353 



the Rigning of the Washington Treaty, evIuLiitly written by a well-informed person, we 

 read the t'ulluwing :— 



" Alioiil, tlic iiiiddlo (if April, or ilu! tut Miiy, tlio nimkcu'l Ik'ot trmkcN tlio fivHt trii) of tlio scinRon to 

 ofrNi'\v|ii)rl, Kock Nliind, Oii|io Hi'iilndi'ii, nnii ('a]»\ ^fiiy, iind if Itii'V liiivc tiood luck, iimy ^jct as mii(?li 

 lis '2W liiiiTi'ls lociirli vcssi'I. TlidHi^ iiiv nil, Imwcvur, )Hiiir lisli, mdy niiikiiij,' .ih Kk. 2, mid siniii'tiniw 

 not fvcii timt. A lillli' liter in llh,' mimhuh, sny in .liiin', mid fiiv iKiitliwnril, "No. li" ti.sli iir(MMiii!,'lit, 

 but, it i.f not until tin' iniddlr inid Inltrr ].;irl of .\ii;,'ihI. tliiil ii|i in tin' liny of ( 'Inilciir, olV I'liiici' 

 EdwiirdV IhIiuuI, mid nil' liu' Ma.uilali'ii Islmnh, in tJiiiadniaii wiilns, (lie linV.-'l mid fullrst lisli, liotii 

 No.s, 1 ami L', iiiit ciiii|,dil. From tlic time tlicyare lirst struck in tiic Itiiy of CliiiliMir, the mnckcrol 

 ijiovc stciidily southward, until tln'y Iravo Cnniidimi wators, nml mo oil' Maine and MaHsacIiusettn, tlio 

 fisherniL'ji, both Amer'caii and (.'anadiaii, fnllnw lliem." 



As already said, this idea of n migi'atlDg ninckcrcl prevailed until Pi'ofes.sor IJaird, of 

 the Smithsonian Institute, Wasliington, and other spceialiiits, dcstioyed it i)y as,serting that 

 the mackerel was a steady and non-migrating squatter, tliat what was found on tlie 

 American coasts wua ijorn there, and remained tiiere, in a |)rctty limited circle of motion 

 induced by necessity of finding food ; tiiat wiiiit was cauglit in Canadian water i was also 

 born, and had tlierc its habitat, in similar conditions of cireunmaviL'ation for food, or to 

 escape from predacious fish. From the moment our friends discovered that the tish which 

 were canght in the Bay were Canadian tisii, these lost with them all prestige. From that 

 moment Canadian markets lost all consideration and credit in the minds of many. 

 Ameiican witnesses. Iir: ,1 jn the case, called our mackerel trasli ; others invented a con- 

 temptuous word to dLserihe its rank inferiority, and called it eel-grass mackerel, some- 

 thing hardly good for manure, almost unfit for (piotation on tiie imu'ket of the United States. 



\Vc do not claim such marked .superiority Ibr Canadian mackerel a:* was attributed to 

 them when supposed to be of American growtii ; but the evidence fairly weiglied shows 

 that while both shores have good, indiflercnt, and inferior mackerel at times, as a whole 

 the Gulf mackerel have commanded a higher price on the American market than American 

 caught mackerel, and in a run of years the (piantity caught in the Gulf was, as well as 

 quality, superior to American shore maekciel. 



In order to sec whether there is any dift'erencc between Canadian and American 

 mackerel, I appeal to the statement produced here by Mr. Low, unknowingly, I think, 

 bfcf^ause be put his hand in the wrong pocket at the time, and drew out a statement pre- 

 pared for the Centennial, showing that our maelverel, which had been described as being of 

 such mferior (piality, netted oO per cent, more than tlie American mackerel in the market. 



The valuation which this Commission is called upon to make of the respective 

 advantages resulting iVoiii the Treaty can hardly be based on an arithmetical appreciation 

 of the quantity of tisli caught by Americans in the three-mile limit, although the evidence 

 given on this point cannot but assist the Commissioners in forming their opinion. No 

 tribunal of arbitration probably ever bad to deal with such variable ami uncertain elements ; 

 and if the Commission were left without anything to guide t!;em towards a port of refuge, 

 they would be left on a sea of vagueness as to amount. Fortunately, they will find in tlic 

 ease an anchor, something of a definite character to guide them. During the Cont'erenccs 

 of the Joint High Commission, the Representatives of the United States offered to add to 

 fish and fish oil, as additional compensation, the admission, fiei of duty, of coal, salt, and 

 lumber. The annual value of the duty on these articles in the United States, taking an 

 average of the period from 18G4 to lB7y, would be: — 



Which gives for the twelve years of the Treaty the sum of l.'>,848,125 dollars. The 

 annual value of the duties in Canada on these articles, taking an average of the same 

 period, would be : — 



