Chapter V. The French Shore in the Nineteenth Century. The 

 Convention of 1904 and the Treaty Shore. 



In 1793, the beginning of the war between France and England, the tak- 

 ing possession of the colony of Saint-Pierre- et-Miquelon by English vessels 

 suspended once more all French outfitting for Newfoundland. As it had been 

 during the course of earlier wars, the cod fishermen turned corsairs, con- 

 ducting an attack on English commerce with their boats which were always 

 pierced in times of peace to receive an armament of from 10 to 12 cannons. 



The signing of the Treaty of Amiens, March 25, 1802, returned to France 

 the disposition of its fisheries in Newfoundland and possession of its colony. 

 In hope of a lasting peace, the outfitters immediately pre-occupied themsel- 

 ves to reassume their industry. At first, by reason of the antiquated charac- 

 ter of the old rules of the French Shore fishery, they solicited the minister to 

 agree to a new set of rules. 



In consequence, the outfitters of Saint-Malo, of Saint-Brieve and of 

 Granville, interested in resuming the coast fishery, met at Saint-Malo on 

 July 2 8, 1802, the Commissioner of the Marine presiding, in order to delib- 

 erate according to instructions of the minister, the best method of occupying 

 the fishing places, on the use of the net called hallope , a kind of haul seine, 

 for the purpose of catching capelin and launces for bait; and on means of fa 

 voring and encouraging the processing of roe, a question of great important . 

 for the sardine fishery on the coast of France. 



The assembly responded to the questions by demanding that the harbors 

 and beaches should be assigned for a period of five years by the drawing of 

 lots by the outfitters before the departure of the boats for the fishery; that 

 the outfitters should be authorized to assure, outside the fishing season, 

 guardianship of their docks and cabins; that, for the capture of bait, the use 

 of the net called hallope , a destructor of the bottom of the fishing grounds, 

 ought to be prohibited, and that the only gear authorized for this use should 

 be the seine ; that the seines employed, either for the capture of bait or of 

 cod, ought to be put out only by the hand winch and not from land; that the 

 command of vessels in the great fishery be only exercised, compulsorily, by 

 captains licensed for the high seas. 



This deliberation served as basis for the Regulation of February 4, 1803, 

 of which the principal regulation applied to the mode of distributing the places 

 of fishing. 



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