into Court . Tlioy must have been entirely misled as to the facts by fishermen or fish 



dealers, oi- lliose iiiteiested in tiio fisheries on the New F-ngiand coast. 

 I will ))ass on. Mr. Trcjcot says in his argument : — 



'Willi r(",'avii fii ilu' liistorv m' ilic^p Trp:iti("j, llirrc .irp two .siibjrcts in thnt oonnoction which I 

 lio not. |iin|ii<si' ludistiis-; lit uli. Oiii' is the liiMdl; ml ipii'slion. I cniKulor tlmt llio .-■tntpincnt made 

 l\v my ili>iin'j;uislii'il I'lilk'iiu'in'. wlm iii-ci'i-ilcii iiu>. ii.is iviilly liiki'ii iliiii (|iie.<limi init of ilii.H disciission. 

 I d.i iii't imilrrstiuid lluil ilii-i'i' it iiuv .'1111111 niiicli' lioiv tli.il iiny iioition of this iiwfivd is to bo assessed 

 (or till' |irivili'i;i' ol' coiniiij,' witliiii ilio lu'iidl;'iids. A* to tfuM'Ni'i'iMliiiLrly iiitorostinj; iiiid very iiblo 

 l)rii'!', ;-iiliuiiltt'd lor ilm oilier side, 1 am iioi dis|iosoil to i|iiivnvl uiili it. M, uiiy rait;, 1 shall not 

 uiulorlalu' !o '.;o into any aruiiuuMii niion it. h ri'fcr.s (Mitinlyto ilic qiu'stion of ti'i-ritorinl right, 

 and the iiucstioii nC extent, of iiiri,sdii-lioii—iiiic.<tioii3 witli wliii Ii tlu' Uiiitcil .States hns uothinjj to 

 do. Tlii'v liavi' never lu'cii raiseil liv our .joveriinieiit. and jncbaMy never will be. heeau.sii our claim 

 to li.sli witliiii tlie llifee-Miile limit, is no inore an iiiterfereiu'e with territorial and jurisdictional 

 ri^bl.s of Ci-cat iirilaiii. than a riu'lil. oi' way throutrh a |iark wduM he an inlerferenee. with the owner- 

 slii] of the i>iii|ifrl\, u;- a ri..;)it in i\ii nniher in a forest would hi' an interforenoe with the foe-simple 

 in the s.)il " 



Well, \ .shoiihl liivc to ask your Kxeeliciii'v iiiul vour Uoiioiirs wlictlicr a g< ntleman 

 who owned a liiriii would not find that its value materially diminished by someone else 

 liavina; a riuht of way over it. Could lie sell it tor the same price ? He obviously could 

 not. .\ii(l why ? Pieeatise the eiijoymeiit ol' the privileui- is destroyed to the extent that 

 the e'>t'meiit uiivis tlio enioyiiuMit of it to tlie person holding the rigiit of way. The 

 as'^ertion that il makes no (liU'oieiice to a person posses^iiit; i.iml that someliody else has 

 the ri^l.t i.) ( ut ti\i> on it 1 suluiiit is perfectly absurd. It is just, what the .Americans have 

 I lie null I to do uiiii^r the 'fiealy. They liave not tlu' riiilit to t:i>ine to our lands and cut trees, 

 hut lliey havi' the riuht to eoine into our territorial waters and take Irom them fish, which 

 are just as valuable to tlie waters as trees are to the land. 'Ihcy have the right to take 

 the fish, luid for that, 1 apprehiiid, they nuist pay. It a man lias the right to enter on my 

 land to eiit trees, 1 presume he must pay eompensation for it ; I presume he cannot get 

 the light unless eompensatiuii is agreed upon. That is what \vc say. Taking lish from 

 our waters is piveisely the same as taking trees oH' our land. 



Ftirtlier on in his argument. .Mr. Treseot puts forward the extraordinary doctrine that 

 the Treaty of IMi^ was rescinded by the Treaty id' lt^j4. 



.■\t paire GO he uses these .vords: — 



•■ Tlieii «iili regard lo the .■h;iM;/ter of Iho Coiivi iiiioii of 1;^IS. I wish to put en record here my 

 jirotoiiiid eoiivielion thai, by evevv rule of (iiploiuatie iiilrvpielalion, and liy every established 

 proeiHieni, the ( 'onveiition of ISIS was abro^aled bv the Trraly ol lS.V|,and that when that Treaty was 

 ended 111 ISim;. the t'liiled Stati's and tireal iirilaiii weiv lelov'ateil to the Treaty of ITSU, ns the 

 rei'ula'.oi ..f tleis' rij.'hli." 



W'l'il, till- proi>osiiior, thai ilie Coiixcniion ui i .■>!'■ w.i?, abrogated liy the 'I'reaty of 

 l.'^at is snilieienlly no\el. 1 will, however. >liow xmir Ihueniis that hy the Reeiproeity 

 I'leatv. so far lioni tliere ining ;iny intention shown to abrogate the Treaty ol 1818, the 

 exact opposite was the case; and that the Convention of ilSIS is cited in the Reeiproeity 



Treaty 



as a 



Treaty then stihsistinu. and wiuih shall continue to subsist. Jkibre i read 



iVoni the Ileeiproeilv i ie;;l\ ! desiiv 



viiur 



i;.\eellenev and vour Honours to understand 



tliat in lelnting ihete aiviniMi.s, I iki not lio so hd'autc tiiey can have had aii\ suhstantiii 

 1 lleet ti|ion this Comniission. Tiiey cannot po,--sil)ly havi" any. Your K.xcelleiiey and 

 \oiir lliiamns know too nnicii ol' inleriuUional law to IkIkac any siieh oroposiiion. But 

 i am alraid that, il suidi ]iiii|uisitioiis are tillowed to inn hruadeast through llieir speeches, 

 without hciiiir coiilrovei ted. il may he iinagiiieii that we aie unable to meet tluMii, and 

 t lieu lore al'ow ihein to pass suii sili'iilla. Il the inalrer \M!s hc;;iir argtnnl helori' ii tribunal 

 which had tlien and theie tn d.ei'idc on it, and the C'oiirt '.vere composed of lawyers, I 

 wiuild iiiil ask lO he Ir.'.ud. and would nut iu>ull the Couit hy arguments against so 

 unliiiahK- a propositiiMi. Tlie observations 1 am now niakiiiLC are lor the purpose of 

 refuting opinions, not in the minds of your FAcelleney or \our Honours, but in the minds 

 of the paldic who have not the s:>nic intelligence or means ol information as your Honours. 

 The Reeipri ■ity .\ct recites ; — 



••||. 1 .M:ijest.\ ilir (.'luvii ■■!' ilieal 1 .iilaiii, I leiii;; .-['e. '.dlv desirous, with the ( loveniiiiont of the 

 llliileil .'^l.i'.r.-. to laoiil fiirtlu'i- iiii.-aindei'ste.ediiij,' belueen llieir respeetivo sulijoet.s and citizens, in 

 ward 1.1 ill'' i\li'iil.of the riidii- of lisliiiin oii the coasts of I'.rilisli Nouh .Anieriea, secured to each by 

 Arlielc I oi a I 'oiiveulioii lielweeii ihe I'nileil Si.acs and (Ireai lUuiiui. signed at London on the L!nth 

 day of t)i t'lbei , IStS, and b. iii.i: also lU'sJious to ir-ulate tlie eoniiiieree and navigation between their 

 respective teniioiies and )ieo)iti', and inoi'i' espeeially between Her Majesty's possessions in North 

 .Vniericrt, and the I'niled Slaie.s, in .sueli niiinner iw lo ivnder the simie racipMeally Ijenofieial (Uid 

 natisfaclory, have respectively. Ac," 



