THE NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERY QUESTION. 203 



The protest and demand of the French Government was renewed 

 on March isth, 1889, and they pressed the British Cabinet to give a 

 decision ; and accordingly the Marquis of Sahsbury on March 28th 

 repHed, that as regards the "question whether Crustacea are fish 

 within the provisions and intentions of the Treaties affecting the 

 French rights of fishery on the Coast of Newfoundland, is one upon 

 which the two Governments are divided in opinion ; '' and if it were 

 admitted that French fishermen are entitled to fish for lobsters in 

 Newfoundland waters, yet to establish French lobster factories 

 on the shore is contrary to the terms of the Treaties, and finally that 

 as regards Shearer's lobster factory, H.M. Government adhered 

 to their former declarations. 



England protests against French Lobster Factories. 



Simultaneously with the protest of the French Government in 1886 

 and 1887, agains the erection of British lobster factories from 

 Cape St. John to Cape Ray, the British Government also protested 

 against the erection of French lobster factories over the same ground. 

 As early as August 2nd, 1886, the Governor of Newfoundland, Sir 

 G. Des Voeux informed the Colonial Minister, Lord Granville, that a 

 factory for canning lobsters had been established by the French at 

 Port-au-Choix, on the north-west coast of Newfoundland, and he 

 forwarded a petition from the Chamber of Commerce at St. John's 

 for its removal, on the ground that it was a breach of Treaty stipula- 

 tion, and on November 24th, in consequence of additional French 

 lobster factories having been erected at Harbour Island, the Colonial 

 Minister, the Earl of Iddesleigh, made representations to the French 

 Government and urged their removal. 



In July, 1888, the Governor of Newfoundland informed Lord 

 Knutsford that a French war-ship had arrived in Blanche Bay, and 

 ordered the removal of an English lobster factory, and in its place 

 the erection of a French factory, on the ground that the French 

 Government had conferred an exclusive right to the latter to fish for 

 lobsters in that locality for five years ; and on the 7th July the 

 Marquis of Salisbury instructed the French Ambassador at Paris to 

 ask the French Government to put a stop to such proceedings. 

 On the 30th October the French Government, through M. Goblet, 

 replied by admitting that the facts were correctly stated, and further 

 added that the lobster establishments erected in Blanche Bay were 

 in accordance with Treaty rights ; to which the Marquis of Salisbury 

 replied that the grant by the French Government to a French Com- 



