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force will keep the American fishermen out of our waters. But there is a stroiip; reason 

 for the employment of this language. What is it? Why, our fisheries arc all valuable, 

 while theirs arc practically valueless ; "and the truth is," says Mr. Tuck," " our fishermen 

 absolutely must have access to our thousand of miles of shore fisheries,'' He states : — 



" Tlipy (tlic Amorioaiis) want tlio slioro lishcrios, tlipy wmit tlu' rirjlit tn erect mid maintain 

 structures on shove to I'ure codlish us .soon as taken, thus savinj,' cost, and uiakinj,' better lisli for market; 

 and believing their wishes to be eas)" of uocomiilisliment, they will not consent to the endurance of 

 former restrictions, the annoyances and trouble wliirli tliey have so loni; felt," 



This is very extraordinary language . for any man to use. Tlie admission is clear, 

 and also the conclusion which Mr. Tuck draws from it. It is this : they want our 

 insiiore fisheries free from those restrictions, the effect of wiiieh the United States' fisher- 

 men have so long felt ; and this is simply a declaration made on tlie part of American 

 citizens that a solemn agreement entered into between their country and Great Britain is 

 an agreement which they do not choose to keep. But of course, such views cannot be 

 tolercited in any Court. 



Now, let us see what arc the views as to the value of our fisheries entertained by the 

 persons who live in Boston, the very centre of the fish trade. I will call your attcntioa 

 for a i'ew moments to the first annual report of the Boston Board of Trade, of 1855, and 

 just after the Reciprocity Treaty had come in force. It was presented at the annual 

 meeting, which was held on the i7th January, 1855. I will only read an extract, but the 

 whole book may go in, if necessary, and be considered as read, if you please. This is the 

 same extract which I read when I cross-examined Mr. Wonson : — 



" I'jiit in connection with tlie IJecijmicity Treaty, il is to tlie imiiortance of the tisberies that your 

 Directors wish at lliisti uc particubirly to call your attention; 7i> per cent, of tlie toiiiiaL;e employed 

 in the \vliali\ cod, and mackerel ti,slierics in the I'niled States belongs to Alassacbusi Us, and Boston 

 is tlie business centre. 



"By I'nloiiial I'nnstruction of the Convention between the I'nited Slates and (Ireiit Uritain ol' 1818, 

 we wore CNclnded from not loss than 4,(100 miles of fishing-ground. Tbe valuable 'iiackeicl lisliery ia 

 situate between tlie ,sliore and a line drawn from tlie St, ('roi.\ Iliver, southeast to Seal Island, and 

 extending; ali)"g tbi' Atlantic coast of Xova Scotia^almul three miles from tlie coast- — around Caije 

 Breton, outside I'liiice Kdward Island, across tlie entrance to the liay of Clialeur ; thence outside the 

 Island of Anticosti to Aft, .Toly on the La'orador coast, where the right of sliore fishing commences. 

 The coasts williiii these limits following their several indentations are not less than ■i,00li miles in 

 extent, and all excellciit tisliiiig-grounds. Itcfore the mackerel lisliery liegau to be cLisely watched and 

 protected, our ves.sels actually swarmed on the tishing-ground williin the spaces enclosed by the line 

 mcntioneii. 



"Each of these vessels made two or three full fares in the season, and some thousands of 

 valuable cargoes wcie landed eveiy year in the United States, adding largely to our wealth and 

 prosperity. 



" A sad coi'.trast has since existed. From (Jloucester only 1, "it) ves.sels were sent to llie 1 lay of 

 St. Lawrence in lS,"j,'!. Of these not more than one in ten made tin; seivm/ trip, and even tiiey did not 

 get full fares the fir>L iriji, but went a second time in tbe liojie of doing brtter. The iirini-i]ial jiersous 

 engaged in tlie b.'sinc^s in (lloucester esliiiitited that tlie loss in IS.".'! amounted to an average of 

 1,0011 dollars on eaili vi-^sel, witlioui counting that incurred from detention, delays and damages, from 

 heim: driven out of tlie barbour. aiel from waste of time by erews. It was agree<l liy all jiarties that 

 if their Vessels could have had fii'e access to the tisliing grounds as formerly, llie ditlerence to that 

 district abine wouM liave lieen at least 4iii),0i)0 dollar-. 



" In l.S,"i.') there were forty-six vessels lielongiiig to P.i'rveily, thirteen of iIumii went to Ilic liay in 

 1852, but ov.-iu',' to the restrictions, tiieir vovages were wlioUv unsuccesslid, and none of them went 

 in 185.1. 



" .Vt Salem only two mafki.vel liicnses were gniiited in lS,"i:'. and at Maiblebead only six. 



" .\t N'ewburypoit tliere are ninety lisliiug vessels : seventy of tiiese went to ilie liay for mackerel 

 in ]8."S, Imt almost all of them, it is said, made ruinous voyage'.s. At ISoston (Uilyado/en licences 

 wen! granted for tliis lisliery in 18."i.'l, and very few of tlie IdH vessels lielongiiig to the tipwns of ilennis 

 and Hnrwicli,on Cape Cod — two-thirds of wliieli are engaged in the mackertl lisliery — went to the 

 bay for mackerel last year, because of the ill-success attending the ojievalions of tbe year jirevious. 

 One of their vessels of 100 tons burden, manned by sixteen men, was six weeks in the bay in 1853, 

 and returned willi only one barrel of mackerel. 



" I'nle-:s some change bad taken ]ila"" beneficial |o the interests of our hardy fisbei'men, the 

 northern fisheries would have been wholly : i' led. and in all iirnlKibility have entirely censed, except on 

 a very limited .srule on our own sbores. The loO.Oilil tons of shiiijiing enijdoyed in those fisheries 

 would have been obliixcd to .seek eiii]iloynient elsewhere, and the ]iroduct of the' fisheries thenisidves, 

 amounting to :i,OI)li,(MIO or 4,tiO(l,(MMl dollars annually, would lia\e ln^en lost to us. The present Treaty 

 opens to us again all these valuable fisheries, and our thanks are due to the distinguished statesmen 

 who have laboured in bringing it to a successful termination; and your Directors are most bajijiy to 

 make mention of the services of Isracd D. Andrews, Ksq. — a gentleman whom we hope to li.ive the 

 pleasure of meeting to-dav — who lias worked most assiduously for the last four years in collectin<^ 

 and furnishing in his vnhiable ie|iorts almost all the information jiossessed on the subject, ami 

 without whose pxertiong, it is hardly too much to say, the Treaty never would have been made." 



