. 



IjlAVlvlir.', till' Stiuim it' In'llii.slc, ;iliil till' cciMst nf I.;ili!:iiliir, ii]i)iiMr t" li;lVi! licrll il('.--i;,MU'il liy till! (liid 

 iif N'atiiri' :is till' ptimI civiiiiiiiii nf ti-ih ; -i]w iiit'xliau^lilili' ivini.iii.iiy ni tlii.s .spt'eics »{ luod, nut mily 

 for tile siip]i|y n|' tlii> .VineiiLMii. Imt nl' ilie Kiiioiicnti cniitiiiciit. At tlic jirnjirr scusoii Id c.\u\\ tlicm in 

 fndlcsrt al'iiihliiMco. little mure nf clloit is iiccclecl ilian to liait the liiHjk iiinl jmll the lino, and 

 (icciwioMally c\ca iliis is nut ncrc.t.siiry. In rlciir wcathfi-, iiwir the shorus, uiyiiiuU lu-o visibli;, niul tliu 

 strand is at times almiwl literally paved with them." 



■ Tile I'rn\ iiiciiils hail Lccmne lii;^lily iihriiu'il at the expiiiLsion of thi.-i tiahory ftnil tmdo ; jealous 

 iif its ]>ro:,'ic.ss and tliinn'ioiii at its cndiifaiiec, tliey, tliciefore, of late years, liavo repeatedly 

 iiieiii>'ii;ilizccl the (ioverninelil in Kii.;l;ind, respciiin.,' the lisheries carried on liy the Americans, whilo 

 ihe wii'ile liihly of .">c(iiiish ,iilvciiluiei-s, whose iiade lintli in im|ioil< and (•x|>orl.s, and eontnd over thu 

 iiilhd'ii. lilts, it I'lirlailed, have turned out in full crv and joined the clioius of the < 'olonial (iovern- 

 melits in ii eriisade icaiiist the eiieriuiehnients of the iiilidels, the ili-iliclieveis in the divine authority 

 of kiii,'s. or the rivdilsof the |)ro\ inee-, and have |iin'>iii'd their olijeets so assiduously that, at their 

 own e\|«'n>e, as 1 am inloriued from a resjuM laMe soiiiee, in the year 1S07 or ISilS, Ihnj ntntiomd a 

 iratdiM'iit III ii"m( j'u mil III I'll- j>i'iili"it iif"r Ihe Slrmln e/' C'lii.io, to ,uunt tin- iiumlicr of Aiiurifun rf.isel.i 

 iv/tifJi im-ivit Ihov ilrnil.-i ml l/n., tinpliiijiiunl, I'-iio ritiiniiil '.'i!(J ((.< tin' inimhcr itiliinlli/ ii.virliiniil hij 

 him '(> /('*('■• jiii:<siil, mill ihnihllr.ss vininj ullifr.i, ilitrunj the nii/ht or in .i/")V«;/ "C thick wetithir i.iin/yil hm 

 i7».si/iv(/i(/ii, anil soiiii' of thes'' au';rre---ors have disiinclly looivcd forMiird with ;,'iatilication to a state i>( 

 wiir. IIS a dciialde ociurrciiee, which would, hy its exi'lcnce, annul e.\iiliny Treaty BtipiUatiolis, so 

 injnrioiH. as they coiileiid. to their iiilc'rol .iitd those of ihi' nation. 



'•The ( ',i:i.-i and l.al.nidor I'l-heiies are jiro^ieciitcil 111 vcssc'ls of from -10 to I HO tons Imrtheii, 

 I anyiii',; a niiiiil'Ci of men, according' lo tlcir res|ici'tivc si/cs, in al'out the saiiu- ]ii'o|MUtion a.s the 

 vessels oil the jLink ri-heiy. They ciMiilueiicc their vovai^cs in May, and ;,'eL on the lisliin;^ j^round 

 alioiil the 1st .1.1111'. ln'toic whi' li linic liiiit caiinoi he olitaiiicd. 'I'iiis haiL is furnished liy a small 

 s|M>(;ie'< of lish c.iiled tii/iliio/, wllfch ^irikc iiisiiorc al thai lime, .'ind lie followed hy immensi' nhnat.i if 

 imljiih 'i-hirhj'fil upon thmi. K^irh ii ^t, ! ^i l,,ti her mrn jiiihtnij iiroiiinl tdomj the i-iin4 of tlu: ISnii'f i'hnltiirs, 

 the (iiilf of SI, /.iiirr, iiri , Ihi SlroU^ nf /;, //( isli-. Ihi I 'uii^t of J.iiliniilor, ririi us far as Ciiinl'irland hlmul, 

 .ilid the entiMiice of lludoii > Itay, thus iiii|iroviii;,; a lishiii;^' ^'luuiid ii;;a'lun^ in extent iVoiu the -toth 

 to the •'.Stii decree of inrrtli latitude. 



■ 111 'hi infill:; their sitiialinn, the li>hermcn eeiierally ^eek some shehcied and safe haihoiir, or cove, 

 where they anchor in ahoiii >i.r ur s, ren fith'ms mill r, uiiIh'IiiI their sails, stow ihem lielow.and lileially 

 liiakiii;: tlieiii-'elve'i at homi', dismanth' and conv.^t their vi.'ssels into lialiitations at le;i.st a.s diliaiilo 

 iks tlio c of the ancient .Si ythinns. They then cn-t a net over the .stein of thu vessel, in wlmha 

 'Ullicicnt iiiimlH'r of caiiliii',' are mioii eau;,dil to sii|i|iiy them with hail from day to day. Kacli \essel 

 i.s liiinished witliy'eiii' ur Jiri- lii/ht /"'«»/.<, aciordin;,' to their si/c and iiumlicrof men, each hoat rciiuirini' 

 two laeM. They leave the vcs-iel early ill the iiiorniii;;, and .-'itck the he.sl or siillicieiitly ^'oud sjiol for 

 li.Hhiii;.'. which is frci|iie!itly found w iiliin a few imls of their vcocls, and M'ly rarely inoie than unc ur 

 tii'ii iiiii-i ilishi.'t from Ihi III, where they haul the lish as fast as they can piill their linen, aii'l Miinelimes 

 it is said the tidi have hecii so ahiiiidant as to im '^'itfl or seooiH'd iiili- tiie lioals, without even a hook 

 or line; and tiie li.'-heniien also sa\ ihat the eodlish have lieeii known I<> piiisiie tiie ea|iliii'.; in such 

 ipmntitii's, and with siidi voruciiv nsto run in lai^e inimlieis i|iiite out of water, onto the shores. 

 'I'lie lioaN lelnrn to t!ic vessiU ali"!i( nine ii'< lock in ihe iiioinin^;, al lircaktasl, |iul llicir lish on limud, 

 salt and split ihiiii.unil .illei iiasinu li^hcd sevdial d.i)'<, hy winch tinn^ the ^.dt has iiccii sullieiciilly 

 strifk in ihe li ,li lirst i aii;.dil , tin y carry them on ^huii' and s|ireaii and dry tliem on llie rocks or Icinpoiaiy 

 llnkes. Tlii< routine is follnweii every day, with llie addilloii of atli lidllii,' to such as have Ihmii spread, 

 and carryiii'.' on iioanl and -.low in;,' away llio-e (hal jiase hecoiiie -ullieienlly ciiied. until the vc.isi I is 

 idled with dry li'h, lit lor an iicniciliale mark' t, which is genendly the ciuie hy the imiiiUe ur lot! of 



