While by the terms of the treaty of Utrecht it was not permitted the 

 French to fish and to cure fish except on the French Shore , the treaty of 

 Paris conceded them the liberty to practice these operations on this coast. 

 Now this liberty could be imagined only on condition that any local concur- 

 rence for occupying the places of fishery and of drying would not restrict 

 their use. 



Article V stated, besides, the following provisions concerning the places 

 of fishing other than the French Shore: 



"His Brittanic Majesty consents to give the subjects of the Very Chris- 

 tian King the freedom to fish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on condition that the 

 subjects of France do not exercise the said fishing within three leagues of 

 the coasts belonging to Great Britain, be they those of the continent or be 

 they those of the islands situated in said Gulf of St. Lawrence. 



"And, for that which concerns the fisheries on the shore of the island of 

 Cape Breton, outside of said gulf, it will not be permitted to the subjects of 

 the Very Christian King to exercise the said fishing within 15 leagues of the 

 coast of Cape Breton; and the fishery on the coasts of Nova Scotia or Acadia 

 and elsewhere outside said gulf, on the basis of former treaties. " 



In addition, in order to concede to France an indispensable base to ex- 

 ercise the rights of the fishery thus defined, in these regions separated from 

 the homeland by the width of the ocean, England ceded to France the islands 

 of St. Pierre and Miquelon, which had been taken by the treaty of Utrecht, 

 under conditions defined by Article VI. 



"The King of Great Britain cedes the islands of Saint Pierre and Mique- 

 lon, in all propriety, to his very Christian Majesty, to serve as shelter to 

 the French fishermen. 



"And his Very Christian Majesty is obliged not to fortify the said islands 

 and to establish only the civil installments for the commerce of the fishery 

 and to maintain there a guard of only 50 men for the police. " 



March 10, 1763, a dispatch from the Duke of Choiseul, minister of the 

 Marine, made known to the outfitters that in application of the treaty signed 

 the February 10th preceding, they could henceforth send, in all security, 

 their cod fishing vessels to the bank as well as to the shore of Newfoundland. 



40 



