'I 



428 



This is the testimony of the organ of the Gloucester fishermen. I might consume a 

 great deal of your time in similar quotations. I turn your attention now to a book 

 which was (juoted hy my learned friends on the other side, this book of Mr. Adams upon 

 " The Fisheries and the Mississippi." At pau;e :i04 this language is used under the head 

 of fishing liberties and their values: — 



" (If tliosi! toil thmisiiiul lueii, ami of tlioir wives iiiiil cliildn;!!, tlio cod (islit'i'ipa, it' 1 may be 

 iiUnwod tli(! cxpicssioii, witc tlie diiily biciid — tlioir prniicit y — tlicir siilisiateuce. To how many 

 thousands iikh-h won; the Lilioui-s and tho dani,'i;rs of thoir lives subservient >. Their j,'ame was not only 

 food and raiment to themselves, but to millions of other Iiumiui beinj,'S. 



" TIkuv is somethin;,' in the very oecuiialion of tishernieii, not only benetieent in itself but noble 

 and exalted in tlie (jualilies of which il iei|uires tiie habitual exeivise. In eommon with the 

 cultivators of the soil, their labours eontrilmte to the subsisteiiee of mankind, and they have the merit 

 of oonlinual exposure to daii|^er, sujievadded to that of uiu'casin^,' toil. Industry, fiuj^'ality, ]iatience, 

 porseveranee, fortitude, intrepidity, souls inured to jierpetual conllict with t!io elements, and bodies 

 steeled with unremitliiii; action, ever i,'ra)'piin.:,' with daiii,''ir, and familiar with death; these are the 

 jn-operties to which the lisherman of tla^ leean is formed by llie daily labours of his life. These are 

 the properties I'or whicii He wlai knew what was in man. the Savicjur of mankind, sought His hrst 

 and iiMind His nmst faithful, ardent, ai.d undaunted disri]iles amon.i; the tishermen of His country. 

 In the deadliest ranc(iurs (if national waiv, the examples of hitler ages have been i'i'e(|iient of exempt- 

 ing;, by the common consent of the most exasperated enemies, li.shermen from tlie operation of 

 hnstilities. In uiir treaties with I'mssia, they are exjiressly iiududed amonj; the ela.sses of men ' vhose 

 nrriiiiatioH.-i iiiy fur the rumwon siihsis/aur rnul hi^ni-lif nf nunikuhl ;' witiia sti|iulation, tiiat in the event 

 of war between the parties, they shall be allowed to eouliiuie their em]iloynient without molestation. 

 Xor is their devotion to their eountry less eons]ii('iious than their n.si'fulness to tiieir kind. While the 

 huntsman of the ocean, far from his native laud, from his i'amily, and his lireside, pursues, at the 

 eonstant lia/ard ol' life, his jrame u]ion the liosuni of the dee]i, the desire of his heart, is by the 

 nature of his situation ever intently turned towards his home, his children, and his country. To be 

 lost to them L'ives their keenest eclj,'e to his fears ; to return with the fruits of his labours to them is 

 the object of all liis hopes. By no men upon earth liave these (pialitics and dis]iosilioiis been more 

 constantly exem]ilitied than by the tishernieii of \ew Kii,i,daiid. From the |iroci'eds of their ' iierilous 

 and hardy industry,' the value of three millions of dollars a year, for hve years jirecedinj,' 1808, was 

 added to the exjiorts of the I'liited States. This was so much of nati(jnal wealtii created by the 

 fishery. With what laancli of tiie whole body of our commerce was lliis interest unconnected ? Into 

 what ;irtery or vein of our political body did it not circulate wholesome blood i To what sinew of our 

 national arm did it not impart lirmuess and (iiieixv ? We are told that they were 'unnnnllii dtenuxing 

 in 7iiiiiiher\ Yes ! they had lo.st their oceiiiiation iiv tlui war; and where were they durinj,' the war '^ 

 They wen; upon the ocean and u])oii the lakes liuhtiiii,' the liattles of their i.'ountry. Turn back to the 

 records of your revolution — ask Samuel Tucker himsell, one of the number ; a livin.i; example of the 

 character (!oniiiioii to them all, what were the tislKn'iuen of New Kiijiland in the tug of war for 

 inde)iendence ? Ajipeid to the heroes of oil our naval wars — ask the vanquishers of .Vlgiers and 

 Trijioli — ask the reileciuers of your citizens from the chains of servitude, and of your nation from the 

 humiliation of animal tribute to the barbarians of Africa — call on the cliani]iions of (air last struggles 

 with liritain — ask Hull and llainbridge, ask Stewart, Porter, and Macdonough, what |jro|)ortion of 

 New England fishermen were the coii,]iaiiioiis of their victories, and sealed the ]ir(aidest of our victories 

 with their Idood ; and tin n listc-n if you can, to be told that the iianj/cndiiui citizens of the West were 

 not (tl rt// beneliteil by the fishing privilege; and that the I'ew tishermen in a rcniole ([uartcr, were 

 cntirehi i.rihipt from tlir /hni;/rr. 



" lint we are told also that, ' by far the greatest part offish taken by our fishermen belong the 

 ]ii'e.seut war was caught in the ojicn sea, or 11)1011 our own coasts, and cured on cair own shores.' This 

 a.saertioii, is like the rest, erroneous. 



"Theslaae tisheiy is carried oil in vessels of less than twenty tons burthen, tla^ jaojiortiou of 

 which, as aii]iears by ' Seyberl's Statistical Annals,' is about one-seventh of the whole. With regard 

 to the conijiaralive value of the I'ank, and Labrad(U' fisheries, I subjoin hereto information collected 

 from several iiersons, acipiainted with them, as their statements will show in their minutest details." 



I know of no language that can more forcibly bring borne to the Commission the 

 value of this fishery. If the cloqiK'nt language that I have (juoted contains a tittle of 

 the truth, then this fishery is the nursery of the American naval marine. The future 

 maritime defenders of their country are to be found amongst the bold and fearless men 

 who prosecure these fisheries, and amongst them alone. From the fisiiing vessels of 

 America sprang those maritime defenders of her flag who maintained with undaunted 

 bravery the honour of their country in the last war with I'lngland ; and from the same 

 source must be drawn those who doubtless would do so again if, unfortunately, another 

 war should arise between the two countries. Yet, when we speak of sur b a fishery as this, 

 we are calmly told by Afr. Foster " You must not '00k at these advantages at all, but like 

 business men you must, pencil in hand, put down the figures and make a calculation of the 

 values, as though it were a petty matter of bargain and sale between man and man." In 

 the name of our common humanity, in the name of the coinnion honour of iilngland and 

 America, and of the Dominion for which 1 am counsel this day, 1 repudiate such a eon 

 struction being placed upon this Treaty. 



