THE NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERY QUESTION. 179 



Article XIII. 

 The island called Newfoundland, with the adjacent islands, shall from this time 

 forward belong of right wholly to Great Britain ; and to that end the town and 

 fortress of Placentia, and whatever other places in the said island are in the possession 

 of the French, shall be yielded and given up, within seven months from the exchange 

 of the ratification of this Treaty, or sooner, if possible, by the most Christian King, to 

 those who have a commission from the Queen of Great Britain for that purpose. Nor 

 shall the most Christian King, his heirs and successors, or any of their subjects, at any 

 time hereafter, lay claim to any right to the said island or islands, or to any part of 

 it or them. Moreover, it shall not be lawful for the subjects of France to fortify any 

 place in the said island of Newfoundland, or to erect any buildings there, besides 

 stages made of boards and huts necessary and usual for drying of fish, or to resort to 

 the said island beyond the time necessary for fishing and drying of fish. But it shall 

 be allowed to the subjects of France to catch fish, and to dry them on land, 

 in that part only, and in no other besides that, of the said island of Newfoundland 

 which stretches from the place called Cape Bonavista to the northern point of the said 

 island, and from thence, running down by the western side, reaches as far as the 

 place called Point Riche. But the island called Cape Breton, as also all others, both 

 in the mouth of the River St. Lawrence and in the gulf of the same name, shall 

 hereafter belong of right to the French, and the most Christian King shall have all 

 manner of liberty to fortify any place or places there. 



It may be remarked, that in 17 13 there existed no population upon 

 that portion of the coast of Newfoundland reserved to the French 

 fishermen by this Treaty of Utrecht. The coast was deserted, and 

 therefore concurrent rights were impossible, inasmuch as the exclu- 

 sive right to fish, and to dry the fish, was " s'imposait de lui-mime," 

 and therefore it was not necessary to specify in the Treaty the 

 concurrent rights of the Newfoundlanders. 



It should be observed also that by the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, 

 France came at the same time into possession of Cape Breton and 

 other islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the period which 

 elapsed from 17 13 to 1763 was advantageous for the French fisheries, 

 because supported upon the island of Cape Breton, where she built 

 Louisburg, the French fisheries became firmly established in the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence, and extended to the coast of Newfoundland, where 

 they gave occupation to not less than 16,000 French fishermen 

 during the period referred to. 



TREATY OF PARIS, 1763. 



The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ruined the bright hopes that had been 

 raised in the breasts of the French people for the extension and de- 

 velopment of the French colonies of North America, for England 

 wrested from France, Canada, the Island of Cape Breton, and all the 



