THE NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERY QUESTION. 201 



The Colonial Legislature, undaunted by this refusal, at the com- 

 mencement of the Session of 1887 passed unanimously by both 

 Houses the rejected Measure of the previous year, and appointed two 

 Commissioners, the Premier of Newfoundland and Sir Ambrose 

 Shea, to proceed to England in order to make urgent representations 

 to H.M. Government in its favour, and an address, signed by the 

 Speaker of the House of Assembly, was forwarded to H.M. Secretary 

 of State for the Colonies, which set forth the following, amongst 

 other reasons, in favour of its receiving the Royal assent : 



Within the last three years, the great increase in the French fisheries has gone far 

 beyond the requirements of their home markets ; and we find them meeting us in 

 Spain, Italy, and other European countries, and with the bounty equal to 60 per cent. 

 of the value of the fish, they are fast supplanting us ; the reduced value of our staple 

 industry from this cause already repressnting a fairly estimated sum of ^£'250,000 per 

 annum, under conditions that menace us with a still more serious decline. In these 

 facts, our change of view of the bait trafi@c is but too well warranted, and we have 

 abundant reason for the application of the remedy provided in the Bait Act. In 

 furnishing our rivals with bait, we promote the evils we have to contend with, and our 

 only course is to terminate this suicidal traffic. 



In consequence of these active measures taken by the Government 

 of Newfoundland, and the representations of its Commissioners, the 

 British Government advised her Majesty to sanction the Act, and on 

 the 19th July, r887, an Order in Council was sent to the Governor 

 of Newfoundland, for bringing the Act into force after the close of 

 the fishing season of that year. 



THE LOBSTER DIFFICULTY 



French Protest against British Factories. 



Following up the vigorous Despatch of the French Government of 

 June 2ist,. 1886, for the securing of the Treaty rights of France, M. 

 Waddington, the French Ambassador, addressed a Despatch to the 

 British Government on 25th August, requesting the removal of 

 English lobster factories at Port-i-Port situated on the reserved 

 French shore line, and on the 20th September, Count D'Aubigny 

 informed the British Government that seven more lobster factories 

 had been erected on the French shore line, and that he was instructed 

 by the Prime Minister De Freycinet to renew the protest of the 25th 

 August laslf against the continued infraction of the rights conferred 

 on France by Treaties, 



