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I call altontion to tlic codlisiicry, as pursued l)v tlie great Jersey houses, wholly in 

 small open boats, and almost always witliiu tlire(> miles from the shore; to the codfishery 

 pursue(l on the Labrador Coast, w holly inshore ; on the whole extent of Newfonndand, 

 except a small portion of tin; western coast also wholly insliore ; to the codfisheries 

 pursued in the deep bays and amo'ig the Islands of Nova Scotia, on (he north shore of 

 the St. Lawrence, on the northern toast of Cape Breton, quite close to the shore. 



That leads me, by a natural connection, to banks and shoals, for it has been shown 

 that these bring the cold water of the Arctic current to the surface, by obstructing its 

 passage. The iniderlying cold current rises over the banks and pushes trie warmer water 

 on each side. All our leslimony goes to prove that the mackerel are almost altogether taken 

 on shores, banks, and shoals, where tlie water is cold. An off-shore bank is a submarine 

 elevation— a hill top in the sea — and the temperature here is cold, because the Arctic 

 current or cold underlying strata of water rises over the banks with the daily flow of 

 the tides. (Professor Hind's paper, page 97.) This is the fisherman's ground, both for 

 cod at some seasons and for mackerel at all seasons. But what of a shelving or sloping 

 coast two or tliree miles out to sea, exposed to the full sweep of the tides? Is not that 

 also praclieally one side of a bank, over which the flood tide brings the cold under- 

 lying waters, and mixes them with the warm surface waters, producing in such localities 

 the recjuired temperature? Looking at the Chart of Prince; Edward Island, the 

 Magdalen Islands, and tlie estuary of the St, Lawrence, there is no part of the Magdalen 

 Islands, w here the Americans fish within the three-mile limits, where water is so deep 

 as within the three-mile limit on Prince Edward Island, east of Rustico, and covering 

 fully one-half the mackerel ground there. The depth of water between two and three 

 miles from the coast is shown on the Admiralty chart, to vary there from 9 to 13 

 fathoms within those limits, or 54 and 78 feet ; enougli to float the largest man-of-war, 

 and leave 25 to 40 feet beneath her keel. It will be remembered that in one of the extracts 

 I have read, the depth of water where fish are taken is given at from 5 to 8 fathoms. 

 And yet we have been constantly assured that there is not water enough for inshore 

 mackerel tishing in vessels drawing 13 feet of water at the utmost. Besides all this, 

 we have tlu; testimony so frequently advanced from fisliormen on the shores of Prince 

 Edward Island, that th(; American fishermen were a source of alarm and injury to them, 

 on account of (heir lee-bowing their boats. This proves two important facts — first, that 

 th(! American fishermen did and do constantly come within the lliree-mile limit to fisli for 

 mackerel, and they come in with their vessels, because the fish is tliere. 



Having given the reason why these cold water species of fish, according to a law of 

 nature, must be fbmid quite close inshore, I will now proceed to show that the facts 

 put in evidence fully sustain science. 



I shall first direct the attention of your Honours to the special facts connected with 

 the fisliing ojiorations pursued on the coasts of the estuary of the St. Lawrence and the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence, from Cape Chatte to Gaspe, and Cape Despair, on the south 

 side, and from Point des Monts, on the north side of the estuary, to Seven Islands, thence 

 to Mingan, tlience to Nataslicpian, an immense stretch of coast line. 



The witnesses from the Province of Quebec have more to say about cod, bait, 

 halibut, and lierring, tlian about mackerel. 



Mr. P. T. Laniontaigne testifies in reply to Mr. Tiiomson, as follows : 



? — A. I slu.iilil think not leas than from 



" Q. T,il<(> I'loni ('i\|i(' Chiitti' to (liusiH-, iilons; tho south shore, \^hi»t is the aveniLte .annual export 

 eiu-li yciUMil' tish ; 1 ivt'cr In tliu t'lidlish iind linctish ?— A. From my plncx' down to Cape Gaspe there 

 will lii> li."i,(iiMi ipuntals M loast of th'iej tish L>x])ortfd. 



"i). Tiikim,' iIk' whcilc (!iispi> shni-c, wliat would you say 

 180,01111 to L'iKI.'oilO cpiintals of driiMl lisU. 



" i). What is the value pi'i' ([uintal previous to expoitatiou ? — A. Tiiey should not be worth less 

 th.iii "i dollars ]u'r iiuiutal. 



" <,'. How ai'i> ihrse lisli taken, liy vessels or by boats ? — \. IW lioats. 



" (,>. .Are tliey taken with hook and line >~-\. \os. AVlint we take on our coast arc all taken with 

 bnals and with linok and line. 



" (). Have you any lialib\it on your coast '. — A. Xoi at present. 



" (,i. AViiat is the rea.ion '. — A. We attrilaite it to tlie Amerieaus tisliiu'.; for halibut on our coast. 



"(,>. Wiiat tina' do they li.sh ?— A. Aliout .August. 



"(j). What years did tliey conui tluae ? — A. Kroni l.Sot) to ISiiii ami 1870, as near as I can 

 remember. 



"1,1. In l."^ii(i llai lieciprocity Treaty eauu' to an end. l>id the .Vmericaii.s tish fiU' halibut there 

 in 1S70 '. — \. 1 could not say exactly the year, but 1 am sure tlu>y fislu'd t]a>re. 



" tiV Did tla'y tish after the abrogation of tla; llrcipvoiily Treaty in l.SOO '! — \. Tjie American.s did 

 fisii there. 



" (,>. Was halibut taken within two miles of tlie slinrc I —\. Xcav tlie shore, 



"(,t. Tiu' Ameritans came in after the Keciprocilv Treat\ was .dud^ated did t!;ev ? — A. I iielievo 

 tlu- did. 



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