427 



Is not this conclusive? These vessels, I suppose, kept away from the three-mile 

 limit, and they made ruinous voyages, and yet v;e have liad witness after witness declaring 

 here on tiie American side that tlic best fishing was outside of that limit, and that there 

 was no fisliing inside at all. 



This is the opinion of the Boston Hoard of Trade on this subject. Tn fact, we hold 

 the key in our hands which locivs and unlocks the North American fisheries of both 

 countries ; and it is necessary for us to take care that we arc not deprived of our 

 rights witliout receiving proper and adequate consideration. 



Your Kxccllcncy and your Honouis will recollect that the Reciprocity Treaty was not 

 put an end lo by us ; but it was put an end to by the solemn act of the United States 

 against the desire of fJrcat Britain, and against the wishes of the Dominion of Canada. 



On \rdiic '-VM of the American evidence, the following question was put to Major Low, 

 the then witness on the stand : — 



" Li«i!\iiii,Mi|i till' iiles of tlic " Ciipi! Ann Advirtisur," with riifcri'ncu to tlic Contoniiiiil, 1 notice a 

 stateiufiit n/lative lo your li.sliiTius, iiuJ lo llw cll'oi't tliciv [)i'oseuiilioii Ims liiui on Glouoodtor, to which 

 I would likr to call your ;il,Luiitiou, to sou whether you ■d'^KV. with it or not." 



It has been shown here before the Commission, and it is well known to everybody 

 acquainted with the fisheries, that this paper, the "Cape Ann Advertiser," is the great 

 organ of the fishing interests of New England. 



This article runs as follows : — 



" Tn li^n tho lishery businoss of ("Jloucestcr iiml n,'iichcii its lowest clili. Only iibout 7,"0() 

 batrel.s of m:ick(>rcl were piickcJ thiit ycur, rtud tlu! whole product of the fisheries of the port was only 

 about oOn.niM) doilais. in IS'il the luisini'ss liciian to revive, the Georges imd iiiiy Chaleur fishery 

 bo,L,'iin to li(! developi'd. and fvoni that time to this year, 187o, iias lieen steadily increasin;^, until at the 

 present time Gloucester's tonnage is 10,(100 tons more than Salem, Xewburvport. Beverly, and Murlile- 

 hciiil uuitiid. Nearly 4011 lishintf scliooners are owned at, and fitted from, the jiort of Gloucester by 

 thirty-nine, firms, and the annual sales of tish an' said to bo between 3,000,0011 dollars and -l.OOil.OOU 

 dollars, nil distriliuted from here l\v (iloucester houses. 



TJw Commercial Wharves. 



" The wharves once covered with molasses and suijar hogshead.'?, arc now covered with fish Hakes 

 and till! (uhau's of the 'sweets of the tropic ' have given place to ' the ancient ami lish-like smells ' of 

 oil and dried cod ; the few saihas of the Commercial Marine have heen succeeded by live thousand fisher- 

 men drawn from all the juarilime (pLirters of the globe, and the wharves that were the wonders of our 

 boyhood days are actu.dly swalfiwed up in the .splembd and capacious pier.s of the present day, so 

 much have tliey been iengtheued and widened. 



The Salt Trade. 



" For many years after the decline of the Surinam trade, hardly a vessel was ever seen at 

 Gloucester, and many persons thought that nevermore^ would a majestic ship be S'>en entering this 

 capacious and s|ilendid seaport. l>ut never in the pabniest days of (Uoucesler's fondgn trade, were 

 such inmieiise vessels seen as at the la'esent day. Ships of L.MIO tons (as big as .six William and 

 Henrv's'l .sailed into (iloucester llai'liour from Liverpool and Cadiz, and came into the M'harv(^s witlunit 

 breaking hulk, and also laid alloat at low water. More than forty shi])S, barques, brigs, and schooners of 

 from liio to 1,400 tons laden wilh salt alone, hav(^ disciiargod al, this port tlie present year, and also 

 the same number List year. The old, vcneralde i)ort never jiresented such a forest of masts as now can 

 be seen ; sonietimus six ships and barques al a time, besides innumerable schocuiers. 



The City i]f Gloucester of 18V5, and the Town of 1825. 



" What a contrast is ]iro3ented as a ship enters the harbour now, wilh what was presented in 

 1825. The littli! rusly, weather-beaten village, with two ' meeting houses' and a few dwellings and 

 wharves "athered around them; two or three thousand people with 500,000 dollars jiroperty, was all 

 that Gloucester then was, as fiu- as we can ascertain ; now the central wards, withmit suburban 

 districts, contiun 14,000 jieople, with 'J,000,000 dollars valuation." 



Tlie article continues in this fashion : — 



" Five baid<s with nearly 2,000,000 dollars cajiital in them (including Savings) ; and this increase 

 has arisen not from foreign cianmerce, lait from the once desi)ised and insignilieant fisheries. 



" It will be si'cn by a review of the histoiy of (iloucester, that a foreign commerce did not build 

 the town 111) in Jiopulation or wealth; that from 182, "j to 1850, its increase had been very small ; but 

 from 1850 lo 1875. it has grown from 8,000 to 17,000 inhabitants, and its valuation from 2,000,000 

 dollars to 'J,000,000 dollars! It is the lislieries that have mainly caused this great change ; it is the 

 success of that In'ancli of industry thiit has lined (iloucester Harbour with wharves, wiirelKuises, and 

 packin'T eatatilishnieiits, from the Fort to ' Oakes' Cove.' It is the fisheries that have built up Kocky 

 Neck and K;isterii Point, and caused Ward 3 (Gravel Hill and rrospect Street) to show nearly all the 

 gain in popidation from 1870 to 1875." 



