and Cape Raye, in exchange for which she renounced claim to the east coast, 

 between Cape Bonavista and Cape Saint- Jean, is, in fact, very rich in fish. 

 Besides the cod, the lobster abounds there, and the salmon is taken in equal- 

 ly great quantity. New, in the 19th century, lobsters and salmon came to 

 constitute for some of the French outfitters, an important supplement to the 

 cod fishery. Moreover, this coast bordered on fertile soil which is without 

 doubt, on the basis of many reports, the part of Newfoundland most favored 

 by nature. Instead of hostile Newfoundlanders, the French found there the 

 little Acadian colony newly settled, whose reception was sympathetic and near 

 whom they found suitable facilities for storage and supplies. Without doubt 

 the crossing was appreciably longer from the French ports to the west coast 

 than to the east; but, in compensation, the fishermen found in this new zone 

 of fishing, with beaches as good as those of the east coast, climatic conditions 

 much more favorable to the drying of cod, a springtime relatively advanced 

 following a more severe winter, but often dry and sunny. 



The treaty of 1783 carried, as those which had preceded it, a serious 

 fault, in the sense that its text did not settle the famous controversy of ex- 

 clusive fishing versus concurrent fishing. By Article V, the minister of 

 Louis XV, Vergennes, had proposed the following draft: 



"The King consents to renounce. . . on condition that his subjects fish 

 alone, to the exclusion of the English. " The English government had refused 

 to insert this clause because of fear of opposition from Parliament. But its 

 plenipotentiary, Fitzherbert, proposed and got acceptance from Vergennes 

 of a ruling on the question by an additional act, the tenor of which was as 

 follows: 



"The King, being definitely in accord with his Very Christian Majesty 

 on the article of the treaty defined, will seek all possible means, not only 

 in assuring execution with good faith and punctuality, but, moreover, will 

 give on his part, all possible assistance to the principles which will prevent 

 the basis for future disputes. 



"To this end, and that the fishermen of the two nations may not have 

 source of daily quarrels, His Brittanic Majesty will take positive measures 

 to prevent his subjects from interfering in any way by their concurrence in 

 the fishery of the French during the temporary exercise granted them on the 

 coast of the Island of Newfoundland; and He will withdraw to this end the per- 

 manent establishments which are made there. His Brittanic Majesty will 



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